Well... this is a loaded question, isn't it? Haha. When I was younger I thought I was a pretty decent rider, and then I started taking lessons, and just sort of melted in a puddle atop of my horse. However, last night, my trainer commented, as I was loping Jingle over poles, "I should have taken a video of the first ride you had here, and compare it to now! It's crazy!"... so, that's a compliment right? ;)
So, I suppose my best riding has been lately, really learning how to communicate better with Jingle to achieve a calmer, peaceful, more willing state between the two of us. Sometimes though, I really don't think it is my best riding haha... horses have a way of humbling you, don't they?
Honestly, all technicalities and refined qualities aside, I would have to say some of my best riding was finding and chasing horses home from the hills. I do think I have a knack for direction, and i'm pretty good at reading where a herd will go, and how they will move. Plus, there's something about chasing horses that makes me fearless - galloping down a cliff, in a hail storm, while jumping logs, and chasing a stud and his band of mares - yeah, i've done that. (Absolutely no word of a lie)
So, I guess that begs the question - what does the statement your "best riding" really mean? For me, it can mean either that learning, meeting, and melding of technical skills in the arena, or the fearlessness I had while chasing horses in the boondocks.
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