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Unlike some of the Red Hat women, I did not have a pony or horse early in my life. I grew up in a "non-horse" family. No one cared much for these beautiful creatures except me. We always lived in the city and neither of my parents or my two sisters were interested in them.
My earliest two memories of horses were - getting dumped by a Shetland pony at a family reunion; and one day while home sick and looking at a magazine I saw an ad that said if you named this beautiful race horse, you might win him. I dreamed about that horse for months. I did fill out the coupon and I "think" it got mailed. Maybe not, if it was up to my Mother.
When I was in high school, my boyfriend lived on a farm and bought a horse that he said was "mine"!! On my first visit to see "my horse"...with my parents in tow...I got dumped. (Do you see a pattern here??) My Mother promptly forbid me from getting on him again.
Maybe that I didn't know enough about horses to stay on their back. The key was I didn't care if I got dumped. I still had this wonderful love for them and wanted - if nothing else - to just look at them.
Fast forward to about 11 years ago when I met my "cowboy in shining armor". Vern. He and I had both lost our spouses to cancer and we formed an immediate bond. We married in August of 1994. Vern had always owned horses and couldn't imagine life without them. Wow!!! Was I ever excited (and not just about the horses).
In 1999 we went to an organized trail ride in Missouri. I got thrown the first day we were there (some comedian had the nerve to ask me if I'd lasted "8 seconds"). This time it was serious...I'd broken ribs on both sides, broken my pelvis on one side and cracked it on the other.
My next horse was the horse of my dreams. A beautiful Palomino Quarter Horse with a show record a mile long. He was a beautiful gold with a stark white mane and tail. He looked just like Trigger! “Donny” had done it all, but he was up in years and turned out he was navicular and he apparently had had colic at some point. We had to put him down three years ago and it broke my heart. I just couldn't stand to see him in such pain and after thousands of dollars worth of "trying" to fix him we decided it was more humane to put him out of his misery.
I'm without a horse right now and looking for that special someone. My ideal would be another "yellow" horse, but I know I can't be choosy.
I'll be 60 this year - thankfully! And I have our own Jane Howard to thank for that. She correctly diagnosed several heart problems and I'm now the proud owner of an Internal Cardio Defibrillator. For the "un-medical" of us...it's a device that will shock the snot out of me if my heart decides to take a hike.
I still work everyday...albeit from home. I sell promotional products...anything you can put a logo on. Like shirts, jackets, pens, mugs etc. I enjoy my job and being at home makes it alot easier for me. My husband is making me admit that some days...my "jammies" are my whole days wardrobe. My response?? Who cares! If the group decides on shirts, etc....I can do them for cost or very close to it. I find I get tired quicker than I used to, but I'm blaming that on my age rather than my heart. Stairs have become a challenge and real hot weather is to be avoided at all costs.
Oh, and we have a huge family. I have three children and 10 grandchildren - Vern has two children and 5 grandchildren. Although we all rarely get together at the same time...birthdays and Christmas can sure get really pricey! And the only one of our five collective children who doesn't think our love of horses is over the top is my daughter, she too has been smitten with the "love bug" of horses.
Bonnie Young
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