My First Pony Ride

Since the title of this adventure is "A Cowgirl's Heart," I'd probably better put something in here about what that reflects --- my love of horses and rural/agricultural things. So, why not go to the very beginning?

This photo above is a little rough. Actually, it's a picture of a photo, because we don't have a scanner anymore, and I didn't know what else to do at the moment! But it's kind of dark, and let me tell you, back then they really put glossy finishes on the pictures. When I took a picture of this photo, that slick finish was reflecting everything, just like a mirror! So please bear with this hazy result, I think you can still see what's in it. What it shows is a little girl, 3 years old, riding a pony at one of those common pony rides. A little girl in a yellow, frilly dress. That little girl is ME! And yes, I remember that pony ride. And I remember that yellow dress. I loved riding that pony. In the background, you can also see my brother riding a pony, he was 6 years older than me. He didn't get bit by the horse bug like I did.

The bug was dormant for awhile as I went through early grade school years, with typical interests of dolls and what-all. But around 9 or 10 years old, the horse-fever raged! I wanted a horse so badly! Every horse I saw, I drooled over. I read and read and read and read everything I could about HORSES. When we went on vacation, I scouted out riding stables. Ah, what bliss to get to finally ride a horse!

I eventually did get a horse, at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. So all those years of reading paid off, with knowing what-all to do to take care of my newfound friend, a palomino Quarter Horse named ... *ahem* ... "Trigger." (The name came with him!) Owning that horse is a whole 'nother subject for a whole 'nother post, or probably 'way more than that. Trigger and I had 4-years'-worth of grand adventures. But the little 3-year old girl in the frilly yellow dress riding a pony with rapt attention was the beginning of it all.