Goals and Achievements #52 weeks

What were your favorite hobbies and pastimes in your childhood?

Our first horse--This Rocking horse was around forever.

My Childhood!  I love the memories so much.  I was so blessed with so much.   My favorite hobby of all, was horses.  I breathed and l lived horses all day long.  My favorite things to play with were the Breyer horses.  I especially loved the family of white Arabians found at Aunt Junes house. When Patty went away to college she brought me back a family of brown Arabians.  I still have them.   I had my own horses but not a family of them.  Anything I played with turned into  horses.  If I was playing with marbles they turned in to a heard of horses.  I loved playing outside in the dirt with the hot wheel cars, creating horse ranches with the plastic farm animals. I would love to play that I was a horse.  When we would go on a trip, or even ride in the car (believe it or not I still do it),  I would look for the most beautiful places to have a horse ranch or I would pretend I was riding a horse, at full speed along the car, noticing all the hills and gullies I would go up and down while riding.  One of my most favorite things would be riding on the old wood box on dad's work truck while we were driving the mountain, as he did his work.  The truck had a very long radio antenna on it.  it made the best whip for my team of horses that were pulling the wagon( dad's truck).  What a wonderful way to spend the day.

Patty with Apache

The first time I rode a horse by myself, I was five.  Dad took me out in the corral out by the barn.  He put me on bear back and let me ride by myself while he worked cleaning up the corral area.  I was doing really well reining and felt proud of myself.  Dad happened to throw a piece of wire.  It scared the horse, she reared up and I slid of her behind in a big soft pile of manure.  Dad felt really bad and apologized for many years.  The first time I rode by myself out of the yard was with a group of Patty and her friends.  I was on Apache, a brown and white paint, we were riding to Tank Hill(the water tanks for the town of Spring Glen sat on this hill).  Thing were going well till we  were almost to the hill, Apache turned around and took off at a full run for home.  About six blocks down the road in front of the Rigby's home someone in a car noticed I was on a run away horse and pulled in front of her.  She jumped the car.  I was grateful she didn't try to stop.  I probably would have flown off and been hurt badly.  She ran all the way home, right up to dad and stopped.  Dad said, "you sure are becoming a good rider."  He didn't realize she had run away with me till the rest of the group came running up the road.  But it never did make me afraid of horses, instead I learned to make her behave.

I would spend most of my summer days riding horses.  While dad would gather the bales in the hay field I would ride all over the field.  When I was younger I loved riding the Spatafore's  Shetlands.  They were kind enough to let us do this almost everyday in the summer.  We would take them down in the wash and ride all the trails.  We would hold horse races out in the hay field also.  Carol won a Shetland at the Little Buckaroo rodeo.  His name was Stormy.  He was a hard one to ride.  He was a little mean and would buck everyone off.  For some reason I could ride him with no trouble and he seemed to obey me.  I spent many wonderful summer days on him.  He, along with Sparky my dog, and Quackers my duck were my best friends.  I spent many wonderful hours of play with these three friends.  When I was twelve Dad had enough of him , my legs were dragging the ground and I spent more time on the bigger horses, so dad sold him.  I was really sad about it, but understood.

Stormy--The day he was sold

I spent many summer days, with my brother and sisters, riding the horses all over Spring Glen.  Sometimes we would go to Vea's Hills, or up in the Consumers, Down to the Price River to swing on the swing, or most likely up the canal by Melo's to play on the swing over the canal. 

I spent many hours on the Mountains while dad worked.  I would ride Jigaboo, or Stuffy.  I liked these horses but I loved to run the horses and these horses were slow and big.  But there was nothing better than a slow ride on the mountain road or trails. I would usually pick Fonda ( a beautiful Buckskin) to ride. When I was about 14 dad let Kenny Rhodes put a horse in his pasture.  Her name was Ginger.  She was a small Arabian, I loved her.   I loved riding her, she loved to run and I loved to run her.  When I was 17 dad sold our home in Spring Glen , along with all the animals, and moved us to Price.   I missed

Riding in the Mountains--Sam and Stuffy

the horses and yearned often to be able to go on a ride.

I loved the horses, they were my friends.  I knew their souls and nature.  I loved their smell, the smell of the tack, the click of their hooves, the sounds of their snort or neighs, the movement while swishing flies off of their selves. When riding was hot and slow, laying back on their behind and feeling the wonderful sway of their walk.  Their kind eyes and their gentle nose pushes.

Free Rein

Give me Free Rein, running unchained,  on wide plain in the sun,
Give me no fears, give me no tears, Give me Free Rein to run.

Another favorite pastime--Just hanging around outside