For the love of horses…

The first time Bones sat down on a horse, she found heaven.

She was three… visiting Newfoundland for my grandfather’s birthday while my cousin Claire, an established rider, took her on a lead line. They mucked out stalls, brushed and combed, washed and rode… Claire, happy to have a little one at her feet… seeing in Bones at an early age, what she saw in herself.

At ten, my in-laws gave her an amazing gift and Bones began to ride. We lucked into a wonderful coach, Hannah, and a phenomenal school-horse named Sonny… yet both would eventually leave for sunnier pastures.

Bones managed to work with other coaches… not quite feeling the same comfort she’d felt with Hannah and after a few falls and a snag in her confidence… she took some time off.

As far as Sonny leaving… I’ll not soon forget the tears of losing her very first love.

Eventually, Bones just couldn’t stay away and I went in search of our old coach… finding her at a private barn where they happened to have the perfect pony for Bones to ride. In no time, we were leasing her new love “Fizzy”… and three days a week we head to the barn for my horse-lovin’ girl to get “recharged.” Her room is devoted to the animals she adores… filled with pictures and ribbons. Like my grandfather who was a Ferrier… these animals are part of what makes her tick.

A few months ago, as she finished her lesson and began her chores… a smile spread across Hannah’s face as she told Bones she had a surprise! As a horse trailer headed down the lane for a “new arrival” to the barn, Bones stood in shock as the door opened… and there was the beautiful, statuesque, yellow, sweet… Sonny!

We love our “Barn Family”… the people who own and lease the horses contained within this fabulous place. As her Mom, it’s a thrill to see Bones grow in confidence… the grin on her face as she lands a jump… the breeze through her hair as she canters… the nuzzle she gets from the horse she adores. She’s learned to take control, to trust… and in return, she gets nothing but love.

There’s not much I can do to thank Hannah and the horses for what they’ve given Bones… her confidence is a gift where no amount of “thank-you’s” are quite enough.

But the smile on her face… says it all.

HEY!!  There’s something you can do! “Road Apples” is holding a competition! Participants enter a photo contest to win an Ogilvy pad (the soft pad that sits between the rider and horse at a value of approximately $200). Hannah and Sonny are in the final phase of the photo contest and the winner is chosen based on popularity through Facebook “likes.” Click on this link (<—- that one) to see our sweet Sonny, “like” the photo and see if we can help Hannah win!!