My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys....

I grew up chaotic. When I was seven I went to stay with my dad for the summer. We went to a rodeo and I fell in love with the raffle pony. His name was Ratchet. He was grumpy, kicky and bad tempered.He was palomino and my absolute dream. My Dad had a bit of a thing for the girl running the raffle so he bought me two dozen tickets.

I didn't win the pony and I was devastated. My Dad tracked down the family that did win the pony and arranged to rent him for me for the rest of the summer. I loved that pony. I brushed him and rode around on him all day everyday. I fed him and watered him and at the end of the summer I cried bitterly as he was loaded onto the trailer to spend his life as a pasture buddy for another horse. My Dad hugged me and promised someday he would buy me another pony I just had to be patient.

I was addicted. I read horse books by the dozen and begged everytime I visited my cousins to ride their ponies.

When I was nine, I had a huge garage sale that my mother didn't know about . I took my $75.00 and I bought a feedlot colt. I hid that colt from my mother for 3 years and worked for his keep and brushed him and loved him and named him Frostbite. When my mother found out about him she sold him and I was grounded for months.

In my teens I worked as a farm hand whenever I could, I spent endless hours in the show barns at the Calgary Stampede, I hung around at rodeos with my friends, anything just to be close to my great love. Years passed and I worked, slept, drank, danced, cared for children. I was miserable. Often depressed, suicidal, angry, aggressive.

When I was in my mid twenties I hurt my back, bad. The second time I hurt it the Dr. suggested I start riding in order to build core strength and to help restore the use of my back. I went to stables as often as I could afford to which honestly wasn't much. I suffered. I moved to Saskatchewan when I was 29 and the first thing I did was buy a horse. I phoned my dad and begged him to help fund my madness and he agreed.

 I bought a beautiful nine year old grey Arabian mare name Star. I am here to tell you dear reader that at $1200 I stole this horse. she has been my best friend and partner through thick and thin. It has been twelve years and I have had many horses. I truly love them all. My soul is at rest living the life I was born for. I hold my breath each winter dieing for the summer to come and I play the country songs I grew up on aching for my existence to do them justice.