I grew up in the suburbs of southern Connecticut and my Dad was the woodworking teacher at our high school. My Mom stayed home with the 8 of us and having a horse was just out of the question. I never gave up. I used to ride any horse that would stand still long enough for me to get on. A bunch of us used to ride our bikes miles and miles just to look at a horse. To say I was in love would have been an understatement. Eventually, I put away my dream, had a job, married, had my first son, divorced and finally in my late 30s I met Gary. And our dreams meshed. We had two more sons, he wanted a farm and I got my first horse.
Then I found out that the reality didn't quite match my dreams! I took lessons but I was scared. Scared? How could that be! What happened to Annie Oakley? But I learned how to take care of a horse, pick up their feet, groom them. I went to natural horsemanship clinics and watched completely enthralled and came back and tried it at home. I continued lessons in dressage and though I still sometimes have reluctance riding alone I usually manage to push though. Dommie is my 3rd horse, and I've had him for 7 years. He and I are still learning and though he likes trail riding better than working in the ring, I'm a firmer and more confident rider and he respects that. Duke is a buddy horse and so calm anyone can ride him!
So we are still working on dreams and adventures and sometimes 60 doesn't seem as old as I thought it would be!
Happy Monday! xo
Oh, your horses look so soft and sweet. I'm glad you are living your dream, even though there were a few bumps in the road. You give me hope.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of summer camp. I'll have to google and see if there are any artist camps out there. I vaguely remember one in the Smoky Mountains. Wouldn't that be a fun trip?
Lovely horses. I remember well that infatuation with horses. I felt like that when I was a teenager... It's great to see that age doesn't have to be a barrier for your dreams and that if you hold on long enough, you might just get your dreams. Good on you! :-)
ReplyDeleteEIGHT kids? Yowza... that's a lot of siblings, Cait! But I'm glad you finally got your horses... and fabulous sons with Gary too... not to mention a farm! Your horses are so beautiful, and it sounds as though you've worked really hard to get things right with them. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteI love looking at these horses and hearing your tales of dreams and realities. And, thanks for inspiring me with this great blog to get moving on mine!
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