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 Expert
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Location: Gainesville, TX | My mom married my dad. His family had a ranch and horses. My sister and I were around 4/5 at the time. Been in love ever since. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 933
Location: north dakota | My Grandpa always had horses and had farmed with them. When I was 4 he had bought a little blue roan pony at the local auction and broke it to ride and drive for me. We hauled the pony from IA to Colorado in the back of the pickup with a topper. All my ponies I had as a kid came from that local auction and my Grandpa started them all for me and my sister |
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 Expert
Posts: 2128
| My mom had horses growing up and barrel raced. By the time I was born she and my dad ran the local riding club where we spent most of our weekends. I started out being led around the barrels by my parents in the 0 to 5 age divison. I developed a passion for it that never left. There was a time during my middle school years that I did not have a barrel horse but I had a riding horse that I spent hours a day on. I would leave on him in the mornings and come back sometimes way after dark. I just felt at home as long as I was on the back of a horse. I snuck out at night sometimes to go out into the pasture and ride bare back with a halter. I am now married to a horse trainer and there is a 12 stall barn right out my back door with an arena. Paradise for someone like me. I have a barrel horse now but I still watch that old gelding from my living room window enjoying his retirement. He is in his 20s now. He deserves it after all those miles. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | ~BINGO~ - 2016-06-02 8:22 AM
I think you should get an award for how many threads you start.
Hahaha thanks. I just think of random questions that I'm curious about other people or a thought I might have that might actually happen in weeks/months/years. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
Location: Jersey Girl | 1DSoon - 2016-06-02 12:13 PM I was hanging out at the feed lot back when I was pre-teen,
The cowboys were riding pens on a horse that kept bucking everyone off. I asked if I could ride him and eventually bought him because he didn't buck me off so much.
Went on to win 11 world titles,
Riiiiiight.
Is your name Charmayne too? |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
Location: NE TX | RunNitroRun - 2016-06-02 9:19 AM
I was horse crazy pretty much from the time I could walk. I begged my non-horsey parents for years for a horse and when I was about 7 my parents said if I took four years of lesson they'd buy me a horse. They of course were hoping that I'd grow out of this "phase". Well twice a week lessons and four years later I had my first horse. She was a miserable cow who could turn on a time and if you weren't 100% prepared for your fence she'd turn on a time and send you flying.
She taught me how to sit a horse through pretty much anything and gave me my start in dressage and eventing.
My switch to barrel racing wasn't until I met my husband who is a roper and now I barrel race, team rope, and breakaway rope.
I had a similar start that you did. I had always been obsessed with horses and wanted one since I was really little. I attended a week long horsemanship clinic when I was about 12-13 and it got worse. I kept begging my mom and dad (my mom is a trauma nurse and my dad is an EMT so they knew the "bad" side of horses) to let me get a horse. My mom and dad let me take lessons at a local barn and they taught barrel racing. I had no idea what it was but after about my third lesson we went and watched them practicing and I knew I wanted to do it too. I took lessons for about a year before we started looking for a horse. We looked for months and while my dad was in Europe on a business trip we drove 5.5 hours to go try a horse we found online. He ended up not working out but they had another one that we really liked so we bought him. We called my dad that next day and talked for about 4-5 minutes and as we were hanging up said "Oh, by the way we bought a horse, bye." He called back and said "Y'all did WHAT?" 
He was a great first horse even though I didn't get to ride him long, I didn't know anything about splint boots and leg care and wasn't being taught that where I was so he bowed the tendons in both front legs a few months after we got him. I will always be grateful to everything each horse has taught me that I have owned, be it bad or good experiences I always learned something. |
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Location: NE Texas | When my parents married they bought a place about an hour from the city on 37 acres and my Dad would commute in. My uncle gave my parents an off the track thoroughbred that my sisters rode from time to time (nothing competitively) and as a pasture buddy to him another family friend gave us a black Shetland pony. By the time I was 2 years old I was riding the pony by myself and moved to riding the old thoroughbred (tough mouthed freight train that would not stop when heading back home - but by the time I was riding him he was old and had slowed down some). At around 13 I picked up an appendix bred filly that a neighbor not too far down the road was getting rid of (rode it home - we did not have a trailer). My parents did not ride, other than my Mom occasionally trail riding - never have seen my father on a horse. My sister moved into town when I was around 14 and had a few acres so i rode my horse (13 miles) to town and put it out in her pasture to help graze it down. Saw a sign for the local riding club having a playday in the local grocery store and rode my horse down the road for the first several shows.... was hooked from then on. Then when I reached about 21 moved to the big city and family separated and went different directions and I didn't have the means for a horse. 20 years later finally getting back into it. Will never not have a horse again as long as I'm physically and financially able! Life is too short!
Great question - love reading everyone's stories. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Well, like most everyone here I was a horse crazy little girl. But...my parents couldn't afford much let alone a horse. And we lived in the city. My parents were also bikers. Like the 1% type so a horse was definitely out. My folks (hoping I'd get over the horse thing) took me to a barn and paid for some English lessons for a while, and that just added fuel to the fire. Unfortunately, that lasted only a couple of years until I was 12 then I moved to Iowa. Didn't have a horse at all, not until I moved to Germany for a year did I pick it back up. I took lessons and also worked at a barn where they rode dressage and cross country. So I did get a chance to ride some nice horses. I moved back to the states and after having my 2nd daughter I just took the plunge and bought a couple nice horses but above my experience level at the time. So I sold and swaped until I found the perfect match, we showed lightly in the local saddle clubs and mostly trail rode. It wasn't until 5 or 6 years ago that I really got into barrel racing solely. And honestly I couldn't be happier and am looking forward to many many more years of it. |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | Im the one you all start the vent threads over,you know,the poor one who didnt have money for lessons and the tack of the century. My mom being a single parent,bought me an auction pony,his name was Jingles.I loved that pony,couldnt afford to do anything but ride him incorrectly around the yard,but we had LOTS of fun.then,after he died i wasnt allowed to have another pony,so when i grew up and moved out,my passion begun,when i had my daughter,my passion continued and again i became the person you people VENT about,probably over mounted her more than once,and heard about it too,but i live thru her passion now,she has accomplished much,and has some very nicely bred mares.And now,im getting my 14 month old grandson his first pony and donkey,lol,vent away :}  |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | Neither of my parents were horse people...grew up in town.
I got the gene, I guess as a throw back or something. Barbie was just an assesory for my herd of plastic horses. I ate, breathed, slept all things horses from the womb.
Finally got my first horse a 8 and never looked back. I still have the bug. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Both of my parents grew up with horses, but had no interest once they grew up. My grandparents were/are my neighbors and I was put on a horse as soon as I could sit up. They would take me on trail rides. By the time I was 3 they bought "me" 2 ponies and a horse. Only the old paint mini was broke lol When I was 5 my grandma started taking me to shows. I still remember the first time my grandpa taught me the barrel pattern that day he set up barrels in the arena. My grandma was the one who pushed for me to show....my grandpa would rather trail ride though he still supports me! Everything I've learned has been through them or self taught. So long story short....I grew up in a barn and on the back of a horse.
This was a cool thread to read! |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | My dad got be a rocking horse when I was about 2. Then a little later on (3-4, not sure) I remember riding a horse bareback, someone leading it. Then every fair, farmers market, whereever there was horse/pony rides, I wanted to do that. Finally at 14 I got my first horse, and the rest is history. I love horses and I think I will forever. I didn't start competitively barrel racing until 2012 (did some in the pasture before that, not much), so I would have been 20-ish, and I love it and am still at it as much as life allows! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
| My sister brought home a sheltand pony that her friend gave her. She told my Dad that she wouldn't take him back either so we had to keep him. He was the meanest pony I ever had but I took him over and took care of him. When I outgrew him my Dad said I had to get rid on him. I said no so he traded him and $60 for the best large pony mare. A POA she was all a little girl could ask for. I was also told that I had to pay for everything if I wanted to keep her. Only thing my Dad did was get a place I could keep her at. So ever since then I have worked all my life to have horses. I haven't looked back since and that has been 40 years ago. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| I wanted a horse from about age 5. When ever I had a chance to look at horse books, I would. My dad realized I wasn't going to give up on riding horses. He took me to trainer and I did lessons for a year. My dad saw the determination and we bought our first horse after that. Ive had the same drive since. No one in my family has horse experience except me. |
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Expert
Posts: 1255
| My dad was raised on horses.he actually ran away @ 13 and lived on the nez Pearce Indian reservation. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | fulltiltfilly - 2016-06-02 1:24 PM
1DSoon - 2016-06-02 12:13 PM I was hanging out at the feed lot back when I was pre-teen,
The cowboys were riding pens on a horse that kept bucking everyone off. I asked if I could ride him and eventually bought him because he didn't buck me off so much.
Went on to win 11 world titles,
Riiiiiight.
Is your name Charmayne too?
Hehehe. This made me giggle.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 285
| I'm lucky, my mom had me on a horse before I could walk. I had a few ponies, then moved up to a big apply who was amazing. Did playdays on him till I wanted something faster and took over my moms 4 yr old made and still ride her now. She's 19 and has taught me so much. We get along better now that I'm grown and know more of what I'm doing. ;) my mom was 13 when she got her first horse. She didn't come from a horse family, but she'd sneak out and ride the neighbors and I guess my grandparents thought they better get one for her. I'm so thankful that they did, cause if not, my life would be completely different without my horses!!
Edited to add, mom had us in 4H and horse judging. I learned what conformation to look for, different disciplines, colors, and parts of the horse early. I'm glad I had to learn all of it.
Edited by pepsi97 2016-06-04 9:07 PM
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 Three in a Bikini
Posts: 2035
| I have always had horses in my life...
But I have taken so many breaks during my equine career it is hard to keep track.
I started REALLY riding at age 10.
I was 12 when I attended my first barrel race and 15 when I joined high school rodeo.
I did not run barrels throughout college.
I was 22 when I started back up again and tried to get serious.
Then I moved across the country for a year.
FINALLY here I am 26 and have been consistently running for the last 2 years.
All that, and out of 26 years of life I have really only competed for maybe 8 years total. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | My grandparents had percherons and mammoth Jacks to pull plow and hay wagon.Their son became a jockey then along came thoroughbred race horses..My uncle ran a cattle ranch in Wyoming thus cutters and roping horses.my sisters best friend belonged to a saddle club so we joined and did all events.We proceeded to little britches rodeo local barrel races to showing Arabians to NBHA and other local barrel races and rodeos. Still at it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | My parents were boaters and campers until I came along and tried to drown several times. They sold the boat, bought a couple of sale barn horses and threw me on behind the saddle for 'trailrides' around town. We climbed the foodchain of quality after that. I don't remember NOT having horses. I tried the 'adulting' thing after college but that didn't last but a few years. Moved out of the city and got back in the saddle. |
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