People I've Been, Horses I've Had

I'm going to go along with the posts that people in the Horse Blogosphere have been doing lately. This post is going to be like the post that Kate from A Year With Horses and SprinklerBandit from the SprinklerBandit Blog wrote. Enjoy!
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In my short 7 1/2 years of riding, I've had, met, and loved so many horses that this post could be miles long. But I guess I'll just talk about the horses that have been or are the most important to me. That's the best way to do it, right? =)

The first horse that I had was Emmy. Emmy was a 13.3 hh chestnut mare, and I swear she was the best horse that has ever walked this earth. I first met Emmy when I was 5 years old and first went to Saddle Club. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew she was 'the one'; a lot of people say that they've never had the soulful feeling when you see the horse that you know is the horse you'll dedicate your life to, but I have. I attended Saddle Club for three years, and unless I was forced to ride another horse, those three years were spent riding Emmy.

For six years, I rode Emmy. I did 4H with her for a year, and showed her for three (maybe four, I don't remember) years. We won five or six blue ribbons, many 2nd places, and a ton of 3rd places. We got occasional 4th and 5th places, and one or two 6th places. As you all know, I have massive horse show nerves (well, I did before this year; this year, I was so focused on keeping Zan controlled, I had no time for nerves!), and I don't think that any horse could've handled me and my nerves better than Emmy did.

When Emmy had to be put down on 12/22/09, it broke my heart. For at least a month, I couldn't even say Emmy's name without getting all teared up. I missed at least two days of school because I couldn't function properly. When I did go to school, my brain couldn't function; all my friends couldn't figure out why Emmy was so important to me. Finally, I recovered, but life didn't seem like normal. Every time I walked into the barn and looked at that empty first stall, it broke my heart. Erica and her family couldn't stand it. They eventually moved Taco up to Emmy's old stall, because Taco was the horse that also grew up with Erica.

To sum that up, Emmy was my first 'soul horse'. She taught me how to take care of myself, my family, and the people I loved. She changed me from a silly 5-year-old with no cares in the world into a responsible 11-year-old who was wise beyond her years. If anything, Emmy gave me a great base in both horsemanship and life as a whole. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be today without her.

The next horse that kind of came along in my life was Tarzan. Since this blog has mainly been about Zan, there's really not much to say about him. But he came along in January 2010 after I had recovered from Emmy's death (for the most part). Zan is another horse of Erica's; he was supposed to be a WP horse, but since I was bias against western when I began riding him, I sort of forced him into English riding. I competed in 4H with Zan for one year (2010), and showed him as well. He is the best showmanship horse I've ever had and one of the first halter/showmanship horses I've trained. Though he doesn't have the best conformation, he is still an adorable gelding that has stolen my heart. When we figured out that he was no longer ride-able, he became a pasture horse and my snuggle bunny.

In terms of the person I am thanks to Zan, he's made me realize just how lucky I am to have so many horses I can ride whenever I want. He's taught me to be honest and to think quickly but act slowly, to cherish the good moments and forget the bad ones. Somehow, Zan turned me into a better rider; thanks to him, I've learned how to adjust my riding according to what horse I'm riding, and to do it quickly. I love Zan, and I'll love him to the end.

Then there's Sonny. Sonny isn't Erica's horse, he's a boarder that's been boarding at Victory for 4 or 5 years now. Madison, the little girl who rides him, doesn't do much with him, but does 4H with him. He's a good horse - at least he is now - and I ride and jump him on a regular basis. I've been riding him regularly ever since I found out that Zan could no longer be ridden. We're up to jumping 2'2" now, and we're doing it pretty well, too. The only problem with Sonny is that he learns slowly and gets annoyed easily. Otherwise, he's a picture-perfect horse. I personally think it's personally impossible to get bored on him, the amazing bay QH gelding that he is. He's taught me to be steady and consistent in anything and everything I do.

Missy is my 23/24 year old angel. She has changed owner hands enough times to count on one hand, and had   few accidents - true, not-her-fault accidents - that have helped change her into the horse that she is. She's the best contesting horse I know, especially considering she's old and had a 2 year break before I started doing contesting with her. We kicked butt at our last show at Broken K, getting first in 2D and second overall in Dash 4 Cash. Winning a total of $62, we had a great show. Sadly we can't go to the December Broken K show because of a schedule overlap. Oh, well. If I hadn't started riding Missy, I wouldn't know how to run barrels, control an over-the-top horse, or realize that life isn't always perfect. Missy was my second 'soul horse'. For now, she's still going strong; hopefully, it stays that way for a while.

Lucy, unlike a lot of horses, has a story. A complicated, unsure one. Basically, the story goes like this: When Lucy (back then, known as Lady) first came to SunnyBrook, her and her owner were like normal boarders. Eventually, though, the owners stopped paying, returning calls, showing up at the barn, etc. Lucy was thin, ragged, and wild. She was confiscated, and we started recuperation. She was renamed from Lady to Lucy, and was started on a hoof treatment program and supplements. I'm sure you guys all know the story from there; I tried to re-train her under saddle, but she had an extreme lameness episode and riding was put on hold for the long run. Now, we're still working on getting her permanently sound, and hopefully in the end she'll be breedable and rideable. Hopefully. Through Lucy, I've learned how to keep faith and keep on going, no matter what the obstacles and no matter what the situation. I'll put up pictures of Lucy's feet in a future post - they're looking much, much better.

Last but not least, Chief is the latest addition at SunnyBrook. He's only 3 years old, but he's coming along nicely. He's a QH buckskin, and quite a cutie pie at that! I've ridden him once since he's been at SunnyBrook, but I've done a little bit of ground work with him and he's a very, very fast learner. Though he's still in the early stages of his life and training, he's slowly turning into yet another amazing SunnyBrook horse. Though I haven't known him for long, I sense Chief is going to teach me a lot in the long run. I can tell already that he's going to be one amazing gelding.

All in all, I've had a lot of horses that have taught me a lot of things. These horses have shaped me into the horseperson I am today, and have helped me become a better person overall. Because of them, I know what to do in most situations, and can live life like there's no tomorrow.

What 'soul horses' have you had in your life? Have you had horses that have taught you a lot? Who are they, and what have they taught you?