When Laura, my youngest, was in 1st grade I decided I wanted to take riding lessons. My plan, and you will find out that I always have a plan, was to take lessons for a year and then find a horse to lease. I wanted to make sure I would stick to it after the reality of actually taking care of a horse set in. Well, I found a great instructor close to home, started lessons in October and in December bought my first horse. So much for my plans! She was an older dark bay mare that had been hanging out in someone's backyard for a few years. The price was right and she seemed like a great first horse. She developed some medical issues soon after I got her and sadly, 3 months later, she died. First lesson: the price of the horse is going to be your smallest expense.
My plan was to wait a year (mostly because we spent a lot of money in vet bills!) and then look for another horse. My instructor/barn owner was wonderful and let me ride one of her horses so I was still able to get my horse fix. A year was shortened into 3 months and I started shopping again. I found Rio, a buckskin Quarter Horse gelding who was 9 when I bought him. He has been a great all around horse. My daughter Kathleen and I both rode him in gymkhana for a few years and then later he and I joined a drill team, California's Gold Rush and competed at the Cow Palace as well as performed at rodeos and parades.
Here we are before competing at the Cow Palace:
.....and here we are competing! We had a blast!
Riding drill was truly a highlight of my life with horses. We had a great team and it was so much fun to ride a horse that was such a good partner.
During our last year of drill, Rio started slowing down a bit and I bought another horse. M is a sorrel Paint gelding that I bought when he was 3. He was born at my barn and I was able to be there at his birth and work with him his first year to teach him manners, etc. He then went out to pasture to grow up a bit with some other young horses and his first owner offered to sell him to me. He's been a great addition to my herd :)
Here is M on the left with his mother on the right:
I think it's important to expose your horse to as much as you can to build trust which helps a lot when you get into dicey situations. Falling off is not fun and I don't bounce very well.
I ponied M alongside Rio during the Woodside MayDay Parade for exposure. He did great and took it all in.
With my drill team, we rode in the San Jose Holiday Parade when he was only 4. He did great but afterwards I thought, what was I thinking! This is a big parade with big bands coming up behind you and very crowded streets that narrow down in places. We survived and I'm sure it's helped his confidence.
Our barn has an annual Halloween costume party and I like to find out how much stuff I can put on M. He's learned to be extremely willing.
In between Rio and M I bought another horse before she was born. Shandy is a tri colored Paint mare. She broke her leg when she was 10 months old and after a few surgeries and lots of physical therapy, she has made a beautiful pasture pet.
Most of my riding right now is out on the trails. We have miles and miles of beautiful parks within minutes of the barn and I love to take advantage of riding there.
When I got my first horse, all 3 kids would come out and ride. Stephen decided it wasn't for him followed closely by Laura. Kathleen has enjoyed riding the most.
We rode in Woodside's Day of the Horse this year with the other barn girls.
Rio is now 22, Shandy is 11 and M is 8. All take a lot of time but I can't think of too many other things I'd rather be doing. Oh, wait, maybe there are a few other things.........
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