My Aunt introduced me to horses at a young age. I first learned to ride when I was five years old. I kept riding into my pre-teen years and then barely went near a horse for the next fifteen years or so. I began riding again after turning thirty and was soon the proud owner of a gelding named Blue. I started off boarding my new horse, but about a year and a half later, I brought him to home to the newly purchased rural property I shared with my husband, son and a handful of cats.
I still remember the first time I caught a glimpse of Blue as I was standing inside the house. I was looking out through the french doors that provided a view of the pasture. Waves of emotion came over me as I realized that I finally had accomplished my long-held goal of having my very own horse in my very own backyard.
The gratitude, the excitement and the sheer thrill of finally having my own horse at home could not be understated. As I have begun to dabble in freelance writing, the memory of these experiences and emotions provided fodder for essays like “The Stuff of Dreams” which was published in the Summer 2019 issue of Equus Magazine (Equus #497). Here is the link to the essay via Pressreader:
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/equus/20190528/page/130/textview
If you are reading this and have held a similar dream, I would encourage you to gain as much horse knowledge and experience as possible before going it alone as a backyard horse owner. In many ways, it is something you learn by doing, but for your own safety and that of your horse(s), I would highly suggest a certain knowledge and skill base. We will delve into that subject further in future posts.
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