The thing about me is, I’m you…or I’m your horse crazy daughter all grown up.  I was the girl at four years old asking mommy and daddy if I can have a pony.  I was the little girl in school doodling on her notebooks about horses and I had Lisa Frank horse folders.  I wrote short stories about horses and filled sketchbooks with my drawings.  Breyer horses and other model horses lined my shelves and Scholastic Book Fair posters of horses were plastered on my walls.  When I played “pretend” (Do kids know what this is these days?) I would be Black Beauty, I’d pull friends in a wagon like a draft horse, or I’d be cross country jumping over obstacles I set up in the yard.  When I was nine we moved to a house a block down from a field with three horses.  I visited them daily finally meeting the owner who allowed me to “help” feed them (really I just had permission to go into the paddocks with her).  She brought me to the farm where she took lessons and from there I relentlessly bugged my mom for horseback riding lessons.  I was persistent and she gave in until money got too tight.

To say I was obsessed was an understatement.

Although I had horse fever I wasn’t always consistent.  Staying active with horses had it’s challenges.  I was labelled the horse girl for one; it was true but as a kid it’s not great to be singled out.  Money was tight so that limited my ability to ride; my mom was a single parent and she worked her butt off to provide me with a great home and great education. I worked hard daily for very few lessons and riding opportunities so I became discouraged.  Drama at the farm often drove me away from enjoying it also.  I got a job at 16 which kept me busy, and I went to college a few years later.  I was fortunate to take riding back up in college but soon after I graduated horses took the back burner while I set out on my own for the first time.  Developing my career and figuring out this “adulting” thing took the first priority.  It wasn’t until I was 26 when I re-entered the horse world.

Maybe some of these examples resonate with you, maybe all of them; plus I’m sure you have your own experiences (and I can’t wait to hear about them!).  That’s what The Green Horseman is all about.  Whether you love horses but don’t know where to start, just got your first horse, or you are a parent of a mini equine enthusiast I hope that you’ll find this site helpful in guiding and educating you about this great big industry.  The dreams of horse ownership can come true for anyone willing to make it happen.