http://www.geocities.com/trinityapp/ wrote this lovely article, and I thought it was worth sharing. My parents are horse lovers, which lead to me being a horse lover, and as all of you know, Maddy loves horses more than words can probably express. We've spent countless hours riding and caring for the horses together. Starting from the age of two Maddy was and continues to be happiest on a horse.

Sweet sixteen and growing up with a horse

My daughter turned sixteen years old today; which is a milestone for most people. Besides looking at baby photos and childhood trinkets with her, I took time to reflect on the young woman my daughter had become and the choices she would face in the future. As I looked at her I could see the athlete she was, and determined woman she would soon be.
I started thinking about some the girls we knew in our town who were already pregnant, pierced in several places, hair every color under the sun, drop outs, drug addicts and on the fast track to no where, seeking surface identities because they had no inner self esteem. The parents of these same girls have asked me why I "waste" the money on horses so my daughter can ride. I'm told she will grow out of it, lose interest, discover boys and all kinds of things that try to pin the current generation's "slacker” label on my child. I don't think it will happen, I think she will love and have horses all her life.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has compassion. She knows that we must take special care of the very young and the very old. We must make sure those without voices to speak of their pain are still cared for.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned responsibility for others than herself. She learned that regardless of the weather you must still care for those you have the stewardship of. There are no “days off” just because you don't feel like being a horse owner that day. She learned that for every hour of fun you have there are days of hard slogging work you must do first.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned not to be afraid of getting dirty and that appearances don't matter to most of the breathing things in the world we live in. Horses do not care about designer clothes, jewelry, pretty hairdos or anything else we put on our bodies to try to impress others. What a horse cares about are your abilities to work within his natural world, he doesn’t care if you're wearing $80.00 jeans while you do it.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she learned about sex and how it can both enrich and complicate lives. She learned that it only takes one time to produce a baby, and the only way to ensure babies aren't produced is not to breed. She learned how babies are planned, made, born and, sadly, sometimes die before reaching their potential. She learned how sleepless nights and trying to outsmart a crafty old broodmare could result in getting to see, as non-horse owning people rarely do, the birth of a true miracle.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she understands the value of money. Every dollar can be translated into bales of hay, bags of feed or farrier visits. Purchasing non-necessities during lean times can mean the difference between feed and good care, or neglect and starvation. She has learned to judge the level of her care against the care she sees provided by others and to make sure her standards never lower, and only increase as her knowledge grows.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to learn on her own. She has had teachers that cannot speak, nor write, nor communicate beyond body language and reactions. She has had to learn to “read” her surroundings for both safe and unsafe objects, to look for hazards where others might only see a pretty meadow. She has learned to judge people as she judges horses. She looks beyond appearances and trappings to see what is within.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned sportsmanship to a high degree. Everyone that competes fairly is a winner. Trophies and ribbons may prove someone a winner, but they do not prove someone is a horseman. She has also learned that some people will do anything to win, regardless of who it hurts. She knows that those who will cheat in the show ring will also cheat in every other aspect of their life and are not to be trusted.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has self-esteem and an engaging personality. She can talk to anyone she meets with confidence, because she has to express herself to her horse with more than words. She knows the satisfaction of controlling and teaching a 1000 pound animal that will yield willingly to her gentle touch and ignore the more forceful and inept handling of those stronger than she is. She holds herself with poise and professionalism in the company of those far older than herself.
Because my daughter grew up with horses she has learned to plan ahead. She knows that choices made today can effect what happens five years down the road. She knows that you cannot care for and protect you investments without savings to fall back on. She knows the value of land and buildings. And that caring for you vehicle can mean the difference between easy travel or being stranded on the side of the road with a four horse trailer on a hot day.
When I look at what she has learned and what it will help her become, I can honestly say that I haven't “wasted” a penny on providing her with horses. I only wish that all children had the same opportunities to learn these lessons from horses before setting out on the road to adulthood.

I know I should be disgusted by these muck boots, but the truth is, they look better than they did.

After riding I left the corral, and spent a good 5 minutes running through some fairly deep snow in an attempt to clean them up a bit. When that wasn't doing much good I spent another 5 minutes violently kicking my foot into a substantial snow bank, which made them much cleaner, as you can see. Job accomplished!

Spending time with horse means getting dirty, period. Sometimes we don't realize how grubby we are, until we've left the barn and are suddenly very conscious of our grubbiness. Like the time I was standing at the gas pump and caught a seriously disapproving glance at my boots, which were covered with mud, gunk and grime.

However, I've noticed that the horses are happy to see us, grubby footwear or not.

I remember the first time I saw Pharaoh. It was love at first sight. He was owned by a world class endurance rider who had ridden him in several endurance races. She simply had too many horses at that time and decided to let one go.

She had tears in her eyes as we approached her and Pharaoh, and instantly I knew that she loved him. I knew I loved him too. He's an Arabian and ranges from dark bay to almost black at times. He has big brown eyes that melt your heart and endless amounts of energy.

He's dramatic. Two summers ago I noticed he was limping slightly. After close inspection I saw he had what any practical person would classify as a scratch on his back leg. It was quite small, but seeing as he was favoring it I called the vet. She came over and literally had to search to find any trace of a cut. She was amazed that he was favoring his leg because of such a small cut, but couldn't see anything else that may be causing him to favor that leg. We washed the cut and she left, telling me to keep it clean for a couple of days.

The next day Pharaoh wouldn't even stand on that leg. The cut looked exactly as it had before, no signs of infection. The vet came over again and looked him over carefully. She determined that he was overly dramatic and reacting to what most horses wouldn't even notice. She put him on antibiotics and left. He didn't stand on that leg for another day, but he got his meds and soon was back to normal. I'll never know if it was more than the cut that was bothering him, but I know he's extremely sensitive. I'm sensitive too, I think we share some of the same personality traits.

He reads my thoughts. All I have to do is think "canter" and he knows it. Off we go. He has a soft mouth and requires soft hands. I've yet to see him get tired, and sometimes after a longer ride he almost seems disappointed to turn around and head home. Sometimes I'll go out in the pasture, just to say hello and he'll just stand while I lean on him. He really is one of my best friends, and when I ride him I feel a sense of happiness inside that I just can't describe to anyone else.

Maddy and I have several trail rides we like, however one of them is too scary to ever take again. It's unfortunate, because it's a lovely trail, but it passes right by a field of these funny little creatures. Maddy and I think these little guys are cute, but our horses have a different opinion.

For some ridiculous reason, all of our horses are really scared of these little guys. When we ride by them it's like riding by a field of bobcats, or elephants, or whatever it is that scares horses the most. Our horses get big eyes, nervous stares and act as though their very lives are threatened by these cute little creatures. Are they donkeys? Mules? Burros? Whatever they are, evidently they pose some threat that I'm unaware of.

Our horses are also scared of moose, which we run into on occassion, but that at least I can understand, moose are really big, and not afraid of anything. But these guys? Go figure.

Not only do I get it, it's in my blood.

I come from a long line of horse loving people. My grandpa was a rancher and loved horses. He gave me my first horse when I was eight. My mom grew up riding on the ranch with her brother, who I think of as the original horse whisperer. My dad also grew up riding and ranching. So you see, it's in my blood, I can't help but love horses.

It's in Maddy's blood too. And we know, some day, dad will get it too. You know the saying, if you fall off a horse get right back on.