I asked Tom for three weeks to run a trial schedule. He agreed to let me teach the Thursday beginner class, provided I completed the stable's safety paperwork and worked under his supervision.
"You'll need the insurer's approval," he said. "And the horses assigned to the group can't be ones the family plans to sell."
"Who chooses those?"
"I do."
"Then I'm not worried."
The first lesson was for three adults: a woman named Jess who had ridden as a child, a man named Peter who was afraid of being too old to start, and a quiet teenager named Mina whose father waited in the car. I introduced myself as a trainer who had been away from the saddle longer than she liked.
Peter looked at my knee warmers. "You're making a comeback too?"
"I suppose I am."
We started on the ground. I showed the
