Perfectly groomed green fairways with gentle, rolling hills. How perfect they would be to gallop through if it wasn’t for those pesky holes. As a kid, it was one of my fantasies. Right up there with sneaking into the pasture across the road from my grandparents where two horses had taken up residence. I was sure the owner wouldn’t notice, just as I was sure that nothing bad could possibly happen. Luckily, I never got the nerve to do it in person, although I rode those horses in my bed every night before I went to sleep.

Those golf courses were probably one of the reasons I took up eventing. After spending my junior years riding in rings, it was a thrill to find places where I could gallop cross country and jump fences, all on manicured courses. It seemed a real step up from the hunter ring.

I still look at those golf courses with longing. But the thought of someone sneaking into my pasture at night and riding one of my horses? I hope they chicken out like I did.