H is for Horses

I’m not sure when my love for horses started. As a small child I loved all animals, but at some point I fell especially in love with horses. Perhaps it was the influence of my friend Aimee, who lived across the street from me in Fairbanks and was a big fan of horses. She lives in California now, and she has horses.

Look at that pretty face, the soft gentle eyes. I just want to pet this beautiful horse. Who knows, perhaps this horse is an asshole, but it looks like it would be so very affectionate and loving. My friend Nikki has horses, and when she goes to visit them, they come running across the field to see her, nuzzle her, and just be with her. They are closely bonded. It’s darling.

Look at these beautiful horses, Ted took this picture out at the West coast of France. These are big work horses. I didn’t see cultivated fields in the area, so I’m not sure what their job is, but they sure are beautiful. This was 2018, so I guess that little foal is all grown up now.

Though I have loved horses as long as I can remember, I’ve never been a good rider. I’ve never spent enough time with them, never had the money or the access. The summer between 8th and 9th grades was the best…my friend Mindy and I used to hang around a stable where you could ride horses by the hour, and we befriended the owner. Sometimes he would let us clean out stalls in exchange for riding, and once or twice we got to take people out on the trail as well. Mindy was a much better rider than I was, she had been around horses for ages. (Actually, I met Nikki through Mindy, I think their fathers worked together) Aside from that, I’ve only occasionally been able to spend time with horses.

Back in 2009, I decided that I wanted to take horseback riding lessons. I went once a week, and I really liked the woman who was giving my lessons. Being there with the horses, brushing them, saddling them up, cleaning out their hoofs, all of that…it was my happy place. I feel like I got a little better at riding, but not great. I think you need to ride more than once a week in order to really improve. Ted saw how happy I was with the horses, and he wanted to buy me one. Um, no. Horses are a ton of work, and a ton of money, and a huge commitment, I was not really up for that. So my love of horses has always been more about looking at them and sometimes petting one, rather than owning one and riding it and so on, like Mindy and Aimee and Nikki. Eventually the cost of the lessons got to be too much, and other, more important priorities presented themselves, and I stopped going.

Now I could afford it again, but honestly I’m not as interested as I was back then. I still love horses, but the reality of it isn’t the same as the fantasy I had in my mind, I guess. If suddenly we lived somewhere with land and I could have a horse, I think it would be cool to have one as a friend and a pet. I’m not sure I would want to get into riding so much as to just be together. I would want it to live on my land, though, not board it somewhere.

Maybe we should get a miniature horse…it could live in our little suburban townhouse…I wonder what Mulder would think about that?