Flash Cont.

Flashy and I in our early days together. I was about 8 or 9. Please don't judge, this was the 80's :).

With Flashy, I had many adventures. The horse himself wasn't much to look at. He had a very low tail set and a strange pointy rump - it's hard to explain. He was small at 14'2 Hands, and didn't have the best temperment. He nipped, balked and was plain old grumpy. Aside from those negative qualities, Flashy was a beautiful coppery red Chestnut color with a blaze and three socks. Although he was a grumpus, he had a heart of gold and would do anything and go anywhere he was asked (sometimes I had to ask twice or thrice) but he always went. At first, my mom and I always went together on our "trail" rides, but in my mind, that wasn't enough. My mom was a busy lady, she worked full time and had to take care of my little brother, my dad and I. So, the once every other weekend if the weather was nice rides we took - didn't cut it for me.

I began walking the mile to the barn, saddling Flash up and riding him myself. Of course there wasn't an arena at the barn he was kept at, so I rode him down the relatively busy road he was kept on. Flashy and I would plug along, usually riding back to my parents house where I would cajole my mom to come pick me up from the barn when I was done. I think I was around 11 when I started doing this. Poor Flashy was mostly good to me. One time, I was saddling Flashy up and he reached around and nipped me in my breast, right through my training bra. Of course I was about 12 or 13 so there wasn't much there, but it HURT. I learned really fast what to and not to do when cinching up that gelding. I have many many memories of riding Flashy all over the place. Some of the greatest moments of my time with Flashy would be the summer of my 12th year, imagine that.

There was a girl who lived down the dirt road from my parents, whose name was Laura. Now, Laura just so happened to live on a big horse farm of all places. She road my bus and I knew who she was alright. I hated her in fact. I didn't hate her because of any obvious reason, she had never said or done anything to me. I hated her for the simple fact that she lived on a horse farm, and I did not. Laura was a thin girl with dark shiny hair and a beautiful olive complexion. I was a thin girl with pale skin, freckles and unruly curly, iron dyed hair (those of you raised on well water would understand). Now, at 12 things were changing with my friends at school. One friend in particular had "blossomed" and she was beginning to hang out with a different group of people, she was also getting very interested in boys and makeup, where I was not. That summer, I spent alot of time alone - my friend was off with her new friends or out with some boy that her parents didn't know about and the others lived too far from my house to see them regularly. I don't remember how it happened, if it was me or Laura who called, but we decided one day to go for a bike ride after our parents harrassed us to call one another. After the bike ride, I don't think we seperated for longer than a day. We were fast friends and spent every waking moment together - I think I lived at her house for a summer - bless her parents' hearts. Even though Laura lived on a farm full to the brim with Tennessee Walking horses, she and I chose to ride double on my little Quarter Horse, Flashy. We spent hours and hours upon that horse - laughing and talking and goofing around. Sometimes the horse trainer who worked for her parents would come along on her horse, and Laura would have the nerve to take one of her horses out for a spin. She was more nervous at that time, and because her horses had never really been away from the farm, her parents were hesitant to allow her to ride without adult supervision. So, it was with Flashy and I that Laura rode - that was fine with us! After some time, Laura began taking lessons and getting quite into showing her walking horses. I spent many many days with her at these shows, and boy did I catch the horse show fever, and bad. My poor mom had no idea what was coming.

There really isn't anything funny or exciting to tell with this post (not that there ever was) but it's an integral part of my life, and without that summer, I would never have met a girl who was my best friend through high school and a life long friend now. Through Laura I got into horse shows and lessons and learned a thing or two about Walking Horses too!

If I continue to post, I'm sure she'll come up again!

On a side not, I did alot of things wrong as a kid. I never had formal lessons and learned what I knew from my mom, who grew up riding, but never had lessons herself. We were rough and tumble cowgirls in those days. I never wore a helmet - not good, but I survived. I did stupid things with my poor horse that I cringe to think of now. I did eventually take many years of hard core lessons and learned to properly ride and care for horses...these are all tales to tell in the future - bare with me and try not to judge :).