You may remember from previous posts or comments that I have never owned a horse. I’ve ridden one before! IF one tethered to a wheel that goes around and around at the fair counts…My grandparents had a horse when I was little. He was a beautiful red color, and I was terrified of him, and yet I loved him at the same time. I would get so excited to feed him, but just about die every time I tried to stay calm, and hold out that small bundle of fresh-picked alfalfa to him. I thought he would for sure bite and then swallow my hand whole. I remember loving playing in his barn, climbing up on the pokey bales of hay just hoping there would be a mama cat and her kittens up there somewhere. Remember the Anne of Green Gables series? I remember seeing her sitting in a tree on the cover of one book and I imagined myself looking just like her sitting up on top of that haystack. I’m sure I looked far from that picturesque cover, my hair was probably disheveled, my jelly shoes filled with dirt and horse manure, the only thing that was close to picturesque was the sundress and my sun-kissed skin! Oh to have the imagination I once had! I was probably like Anne though, excited for an adventure, a mind filled with imagination, and plenty of moments where I wondered how in the world I was going to get myself out of a pickle, because as you know, as a kid, pickles are the end of the world.
Brigadier was his name, and as I mentioned, he was a beautiful red color. I have since been notified by my daughter that they are called Red Sorrels- thank you TJ for educating my daughter in all things horse related… Brigadier was my pet, at least he was in my mind. I’m sure grandpa appreciated babysitting and feeding him for me. 😉 I’d run to the back of grandpa and grandma’s yard and there he would be in the field just grazing away, he didn’t do much, but he made some great fertilizer! Every once in a while grandpa and grandma would go out of town and I’d get to check his water and such while they were gone. I’m sure my parents told me not to feed him, but if they weren’t around, I bet you can guess what I loved to do, especially if there was already a bale of hay cut. I only had one problem. I was scared to death of being in the same corral or field as he was without a fence between the two of us. He seemed like a giant, and I was sure that giant would kick or run me over if there was no barrier between us. Oftentimes he would be munching away at the trough by the barn which meant he couldn’t see me, or so I thought. His ‘corral+field’ was shaped like the state of Utah, just flipped upside down. You’d enter the field at the bottom between two wooden fence posts, then about 2/3 of the way up was another fence line that opened up to his barn area. Dividing that into two halves made a section on the left and one on the right (barn on the left, and the watershed with a smaller corral section on the right).
This day he was at the trough- probably still working on the snack I had loaded him up with the day before but that’s beside the point. I thought for sure he wouldn’t know of my arrival, so I quickly dodged through the entry posts and took a quick sprint back to the corral area and a hard right over the fence line and into the watershed then let out a sigh of relief as I opened the door and pulled it closed behind me. I raised the water hydrant handle to get the flow going and watched through a knot in the wall as the water filled in the old water tub. When it finished, I hung on that handle until I was able to shut it off- let’s just say my weight had to step up and stand in for my lack of muscle capacity. I opened the door and started my jog back out, but after I went over that first fence I noticed my pet was waiting for me and stood between me, and the exit. A normal human being would have been calm and walked under the perimeter fence and back to the yard. Not me, I couldn’t risk my sundress snagging on the barbed wire! Instead, I froze. He started walking towards me and I took off running back the way I came. The poor guy was harmless, and I’m sure he just wanted his nose rubbed! I sat in that barn for hours, I was sure I was going to die of starvation, would my parents come looking for me? Would Nate get to keep all my toys? Would my friends miss me? Who would forget to feed my rabbit?! I mean, who would feed my rabbit now?! My life suddenly flashed before my eyes. I was in a pickle. I loved the barn but I didn’t want to die there!
Well, 15 minutes later I decided I was going to make a run for it. He was at the water tub and I had a straight shot from the barn to the edge of the field. I looked both ways and ran as fast as my little legs could run plus a little extra. I’m sure I looked like a kid who had just stepped on a rattlesnake and was running for their life, little did they know I was just a dramatic goofball running from my harmless, pet, that wasn’t even mine, of a horse.
Fast forward a few years, maybe like 20, and one of my favorite families decides it’d be a good idea to take their family pictures among their herd of horses. You’ll soon find out if you have a request for your family portraits, I’ll make it happen, I can be brave! So I did, I stood there while the massive giants came in to see what treats I had brought them (Levi informed me that my black camera bag may give them the impression that I was there to feed them…) and tried to stay calm while they nibbled on my hair, and smelled/nuzzled my neck as I snapped away- yet not making any sudden movements. I can say I didn’t get kicked, bit, or stepped on, I even kept my cool. I’ll admit, I felt quite safe with Levi and his hat! I enjoyed the beautiful horses, the variety of colors and coats, I loved the gorgeous sun haze, and of course, being with my four favorite Spencers! Thank you for another great evening, I dibs the same time, same place this year!
-Love,
Mikenna
P.S. See if you can find one of my all-time favorite horse pictures! As I was culling through the session getting ready to edit, I stopped and actually laughed out loud. Oh the moment was perfect!Â
