This Is How It All Began

A long time ago, over 36 years, at the tender age of 11 months old, I fell in love with horses of all kinds. This is a picture of my Father, me, and Hawkeye. Old, Albino, Hawkeye was my first love. The few memories of this gelding are all good ones. Hawkeye was a part of my very young childhood years and in my eyes he was a proud steed (far from the real thing!) But, in a child's eyes someone they love is perfect and beautiful. And that is exactly what I thought of Hawkeye. Bouncing along on his trot felt like a flying gallop, and combing his creme colored mane and tail made me feel so important when I was a pre-schooler. Summers picking apples from the backyard tree and slowly feeding them to him, counting the apples so he didnt eat too many, or else he might get a belly ache. Hawkeye was a kind, old horse, he never kicked, bit, spooked, or minded 3 kids deep riding in the saddle. He just did what was expected of him, to be the special friend of the children around him.

My parents probably thought I'd out-grow the 'horselovesickness' when I got older. No such luck, it just increased. When I was 11, I lost my mother to cancer after a short 3 month illness. Patches kept me busy during that time. This is a picture of Patches and I at the Fairgrounds during a Horseshow when I was about 12 years old. My childhood home(my Dad still lives there too!) was across the highway from the county fairgrounds, so it was not a big deal to attend shows there. About 2 years after this picture was taken I discovered I wanted a Quarter Horse.

The love for horses has never diminished. It just keeps getting stronger as I get older. I still buy new Breyer Horses when a new model I fancy comes out or a special limited edition I think I must have. I have a huge collection of 82 large sized models, and too many smaller Paddock models to count. Some of my models I have had since I was a small child, the ones that were not played with too much are worth quite a bit of money to collectors now, but I would never sell them. I'll just pass them down someday to another special horse lover. My oldest son has been raised around horses but the horseloving bug did not bite him, much to my disappointment. He likes horses, rides and ropes a bit, but sports are his thing. Like his Father, he indulges me when I am distracted by my horse obsession, and lives without complaints among the western and horse decor of our home. My 2 yo loves my old horse and is usually on his best behavior around Scooter. My little Samster loves to ride in the front of the saddle when we go for our trail rides, he'll sit still and not fidget too much(except with his helmet, I dont blame him either, I dont wear one-but Im an adult). Samster gets enthusiastic and excited when helping me do the barnchores. But, he gets enthusiastic over just about anything outdoors, I think this is normal for all 2 year olds. He always seems sad when our trail rides come to an end, so maybe theres hope for him.

Maybe, my Samster will become a horsecrazyhuman like his mother....