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What's your background?

4K views 36 replies 22 participants last post by  Snizard93 
#1 ·
So I frequently wonder, as I'm sure many of us do, "wow, I wonder what (insert name here)'s background is". I think it would be neat to hear how everyone experience (new and old) has shaped their knowledge. Anyone want to give up their background info or what they are currently doing?
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#30 ·
Like so many others, I was born loving horses. I think it was in the genes as my mother and grandmother loved horses but I was the first one to actually get one and my mom loves riding with me and I think my grandmother would have loved it too if she was still alive but i think she is with Sonny and i when we take our weekly trail rides and I know she is loving it. I was 5 years old the first time I got a horseback ride with a friend of my mom's. It was love at first ride. Fortunately, our neighbors had horses and I was allowed to ride everyday. I started out with the squat little pony and worked my way up to the old white quarter horse who would only walk. Some days, I would just throw on a bridle and hop on bareback. Now, I don't have the balance anymore. I was sent to horse camp for a week for 2 years in my early teens and took English horseback riding my freshman year in college, and then after a 10 year hiatus, found a friend who took me riding again at her barn. It was just like riding a bike. I remembered everything I learned growing up and I decided to finally do something about it. I bought my first horse at 35 and found my heart horse at 38. Now I ride every weekend during the school year and every day during the summers and vacations. I couldn't be happier and I feel my life is finally complete.
 
#31 ·
My first memory was when my dad rented a horse and took me for a ride - I screamed the whole time because I wanted to ride by myself. I LOVED horses, and spent my early childhood collecting Breyer horses and watching anything remotely related to horses on the TV. When I was 8, my parents let me have riding lessons, and I chose English style, because by then I had decided that I wanted to jump. I pestered my parents non- stop about having a horse, but they were financially unable to grant my wish.
When I was 11, things were looking up a little money wise, and they offered to buy a lesson horse I had fallen in love with – a run- down old horse who could barely move. I didn’t care – ANY horse would have been acceptable. Luckily, my barn owner refuse to sell him to us (I think he knew he wasn’t what I needed) A few weeks later, we were looking at a house for sale, and in the back yard there was a small corral with a horse inside. I spent the whole time looking at him instead of the house, but I knew it was a lost cause. The next morning, my dad said he had thought about that horse all night, and did I want him? Stupid question.
We went to pick him with the barn owner, knowing NOTHING about the horse. They only wanted $100 for him, and even at that time, that was a ridiculously low price. Anyway, it turned out he was a 3 ½ year old quarter horse ridgeling (We didn’t find THAT part out until much later – we thought he was a gelding), that had never been ridden and had only rudimentary ground training.
Surprisingly, he never bucked me off or hurt me, and we learned together, with help from my riding instructor where I boarded. Everyone said I had to ride him western, because of his build, but I ignored them – I was GOING to jump.
Within 5 years, he and I were competing successfully on the national circuit in A and B shows. We had moved to a training stable, and my horse and I I were absolutely fearless – we would jump anything (we once jumped a tractor on a dare) My form wasn’t perfect – I didn’t have the patience for a lot of rail work. High jumping and riding bad and untrained horses was my specialty. I was good at taking OTTB’s and calming them down and training them to be hunters. I became an assistant trainer at the show stable, and enjoyed it, however, high jumping was my passion. The highest I ever jumped was 6 feet – bareback. I also gave lessons at the local stable.
When I got married, my husband was jealous of the time I spent at the stable, and jealous of my horse. If I knew then what I know now, I never would have gone along with it, but all the advice I got from everyone back then was “Are you going to let a horse come between you and your husband?” I sold my beloved horse to a young boy who loved him as much as I did and stopped riding. My husband bought me a show dog as a ‘consolation prize’, and I got into dog showing and then training. For the next 35 years, I trained dogs. I showed successfully i n the conformation, agility, and obedience rings, and trained and handled Search and Rescue dogs and therapy dogs. My Doberman was a registered Federal Canine – Search and Rescue; had her obedience and agility titles, was protection trained, and in only 3 shows, was pointed in the conformation ring. She also worked the ICU, burn, and oncology units at many hospitals. The ache for a horse gradually disappeared.

4 years ago, we moved to Kentucky to be with our kids, who had moved there from Southern Ca and had gotten married. My daughter purchased horse property with a BEAUTIFUL wooden barn. The first time I walked in, I felt like I was home. A month later, ignoring my husband this time, I decided to buy a horse. I planned on buying a 8-12 year old, well trained gelding for trail riding/ the ground looks harder than it did 40 years ago LOL. I planned on taking my time and getting a PPE and possibly a trial.
I had never particularly liked palominos, but for some reason, I saw an ad for a two year old palomino Quarter horse and I HAD to go see her, even though I knew a young, untrained horse wasn’t what I needed. I went to see her and bought her without even watching her under saddle and with no vet exam. An hour and a half after first seeing her, she was delivered to my daughter’s barn. For the second time, I have the ABSOLUTE perfect horse for me. She is calm, quiet, well behaved and loving. She NEVER spooks, and loves to be ridden. Believe it or not, my husband loves her too, and is planning on getting a horse of his own as soon as he can.
The first picture is the day I brought my first horse home. The second was after I had been showing him for a while, (I told you my form was lousy) I looked for pictures of us jumping high, but my albums are buried in the basement. I’ll try to find some later. The other pictures of are my new baby.
 

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#35 ·
I grew up around horses. I've always barrel raced at NBHA shows, my mom runs barrels too. But we couldn't ever really afford a finished barrel horse so my mom always trained our own. My pony was an auction buy for his calm nature and finished breaking then started on barrels for me. I've rode several horses that were my mom and step dads horses, I shown them after selling my pony . I bought a 2 year old mare when I was 10, my mom eventually broke her and trained her. She was my main horse for years, mistake though. She never was consistent or fast enough, finally sold her. I took English and jumping lessons when I was 16, loved it but my instructor moved away and I decided my English horse would do barrels. I couldn't get anyone to start her for me so I ended up doing it myself, she was the first horse I did everything myself on. And so then I took over training my own horses and so far have been successful with it and have gotten plenty of compliments. Currently I'm almost 20 with two good horses to ride, I bought my replacement for the mare I had for years last year, a 07 gelding who I started on the barrels and so far he's pulled me checks at about every show and has do better than my expectations were. My other horse is a 2 year old colt who I have big plans for but we'll have to see how he turns out, right now I'm still getting him broke. That's the short version of my background.
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#36 ·
I was born into a family that ranched and rodeoed. As soon as I could walk, but Dad threw me on his roping horse, Willie. Willie was a foundation QH gelding built like a tank, and he was everything to me. Then I began helping gathering cattle at the age of around 8 or 9. Started youth rodeoing at 11 or 12. Also around this age, I'd sneak out into the pasture where my uncle kept his colts that he'd break for people, and I'd clamber on bareback and ride the hell out of them. Looking back, probably wasn't my smartest moves. Oh well, didn't kill me.

Short after, the parents divorced and I had to take care of 2 horses, 5 bucket calves, and 2 breeding heifers all on my own...as a 12 year old kid. Bought my own feed, paid my own vet bills. Then my parents got life figured out again and got an actual custody schedule, and I began riding seriously again.

I started showing in 4H and local shows, and working to pay for training with experienced trainers, and still continue doing this.

Up until about a year ago, I thought Natural Horsemanship was for hippies, and it spoiled your horses. Now, I think it's a godsent. Just in the past year, I've fixed several "accidents waiting to happen" at shows. Taken many riders back behind the trailers and had a Come to Jesus Meeting with them and opened their eyes to what they were really doing to their horses.

Now, I am 16 years old, competing and converting horses (and riders) into Natural Horsemanship, and going to school. Hopefully, soon I will begin at a therapeutic riding center, which, at this point, is what I want to do as a career.

Some Pictures :D
Willie and I at our first Parade.

Willie and I at our first Youth Rodeo
 
#37 ·
My story isn't very interesting, and being 19 I don't have much to say! I wish I could say I was born into the horse industry but unfortunately that is not the case :cry:

Since I could walk I always used to do the "pony ride" for about £1 at the local car boot sales. When I got to the age of about 9 I begged my mum for some proper lessons at a local yard. After a lot of begging she finally agreed and I actually kept it up and stayed at the same yard until I was 15. Once I finished school I went to college and this left me no time for riding so I had to stop. After completing my 2 year college course I was determined to get back with the horses. I spent a couple of months searching my area and the opportunities around me. Finally I found my space. In June this year, now 19, I was accepted at a competition yard/riding school nearby.

I work 5 days a week and in return I get a very small wage (£5 a day), as well as a riding lesson every day and a lecture. I am training for my BHS exams. I had my Stage 1 on Monday so hopefully all went well! I want to be able to teach so I am going to be training here for about 2 years.
 
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