My quest began to acquire a horse of my own when I was a child. I had always wanted a horse. First, I started begging my parents every day, literally every day, I’m not kidding! I was very dedicated. I’m surprised they didn’t give into me sooner either out of pity or just to shut me up, but they held their ground and wouldn’t give in to my request. I finally came to the conclusion that if my parents wouldn’t buy me a horse I would get the money and buy one myself. At this time I was still a young child in elementary school. No one would hire me to do anything. I wasn’t even old enough to babysit. These factors didn’t crush my spirits. I saved every penny I could get my hands on from that point forward. I saved all my birthday money from my grandparents and other relatives down to any odd change that I could find lying in the street. My dad would make jokes like “now you have enough to buy the tail,” but I knew that one day all the money would add up and could afford me a horse and indeed it did.
Fast forward to my sixteenth year of life, I was a sophomore in high school. I was now in the 4H horse program and taking regular riding lessons with my instructor Margaret Weber. At this point I was old enough to have a job, which I had had for the past year and a half. I worked at the local miniature golf course, The Village Greens. Having a steady job was one of the conditions my parents had given me when they were thinking about letting me buy a horse, because they were not going to pay for the upkeep, I had to. Now that I was old enough, had a job, and proved that I was responsible enough to take care of a large animal, I was allowed to buy a horse. I was ecstatic! I couldn’t believe this moment had finally come. All the money I had been saving since I was a child would be put to use. I was going to actually have a horse to my name. Life couldn’t get any better!
Now began the process of horse shopping. This consisted of going online and looking at ads on DreamHorse.com to picking up copies of the Equine Marketer at the local Tractor Supply store. I would always run the horses past my riding instructor Margaret first, I valued her opinion on which horses to go see and which ones to put in the "no" pile. After months of searching, I went to see my first prospect. She was stunning. Jo was a two year old Paint filly who already had height and was still growing. I was convinced that this was my horse. Unfortunately, due to complications with the owners I was unable to purchase Jo. She was not the horse for me. My search for my dream horse continued. I looked at a few others and some phone calls were made, but nothing turned up. I was beginning to get discouraged when I received a phone call. It was the woman from Lost and Found Horse Rescue. I had previously given an application to them. The woman said a horse had come in that she thought I would be interested in. I immediately made an appointment to go and see the mare.
That Sunday Margaret, her daughter Beth and Beth’s daughter Megan, my mom and I all piled into a minivan to go meet this horse. When we arrived the woman took us all into the dingy old barn. In the far corner stall was a chestnut mare. The woman brought her outside so we all could get a better look. She was a beautiful horse, tall, elegant and with conformation just about as perfect as it comes. She was chestnut colored from her head to her hooves except of a little with star on her forehead. I fell in love at first sight. I put down a deposit and made an appointment to come back and ride her the following Thursday.
The following Thursday turned out to be quite the adventure. It was cool first of all because I got to miss a day of school. I had originally just planned on going with Margaret to just ride the mare, which I did do. Afterward Margaret and I discussed a few things I made the official decision that I was going to purchase the horse, my horse! Then I had to proceed in getting my new equine friend home, or her new home rather which was a barn about five minutes from my house. Margaret and I drove from York, where the horse rescue was located, to Margaret’s barn to pick up the truck and horse trailer, and then all the way back to York to pick up my horse and bring her home. It was a full day of driving, but totally worth it to bring my new horse, Shai, home.
I learned so much from this experience. I wanted a horse, I worked hard and saved money, and finally got my horse. Horses teach us all so much. I continue to learn from mine everyday. I feel very lucky to be able to have one of my own.
I love your story & your horse is beautiful! It's very inspiring how hard you worked to get a horse, even as a young child. Most kids that age can't save money and don't have the mindset to even think about it. It seems as though, not only have you gained the experience of owning your own horse, but you have also learned the responsibility of having to manage money to purchase something that you really want. I liked your style of writing as well. You emphasized your thoughts and what you remember being said to you by your father and such. It made your post more interesting to read.
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