That's a great article! I was a freshman in high school when Sis and I bought our first horse. (Dad made the fatal error of saying Sis and I could have a horse if we paid for it. Took over two years of babysitting and saving allowances, birthday money, etc, but we did it, and Dad kept his word.)
We paid for board by cleaning stalls and generally working around the stable. Sis bought a horse for herself a little over a year later, kept that mare for 25 years. Mom didn't mind because she always knew where we were if we weren't home, and one of our friends from those early barn days is still a close friend, over 40 years later.
This was me and our first horse, Rusty, a registered QH, bought for $105 at an auction back in '71. This was taken probably about 1975. No serious injuries, even though he had no brakes, just got a concussion from connecting headfirst with a fence. He tossed me over the fence the very next day - so considerate!
Can't believe I don't have a photo of Ginger, Sis' mare, on my computer. All I could find was a portrait I drew of her. (I tried one with her ears up, and Sis said it didn't look like her. Lol!) She was the smartest horse we've ever known.
We paid for board by cleaning stalls and generally working around the stable. Sis bought a horse for herself a little over a year later, kept that mare for 25 years. Mom didn't mind because she always knew where we were if we weren't home, and one of our friends from those early barn days is still a close friend, over 40 years later.
This was me and our first horse, Rusty, a registered QH, bought for $105 at an auction back in '71. This was taken probably about 1975. No serious injuries, even though he had no brakes, just got a concussion from connecting headfirst with a fence. He tossed me over the fence the very next day - so considerate!
Can't believe I don't have a photo of Ginger, Sis' mare, on my computer. All I could find was a portrait I drew of her. (I tried one with her ears up, and Sis said it didn't look like her. Lol!) She was the smartest horse we've ever known.
This is me on my last boy that I sold:
He's up in Northern VA now, I'm planning on visiting him in the Spring!