You know you are addicted to horses when…
Jun 08 2010
you are sitting at work and wish you could skip out and go clean tack.
I am. I am just dying to get out of here, go to the barn and pull all the polo bridles apart and clean the pieces. I mean it. I am having a Lexol craving, LOL! This is a long-term sign of addiction with me — in high school, I used to cut my afternoon classes to go to the barn and clean the polo bridles. Other kids were off smoking pot at the abandoned quarry – I was riding my bike seven miles to go clean tack.
Were you guys that addicted from a young age? Or did you get sucked into the horse world as an adult?
P.S. A little blind item for an upcoming blog, let’s see if any of you can guess it…When Horse Rescuer A was just an adult re-rider wanting to get back into horses, she was turned down for adoption by Horse Rescuer B, who told her, and I quote, that she was “not qualified to own a dead horse” after asking her to fill out an extensive “quiz” about her horse knowledge. Horse Rescuer A now runs one of the most well-respected rescues in the country, and Horse Rescuer B is, to say the least, a train wreck and someone who has already been on this blog, but whose situation has deteriorated since that feature. Can anyone name A and B?
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I had some horsey cousins that lived a good distance from us, but we used to visit on the school holidays and I remember as a 7or 8 year old they were very obliging and lead me around on their 30 y/o fleabitten grey mare, Sweet Pea. When I was 9 my father worked at the police training school, and one of his students was in the mounted division, Dad took me along one day and I got to sit on one of the gorgeous Andalusian police horses. I was hooked. The same student gave me a car trunk-ful of her old horse books, and I would lose myself in the rolling green hills and jolly Pony Club antics of these mostly UK based pony books. And I drew horses constantly (still do!!). Talked horses constantly. We shifted from the city the following year out to a small town in the goldfields aka Western Australian desert, and I was lucky enough to find a friend who would gallop with me, jump our home-made jumps and generally immerse herself as obsessively as I did in the imaginary world of horses. However the remoteness of the town meant no formal riding schools of any description!!
Fast forward to the 1979 annual gymkhana day in the neighbouring town. The red dustbowl and stock saddled brumbies that was the Menzies gymkhana was so far removed from the world of jolly Pullein-Thompson novels that I was wrapped up in, but it was horses and that’s all I cared about!
The Raffle Prize was a yearling donated by one of the local stations (shades of that poker game prize mentioned earlier!!!). The prize was won by a local old timer. As sergeant, it was up to my Dad to inform old Ike that he’d won a horse. Well, “Gawd, what’ll I do with a bluddy horse?? I wanted the travel rug ( 2nd prize)” was Ike’s response. “Well”, said dear ol’ Dad,impulsively “my daughter is horse-mad, so how about I buy you a travel blanket and we’ll take the horse”. It was a done deal. I look back and marvel at my parents’ good intentioned naiveté.
Well, a few days later…a thin, wormy, shaggy, cow-hocked little chestnut pony entered my life and I fell in love with him immediately and christened him Rebel!
He actually turned out to be a 3 year old – as we found out when, after a few weeks of feeding up, and feeling fine this “yearling” starts breaking out to visit the mares over the road, – he was gelded quicksmart.
Oh, the apple, carrot, molasses and bread cakes I would lovingly assemble for his birthday – no pony was more loved!! I spent hours and hours with him, brushing, talking, collecting grass for him. I would even sit on him, unbroken and all. We had no idea how to break in a horse, but the lady owner of the aforementioned mares was very obliging, and soon my so very non-horsey Mum, bless ‘er had learnt to lunge him, and walk him down to a local paddock a couple of times a month for a few days turnout.
Our neighbour kindly took on both his breaking in and education, as well as giving me some riding lessons, starting out on her bad-tempered aged bay mare and moving on to her 3 year old filly – who was as stubborn as hell and had a bad habit of rearing.!!! Soon he was a respectable bush hack, but alas, me being a beginner (Even though I could sit a rearer!!!), I was at this stage forbidden from riding him.
To my horror, Dad was transferred from the great sandy desert up to the far north Kimberley and my parents had been told that horses can suffer badly when not used to the tropics – not to mention the logistics involved in transporting him 2500km . Rebel went to live with my cousins and I got to see and ride him for a fortnight once a year. I was the ONLY one to ride him – he’d get dragged out of his paddock once a year for me – still totally green and me still quite the novice – what a pair – but what fun!! As you can guess, I quickly grew out of him at this stage, and the logistics of travel meant we had to sell him I would love to have kept him forever, but, as I was only a kid, my parents had the last say.
In the meantime though I begged borrowed and stole rides on anyone and everyone’s horses when I had the chance. The local shop owner who bred Welshies commandeered me and a few other horsey girls to show his ponies once a year – I still cherish the 3 felt ribbons my charge won – oh the hours of grooming that young grey filly got! I worked a few weeks here and there on a remote station, happy to feed and smooch their QH and Appy stallions and play with the 2 year olds.
And there it all slowly ground to a halt for 20 years as we moved back to the city, school, uni, boyfriend, job, marriage and mortgage took centre stage, not to mention 3 kidlets. The interweb was born in the meantime and I lurked in all manner of horsey forums. I started collecting the hardback editions of all my old pony books on ebay, joined a pony-book collecting forum!! I frequented a forum run by a rescue organisation on the east coast of Aust, and followd the progress of a sweet aged bay clydie-cross mare for many months. Last year, two months after I turned 40, I adopted and transported her across the country, and Faith now graces my paddock and kindly keeps the grass down for us. She is rewarded with many many carrots and thorough brushing , and I may even throw a leg over one of these days!! No hurry.
Wow. I feel like I fit right in here. I was born and raised in the city. For some unknown reason I have lived and breathed horses since I was three years old. No one in my family had horses, or was the least bit interested in them. I was given a spring rocking horse when I was three, and my Mom had to pry me off of it because I would ride it until I fell asleep. When I got bigger it was model horses, my bedroom walls were wall papered with horse posters and I had all the Marx horses, then onto breyer horses. Because there were a few horse barns in our area, once in awhile we would drive by horses being trail ridden in the park. I remember craning my head to watch them for as long as I could and begging my Mom to go SLOWER.
My summer highlight was going to Wildwood NJ and riding the horse in the pony ride ring, and the pony rides at the Phila. Zoo. When I was big enough my Mom took me for two riding lessons. I don’t really remember why it was only two lessons. My horsey friend and I started to hang out at a hack rental barn near us when we were 12. I think all of those horses were bought out of the killer pens at NH. I hung out there until the placed closed down. Surely, I learned the wrong way to do many things. One thing I did learn was to ride, or at least to hang on for dear life. I got another horsey job after that. When I turned 16 my Mom decided she had enough of me working around horses and that I needed to get a real job. My mom never did GET the horse thing. My Grand Mom however always understood me.
I bought my first horse when I was 19. Most of the people I knew thought I was nuts. I rode the bus back and forth to the barn. LOL. I did try to sit on the back of the bus on the way home, but I know I smelled!
That was 27 long years ago……… I have two AQHA geldings out in my backyard. My old buckskin Chick is 27, he has been with me for 24 years. Quest is my 5 year old dun—a work in progress. He is a big goober and seems to be way more accident prone than I wish. I am having the time of my life with him. I found a trainer that I consider my friend. I am doing more things with Quest than I ever got to do with Chick.
I have THE best nonhorsey) husband, who will willingly do any chore including giving meds, soaking hooves, whatever it takes. My two kids? Don’t even realize that the horses are there………oh well! I know that this fascination with all things horses will go to the grave with me. For those that don’t GET it, you are truly missing out on something special!
Hey Buckskinchick – My experiences are similar to yours. I had to check the handle on your post lol though I didn’t get the rocking horse. I did however get to sit on the back of the mounted officer’s horse after the bicentennial parade… in 1976!!!!! That and a little horse figurine given to me on my 6th birthday by my grandmom was the beginning of my addiction and since then there has been no turning back. Oh yeah, and I’m born and raised Philly too. Horses and working totally kept me out of trouble 99% of the time, esp during the easy 80s.
PS I have been trying to figure out an appropriate handle here. I think I’m going to change it (again) to Philly Horse Chick or something like that. See ya.
OT but i was wondering if any of you could help me price my mare. I’m not quite ready to sell her, but i was trying to get a feel if there is a market for her type at all.
Bay, blaze, 14.2 – 15.1 (I don’t have a stick to measure her with – I’l get one next time i’m at the store.)
Puppy dog personality, very eweet and easy to be around. She will stand free tied, cross ties, straight ties, can be led by my 8 year old brother who knows nothing about horses, goes barefoot.
She can jump the moon – we have schooled 4′ single jumps and 3′ courses. Very easy lead changes, almost auto. Flashy mover. Pulled two 6ths and a 3rd at first show ever. Rides in a d ring. she can get strong to big fcnces. She is an absolute angel with small kids, she has hauled my 4 year old cousins around with no problems. (helmets, halter and lead or me riding behind them of course.) she will be showed this summer.
She also does pony club games – neck reins, doesn’t spook at games equipment, ect. Easy keeper. She does best on daily turnout.
Any ideas on her price? Thanks
^^ She is registered breeding stock paint. And i am in no hurry to sell her
Actually, I have no idea what kind of price you would ask for her… but I’m interested. Sounds like a kind, easy-going, well-trained horses with lots of experience behind her. What breed? Age?
I’m extremely interested in this horse…..
She’s 15 (acts like she’s 5 on most days.. make that every day until you put a kid on her. she turns into a complete angel. She is a breeding stock paint, registered and everything. She was bred, then broken (gag me), but she was trained western, for trail riding. She had bucking problems in western saddle, and is happy as ever in an english saddle. I haven’t tried a western saddle yet, but i will this summer for the fun of it.
one more thing – she’s missing a few fundamentals, like not barreling through a corner after a lead change, dropping her shoulder, and a few things like that, due to not being trained english. she didn’t do anything in her life until she was 12. super sound, never been off a day in 3 years. (sorrt about capitals.. this keyboard hates capital letters.)
I’ve dealt with a lot worse. You wouldn’t expect that, at 13, I’ve had a lot of experience, but… I’ve ridden 5 year olds, 12 year olds, 20 year olds, and even a 30 year old. I’m planning on breaking a young stallion soon. Yes, he’s a miniature stallion (that should be changed soon, or else I’m going to have to talk to the owners. a very, VERY serious talk about stallions vs geldings…), but a stallion nonetheless.
As for your mare, she sounds very well behaved, especially compared to my horse, Zan. Maybe I’ll look into her! Do you have pictures?
I’m 14, and I’ve ridden everything fom 2 1/2 year olds to not broken ponies to dead quiet $100,000 show horses.
There’s a ton of pictures from last year on here -> http://s912.photobucket.com/albums/ac329/shoneypony497/A%20Northern%20Light%20-%20Shoney/
The ones where she is super fuzzy and wearing green are from the first winter I was riding her. – She looks alot better now.
They’re not very good, sorry!
I’ll get some new ones next time I have a friend with a camera at the barn.
She’s an angel. I love her to death, and I’m not too big for her just yet, so I’m not going to sell her until I am. She took me from cross poles to 3′ courses. I would want her in a home where she wouldn’t be stuck just jumping all the time though. She likes galloping through fields (one of the reasons why she failed to be a good trail horse) and she seems to enjoy the pony club games alot, and she needs someone to change it up. I have to switch what we do every two rides – two hacks, two jumping, two gaming, ect. She gets very fidgety and won’t focus if you try to do more than that. Just a quirk of hers.
LOoks like a sweetheart.
What area are you guys in? Indiana area by chance? =D
southwest ohio area – an hour from cincinnati?? how far would that be from you?
About five hours from us. =’( Darn, that’s a bit far.
I used to practice gymkhana events in the back yard on one of those little (non-powered) stand-on scooters. (Until I got a horse, then I inflicted the practice on the poor horse…taught him to neck rein in less than a month. I don’t know whether he loved it or hated it
).
And has anyone else used model horses and a sheet of paper to learn dressage tests?
I never used model horses and a sheet of paper… but I did stick post-its with the letters on them all around the kitchen, and force my brother to call tests for me as I trotted by the stove.
In the mid 70s I’d run the family dog around ‘jumps’ stationed all over the backyard, pretending we were enacting National Velvet.
\I still don’t have a horse, but my current dog and I are nearly ready to compete in Agility!
Hilarious! All my Breyers had names, and I would “show” them in my living room.
First, I feel much, MUCH better knowing there were others out there who whinnied and trotted around the playground. I think my mom had lots of meetings with my teachers, as they gently tried to encourage me to pursue interests that weren’t so strange to act out. But I persisted anyway…and the other kids thought I was weird. I was at a clinic a few years ago, and there was a gal there (an actual adult) who could WHINNY so convincingly that the horses would answer her, looking around frantically for the strange horse they could hear but not see!
I also have fond memories of the Bookmobile lady – who made a special point to keep a good stock of horse books for me.
Not to turn this into a commercial… but for you leather-smell-addicts, we have a leather-scented candle that can make your home or office smell just like a tack shop. Without the annoying credit card bills.
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and for those (like me) who keep the barn cleaner than the house… there’s HORSEwork before HOUSEwork stuff:
http://www.hoofprints.com/productsforhorsewomen.html
and you can get a free HORSEwork before HOUSEwork magnet just by requesting one. Details here
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs009/1101533203510/archive/1103382992821.html
My best friend celebrated her birthday at the local riding stable by having all her guests go on a trail ride. I fell in love with horses that day. We would gallop around the yard whipping ourselves with sticks. THe high school and middle school were just down the street so all of the older kids would look at us like we were crazy when we would play horse in the front yard. We set up jumps and stuff too. We also balanced brooms on the couch and windowseal so we could ride them like horses. We made stirrups out of our mother’s high heels. Crazy horse crazy stuff! Before we were teen’s and got our first horses we would try to lunge our dogs and make stalls for the dogs in the old garage behind my bf’s house. We were so obsessed!
My grandma said I started asking for a pony when I was 2. We passed the Indian Rock Pony Farm one day and I stood on the seat of the car and asked “Just when are you getting me one of those?”. The year I turned 5 she bought my sisters and I a black Shetland mare for Easter. Star was one of those perfect ponies. Sweet and do what ever we asked. She used to spend hours on a Sunday going in circles on the lead rope letting us ride. Or pulling the car with 3 little girls and our dad driving her. I had that pony till she died of old age at well over 30.
I did the whole galloping and setting up jump curses in the yard, pretending my bike was a horse, all of it. I drew horses. Read horses. Lived horses. From the time I was 10 or 11 my Saturdays were spent at the boarding stable with my pony, riding other ponies that were for sale, cleaning tack, and mucking stalls. When I was 15 a neighbor gave me the use of nice QH gelding to ride and show in exchange for watching his kid from hell.
When I graduated from High School I bought my car with my first pay check and my horse with the second. I paid about the same mount for each. LOL $300 for the horse, a 2 year old App/TB filly, and $325 for the 1969 Chevy Nova. The horse is still alive and living a great life of retirement at age 33. The NOVA died sometime in the mid-1980′s.
I still am horse crazy. I have pictures, collect Breyer’s, collect tack, and have my 3 boys. The boys are 2 aged geldings and a 3 year old colt. The geldings are a 25 yo Morgan/Percheron pasture pet and a 20 yo Morgan brat. My colt is also a Morgan. He is being evaluated on a regular basis. So far he has earned his right to stay a colt. But he is under warning that can change with a 20 minute trailer ride at any time.
I am so glad my non-horsey husband “gets” me. He helps and supports, just doesn’t have the interest to do more.
God bless my horsey mom! I took lessons as a kid (very carefully approved ones), but didn’t really get into horses until after I left for college. I was so sad and lonely so far away from my family that my mom’s solution was to send me with a horse my sophomore year. Worked like a charm!
“rode” around for hours on (beat this one) a long cardboard roll (like whats left when you run out of aluminium foil) with dad’s old belt tied around the top for reins. Ghetto stick horse lol
I was never into The Black Stallion. I was a Black Beauty girl… read that book every summer for years.
I don’t know when the horse bug hit me or why. Maybe it was the plastic horses I got for my birthday when I was about 5. I remember them so well and kept them well through my plastic-horse collecting days until I finally decided at 16 that other little girls with big horsey dreams would benefit more from them. I grew up in the city where there were no horses, and was the only one in my family to have the fixation. My grandma used to shop at the grocery on the local base and would stop at the stable we’d pass on the way, allowing me ample time to just watch the horses and smell the environment. Then when I was 10, my parents did the best thing they could’ve ever done for me – moved to the storybook countryside in VA. My face was plastered to the window everywhere we went, watching horses and dreaming about the many horse-filled acres I would one day own. It occurred to me then that horses were a possibility in my life.
I continued to collect plastics horses, but began reading anything horsey. I wore out library cards. In 5th grade we were required to keep diaries, and whenever we had an “open topic” day, I would write about the fictional black mare I owned named Justin Liberty (get it? Just in liberty…I thought it was brilliant at the time) and all her tack, how I would spend hours training her, her black baby Liberty Belle, etc. I was so worried the teacher would show my parents who would find out that I was lying, lol. I made my first best friend because we had the same horse folders for school. She had horses, so I practically invited myself to her place all the time. We rode all day in shorts, bareback, in 90 degrees without a care in the world, she on her ridiculously green buckskin bitch of a mare and me on the skinny, exceptionally forgiving Arabian mare. We then moved on to her neighbors ponies, which we rode endlessly, racing them and setting up jumps out of piles of branches. They were smart enough to escape when we tied them up and made us walk all the way home on several occasions.
When I was younger, I definitely cantered around the house on all fours, swapping leads but never being able to jump. I trained my dog over a course of jumps, which I later learned was actually agility. When in the car, I would count “strides” until the next shadow, in my head trying to keep the right pace to set up properly for the next “jump”. I took english and western lessons in my teens, but my parents refused to get me a horse. They once “warned” that I could either get a car or a horse… I actually chose the car, knowing somehow at 17 that a car was more practical and that they’d never get me a horse. I always bought horse trader magazines, and marked my 1, 2, and 3 choice horses that I would buy that month. It was a great way to keep up with the local horse market, and I actually learned many horse terms because of it. I also wrote about 30 stories about horses when I was in middle school and won recognition in school writing competitions. Unfortunately, I was never good at finishing the books because I was always updating my extremely extensive Excel list of horse names (and their breeds, heights, genders, etc). By the time I dropped the habit, I had well over 180 horse names that I came up with. I ended high school by getting a job at a local horse stable, where I really learned about horses.
At 19, I bought my first horse, a green OTTB that I ended having to completely retrain. I have since sold him and am horseless, but the drive continues.
Oh, dear, do not even MENTION “King of the Wind” around me unless you want waterworks… that d*mn book had the saddest ending EVER! I can actually quote the last eight words (bet you know them, too). “Black Gold” is also right up there for a heartbreaker. Of course, I adore both books anyway and have read them about 6,000 times apiece. But my most favorite Marguerite Henry is “White Stallion of Lipizza.” The day I went to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna for a performance, and visited the stable, will forever be burned into my memory. No Maestoso Borina (I still don’t know to this day if he was a real horse, or a ficitional composite – anyone?), but those beautiful, beautiful stallions were so magnificent in person. They tie them in their stalls so their butts are turned towards visitors, but one had pulled his lead rope loose and I was able to kiss his nose. *grins* (It’s a wonder I wasn’t arrested by the Imperial Stable Police
My large collection of horse books has been accumulating since childhood, and I frequently add on. All the Henrys, a lot of CW Anderson (never been able to determine if I love his or Wesley Dennis’s illustrations more, and Sam Savitt is right up there, too), numerous riding/training manuals, a dozen at least of horse story collections (my favorite is “All Horses Go To Heaven”), and loads of other fiction that is either horse-centered or has them in it.
Just last night I checked a Juvenile Fiction book out of the library because it was about Lipizzans and is illustrated by Sam Savitt. My family is used to this sort of thing but I’m sure other non-horsey adults would think I was whack…
While I do like those artists, I can’t say how much I love and am in awe of Paul Brown’s pen-and-ink illustrations for many, many books, some written by him, some only illustrated. I have an old kid’s library edition of The Sorrel Stallion, and a book on riding illustrated by Brown, among others. One amusing one entitled, I believe, “The Horse” and illustrates why one horse (still beautifully drawn) is not as good a horse as some others because he is on the “wrong” lead. Of course, Brown dealt mostly with H/J, race horses, and steeplchasers and never probably saw a dressage horse doing counter-canter!! Auto changes were so so desirable and going around on the “wrong” lead was bad (true enough for a chaser at Aintree!). I also have a LOVELY book illustrated and written by him called “Horses of Destiny.” Small format, about 2-3 pages on each horse, with an illustration for each, from Napoleon’s Marengo to “Clever Hans” to Manifesto, the great Grand National horse (multiple wins and placings).
These are all great stories!! I recently unpacked stuff that had been in storage for years. I noticed I had TWO Black Beauty books ( I had read mine like, 8 times) when I looked in the cover of the different one I noticed it had my Dad’s name in it. He was never close to me when I was a kid, never even lived with him, but somehow I got his Black Beauty book. It was kinda weird. I knew he had a horse when he was a kid and they had to sell him because of the Depression. Now I have to ask my mom how I got the book!
I was born horse crazy. Neither of my parents were horsey and none of my 6 siblings cared about horses so they didn’t quite know what to do with me. My mother said I would draw pictures of horses when I was 2 1/2. I would watch any TV shows that had horses in them. I would entertain myself on car trips by imagining myself on a galloping horse running beside the car when I wasn’t keeping my eye’s peeled for real horses. The happiest day of my young life was when I went to the local pony ride. The ponies weren’t on a carousel they went on a track. For a dollar I got to choose either a trotting pony or a walking pony. I chose the trotting pony and was in heaven. My parents could get me to do any chore for the promise of going to the pony rides. I read anything horsey I could get my hands on. I had breyers, collected all the Black Stallion books, “rode” and “drove” my dog, played “horsie” in the backyard where I had a “stable” and all my friends were my “horses”. As a young tween I earned money by doing extra chores to go rent a horse for an hour….I was in sheer heaven to have my very own horse for a whole hour! I finally got my first horse when I was 32 years old….nearly 18 years ago. I cannot describe that feeling except to say that I finally felt that missing piece of myself as it finally snapped into place and I felt complete for the first time in my life.
I was lucky enough to grow up with horses. My Mom was one of those lucky enough to buy a baby as her first horse, and end up having him turn out great. Scirocco was the greatest gelding anyone could have. He never was trained to do anything fancy, and he was very lazy. In fact he used to make me cry when I was little because I could never get him to move. But he was a very sweet man. He taught a lot of little girls to ride during his last years. My Mom owned him his entire life, she purchased him in utero, and he died at age 28. Being with him his last day taught me a lot, and as heartbreaking as it was, I wouldn’t have traded my youth with him for anything.
I bought my first horse when I was 21, and had to rehome her just a few months ago, only 3 years later. I wish I could have kept her, but even with all my horse experience Libby and I just didn’t get along. I learned a lot on this blog about how to pick the right home for her, and how to continue protecting her even though she doesn’t belong to me anymore.
I now work at an amazing Hanovarian show and breeding barn. Its called Leatherdale Farms, (http://www.leatherdalefarms.com/index.html) and if anyone has a lot of cash to spend, and wants a fantastic horse that was raised, and handled properly they are the ones to contact. Its heaven at this barn. I think over half of the horses there are retired, and they will never have to worry about ending up somewhere bad. I love my job, it may be hard work, and very tiring. But I couldn’t love a workplace more than I love it there. I only wish I could ride them!
I’m looking for someone that is willing to let me ride their horses, or interested in taking on a working student. Its an unrealistic dream of mine to be able to train horses someday. So if anyone reads this, and you are in Minnesota, please contact me. I’d be estatic to play with your horses! – Katie
“You know you love horses when they get better treatment than the man you love”
http://www.squidoo.com/Training_horse_games
http://www.jollyball.ponyandhorsegames.com
I think everyone that owns a horse needs to spend 1 day in the life of their horse. Seriously sit next to your horse for 24 hours and feel what your horse feels. For me It would be breakfast at 5 am in my big open 60 x 20 ft converted pig stall with no door so I could go outside to a 1/4 acre dry lot and covered varanda all night long. 3 hours later a gate would be opened allowing me to a 2 acre field with short grass and trees . I could wander around 3 different lots connected if I wanted to , or not. 12 or 1 pm a lunch would be fed , and I would spend the hot hours back under my shaded varanda and stall area, and give my tummy a rest from pasture . Then gates open again at 7pm for a few more hours in the big pasture, dinner served at 8 pm and snack sometimes at midnight. Yea, I could handle that day after day, after day after day. Sitting in a box looking out of a widow at all my friends comming and going , and having just enough room to spin in circles would make me lose my marbles. I seriously encourage horse owners to sit in a stall for even 1/2 the amount of time their horses have to sit in there.
I know there must have been many kids like me, horse crazy, but without horse crazy parents. They got me a horse, but lessons were out of the question. I learned by the school of hard knocks and experience. 45 years later, I am still showing. As a kid, I read and watched everything I could. I would have loved some type of book that would have given me more knowledge than the “generic” library books, as that is all I had. I learned to ride before there were videos or the internet, so I just spent alot of time with my horse and figured out most stuff myself. When I wanted to show saddleseat, I got a book from the library and in my first attempt placed 1st over 54 entries – so it can be done. I still have that trophy! When I wanted to write a book 40 years later ( horse training of course) I read everything I could about how to do write a book and my book has been published. It would have been great to have been able to have lessons and good horses to be able to climb the equestrian ladder more quickly, but it can be done on your own, if you want it hard enough and practice hard enough. Now I am giving lessons to kids and putting my many years of experience and knowledge to work to help others.
Concerning the toddler who was killed. If you put any child on anything 5 feet off the ground and they fall off on their unprotected head onto concrete, damage is going to be done – every living soul on Earth knows that. However, somehow, many people have the mistaken idea that if you put that same tot on a horse, the horse “will take care of” the child, or “he would never harm my child, he loves her”. The horse was just being a horse, doing what horses can be expected to do. I was at a trail ride awhile back when two parents each had a BABY ( not a small child ) in the saddle in front of them as they headed out onto the trails at a rugged trails state park! The babies could not even sit up by themselves yet, let alone try to hang on. The parents held the reins with one hand and the baby in the other. Scary. Made my skin crawl. The horses were not deadheads either, they were spinning around and flipping their heads in the parking lot. (white people, which proves that idiots come in all colors.)
I hate seeing babies sitting in front of their parents,another one is when they put them in the belly packs,it’s like hello whats their chances when you land on them??
Oh, man. When I was a kid I loved horses! When I was really little, I had a bike I could ride in the house (LOL, seriously parents? I don’t know how I got away with that) and I would ride it around and around and around the living room, walk it around like my horse, etc. When I got older, I would race the bike down the driveway and steer it over an exposed tree root and pretend it was a jump. I’d do it in spurts…go inside for a while, two rounds around the driveway, back inside, back out…
It’s really fitting that I broke my arm falling off of a horse in December, and the following may refractured it falling off of a bike. Hah.
My friends and I loved to play horses, too. In kindergarten we couldn’t play, because they wouldn’t let us wrap jump ropes around each other – later, we figured out that the ‘horse’ holds the handles, and the ‘rider’ holds the middle. Oh, we spent HOURS cantering around! We set up courses, stalls, jumps, etc. When my friend and I went to the same stables and went to shows together, we’d spend weekday recess practicing getting into the right ‘quadrant’ for showmanship. And during sleepovers, my friends and I would rip the cushions from the couch and make big jumps in the oval that goes around all of the couches/desks/etc. I jumped stuff up to my shoulders…no clue how. xD
So much fun! These days, I sit in class and pretend to do courses in my head when I need a horse fix bad. I even made it through some physical fitness classes on the treadmill the past year by doing my last 3 minutes over courses in my head! I even switched leads. I think my classmates must’ve thought I looked ridiculous.
First post… I have been lurking for 6 months. I am a new horse owner and love to check in every morning with the Fugly to learn all I can. All the great posts about childhood horse play made me smile and spurred me on to post mine
I spent most of my elementary years dreaming of horses. I had two older sisters who would play with me often and one of our favorite imaginary games was “packy pack horse”. Nice name I know… Anyway I was always the pack horse and they would tie all of our play pots and pans around me and I would carry those and my sisters on all fours up and down the stairwells. Of course this was not a stairwell, but a rocky mountain side! I loved it. Never challenged the fact that I was always the horse and they were always the riders, I was just so happy to be playing “horsey”
Fairly new lurker now with username.
Anyway, I owe my horsiness to my friend. She started riding at maybe 6 or 7 and she talked about it so animatedly that I pestered her mum to let me come with just to watch. After watching, and getting to pet the horses, I went home to pester my own mother about riding lessons.
I rode for about a year before I got appendicitis and was told not to ride for about six months. During that time family finances went south so I had to content myself with horse books and drawing pictures of horses. We also used to go to this place which I’ve forgotten the name of which had Shire horses who were the sweetest horses in the world.
We both used to do the ‘pretending we were riding on horses’, although I carried it on longer than she did (and can still whinny very well).
And when mum and I went down to Plymouth for my Great-Aunt’s last few weeks we stayed at this cottage which had horses in the next field. I was absolutely ectatic when one of the horses came over to see me and I used my holiday money to buy treats for them.
Since then I’ve been on horses, so I know I can still ride (Yay) but even though I’ve offered to pay for them I’ve been expressly forbidden from taking riding lessons by my mother.
Mainly because I injure myself a lot. A couple of years ago I broke an ankle falling over on an ice rink at a friend’s birthday party. Last year I broke the other ankle falling down two stairs. I also had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for three years which made getting up and going to school a problem let alone riding and, although I’m better now, I just recently did something stupid to the tendons in my shoulder.
Somehow I think my mother might have a point.
However, I have very carefully laid plans concerning horses (up to, and including, the stables I want to purchase from eventually) if I ever win the lottery. They involve lots of riding lessons, buying a large enough amount of land to house a couple of horses, building the necessary facilities and then waiting until I’m fairly confident in my ability to take care of a horse before buying one.
And I’ve applied for a summer job on a farm which has horses, on the simple fact that they have horses and I just want to be around horses. I might even get to clean some tack, which would be nice because I like the smell of clean tack (although I never did clean tack when I did actually ride).
I don’t know who you’re talking about on the blind item, but let me guess… no one was adequate to adopt her horses so Rescuer B turned into a hoarding situation? Can’t wait to see the blog about it and see if I’m right.
You Know You’re Addicted to Horses When:
You find the mummified remains of a carrot or corn cob in the bottom of your purse.
You routinely find chaff embedded in your clean underwear.
You flick a dime-sized chunk of crud dug out of your Baby’s left rear hoof onto your bottom lip – and simply spit it away.
You find it ridiculous that ‘other people’ find Horse Manure ‘gross’.
Your home is a disaster area, but you could perform surgery in the cleanliness that is Your Locker.
You believe, if you had the land and the funds, you could successfully care for a small herd of 3-legged horses.
You wonder if Rolled Oats or Barley could be cooked and served with butter, milk & sugar – saving you money at the grocery store.
You’ve discovered Lexol brings out the beauty of wood – your coffee table, bookshelves, etc. More money saved at the grocery store.
You diligently research the molecular structure of every solid or liquid put into or onto your Horse with the fervor of a scientist, but have no idea what that drug your doctor just prescribed to you is for.
Your day job is just to pay the bills & keep things afloat; your REAL job is something Barn-related.
You believe there is no Horse ever created that hasn’t got at least one redeeming quality.
All of these addictions were, for me, acquired while I was working as the Nanny (groom) at a boarding & training ranch – BEFORE I met and set up housekeeping for my future Friends. With real Horse Parenting, I’m now burdened with the belief that they will suffer irreparable emotional harm if I am remiss in attending to them for even a single day.
It occurs to me occasionally, however, they might just appreciate the break.
Horsey obsessed at a young age? You bet. Knew what a horse was before I could walk… though it helped that my mom rode and dad raised, bred (responsibly!), raced TB racehorses… Was at the barn at a very early age, have been riding since age 6 (I’m 37 now).
My niece is also a VERY horsey little girl, just LOVES them. But again it helps that her mom and dad ride and own a couple horses and ponies. She will spend ALL day outside with her pony just brushing him or talking to him… Adorable.
My mare was stolen she was my best and only friend.I Am trying to get her back.
this is what she looks like.http://roadsidecrash.deviantart.com/gallery/#Sassy
The people who sold her to us stole her.
They sold us here and then we moved soon after so we boarded her till we could get her down here.
the man who sold her was were she was staying but someone eles was living there and boarding her for us for 3 months. Well her old owner came and stole her and took her to arizona!
(he emailed us and told us!) i have tried to call and email and do everything i could to get ahold of them but they wont reply(and yes there phone is still hooked up)
Please Help
Thanks for reading
PLEASE, working with Pasados Save Haven to get this case reopened. Anyone with details please email me privately. warmblood.horses@yahoo.com
We have the vehicle and trailer located, but need eye witnesses.
Thank you.