The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom. -Sharon Ralls Lemon
I'd like to introduce you to the most amazing horse in the world! This is Missy, Quarter horse mare/babysitter. She was so patient and caring with me and my sister. I would spend hours outside with Missy. Half the time I didn't need a halter and lead rope, she would following me around our 10 acres like a puppy dog.
One of my favorite stories that my Mom shares is when I was still crawling, she couldn't find me one day. She was pretty panicked until she found me. I had crawled from the house out to the barn and was in Missy's stall sitting in her hay while she ate. Yup, we lived on a farm. I would have to say my love for animals and horses started at a fairly young age! So I essentially grew up with and on the back of Missy. She would put up with a lot, but she was also really good at setting her boundaries with us.
The second photo above is me in the front and my little sister behind me. We were having a blast! It was my sister's 4th birthday and she wanted to go for a ride. So being the best big sister, I took her for a ride. You can see that safety was a top priority! The photo always makes me smile. By the way, nobody was hurt.
Riding Missy was a wonderful escape for me. I'd hop on and go for rides all over the desert, usually by myself. I've had people ask me, weren't you afraid of falling off and something happening? It never crossed my mind. It was pretty hard to unseat me when I was on a horse. But of course I've fallen off my fair share of times. There was one time Missy and I were riding along and she just simply stopped; however, I keep going right over her head. I remember laying on the ground hanging onto the reins with Missy's nose in my face. She was looking at me like, "Um, why are you laying there?!" If anything happened, Missy knew how to get home and if she came home without me, my parents knew our routes and would come looking for me. I loved growing up in the country.
Missy and I did 4-H, which included showing at the county fair and doing several parades in our local town. It was a lot of work to get her ready for shows and parades, but a lot of fun and I loved the final results when we were done bathing and trimming her! She was a true black beauty in my eyes!
I'm grateful for all the unconditional love and lessons Missy shared with me. My dear friend lived to be 24 before she passed away.
One of my favorite stories that my Mom shares is when I was still crawling, she couldn't find me one day. She was pretty panicked until she found me. I had crawled from the house out to the barn and was in Missy's stall sitting in her hay while she ate. Yup, we lived on a farm. I would have to say my love for animals and horses started at a fairly young age! So I essentially grew up with and on the back of Missy. She would put up with a lot, but she was also really good at setting her boundaries with us.
The second photo above is me in the front and my little sister behind me. We were having a blast! It was my sister's 4th birthday and she wanted to go for a ride. So being the best big sister, I took her for a ride. You can see that safety was a top priority! The photo always makes me smile. By the way, nobody was hurt.
Riding Missy was a wonderful escape for me. I'd hop on and go for rides all over the desert, usually by myself. I've had people ask me, weren't you afraid of falling off and something happening? It never crossed my mind. It was pretty hard to unseat me when I was on a horse. But of course I've fallen off my fair share of times. There was one time Missy and I were riding along and she just simply stopped; however, I keep going right over her head. I remember laying on the ground hanging onto the reins with Missy's nose in my face. She was looking at me like, "Um, why are you laying there?!" If anything happened, Missy knew how to get home and if she came home without me, my parents knew our routes and would come looking for me. I loved growing up in the country.
Missy and I did 4-H, which included showing at the county fair and doing several parades in our local town. It was a lot of work to get her ready for shows and parades, but a lot of fun and I loved the final results when we were done bathing and trimming her! She was a true black beauty in my eyes!
I'm grateful for all the unconditional love and lessons Missy shared with me. My dear friend lived to be 24 before she passed away.
Today, I don't own my own black beauty, but I have several wonderful friends that share their beauties with me. I love each and everyone of those horses and treat them as my own.
I love this! She is a beauty, to be sure. Babysitters like this were worth their weight in gold.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with similar experiences - would grab a horse and head into the mountains by myself - and then get off and play hid and seek with my horse! It's a wonder I didn't have to walk myself back home a time or two.
Thanks for sharing the story of Missy. It seems so wonderful that you had her all those years. I often wonder what happened to my horse after I sold him. He went to a good home but I know that he is dead now. Nice memories that you brought back to me.
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