Hanging In There
Published by GHC • Jul 6th, 2009 • Category: Odds & Ends, by Gingerby Ginger, age 11
OK… here’s the deal.
- I am making progress with my new welsh but she’s too young for me to be training to ride, so we might just give her back.
- I haven’t ridden a horse in two months.
- We are looking into buying or leasing a new horse, but…
- Lately it has become a issue to make time in my life for horses, because…
- Swimming is becoming more and more important and time consuming. And finally…
- I just got my appendix removed
- Oh, did I mention I did a Ride and Tie two months ago?
Over ‘Spring Break’ I realized something. Girls Horse Club was one of the most important of the decreasing things that keep me hanging onto horses. About the week before I got my appendix removed I started thinking about where everything was going (with horses). I love my ponies, but as far as riding goes I have been taking a bit of a break.
The ride and tie (a cross between a marathon and endurance race involving two people and a horse) turned out to be a rather disastrous, humiliating, experience because — to make a long, long, story short — I got lost on the horse and my partner had to run for like three miles straight, not knowing where I was on her horse.
After that I stopped riding horses at her house and focused a lot more on swimming. Swimming lately has become more of a passion than a hobby. I love it. I love the adrenaline rush before a race. I love it when the timer gives you your time and it turns out to be a Junior Olympic cut or best time, then you jump up and down and run towards your coach. I love chilling at meets, waiting for events, I even love practice. And I guess you could say it has kind of pushed horses farther out of the picture lately.
And I am not scared. I know that swimming is something I want to pursue, I know it’s a gift, but I know horses are beautiful things I love. So while I might take breaks from riding, and while I might not always have that magic, fairy tale girl-horse connection, I will always love those moments. The moment when Chiquita or “the new Welsh” approached me herself for the first time, that moment last night just at sunset when I sat there feeling awful because of the appendix surgery, and clinging onto Roxy’s little neck.
Those are the beautiful moments that keep me making time for horses in my life.
Champion blog Ginger! I love the photo of Chiquita. You thinking of giving her back? Did you know in the beginging how old she was before you bought her? I mean did you have any specific goals in mind with purchasing her? Its good that you enjoy swimming as well as horses. Being 11, you still have several more years to decide what you want to pursue as a career. Me being 16, im closer to having to choose what i want to go to college for. I know for a fact that whatever i do will include horses in the long run; i decided that i long time ago. Weather an artists, photographer, vet, ect. Hope you feel better after your surgery. A ride and tie! Those are fun!! Ive never done it myself but ive watched it be performed. I can imagine how humilating that must be but if it were me, my friend woudl have said “you need to learn to laugh”. Yeah it might sound crazy but laughing is a lot better than brooding or sulking about it. I hope you do well in your future swim meets as well as spending time with the horses now and then
happy trails and splashes
~HF
Ginger, I was feeling the same way, and I guess it’s like growing up. For a little while, you live, breathe, and love horses. But as you get older I guess, horses fade away. It could be because of a boy, a sport, like swimming, or maybe you moved. I realized that I will always love horses, but they might not always be such a big part of me. If you loved a horse, that horse will always be in your heart, but horses might fade just a little, so you can become the person you were meant to be. If you were meant to be a swimmer, then so be it. But if you were meant to be with horses, hold on with all your might. Listen to your heart.
Ginger, you must do what you feel is right. Follow your heart. From experience, once your a horse girl, then your not anymore, you still have a spot in your heart for horses.
This is a really good blog! It’s perfectly fine that you are starting to like swimming, I myself love other things like writing poems and photography but not as much as horses. Sometimes I just want to take a break to, although I still love the horses and ponies at my barn! Maybe sometime you’ll get an urgent feeling to ride again, maybe the break will help you. And I’m sorry to hear about getting your appendix taken out! I hope you feel okay(: Well anyways, keep in mind that your ponies still love you the same and that you should just listen to your heart, it’s tell you where to go (:
2Hearts1Jump
Ahh! I keep Putting 2Hearts1Jump at the end of my comments, I meant to put 2Hearts1Bond! I’m sorry!(:
thnxs you guys!
yeah horse feathers, I didn’t mean pursue swimming as in like a career i just mean get more serious about it and definitely through high school, I just mean it is like taking up a lot more of my time. Also, about Chiquita we didn’t’ actually you know buy her, she is are friends and they gave her to us like just to see if we liked her or how things work out and if they didnt.. back she goes. It’s not like for sure, but my dad just thinks she’s a waste of time if we can’t ride her, i dont exactly agree (:
thnxs for comenting
I will be one to support you whichever direction your future might turn, whether it be tied to horses or spent exercising your talents in swimming. Horses touch people’s hearts, help girls achieve their ambitions and make dreams come true. Even if it seems like they are fading, in reality they’re still there, encouraging you to aim for high standards and be the person you want to be. I agree with WesternMare on what she said. Horse girls, former or not, always carry something valuable from horses, that’s just part of their magic and what makes them so wonderful. You’ve carried something special from them, and one of those qualities you’ve got is knowing what’s right and what’s wrong and following your own decisions. Good luck with everything, and I hope you have lots of fun swimming!
Sounds Good Ginger! That’s nice that your friends gave her to you;at least if you gave her back shed still have a good home right? I kind of agree with your dad though, if a horse doesn’t earn its keep its just another expense. But a horse is never a waste of time to me; unless a person is truely not interested. Good luck with your swimming and riding
~HF
Swimming. I used to swim, but I am really shy, so I just quit after a while. I only like doing sports for fun, when I choose too. I don’t like when people try to tell me what to do. I’m stubborn as a mule I guess you could say lol But, horses, they are awesome, and if you are truly a horse-crazy girl (like me lol), you’ll never lose them.
Ginger~I loved horses since I was 8 but when I turned 10 that all changed.My family had a 3-year-old Dashund/Blue Heeler mix that was absolutly adoreable from a pup.But he bit my younger brother Trent.My dad was so mad and I went from future horse trainer to dog trainer.My dog had been beaten with a broom from an old neighbor guy–some neghbor!–,when my Trax only wanted a petting,which was why he bites.Now he’s a happy family dog but saddly he attaks strangers.Then one day horses filled my life again!I don’t know how!But the trainer in me returned.Now I still dream horses but am–at 13– pursuing showing my dad’s beefers ,and laugh, when that’s done I’ll ride her.Without a saddle of course.Yeah,trainer!No I don’t have a horse or we’d be training for rodeo barrel racing.Get my point?Horses didn’t even exist for awile but like training and horses are for me swiming and horses can both stay in your life.And that dosn’t mean that like me you might experence a gap.But you are a horse girl you’ll come back.And hey,hold onto Chiquita!If I were you I’d realy fight to keep her.Tell your parents how much patence and ground work she’s teaching you.We learn from our animals as much or more than they learn from us.Get my point?~Happy trails wether alongside your horse or swiming.~Good luck~SP
I understand what you mean, but for me its slightly the other way around, and mixed up. I used to do swim team, but I hated it with a burning passion so I stopped. From that point, it was just horseback riding and softball. During the year, softball takes over because I only ride once a week, and at the time I never had showed. But now during the summer, I ride every other day, I compete, and a lot more and I don’t have as much interest in softball anymore.
I don’t want to do only horseback riding, I may take a break a little when school starts, but only for a few weeks, and I’ll still be riding at least once each week. I know I need to focus on the important things.
Hey this is my first comment so sorry if it’s bad…Anyway it’s perfectly fine that your interests are changing a little.I’m sure that you’ll go back to horses.No, I’m POSITIVE that you will.I did.You see all through elementary school I loved horses so much as my life goal.We actually played horse games every day at recess.:) And then one day when I was closer to your age I discovered music as a new passion.Well actually more or less the Jonas Brothers.So a few years passed and I started to realize that I wasn’t a little girl any more and my interests had changed even though I vowed that they never would.My walls were covered in JB posters and (since my friends had changed) horses were one of the farthest things from my mind.Then I noticed that I would get horsey things every now and again from family and friends (socks,necklaces,ect.) and I wasn’t as excited as I was.But I know that it was hard on me wether I knew it or not because right before I had bought 3 horses.They were getting fat and lonely,not as friendly or trusting,and just an expense burden.Then for some reason it poped into my head that our fair had Friday night practice horse shows for the kids to practice for the fair and I hadn’t gone to one in a long time.Which then lead to me wanting to take my pony to the fair.I began to look at my horse magazines and talk to my long lost friends with horses and discovered that little piece of me that held onto the horses was growing rapidly.So here I am now.Working with my 25 year old pony just going into high school to prepare her for next years county fair with renewed “horsey spirit”.So don’t worry your heart has plenty of time to figure out what it really wants.And don’t forget that you can have it both ways if that’s what you really want.Best blessings!
Sonya