My first horse

Jeannie Keeffe

Well, the summer between 6th & 7th grade while at Girl Scout Camp I received a card from my father. My father! This was big. Inside the card was a picture of a paint horse with a note that said "Is this your horse?". WOW! You can bet I couldn't wait to get home to find out. Finally camp ended. There was no horse at home. My heart was broken.

A few more days passed and the realization that no horse was going to appear settled in. One Sunday a couple weeks later my mother, father and I drove to visit friends and pick berries. I loved where we were going, the friends had horses. In fact there were a couple of horses tied at the barn all saddled and ready to go when we arrived. Of course I had to touch, sniff and say hello to the big guys. My father approached and said the owner wondered if I'd like to ride the paint. You BET! After a nice ride around the paddock and meadow I came back so the owner could go do whatever was originally planned with him when my father asks "Do you like him? Do you want him?"

Was this a trick question? Of course I want him! As it turned out I had saved enough money to buy ol' Tony, a halter, bridle and saddle . . . my parents bought all the other equipment needed at the time and soon Tony was trailered to our house where he lived happily ever after.

It didn't matter that ol' Tony was 19years old and retired from rodeo and cowboy work. He was the most beautiful paint horse I'd ever seen in my life and he was all mine.

We'd be gone day after day riding the back roads and trails of Grass Valley, we even did some shows that threw spirit back into that old horses life. That old man taught me more than words could ever tell. And secrets! Wow, he was the best ever at keeping them.

I will never forget Tony, my first horse and first true love. That was over 40years ago and there have been a lot of horses in my life ever since. These days I give lessons to new riders on yet another paint horse who loves and cares for her riders just like Tony did me all those years ago.

Copyright 2000, Jeannie Keeffe

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