I was just thinking about a horsey memory that always makes me smile. I was at a one day event derby and a friend and I were walking towards the trailers and had to pass by the field where they were holding the grasshopper division. Out on course was a woman on a super green OTTB, his cheering section informed me this was his first ever outing. He’d trot up to a jump, stop, and then “boink” he’d hop over, trot to the next and “boink”. He continued the same way around and when he got back to his group everyone was patting him and telling him what a good boy he was. You could actually see him puff up with pride and stood a little taller, he knew he did good.
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I have so many-- but one that stands out to me was the first show in the jumpers for my hunter gelding. He was always a bit “too on the muscle” for the hunters. We had to really work at looking soft and flowing. I made the switch against my own preference-- I am not one given to going fast! He walked into that ring, not a flower in sight, and just pricked his ears forward and took a big breath. When he realized that he could go his own speed, or even gallop a bit? Bliss! He turned into a low jumper packer, teaching two other young people the game after toting my chicken butt around for a few years. Add, leave out (safely!), turn tight, trot if I got it really, really wrong, he just loved it so much! He’d wait for the whistle, ears back, dancing a tiny bit, then: ears forward, galloping for his first fence. God I miss that feeling!
He’s 28, retired happily with his pony girlfriend, terrorizing any dog that comes near his food.
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One year at our association finals hunt night, there was a kid on an old crossrail lesson pony doing the hunter hack. Surprisingly, the judge had everyone make the call to jump the line. The pony jumped in ok, but got to the oxer and very politely put on the safety brakes. He clearly said “No. We have discussed this and I don’t do these anymore.” The kid reapproached, used her stick, and pony deer hops over. Kid pops over his head on landing, but bounces straight back up, cheering “I jumped an oxer!” I still rib her about this memory every year 
I think this is the same year and the memory cracks me up. I’m on the black & white horse. He was a green catch ride I knew nothing about and I was so proud of him for going around I forgot about the last fence. Those who were there still refer to the ending as “Fred’s Great Comeback.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmw_k2gxA5o
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I was in OH shooting (Mounted Archery) on William Tell, my awesome archery horse. He was a former cutting horse --ideal for MA because he worked completely off knee/seat pressure --one of those that could be ridden without a bridle --although I never did so. Will was a small, cat-like horse --but for mounted archery, all he had to do was canter down a 300+ foot straight track, most of the time --but there was one competition that was called “the hunt” where horse and archer had to do a path through a woods with 3-D targets at various places --all of which must be shot at the canter --Will was exceptionally good at “the hunt” because he’d slow to a walk if I leaned back, and canter from a walk --so I could slow him to reload my arrow, and then make my required shots at the canter. Because he was small and quick, we would come in at optimum time.
I was waiting my turn with Will faced away from the course --I had my bow in my left hand, and an arrow in my right, waiting to load and shoot my first target. My plan was to turn Will, pick up a canter, and go on course when the whistle blew.
Things did not go as planned. The whistle blew and I cued Will to turn --but I over-cued him and he spun a 360 instead of a 180 at his usual break neck response speed. Instead of going off at a canter to my first target, I slid off his side (English saddle). I lay on my back, bow and arrow still at the ready, glad that Will was only 14.3 and the ground was soft.
If a horse could roll his eyes, Will did, and continued to stand at the ready, never moving a muscle. I had to sort myself out, put my quiver on my back (I uses a sword draw across my front), and remount. I did so, reloaded, and off we went.
We only had one more summer together before Will became unrideable due to a knee injury --he is still with me, still a goofy guy, and very special.
Mounted Archery, at least in the MIdWest has faded --where once I did 6-8 competitions a season, there was only one this year and I didn’t attend. Will and I shot together for 7 years --had fun --and I don’t think any horse will come close to his skill at mounted archery.
I have changed to Ranch Riding and have been enjoying that with Bob, my new horse.
This is Will coming down the hill of a hunt course.
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Keep the stories coming! This is refreshing. 
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Mounted archery sounds like such a fun sport. And I can see where a former cutter would be a great mount for it.
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Oh, girl, I could take you down a rabbit hole!
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Let’s go! 
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Ok! Same barn (I’m noticing a trend here), same year actually 
I was borrowing a big bay wonderhorse to try to get into association 3’ medal finals. As they got close, we were trying to sneak in an extra jump school before dark one night. Trotted to a flower box to warm up and George stopped. George would have jumped it if it were on fire, so we knew it just must be too dark. Trainer said to pop over it now that he knew it was there and we’d try again the next day. Well, George launched over out of caution and (according to several witnesses) cleared the 5’ standards. I felt my feet hit each other above his butt, and yet somehow landed with a leg on each side and stayed on. The crowning detail was apparently George’s feet clicked with some gravel in them and made sparks fly as he went across! (Also corroborated by reliable witnesses, although no one could figure out how the last two things happened)
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Before we built our horse facilities at home, I kept a few horses in the 200 acre cow field right across from our property. Every day I would go to the fence and call them up to be fed, but sometimes they were so far away they couldn’t hear me or couldn’t be bothered. So I would take a halter and lead rope to go find them, usually on the farthest corner and across the creek. I’d put the halter on my lead mare, an off-track Thoroughbred who, to this day, was my all time favorite horse ever.
I trusted that mare with my life.
I’d scramble on bareback somehow and let her take whatever pace she wanted going home to the feeding area. Normally she would walk to the creek and then hop over, picking up a little speed once we got across and then up the long stretch of hill to the finish.
One particular day will be with me forever, and honestly I want this memory playing in my mind on my deathbed. Maddie and I crossed the creek as usual, and then she picked up a full on gallop, flew over the ditch in the middle of the field and kept going at racehorse speed all the way up the hill, the other horses straining hard to keep up and galloping with us. I had one hand on the lead rope and the other in her mane, no helmet of course, just jeans and a T-shirt and tennis shoes like a kid, and I have never felt so in tune, completely as one with any other animal in my life. And it was one of those moments when I was absolutely 100% aware of my joy, I could feel it in my whole body. I dropped the rope across her neck and finished the gallop with my arms stretched out wide. It. Was. Glorious.
I expect I’ll never feel that way again.
Maddie:
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I think that’s why I love the memory of the kid as finals so much. She was just SO EXCITED to have jumped her first oxer. I mean, she wasn’t wrong…it was the landing that went south 
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One of my favorite memories was about 20 years ago (was it that long?) I went for a ride on my good boy Woodrow along with my Lab Carrie on a misty cool day at the local tree farm. I think we were one of the only ones who ventured out that day. We stopped under a tree and I had brought along some fig newtons so there we stood, three friends sharing some snacks on a peaceful and quiet afternoon with the birds serenading us.
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@JBCool —Mounted Archery is a fun sport —but like any sport, playing by oneself isn’t as much fun as playing with others. I guess we could have a whole thread on why clubs/sports are hot and then at some point begin to fade. Even if I had Will 100%, I think at this point I would be moving on into another discipline. MA was never a huge group --competitions were generally 25-30 people --unless it was international --and I never was interested in that as one must “draw” for horses and ride a completely unknown horse. I only wanted to ride my horse --it takes a greater rider than me to compete at that level on an unknown horse.
After a few years of participation at the Mid West Competitions, it got to the point where I could look at the entries in the area competitions and pretty much know who would win and where most folks would place, including me. The MA group I belong to is a nice bunch, but we are too widespread for anything but zoom meetings. The leader of our group does a great job trying to keep interest going --she has a track on her farm --but for me it’s a 2 hour drive to her place --and I have a track on my farm too. This year my long time shooting partner with whom I would drive to weekend long competitions with, decided to fly and rent a horse instead of drive. Cool. But not for me. As I said, I like riding my own horse. I still have two archery horses here --nothing as good as Will, but they would keep me in the ribbons.
Just last week I set out my targets and planned to do so me shooting --but then the heat wave hit and keeping four horses cool, bug free, and watered has been my focus.
Meanwhile, there’s a Ranch Horse Show July 25-27 and I plan to enter! It will be my 3rd Ranch Horse Show --starting to get the hang of it.
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After I bought my first horse he behaved as if he was sad and unhappy and depressed at his new barn. He was nice to ride, but there just was no spark or spirit.
On a whim, I called the seller, who had sold the horse for someone who lived hundreds of miles away, and asked if he knew what the horse’s name was. He didn’t know but contacted the previous owner and learned that they called him Reggie.
Next day at the barn the horse was as usual just standing way out in the pasture all alone, head hanging down. I yelled “Reggie” and his head immediately came up, ears pricked, he whinnied and came trotting to the gate. Honest to God, from that moment when he heard his name, he became a different horse. We had twenty great years together eventing and fox hunting. Can’t make this stuff up.
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That is sweet!! Who knew. And you didn’t have to pay an animal communicator to learn that.
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Not a specific moment in time but everything about my Morgan mare Belle. She was the first foal I ever assisted coming into this world when I was 16 years old and I had her until she passed away a few years ago at 27. She was one of those born broke but still feisty enough for an advanced rider to enjoy. She absolutely epitomized the Morgan versatility- we did hunters, jumpers, dressage, western pleasure, gaming, saddleseat, driving, and endurance. We did obstacle challenges, she was a MD State Parks mounted patrol horse, she did pony rides and parades and I used her for the classes where boy scouts and girl scouts get their horse merit badges. We worked as outriders at the Fair Hill International for almost 20 years and almost every young horse I started was ponied off of her. She was the first horseback ride for so, so many people and I could ride her bareback and bridle-less. I miss her terribly
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Sounds like a very special horse. And so cute.
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This is my first pony, Sunstone’s Pen (Sonny), with me in the dragon mask and my two neices on board. He was a 12.3 hand Welsh pony, but there wasn’t an ounce of pony-tude in him. I started riding him when I was 12, he was given to me about a year later, and he taught me everything. I trail rode, showed at pleasure shows, did Pony Club, drove both pleasure and carriage. The only thing he really didn’t do willingly is swim. I continued to drive and sometimes ride him into my twenties; at that point he was also in his twenties (a year older than me) and he continued to be an amazing teacher for neighborhood kids, other pony club members, and finally my little nieces. Look at those smiles! They won the costume class that day, and that pony never put a foot out of place with his precious cargo. THIS is why I’ve gone back to a pony. 
(Those two girls are grown with kids of their own—the oldest’s kids are both out of high school even.)
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In high school I got a summer job as a guide at a nose to tail, trail riding place. When I went into the paddock to catch “my” horse he would see me coming and start walking away. I quickly learned that if I stood still he’d keep walking and stay the exact same distance from me, eventually stopping and looking at me, my cue to go and halter him. In the beginning he’d walk almost a full circle, then three quarters, then half, etc. By the time we got to the quarter circle it was a very performative process, and he’d look at me like “Well? Aren’t you coming?”
The place closed at the end of my third summer and I bought that horse. He didn’t come when I called, but it wasn’t long before he’d close the distance between us when he saw me coming.
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Years ago, I decided to take my horse to a schooling show. It was just a hack class and incredibly low-key.
I felt sick for the days leading up to it I was so nervous. Like, feeling I was going to throw up driving to the barn every day. What in the world was I doing? We didn’t have a full time coach, my horse was a big chestnut tb, and I was dragging along my very not-horsey husband to be my “groom”.
I continuously told myself “it’s ok if it goes bad. If it turns out to be too much, we’ll find a quiet horse to walk beside. Worst case we go back on the trailer and come home”
Get to the show and he acted like an old soul who had been doing this his entire life. Granted, he had raced nearly 70 times so in hindsight this was absolutely nothing to him.
Walking around the ring before the class starts and an older woman on a green bean came up to me and politely asked if she could walk around with us to settle her mare. I was so proud of my thoroughbred I nearly cried, haha.
This was 7 or so years ago and will forever be one of my favourite memories.
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