For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for
horses.
The weekends that my family
spent at my grandparent’s farm are among my best childhood memories.
My
grandpa is an admirer of the working horse and a bit of a horse-lover
himself.
In his younger years, he
enjoyed doing field work the old-fashioned way—plowing fields or raking hay
with his team of Belgians.
Over the
years he has had various teams of horses and mules, as well as various other
riding horses.
One mare, which he had
until her death, was quite popular among the grandchildren.
Every visit, I would beg my dad to saddle up “Dixie”
so that I could spend a few minutes on the back of a horse.
She was slow and lazy, but she was
dependable, and riding her was always the highlight of the trip.
I spent a good portion of those weekend visits
in the barn—shoveling manure, sweeping up loose hay, and grooming the
horses—just so I could pretend for a short while that they were mine.
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| One of my grandpa's teams of Belgians. |
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| "Dixie" |
I was 9-years-old when I had my first taste of horse
training.
My brother and I spent a week
at my grandparent’s farm.
My grandpa had
recently gotten four miniature horses, a pony cart, and a harness.
My brother and I spent the afternoons working
with one of the minis, “Socks”, getting her used to the harness and the bit,
teaching her to steer, and eventually, to pull the cart.
By the end of the week, we were driving her
around the farm.
Training the mini to
drive was fun and exciting and it sparked an interest in horse training.
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| Training Socks to Drive |
The next opportunity to work with horses (I was 12 or 13)
came when a neighbor was looking to sell one of hers, a cute little POA named
Ace.
Ace was extremely head-shy and
flighty, unpredictable under saddle, and bolted frequently.
I kept him at my house for the summer and put
in a lot of hours with him.
He became a
nice little horse and if he had been a little taller, I would have bought
him.
When I was finished with him, he
was put up for sale and quickly sold.
The neighbor even split the sale money with me 50/50!
I saved my babysitting money and when I was 14 I bought my
first horse.
My family had moved to the
country, opening the door for me to finally have a horse of my own.
I had a very small budget (probably a quarter
of what the average person spent on a “cheap” horse at that time) and all of
the horses I saw needed work.
The first
time I saw my horse, I fell in love.
He
was a well-bred horse with great personality and a lot of spirit.
I got a great deal on him (there may have
been a few tears involved) and my journey began as a first-time horse owner.
We have had a lot of fun times together and a
lot of frustration.
We have both learned
a lot in the process (and are still learning!).
I learned which training methods worked for him and which ones didn’t.
I learned how to be better rider and how to “feel”
the horse.
Most importantly, I learned
how to keep trying, even when others thought I should give up.
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| My first horse, Zeke |
My passion for horses led me to pursue a degree in Equine
Science.
While completing my degree, I
have worked with a variety of horses with various personalities and temperaments,
at various stages of training.
I have
worked with abused horses and spoiled horses.
I have worked with very old horses (30 years old) and very young horses
(a few weeks old).
Each horse is unique
and presents a new challenge to the horse trainer.
This challenge makes
me excited each time I step into the arena and I am eager to help each horse
reach their potential.
I hope you will
come along with me as I begin my career in the equine industry and document my
experiences with my horses in training.
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