|
My Life Through Them
|
|
|
This is my story through the horses that shaped it.
 At the age of two my mother was taking me to the stable where she rode. Any time she had a lesson she took me. It was a boarding barn with some older ladies who were always there. Any time they saw me they would take me around to meet all their horses. My favorite was a horse that everyone called Naughty Boy, a.k.a Scout. He was a black and white paint that always kicked at his stall door. He was one of the most impatient rowdy horses I had ever met.
I'm told I had no fear of the huge animals even though I was so small.
Eventually they started putting me on their horses and leading me around. Both fortunately and unfortunately my mother became pregnant with my little sister and the afternoons at the stable stopped. After my sister was born my mother never took up riding again, but to appease my crazy love of horses we went back to visit the horses quite a few times. I always took carrots to feed them. My mother had a falling out with the owner of the barn and we stopped going.
When I turned eight our neighbor (who knew I was extremely into horses) asked if I wanted to go to work with her. She worked at a stable where she mucked stalls, trained and exercised horses. The lady who owned the barn was fine with it. So off I went to the barn with my neighbor’s six year old daughter. That is where I learned to groom and muck. They did some more leading me around on horses and teaching me some of the correct positions. My favorite horses there were Poppy Seed and Tater Tot. They were very patient and let me hang all over them as I learned the ropes of riding and grooming. But like all good things, the pleasant mornings at the barn came to an end when my neighbor moved to a different stable.
At the age of ten a friend of my mothers called, she was looking for people to come help out at her therapeutic riding center, in return we could ride. I worked there for a few weeks and all of the things I had learned came back to me. Finally the lady asked if I was ready to ride. She told me I was to ride Snowball. She was a small little white (not grey white) Shetland pony. She was just the perfect size for me. She was one of the most ornery little ponies I had ever met. She bucked and tried to cut into the center every chance she had. Snowball gave me a lot of the riding confidence I have now. Sadly I out grew her and she foundered.
A few months later my mother bumped into a friend who had horses. My mom’s friend said her children had lost interest in the horses and she was looking for someone to come ride. I called her the next day and set up a time to meet her horses. Freckles was the first one to come to the gate. The lady told me he was an ex reiner and could turn on a dime.
The 19 year old, 14.3, chestnut Quarter Horse gelding with a huge white blaze became mine 1 month later.
He had a triangular scar on his face from a incident as a foal. I rode him for a year taking him to horse camp and on trail rides. I tested the turn on a dime theory and I tested his speed. He was very push button and the perfect beginner horse. I think it was him who gave me my love of speed. Unfortunately, he had some major feet issues and the barn was not suitable for him. We gave him to a little boy whose parents had died. He is now used as a lesson horse at a stable not far from us. I get to see him once or twice a year.
My mother’s friend asked me to start riding one of her other horses. Buck was a 15.1, 16 year old, sorrel gelding Quarter horse with a single stocking. He became mine a few weeks later. She didn’t want him just sitting around as he had in the past. To this day he acts like a 4 year old, throwing unexpected bucks just to see if I am paying attention. Riding him is always a surprise. He knows my mood and when I'm feeling down or upset he is very sweet and other days when I'm up for a challenge he makes me a better rider. I have taken him to horse camp twice and on numerous trail rides. We had a scare two years ago that just about devastated me, he had gotten a cut that got so infected we thought he might have to be put down. But we got the antibiotics in time and he bounced back to his usual self. Right now he is recovering from a large laceration in his nose.
Last spring I noticed the other horse at the barn didn’t seam to be getting very much attention. So I talked to the lady about letting me ride him. She said yes! After seeing me ride him she gave him to me also.
Chris the 14.3, abused, 13 year old bay with 2 hind socks Quarter horse became mine!
He was trained in barrels but was supposedly not fast enough (that’s when he was abused). It took me a while to gain his trust, but now that I have he is so loyal. He is the fastest horse I have ever ridden. See The Story of Chris for his complete story. He is recovering from an abcess and also from skinned and battered legs after getting stuck in his stall.
Three years ago I started public school, if it wasn’t for them I would have never made it through. Late last fall my parents were separated and I would have never made it through that period if I didn’t have them. These horses are my life, my love and my future. We have just joined 4-H and we are looking forward to an exciting show year.
Horses are the most amazing animals created. I do hope you love and cherish yours as I do mine. I hope you have enjoyed meeting my pride and joys! |
|
|
|
Painted Destiny
Amazing! All of them sound great!
Amazing! All of them sound great!
|
Apr 11, 2011
• 2,818 views
|
|
|
|
Untamed Heart
Aww!!! Such a good story.... It has kinda the same plot as mine! Your life sounds very very similar to mine...
Aww!!! Such a good story.... It has kinda the same plot as mine! Your life sounds very very similar to mine...
|
Apr 11, 2011
• 2,831 views
|
|
|
|
Spaztastic
This is a amazing story :)
This is a amazing story :)
|
Apr 11, 2011
• 2,839 views
|
|
|
|
HarleyPeach1
Nice!!! I love all the pictures!!
Nice!!! I love all the pictures!!
|
Apr 11, 2011
• 2,839 views
|
|
|
|
Prarie Rose
This is so cool. Horses really are like our guardian angels. :)
This is so cool. Horses really are like our guardian angels. :)
|
Apr 11, 2011
• 2,824 views
|
|
|
|
|
lovehorse
Awww! I love this story, so sweet!
Awww! I love this story, so sweet!
|
Apr 12, 2011
• 2,815 views
|
|
|
|
RemRu
Love the story!!! Cute last picture!!:D
Love the story!!! Cute last picture!!:D
|
Apr 12, 2011
• 2,828 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 12, 2011
• 2,833 views
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 12, 2011
• 2,852 views
|
|
|
|
Artista
Great article - you've had the opportunity to have some beautiful horses.
Great article - you've had the opportunity to have some beautiful horses.
|
Apr 12, 2011
• 2,843 views
|
|
|
|
T W I
What an amazing story!
Sounds like you found some true friends in those horses. :)
What an amazing story!
Sounds like you found some true friends in those horses. :)
|
Apr 15, 2011
• 2,875 views
|
|
|
|
Thestral
I liked the story!
I liked the story!
|
Apr 16, 2011
• 3,081 views
|
|
|
|
|
More News by ImaCoolCowgirl
|
|
I've been horse crazy for as long as my parents can remember. I used to love going to shows to watch all the pretty horses, which sadly for them, lead to a new dream of not only working with, but owning a horse and eventually show ...
|
|
The stimulation of pressure points is an exact science and unless the halter is tied on obscenely tight that it hits the correct pressure points any time there is pressure on the halter it doesn’t work. The knots do however create ...
|
|
I love writing articles on controversial methods in the horse world, not to start arguments, but to make people think about what they are doing and why they are doing it. To start my series I wrote an article on Slant Load vs. Str ...
|
|
One of the most believed myths in the horse world is that blanketing a horse during the winter will actually keep your horse from growing a winter coat. Blanketing your horse earlier or keeping it in a heated barn has virtually no ...
|
|
I've had a rough week. This past Saturday the horse that taught me to ride had to be put down.
My first encounter with Snowball started at a small theraputic riding stable years before I started working there. A man donated th ...
|
|
A fictional story my mother wrote for me based on my work with theraputic riding and my first horse Freckles.
He steps forward. The muscles tense and bulge under the tight skin. His compact powerful legs have propelled him ov ...
|
|
Two weeks ago I heard a lot of crying, and a lot of whispering. But I never saw what anyone and no one ever came to feed me, or give me water. I peered through the bars into the stall next to me. Maze was looking worse. She was ly ...
|
|
Last summer I was Googleing random horse pictures and came across some neat pictures of riders shooting on horse back. Naturally I try to learn everything that I can about horses and I came across the really amazing sport called C ...
|
|
|
