LeslyeAnn on HubPages

I am a horsewoman. It means a lot more than just that I love my horse. It has to do with how I look at life. How I react to my surroundings. What I want from my life. How I treat others. How I would like to be treated in return.

I wasn't lucky enough to be born in a family that lived on a ranch, or would even consider having a horse in the family. I was lucky to have a sweet mother who would walk me down the road about a mile past and beyond the housing development. We would stand on the side of the road and reach across an old fence to feed carrots to the horse on the other side.

During college I spent $100 on my first horse. She was kept in the back yard of the house that I shared with three other students. I haven't been without a horse since. Even tho I have done many things in my life, my life has been strongly shaped by the devotion to my big strong animal friends and the lessons I have learned from them.

I struggled with the cost of keeping a horse. And then there came the time I didn't. I joined a competition show barn and competed at the extremely challenging sport of eventing. I set goals. I made some. I failed at some. I took many lessons. I've ridden many horses. I have ridden at many different beautiful places. I bred my mare and raised a foal. I have worked hard. I have not worked hard enough. But during it all, all I ever wanted was to be close to my horse. To love him. To care for him. To provide a happy life for him. To ride whenever I can. To this day there is never a better day than one in which I get to spend riding, or just being with my horses.