My First Horse!

by Staci
(U.S.)

After wanting a horse for a very long time, I finally got my first horse when I was fourteen years old. I took lessons at a riding stable, and I ended up buying the horse I took lessons on. I still have her today! I'll tell you a little bit about her....

Her name is Tilly. She's an 8 year old Morab (Morgan/Arabian). She is 15.3 hands tall and weighs about 1000 pounds. Before I bought her, she was raised and trained by the Amish. The Amish do a wonderful job of raising and training horses, so when I bought her she was very gentle. The Amish had named her Tilly, and I liked the name so I decided not to change it once I bought her. The Amish sold Tilly at an auction to the horse trainer that I bought her from. When they led Tilly into the arena her owner stood up on her back end and cracked a whip behind her legs! He wanted to show how calm she was, even in stressful situations. (He didn't hit her with the whip, he just made a loud crack with it on the ground).

It happened that a horse trainer was at the auction. He liked Tilly alot and decided to buy her! He took her to the riding stable he worked at, and kept riding her. He put her up for sale after he had trained her a little more, and that's when I saw the ad! I thought she looked like a good horse, so I made an appointment to check her out. From the moment I saw her I knew that I would like her. She was Beautiful! I took lessons on her for two weeks before deciding that she was the horse for me....

The day she came to my house there was a very big storm. The man I bought Tilly from was already on the road with her in the trailer... and he said that he was going to bring her to me even though it was thundering/raining. As soon as the trailer drove into our driveway with Tilly in it, it stopped raining, the sun came out, and a rainbow appeared! It was Perfect! Tilly whinnied at me and I put a new halter on her and led her into the pasture. I walked her around, groomed her, and put her in her stall to settle in.

I waited a few days to let her get used to the new place before I decided to ride her. When I did start to ride her, she tested me a little bit... but now we are doing wonderful! I couldn't ask for a better horse, and I thank God everyday for bringing her into my life!

**If you are looking forward to the day when you will finally get a horse, you should do many things to learn about horses first. Get as many books, articles, etc. as you can on horses. You should take lessons for a year before you decide to buy a horse. This way, you will know the basics of riding and caring for horses. During Riding Lessons you get your own horse to ride and take care of. A really nice person will help you with your riding and help you set goals for what you want to do. Remember to respect and care for your horse, and they will love you unconditionally!**