by Cowgirl on September 2, 2010
I was just a kid when I went to a Pitzer Ranch sale for the first time. I believe it was actually an all-school field trip—that will give you an idea of the rural place I was raised in and what we did for fun back then! I remember sitting in the stands and calculating in my head how much money I had in my bank account and how much of my allowance I would need to save weekly in order to buy a colt of my own. I have always been inspired by the Two Eyed Jack horses.
by Cowgirl on August 3, 2010
When I was a kid, I wanted a horse of my own more than anything in the world. I had claimed one of Dad’s broodmares as mine when I was five, but she wasn’t a riding horse and I didn’t get to spend much time with her because she was always out in the broodmare pasture. So by about age nine, Dad gave me my own horse.
by Cowgirl on July 31, 2010
I loved taking our horses for water rides in the summer! There’s no better way to stay cool and still be outside with your horse than riding through the spray of an irrigation system or into a pond or creek for a swim. Summer days with no cattle work to do often turned out that way.
by Cowgirl on July 28, 2010
Growing up with Chigger and the chance to ride and work at such a young age is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. Those days were hot, cold, frustrating, tiring, and painful. But I knew better than to ever complain, because then I’d have to stay home with Mom.
by Cowgirl on July 27, 2010
I knew I wanted a good riding horse. So I picked the first foal by our Two Eyed Jack grandson stallion and the last foal out of our Three Bars bred Quarter Horse mare, Tasha Jo. This colt was a graying bay roan named Rudy, and I chose him because he acted nice and was built nice.
by Cowgirl on July 23, 2010
Last Saturday I got the chance to ride my mare Daisy to help move our cows from one pasture to another. It wasn’t a really long drive, but I got butterflies in my stomach all over again at the thought of taking Daisy on a cattle drive. It was only her second time working cattle, and I wasn’t sure how she would do.
I think it’s something you’re born with….the horse thing is something that’s so strong you can’t ignore it. Horses give you a reason to wake up in the morning, a reason to get outside and breathe in nature, and a power to look past the small stuff and realize all you’ve accomplished that you can be proud of.
Last Saturday just after lunch, Cowboy Dad came driving up to the house and said, “Come on, hurry! We’ve got trouble. The cows are out and the bull and one calf are in with the neighbor’s cattle.” So I hurried to get my boots on and he loaded up my saddle.
by Cowgirl on July 7, 2010
Part of working with horses on a daily basis is understanding that you cannot always control circumstances that involve a near-ton of weight on four fast-moving legs powered freely at the will of a flight-instinct animal.
by Cowgirl on July 6, 2010
In my years of growing up with horses, there was one horse who was there through thick and thin, solid and dependable, and forever golden in my memory….it was Kokomo. He was one of those ranch horses who require no pedigree to achieve greatness.
by Cowgirl on July 1, 2010
Yesterday was one of those beautiful balmy summertime days with a good breeze and lower humidity than usual. In other words, it was the perfect day for horseback riding. As soon as Cowboy Dad got home from work, he and the kids and I got the horses saddled and went for a little joy ride.
by Cowgirl on June 16, 2010
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want a horse of my own. When I was about five, I picked out a mare named Blondie from my dad’s bunch of horses, and claimed she was mine. I don’t know where she came from, but she was a registered Quarter Horse. She became my first horse.
by Cowgirl on June 15, 2010
I have never been a “cool cowgirl”. I grew up so far out in the sticks that being in style was never on my agenda, and keeping up with the times was about twenty years in arrears. Whatever we threw on made no difference to the horse so it really didn’t matter to us. I’ve been looking through some old photos of me riding, though, and some of my outfits are good for a laugh.
If you’re wondering how I got to be horse crazy, the photo above serves as an explanation. That is my mom, at about six months, on her pony Mickey, with her dad at her side. My mom grew up with horses, and her favorite was a horse named Old Paint, whom she kept from childhood until after she was married
by Cowgirl on June 8, 2010
I have owned many horses, and have ridden hundreds. But of them all, if I could have just one horse, it would be Beauty. I called her my little Ragamuffin or Muffinhead because she was not much to look at but I loved her. She was the greatest match for me and I’ll never find another horse like her. I love the memories I have of her, and I’m happy with the way things are. She was the best horse of my life.
by Cowgirl on June 7, 2010
Summer is by far the best time for horseback riding! There is nothing like an evening ride when a hot day begins cooling off. These rides are best enjoyed bareback, as the horses seem to have a lighter step and are happy to go on a joy-ride, rather than work. My best memories of childhood are horseback with my brothers and sisters. After supper time in the evenings, we would all run down to the barn, grab a bridle and jump on a horse.
by Cowgirl on June 3, 2010
I really don’t want to be set in my ways, or stuck in a rut because I think I know better than anyone else. It’s never too late to learn something new, and if I know anything about horses at all, I know that they are all different—each one is an individual, and I can’t be right 100% of the time.
by Cowgirl on June 2, 2010
We just got back from visiting my parents who live in Idaho. They live in a beautiful valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains and raise beef cattle, alfalfa hay, and Quarter horses. We spent several days riding horses and working cattle.
If you’ve been involved with horses for any length of time, you will find that the horse industry is much like the used car industry. There are a lot of scoundrels out to get your money and will do anything to make a buck. The term “horse dealer” does not carry a good connotation, since so many well-meaning buyers have been duped into buying a horse that didn’t work out for them.
by Cowgirl on May 18, 2010
Rudy is the horse from my childhood who taught me the most. I’ve spent more time horseback on Rudy than any other horse in my life. He is on that pedestal in my memory where all faults are forgiven and forgotten–to me, he is the best horse in the world.
