Five Horses

I stole this idea from L. Williams, but I have decided to make a list of the five horses that have influenced me. She had them broken down into lovely categories about horses you've bonded with, connected with, who have influenced you the most. I will admit, pretty much every horse I've had any amount of interaction with has been a jerk to me (including Walker some days), so mine will be more of a string of horses that have done me wrong but were important to me all the same. If you ever wondered why I put up with some of Walker's antics, here's why:

Casper

One of the first horses I ever rode. He was a cantankerous old paint that you had to kick and kick and kick to get moving. He was the first horse I ever jumped on (in a western saddle no less, and never jumped again for 15 years). He unceremoniously dumped me after the fence. He also hated ponies, and if there was a pony in the ring, he would go immediately from old and slow to old and homicidal in 2.0 seconds. He's probably dead now which is a shame because I'd love to have him.

Whinney

The horse that would not canter. She was 3 years old and I had just gotten back into riding. Naturally, it's a good idea to put a child getting back into riding onto your green broke filly. She charged me once while free lunging her in the arena. I used the whip as a sword to keep the beast away. When you asked her to canter, she would buck for the remainder of the lesson like a bronc.  She never tired.

Crazy barrel mare

I don't remember this horse's name but her image will forever be burned into my heart. She was my instructor's barrel mare who had not been worked all winter long. The gate was open, there were barrels in the ring, and my instructor said, "sure you can lope her!" She took off around the barrels like a pro at a 45 degree angle and I can distinctly remember being able to reach down and swipe the sand in the arena with my hand. As she finished her pattern, she saw the gate, and being a very rational performer, decided it was now time to gallop full speed out of the arena to get a good time after her run. A lovely gentleman had to leap in front of us to stop her. It was also the day I realized the importance of long socks in boots.

Hollywood

Hollywood

Hollywood was the horse that I leased at the barn before I bought Walker. He was a 17 year old old man of a horse. When he didn't feel like working, he would do some lovely rapid turns on the haunches or else back up around the arena at a top speed instead of going forward. He hated other horses and is the only horse I've ever seen buck my instructor off.

Walker

The love of my life. He can sometimes be a weird amalgamation of all the other horses that have influenced me, but with 10x the personality and loveability.  And I mean, really, personality trumps behaviour any day.  Right?

Horses keep you humble.