The Wonder Horse

by Taylor
(Pennsylvania)

My horse Jewel is my bestfriend. I got her as a five year old for my 13th birthday. We were told she was trained, but it was clear after a few rides that she had no training at all whatsoever. Starting out was rough, but I was determined to find Jewel's niche. First we worked on the basics: getting balanced and learning my cues. She caught on fast. We started to show in walk-trot western pleasure events at local shows. We also started to experiment with walk-trot english pleasure. She had a beautiful pleasure headset, and we started to place in the top three in walk-trot english pleasure events. As I gradually started to introduce the canter, I found out that pleasure was definitley not in Jewel's cards! She liked to RUN! I had some barrel racing experience, and I have ridden some fast horses, but none of them even compared to the amount of speed she had! I felt like I was flying! We started working on turning barrels and she caught on super fast! That summer we attended many 4-H and local shows and she was placing very well! Our best competitive event is keyhole. She is seven years old now and next year we are going to start attending IBRA shows! I am so proud of my horse. Everyone always doubted us and said that a girl who no longer took lessons would never be able to train a young horse, but we proved them wrong. Jewel and I have a special connection. I put a lot of trust in her to get me through the pattern safely, and I know she tries her heart out for me! I wouldn't trade Jewel for anything in the world, and someday my dream of placing top 10 at Quarter Horse Congress with her will come true! Just remember: You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to! Never give up, and keep on riding!:)