Horse crazy.

A few days ago, I had an interesting conversation with a Mom of a little girl who takes riding lessons through Leg Up. She was telling me about the differences between her girls, and their loves of horses. 

Her youngest, the one who is taking lessons now, is your typical horse crazy little girl. She and I have ridden in rain that is pouring so hard it soaks through our raincoats. The first time we rode in the rain, I didn't have a raincoat, and I ended up wringing water out of my hoody. She pays for her own lessons from birthday money that her Grandparents send her, and she asks me about the horses, and her lesson every time she sees me. She devours horse books and movies, and it is so much better when she is actually able to have her own riding experiences.

That was the problem with her older sister. She started out just the same. Absolutely horse crazy. Read the books, watched the movies, pretended she had horses. But she seldom had a chance to ride, or spend any time with horses. And so, other interest got in the way of horses. What was the point when all she had were books and movies, which are really just other people’s experiences? Without your own experience, it’s kind of meaningless, and there is only so much you can do. So she still likes horses, and will ride if she has a chance, but it’s more of an afterthought than something that she is passionate about.

I think a lot of the reason I never outgrew my horse crazy phase was because I got my own pony when I was in the middle of it. Being able to spend the time with my pony was better than any book. I’ve usually hated horse movies, because they’re far too sad, and horse books are often just as sad, or sappy. But I didn’t need to worry about that, because I could just go out and jump on my little pony and head out.

Needless to say, continuing that love of horses has taught me that life with horses is not the peaceful, romantic setting it is made out to be in books and movies. It’s hard, it’s heartbreaking, at times it is infuriating. But it’s worth it. And when you go into it at a young age, with so much love, by the time you figure out that it is not all sunshine and roses, it’s too late, because you’re hooked. You’re passionate about those crazy, big beasts that you ride, and you (and everyone around you) might as well give up on ever forgetting about them and moving on.