Horse Kids

I remember the good old days of my childhood like they were yesterday...ok, they kinda WERE yesterday; but seeing one of the lesson kids today, and meeting a little girl whom's parents are old friends with the groundskeeper, made me remember what it was like being a horse-crazy girl. Those were the most rewarding, tough, and life-changing years of my life.

I remember begging my parents to go on the pony rides at the fair at a very young age. It wasn't until I was about 6 when I realized that I wanted to be around horses for the rest of my life. Thanks to me, my best friend, Emily, also caught the horse-bug. Our neighbors, who had Haflingers, POA's, and shetlands, gave us our first taste in horse ownership, riding skills, and horse handling skills. When Emily and I were on the bus to and from school, we would plan on getting our own horses together. We had it all mapped out as to what breed, color, size, and where we would put them. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way and she got a horse before I did and she had it until it died. I got one eventually, then sold him. I know that he is still with the people who bought him, and they are very happy with him, so that makes me very happy. When I was 14, my grandma let a horse dealer board his horses on her farmland and he let me dink around with them as long as I was careful. I rode my bike there as often as the weather permitted and went in amongst the herd, eventually gaining their trust and making them more used to human contact. One young sorrel mare that I had a connection with I named "Honey" and she would whinny and come up to me whenever she saw me coming on the road. She was a yearling when she arrived and she was a little wild, but I eventually won her over; she was sent to a trainer a couple years later who almost ruined her. For a few days, I was the only one who could approach her without running away. The next year, she had a beautiful baby colt and I was so proud of her!

Amongst the great memories are also bad ones. My obsession with horses made me a walking target in middle school and I was bullied by some of my classmates. They would torment me, saying that they were going to shoot all the horses, let them loose to fend for themselves, or send them all to slaughter. Unfortunately, one year, there was a shooting at my Grandma's property, but it had nothing to do with any of the harrassing people. Those were the worst and that wasn't everything, but I got through it, and today, I am working with horses for a living.

Watching these kids that come in for lessons brings me great joy that I get to share my love and knowledge of horses with them. The little girl I met today told me that she wants to be a "horsey-girl" when she grows up and her parents are supportive of her despite being from town. I hope they continue to help her follow her dreams and follow the right path to being a responsible, respectful young woman-whether she stays with horses or not. I wish the same for all of the students who come into the barn to ride and enjoy the horses.