Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Single Again




Relax, not talking about me. Talking about Ennis.

I started with one rangy pony, Lightning, bought for $25 without my parents knowledge. After a few months of near death experiences (the poor thing was never really trained and just basically RAN until you or he dropped) he put me in the hospital at age 12. My mother promptly sold him or had him ground into burger, the facts are to this day...blurred.

But, I wasn't down for long. I saved up more money and this time at 16 brought home another horse. Diamonds Cherokee Lady, a short and stubby Appaloossa. I had no money left over after paying the outrageous price of $200 for her so I rode her bareback with a homemade bridle made of hay twine, my 6 year sister clinging to life as she rode behind me.

We fell off a few times.

Then, another "friend" gave me her horse. Redfawn. A mustang obtained through the wild horse and burro program no less. But my the time I got Red she had settled. She only bucked every other day, and only if the day was either sunny or overcast. She also had a tendency to run me under low hanging trees which was fine as it was well known I was quite hard headed.

Helmet Smelmet. I still couldn't afford a real saddle let alone head gear.

Then I was off to college and sold the mare. Or my mother had her made into Thanksgiving roasts, the facts are to this day...blurred.

Thus became the equine dry spell. I went 17 years without another horse. Marriage, kids, nursing school, divorce, management jobs, travel filled the gap but oh how I missed the smell of a sweaty old horse on my hands.

Then along came my Prince Farming who had among other fine attributes, a livestock barn. Married just seconds, I found the best horse of my life, Johnny Walker. A 10 year old Morgan who had been used mostly at riding stables I bought him for a song. Seems he had a well honed  habit of getting out of fences, all kinds of fences.

The first night home he did just that. I woke and no horse. We found him five miles away and to my new husbands great fear I rode him bareback all the way home. It gave us the opportunity to talk, compare goals and expectations. We reached an agreement and he never left home again. I learned to ride again. older son took him to 4-H fairs, younger boys rode him often, nieces and nephews all spent time on his wide back. He went slow for the wee ones and picked up speed nicely for the bigger kids like me.

Many of us bawled when we finally had to put him down at age 27. At that time I also had 3 other horses.

Then I had two.

Then none.

But I could not stand it and then came, Ennis. Or I should say, I went to her via the classifieds. She's different than all the rest, a gaited horse, a bit of style. And a heck of a lot smoother for this Irish Crone to ride than those choppy quarter horse type characters I was so stricken with.

I've owned her two years now and at first the relationship was a bit distant. She was very well trained and did as asked but I knew her heart was not in it. I could tell. Her eye contact was poor and she kept her arms crossed a lot. She did love our miniature Donkey Doolin and did not try to hide the fact that it was him she carried the torch for.

But you might recall that Doolin headed for the big pasture in the sky this past winter.
And so, it was...just Ennis and I, or is it Ennis and me? Just one single horse and one single horse-owner. Over the last couple of months with no other choice for companionship except the very lowly pigs on the other side of her pasture, (a dilemma not unknown to myself) Ennis has finally warmed to her mistress. How do I know?

She watches me, she has been known to follow me about, she even...winnies when she sees me.  And she has uncrossed her arms.  She has even proven herself to be very kind and gentle with the GK's. She's no Johnny for sure, but then again...he was no Ennis.

I think we're gong to be fine.

18 comments:

  1. Your Irish roots are showing. I believe that every Irish kid spends his/her first pocket money on a horse, puts it in the garage, then rides it bare-back with all their mates on board.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My roots are indeed red Cro, the gray hides them well but my behavior always gives me away

      Delete
  2. Glad she's warming up to you. It's one thing to "own" a horse and ride it, another entirely different thing to have a friendship with one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It takes two you know, plus a few treats and scratches and belly rubs. At least that's what works with me.

      Delete
  3. We did the whole learn to ride bareback as we didn't have the money for a saddle for the $125 old appy mare we bought. Brought back soo many fond memories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There really is nothing like a horse, unless it's two or three or ten of them

      Delete
  4. this really nice and jewels more information pls visit...Praveen Jewels

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Praveen, in order for me to check out your jewels you'll need to send me samples. I prefer emeralds

      Delete
  5. My uncle gave me an unbroken (mostly wild) yearling filly when I was 13. We quickly became best friends and when it was time to ride her, my father wouldn't let me use a saddle until she was completely used to being ridden. His reason was because if I fell off, I was off and there was no danger of being caught up and drug. It also created a closer bond with the horse and allowed us to "read" each other's body language. One of my favorite things was to catch her out in the pasture and ride her with just a rope looped around her lower jaw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, your uncle was nuts and brilliant at the same time! As a yaya my GK's ride with helmets but as a past nutcase I prefer to ride barefoot, bareheaded and bareback. Must make the time to ride lots this summer. Thanks for getting me excited about it again.

      Delete
  6. Ennis is beautiful. I never had any horses although i did do a little bit of riding. My up-the-street neighbour is down to one horse, Bobbi. She's almost 30 and starting to get very skinny looking in the hind end. Unsure how much longer she'll be with us, but for now, she's loving the warmer weather and sometimes acknowledges me when i walk past, wave, and call out to her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bobbi sounds like she has earned her retirement. Wave hello from me

      Delete
  7. I went through similar situations you have described, then found the wonderful hub, now I am proud to serve, gulp, 5 Morgan Horses! I would have double the number if we could afford it. Hail to Justin Morgan! Ennis sounds divine too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You Morgan Lover you! Are their hearts not just the best? I am so going to spend more time on YOUR blog!

      Delete
  8. Great story. Seems to be what a lot of us do. Thanks for the memories. MB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My memories are your memories for at least a couple more years then who knows? Where were we?

      Delete
  9. BUT YOU FORGOT. That when Teresa and I were little we would fight over who would ride with you down Ridge Road to wait for Dad to come home in the truck so we could race him home on the back of Diamond! Also how Dad painted her name in the stall in the barn. Great memories sis!
    ~ Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great story, 2 wonderful horses by the sound of it

    ReplyDelete