When I was a kid, my family had horses. My parents met at Benjamin Stables, where my Dad worked as a hand and Mom kept her horse Suntan. Dad was raised on a farm and brought his horse to Kansas City when he started mechanic school. Mom grew up in KC, not far from Southeast High School. When we moved to Smithville, we leased a pasture and kept Girl, Suntan and, later, Brandy Marie there. Mom was a member of the Heart of America Riding Club and would take me on the monthly Sunday Brunch trail rides when I was old enough to ride by myself. It was quite something as an 8 year-old to be riding with the older ladies! We went to Rodeos and the American Royal horse shows and we had pictures and ceramic horses around the house. Mom's co-worker and friend Kathy gave us Brandy Marie, a bay Welsh pony/Standardbred mare a bit closer to our size than Dad's Mare or Mom's Quarter Horse. We rode around the pasture, which was around 40 acres and had a creek, an upper pasture/glade, a wooded middle pasture and the front pasture with the old barn and corral Dad made for us to learn in. Sometimes we would ride up to where the Smithville dam was being built, a couple miles away on farm roads. Dad shod and took care of the horses, bringing them feed and hay and making sure they had water in the winter. There were some other boarders at the pasture, a mule, a Shetland pony and other horses over the years. On trips to the Ozarks with Mom, we would go on Brunch Trail rides and she taught us what she knew about Western horsemanship. One summer I got to take riding lessons at Benjamin Stables and improved my seat a bit and in Girl Scouts, in Junior High, one summer, we earned our Horsewoman badges at camp. When I was in high school, Dad had to have Suntan euthanized, he was old and had laid down and couldn't get up. A year or so later, I went out to the pasture and found Brandy, coyotes had chased her across the creek and she fell. Another year later, I found Girl's bones. I miss them terribly.
I live in an apartment in the city now, with my husband and two children and Dad doesn't have the lease on the pasture any more. In 2002, I took Rianna and baby Geordan to their first American Royal, the complex is about 3 miles from our place. They got to see baby pigs and the petting zoo with a baby giraffe. And their first big horses! The Hunter/Jumper show was going on. Admission to spectators is free and we can wander the paddock area within reason. Rianna politely asked owners if they had a horse she could pet and was tickled by their warm breath and velvety noses. We went over to Kemper Arena and watched the Jumpers competing in their fancy outfits and sleek black saddles. We came back a week later for the Arabian show and the Native Costume Championship class. That really fired her up! As we wandered the paddocks and merchants, we found one that had Breyer model horses. I had seen them as a kid and as a young adult decided that was an expensive thing to collect dust with. But, on the top shelf, was Bucephalus. My favorite horse movie was The Black Stallion and the story of Alexander the Great's horse and the tiny statue Alec's father gives him came roaring back to me. I had the money in my pocket ($35-40 I think) and we had our first model! Being so special, he wasn't a toy for the kids to play with, only to carefully see on the bed with supervision. Later we got a Mustang and Foal from Walmart that they got to play with some. Now, 7 years later, we are collecting and showing the all sizes of Breyer (and other brands) horses; the Mini Whinnies at 1 1/2 inches tall, Stablemates at 3-4 inches tall, Paddock Pals/Pony Gals at 4-5 inches tall, Classics at 6-7 inches and Traditionals at 8-9 inches tall.