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Re: [RC] Safe horses - Carrie - Kitley, Carrie E Civ USAF AFSPC 30 MDSS/SGSLFMy first horse was "given" to me when I was 14. He was an 8-year old Morgan/Qtr gelding named Red. I loved him with all my heart. The owners didn't really 'give' him to me per se, they let me have him to ride whenever I wanted. They paid board, took care of his shoes and let him be "mine" as their daughter didn't ride anymore, but they weren't ready to part with him yet. I considered him MY horse. I thought I was the luckiest kid on earth. My parents couldn't afford a horse at that time, so he was a true gift. I think I came out of the womb saying "horse!" So, to finally realize a dream at 14 seemed like an eternity! We rode everywhere bareback, even rode sitting backwards sometimes, or standing on his back, jumped over logs, old propane tanks, had races through the "lanes" in the avocado orchards, rode in the rain, in the creeks, on the streets, and through the neighborhoods. He barely flinched at anything and put up with a lot. What a great first experience with horse ownership!! Looking back, I can't believe some of things we did fearlessly on horseback, and God forbid w/o helmets or saddles!!! Even rode in shorts and barefoot in the summer. That horse did nothing but give of himself and kept me from a premature career with those awful boys. I did later become very boy crazy and started dating, but that horse was my first love and always will be. Thank you, Red. A year later, the owners decided to sell him and I thought my world was coming to an end. :( He ended up with a high school girlfriend of mine who took wonderful care of him and kept him until his last days on earth so it was a happy ending. A couple years later, my parents did end up buying a beautiful 4-yr old Qtr mare, but I never quite bonded with her (she was a little whacky too), then my parents divorced and there went the mare. I eventually married, had kids and finally got my very own horse again 3 years ago. Between age 14 and the present, I always found a way to either be around horses or ride for people who didn't have time. Can't imagine a life without them anymore and God willing, I'll spend the rest of my days cultivating more adventures with my hooved friends. Carrie ----- Original Message ----- From: Barbara McCrary To: Angie Mikkelson ; Ridecamp Ridecamp Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:01 PM Subject: Re: [RC] Safe horses It isn't that they didn't like you, it's just that some people simply don't understand horses. But children seem to survive being tossed from a horse better than us old folks. They bounce, we don't. They can shrug it off, we hurt for days. Such wonderful memories.... When I was a girl....a long time ago....any horse over 8 years old was considered too old to buy. No kidding! My first horse was a 5-year-old Morgan cross, but she had been ridden into the nearest village, through which the only highway ran, and was tied to a power pole in front of the grocery store...every single day...by the man who owned and rode her. We bought her because she was one of two only horses we knew of locally, and the man who owned both was willing to sell one (for $150, the going cost of a horse in those days). As I remember her, she was a bit stubborn but quite bomb-proof. When a 4-lane freeway was being constructed near our home a few years later, I used to go out and take a fast ride into Santa Cruz (CA) on the under-construction route. I used to gallop along, dodging earthmovers and bulldozers. Interesting enough, the men operating the equipment did not seem concerned. Those were in the days before OSHA. :-))) Another harebrained thing I did was ride her into the ocean and swim...parallel to the beach across the current. That had the most rhythmic feeling. We can hardly get our Arabs to put a foot into the surf but this mare went in without protest and swam. So much fun...but it could have been dangerous had I really thought about it. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: Angie Mikkelson To: Ridecamp Ridecamp Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 2:00 PM Subject: RE: [RC] Safe horses Why is it that my first horse was a 2 yr old Appaloosa that wasn't even halter broke? I'm beginning to think my parents didn't like me much... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Previous by date: Re: [RC] safe horse - Lynelle Robertson Next by date: Re: [RC] Ticks????Help!! - Lynelle Robertson Previous by thread: [RC] Safe horses/3 S's Next by thread: [RC] AERC Director-at-Large elections Carrie Kitley 30th Medical Group, Vandenberg AFB DMLSS Database Sustainment Specialist (DSS) CACI International Inc, www.caci.com DSN: 276-1077 Fax: 805-606-1179 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. 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