Author unknown, had to share


Subj: I hung up my bridle today


Yesterday, for the first time, I was too tired to ride


Yesterday, for the first time, I was afraid I would be hurt if I was
thrown


Yesterday, for the first time, I heard someone say my barn was too shabby


Yesterday, for the first time, I let someone tell me I was too pudgy to
ride


Yesterday, for the first time, I realized I was old


Yesterday, for the first time, I had to face that I could no longer keep
up


Yesterday, for the first time, I had to let go of my dreams


Yesterday, for the first time, I felt my heart break


Yesterday, for the first time, I turned my back on my friend


Yesterday, for the first time, I knew I was done


Today, for the last time, I felt warm, braided leather in my hands.


Today, for the last time, I ran my stirrups up so they wouldn't bang my
mare's sides


Today, for the last time, I released the buckles on the girth and watched
my
girl sigh


Today, for the last time, I slowly dropped the bit so it wouldn't hit her
teeth


Today, for the last time, I gave my mare a cookie to thank her for the
ride


Today, for the last time, I buried my head in her soft, warm neck


Today, for the last time, I inhaled the sun and the dust in her long
winter
coat


Today, for the last time, I closed the gate and trudged to the muddy porch


Today, for the last time, I tracked hay and horse hair into my house


Today, for the last time, I pulled off my boots and felt the sting of warm
blood returning to my cold toes


Today, for the first time, I cried after my ride


Today, for the first time, I felt my hands shake as I set the saddle on
its
rack


Today, for the first time, I hugged my young trainer a final goodbye


Today, for the first time, I waited for the new owner's trailer to arrive


Today, for the first time, I set my boots in a box to go to the Goodwill


Today, for the first time, I sighed at the wear on my riding gloves


Today, for the first time, I had no hay in my hair


Today, for the first time, I did not hear nickering when I opened my back
door


Today, for the first time, I felt worse leaving the barn that I did when I
entered


Today, for the first time, I had no one to check on before going to bed


Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't have to buy hay


Tomorrow, for the first time, I can stay in bed longer


Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't see the poop pile grow


Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't be able to fly on four legs


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be sorry I listened


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will regret letting her go


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be angry at God


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be angry at myself


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will cry the day away


Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be glad to die


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will awaken in tears


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will know I was wrong


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will defy all the judgment


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will ignore my old bones


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will return the buyer's check


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will bring my friend home


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will take my boots out of the
box


Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will be reborn


For the rest of my life, I will have a horse in my yard


For the rest of my life, I will ignore the cruel judging


For the rest of my life, I will watch the poop pile grow


For the rest of my life, I will have hay in my hair


For the rest of my life, I will track mud in my house


For the rest of my life, I will bury my face in her soft neck


For the rest of my life, I will let my soul fly


For the rest of my life, I will never be alone

I keep of a file of my horsemen/women heros. One is an 88 year old cowboy who did the Mexico to Canada ride this summer. Another is the 69 year old rider whose horse won "best conditioned" at the FEI Endurance Trials in Kentucky in October. Also the lady who gave lesson to about age 101, and died being thrown from a horse at 101......way to go at 101!!!!!!!!!! I can be killed/maimed at any time on the highway. My horses are my positive addiction, and my life would be far less rich and rewarding without them. Our friend, at age 62, recently was given a 6 month old colt (stud fee alone was $1,000, owner fell on hard times) that is looking forward to riding him  into old age, along with his 4 year old and 5 year old geldings that he personally trained. He is planning to have well broke horses so his numerous young grandsons can ride with him...I like his forward thinking!

Brenda

I went too many years of my adult life after losing my childhood horse pal at his age of 20,my age of around 28.Long long time,and,never thought I'd have any in my life again.Now,I have 5! Between my husband and me,we've owned 12 and I wouldn't go back to my life before this, for anything or anybody!

 When I can't ride them anymore, help me walk or wheel me out to the fence so I can sit and just watch them.

Yeah,if you have one,or,they're not too old,too.

Just sneekin in here to say,

 I did not even get my first horse until age 56, and although I had loved the horses all my life, I was never able to own.  I was diagnosed with spinal lesions on the spinal cord, and underwent surgury to remove the lesions and the tumors that were found.  Convalesing at home, and dating my now wife, I again wondered how about owning a horse and my wife had just realised her dream of horse ownership by buying her lesson horse from our friend and trainer. Lancer was 23 and a perfect match for her. A year later I was given a clean bill of health and bouhgt a lil mustang pony to try and break and ride. ( do you see a problem here? ) Yes, as sweet and calm Pepita was in the pen and ground, she was in NO way going to be a riding horse.  Having been lassoed from the wild at about 5 yrs, and brought from the mtns near Reno, she was a good companion horse for Lancer, but  all the natural trainers and handlers told us, just breed her to get a nice pony you can train and break, or just keep her as a companion for Lancer, as she seriously hurt three different trainers with her unpredictability. ( She is now a pasture pet for a young man who is mentally challenged and loved to pieces ) Our trainer had a contact who had an 8 month old filly, pure Arabian, and my fav color a Smokey Gray. Long story short, Siseley is my lil mare. And having raised her, broke her with guidence of a good trainer, and ridden her ALL OVER So. Calif. now have a pal who is like a puppy and follows me all around while working to clean stalls, groom the turn out on the tractor, and we have logged over 1000 hrs of saddle time. Next to my wife, I have a bond for life and she has a home as well for life. She's now almost 9 yrs young and in her prime, and while I may ache after 12-15 miles of riding, she gets attention first and a carrot or cookie before I get comfortable.

Steve... on that Lil Gray Arab

Oh yeah, I know I've shown her picture before, but just had to do it again.

Steve...