When I was 7 my mom thought I needed an activity that was mine. I looked up to my older brother at the time and wanted to be like him. He was a gifted athlete. He was good at every sport; baseball, soccer, water skiing and snow skiing and riding motor cycles. He was very competitive and had to be the best and win. With our age difference of nine years and my vision problem I didn't stand a chance. So even though he had taken a few riding lessons before me. He did not seem to want to continue, and my mom thought the ponies could see, so why not give it a try! Little did she know what she was getting into, lol!
Mom and Dad bought a small farm in the country and went with, instructor Anne McKay to a mixed auction in Timonium Maryland and bought two ponies. Dawn was an 11.2 hand Shetland pony we got for $75.00's with her sheet that had her name on it. And Love Bug who was a pinto that was 14.2 hands without his shoes after being riden hard on the day his feet were done, lol for $400.00. Dawn was meant for me and Love Bug for my brother. It should be mentioned this was in 1972 and a gallon of gas was .25 cents a gallon and a Mach 1 was $3,200.00 brand new!Classes at shows were $5.00!
Dawn was a feisty forward minded pony and little much more me at that points. So my parents contacted the previous owners and decided to have the older sister of her previous rider be my instructor. Donna Blevins at the time was 17,and her parents owned Sullivan had Spring Hill Equestrian center 15 minutes away. In the very beginning she brought her many time champion hunter Cram to our house to ride out with me on Dawn and I. Cram was a beautiful Chestnut Thuroughbred. I would also take a lesson on a school pony at her house. She wasn't sure I would be able to ride Dawn, but it worked out well. Dawn was very forward and was not afraid of anything and would never stop. In fact once at Spring Hill a jump was set at 3'6 inches for Donna's sister Lynn to take with her Arabian jumper, Florida Sun. Well jumped it by accident! My mom almost fell off the wall of the arena were she watching. (I believe Lynn was Taking from George Morris when she could in those days. I mention this because his book, huntseat equitation set the standard for equitation, that was the law in our barn growing up. ).
It should be mentioned here that I was always picked last on the playground at school for everything and there were 62 girls myself and one other boy in the lesson program at the barn. It was the first time I was able to get a girls attention and I was determined to do well.
We moved Dawn to spring Hill and bought a young dapple Grey 13.2h Welsh pony named Grey Bullet. Dawn was getting rather small for me at this point. Love Bug also moved to the barn at first to be used as a lesson pony. To help offset the others expenses and later for me to compete. Bullet was only three and had little training. I had a bad habit of getting ahead of the motion and dropped him in front of jumps. Which caused me to have many falls. This is how I started riding Love Bug to regain my confidence
After a few years I was to compete all three .This didn't last for too long, because I became too tall for Dawn. At this time I was able to show in the hunter, equitation, and jumper when offered and also pleasure divisions. With my poor mom standing all day in all types of weather holding one or two ponies while I rode the third! There were so many fun classes back then, outside courses, handy hunter, trail and command. The fence heights in those days were generally higher too. It was fun! as it should be.
I rode with Donna for eight years and the only reason I stopped was sadly her mother passed away and her father sold the farm. Also it was time for me to start showing horses and my Dad said I had to sell a pony if I wanted a horse which was reasonable, but I wasn't ready to do that. So I rode for pleasure and ran cross country during high school, not returning to riding competitively until college.
I learned so much over my eight years with Donna about riding and caring for horses, but most of all how not to give up! How to fall off and get back on, and that on any given day anyone can beat anyone else. You are competing against yourself first and foremost and ALWAYS BE A GOOD SPORT, win or loose! We had our share of champions but more importantly we enjoyed the process andd had many smiles along the way.
I think one of the best things is to see when you are in and around the sport for years like I have. Is people like Sandy Farrel whom I showed against at that time go on and have so much success or go to a barn and teach a grandmother and her daughter and her granddaughter all in the same afternoon.
I hope in sharing these fond memories I have been able to relive some of your own, and helped you in some small way.
Sincerely,
John
P.S. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!
*** For those of you who may not know my father passed away on September 8, 1990 at 1100 PM in my arms.A story I will share soon. I miss him every day!
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