A few years later my uncle got two ponies - a mother and daughter. The two were inseparable. On the car ride to meet them, I remember telling my cousin I wanted her to "show" me how to ride. I really wanted to ride them myself but I thought I was too big because they were apparently miniatures. I met them on a winter day (I think around New Years in 2008. My uncle told me I could ride her and I wasn't too big {I was 90 lbs. at the time} I was so excited! I rode Peach {Butterscotch at the time} bareback. Of course someone led me around, but it was an amazing experience.
Peaches 'N' Cream 2013
Fast forward a year. In August of 2009, my dad surprised us with the ponies. We kind of figured we were getting them because we had overheard our daddy on the phone talking to one of his friends saying something like "yeah, I am getting the girls some horses". Then my grandpa said something like "When are y'all gonna get your horses?" My sister replied "Oh not anytime soon because we can't" or something like that. We figured something was going on.
I remember on that Saturday that I was so anxious hoping there would be a trailer in my grandparents' drive. When we drove up, there it was: all my dreams in a red trailer. When I first saw Peach she was extremely underweight, with her feet overgrown. The ponies were scared of everything. We couldn't even spray them with flyspray. I started learning all about horses. Two weeks passed and we could finally ride them. I wanted to ride every day. Since they weren't really trained, we had to lead them around. I should get around to her daughter, Winnie. Her previous name was Snowball.
Winnie Nickers 2011
We didn't ride Winnie for a while because she was wilder than Peach. One time my cousin decided he wanted to ride her and walked up to her all tough guy. It was so funny when she reared up and started walking on her hind legs, he ran away haha.
After a year or two my uncle started to tell us we should get a horse. My sister was all in. I wasn't. I remember running out to the truck to cry because I didn't want to sell her. Finally last year I found the perfect opportunity. I could work at a stable in turn for riding lessons. It worked out perfectly. Right? Wrong. After a huge mistake we ending up leaving after a few months of working and riding.
By this time we could pretty much do anything with our ponies except ride them which we did very little considering we got bigger. This year my friend and I went out and decided to ride them. They let us ride them... Kinda. Peach was so smart she decided while she was in the "ring" {our small pen with a hay bale guarding the run-in shed.} She wanted to go into the shed. She jumped/walked over the bale, while I ended up falling off. Neither of us were hurt, but it made a good laugh haha.
Winnie kept trying to buck my friend off {who is much more experienced than me} and succeeded once. It definitely wasn't a long fall haha. That day my dad told me his friend {who is an amazing horse trainer} had a horse for sale. I was almost heartbroken because I had finally succeeded in riding Peach with no one leading me. {This doesn't sound like much but I was pretty excited.} It was a long shot. We found out more and he seemed like the perfect beginner's horse. We went and saw him in July. I was the first to ride him. I only rode at the walk but he was an amazing horse. We knew we really wanted him but we weren't sure we could afford him.
A few weeks later we found out we could get him! The only setback was that in order to have enough food and shelter for a full-sized horse, we had to get rid of our ponies. But my daddy's cousin wanted some ponies for his boys {who are much smaller than us}. They were perfect for them. They were a complete surprise {although I didn't get to see their reactions as they live far away}. I hope to see them soon:) A couple weeks after that we brought home our first horse, Lance.
Lance 2013
He also was fairly underweight when we got him and his mane and tail were torn off thanks to his pasture pal, the palomino. {He liked to pull his mane and tail out.} He was the first horse I loped on. That also was an amazing experience. Now I wait for spring to arrive so I can start riding again. {We aren't supposed to ride him in the winter because of his feet} In the mean time, I aim to get in shape and lose a few pounds to help my riding. I would love to eventually barrel race, rope, etc... My point in this blog is to help others learn about horses, nutrition, the importance of fitness, etc...
Glad you stopped by! If you read to this point, I guess I have managed to keep you entertained. Hope you keep reading!
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