My oldest daughter, Christina, was kicked by a horse recently. Fortunately, it got her on the shin (she was riding another horse). But she bled profusely, and ended up getting stitches. It even cut muscle.

I think back on my time with horses, as a farm boy, wilderness ranger, and horse ranch manager. “Horses aren’t like motorcycles,” I would say. “You can’t just get on ‘em, and ride off.”

I’ve been thrown, rolled on top of, scraped off under thorn trees, and scraped off on barbed wire by horses. Somehow, I kept getting back on. That explains a lot.

If you want a nice “safe” ride, get a 4 wheeler. Otherwise, if you really want to experience the raw exhilaration of life, plop yourself in the saddle, and wait for adventure, and fate to take the reins.