Friday, June 19, 2009

A Penny for Your Horsey Memories...How 'bout a Necklace Instead!

So I'm thinkin' it's time for another giveaway. So what will you win this time?


How about this horsey necklace?





When I saw it I thought, "oh, that's cute" and "I bet my blogger peeps might like it." So I had the husband buy it! LOL!

Plus, knowing me the way I do, I will probably throw in some other goodies as well!

To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite horse memory. Let's see, mine would be when I would ride all over by myself as a kid. Just saddle up and take off down the dirt road or across the field, no worries about anything. Those were the days! Okay, so tell me yours!

And if you didn't have a horse, maybe you had a my pretty pony or something. Or just tell me your favorite animal memory!

Deadline to enter is Friday, June 26th at 6:00 pm (CST). The winner will be randomly drawn by the husband.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always dreamed of owning a horse and that has yet to happen. In the meantime I have been content with riding other people's horses. One of my fav memories was when I was exercising a summer pasture fed arab/quarter cross named Devon. He was very stout for this type of cross and also had a mind of his own (don't they all?). We were approaching a short jump (3 ft) and at the very last minute he decided he did not want to go and planted all four feet. I jumped for him, without him. I remember sitting up after the face plant and he just looked at me, from the other side of the jump, with the "well, why did you go and do that for" look. LOL I loved that horse!

Unknown said...

Oohh la la! Cute necklace!
I remember this welsh pony my friend had, Kernel, that would take you everywhere and was so stinkin' bomb proof. He did whatever you wanted. Anyway we used to ride him around bareback, jumping over logs, weaving around apple trees in the orchard. He was so fun to ride. We would give him a sponge bath after and braid his mane and tail for hours.
Back when we didn't worry about falling off or wearing helmets! Young and carefree.

Ashley said...

Camping with the horses. Us and another family would go to CC camp every summer. We would usually have the place to ourselves. Tents would be pitched, fires made and horses lined up along the trees. I remember getting up real early and jumping on bareback riding through the trails. Sarah and I would talk about horses, boys and whatever else came to mind. It was so relaxing and fun. To me, that is what makes riding.

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Beautiful necklace.

I haven't been around horses for years but I rode growing up. I couldn't wait to get to Ironsides Farm which is where I took lessons. Just the smell as we drove up made me giddy with excitement.

I think my fondest memory is honestly of the first time I realized how majestic Ranger was. He was powerful and had a glint in his eye that said he would LET you ride him.

Hallie :)

Libby's Library said...

I most confess - I'm really not a horsey person. I think that they are beautiful creatures, but I've always been afraid that I'd kill one if I rode it - cause I'm just so darn FAT.

I did grow up on 17 acres, with a creek running through it. Our "next door neighbors" had a boy my age, and he had a shetland pony named Tony. We lived on that poor little pony. We dressed him up, and dragged him everywhere. I got a playhouse for Christmas one year. My parents had it set up at the back of our "Yard" (which was probably a good 2 acres. It was just one big room with a front door, built in bed, sink and couter top, a front window and a back window that opened out.

One day Joel and I got the bright idea of turning the playhouse into a barn. In we came, pulling Tony in behind us. Yeah, you can guess what happened. The plywood floor wasn't made to hold two kids and a pony, so CRACK!

My dad fixed the floor, but Tony was banned. We would tie him up outside and then he would just stick his head through the back window!

Thanks for the giveaway, and the trip down memory lane.

Nikker said...

Hmmm...I would have to say one of many favorite horse memories would be....During the spring when the "prairie" still had standing water on it my sisters and I would ride our horses bareback, up the lane and over to "the" fence line. This fence line seperated us from a small paved road we called The Cemetary Road. We would line up and wait for a car to come. We had an imaginary point that we waited for the car to cross and when it hit that mark we would take off like mad on the horses. We were hoping to be at top speed before the cars got to us...we would zip along the road side "racing" the cars and hit the large water puddles at an all out run. Once we reached to opposing fence line, we would sit in wait of another car. We would do this for hours and then return home with tired soaked horses and mud in our hair....oh, those were the days!

threecollie said...

It would be hard to pick a favorite memory....I was a horse crazy kid and when I finally actually got a horse I was in Heaven.
For the next thirty years in fact. I did everything you could imagine with my first horse, Magnum, swimming across lakes, camping the Adirondacks...he even took my kids in the trail classes at horse camp and showed all those fancy ones a thing or two.
I guess the best times came when he and I had roamed together over decades of trails until he became like an extension of my mind. I had but to think and he would do. If I slipped off balance he would move under me so I didn't fall. It was actually hard to fall off him unless he wanted me to.
He lived to be 31 and it hurt so bad when we had to put him down.

Anonymous said...

When I was a little girl my Dad farmed with big work horses. When he was in the field working with them and it came lunch time my Mom would send me to tell him come and eat. He would unhitch the horses (Bob and Prince) and put me on one of them and turn them loose. They would go straight up the little road and to the barn. There lunch was in there stalls ready for them and they went in to eat. My Dad walked to the barn and lifted me down and we ate lunch while the horses had a break and ate.

Lins said...

Oh! Favorite horse memory?! I've got a million!

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Right up there would be the afternoon I was riding my (very stubborn) pony. I was about 10 years old and Vicky decided to stop under a tree and refuse to move. Dad was yelling across the pasture for me to grab a branch from the tree and "swat Vicky as hard as I could." Well I, being the obedient daughter I am (haha!) grabbed a great branch, pulled back, and swatted the pony has hard as I could....right on the flank.

Needless to say she moved. Quickly.

We took off across that pasture bucking, kicking, and snorting. I was trying to ride it out, tears streaming, while Dad "yeehawed," whistled, and clapped from the gate.

I'll have you know I rode that pony clear across the pasture. I'm pretty sure that Dad has never been so proud of his girl and her first (accidental) rodeo.

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Boy, I sure do hope I win that necklace! :)

Unknown said...

Oh that is a pretty necklace. I love shiny stuff =D

My favorite memory as a kid with a horse...hmm do I have to pick just one!?

I guess I can make a collage of memories right?
I loved to ride down to the beach and swim with my horses. Even though the lady who worked the marina told me to "keep my filthy animals off the beach" the cops in town said that so long as there was not a sign posted I could do what I wanted there so long as I cleaned up after my horse and I did.
Winning first place in this one class at a show after being beat two years in a row by this boy! Oh I was so excited. That year happened to be the 150'th year that show was held so I got a really huge cool ribbon and a big plaque and trophy.
Lying in the sun on the grass and listening to my horse rip the green up with her teeth.
Having horsey sleepovers in the hayloft.
Playing knights and using cattails from the ditch as our lances.
Racing our horses, I had the fastest horse around until my friend got her QH summer. Darn them we never got the chance to beat them.
Riding out in the afternoon to god knows where and coming back galloping down the lane only lit by the moon.
Seeing deer and coyote and timber wolves and fox and eagles and hawks and all sorts of other cool wildlife no one around here sees because they were not on the back of a horse.

Amy in Edmond said...

One of my favorite horse memories is going riding with my grandpa when I was a teenager. We would ride all over our farm and talk.

He's been gone for 9 years, but I still miss him.

The necklace is very cute.

Robynn's Ravings said...

Okay, I'm SO in love with that necklace I have to win it!! How darling it is!!

Hmmm....I think my favorite horsey memory would be right up there with yours. I loved just saddling up and riding like the wind even though I had no idea what I was doing, I now know. I rode through unplowed fields, orchards, even down medians of busy streets. Then I had kids and all this was a no-no. They didn't even get to leave the riding arena because they had to have tons of lessons before taking off. Oh, and helmets! I know that's all good but my ignorance truly WAS bliss. (Well, there was that time I got knocked out being thrown off but, hey, that was worth it, too!)

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Wow so many memories! I guess the best still has to be the day I saw first saw the first horse I ever owned .A farm kid I had been riding for years but I always wanted one of my own. Saved up my birthday and babysitting money ,and when I had enough Dad took me out to see Gloalta Toyoga ,an Appy mare a ways from us .looked at her tried her out and were headed home "to think about it" as we drove away ,the owners had turned her out in a fenced ditch along the road ,she was galloping alongside the truck as we drove, I tell you it was poetry in motion ! dad stopped and said "I think she is the one " so back we went. And that ,at the ripe old age of 13 is where my love affair with Appaloosas began.
great necklace btw

Paula said...

You are too sweet! That necklace is adorable. Okay - here's my story. I was dating my husband (not very long) and he decided we were going horse back riding. Well . . . I wasn't quite the horse fan back then due to fear, so I thought I would just slide on up behind him and we'd have a romantic ride. NOPE - he told me if I was gonna date him, I was gonna ride my own horse! Said it just like that! I've been riding my own horse ever since! Can't say that I don't still have some fear every once in a while, but that was a huge milestone for me!

Blessings~
P.

Angie said...

My favorite memorie as a kid was riding with my friend bareback. We would have the horses jump and hope that we would fall off. For some reason it was so funny when we did fall.

Pony Girl said...

What a cool necklace! There are so many horse memories! Especially from my childhood. But one that stands out more recently was "getting" My Boy as a Xmas gift.....at least,kind of! :) I was leasing him and saving to buy him, and my family made a deal with his owner and kicked in the extra funds to officially make him mine! It was a surprise every (little) girl dreams of, I just had to happened to have mine at age 37!

CindyDianne said...

I had a horse named Chico. He was my very best friend. We used to ride all day, every day. We'd leave after biscuits in the morning and come home in time for biscuits and fried squash at night. Currently, my favorite memory is of picking blackberries with him. I didn't want chiggers, so I'd just hang off the side of the saddle and pick them. Then, I straighten up, eat them, move Chico and hang off the side and do it again. That was lunch. Me and Chico. He finally died of old age when I was 30 years old. He was 30 years old too. I miss him.

Paige said...

Man, I dont know if I can pick a favorite--but one has to be when I was little and I was in this program called Indian Princesses, which was through the Y and something you did with your dad. Every summer, there was a camp that we went to for a weekend. They had horses to ride there.

It was the only time I got to ride when I was little, and my dad even went, and he is not a fan of horses. It was a very big deal

Tatersmama said...

My favorite horsey memory?
Riding Baby everywhere I went, with the wind in my hair, the smell of grass in my nose. Life was just so good.
I spent literally hours, riding the fields, talking to him, telling him all my secrets...grooming and braiding his mane,and washing him down after a ride... and I begged to be allowed to sleep with him. I remember only getting to sleep with Baby twice in my life, and both times were memorable.

He was the best horse ever... until tradgedy struck.
I came home from school one day and my mama told me that something had happened to Baby.

As my dad was backing the car out of the driveway, he drove over Baby's.... stick.
They replaced his lovely painted stick with a broom handle, but it was never the same again.

I ended up with real horses when I grew up, but nothing beats my sweet memories of *Baby* and the wonderful adventures we had...
*sigh*

lisa said...

I got my first horse at the age of 32. I have had a horse in my life ever since. I think my best memory is when I had bought my sisters horse and had it shipped from Illinois to New York, she was and is a very standoffish horse, she would turn her butt to you and run or walk away and wouldn't let you near her unless she felt like it. I have been playing with her and for the first time she came and would meet me at the gate. It blew me away and now she comes to me or stands waiting for me and I am the only that can. She will still walk away from everyone else. Her name is Annie and she is the light paint that is posted on my blog.

nfmgirl said...

I didn't really have access to a horse growing up, but loved every encounter with them! I grew up across from a pasture, and often went out to feed the cows and horses snacks like carrots or apple wedges or celery.

My favorite memory is one time when a friend and I "borrowed" a horse (it belonged to a girl we knew, and she said my friend could ride her, as my friend had owned a horse in the past). We doubled-up on bareback, and we decided to make a little trip to our high school, since it was nearby. Our high school was an "open" school, meaning that the classrooms all opened up to the outside with covered walkways. It was after hours, but the gate was still open. I remember the sound of the hooves as we clip-clopped through the hallways. We heard someone around a corner (we heard their voice or keys jingle or something) and quickly got the ourselves out of there before we got caught trespassing!

Back at the stable, my friend was brushing down the horse, and the horse got antsy and was pulling away and fighting a little. My friend had a short temper and smacked the horse in the face. I yelled at her for it, and she indignantly told me that she'd owned horses and knew how to handle them. I proceeded to talk quietly to the horse and got her to settle her head down to me, and kept her calm and quiet for the rest of the brushing.

Anonymous said...

Super cool necklace! My horse memory just happened last year. I went down to Texas to work with my cousin at the Roundtop Antique show. He told me to take the last day off to go ride with his friend Val. I want a horse and to learn to ride so bad I can taste it. Val put me on her beautiful horse and we rode all day through the Texas Hill Country. I couldn't wipe the smile and tears off my face. I was getting on the airplane the next day to come home and the flight attendant said, "you look like a cowgirl and you're going to Maine??" It's like I left my first kiss in Texas. I know corny but what a finer place to learn to ride!

martina said...

i grew up in the city and the only time I apparently rode a horse was with my Mom when I was two. My family was visiting relatives in North Dakota. Like every other young girl I wanted my own horse, but that was not possible. The one other time I had an opportunity to ride, the horse acted up and the owner said it was not safe to ride. Now I love to watch horses at work and at play and dream of riding one day.

Reddunappy said...

That is a cute necklace! So I have a childhood story to share.

I would guess we were about 8-9 years old, me and my girlfriend Patti. We used to go out and ride our ponies all day long, she had a little silver dapple mare named Misty, and I had a Chestnut gelding named Pepsi. One day we met to ride and it was really foggy, so foggy you couldnt see more that 50 feet. We lived about a mile from each other and rode all the time. About halfway in between our homes was a hay field, with rolling hills, we started riding and playing hide and seek in the fog, and we played bale off your pony. Yes we would fall off on purpose and keep a lead rope in our hand so the ponies wouldnt get away. They didnt, most of the time LOL.
The memories, we had a lot of fun times.

I have another cute one. My other girlfriend Traci, and I had been out riding our ponies, she on Jody a sorrel pinto gelding, and me on Pepsi, we had ridin all morning and Traci had to be home, so we were headed home when she realized she had lost her new riding crop. Well she was devistated, her dad had told her not to lose it before we left, now she was scared too! We got home and put the ponies away and met out by the road, we were next door neighbors. We sat on the side of the ditch for hours, as her dad wasnt home from work yet, well she disappeared for awhile and came back and it seems she had put on 5 pairs of pants! in anticipation of the spanking she would get when her dad got home! LOL Well her dad got home a little while later and let her stew outside for awhile, then called her in, and told her that putting on 5 pairs of pants was punishment enough LOL I can imagine the laughter he was trying to hide when he told her this!

Great contest! I hope these give you a good laugh!

Bekah said...

This is not a GREAT memory, but it is by far the one that stands out in my mind. When I was about 10 my grandpa (on whose farm I lived) went out to feed the horses, and found that Beau had blood all over his face. He walked out to check on him and found that someone had, over night, SHOT him. IN THE HEAD. But luckily the bullet grazed his skull, exposing the bone and leaving a nasty scar, but otherwise doing no permanent damage. I spent hours 'nursing' him back to health, which he didnt necessarily need but I think he appreciated it!

We never did learn who had shot him, or whether it was an accident.

Bekah said...

haha duh I meant to add that I know I am way late and dont expect to be entered, I just wanted to share the story!!!

Homestay Mama said...

When I was around 12 my two sisters and I begged Dad for a horse. So he bought a shetland pony. But that thing was an ornery son of a gun. Once when my sister was riding, he high-tailed it across the field to the little section of woods where the vine maples grew and seemed to be hell-bent on running underneath and scraping my sister off his back. I've never seen Dad run so fast or yell so loud. My sister fell off before the pony got to the trees--which probably saved her from serious injury! Dad got rid of the pony within the week and we never asked for a horse again!

Andrea said...

Oh the good old days..... the stories....one of my favorite memories is just being at my old lesson barn. At the time I did not own a horse, so I worked there for an extra free lesson a week. I remember the fun summer camps. My best friend and I would brush our hair with the horse brushes! We had fun riding, but really it was just as great being with all our barn friends.

Anonymous said...

When I was really young I had an appy POA and he was my absolute best friend around the farm. My grandpa got him for me when I was "old enough" and honestly he was more like an overgrown puppy than he was a pony...followed everybody around like a puppy on a string. I got him when I was about 2ish and had him until I was about 5-6....I wasn't able to spend the time he needed spent on him anymore so we decided to share him with another little girl.

City girl turned Country Girl said...

Oh my favorite horse memory is, I was about 10 years old and my cousin and I were out on a trail ride and she was a bit scared of horses and well a bee started circling her horse and it started to side step and she started freaking out screaming at me to get her off LOL!! So I jump off of my horse (really my older cousins horse's but you knowmine as in riding this one LOL) and go over to try and help her well she's screaming by this point and the horse side steps again only this time he planted down right on my foot!! OUCH for a 10 year old!! So I punched him in the side to get him off of my foot which worked!! And tothis day my cousin still hates horses, I got her to ride one of my geldings 2 years ago and she would only go in the round pen LOL!!

Great giveaway by the way!!

allhorsestuff said...

HI there! Popped over from a horse in my bubble bath.
I will have a difficult time too..picking just one...grew up on my pony, Trixie. She was really faithful and would not run away if she dummped me and usually would just stop and eat the grasses nearby to where I lay..must be pony thing.
One time I got dumpped and she did run off...the trails were a many in this location and I just could NOT find her! I was heart broken.There was a parade the comming weekend and I wanted to ride her in it as an Indian girl..she was a pinto pony.
I had to walk home and make the call to my mother, "I lost my pony".
She came home after work and called a friend to come look with her....I was home when they came walking up the drive...with my PONY TRIXIE! Elated I was...!!!

Not that cool a story but it was the first one I thought of! I loved that pony!
KacyK

Glen Moulton said...

What fun to read the adventures of so many......
As a girl (age 12 or so) I had to ride my horse across the train tracks and the highway to get to the horse park outdoor riding ring. (like I'd let my kids do that today!!!!)Often in the late afternoons I had to wait for the Amtrack train to go by before I could cross the tracks.
I loved sitting on my horse close enough to the train to feel the air rushing by and wave to the people on the train, I always tried to imagine what they thought waving at me.

Heather said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heather said...

Sorry I didn't want to seem like I was trying to enter twice so it was me that deleted!

Favorite horse memory? Probably being two years old and riding bareback in a pen that had a board sticking out from the gate and me smacking it and falling off the back of the horse! LOL I know it's not really a good memory, but I think its funny that I ducked 20 times before but this time, Whamo!

It's late and I'm being lazy and doing a two-in-one comment. Congratulations on selling some prints and getting some dealers! What a great hubby you have!

Faithful said...

One of my favorite stories to tell my 21 year old son is about the times when he was a young toddler. I always tryed to get my daily morning ride in where I would just saddle up and take off into the hills behind our house for an hour or two. I welcomed both my sons to go along, whereas Tommy would ride up front of me in the saddle. As soon as we would get 10 minutes down the trail..his head would be bobbing..and his body would turn into a sack of potatoes! Now he WAS a real big boy! I knew i'd soon tire, so I'd turn around to take him back, where once reaching the house and siddling up to the door..quietly trying to get someone's (anyone's?) attention inside to come take him down..but as soon as he'd feel the saddle slip from undereath of him..he jerk awake and scream to go riding with Mom! So off we'd go again until about 20 minutes.. then the that nodding started..and I'd turn around again..and... as soon as we tryed to fool him ..he'd wake up.. screaming and we'd turn around again. Each time we would make it farther down the trail. Eventually I did give up turning around as I am not that stupid, and he was getting a nap! And bonus..my pop-eye arms helped with hoisting those hay bales.

LadyFi said...

Oh - I do so need that horse necklace! Really I do!

My favourite horse memory is the recent one of both my kids sitting on little ponies and smiling with their whole faces!

Foxterriermom said...

My only childhood memory of horses was how badly I wanted one. I would beg and beg my parents for a horse and they would only laugh at me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I asked, "Mom and dad, can we pleeeeeease get a horse??" in the best begging voice I had! Never did get that horse and I still feel deprived to this day!

Jennifer said...

I've enjoyed reading everyone's memories.
For some reason the pic of the necklace didn't load, but I'm sure it's cute if it involves horses.
My favorite memory is the first time I rode by myself without someone leading me around the yard. My grandma had a horse, Sugar, and she was really gentle. One day I decided I wanted to ride, so I rode around the yard and I was feeling so brave. We lived at the other end of the one lane road (about a mile), so I thought I'd ride home and show my Mom. I crossed the creek around both cattle guards in the drive and rode all the way down the road to my house. My Mom was outside and I pranced around so proud of myself. The ride back was nice until I got to the second cattle guard. Sugar decided she'd had enough and was going to the barn. She jumped the creek and took off full speed across the yard to the barn. I started screaming and my Grandma started laughing.
Another favorite is my Grandpa's mules Mossy and Jack. Jack loved Mossy and you really didn't have to do anything but sit on him, he would follow her wherever she went. If she jumped a fence or creek, he would follow. Anyway, we were going to ride one day and one of my little cousins was going to ride with me. She sat in front of me in the saddle. We hadn't even started moving yet and she started screaming and crying. Jack bucked us off and we went flying through the air with me landing on top of her. Needless to say, I didn't share the saddle with her anymore.

Jocelyn said...

Super cute necklace.

My favorite pony memory.

a couple of years ago a group of friends went to the beach for a long weekend with the horses. Blu and I had some issues and I wasn't even sure I would take her and not another loaner horse.She was being unpredictable and a handful. I decided last minute to give her a chance. When we got to the beach she was amazing, she was the only horse to get into the surf, she chased flocks of birds , it was life altering experience. I trusted her and she excelled and was the best behaved horse in the 8 that were there. There is nothing like riding in the surf with your horse at sunset and knowing that she is doing it because you asked and believed in her. It is a feeling I will never forget. We truly were a team that weekend. IT was a once in a lifetime weekend.

Tammy Vasa said...

Favorite horse memory.... jeez, so many. I've had a rough start with my adventure back into horses 10 years ago... and so many good things happened along the way.

My son broke his femur in 2004. He was 10 years old, hospitalized for nearly a month in traction and then a body cast and then crutches. Before he was hurt, we had planned to take the horses to the Black Hills that year. We were worried if he would be strong enough to ride, just being out of his cast for a month or so. He decided rather than ride his own horse, he would ride behind me. He wasn't a real brave rider then anyway, so it worked out well. My big gelding could carry us both.

We lost our trail and had no choice but to turn around and go back or blaze one up the side of the mountain. My friends opted to blaze and one by one they turned their horse's nose upwards and with the work of the hindquarters, each horse lunged up the side of the mountain. My son and I were the last at the bottom.

He wasn't whimpering but really had some reservations about doing this. I think he was even thinking walking on his bum leg might have been a better option. But I told him to hold on tight and I felt his face bury into my back as Joe, the gelding, sprang into action. He lunged and pulled what seemed like a vertical climb. Once he stopped, turned and once again lunged up again after picking the best path.

When we reached the top of the hill, my heart was pounding. My son, however, was hooting and hollering! What he was so afraid of turned out to be the biggest rush for him! I truly think it was a turning point for him in his horsemanship.

I can still feel his hands on my waist and face on my back.... Thanks for giving me a chance to relive that memory!

Dusty Devoe said...

Beautiful necklace! Enjoyed reading everyone's memories. Being a new horse owner, I really don't have any. Except, I wanted a horse so bad, and when I got Dusty delivered to the stable, I still couldn't believe he was mine!!!
I am so lucky!!!