I was coming home after I had gone to renew my drivers license and was going by Highway 14 when I decided to try to find a horse that was very dear to me.  I wasn't sure exactly where she lived but I knew it was somewhere up 14 and not to far.  I found the place and Tammy and Jessie happened to be there.  As unprepared as I was, meaning that I was dressed in a skirt and dress shoes, Jessie took me for a ride up the mountain on Bridget bareback.  As we made our way up I thought back 6 years earlier when I had done a similar thing on this same horse.
  It was my birthday and Bridget had been to visit a stallion for weeks and I wanted to go see and ride her.  I had milk dad for all I was wereth to get him to take me there.  Even though it wasn't much of a ride I was still on my favorite horse and that's what mattered.
  Why was this horse so special to me and how did I end up with her you ask.  It all started when her filly got out of the neighbor's pasture looking for food and was running up and down the road when my sister and I rode by on our aged geldings.  We herded her down to the neighbor's and after we got her back in the pasture the owner mentioned that she was moving and needed to sell the horses.  Our parents agreed mostly to just get those horses out of there since they weren't being cared for.  We thought that if we ended up not being able to handle them we could at least see to it that they properly cared for (we were not the best horse people and had no intention of working abused horses).  Bridget had been through some horrible things.  She'd brake out in a cold sweat if she saw anyone with anything that looked like a whip.  I decided to play with her a little and see if I could handle her before we would try to sell them.  Three months later I was riding Bridget and having a ball.  I remember the first time I cantered her and getting scared because she started bucking, nothing hard, but my coat kept getting hooked on the saddle horn with every buck.  I rode it out and after the third bucking episod she learned to not do that.  I rode and rode that horse and loved her to pieces and that's when I decided to breed her.
  While Bridget was at the stud I began to try to ride her filly, what a case she was.  She thought she was boss and as far as she was concerned it was going to stay that way.  After 3 months of ground work I was finally able to start riding her but not without being very witty and a bronc buster (or so I felt).  Another 3 months went by and my brother came up for a visit and he was a much better horseman than I was and he showed me how to teach to not buck and after that she was great.  Not long after that Rianna began doing tricks such as bowing and playing dead on command.
  About a year later, my sister and I took the horses to a riding clinic and after the clinic there was a competition.  We had never competed before but now as a horse trainer I felt I needed that experience.  I didn't think we could win it since both horses were part Belgium Draft.  I was also positively sure that Bridget would not do it since there was plastic flags everywhere and she hated plastic.  The trainer knew this and allowed me to practice on her before the others got there.  She shocked me then.  I decided to try to canter her by them the first try and all she did was look at them with out shying or spooking and the second time she didn't even glance at them.  My sister and I were the last two competitors and when it was my sisters turn the trainer announced,'And now we'll see the two sisters compete.'  We all laughed.  When we were done we both said we had never had a better ride on those horses.  The trainer whisled and yelled as Bridget did two role-backs, one right after another.  Even though there was a harder barrel pattern than barrel racing, role-backs, sliding halts, dead runs, etc, it was the ride of a life time.  It felt like I and my horse were gliding in an airplane.  It was awesome.
  After I competed I went to get a drink of water while the trainer and his wife decided on the winner.
  The winner had to have the pattern right, the best time and horsemanship in this Cowboy Horsemanship Race.  I had told Briget that if she could, get me second place because the prize was a saddle blanket and I needed one.  First place was a show snaffle bit and I couldn't ride Bridget in any bit because of bad memories.  They called out second place and it went to my sister, it blew me away when I received first place, mind you there were a few experienced riders and horses who had competed at things like this.  I held the bit upto Bridget and said I don't think you'll ever wear this but thanks anyway.
  These horses went from defeat to victory in eighteen months, from freaky, almost dangerous horses to our best, dependable friends.
  Two years later I had to sell Briget because I had run out of hay and they had eaten their pasture down.  The new buyer made a comment about Bridget wereth telling.
  These people used to be some neighbor's and when I first met them I was out riding Bridget about six months after I bought her.  When I said that the horse they were now looking at was the same horse Tammy was suprised and said,'Wow, she's put on a lot of weight because I remember her looking a little ribby,' and indeed she been both ribby and then later fat.
  The last two rides I put on Bridget before I sold her was with that bit she had won.  She had finally gotten over her fear of the bit.
  So now you see how I came across such a wonderful horse and how she became so dear to me.  Through all the mountains and valleys we crossed together this will always be the number one horse in my life even though there have been several others who have made impressions on me none are as good or as dear as the horse that I helped lead to victory.  I still hold on to a hope that some day I will have the privilage of owning this horse once again.

Tomorrow is Joseph's fifth birthday.  He was born on the summer solstice after dinner time.  This past year has been way different than the first 4 years of his life...he got trained to ride, rope, drive cows, lay down and is working on parade training (among other things).  We will see how well he learned this weekend.  Well done Joe, you may still yet turn out to be a great kid's or show horse.

Joe hates plastic more than any other horse I've had since Bridget (the first horse I trained), who was scared of plastic from abuse.  Even though Joe has never been abused he just simply hates plastic and tractor cats.  I sacked him out real good but he still won't settle as much as I'd like him to.  He will tolerate it now though. I'll get pictures up later.  He's that much closer to being parade trained.