Pony impacts horse-crazy girl

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Every girl dreams of having a pony, right? Okay, so maybe not every girl, but I did, and I know my daughters did, although they never got one. They did take riding lessons though and got all the way to learning to jump before the pandemic shut everything down.

When I was in elementary school, I had a Shetland pony named Glory, named thus for being born on Independence Day. My Grandpa Walter broke her, although I think my Grandpa E.J. gave us the pony, but I cannot remember those details since I was quite young.

I loved my pony, of course, and brushed her and hauled five-gallon buckets of water to her when she was picketed by the roadside. She ran in the pasture with the beef cattle, but she got into trouble for kicking out the walls in an old building out there.

My dad’s cousin, Bridget, babysat me and my siblings at times. She was in high school and had her own horse up the road. She and a friend took me riding with them once through the fields. That’s when we came to a ditch in the tall grass. I didn’t see it, but Glory did. She sailed over scaring me. That’s my only experience with jumping that I recall. Bridget reassured me, and we continued our ride. I stayed on which amazes me now since when I rode Glory, I rode bareback with a rug over her. We called it a blanket, but it was more of a rug. That’s all, except for the bridle, of course.

I rode Glory up and down our road. I remember meeting a wild animal of some sort which scared Glory. We galloped home with me holding on to her mane for dear life.

Once I rode her in the cow yard with only a halter. My leg touched the electric fence causing her to buck me off. That shook me up some because I didn’t know why she treated me so. My dad wasn’t too sympathetic. He told me to keep off the electric fence in a rather grumpy tone. I remember feeling foolish. I didn’t try that again.

My best friend, Gina, spent many weekends with me. Since Glory needed riding, we rode her even with snow in the yard. We meant to trot off into the alfalfa field near the house, but somewhere between the house and the field, Gina bounced right off into a snow drift. My mom thought that was pretty hilarious.

I remember Glory as horse-sized, but of course, she was pony-sized. When my family moved to Washington during fifth grade, I gave Glory to my friend, Julie. She kept Glory for a while. Although I remember asking, I don’t know what happened to Glory. Ponies as pets are a lot more complicated than dogs, cats, hamsters, or parakeets. I imagine she lived out the rest of her years frolicking in some other field.

Later, still horse crazy, I showed my dad pictures of beautiful horses and asked for one. He said I’d have to get my own horse when I earned my own living. Expenses for caring for a horse add up. That’s why my girls didn’t get one. First, we had nowhere to keep it unless we boarded it. Riding lessons and riding horses that belonged to friends or going on trail rides sufficed.

I still love riding. Now, that I’m older though I fear falling off, so I opt for the gentlest horse. I’m proud that my girls know how to handle horses. On a trail ride a few years ago, Emily’s horse wanted to run off, but she handled him with expertise. Had her dad had that horse, we might have had to chase after him on a rescue mission. Our friend, Deb, taught the girls how to care for a horse long before their riding lessons began.

Riding teaches confidence, among other things. Were you horse crazy as a youth? Share a riding tale with us. If you have no memories with horses, share a story of another animal that impacted your life. Our experiences form us into the people we are.

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