(I just noticed today that I have a surprising amount of drafts on my blog that I've never posted, and I was going through them to see what they were. There were some that made me happy (like a post about a large horse show I took Sienna to that I never posted), and some that made me pensive (several posts that pondered whether being financially broke but happy due to the horses was worth it). And then there was this post, written shortly after Chica bucked me off nearly three years ago and gave me a concussion. It wasn't finished, so I've edited it down to five things instead. But they are all big things, and Chica deserves the credit for them. Here we go!)
As a followup to the "10 Things I Hate About Chica" post, I thought I should post some nicer, more gracious tidbits about my pony. As a side note, it has been almost FIFTEEN years since she attempted to buck me off the first day I owned her. Wow.
I could go through and list the obvious things my horse has taught me: how to be a better rider, for instance. How to sit a buck (or not). But I think it would be more fun to write about the non-conventional things she has taught me, the priceless knowledge I have gained from my best red-headed girl.
5.
How to French braid. During our days on the Katy Cowgirls drill team in high school, part of our costume was a large star with ribbons that had to be French-braided into the horse's tail. After a year or two of having to sit and wait for someone else to do it for me, I finally decided to learn how to do it myself. Chica always stood there patiently as I braided and unbraided her tail, until I understood the process. By my last year in Katy Cowgirls, other girls were enlisting me to help them.
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| The tail star...and an unsure expression on my face. |
4.
How to mount a horse bare-back, from the ground. Not from a mounting block or fence. Chica and my aunt get the credit for this one. My aunt told me the theory, and it was up to me to figure out the movement. Again, Chica patiently stood there while I yanked her mane, kicked her in the side, slid off, tried again, and again, and AGAIN, until I finally succeeded in the correct jump/swing combo. (This is actually something I can still do today, although I've learned that the mathematics for the "jump/swing" vary from horse to horse.)
3.
How to be assertive. For our first years together, Chica had my number and knew how to intimidate me. It was something that started off small and grew the less I worked on it with her. She got to where she would buck me off and run away or yank her leadrope/reins out of my hand and disappear, and one day she even charged me in the pasture. I was scared of her, and she knew it.
I was also picked on at school for stupid things like liking horses. While I usually tried to ignore it or laugh it off, one of my Ag teachers told me one day that I needed to start standing up for myself. And thanks to my trainer Connie, who taught me how to show Chica she was no longer in charge, I learned that it was not okay to let her push me around. And by proxy, I was able to transfer that over to human interactions too. Now I'm told I'm intimidating when I'm angry. Thanks Chica!
2.
How to be responsible. I look at teenagers today that are getting into drugs and alcohol and becoming pregnant while still in high school, and I think back to my high school years. What was it that kept me from becoming like one of them? For one, it was a little red mare that kept me grounded and busy so that I was not out partying with the "cool" kids. Even in college, my friends understood that taking care of my horse came before anything else, and I don't know how many of them got stuck riding out to the barn with me, and even helping feed or clean my stall, on the way to dinner/a movie/formal events/what have you.
1.
How to be happy. In 6th grade I was diagnosed with depression, and I was started on Paxil and weekly group and individual therapy. I got to where I hated group therapy, and the thought of having to take a drug for the rest of my life just to be "happy" did not sit well with me. My mental state during those years was what convinced my mom to try out the horse thing, and although it was indeed expensive and my parents had to work very hard to let me keep her, my mom has told many people that she thinks Chica saved my life, so I would assume she doesn't regret it (mostly). Around that time I also started talking to God more, and I think that through a combination of developing my relationship with Him and Him sending me Chica, I was able to get on the right track.
It has been an emotional and good almost 15 years, Chica-Chica. Here's to the next 15!
Though I froze, I liked seeing the restaurants he hung out at and the places he played his guitar. We also checked out the architecture he studied during his Master's degree – places like the library and an art museum that looks like a rock formation. We ate pizza at Mellow Mushroom for lunch, forgetting that we were having pizza at the rehearsal dinner later that evening. No regrets.
