The Horses We Rode – Part 2

Dear Reader,

It’s funny how our relationships with our horses change over the years. When we are very young, they are in some ways our companions in our imaginary adventures, but in a lot of ways they feel like someone assigned to keep us safe and straight in the woods. There have been many times where I think my horse sighed like an old guardian as I, yet again, attempted what I thought was a good idea. But as you get older, there is no wise soul underneath you, suggesting that something is not a good idea, in fact, in horse years, they are a teenager just like you.

The Rancher’s Daughter’s Childhood Horses and How They Shaped Her – Part 2.

Or

Hang on and Learn to Ride Because Getting Bucked Off Really Hurts – Part 2.

Goldie:

Goldie was a small sorrel mare that was given to my dad when I was about seven or eight. While I was gallivanting around on King, Goldie was my dad’s mare that he rode. He loved that mare, and she was probably the best horse that he has had. She was just plain smart and wanted to chase a cow as much as a dog does. By the time I was eleven, my dad had decided that it was time that I graduated from the steady back of King to the agile back of Goldie. I wasn’t too keen about this grand idea of my father’s. I had already fallen off of Goldie one time when I was younger when she tried to run off with me, but she had come a long way in her training since then. After our first couple of rides, Goldie wasn’t waiting for me to slowly gain confidence like King. No, Goldie’s way of making you gain confidence was by saying, “You’re on? Good, hang on!” and off we would dash after some cows. Towards the end of our rides together, Goldie didn’t have to check on me and I didn’t have to tell her to go, the gleam in that one cow’s eye was our signal. When we were not working cows or loping around in the pasture, Goldie and I were practicing, both to our disgruntlement, for the local 4-H horse shows. Not that I was showing against my will; I was the one who chose this event (Goldie was probably there against her will). I just had this itch that if I didn’t show, I wouldn’t know if I really could win or not, and Goldie and I both had an itch about not losing. So, we practiced our gait transitions and side passes until we could do them in our sleep. In the end, we made a pretty good team at the shows, even if we did come out of the ring like Maximus Desimus from the Gladiator after playing the people’s games.

Life Lessons Learned from Goldie:

Riding Goldie taught me that sometimes you are not going to be ready or confident enough to do the thing, and it’s not going to always look or feel perfect, you just have to chase the cow and it will come later, for now just hang on. I also learned to slow down and make sure you are doing the right steps at the right times (this was also learned after many broken patterns at horse shows). And most importantly I learned that the sorrel mare is always going to have a bad attitude, but she is probably your best bet to get a job done.

Stella:

Stella was the horse that I trained and rode my Junior and Senior years of high school. We got her as a three-year-old, palomino filly from Oklahoma; she would barely let you touch her (it is still a good day when I can catch her without difficulty). She always had an “I don’t care attitude.” Not the “I don’t care, do whatever sense,” rather, the “I don’t care about this, and I am going to make both of us miserable” sense. Getting used to the saddle was a hard thing for her; I spent many evenings just slinging a child’s saddle on and off of her so she would get used to it (an adult sized saddle would have tired my scrawny arms out). She eventually got over her quirkiness with the saddle, and we made a pretty good team. She loved to chase after cows like Goldie did, but she was not a fast horse, even though she gave it her whole heart. I could always depend on her while sorting cattle in the pens because she wouldn’t move, even if a huge bull was coming. We had a pretty good bluff. But we couldn’t bluff a left lead. To this day, she will not pick up the correct lead when loping to the left; I think it’s her way of letting me know I am riding her only because she lets me. At the end of my Senior year, I showed her in the youth horse show at the county fair. We didn’t place as well as I would have if I was riding Goldie, but I was proud that I was riding a horse that I had trained by myself; and we did place second in egg and spoon!

Life Lessons Learned from Stella:

 Stella taught me how to work with a horse that had a mind of her own and didn’t mind telling you when she thought you were wrong. While training her, she taught me persistency and how to think outside of the box. What worked for other horses didn’t seem to quite work for her, and I learned later on in life that people are often the same way. Stella also taught me how to fail and get back up. She was the first complicated horse that I had trained and we did a lot of failing together as we learned, but we eventually got it right.

In Summary:

People say that giving a child a horse is the best way for them to learn how to be a good human. And as a horse girl, I will agree that there is something to be said about giving a little girl a war animal for a pet, but I also think that there is a lot to be said in giving your child a dog, a fish, or even a cat. In our childhood we learn confidence by exploring what we love and failing in the safety of our mentors. Horses just seem to be the best catalyst to accomplish that for some little girls.