As a person who was born and raised in Hanoi, I’ve never really had the opportunity to venture out into nature due to a lack of green space and an abundance of motorcycles in the streets. I’ve  always had a love for animals, particularly, horses—partly because I was born in the year of the horse, 2002. However, there weren’t many opportunities for me to learn horse riding in the bustling Hanoi. Thus, when I moved to London last year, learning how to ride horses was on top of my bucket list.

I went online and found out that LSE has its own Equestrian and Polo club. I was able to join the first “Give-it-a-Go” Session in November after the new society leaders were able to regroup after Covid-19. During the first lesson we all met up at LSE’s Centre Building and took the Southampton Train to Bexley for more than an hour. Then we walked together to Mount Mascal Stables and waited for our turn to ride. There were about 6-7 people in the first session, and the lessons were divided between beginner and intermediate riders. I was a bit nervous but very excited about the prospect of learning how to ride. Despite my nerves, I kept following the directions from the lesson instructor and learned how to sit properly on the saddle and have the correct hand position to best control the horse. My horse was a bit grumpy on that day so it took more effort to guide him to follow the pack in a circle. We all had a blast and after the lesson spent a lot of time on the train getting to know each other. It was fun to meet new people across departments and countries. The experience felt like a short day trip from London, and I was glad that I made it to the lesson.

It was fun to meet new people across departments and countries. The experience felt like a short day trip from London, and I was glad that I made it to the lesson.

The next time that I went for another lesson, I met an LSE PhD student and had a lot of fun learning how to make my horse trot. Although some of my back muscles were sore in the days after the lessons, I had no regrets. I also was feeling a bit emotionally drained due to personal reasons, so it was very worthwhile and helpful for me to get outside of London to see nature. I would recommend to all students coming to study at LSE to try out the sports or other societies that you are interested in. There’s a society for everyone here so you just have to be open-minded to new experiences.