So, look at this photo I took today. See anything 'not quite right'?
If you guessed that a horse is sneaking hay right out of the barn, you'd be right. Baby Doll is not supposed to be in there....at all. It's a tight fit, to say the least. She opened the barn gate and just helped herself to an opened bale of hay. "What's wrong, Mom?" (munch, munch)
Ranchman John had forgotten to latch the snap clip to the chain on the gate. Baby Doll just uses her very agile lips to remove the chain, and then she just pushes the gate open with her head. "Awww, come on, Mom, Can't I come in?" 
Ok, this post is not just about how my horse has Hay Kleptomania. I'm also going to share a bunch of photos, from this past year, of my experiences with horses.
As most of you know, horses are a fairly new thing for me. Dreaming and doing are two different things. And for the first 42 yrs of my life, I dreamed of horses. And this past year, I did horses.
And here's a little re-cap of my year with horses.
I met Baby Doll and learned to ride bareback.
Bareback riding taught me how to develop my seat and be balanced while smoothly moving along with the horse. It's also such an amazingly liberating feeling, too. 
My friend and neighbor, Val started inviting me to ride with her. In the beginning I rode her beautiful, calm 26 yr old Arabian mare, Nadia. Here we are riding all 3 of her horses. Val's pretty daughter is on the far right.
Baby Doll and I started riding together at home once I got my new saddle.
I rode quite often with Val around our 'back-40'. And Val's lovely Arabian mare, Annie learned how to become a very good trail horse during our rides, too.
Val is never pushy, but she does encourage me to step a little beyond my comfort level and to go on adventures with her. I appreciate that more than she knows. She started inviting me to ride with her at night. What fun!
I even began riding my own horse, Baby Doll, at night, too.
She's usually relaxed, just like she is during daytime riding, but sometimes the bushes, trees or boulders look different at night and she gets concerned. Thankfully, with a few calming words from me, she is at ease again.
Val even let me hop on her lovely Arabian mare Annie. It made me realize that not all Arabians are goofy and out of their minds. She's a good girl under saddle, though she does have a little too much spirit for me as a beginner.
I rode a few horses over at my instructor's lesson barn. I took this dressage trained horse out on the trails, for the 'ride of my life'! I prefer not to experience that ever again, thank you.
My instructor taught me the basics of reining, on this horse, Goose, who was patient and well-versed in reining.
I put on my 'big girl panties' and started riding my horse by myself, out on the trails. It's a great experience for both me and my horse.
Sometimes my 11 yr old twin son, Jax, joined us to ride, either in the arena, or out on the trails.
Most of the time it was just Val and I. With her, I even took my mare across our fairly busy, paved county road together. Another great learning experience for me and my painted pony.
We rode over mountain ridges together, too. What a blast!
My dreams have come true. I get to be around beautiful horses whenever I want.
They fill my spirit with joy and make me laugh. Me: "Um, whatcha doing there, Baby Doll?" Baby Doll: "Who, me?"
And I love just watching horses do their normal 'horse things'. Here's Val's Appy/Arabian/Paint gelding and my girl, Baby Doll, getting all 'kissy-faced' together.
And seeing the horses run gives me a sense of their spiritual freedom set loose, like the wind.
I've enjoyed all of my horse experiences this past year. They've all taught me something that has molded me into this new being that I am: A Horse Person.
And I just can't help but wonder what new experiences and adventures this next year will bring. (And you just know I'm going to say).......The End!
So, are you a horse person, too?
What is/was your favorite horse you've owned/ridden?
How did you spend this last year with horses?
41 comments :
H is for horse, for sure! All the horses you have ridden are pretty and quite a variety.
Things I have done with my horses, brushed them, spoiled them, loved them and have not ridden once this summer. May have to train them all over again.
Happy is how my horses make me feel. I loved looking back with you over the past year. Aren't you proud of your accomplishments? My favorite horse is my Paint mare Stylin - we trust each other. I have ridden quite a bit this past year and have worked hard on building my relationship with my mare and learning to listen to her.
Hay I like hay bails and horses. Heck I took enough pictures of them. he he he. This is fun.
Oh ho! Baby Doll did the "bad girl in the barn thing"! My Scout is famous for that. And then he likes to leave fresh piles everywhere.
It's been a great year so far! Look at how far you've come! Hmmm, I would rate both you AND Annie as "most improved"!
HERE's to the future!!!
Lisa,
Thanks for the year review. Sad to say I haven't had anything going on with horses this last year but my favorite horse was my childhood horse, Tandy. He was a sweetheart.
Well after putting our horse, Fancy, down about a year and a half ago I vowed I would never own another horse. We had her for 20 years and it was too hard. I just didn't want the responsibility anymore. Then I saw Sunny, the miniature horse and thought, hey I can do that. So now I can get my fix of horse smell that I crave.
What an incredible journey for you and Baby Doll.
Heck yeah, I'm a "horse person!" :)
I loved reading about your first horsey year all summed-up. Baby Doll is just lovely! She reminds me so much of Paint Girl's tobiano mare, Fritzy.
I would say this past year has been the first year I've owned a horse in 17 years, so it's been a re-education for me. I've also learned more than I ever knew to begin with, LOL!
My favorite horse? Well, I am pretty sure My Boy is on the way to becoming that, but our journey is just beginning. From my past, my favorite would have to be Saber, my 17 yr. old Arab/Appaloosa pony. He was a spirited and gentle soul, never gave me any problems. Just an overall fun horse to handle and ride. I was just a teenager and I "outgrew" him so to speak, but I always kind of wish I'd kept him.
:( I think he went on to become a show pony for a 4-Her.
Lisa--that was awesome! I loved your year in review. It's lovely to see someone living and enjoying their dream!
I'm happy for you. :)
Ha, Ha, hilarious post! Horses? Naw, only horsing around here.
I would say that I consider myself a "horse person in training".
I HONESTLY believe that HORSES are HEALING to your spirit.
This last year I've given Cessa more retirement time, she was only ridden very rarely and lightly... but she is 27 and has earned a retirement!
I've also finally made some sort of peace with Quinn not being "The One" and sold him, and in the process kinda stolen my husband's horse for the year.
That stolen horse, Applejack (AKA Raincloud), is the horse I barrel raced with this summer. He's also the horse that I got to fulfill my dream of galloping down a sandy beach on. (The beach was at our river though, not the ocean)
And if I'm being truthful Cessa is my favorite. I love all my horses (the 2 we have now and the 2 I've sold) but I have a special bond with Cessa and I think in some ways she's saved me.
*Applause* You're a horse person, TOO! :D YEY!
I really envy you of your mountain ridges, they look so pretty.
I hope to try reining one day, if not on Daisy then on another horse.
H is for Honey.
I am NOT a horse person as you know, sorry. But Logan is shaping up to be one. He got to ride my step-mothers horse and really enjoyed it. I think we are going to join the 4H horse club for him. It should be a Hoot!
H is for the Handsomes - two of our geldings who we dearly love and enjoy. Right this moment they are galloping the front field. What better thing to do when Monday has dawned sunny, windy, and the machine with the scary white arm is back?!
What a great summer, I wish I had someone close by to ride with. What a SNEAKY GIRL, getting into the hay barn , LOL!
H is for happy horse owner! We have 16 horses here at our house and two on the way next year. I have always loved horses. It's a sickness I think. :)
I loved reading about your horsey adventures. I love that you and Val go riding together. Your night rides sounded like so much fun.
You and Baby Doll definatly have come a long way. She is a good mare.
Naughty girl, sneaking into the hay barn, LOL. Looks like a great successful summer. I wish I had someone near by to ride with!
Great pics and year in review! Baby Doll sure is a cutie.
I don't know that I could pick out a favorite horse among the ones that I have had, I loved them each with my whole heart and they all had different strengths and weaknesses.
The one i miss the most is my Gracie girl. Dam of my current show horse, Patrick. She was the one who was easiest to "talk to". You could unload your problems and she'd make it better. I miss her a lot.
How did I know your H would be Horses! It's wonderful to see your journey from wishing to Having the Horse of your dreams.
I'm glad for you:)
Look at all the ground you covered this year in Horses Lisa! ^5 to ya ;)
My favorite horse? An Appy named Jack that taught me so much. Sadly, he passed away at the ripe old age of 40 almost 3 years ago. Still hurts daily when I think about him....
This last year with horses? Just trying to get BACK TO THEM! Sonny came into our life, and left, but now is back to stay. Life feels more complete now. It took a LONG time for me to even be able to think about owning another horse, but Sonny kinda made that happen for me. He is 4 now, and the strange thing is... (and I have not talked about this at all to anyone... so this feels, well, wild) is that Sonny feels SO MUCH like old Jack to ride. Hmm- maybe it's time for a post on that. What ya think?
Have an awesome day there Lisa, with your crew!
HURRAY for you and Baby Doll.
HaHaHa (my "H" word)...of course I am a HORSE person...lol!!!
I have honestly ridden tons of horses, but the horse that I connected the most and the longest with was Shadest.
My last two years have been fun ones, in that my kidlets are older and we are all able to enjoy horses together! :)
After spending eight years of only riding about 2-3 times per year, I hope that I am back to stay!
Happy, Happy, Happy...you are one happy gal when riding your horse.=D Loved the photos.......
I would've done H for horse as well! Because a horse is more of a horse of course!
Anyway-
So, are you a horse person, too?
Uhhhhh... YEAH!
What is/was your favorite horse
you've owned/ridden?
Hmmmmmm... well, my favorite horse ever is obviously Stewy, but actually, Mark, a lesson horse I rode at a lesson barn long ago, is a pretty close second... considering how Stewy is ranked so far above all the others... Mark wasn't sweet at all, he hated brushing, tried to bite, and my mother didn't think anything of him, but I LOVED him! He was the best jumper ever! And such a good one. He was the perfect match for me as far as ability. He and I were the best pair ever! Moving together, soaring over the jumps, cantering, ect.
To my dismay, I never got to gallop...
How did you spend this last year with horses?
I spent my time training my beautiful baby boy, Stewy, most of the year.
LEARN MORE @ www.stewylydia.blogspot.com!!!!
xoxoxoxoxo =p lyd
She is one smart cookie. My mare Dusty can actually unlatch her stall and let herself out. Not a good trick.
As for your question about how I spent the last year with horses, I would have to say the same as always. Mucking, doctoring, feeding,sometimes riding, but in general making their lives as enjoyable as possible.
My favorite horse to ride was a tobiano paint horse we had for 18 yrs. he was the best I have ever ridden. My horse Erik was the best horse I have ever owned all by myself, we were a pair for 15 yrs. I miss them both, I don't think there will ever be another two like these. But I was lucky to have had them for so many years. Love your pictures, keep having fun.
Lisa! Hello there my paint horse loving twinkie!!!! Thank you so much for the friendship this year...I love your blog AND YOUR beautiful mare...but you knew that already!
Don't let anyone hurt your feelings or get you down, you are right on the money when you talk about the pettyness and the cliques...but that's life in this grown up world we live in. You blog for yourself, just like I do, go with the flow and keep on blogging because you love it. Your blog has something unique to offer to those that want to take the time to explore it and I want you to know I love reading your blog...and will keep coming back too! It almost hurts my feelings to know that you were so shocked by me coming to visit you and comment when we first found each other's blogs...that's crazy...I adore your stuff!!!!
My favorite all time horse was named Moretti...he was a black and white (smiling here....) paint gelding that I had the priviledge of owning for 4 years and had to sell during my divorce....I miss him and hope to replace him some day soon. GREAT post btw!
Oh yea...my favorite color IS purple and I don't care if you like it or not...I am your friend because I appreciate your kindness and your friendship...and of course...YOUR HORSE!!!!
P.S. I looked just like myself with no makeup only....cleaner, lol!
Have a great week!
H is for that Hot Lisa in all those pics.....you look great on Baby Doll.....
I tagged you in a meme....I know you are busy with your alpha game....so just when you get time.
Your smile when you're on a horse is incredible! Welcome to the fold of horse people my dear. You've been hooked!! And, yes absolutely I am a dyed-in-the-wool, couldn't live without em horse person!! Favorite horse huh? That's tough because I had years of riding pleasure on my old girl Flex, but she was a bit opinionated and got us into pickles on more than one occasion. I love my Ladde more than I can almost bear, but at times riding him, he intimidates me with his size and sheer power, (when he spooks, they feel it in China) I feel the earth move kind of power. Harley is a blast to ride especially when we're both relaxed. But my favorite would probably have to be my girl, Kadie. Never once felt nervous or scared or worried about anything...ever - the most kind, sensible, sure-footed and perfect horse ever!!! Looks like I kinda love em all huh?? Guilty - like Lays potato chips, it's hard to pick just one. Soooo happy for you that you've discovered the realities and not just the dreaming of horses.
p.s. thanks for your kind and understanding comments on my blog. They mean a lot.
H is for HOME and I am blessed to be able to keep my horses at home rather than having to board them.
I spent 54 years of my life dreaming and only the last two actually having and riding, so I'm pretty new at this too. I'd sure be further along if I didn't still have to work full time. But if I didn't work full time, I couldn't afford to have horses.
It's a trade-off, to be sure
Lisa, great post. Horses occupy a lot of my time and my thoughts so I like to think I'm a horse person. There's still so much for me to learn. I'll never be a horse 'expert,' but I'm happy being a horse 'student.'
My most exciting horseback rides have been with our Canadian friends in the Canadian Rockies.
Regards,
Dan
Love your horsey photos, you have had a great year with your Baby Doll and she lives up to her name even though she got caught in the hay :D
You have inspired me with riding but my poor old Buddy has not been ridden for a few years now and I'd have to get someone else on him to see where he is at and what his manners would be like. Maybe early next year.
Sue
Horse person indeed! Looks like you both have had some great adventures, you're lucky to have a trail pal like Val.
I've had 2 horses that I considered "mine", 1 buy-to-sell and one leased horse in my 20+ year horse life. For me it's all been about "my horses" and never just about riding.
You are inspiring! I have always wanted to have a horse, and was horse-addicted as a child (City-kid!) but I have no experience with them except a couple guided trailrides. So the end of last year I started taking riding lessons. But you never really have time to get to know the horses, you only see them for an hour a week and they see other students all week long. Sometimes they've already had a hard day by the time I show up, or they haven't been out at all and they're feeling frisky. The arena was always crowded and it always seemed to be either the horses were being spooked, or they were lagging and didn't want to go. Getting a horse to trot was always a workout. The final straw was when the horse I was riding took me for an unexpected canter around the arena, with me hanging on to the horn for dear life! Luckily the stable had an upheaval and the teacher moved out which gave me the perfect excuse to quit earlier this year. I think I'm actually more scared of horses than I was when I started!! They are big and unpredictable to me. I can't read what's going on in their heads at all. I'm so glad to hear your experience with horses has gone so well. Maybe someday I'll get up the courage to try again.
H is for Howdy, Horses, Hay and the High desert of Oregon! Thanks for stoppin' by my lil' blog!
Great pics of your year in review. You've come a long way and all I can say is to keep doin' what you're doin'. It's working great for you. You look confident and happy...AMEN!!!
My favorite horse? Oh that's a hard question to ask a horse person...I've loved them all...they all have their own distinctions that make them #1...but today, I'll choose Colt. I've never taken a horse this far in training and he's got great potential for so much more. Stock horse...never done it before...he's so forgiving when I screw up and have to redo something on him...he just says "Ok, we'll do it this way now. Not a problem mom." What a guy!
We only got to go horse camping once...up to the Ochoco National Forest to the wild horse inventory to count wild horses. Rode 2 of our mustangs for that. The rest of the summer I trained on Colt (a QH) and showed him at cutting competitions and the Harney County Stock Futurity (we took 3rd out of 9 in the 3 year old division). We had a fantastic time!
Our summer was perfect by all means!
Oh, I think it's safe to say I'm a horse person. For the past year or more, I've been with a couple of different school horses, all of whom have been perfect for me for one reason or another. And, of course, there are all 'my' horses where I work as a stable hand on Sundays. In fact, we just got two new horses and one's a stallion...that should be interesting. He's my first. :o)
I've adored most of my school horses, however, if I had to choose a favourite, it would be Evita over at the stable where I work. I've never ridden her, she used to scare the bejeesus out of me every week, and yet I think she's the most magnificent creature on the planet. Go figure.
There must have been some H's in there somewhere, Hey? ;o)
The only horse I've ever owned was a pistol. He "had my number" as my trainer said. We got in one major wreck and a minor one that involved me and some very large cactus.
My horse love now comes from two minis that a friend owns. They are love bugs and I plan on spending many hours snuggling with them in the coming year.
H is for Happiness
Love all the fantastic horse photos, Lisa! Baby Doll is SO BEAUTIFUL! Anyone can see why you would love her so much! And I thought the speckled horse really beautiful as well. I already told about my horse experience a few posts back, but I will say that the same people had a large bay named Sonny who I also loved. One time my friend and I were going to ride him and she put me up on him in front, bareback, and she got behind, and Sonny took off like a SHOT but I didn't have hold of the reigns! We were tearing away across the field with my friend laughing so hard she could hardly tell me to take hold of the reigns. I was holding on to Sonny's mane for dear life! I imagine it would have scared my Mom to death if she had seen us! :-)
I wanted to tell you how very much I appreciated your comments on my post on Lady Astor and Constance Markiewicz and my other posts as well. Yep, wasn't that Lady Astor SOMETHING! :-)
Take care!
Marie
What a nice post! So glad your dream came true for you. It never did for me. I've stopped dreaming about being a horse person and focus my attention on birds now. I want that dream for my daughter instead. Baby doll is so adorable. I love Piebald horses!
H is for Horsey. I can't choose a favorite! You already know how I spent this last year with horses. Here's to many more good years of riding.
I think we must be the same age!
My daughter would give ANYTHING for a horse. She just turned 7. I don't think I'll tell her you were my age before you got one.
Hooray for horses!! I took English lessons when I started really getting into horses (and not just like Girl Scout Camp and one hour trail rides here and there). So many memories before owning a horse and now so many more since. My favorite horse was a huge Belgian named Annie. Loping a draft horse is a whole nother experience, I tell ya. She was like a freight train and I loved every pounding beat of it. If I could have gotten her, I would have sold my car to do it! I love just about every horse I've ever come in contact with for sure.
Congrats to you on being able to setp outside your comfort zone. So many things get experienced by doing that. You can surprise yourself too. Sounds like you're doing great!
What an inspiring post!! I dreamed of horses for better part of my youth, then started to ride at the age of eighteen. Today, I cannot imagine my life without them, and I think I have made up for lost time! I could spend all my time outdoors with the dogs and the horses, preferably in the breathtakingly peaceful nature as well!
Thanks for sharing, I loved following your transition into your life-long dream!
Warmest greetings,
Esther
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