I currently have 8 horses on my farm. Each one has their own personality and uniqueness I love about them. They also each represent a different part of me. I didn't realize that they would each represent different parts of me when I adopted them, but the longer I have had them the more it becomes apparent.
Louie is my quarter horse and the first horse I ever bought. He was about a year old when I found him. We were at the Waverly Horse Auction and I had one mission in mind: to buy a horse. I had recently started on a path to my own freedom as I was waiting for my divorce to finalize. I had never been to a horse auction before and my new boyfriend (now my husband) was very supportive in helping me to full fill my dreams. He already had 2 horses of his own at home so to him it only seemed right for me to adopt one for myself if that was what I wanted to do. My ex had never encouraged the slightest idea of owning a horse in fact the entire time I was with him I was barely able to be around horses. Now things had changed, it was a new chapter in my life and time for a fresh start. I dreamed of owning a horse my entire life and when the man walked into the sale ring with Louie rearing at the rope that led him some thing sparked inside me. His coat reddish brown and his flaxen mane reminded me of a horse that John Wayne had once owned. About ten minutes after Louie walked in the ring and several times of me waving my hand wildly in the air to bid, and I was shaking the hand of the seller and holding the papers to my new horse. My original intentions with Louie were to train him to race barrels, but the longer I have had him the more I just like to pet him and allow him his freedom. To me Louie represents the part of me that will need to be wild until I am ready to tame it. He is stubborn, like me. He loves attention but for only so long, and he loves to be around others of his kind. He is very jealous of my husband, I think is mostly linked to the fact that he sees me as his mare, but he tolerates him because he knows how much I love them both. In a way Louie saved me and I will forever be grateful to him for that. He is the second most important adult male in my life after my husband being first. One day I will get to sit on Louie's back and we will be able to share walks in the moonlight, but for now we both have some more growing up to do.
The rest of my horses are Miniatures, but that doesn't make their personalities miniature by any means.
Barney is the first miniature we brought home. He was purchased with my daughter in mind but when my daughter fell in love with a mini we brought home later, Barney has become my oldest son's pet. He is all black and larger than most minis and some days I truly believe he has a heart larger than most full size horses. He has an innocence about him that reminds me of myself when I was probably about 10 years old. I was always taller than most of the other kids in my class growing up, and at that young age I was very forgiving even when I shouldn't have been. Even though he is very forgiving he can still be a little timid at times much like a child who is shy because they are meeting someone new. He is also very curious and gets into everything, 2 winters ago he was bored and decided to get out of his stall and completely ransack by barn just for the sake of seeing what was in there.
Tink is our little painted mare that belongs to my daughter. She has a deformity known as Knocked Knees thus making her different than most other horses and unwanted by most horse owners. She also only trusts my daughter. Tink hasn't exactly had an easy life and not just because she is visibly different. She has lost two foals in her lifetime and before we brought her home she wasn't treated all that great by a man. She reminds me of my self during the time I was with my ex. She is that part of me that was a victim, that was wounded, not accepted for being different. Tink gets very attached to her stable mates, much like how I often get too attached to different people in my life. She is me when I felt I couldn't trust anyone. With time she too will be able to trust again and my daughter holds similar importance to both Tink and I, so I truly believe she is the key to Tink coming out of her shell.
Bullseye is my youngest son's buddy. He is ornery but very loving. He is like an awkward teenager just coming into puberty, he wants to be liked by everyone much like myself at that time in my life. He isn't really sure of himself at times, and usually really quite. With a little encouragement he is willing to try new things.
Abby is my little bay beauty. She is pretty, flashy, loves to have an audience, an nothing in the world can stop her. She is me around the time I was 14-16 years old I had the world at me feet and I was going places, I loved to perform in plays and in band. I was young, I felt beautiful and I was tenacious. Abby next to Louie is my closest horse familiar. She is very sweet but will let you know very quickly if you aren't doing something she is comfortable with.
Kiera is known on the farm as "Mama". She is the first mare that has had a foal on our farm. She looks like an older version of Abby. She was very scared of the motherhood aspect but with a little time she has taken to it very well. She is me when I was first becoming a mom and much like me now. When she first had Zonni she had no idea what to do, we even had to help her learn to nurse her baby. It took her a little bit to get used to the idea that she was responsible for another being but now she would protect Zonni with her life. She is very good at putting the other horses in their place when they have forgotten what is appropriate. She keeps a very close eye on things whenever someone is playing with Zonni, from time to time she has gotten a little forceful with my husband and myself but when it comes to the kids she is very well behaved.
Star is the king of the farm. He is the oldest male and very territorial. He is a very stunning buckskin color complete with the dorsal stripe. He knows he is something special, he demands everything be done to his specifications and on his time schedule. He can also be sweet and laid back. He represents me now in several ways. He is the part of me that has been around long enough to know what is wanted from life and what is needed as well. Whenever something isn't quite right with him it shows in his physical appearance, much like myself.
Zonni is our baby. She was born this past May and she is as cute as can be. She is me in my toddler and younger childhood years. She is curious and an escape artist. When I was little there was not a piece of baby furniture or a car seat in the world that could have held me. Zonni has found a way out of her pen no matter how we modified it. She loves to play outside and gets very bored when she has to stay inside. She loves her mom and does not like to be where she cannot see her. She also loves to be cuddled and played with. She especially loves to play with the kids, I think she likes to play with them as much as they like to play with her. Anytime we are doing something in the barn she has to be right there to see what you are doing.
Piece by piece they have let me see my life in a different light. not all of them are cohesive with each other but they are all very important in their own ways. I really feel that what we have is perfect if I had to loose a single one of them I would be heartbroken, but I also don't feel like I need anymore than what I have. ;)
