First Horse Experience

“Look to see who is coming to see you.”

Those are the words I remember most clearly. It was my fifth birthday, and my twin sister and I were surrounded by school mates, all dressed up in our frilly socks, heels, and flower-y dresses that were oh-so-fashionable at the time. We had been playing whatever party games were “in” for that age group (not that I remember much about those). Interrupting our beanie baby swapping and makeup application games, my dad came over and said “look who is coming to see you.” We all ran to the front door to see a truck and trailer pull into the driveway. I don’t remember how I knew, but there was no doubt in my mind that there was a pony in there. I burst through the door, a trail of screaming girls following behind. Excitedly hopping and giggling, we waited to greet the pony as he came off the trailer. 

Now, I suppose you expect me to say something about how magnificent he was and that I had some sort of magical moment that made me fall in love at that instant. This was not the case. To be honest, this was not a pretty pony (he was actually not a pony at all, but a horse, although I did not know this at the time). Poco. His name was Poco-just a standard plain brown, fuzzy quarter horse; nothing fancy. He looked like he had spent years working at a ranch, which very well may have been the case. Nonetheless, he was a horse, and he was at my house. Making sure I was still the center of attention (yes, I was quite the princess), I declared that I was going to be the first to ride him. 

Riding a horse isn't quite what I had imagined it to be, and they are a lot bigger that you might think when you see one in person (or, more accurately, in animal?). First, you are sitting on top of something that has a brain- that in itself can be pretty frightening. Second, if some unfortunate event occurs and you come off, it is a pretty long way down.  Despite the fears lurking in the back of my mind, I enjoyed the ride.

For my parents, this one nicety would lead to years of nagging, scheming, pleading, and some tantrum-throwing- I was hooked on horses, and determined to have one.