UnfilteredCowgirl
Active Member
What caused you to get into horses? How long have you been around horses? What have you done with horses? Share your story with us!
My story is rather long, but I will try and simplify it as much as possible!
I have always loved horses for as long as I can remember, but I guess that I first formed my deep love for them, in 2013 when we moved to the farm. I was 8, and thought that we should have a horse. I mean, what kind of farm doesn't have a horse!? I begged and begged and begged for years to be allowed a horse. The answer was always, "no, we aren't set up for one". I couldn't understand why my parents wouldn't let me have a horse. They knew I loved them, and sure mum is allergic, but I could change my clothing when I come in, or we could get a hypoallergenic horse!!
The years went by, and I was never allowed a horse. Instead I continued to beg and beg, and I would search through on Kijiji and find my perfect horse, and the answer would always be no. I began reading any book I could that had a horse in it. Whether that was a novel, or an instructional book, it didn't matter. I have seriously read every single horse book available in both our libraries in town lol!
In 2018 we went on vacation and we rode a horse on the beach in Mexico. That was the first time I had ever been on a horse. I was so happy! The ride was maybe 20 minutes, and I could have just ridden all day, it was amazing. Looking back on it, I was terrible lol! And i would love to redo that ride now, but in the moment, I couldn't have been happier.
We came home and I began asking for riding lessons. Maybe my parents would let me do that? I began asking every day, and the only things I would have on christmas/birthday lists, would be a horse, and riding lessons. That probably made it hard for my parents to actually know what I wanted, but that was what I really wanted lol!
Well, mid-2019, mum runs into a friend that used to be dad's secretary. They chat, and somehow it comes out that I love horses. Well they get talking, and turns out the friend has 3 horses! Only one of them are broke to ride, but she doesn't get out to ride her very much, and she said she would love it if I would come out and ride her once or twice a week for her!!! Mum told me this and I was stoked!! I wanted to go out the next day! But of course, I had girls camp that week, so I couldn't go out until I got back the following week. I wanted to just skip the camp, and go ride horses. There were no horses at camp, and it was super boring. (i am a very outdoorsy person, i love hunting and skinning animals and all that kinda stuff, and the rest of the group, including the leaders, are all prissy princesses that go 'glamping'
) All I could think about the whole time, was getting back home, and riding her horse.
Finally! The long week ended, and I went out to meet Tessa. She was amazing! The friends trainer came out and we watched her lunge Tessa, and then I got to lead her back and groom her. I must have spent close to an hour just loving on her, and grooming every inch of her body.
Eventually, I was told to put her away, so I did, and then the friends' trainer, said that we should go out and look at her horses! She has 3 of them, and she lies only 5 minutes away from the friends house. So we all drove down to her house, and her horses were just as awesome! She pulled one out of the pen, O'Malley. And we brought him over to the barn. He was amazing!! She could walk (well, like, bend in half, and walk sideways) underneath him! And bump his belly with her back as she went under!! It was so cool! He didn't even flick an ear! After that, I groomed him, and then she let me get on him bareback, and she led me around the yard. It was awesome! Then she showed me another awesome thing O'Malley did. He let you slide off his butt onto the ground. So I scooted back until I got onto his hips, and then I slid off. He was so cool! As I was leading him around the yard, he stepped on a pop can, and I flinched more than he did lol!
The trainer proceeded to tell us that she had stopped teaching lessons a couple years back, but she was willing to teach me!!! I was so excited! Mum began talking with dad about it, and they decided that no, I wouldn't be able to get lessons from her. She was too far away from us. She lived on the other side of town, an hour away, and she could only teach in the evenings cause she had daycare throughout the day. I was devastated. This was gonna be so perfect! I really wished it would work out! The only thing I have ever really asked for, has been a horse, and I've never got it.
Eventually over the summer of 2019, mum met a guy that also had horses. Again, she told him that I wanted a horse, and he said to come out to him, cause he taught lessons! Well then mum forgot about him, of course. And then she was looking through her contacts for a different number, and found his instead! She texted him, and in Sep, I went out to meet him and the horses. They were all so amazing!! He had 3 horses, Quinn, Storm, and Janice. I rode all of them at one point. He was so awesome! He pushed me just hard enough, and told me what I was doing wrong, but unless I asked, he would let me figure out what I should be doing. He was amazing! I first started out on Quinn, I had probably 2 lessons with him, and he was great. He was super solid, very broke, and very lazy lol! He was great though, and totally put up with all my mistakes. Then came Storm, I only got one lesson on him, but he was awesome! He was a big paint, and he was the first horse I had ever lunged before. That was so cool! Then there was Janice. She was a little 4yo greenbroke mare. I hated her. She took so much work to ride! I had to lunge her before I rode so she wouldn't have as much energy, I had to constantly check her, and make sure she was listening to me, she would give little crowhops when I wouldn't let her go faster, and she was just so annoying!! That's what I thought of her on my first lesson with her anyways. As time went by, and I had a couple more lessons with her, I grew to love her. She was great! My mindset totally shifted over, and it was great! I began to see her, as an awesome little 4yo, who was super willing, and wanted to please me, but didn't know how. We began to really fast track out bonding, and I eventually didn't have to lunge her before getting on, cause I had gotten used to her, and could control the pent up energy. She was great, she only tried bucking me off once, and i stayed on!! We were going up a hill, so that probably helped lol! Eventually, we got so good together, I loved riding her! I loved my lessons, and they were so awesome! I got another lesson on Quinn, and I used him to run figure eights around two barrels, that was amazing! He is who taught me how to use spurs for the first time, how to switch leads, how to stop square, and how to back up. We were expert backer uppers lol! We would back up for feet at a time, all in a straight line, and facing forwards the whole time, I loved backing up with Quinn lol!
Eventually, it began to snow, and we couldn't continue because of the ice. He only has an outdoor round pen. We stopped lesson then, after only having 10 with him, and we were going to start up again last spring. He was going to help get me ready, and he was going to enter me in a show last summer, it was going to be great! Then Covid....I haven't gotten lessons with him since then. That was the fall of 2019, and I still miss him, and I think of him and the horses all the time. Maybe one day I will be able to go back and get more lessons with him, cause he taught me so much!!
My story is rather long, but I will try and simplify it as much as possible!
I have always loved horses for as long as I can remember, but I guess that I first formed my deep love for them, in 2013 when we moved to the farm. I was 8, and thought that we should have a horse. I mean, what kind of farm doesn't have a horse!? I begged and begged and begged for years to be allowed a horse. The answer was always, "no, we aren't set up for one". I couldn't understand why my parents wouldn't let me have a horse. They knew I loved them, and sure mum is allergic, but I could change my clothing when I come in, or we could get a hypoallergenic horse!!
The years went by, and I was never allowed a horse. Instead I continued to beg and beg, and I would search through on Kijiji and find my perfect horse, and the answer would always be no. I began reading any book I could that had a horse in it. Whether that was a novel, or an instructional book, it didn't matter. I have seriously read every single horse book available in both our libraries in town lol!
In 2018 we went on vacation and we rode a horse on the beach in Mexico. That was the first time I had ever been on a horse. I was so happy! The ride was maybe 20 minutes, and I could have just ridden all day, it was amazing. Looking back on it, I was terrible lol! And i would love to redo that ride now, but in the moment, I couldn't have been happier.
We came home and I began asking for riding lessons. Maybe my parents would let me do that? I began asking every day, and the only things I would have on christmas/birthday lists, would be a horse, and riding lessons. That probably made it hard for my parents to actually know what I wanted, but that was what I really wanted lol!
Well, mid-2019, mum runs into a friend that used to be dad's secretary. They chat, and somehow it comes out that I love horses. Well they get talking, and turns out the friend has 3 horses! Only one of them are broke to ride, but she doesn't get out to ride her very much, and she said she would love it if I would come out and ride her once or twice a week for her!!! Mum told me this and I was stoked!! I wanted to go out the next day! But of course, I had girls camp that week, so I couldn't go out until I got back the following week. I wanted to just skip the camp, and go ride horses. There were no horses at camp, and it was super boring. (i am a very outdoorsy person, i love hunting and skinning animals and all that kinda stuff, and the rest of the group, including the leaders, are all prissy princesses that go 'glamping'
) All I could think about the whole time, was getting back home, and riding her horse. Finally! The long week ended, and I went out to meet Tessa. She was amazing! The friends trainer came out and we watched her lunge Tessa, and then I got to lead her back and groom her. I must have spent close to an hour just loving on her, and grooming every inch of her body.
Eventually, I was told to put her away, so I did, and then the friends' trainer, said that we should go out and look at her horses! She has 3 of them, and she lies only 5 minutes away from the friends house. So we all drove down to her house, and her horses were just as awesome! She pulled one out of the pen, O'Malley. And we brought him over to the barn. He was amazing!! She could walk (well, like, bend in half, and walk sideways) underneath him! And bump his belly with her back as she went under!! It was so cool! He didn't even flick an ear! After that, I groomed him, and then she let me get on him bareback, and she led me around the yard. It was awesome! Then she showed me another awesome thing O'Malley did. He let you slide off his butt onto the ground. So I scooted back until I got onto his hips, and then I slid off. He was so cool! As I was leading him around the yard, he stepped on a pop can, and I flinched more than he did lol!
The trainer proceeded to tell us that she had stopped teaching lessons a couple years back, but she was willing to teach me!!! I was so excited! Mum began talking with dad about it, and they decided that no, I wouldn't be able to get lessons from her. She was too far away from us. She lived on the other side of town, an hour away, and she could only teach in the evenings cause she had daycare throughout the day. I was devastated. This was gonna be so perfect! I really wished it would work out! The only thing I have ever really asked for, has been a horse, and I've never got it.
Eventually over the summer of 2019, mum met a guy that also had horses. Again, she told him that I wanted a horse, and he said to come out to him, cause he taught lessons! Well then mum forgot about him, of course. And then she was looking through her contacts for a different number, and found his instead! She texted him, and in Sep, I went out to meet him and the horses. They were all so amazing!! He had 3 horses, Quinn, Storm, and Janice. I rode all of them at one point. He was so awesome! He pushed me just hard enough, and told me what I was doing wrong, but unless I asked, he would let me figure out what I should be doing. He was amazing! I first started out on Quinn, I had probably 2 lessons with him, and he was great. He was super solid, very broke, and very lazy lol! He was great though, and totally put up with all my mistakes. Then came Storm, I only got one lesson on him, but he was awesome! He was a big paint, and he was the first horse I had ever lunged before. That was so cool! Then there was Janice. She was a little 4yo greenbroke mare. I hated her. She took so much work to ride! I had to lunge her before I rode so she wouldn't have as much energy, I had to constantly check her, and make sure she was listening to me, she would give little crowhops when I wouldn't let her go faster, and she was just so annoying!! That's what I thought of her on my first lesson with her anyways. As time went by, and I had a couple more lessons with her, I grew to love her. She was great! My mindset totally shifted over, and it was great! I began to see her, as an awesome little 4yo, who was super willing, and wanted to please me, but didn't know how. We began to really fast track out bonding, and I eventually didn't have to lunge her before getting on, cause I had gotten used to her, and could control the pent up energy. She was great, she only tried bucking me off once, and i stayed on!! We were going up a hill, so that probably helped lol! Eventually, we got so good together, I loved riding her! I loved my lessons, and they were so awesome! I got another lesson on Quinn, and I used him to run figure eights around two barrels, that was amazing! He is who taught me how to use spurs for the first time, how to switch leads, how to stop square, and how to back up. We were expert backer uppers lol! We would back up for feet at a time, all in a straight line, and facing forwards the whole time, I loved backing up with Quinn lol!
Eventually, it began to snow, and we couldn't continue because of the ice. He only has an outdoor round pen. We stopped lesson then, after only having 10 with him, and we were going to start up again last spring. He was going to help get me ready, and he was going to enter me in a show last summer, it was going to be great! Then Covid....I haven't gotten lessons with him since then. That was the fall of 2019, and I still miss him, and I think of him and the horses all the time. Maybe one day I will be able to go back and get more lessons with him, cause he taught me so much!!
