Spending part of this Valentine’s Day considering on the
love affair with horses that blossoms under our roof and reflecting on how it
all began …
When our oldest daughter was not yet in grade school, we
would frequently take her to the Will Rogers Complex in Fort Worth
I remember going to a rodeo where our gal would hang on the
rail and encourage the barrel racers at the top of her lungs: “Go!
Go! Go!” Soon, she and her
younger sister were performing their own stick-horse rodeos in our den: flag bearers, speed events, even horse
judging. Every now and then, we drag out
those old videos and enjoy a full-family laugh.
At an age when her boots were still pointing skyward while
sitting atop a horse, the oldest began taking lessons in a Western saddle. Her
interest grew. With an eye toward
deepening her horsemanship, her mother soon enrolled her in English
lessons. The promise always was that she
could return to Western upon gaining proficiency in the fundamentals, but once
she got a glimpse of jumping, her course was set. And our youngest, who as we have previously
established here was raised in a barn, was similarly drawn to the English
disciplines; although, she recently took her first barrel riding lesson. How about that.
I often joke (I think it is a joke …) that I tried to
promote swimming as an interest and athletic pursuit for our children. When, after all, was the last time you needed
a trailer to haul a pair of goggles to a swim meet? Alas, it was the horses who captured the
hearts of our children and helped write at least a chapter – if not a volume –
of our family’s life.
Happy trails and happy Valentine’s Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment