My
name is Rachael I am 10. This is me with my horse Skip. How I got him
is a long story.
It all started one Christmas
I was 7 and I loved all animals. I loved horses, they were my second
favorite animal next to dogs but that was only because I had never been
around horses before. Well anyway back to the story. I was opening my
presents and had saved the smallest box for last. When I opened it though
I knew it was the biggest present of all. There was only a small card
in there but it was the words printed on it that mattered. On the card
the words said:
HORSEBACKRIDING LESSONS AT
WICKED R WESTERN RANCH! Wicked R was a dude ranch in Delaware and I
had been there for a Field trip once. I was sooooooooo exited I was
finally getting horse back riding lesson!
I
instantly fell in love with horses after my first lesson. I had ridden
an old mare named Sassy. I eventually moved up to a horse named Avalanche
(shown in picture). Once after 10 months of riding I went on a trail
ride. I rode Sassy because it was my first trail ride, anyway on the
trail the older girls kept on galloping the straits
My instructor let me go with
them because she thought old Sassy would only do a slow lope, but man
did she gallop. I was still at the end of the group but since I didn’t
have much experience riding I was holding on for dear life! 2 months
later I had been riding for a year. My mom was coming with me on my
second trail ride. Man did we have fun. My mom and younger sister started
taking lessons with me after that.
After another year of riding
my family had to move to Ohio because of my dad’s job. I was crushed.
I didn’t want to leave my friends, but even more then that I didn’t
want to leave Wicked R.
In Ohio my mom sister and
I eventually started taking lessons at a place called S.G. we didn’t
stay there long because they were Arabian people and my family are Quarter
Horse people.
My family found another farm
called DH Quarter Horses. He thought that are family was ready for a
horse of are own. It took a while to convince my dad into doing this
but he eventually agreed. We searched all over for a horse we found
a horse named Kid that I fell in love with but he had hurt his leg once
really badly so if he were to hurt it again he might have had to be
put down. It was too risky so we didn’t buy him.
When we found Skip my mom
knew he was the one and she bought him. Now you probably think think
that the story will have a happy ending now right? WRONG! It took lots
of time for me to bond with him. Once I got so frustrated at him and
my mom that I just jumped off and walked away leaving Skip to my mom!
But now Skip and I are like twins-- we’re both blonde, both 10,
and we’re both messy eaters.
After a year in Ohio my dad’s
job forced us to move to Illinois were we now board Skip at T. H farms.
We’re trying to teach Skip how to be ridden bridleless and he’s
a fast learner. We can already ride him with just a halter and lead
rope! Skip and I can’t be separated now and I always tell him
this--“Skipper you are my dream come true!”
