Fond Memories
No one ever really dies as long as they took the time to leave us with fond memories. ~Chris Sorensen
A lot has changed since the last time I posted and I BEG of your forgiveness in my lacking to stay on top of this little blog…thing.
One: The little gray mare (and her little pony companion) were sold to a BEAUTIFUL riding facility within the state. This was a good and positive decision and while I will probably never ride her again, she is doing what she does best: teach. She has taught me patience, and bravery and the joy of trusting a remarkably confident partner; she made me a better rider.
But I couldn’t do it without faithful and trustworthy friends to teach and guide me.
Enter flashback:
When I took on the gig of taking care of about ten horses (the little gray mare included) I came to be friends with a gentleman named David. David pulled me out from mucking one day and asked me to ride this little horse named Hakuta Matta. He was one we were trying to sell quickly and he was too big to ride him, so he asked me. He took some pictures and when we were done he said he was impressed with me, asked if I had professional instruction. At the time I wasn’t being trained under anyone…I was floundering between trainers and at the time the work to take care of the other ten horses was more pressing.
It was around this same time that I gathered the balls to mount the flighty gray mare on my own. What a spirit she had–but terribly apprehensive that anything she did wasn’t going to be good enough for her rider. I tried to make her understand that what she had…was gold. Don’t ever change. Just relax. Do your best.
She taught me to be confident in what I was doing was right. Follow through with your own decisions. Sit up. Pressure is okay. Conviction.
Conviction was one of the words that David always reminded me to pay attention to. Conviction. Determination. Approach the jump with CONVICTION.
He later bought his personal mount from us–a BEAUTIFUL eventer named Trip (and he lives up to his name).
I found that David was one of the most trustworthy PEOPLE I’ve ever worked with. He was the one to give me sound advice on owning a horse (don’t do unless you have at least $10,000.00 saved up, he told me), love and relationships, showing…I realized that he became a sort of distant uncle to me.
As the gray mare, her family, and I found ourselves heading in a different direction, David and Trip stayed in touch. David invited me to come and ride Trip–show me what they’ve worked on. What they’ve improved. Showed me the ribbons, trophies…so many pictures of them jumping three foot spreads together. Fate decided how they would meet and I thank the gods everyday that they did.
Just before Christmas I got a phone call telling me, early in the morning, he passed away. After a long fight with a form of cancer, he slipped away. Leaving me, his loved ones, and Trip behind.
I’m still trying to cope with the fact that he’s gone. One of the people in this little world of riding and competing and horse-nuts, he was the person, I realize, I was trying to make proud. I have so many good memories of us, doing the thing that gave us both the greatest joy. But I miss him and I realize…I don’t mourn very well.
My current trainer has me working with a Paint Cross right now, and he is slowing teaching me to be a better rider.
In fact, one of my last memories of David and I was after I taken this Paint to my first Training Level Dressage show:
“You’ve blossomed into a lovely rider.”
Lesson Learned: Love each day like it’s your last.
