Whistle a Happy Tune

Here I am, riding Doc on Sunday.

I might have been whistling a happy tune

because I had the opportunity to get out

with other riders in a beautiful setting!

Recently I read the following on a ListServ:


"When I first started riding Clifford* as a 3 year old, lightly, on the glorious acreage on the estate, I'd sing..."When You Walk Through a Storm." Thought it a good selection as I was reinforcing the "walk" part. Didn't want "When You Gallop Through a Storm!" One day as we went along, I heard a male voice singing in the distance. It kept getting closer and closer. It turned out to be, Jeremy*, one of my barn buddies, who was riding his 3 year old. We were a regular Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, the singing movie duo from the dark ages of film.


I don't personally remember them. I'm old(er) but not that old. My grandma was a fan. It really does work, this singing thing.

In college, one of my PE semesters was in conscious relaxation. At the time, I thought it was dumb with a capital D. It turned out to be an extremely valuable learning, mind control of the body, all parts. Can't give a short course on line but for the up-tights, it's worth pursuing."

*names were changed

This post caught my attention because I am a horseback singer! I often find myself singing while on horseback and remember doing so when riding as a teen. I sing for a number of reasons, but most often because songs make me happy. Or perhaps I burst into song when I am happy, and riding makes me happy, so I sing. I'm not sure which comes first!  


If my heart is fluttering a bit, I will consciously sing to calm down. Just as the ListServ writer suggested. If I'm really nervous I might catch myself singing, "Whistle a Happy Tune" from the King and I:

Whenever I feel afraid

I hold my head erect

And whistle a happy tune

So no one will suspect

I'm Afraid.

While shivering in my shoes 

I strike a careless pose

And whistle a happy tune

And no one ever knows I'm afraid.

                                   -source

If I'm out on the trail alone, I'll sometimes fill the quiet with a song. I think my song matches the cadence of the hoofbeats, or perhaps the hoofbeats come to match the rhythm of the song! 

One thing I like about singing on horseback is that the horses never complain! They don't care if I sing a song over and over again. They never make snide comments about my singing off key. They don't seem to care if I am at a loss for words and fill in some sort of nonsense, or just change to humming. 

Do you sing on horseback? 

Is singing a form of conscious relaxation for you?

What songs do you find yourself singing?

Another picture from our Sunday trail ride.