Monday, November 16, 2009

Horses in My Life











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

4 comments:

  1. 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.

    I 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?

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  2. 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! :-)

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  3. EIGHT 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!

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  4. I 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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