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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
  
Location: Texas | So we sold my first horse this past week. It just got me wondering, everyone has a first horse, so where is yours now? And if they are no longer with us, what was your first horses story? Just thought it might be a fun topic to reminisce... My first horse is the reason for my screen name & was my first love... She was my 13th birthday present and back then I would have argued all day with you that she would go to the NFR with me one day, maybe not riding her but I was gonna take her as a back up and just run in her 1 round for fun. Funny how plans change.
This was my very first run on her, this was a 26 in poles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGEIHOCO0eI
This was my first 21 in poles on her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JAxNLLEl1c
And here's a local 1D run on her and one of my last runs on her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0ZgNmvW1UE
She's gone to be a little girls jr high rodeo horse & I know she will be perfect for that. I was 13 when I got her, 16 when she went to my sister and my 20th birthday is in one month so it has been almost 7 years!  |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
 
Location: Oklahoma | My first horse I sold in 2001 when he was 5. I kept in touch with them and in 2010 he was given back to me for retirement. He couldn't stay sound, but I had a handful of amazing rides on him. We sent him to a retirement place where he died in 2012 from a heart attack. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | My first horse was a 19 year old retired roping horse. He had asthma (or some type of respiratory problem) and he was the greatest thing to walk the earth. He died of colic 11 months after we got him, so he's buried under a big tree at my parents' place.
Glad your mare was able to find a new and useful home ;) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| He's 34 this year... I've had him for 23 years. He has been a first horse to many kids.... retired him at 17 years old due to arthritis and he's been teaching little one's to ride ever since. He is now officially a pasture ornament.... I was hoping my children would get to ride him but he's just too old and deserves his time!
the picture is from winter, he didn't winter well that year.
Edited by FlyingJT 2015-06-05 12:41 PM
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 Veteran
Posts: 212
| my first horse is still running with a young girl who weighs about 80 pounds... She was in the 1d at the barrel race we were at the other day and her and her sister have qualified for HS and Junior High National finals onhim in poles :)) |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | My first horse is in the ground somewhere. He was a 16 year old, fat, sorrel, QH/ Arabian cross, ex-endurance horse. He took me across many miles of trails, over jumps, and taught me lots of patience, as well as what it felt like to hit the ground...more than once. That gelding drug me when my foot caught in the stirrup, bit me when I wasn't looking and spooked anytime I was off my gaurd. But I loved him and he was loyal to me. Sold him to a "nice" family that wanted a trail horse 13 years ago. Last time I saw him, his legs were swollen, he was underweight, and looking miserable, tied to a trailer at a gymkhana. I can't shake the guilt. Can't erase the image. And will always have an ache in my heart for him.... |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: California | My first horse is out with my at my house now... She is 15; my parents bought her for me when I was 12. I could never part with her, & she still rides around great! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | Under a might oak, had to put him down in 2011, due to spinal arthritis. he was a jack of all trades arabian and a master of none!! I rode English, did jumping, slow western, barrels,poles, trail,Cow work Lol He was 32. I owned him for half my life. Still grateful for that old guy! So patient for all the crap I put him thru as a kid. He later went on to teach quite a few kids as a lesson horse when I retired him. He had heart and try! And Never refused! |
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 On the Countdown
Posts: 2934
Location: Texas | My first horse was a western pleasure horse and I had him a few years, and returned him to the lady I bought him from, to get my first barrel horse. He was 20 something when I bought him and I was probably 6. He since has passed.
My second horse I got was Scamp. She is 33 now and is still in my pasture. Looks great, and thinks she is still 10! I have had her for 21 years. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| My first horse is 6' under at our ranch. He was my moms 6x NFR barrel horse that I roped and ran barrels/poles on until he was 36. He only had one eye and one day he was still fat and sassy he just went up on the hill, laid down, and died. :)  |
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 Popped
Posts: 20421
Location: LuluLand~along I64 Indiana | My first horse Bar.... my dad bought him for me when he was born. I had him every day of his life. he passed at the age of 28 a day after my 40th birthday and we laid him to rest under a big cedar tree on our farm.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| My first horse was a 9 year old Appaloosa mare. I got her when I was 11/12. I only had her for 1 year, and the 2nd summer I had to go out of state to stay with my grandma to take care of my aunt who had cancer, and when I came home my parents had sold her. I tracked down the lady they sold her too, but she doesn't remember who she sold her to shortly after. She definitely lived up to the Appy stereotype, but given that she'd at least be 25 by now, she's probably no longer on this earth.
My second first horse I bought myself, and I still have. I got him as a 5 year old App/Arab cross, I was 16. He is now 16. He was only broke to ride when I got him, so was the first horse I ever taught to run barrels. We won several year end championships in barrels and poles. We rodeo'd some locally, but he developed navicular 6 years ago. I maintained him to run 1 more season, and then I retired him to be my husband's twice/year trail horse. After that, he was permanently retired and has been ever since. This March he got really bad and we thought we were going to have to put him down. Thankfully I have a wonderful vet and farrier working with me and him, and he has come back and is getting around great. |
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 BHW New Catch of the Day
Posts: 9883
Location: Missouri | Dead |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| My first horse was a little spitfire pony, she was the naughtiest little thing! But I was just four years old when I started running her! She took good care of me, but she sure acted like a pony! I kept her until she was 24 and now she's running in green pastures in heaven! :)
My first actual horse was a big buckskin roping mare. She got me through two years of rodeo and serpentine before we sold her to a neighbor a few years back! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | Buried under his favorite pine tree. He rests besides my sons first pony. |
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 Peecans
| Hes 33 years old and standing in my pasture.
i know *that* days has got to be coming one of these years, but I just can not imagine a day when I go out to the pasture and he's not there. Hes my heart. |
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | I have no idea. Checked AQHA a couple years ago and she was still in my name. Sold her as a 3 day event horse. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2128
| Mine is turned out on 80 acres, and will be for the rest of his days. He is 20 this year. He came from the sale barn, was thought to be too much for his then owners. He was a 6 yr old at the time, I was 12. My mother would NOT allow me to ride him, she only trusted my older brother had enough experience to handle him. SOOO..when my brother and I would go off riding together on separate horses, once away from the house would switch with me and let me ride Shadow. One day we decided not to switch back and into the yard I rode on him for my mother to see. She was in shock, and asked me what I thought I was doing. I just said "riding"... she knew then she couldnt keep me off of him. He was my best pal. Everyday after school I caught him and we went for a ride. Sometimes I didnt come home til dark. I love that boy..I told myself I was going to keep this short...hahaha WHOOPS.
Edited by scwebster 2015-06-05 2:38 PM
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 Veteran
Posts: 138
| My first horse was the love of my life and still is at the ripe age of 32. He's enjoying his retirement with a couple other geriatrics at my parent's place. I got him when I was 12 and was smitten from day one. I was positive he would take me to the AQHA world championships and that we'd bring home the fancy ribbon that goes around his neck. I even had his "winners circle" speech all figured out and wanted the whole world to know how special he was. Never got to show him, but to this day I have to refrain from jumping on him and taking him for a spin!
I adore him...
Edited by CallMeSkidmark 2015-06-05 2:46 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| CallMeSkidmark - 2015-06-05 2:38 PM My first horse was the love of my life and still is at the ripe age of 32. He's enjoying his retirement with a couple other geriatrics at my parent's place. I adore him...
Hes BEAUTIFUL! |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| Thank you! He's a pretty special animal to me.
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | First horse in my life? Or barrel horse? I'll tell you about both!
Although I rode my moms gelding from a young age and my brother and I shared a pony, the first horse of my own was a small bay Arab gelding named Squirt. My mom had got a lead from a lady who had a pen full of Arabs she was planning to ship for meat and said we were welcome to come look thru them. They were a well bred group of horses, just not handled much (only halter broke). My mom and I went, I was about 12/13?! I immediately went into the pen and while the group wasn't handled they all seemed to take a liking to me...but there was one gelding who stuck out to me. Something told me I had to have him, mom agreed and took him home that day. When we got home we tied him in the barn, which he proceeded to try to climb the barn wall...my dad walked in at that moment and stated "his daughter was not getting on that horse". Mom and I trained him and although he had his quirks he was a great horse. Even into his old age he would pace when tied and dig a hole to China, but just who he was. When I moved onto another horse he became the "horse for anyone horseless" in our 4-H club (mostly if people's horses were hurt and they couldn't ride at activities). He was a horse with a heart larger then he was (he was no more then 14HH). We had to put him down due to health issues, I think he was only 16?!
My first barrel horse still stands in my pasture....that's a story for another thread I guess!
Edited by dream_chaser 2015-06-05 2:52 PM
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  Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
Location: Dearing, GA | My first horse was the best babysitter money could buy, which was incredible because I bought him as a 3 year old! I paid for him from my savings account when I was 14. I sold him when I got back from college to a young girl, and he was the same babysitter for her. He passed away last month after a bad colic battle that he just couldn't recover from. His name was Rowdy, and he was just the most patient, laid back, take-it-in-stride horse I've ever met.
I have two precious memories with Rowdy that I value over anything else. My dad died when I was 15, only a year after I bought Rowdy. I spent that day at the barn just crying, and Rowdy let me cry all over him.
Years down the road, I was letting my old stable use him as a lesson horse in their hippotherapy program. A boy, who was 17, a senior in high school, had cerebral palsy and couldn't support his back to sit up on a horse. We got him on Rowdy, then Rowdy let me ride double behind the boy with my arms wrapped around him for laps and laps around the arena. That boy was so happy, and Rowdy was so calm. The boy must've been over 250 lbs, so there was a good 400lbs of weight on this poor horse and he never even flinched. I'd never been so proud of a horse in my life.
ETA Rowdy was only 12 when he passed away last month.
Edited by Just Let Me Run 2015-06-05 6:14 PM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I got my very first pony when I was 9 years old, she was so darn cute her name was Buttermilk and that was about 47 years ago so I think we all know where she is..  |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | FLITASTIC - 2015-06-05 12:40 PM My first horse is 6' under at our ranch. He was my moms 6x NFR barrel horse that I roped and ran barrels/poles on until he was 36. He only had one eye and one day he was still fat and sassy he just went up on the hill, laid down, and died. : )
I've meant to ask this before..
Who is your mom?
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | I sold my first horse 6 years ago in July. She has since passed on at the age of 27 (she had bad arthritis in her knees) but got to have a good home before me, with me, and after me. She was a wonderful teacher, not a barrel horse, but a wonderful teacher on how to ride. Loved her to death, and was sad to sell her, but she went to a great home where she got to teach some other little kids. At the time I couldn't keep two horses, so had to sell one to get another. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | Buried on our property. His name was Mikey, I was 4 and he was 14. Fancy-broke heel horse that had a shoulder injury so they didn't want to rope off of him anymore. He was a good horse to learn on, he wasn't a dead-head but he wasn't bad either, he never once bucked with me and he spooked ONCE in all the years I rode him. He died when he was 26 from colic complications (enterolith). |
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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | Buried up on the hill here at our place. 34 years old, he had cancer. :( |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| My first barrel horse would be 55 years old today. She was born on our ranch. She was a tough competitor and took me a lot of places. At the district 4-H show she was 6th out of 220 entries in barrels and 8th out of 200 entries in poles. I rode in the second state 4-H horse show in TX where she was 16th out of 116 entries. Back then, there was no 4D. I ran her on the college rodeo team at SFASU and always got a check. She was put down at 18 from ringbone. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| My first pony was 3 months old when I got him (I was 10). He was "out of the family" helping to raise 3 boys for 4 or 5 years before my Mother bought him back to raise her grandkids ......and greatgrandkids. He came back home to me as a seeing eye pony for my first horse, who I got at age 2. My horse made it to age 31 and pony age 36.
We have too many buried here. One was hit by a car, 2 from colic and 6 from old age.
My good rodeo mare is 29 this year and I am dreading that decision. Biggest heart in the world but her body is failing her. It's getting harder and harder for her to get up after laying down. It is SO hard but it breaks my heart to see all those Craigslist ads where people are pawning off their aging horses so that someone else has to deal with the difficulties. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | My first horse was a 1962 model and is buried in the pasture at my parents' house. Her name was Honey.
She was an AQHA palomino and had 13 babies, but somewhere along the way, someone broke her to ride. The guy that had her couldn't get her back in foal that year (82?) and she needed more care than he was willing to provide, due to her age, so he gave her to us. I rode her a couple of years before getting my first barrel horse, my little sister rode her a little longer. When she was 25, my dad's gelding kicked her and broke her leg. |
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