Do You Remember Getting
Your First Horse?

It was in June of 1996 when I still lived in Kansas and I happened to stop at a friend's house on the way home from work. Betty had a 4-year old Tennessee Walking Horse stallion and was looking to buy a horse she could feel comfortable enough to ride. The young stallion was too much for her and she had children who wanted to ride also.

On this afternoon, she was trying out a paint mare from a lady who bought and sold horses on a small scale for a living. Betty told me that she probably wasn't going to buy this mare because she didn't like the fact that she had large knees. I jokingly said that I would buy her if she didn't want to. The mare's name was Cinnamon and she seemed real calm to me. I spent about a half an hour petting and loving Cinnamon while Betty and I talked. She smelled like that sweet grass smell of horses that I have always loved. She had a sweet soft nose and was a pretty red and white paint.

The next evening, after I got home from work, I received a phone call from Betty. You could have knocked me down with a feather! What I heard coming out of that phone was something that I never dreamed of ever hearing, especially at the age of 46.

"Jeanette, I talked to Helga today and told her you wanted to buy Cinnamon."

"Betty, I don't have the money to buy a horse. I was just kidding!"

"No, she said that because you are a friend of mine, she will except payments from you like she was going to with me!"

Well, here came that feather! Whoosh! I sat right down in the chair. "Really? Wow, I never thought anyone would sell a horse on time."

"Yes, she wants to talk to you and we will need to have Dr. Jackson do a vet check on her. We can do it here at my place. I'll call and set it up."

"Really? She will take payments?"

Well, that is how the conversation went. Before I knew it, the appointment had been made with Dr. Jackson for two days from then. In the mean time, Betty took me over to meet Helga the next evening and we agreed on $100 per month for a year. I had no idea what horses were selling for. I had no idea what questions to ask. I had no idea if Cinnamon was going to pass the vet check. I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea why I was doing it except that I had always wanted a horse. I did have a 5-acre pasture and a barn and by golly I would make sure I had that $100 dollars every month! The rest of it was all yet to be learned.

The vet check went well. In the process, Dr. Jackson told me that she was about 15 or 16 years old and that she has definitely had a baby before. He said she was in heat and would be ready to accept the stallion in a couple of days if I was going to breed her.

Breed her? Could I? "Betty, can I breed her?"

"Sure, just as long as Dr. Jackson comes out to handle it and you pay for his fee."

"Great! Okay, lets do it!" WOW, a baby horse too! I was in seventh heaven and I don't think I have ever left.

She was bred three days later and a week after that I made my first payment. Another friend of Betty's, Gail, trailered Cinnamon to my house. Gail had Betty bring her saddle so she could watch me ride Cinnamon in my pasture. She said she wanted to see if I was going to be all right before she left a horse with an inexperienced horseperson. I have since learned that riding Cinnamon should have been one of the first things to be done!

She walked off, did a little trot and I almost lost my balance. Cinnamon stopped dead in her tracks while I regained what balance I had (after not being on a horse for about 35 years). When we came back I was looking like the Cheshire Cat (face-sized grin). When Cinnamon stopped, my dog's foot ended up under the horse's hind foot. The dog was barking and biting Cinnamon on the leg. All she did was lift her foot to let the dog loose. Gail and Betty were standing there with their mouths hanging open. Gail decided right then that I wasn't going to have any trouble with this horse and she was right!

My sweet, sweet Cinnamon was so very patient with me and I will NEVER forget her. She died the winter of 1998 about 4 months after I left Kansas and moved to Washington. Betty was right, she had bad knees and after she foaled she was very stiff from arthritis in her knees. That was the reason I found her another home when I moved. She wouldn't have been able to make the trip. Her sweet son, Kelly is 5 now and has her same wonderful temperament. He is still young and acts like a teenager at times, but he has matured a lot in the last year. He is reminding me more every day of his mother!

Happy trails,
Trail Riding Sweetheart