My Horse, Trigger

I've mentioned the good pictures of my horse that I had pulled for a project, and after our move to this house a couple of years ago, they've gone AWOL. But in going on a scanning spree with old photo albums, I found some I still have. So now, this cowgirl is going to post pictures of her horse she had for four years when she was a teenager.


My parents bought Trigger for me when I was 15. He was 12, and what's referred to as a "grade" gelding, that is, he wasn't registered. But he did have Quarter Horse breeding. He had a swayback, but was a good riding horse for the four years we were together. I choose to forget the rattly, noisy things that spooked him occasionally!


Besides keeping all the nearby town and country roads hot, we also had a lot of fun with various things like running for rodeo queen in a nearby town (including running a reining pattern - Trigger did great!), being in 4-H (halter, horsemanship, barrel race), caroling with the saddle club from south of town, riding with friends, checking a pasture or two, and rounding up two of my uncle's stray beef cattle out of a nearby wheat field.


I sold him after my first year in college, because Dad had to care for him all winter while I was away, and I didn't really want to put that on Dad again. So I enjoyed Trigger all summer before my second year of college, then sold him. As the trailer pulled away, I felt like a friend was leaving my life, and I knew I'd never see him again. But, life went on, with all kinds of changes. Horse study, music study, marriage and kids, parents passing away, moving to another state, and what-all. Now I'm back to enjoying this "first love" in ways that I still can. Seeing these pictures brings back all kinds of fun memories of my Palomino friend, Trigger.


Trigger grazing in my aunt and uncle's side yard, for a picture.





An early-on polaroid photo of Trigger. This was the original bridle that came with him, and that throatlatch was a little snug. So before long, I got a much better bridle for him.





Trigger and I on a warm summer Kansas evening.





Trigger standing with a halter on. When I first got him, his fetlocks were pretty shaggy, so I got his legs trimmed up. Later I clipped the bridle path on him. That all helped "spiff" him up better.





Trigger.





Trigger.





Trigger at halter with me. (Wish he had put his ears up here! LOL) I was "dressed up" for these photos. These were the dress slacks from my western suit along with my hat that I'd had for the rodeo queen event previous to this.





Trigger saddled up and ready to go for a ride.





Trigger and I.





Trigger and I. That's another aunt and uncle's house in the background. Our block was definitely a "family" block!





Trigger and I galloping. Dad took this, and it's hard to focus on a moving target!





I'll end with a favorite view from the saddle. *sigh* :) That's the better bridle I got later on - a nice shaped-ear one.