That's what I said to Marie once Lynn and Gary moved in and we noticed they had horses. She was home without her brother for two years when he started school ahead of her and we were looking for some fun. We'd cut through that yard to go fishing and Lynn and Gary said to keep doing that - they really meant it.
When she was four, they let me put her on Ginger and she was soon riding - went on her first ten mile trail ride with the Tidal Treasures team when she was six. She's pictured that day on Ginger, next to Tammy who is on Mister. Four years ago.
Marie hadn't told anyone, but she'd overheard a passing comment last fall of possibly legging Mister up for light riding and company for Caddy. I can remember her asking me about it a week later, at the supper table. She continued to ride Ginger that summer, they were doing lots of bareback cantering and some small jumps. Apparently, Marie was also watching to see if Mister was staying or going. She was hoping for staying.
In January, she asked Lynn if she could get Mister out of his two-year retirement and "bring him back". Not surprisingly, Lynn said yes & she and Troy kept an eye on them, answering questions when asked. Tammy showed Marie a picture of Mister from when she was riding him. No one was sure how Mister would react to coming out of retirement. Except Marie and Mister - he was thrilled to have been given his own little girl.
Hubby and I can't remember when Marie first asked if I thought Lynn would sell Mister to her, and I wasn't sure what to tell her. I know what hubby and I thought: That horse is 30! And do you see how he pins his ears back whenever you go in his pasture? And that horse is 30! Maybe 31!! And that's quite a difference in height from Ginger's 11 hands to Mister's 15 hands. And that horse is 30!
Mister and Marie won us all over because of the obvious enjoyment they were getting and giving one another. But I'm not saying it was easy, she did ground work with him until the day Troy said, "Wanna ride him today, kid?". And he'd tear the reins from her hands - she learned to keep them over his old withers if they were bareback, which caused Mister a great deal of surprise! She just wore gloves and put a martingale on for awhile and now "he doesn't do that anymore, Mama". She got him ready for a fourteen mile competitive trail ride and he showed all the signs of being ready for it - until the day when the heat and excitement were too much and he went home with Gary instead. She rode Spirit that day but came home to Mister and rides him whenever she can. She learned from his vet how to listen for his heart rate and will have fun with him but watch out for him at the same time.
I never saw such a backward purchase/sale negotiation in my life. Marie negotiating to pay while Lynn was negotiating a lower price for her thirty year old horse that she hadn't even planned on selling! They managed to reach an agreement.
Mister is coming home on June 25th (he's bringing Willow with him, but that's another story!) which happens to be a year to the day after we started building a barn/run-in shelter for a couple of horses for Marie and I.
Mister & Marie and Willow & I intend to have great fun together - we'll remain part of the Tidal Treasures team and continue to blog - just consider us, as Lynn does, a satellite farm to Tidal Treasures Stables!
What a great story. I remember the first time Marie ever rode Ginger. She was tiny, tiny. We put her on ginger and you started to give her advice. Well, that little girl who usually said very little looked at you rather sternly (I was shocked!) and said "I know how to ride my pony mommy.". I remember thinking. How does she know, she's never been on a pony before. Later I thought "her" pony? As the years have gone by I am now used to young children randomly claiming
ReplyDeleteG ownership of ginger! The thing is. I remember every second of it. We've been there since the beginning and continue to love being part of it. Tomorrow is joist the beginning of a brand new chapter!