Sixteen Years and A Dream: My Journey to Horses

 “Mommy, can I have a horse?” I was five. 

And no one knows exactly where this idea came from; I’d known nothing but city living in the middle of Atlanta, GA. Did my love of horses begin with that little plush pony I carried around, perhaps my first real pony ride at age two, or was it something I was simply born with? We may never know for certain. But one thing is for sure, that love only continued to grow. The seed of a dream had been planted in my heart and it had taken root.

  The next time I climbed on a horse came five years later at the age of seven, when our family went on a trail ride at a ranch. Though I had requested to ride a black stallion 😄, the cowboys there told me that this horse, named Shelby, really wanted me to ride him. And I had the best time on this sweet, gentle horse who took such good care of me! The moment I was lifted into that saddle my determination to have horses forever in my life skyrocketed a 1000 times.

Growing up, I was the picture of a horse-crazy girl: I read horse books until I could practically quote them; I watched horse videos non-stop; I had every Breyer horse there was; I wrote fictional stories about ‘my’ horses. All the while dreaming and praying for the day I would have a horse of my own. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d proudly declare in my thick Georga accent: “I want to be a cowgirl!”

Years passed and that passion for horses never wavered. I took riding lessons at age twelve and fell in love with every horse at the riding school. I lived for Tuesday afternoons when we would arrive at the barn and I would immerse myself completely in the world of horsemanship, soaking up every piece of information, every moment. 

For the next few years, I would spend hours looking at horses for sale in the area. My imagination would take over and in my mind, I rode miles on those could-be-mine horses. Birthday presents of halters and saddle blankets gave those dreams a tangible side. It was during this time that our family moved to live out in the country with a little acreage of our own and my anticipation was bubbling over. My sweet sixteenth brought the gift of fencing for making our land horse-ready. I learned to dig post holes and tighten fencing, heart dancing all the while. 

The time had come. 

And then I met her. In a herd of thirty other horses, this little chestnut mare named Smart Lil’ Cutter met my eyes and I was head-over-heels in love. She came home to us a few days later. There truly is something magical about that first horse; throughout the ups and downs that came with her training, I connected with her in a special, one-of-a-kind way.

Not long later came the horse that seemed to be one of my Breyer models come to life. Chocolate brown, two white stockings, a white blaze on her face, and a heart big enough to love every person who climbed on her back: her name is Dolly. If a horse could be practically perfect in every way, it would be her. Dolly is the one who taught me everything about riding; it was her patience, her care, and her gentle spirit that cemented my life with horses. 

I would jump out of bed at first light - my heart so full I thought it’d burst - and run out to the pasture, where my horses, my horses! would be waiting at the gate.

Could life get any better than this?

Well, turns out, yes, it could! In the ten years since then, I have been blessed to actually live out every horse story I’d ever imagined for myself. It got even better because my dream kept growing. Now, I not only get to be with my horses every single day, but I also get to train horses for others; and my favorite part of all is giving riding lessons, because I get to be a part of that same dream for others!

Can life get any better than this?

So as we step into this new year, I just want to encourage each of you to chase your dreams, don’t ever let them go, or think they are too far out of your reach.

 Dreams really do come true.

I know because I’m living mine every day!