Memories on Monday Theme..

Boy, I have not had time to think about this...you know as I mentioned in my "sideline", I am no longer a spring chicken! You see, the upside is I have gob's of memories! Here goes on one of them...

My love for horses, and one in particular...


We moved a lot when I was a kid. I was born in St Paul Minnesota , and moved to Iowa and also Michigan, before our family landed in Washington where the family settled and refused to leave, at least most of them.


One memory comes to mind. I was the little girl that was horse crazy, I am sure you have all met one of us at some time. Forget everything else... I wanted a horse of my own. I would find a horse, just to look over the fence at it.


The problem was we were not "country" living people, we were "burb" people. Finding a horse to look at was not an easy thing for a grade school age kid to do. Also my parents were not at all interested in living somewhere that would have enough room for a horse, and if they did live in such a place..a horse? Why would we want a horse??


I remember we lived in Grand Rapids Michigan at this time. I was probably around 8. Somehow I found out that there was a pony (I think he was black and white) quite a distance away from our little housing development. I probably noticed him as we drove to the grocery store, as I remember the store was up the rode from the pony. I also remember the road was a busy road as well.

Because I was 1 of 4 kids, my mother was not always aware of where one of us disappeared to. And at that time parents didn't worry about the stuff that we worry about now.

Well I would walk all the way to see that pony. I found out his name was "Risk" which I thought was the most bazaar name for a pony, who would name a pony Risk?


So why did I mention this? Well because when I was 12 and now living in Washington, I got my first horse (that is another horsey story for later).. since then, I have had more than 30 horses and ponies over the years. One of my favorite horses was a Quarter Horse gelding I got when he was 3 and I was about 16. He was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen. He was very well bred, a grandson of Leo on his dam's side, and a grandson of Sugar Bars on his sires side... his registered name... Risk Bar!


Risk was part of my life for many years, and I have so many great memories of him. I even took him to Ellensburg when I went to college, and found a farm to board him at (try storing a saddle in a girls dorm!).

It wasn't until I was married with a new baby and a husband in Viet Nam, that I could not afford to keep him any longer.. I still regret that I could not keep him his whole life, I felt like I let him down. I believe I was supposed to be his forever home, he was family to me. I am sure he is long gone, but he lives in my memories vividly, so vividly.


So there you go.. one memory down, a bazillion to go!