My first memories of the horses that I love began with Trigger, Fury, My Friend Flicka, Silver, Tonto's horse, Zorro's horse, the neighbors "hoss", the wild mustang herd that roamed the Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon and any other horse that I happened to see.
Most people from my generation will remember the horses from the TV shows. I was so enamored about the horses that I really don't remember much about the shows except that the horses were so beautiful. I used to dream that I was the one riding them.
In particular, I remember the daydreams I would have about the mustangs. My dad was raised in those mountains so we would go camping, fishing, hunting, and sometimes, just go to the mountains on a Sunday drive for something to do. I loved going. I think I have always been an outdoors person and it suited me just fine. Occasionally we would see the mustangs up on the ridge grazing. From my child-sized memories, those were the most wonderful times of all. I would stare and take it all in. I would cradle those pictures in my mind and all the rest of the day I would daydream. It always went like this: We would stop next to the herd and I would carefully walk out to them with an apple in my hand. I would very slowly entice one of the horses, the prettiest one of course, to come and take the apple. I would gently pet it and tell it what a beautiful horse it was and that I loved it. I would walk back to the jeep and when I looked back, the horse would be following me. The next morning I would wake up to the sound of a horse nickering at my window. I would look out and there was the horse! I would then have my own horse! What a wonderful dream.
Such an ache in my heart I would have when I came back to reality. I wanted a horse so bad and knew I couldn't get one. I can't remember how old I was when I quit asking for one. I just knew it would never happen. It was not possible and even in my child's mind, I understood why. My mother was terrified of horses. When I was only a few months old, she had witnessed a young boy that she had baby-sat get his foot caught in the stirrup when his horse shied and he was drug to death.
The neighbor's "hoss" also has special meaning for me. For a short time one of our neighbors in back of us had a pony. You know, I don't remember much about that pony. It is the situation under which it became a "hoss" that I remember. My little brother's nickname was Hoss, after Hoss on Bonanza. Our family's good friend's daughter and her kids came to visit from Boston one summer. One day, they all came out to visit us at our house. The kids sure gave us funny looks when we called our baby brother Hoss. During the course of the day, I decided that they had to see the neighbor's pony. I didn't tell them where we were going and when I stopped at the neighbor's fence and called the pony up, they were very excited. It seems they had never seen a "hoss" before. I kept trying to correct them. "It is a horse!" I insisted. They persisted in calling it a "hoss" and I finally gave up. Such is my "hoss" memory!
Ah, then there was the time I went with my cousin Mary and my Uncle George. I can't remember how old I was or much else about this horse adventure. This is what sticks in my memory. It was a palomino horse and I was Roy Rogers galloping off to rid the plains of the bad guys wearing the black hats! It was a big pasture we were riding in and this horse was very barn sour. I remember that going out I had trouble getting it to keep going away from the barn and with the horse my cousin was riding. Of course she was a much better rider because her parents let here ride a lot! The pasture was huge in my child's mind and when we got to the far corner we turned the horses around to head back. Oops, I got that "galloping across the plains" feeling real well! I was terrified but excited at the same time. I was hanging on so tightly that my hands were aching by the time we got back. That horse ran all the way back to the barn! I stayed on but I sure don't know how. You know, I don't think I ever told my mother about that one but it was the thrill of a lifetime for me!
This next ride is one that my mother did find out about but I did try to spare her the worry. After all, I wasn't lying or sneaking around for my benefit alone, I just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to worry about something I just had to do. I felt I had to ride horses when I got the chance. That's all there was to it.
Back to the story. We were at my cousins David and Terry's place. These two tormented me but I still loved them. I was younger, a girl and I don't think they wanted me following them so they tried to dissuade me from tagging along. Anyway, we were visiting and the grown-ups were having a few drinks. They had a horse in a corral and I wanted to ride it so bad I could taste it! David and Terry were so anxious for me to get on this horse that they were willing to help me in any way they could. I should have known that they were up to something. Well, finally, we got my dad outside and my mother was inside and proceeded to ask my dad if I could ride the horse. After all, I didn't want to be completely dishonest. Just as I knew he would, he said of course! A little tipsy and he forgot all about the fact that Mother would be furious with him! Tee hee! Well, the cousins got everything ready and I got to ride the horse. It did some mild bunny hopping but I stayed on and had fun. Thinking back, I know it wasn't real bucking but at the time I thought it was. I think that David and Terry were a little sad. They were hoping I would get bucked off. Then Mother found out that I had been riding that horse. My aunt had told her that the horse was a bucker and Mother was furious with Father and myself. I tried to calm her down but everything I said made it worse. "It only bucked a little bit," and "but Father told me I could," were not the things to say. I was definitely in trouble. I was sorry that I had upset Mother but I wasn't sorry that I had gotten to ride that horse even if it did scare me. You know, I don't even remember what my punishment was.
I think it was after that episode that I quit asking if I could ride horses and just kept it all to myself. Of course those memories don't stick out in my mind as well as the clandestine episodes! I wonder why?
At 46, after my children were grown and gone, I finally got my first horse. I have three now and I love them dearly. I think in these last 7 years, the longest time that I have gone without riding has been 2 weeks and the longest time that I have been away from them has been 3 days! I have a lot of time to make up for!
Happy trails,
Trail Riding Sweetheart
