Post by beta on Aug 2, 2010 0:45:41 GMT -5
I’ve been a little shy about sharing my horse story here but figured it’s about time. I apologize if it’s a little disjointed and kind of long.
In 1982 when I was 12 my parents made my little girl childhood dreams come true and bought me a horse, a liver chestnut Quarter horse named Tess. Unfortunately they didn’t do a lot of research and got duped in the process so the horse that I was given while very pretty, was also considered very un-ridable. She came to me with hard mouth and beaten. She was so sensitive about any leg being used on her that she would promptly toss a young novice rider (me) off. A month in she came up lame with calcium deposits, possibly the best thing that could have happened to our relationship. I spent every day with her applying ointment and attempting to hold a heating pad to her leg as long as possible. Thankfully her leg healed, she no longer favored it and in the process came to trust me much more.
Now keep in mind that I had no formal lessons whatsoever. I had barely been on top of a horse at the time that my parents purchased her and the closest thing that I had to lessons were other riders giving me pointers. I could sense that some of the other girls were making fun of me and my broken horse but I was very stubborn and dedicated.
I had started slow with her in a small ring where I think we both felt safe. I bought a hackamore and started teaching her voice commands. I still couldn’t use any leg and never would be able to. The majority of people around me were riding Western so I was trying very hard to get her to slow down like the other horses, after a couple of years I had an epiphany and purchased an English hunt seat saddle. There was one other woman that also rode hunt seat and she was kind enough to give me suggestions. I let her move naturally and she was beautiful.
Nothing was said about mare moods back then, but she had them. She would spook at anything. She spooked at a pile of rocks once. She spooked at a dog that wasn’t moving. She spooked at a bicycle. She threw me into a tree, a fence, a road. I got very good at falling down or flying off. I was knocked out on several occasions, remember 1982, not a single helmet to be seen in the small town of Upper Michigan that I lived in. One time coming to and seeing somebody about to hit her when I immediately jumped to my feet and let loose with a stream of profanities. I never hit her. I figured she’d been beaten enough and that only compounded her issues.
The last two years I had her she had become such a wonderful girl, my closest friend and my pride and joy. She still had her crazy moments, but they became fewer and far between.
When I was 18 my parents decided that they wanted to move to Iowa and we couldn’t take her with. It broke my heart but she was given to a wonderful home and went on to win many ribbons at shows all over Upper Michigan.
***********
About six months ago I came to SAFE to volunteer. I haven’t spent any real time with horses since mine was given away but when I discovered the opportunity to spend time with them again, I jumped at the chance. A couple months later I decided to sign my nine year old stepdaughter up for riding lessons and thought that I might be able to give her the same opportunity that I had to bond with a horse except that I didn’t want to just throw her into it like I was. I figured in several years she would be ready to have a horse of her own.
Several months of proudly watching her practice and I finally timidly asked the instructor what I had wanted to ask from day one, “Can I take a riding lesson?”
Last week, at the age of 41, I took my first riding lesson. I can’t even describe it properly. It was….amazing. I left leg sore and grinning from ear to ear. It all came back, the rush of adrenaline, the fear, the movement. Now I’m scheduled to take lessons every other week.
And yes, I’m keeping a very close eye on the horses at SAFE.
In 1982 when I was 12 my parents made my little girl childhood dreams come true and bought me a horse, a liver chestnut Quarter horse named Tess. Unfortunately they didn’t do a lot of research and got duped in the process so the horse that I was given while very pretty, was also considered very un-ridable. She came to me with hard mouth and beaten. She was so sensitive about any leg being used on her that she would promptly toss a young novice rider (me) off. A month in she came up lame with calcium deposits, possibly the best thing that could have happened to our relationship. I spent every day with her applying ointment and attempting to hold a heating pad to her leg as long as possible. Thankfully her leg healed, she no longer favored it and in the process came to trust me much more.
Now keep in mind that I had no formal lessons whatsoever. I had barely been on top of a horse at the time that my parents purchased her and the closest thing that I had to lessons were other riders giving me pointers. I could sense that some of the other girls were making fun of me and my broken horse but I was very stubborn and dedicated.
I had started slow with her in a small ring where I think we both felt safe. I bought a hackamore and started teaching her voice commands. I still couldn’t use any leg and never would be able to. The majority of people around me were riding Western so I was trying very hard to get her to slow down like the other horses, after a couple of years I had an epiphany and purchased an English hunt seat saddle. There was one other woman that also rode hunt seat and she was kind enough to give me suggestions. I let her move naturally and she was beautiful.
Nothing was said about mare moods back then, but she had them. She would spook at anything. She spooked at a pile of rocks once. She spooked at a dog that wasn’t moving. She spooked at a bicycle. She threw me into a tree, a fence, a road. I got very good at falling down or flying off. I was knocked out on several occasions, remember 1982, not a single helmet to be seen in the small town of Upper Michigan that I lived in. One time coming to and seeing somebody about to hit her when I immediately jumped to my feet and let loose with a stream of profanities. I never hit her. I figured she’d been beaten enough and that only compounded her issues.
The last two years I had her she had become such a wonderful girl, my closest friend and my pride and joy. She still had her crazy moments, but they became fewer and far between.
When I was 18 my parents decided that they wanted to move to Iowa and we couldn’t take her with. It broke my heart but she was given to a wonderful home and went on to win many ribbons at shows all over Upper Michigan.
***********
About six months ago I came to SAFE to volunteer. I haven’t spent any real time with horses since mine was given away but when I discovered the opportunity to spend time with them again, I jumped at the chance. A couple months later I decided to sign my nine year old stepdaughter up for riding lessons and thought that I might be able to give her the same opportunity that I had to bond with a horse except that I didn’t want to just throw her into it like I was. I figured in several years she would be ready to have a horse of her own.
Several months of proudly watching her practice and I finally timidly asked the instructor what I had wanted to ask from day one, “Can I take a riding lesson?”
Last week, at the age of 41, I took my first riding lesson. I can’t even describe it properly. It was….amazing. I left leg sore and grinning from ear to ear. It all came back, the rush of adrenaline, the fear, the movement. Now I’m scheduled to take lessons every other week.
And yes, I’m keeping a very close eye on the horses at SAFE.