a visit down the street.

These horses live down the street.  There are about 6 or so.  The dark one is names Brownie, the other one is named Spotty.  These are the kids chosen names. There Twist and Chocolate too.  They didn’t come over before we had to leave.  Lyla didn’t like them.  Max was afraid of them getting too close and Ryan loved them. 

Lyla watched from the wagon.  She didn’t want to get too close.    I am a little afraid of horses too.   There was a time that I wasn’t afraid at all.   In fact, I wasn’t the least bit afraid of any horse.  I used to ride horses.  I loved it.  I loved the breeze blowing in my hair.  I rode my horse all of the time.  I would ride through the drive-thru at Dairy Queen.  I would ride on the road, in the mountains and at any time that I had free. I would wash my horse, feed her and put peanut butter on her teeth so she would look like Mr. Ed.  It was fun.  I would ride in the parades.  I would ride in fields and in horse shows.  I would ride and ride.  I wish that my kids could see my riding.  They would have been surprised. 

My first horse was named San Pepe.  He was young.  He bucked my off the first time I rode him in a field.  He was scared of a pheasant.  It was terrible.  I remember that day clearly.   I was afraid.   Then he was accidently shot in the field that my uncle kept him in.  I think that i was happy that he was no longer.  I needed a gentler more calm horse.  

Then came Camptown Floozy.  She was old.  She wouldn’t run.  She was stubborn. She wouldn’t get in the trailer and she never got any ribbons at the horse shows. She was perfect for a beginner.  I loved her, but I always tried to push her over her limits.

Then it was time to move on.  The next horse I rode was Sandy.  Sandy was pretty.  Sandy had a really deep run.  Sandy was my favorite.  Sandy was stubborn in her own way, but Sandy was old.   One day Sandy slipped on the ice and wouldn’t get up.  I tried and tried to pull her up.  It was terrible.  I sat in the snow in my aunt’s backyard with her until she had to be put to sleep.  It was a sad sad day.  I loved riding Sandy so much.  I was really sad to see her go.

Then there was a horse named was Rosie.  She looked a lot like the spotted horse in the pictures that the kids have nicknamed -Spotty.  She was nice, but not.  She hated parades.  She hated to be brushed and hated peanut butter.  I tormented her.  She probably hated me.  I loved her.   I loved that she was so big and would let me ride her in flip flops.  She didn’t win a lot of ribbons, but she was super fast at the barrels and poles.  She would get so excited to run that I couldn’t even keep her under control.  I would run her around the barrels and poles and would always feel free.  

 

Then one day Rosie and Camptown Floozy had babies.  They were beautiful.  My dad told me that I could have the baby for my own.  This was the best day ever!   My dad and I would go and see the baby horses all of the time.   They were sweet.  They were little and one of them was mine!   I couldn’t believe it.  One night while visiting the baby horses, the sunset was orange and red and it was a pretty night.  What was I going to name the baby horse. 

 

I know… the baby would be named Sunset.    My cousin Nanci named the other baby Chili. 

Sunset got bigger and bigger and it was time to train her.  My cousin Nanci and I would go to the trainers every Saturday to learn how to ride our now big enough horses.  We would ride for a little while and go home. The trainer would still work with them while we were gone. 

Then it came time for her to come home.  Yeah!  I was so excited.  I knew that it was going to be hard to have a new horse that would be nervous about new things, but I could handle it. 

  

I would go over to my aunts house everyday after school to ride. I would saddle her up and ride in the back yard.  I ventured out of the backyard one time. It was fun and it was scary.  It was a new adventure.  

Then my friends came to ride and everything changed.  We saddled her up.  She was ready.  I was riding in the saddle and my friend said that he wanted to ride with me.  I told him that she wasn’t ready to do this.  There was a neighbor that lived next door that thought that she knew everything about horses.  She stopped my horse while I was riding and told my friend to get on.  He got on the back and she was afraid.  She bucked and bucked until he flew off the back.  I almost had control and then she stopped.  I flew off of her and landed on my side.  I stood up fast because I was afraid that she would step on me.  I knew that there was something wrong.  I tried to sit on a log.  Nope.  Couldn’t do that.  I tried to walk away.  Oh, the pain.  I tried to sit again.  Nope.  I needed to go to the hospital.  I walked inside the house where my aunt was and told her what happened.  She had watched from the window so it wasn’t shocking to her.  

We got in the car and she drove me to the hospital.  I couldn’t sit down without horrible pain so I just sat in the car with my back straight.  When we got to the hospital, the people at the desk asked me to sit down.  I burst into tears and told them that I couldn’t.  They hurried me back into the room.  They put me on the bed and I couldn’t bear the pain.  They did some x-rays and sure enough I had broken my tail bone and my vertebra in my back.   The doctor informed me that I wouldn’t be riding my horse for at least 6 weeks.  In fact, I wouldn’t be doing anything for at least 6 weeks.  Really?!  How was I going to do this?!   I guess I would figure out something.    I slowly went to school and since I couldn’t sit down, I arranged for my teachers to just stop my grades at that time.  We had 6 more weeks of my junior year in high school.  I would miss this.  I would miss everything.

Time went by and I was cleared by the doctor to ride my horse again.  I rode around the back yard.  I ran  the barrels one time and then put my horse stuff away and never rode my horse again.   We eventually sold all of the horses since they weren’t being used.  I was devastated.   No more doing the thing I loved the most. 

I still am a little sad that things can change in just a split second.   I loved this time.