by Chelsea Padget

Created on: October 08, 2008

Having ponies and horses all my life has given me the opportunity to get close to my horses, have that special bond. So special that they would do anything. You know you have it when you can talk to your horse, just like another human being and he listens, and he rubs his head on you as affection, then he gives you some small nibbles, and seems to lean right into you. That's what kind of special attachment I have had with all of my horses.

I had one in particular. His name was "trigger". He was a Welsh pony, which is one of the largest ponies. Well, he wouldn't let anyone near him, except for me, and for me he would do anything. I trained him myself, at age 7 and had him ready to ride within two months. Then, I started training him to ride without a bridle and saddle, and still allow me to be in complete control. When I trained him well enough, I started performing "tricks" on him.

The first one I learned was how to mount him from behind. I'd have to have a running start, but he just stood there, patiently waiting for this strange mount! Once I was up there, I would turn around forward, I fell off quite a lot at first!, but I practiced and finally I could swing all over him. Forward, backwards, sideways, riding on his butt, riding up on his mane (neck), he was a loyal pony and I was his loyal girl.

By the time I was age 8, I was standing on my knees, frontwards and backwards, and then I was finally able to stand up on him, and not while he was walking, he would be trotting while I was doing this. He had a smoother trot than a walk. It was so fun; I would imagine that we were in the circus. My mom and dad had a few "heart attacks" that year and a half, but when I was doing all the tricks on him, they were amazed. The neighborhood parents would call me a true cowgirl, because I could even do tricks with the saddle on, although it was easier for me to play on him bareback. I was so small, a mere 96 lbs, and I used his main and tail sometimes to hang on.

Well, even though I liked bareback better, I would put that saddle on, and could do even more with that. I actually could go around his belly, while he was trotting and come up on the other side, right side up. I could also whip around his neck without a problem, but the saddle did help a lot on those tricks.

I had to sell my last horse at age of 15. By then, Trigger was in the graveyard. We had to sell my Appaloosa and a quarter horse, but there are times in your life you make sacrifices for the good of everyone. I'll never forget Trigger or any of my other babies, and I will always miss them dearly.

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