Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Emily Brown on June 23, 2009 at 3:59am

Wind tossed mane and lightening lit face,
Proud and beautiful, ablaze with grace.
Free as a bird to fly through the skies,
Until he became man's ultimate prize.
Used to win battles, used to win wars,
Now he's a pet, he could be yours.
Dressage or jumping, showing or games,
He's yours to keep, despite how his heart flames.
Free as a bird, now only in dreams,
He's lost all his friends, at least that's how it seems.

So now you'd better be his best friend,
Both share secrets right 'till the end.
Never give up, never let go,
Just keep on going, let your love grow.
Gallop through the wind, gallop through the snow,
Let his spirit be free, let his spirit show.
A horse has a spirit, he has a soul,
He is an angel from being a foal.
He constantly guide you, always take care,
So you should be gentle, forever be fair.
Shape, colour, size and breed,
Never place judgements on your trusty steed.
When you're troubled, both take a hack,
Remember to love him, and he'll love you back.

This is myself and my cheeky retired palomino pony, called Busby (:
I love him to bits.

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Permalink Reply by montyandzoom on June 23, 2009 at 5:52am

4 years ago Zoom was a top polo-pony, the best in the string. She is only about 14.2 but quick and brave as they come. Then, around christmas time in the field, she was kicked in the face resulting in her right eye being removed.

Her career was over but her owners set about finding a new home for her. She was taken on by a vet to play horseball with her and, 2 years ago, I moved my horse to her field. Her owner offered me her on loan. I had recently lost my confidence after a fall from my other horse. My instant thought was how on earth would I get my confidence back on a fizzy little polo-pony?

Two years later, we have never looked back. Starting from tiny 6 inch jumps we have built up our confidence together and now enjoy hunting and sponsored rides. She is nutty as they come but has the biggest heart you can imagine. She is the most willing horse I have ever met and I adore her. She has given me back the confidence to enjoy riding and really is the horse of a lifetime.

[IMG]http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo127/littleroboat/zoom2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo127/littleroboat/2922_20466277...[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo127/littleroboat/zoomfrensh2.jpg[/IMG]

Permalink Reply by Ellen on June 23, 2009 at 7:17am

Hi, this is a short story about how my pony, Shadow, always is there for me. Ellen xx

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Permalink Reply by Erin on June 23, 2009 at 9:47am

First Ride

Shaking unsteadily as I take my step,
I repeat over in my head,
Come on now, it’s perfectly fine,
I say, masking the dread.

I’d never looked upon them before,
But now I came to see,
My childhood dream had always been,
These beautiful creatures and me.

Maybe that beautiful flowing mane,
Or that coat as white as snow?
Or those shadowed eyes watching me,
As dark as an ebony crow.

I watched the other riders,
Riding with such ease,
Their horses dancing across the arena,
Like floating on the breeze.

I try to imagine myself like that,
And my stomach seems to flip,
And it dawns on me how they do that,
And I realise – it’s partnership.

Move over, dog, as man’s best friend,
Because there’s someone new in town,
A creature so bold, courageous and striking,
They’ll surely steal the crown.

But deep inside me, I can feel,
Those nerves I cannot hide,
But I guess I’ll just go take a chance,
I have the courage – to ride.

I think this poem reflects a bit on me and how I felt when I first got on a horse. I was a bit nervous, but I was very young (I was only 5). However, I knew I could find the courage to just get on and ride. It's the only thing to do, and soon you'll find that riding is just the ultimate reward for courage.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill

Permalink Reply by Brenda on June 23, 2009 at 6:18pm

SLSF My Halite (aka Hailey) is not the prettiest Arab horse to look at. With a sway back and rafter hips, she looks more like a 30 year old horse than the 13 year old horse that she is. But she is something special. She is the little horse that could. The underdog that no one bets on. No one but me. Together we have completed almost 1000 miles competing in endurance races, and have logged countless training miles.

Hailey came to Alberta from the sunny land of California. When she arrived in May she was terrified of all the patches of snow on the ground. On training rides she spent more time traveling backwards and sideways than forwards. Her previous owners also only ever rode her on the right diagonal at the trot. As such, it was almost impossible to ride her on the left diagonal. She would bump me off onto the right every time I tried the left. Patience and much hard work paid off though. Her transformation has been phenomenal. The scraggly, underweight, asymmetrical horse is now a strong, even horse.

The more time I spend with her, the more I realize how similar we are. We are both picky eaters on race day. Many times I have gotten off, picked handfuls of grass and stuffed it into her mouth, encouraging her to eat so that we may finish the race. I will only eat specific food on race day, and sometimes on 100 milers I don't eat at all. We both function better in cooler weather than hot weather. Her pulse recoveries are faster and I don't risk a repeat of heat stroke in cooler weather. We both love to haul ass on tight treed trails, bending around the trees like snakes. I suck in my side, lift my leg slightly, and she mimics me by sucking in her side, and slides right around the tree with inches to spare.

I know just about everything about this horse, from the kinds of food she will or will not eat on race day, to the specific electrolyting regime that encourages her to drink and eat throughout the race. I know how fast her pulse recoveries will be, and that pulling her saddle will drop her pulse even faster. She knows that I will protect her from the scary rocks, logs, piles of dirt, stumps, shadows, and horse eating monsters that are always just around the next corner. She knows that I will not sleep after the race until she has been fully taken care of, even if we cross the finish line after midnight.

Many people have commented on her conformation, and are quickly silenced when I tell them that she had major surgery to remove an ovarian tumor the size of a volleyball, has completed over 1000 miles in three years under several riders, has a sire and dam that have both finished the famous Tevis Cup several times, and was top endurance horse in Alberta in 2007.

When I think of her I can't help but smile. She really is the little horse that could.

Pictures are:
1. Afternoon of Day 1 Prairie Chicken Run, 50 mile race, Oyen, AB, June 2009 (only 10 miles left to go!)
2. Morning of Day 2 Prairie Chicken Run, another 50 mile race, Oyen, AB, June 2009 (we have spent many miles just enjoying each others company)

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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on June 23, 2009 at 6:30pm

Hi Brenda, I love reading stories like this. Clearly you have a bond with your horse, it's so refreshing to still see that there are people that have such an understanding of what it takes to be a horseperson. Great to see how fresh your horse looks after 40 k's too. Cheers Geoffrey

Permalink Reply by Sarah Hambleton on June 24, 2009 at 9:19am

My forever horse

I have written this over and over and nothing seems to be quite right, so rather than explain the whys and wherefore’s I will just explain the feelings if I can.

I will start by saying that I have owned horses for years and loved them all to the point I feel like my heart could burst, but with JJ it went beyond that, it was a connection on a deeper level. People talk about soul mates but you think of it being the same species, I now know this is not always the case.

A brief history; we bred him, a strapping full RID out of a lovely little Irish mare we purchased. Breeding was my parent’s project but he came to me when he got a little big for his boots and needed to live with the big boys.

This was the beginning of the most incredible partnership that has rocked my world forever; unfortunately this journey was to be a short one:

I have never found it easy to bond with people and have always felt like I was missing something, searching everywhere for the unknown until JonJo came into my life. The bond that grew between us is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life, be it human or animal, he became the very essence of my soul, he was my happy place, my solace and I too was his, this was the one thing in my life I could be sure of. I was so convinced because I could feel it and that is something I could never even try to write down. All horses love you, you feed them, water them and look after them, but with this horse I felt special. He needed me on an emotional level, I gave him strength and in return he gave me serenity and some of the happiest times of my life. When I walked around the corner his face would light up, he would ooze the need to be with me and he always made me smile, even when he was pulling faces (he liked to pretend he was grumpy but it was a front to a deeper, sensitive being who just needed the confidence of a leader and that was me) It seemed to be his task every day to make me laugh, he was always so entertaining and had such a huge personality which made our time together so incredibly enjoyable.

He was a true gentleman to break in a ride, when I sat on him everything melted away, he soothed my entire being and every trouble in my life drifted away. I felt safe with him and him with me. I always used to say that I would never, ever let him go because I had more fun with him than with any animal I have ever owned. No one likes to choose, but if I had had to choose just one horse it would’ve been him. He was my forever horse.

On the 28th February 2009 my world crashed around me. We had a horrific fall out on the hunting field and he was trapped in a ditch. Every breath was laboured and he was unable to move. People tried to keep me away from him but I knew he needed me, I was and always would be his strength, everything he did was to please me and I couldn’t leave him now. I begged him to get up and he tried when I asked, as always, but there was no movement in his back legs at all, he just fruitlessly scrabbled with his front legs against the walls of the ditch. I could feel his life leaving me, I could see the fear in his eyes and it has burnt an image in my mind I shall never, ever forget. He was looking to me to help him and there was nothing I could do other than be there. I tore at the branches of the hedge that were twisted and tangled around his legs and tail, we pushed and pulled to try and free him but nothing. People kept telling me it would be okay but JJ was telling me it wouldn’t, I could feel his life ebbing away in front of me.

His gums went pale and the rasping, heaving breathing became shallow. All of a sudden his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he stopped breathing all together. It was like a vice twisting everything inside me. I pleaded with him not to go, and as always he didn’t let me down. His eyes refocused on me and his sides began to heave again; but this was only to look me in the eye and say one last goodbye, the fear that was there before had gone and was replaced by sadness, a sadness because he knew he had to go. In the moment he left me I felt part of myself leave too, it was like being torn into pieces and my world was shattered. As with every moment with him, even his tragic death was somehow touched by our special bond and our deep understanding of each other.

I am not sure whether I believe in life after death but I definitely believe there is something more than the confines of our physical being and I know that wherever his spirit may be, the part of me he took will mean that somehow we will always be together; a bond and connection like ours will never just end. This thinking is the only way I can find the strength to go on.

What JJ gave me was belief and unconditional happiness; I looked forward to our future together and had so many plans for us that sadly will only ever be lived inside my head. We would’ve had the best life together and with him, my world would’ve been a brighter place. He was such a young boy; our journey had only just begun and with each other it was going to be amazing. I feel like I have been robbed of the chance to be with my soul mate forever, but at the same time I feel special to have felt such an incredible connection that some people never get to experience in a lifetime.

I am now left with a void inside me; my purpose and direction is once again unclear and my safe and happy place has gone. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason but I have no idea what the reason for this will be. I believe that he lives on with me everywhere I go and in everything I do. I will keep on going as I know that is what JJ would’ve wanted and I will never let him down again, his memory gives me the courage to keep searching for my purpose. There is a reason he came to me for such a brief time and one day I know that will become clear.

I will take this opportunity to say goodbye to the best friend I have ever had in my entire life and thank you JJ for the emotional riches you gave me. You touched my heart, you touched my world and you touched my soul. Rest in peace x

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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on June 24, 2009 at 9:54am

I'm bawling my eyes out. Thank you for sharing this tribute to your beautiful boy.

Permalink Reply by Meghan Bilz on June 24, 2009 at 10:37am

Luna in Feb. of 2008:

I met Luna about 18 months ago. I wasn't looking for a runty, unbroke, feral, malnourished, ill-kept, fearful animal, but circumstances aligned so that she became mine, else she was headed for the auction and an uncertain future. She would regard me with suspicion, never making direct eye contact and tensing up, as if to ask "what are YOU going to do to me now?!" At first I wanted nothing to do with her, but I realized that she needed a chance in life. I put my ambitions aside, and began the slow work of gaining her trust and healing her body.

After years of abuse and neglect, Luna found her home. Undoing the damage was not easy, but the rewards are many.

She whinnies and nickers to me, and will follow me wherever I go. She does whatever I ask of her, and gone is the fearful, mistrustful glance.

We go on trails, to the beach, and will soon enter a few small shows. She is sound, healthy and happy. I believe we are partners in every sense of the word, sensing what the other is feeling. I also believe it took courage on the part of this little mare to allow herself to love and be loved; to give humanity another chance when all they had given her is pain. I don't know how our story will end, but I do know that I have never experienced gratitude and love from a horse as I have from Luna, this unlikely mount of mine.

Permalink Reply by Coree on June 24, 2009 at 1:34pm

My Dad was outvoted two to one. As cliché as it sounds, it was love at first sight when I met Premoe for the first time. He was a gangly two year old whose head was too big for his body, which was a mismatch of his origins. Percheron in his feet and bones, Appaloosa in coloring and attitude, and a splash of Pinto just to make things interesting, Premoe wasn’t necessarily the horse of my dreams, but through the years, he became a horse that everyone hopes to have.

I first met Premoe when a call to the Humane Society forced his owner to place Premoe and his half-sister at my neighbor’s house. Half-starved and untrained, it should have been a disaster in the making since I had only been riding for a handful of years. But the price was cheap. My neighbor said to offer $500 for him, but his owner beat us to the punch, practically begging for us to take him for $300. The deal was done, cash was exchanged, and Premoe became a cornerstone in my life.

It wasn’t an easy road by any means. I had a draft horse in my field who didn’t understand the concept of personal space, his size, or that he wasn’t going to starve. After being dragged across the yard numerous times by the beast, we decided he was too much for me to handle, so off to the trainer he went. He happily jumped onto the trailer and traveled down the road just fine, but the hour and a half it took to get him off, then the dragging down the driveway and into the arena, didn’t bode well for Premoe’s schooling.

However, he ended up being a quick learner, and willing to please, and three months later, I brought him home, a much more amiable horse, and my new favorite partner in crime. I learned an important lesson during those three months, for the trainer didn’t believe in him. When I told her my aspirations to use him for jumping, she laughed in my face, and told me that he would never be a jumper. It is safe to say that it was the first time I understood how it felt to have your hopes and dreams shot down, and it was the last time I would let someone make me feel that way. Premoe went to his first horse show only a few months after his training ended. While we probably didn’t win anything, it felt wonderful to be able to step into the ring and proudly present my horse. I knew he was special, even if the judges didn’t, and that was all that was important.

As the years went on, Premoe and I continued to prove people wrong. I did everything with that horse. We rode all over Washington and Oregon, including a five day overnight trip where we went swimming in a reservoir, did numerous open horse shows where we remained successful, played in gaming days and ran our hearts out (we might not have been the fastest, but you can bet we had the most fun!) and we tackled the dreams I’d carried since the early stages of my riding: to compete in jumping and Eventing. Premoe was one of those horses who never said no. He was game to try anything I threw at him, and although he might not have been the best at what I asked, he always put his heart into it, and never gave me less than everything he had, all of the time.

Towards the end of my 4-H career, I became a little cocky about winning. Premoe and I had been travelling to numerous jumping shows and had been racking up the ribbons and championships. So, when I came to Fair that year, I expected to be handed the Grand Championship. When I walked out of the ring with a simple blue, I was bitter. I whined and complained, and even questioned the judge afterwards. Frankly, my attitude smelled worse than rotting garbage, and as President of my 4-H group, I was an awful example. In the weeks that followed that Fair, I really sat back and questioned my reasons for riding. I apologized to my club at our first meeting of the year for my attitude, and I haven’t looked back since. I realized then that at the end of the day, the ribbons aren’t important. It’s about having the opportunity to own a horse, and to show a horse, and to be privileged enough to experience the joy that these amazing animals give us every day. Not everyone gets the chance to do what we do, and we should never lose sight of that. I did once, and I sincerely hope that I never will again.

A year later, we stepped into that ring for the last time, though I didn’t know it then. The next year, I would miss my last Clark County Fair due to college. I didn’t care about what ribbon I would get that day. The jumps were set, I had a smile on my face, and I was happy. Before we started, I gave Premoe a big pat on the neck, sank my heels down, set my shoulders back, took a deep breath, and asked for Premoe to pick up his wonderful rocking canter. We met each fence with the ease of longtime partners and when the class was announced, we had won the championship at last. That day meant so much to me, because we had reached the top of that mountain. We’d been doubted, laughed at, looked down upon, but at the end, we rose above it together.

When the time came for me to go to college, I had the tough decision of what to do with Premoe. I couldn’t afford to take him with me to New Jersey, but I wasn’t ready to let him go. I ended up leasing him that year, and the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I came home and we accomplished another one of my dreams: to event. I will never forget the first time I crossed through the finish flags of cross country. We did not have a clear round, but I didn’t care. I wanted to pump my fist in the air like I had just double-cleaned at the Olympics. Chills ran down my spine, the smile on my face practically split my cheeks, and the tears in my eyes were of joy. The dream I had for so long was finally a reality, all because of one special horse, Premoe. I hugged him as we walked back to the barn, laughing and crying.

For the next three years I remained in New Jersey during the summer in order to work with a professional rider. While I had a blast and learned a lot, I never forgot about Premoe. After I graduated, I ended up moving home for a while and Premoe joined me. I never thought that he would be in my backyard again, but I had always longed for it. Whenever I was home for holidays, I would look out at his field and wish he were there to greet me with his silly whinny. To have him there again, even for a short time, was a joy. I relished waking up every morning to feed him and clean his stall, spent hours grooming and riding him in the afternoons, feeling like a girl again when we galloped around and around the field just because. I didn’t realize that home wasn’t the same without Premoe until he was home with me again. The opportunity came to take him to an event, and I was ecstatic. I hadn’t shown my boy in three years, so I had no idea what to expect. At the end of the day, after a clear round in both cross country and stadium, there was a blue ribbon attached to his bridle. It was the first time I had won an event, and it was ironically appropriate, since he was the horse to help me get my start in the sport I love.

Unfortunately, reality hit soon after the show. I was moving to Virginia in less than three months, and again, Premoe couldn’t come with me to the East Coast. A family from Seattle area came to check him out, and when the girl rode him, I just knew.

I never thought that Premoe’s chapter in my life would end and I continue to hold onto the hope that he will revisit the book of my life someday. As much as I understand that it is not fair to either of us to hold onto him right now, selling him was like tearing a piece of my heart out. I never understood how special he was until he came back into my life. I never realized what an amazing soul and heart he carried inside of him until I rode many other horses.

Premoe taught me more than just how to ride. He taught me lessons that only a horse can. He never made excuses for what he was and if he didn’t get it right, he tried harder. He threw his heart into everything I asked him to and never said no. He taught me that what you look like doesn’t matter, if you believe in yourself then you can do anything. Premoe showed me how to stomp down on the people who doubt you and to make dreams a reality, even in the face of adversity.

If I could have had a different horse as a youth, and won belt buckles and championships and lots of blue ribbons, I wouldn’t. I look around my room today and can tell you the story of every ribbon that hangs on my wall. I remember each day as if it were yesterday, some more vivid than others, but each piece of silk carries a special moment in my life. I may not be rich with winnings, but I am far wealthier with the lessons I learned and the joy I found within owning Premoe.

He has a new home, now, with a girl who reminds me a lot of myself. Young and full of dreams, promise, and hope that she will rise up above those people who would try and bring her down. I am confident that Premoe will do for her what he did for me. He will be her confidant when times get tough, her best friend through thick and thin, and above all, her instructor on the road of life. As hard as it was to let him go, there was joy mixed in with the sadness, for I am more than blessed to be able to share the incredible gift that Premoe is.

Someday, when I own a barn of my own, I hope that Premoe will come home to me again. There will always be a place for him, no matter where I am, for he was my first love and the first thing in my life that made me feel beautiful. All I had to do was get on and ride.

Permalink Reply by Coree on June 24, 2009 at 1:55pm

Permalink Reply by Cassidy Sitton on June 24, 2009 at 4:53pm

As riders, there are moments when things really become clear, where suddenly things click in that magical moment, or it becomes plain-as-day that things will never be right.

For Prophet and I, the road has been a bit rocky - Grand Canyon-kind-of-rocky. I always had faith that he would someday be special, but that faith has been tested and tested and tested. He draws a crowd while bolting and rearing in order to avoid going in his first water jump, but when the ground person walked in himself, suddenly we were jumping in the training level drop... and I loved him. Some of my mentors said he wasn't worth my time, but then, as I sobbed in his stall, he nuzzled and comforted me in that way that no human ever could.

So I kept trying with him....

His layed-back attitude has made me think that his calling may in other fields then this crazy world of eventing, but then he would gallop across a finish line and I'd feel higher than a kite, and I knew I couldn't ever give up on him.

He's opinionated, stubborn, a bully and I love every minute I'm around him and every naughty look he gives me, if not meerily because he lays his head in my lap when he doesn't feel well and hides behind me when he's scared. He wears his heart on his sleeve and holds no emotion back... which is why I always kind of wanted to think that he had more in there than what he's ever shown me... that his too-cool attitude was all just a big cover-up.

There have been flashes of brilliance and he's been such a different horse since coming back into work after his two year vacation. He's grown up a bit, thinks about things better, and understands, but there's always those thoughts of doubt that make me think that maybe flashes of brilliance are all that is in there... Yes, he's been great at the levels that I've asked of him, which most people would be satisfied with, but I want more for not just him, but us.

And then during one ride, however subtle - unnoticable really - it may have been, I felt a magic in that pony that I've never really felt.

All our homework led us to where we were, but it was our first lesson with Holly Hepp which means I'm tight, which means crabby pony. The rain had forced a couple of days off, which means crabby pony. Holly didn't do much warm-up, which means crabby pony. We were on WET footing, which means crabby pony. Yet Holly said "get him here, here, here and his mind here" and suddenly -- we were there.

We jumped a course of size and by the last fence, I was sure the jumps could have been 6" higher, and we would have been fine. I could shorten to the fence, lengthen to the fence, sit and do nothing to the fence, and he still pinged off the ground, straight in the air and landed looking....

But it wasn't how nice the course was or that we stayed in a rhythm or that his jump TOOK me there... it was something else. It was that he was still Prophet as he swaggered back to the trailer - the same P-man that I remember Sinead saying "does he even go IN the bridle?" about. He's my P-man that chases Ted away from the gate, hates being kissed too much, and drives other people crazy!

This Prophet has something that I find special and amazing, and if he keeps taking my breath away, then he will ALWAYS be my man.

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