How awesome is that!!! My mother told me that as a baby my 3rd word was horse. We lived in the city, nowhere near a horse, but I could spot one a mile away. Horses have always been in my life. Fast forward, I'm 71 years old with both hips replaced but my sister's horses let me spoil them. My goal is to get back on a horse it's what is missing in my life.
Makes me think of Sanoma Blakeley who won the Tevis at 18 years old about 4 years ago with a little Arabian that she got from Craigs list. What a story of inspiration and courage.
I fell in love with horses when I was 1 year old. A little old man came to my parent's home with a black and white paint pony. My picture was taken, and I was hooked! I grew up wanting a horse and read every book about horses I could find! I dreamt of owning a horse, and in 1968, my dad moved us from Sacramento to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. My dream of owning a horse came true the next year at Christmas. Thunder was the best gift ever! I was in 6th grade.My family knew nothing of horse ownership, but 4-H and riding lessons paid off! Thunder became my best friend and companion. I grew up and joined the Air Force. My love of horses never died. In 1980, I was injured in the Munich Oktoberfest terrorist bombing on September26,1980. I lost both legs, and I thought I'd only ride in my dreams. 41 years later, I began riding again with other veterans and first responders at the Right Path Riding Academy in Drumright, Oklahoma. My dreams have once again come true, I am riding horses once again! I'd love to be able to go on a trail ride one day. This video touched my heart in so many ways! ❤️
Awww, what a gift that man shared by bringing over that little black and white pony! I am so glad to hear your love for horses stayed with you, even through such difficult times, and that you are back to riding again!! Wow - You are an inspiration! I'm rooting for you to get out on that trail ride someday! 🤗
A year ago I got back into riding at age 63 having been out of it for over 30 years .Next month I'm moving into a 2 1/2 acre piece of land where every day I'll be able to look out my windows and see my horse. I will be following the "Paddock Paradise" methods. Never give up on dreams. They can become reality. Great episode. It's such great motivation to see other people living their dreams too. ❤🐴
I had my first riding lesson close to 40. Now I'm 62 and have been having riding holidyays solo ever since. Looove the experience, met loads of awesome, mostly, women on my travels. The horses everywhere have always been the best companions you can wish for. ❤
Well, a big, big THANK YOU!!! 😂 Now, I have my future dream vercation made up for me. 😊 Since I am 62 years old, been through a lot, among them a cancer treatment, and I lost all my future-dreams a long time ago, you can imagine how much I loved this video. So, thank you, thank you, thank you so incredebly much. 🙏❤ Thank you, and much love from Sweden. ❤❤❤ PS. And I really would like to meet Flash. 🥰😆
I was 3/4 years old, my mom put me on one of those little handwalked pony rides and I remember thinking "This is far too slow." by 6, I was asking if I could hold the reigns instead. It wasn't until I was probably 14 till I got riding lessons, and that lasted about two years until highschool started and I couldn't balance both (terrible student! would rather ride than learn math!) At about 32, I decided I wanted to get back into the horse world. Found a job part time on a hobby farm, grooming Gypsy Vanners and taking care of goats and pigs and the general barn. Moved on to getting a job at a TB breeding farm, and now I work at a Standardbred Breeding farm! Planning next summer to go to Spain and do my own "Quest" ride type trip, Cattle drive through the mountains near Barcelona! I'm SUPER pumped about it! then gunna pop around Europe for a little visiting a few tourist places, (I'm thinking Paris, London, then over to Ireland for a bit, not sure where though....) finding places to go on a trail ride there! then coming back home and hoping these experiences will be able to prove to various trail riding places I'd be worth hiring!
Irishman here, might I suggest the Wild Atlantic Way when you’re over here? There’s lots of stables that offer trail rides of various lengths on the way - some even over the course of a few days, and there’s some really nice scenery along the way if I do say so myself 😊
What a fun horse journey you have had so far and it sounds like lots of epic adventures coming up!! Good for you!!! (I'm still the same way with riding vs math!) 🙃
Coming from a show jumping background, the endurance circuit is SO unbelievably friendly! I came from a show jumping background with my big green standardbred and our pony club was the ride base for an endurance competition one day, so we entered on a whim into the 5km - we were hooked from the beginning!! It’s been 2 years since and I’ve done 2 seasons with my standy Eddie, and this year is my first season with my new thoroughbred gal ❤ I love it so much, wouldn’t ever go back to competing in anything else!!
I used to be an endurance Rider I used to ride a Missouri Fox trotter and it was the best thing I ever did when I was younger I then went through upstate New York into the White mountains of New Hampshire it was the best thing I ever did
We were living in Canberra, Australia, and David's Junior Riding School was 5 minutes away. David was tough, he'd sit on his stallion Cobber and crack his stock whip. The way we learned to ride...hang onto the horn of the stocksaddle and think happy thoughts. Lol. The landscape was rugged, with deep dry gullies, steep banks, sandy and rocky. (During the drought of 1979-1982). When David broke an arm or two, his wife taught us... providing a brief reprieve. Then, I graduated onto Marcel's school of riding where I was introduced to dressage. It was fun. Some days were serious schooling days in the arena while others we exploratored the countryside on enjoyable hacks. As a special treat, our teacher Ruth would lead us through the pine plantations and and over logs as we cantered along a jumping lane. The Aussi experience, finding a funnelweb spiderweb in my horse 's stall! I think i prefer Canadian winter to deadly spiders. Lol As Dorthea MacKellar said, "I love a sunburnt country." What an amazing place to learn to ride and to experience a vast and varied landscape! Alissa, great episode! I loved the interaction of everyone and of the horses living their best lives.
Love that video. I do Endurance Riding in Germany with my Connemara Pony. He turned 17 this year. I'd love to watch the Tevis Cup (to compete in it I'm sure I'm not fit enough).
Oh, that's so cool! Where in Germany are you located? I'd love to learn more about endurance riding in Germany, but information is really hard to find.
Heard of “Man against horse” 50 mi. run in AZ. Had also heard of a 100 mi. run in CA. but couldn’t find it. Love my horses although I’d run. Lol lovely video. Cheers ✨💖✨
When I used to ride we had a special phrase for a horse that gets all wet in a stream and then rolls in dirt so it sticks all over them. Breaded veal cutlet!
What a great experience! Beautiful landscape, riding through the canyons, a fantastic family, horses, ponies, dogs, goats, turkeys and a wagon! You're living the life, Alyssa!
Beautiful, what an amazing environment! I had horse riding lessons at the age of 11 but stopped within a year because I got scared after a fall.... At the age of 55 I restarted and now 5 years later I'm doing trails in the dunes and on the beach. In July I will go to Iceland inspired by your video! Love to follow al your adventures! Thank you for sharing this with us. KR Stefanie, The Netherlands.
Haven't competed in endurance riding, but I've been training and riding endurance horses for someone who competes. So much fun. Love the hours in the saddle discovering new places.
Love this! I was fortunate enough to make friends with someone in 3rd grade who's family raced endruance. They took me in and taught me all there was to know, helped me find my first horse my parents bought me at 10 years old, and Arabian/quarter horse cross named Lacey. She was also 10 years old. I raced her until she was 19 then got another full arabian named Jazzy i raced for more years. Endurance racing was like my "sport" in high school. I dont currently have horses or race but i look back on that season fondly ❤️
I used to ride endurance years ago. I rode the Purina Race of Champions 100 miles through the Big Horn Mountains. I met the most wonderful people that are still friends!!
Love your vids! Visiting Denver soon...maybe I'll c-ya on the trails. Miss riding! Last one an Appaloosa, Fella. Whadda a horse. Got to ride my friends Barrel racer too...WOW! Keep your wonderful adventures comin'!👍
My horse beginnings started with a young girl named Alyssa who I believe her first word was horse! It has been my privilege to love her during her first discovery of horses!! It truly is a lifestyle. Thanks for all the wonderful houses you brought into our lives and the adventures we have had with them!
My family went trail riding when young then my older sister got her own horse as a teenager. We move to Mackenzie in northern B.C., Canada when I was 13. Our dad rented horses from the local native chief for two summers. Road for miles on logging and cat roads. Longest ride was 70 miles. Horse were in open range so we had to go looking for them in order to ride them. Moved back to West Vancouver after that and I got my own horse at 16. My younger sister shared with my older sister’s horse. We went as a family to open and Quarter horse shows. So much fun. Now no longer have horses but do ride on occasion. I figured I did do endurance riding in Mackenzie looking for those darn horses. We even heard wolves call out in the wilds of Mackenzie. (130 miles north of Prince George.)
My older sister got me into horses. I have loved them from afar a long time. I have only ridden once. for awhile I had this fear of them and it warred with my love of them. I was kicked at 2 so that trauma is what rose to the surface on its own. I presevered though and my love won out. It helps that I see them as a large dog. 😂 I wanted the fear gone. I need to be confident. I went to a draft horse competition and strode through the stalls confident and with purpose. I stood before Clydesdales and Percherons as well as Belgians in my element and in aw. Such beauty needs to be treasured.
I was a year old when my pawpaw put me on a pony. I as 4 when he let me have my own pony and ride without him right beside me. I promptly got my pony to running down the driveway with my mom screaming “it’s running away with her!” My mawmaw said “Dawn you stop her right this minute” so I did and turned her and came back up the driveway. I’ve loved them ever sense. I can’t ride because of my disability now but I still have a mini horse as a pet that I see and smell and touch and talk to daily.
I grew up with my mom's bay Arab she'd had since he was 3 and she was 12. His favorite place to stand was parallel to our gate, so at 3 years old, if mom couldn't find me, I had crawled up that gate onto "Bud" and when she found me I'd say, "Mommy, I RIDE!" Then at 10 I got my first horse who was an absolutely rock-solid Thoroughbred cross, and at 13 I got a work-in-progress Tennessee Walker. Sadly, about a year ago, I had to put them down, my first guy was old and colicked, and then my Walker was actually having seizures so they were put down 4 month apart. But I'm still definitely not done with horses and I know I will absolutely have horses in my future. And hey, I might give endurance a try too and tracking my miles!
Awww, I love this! It sounds like you have so many wonderful memories to cherish! I'm so sorry for your loss, it is heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to our wonderful partners. 🤗
My grandma insisted i go to riding camp as an 8 year old because I was obsessed with horses since time immemorial. I am now 36 and just learned last year that my grandma's father had been the barn worker for someone in his small town in Finland who had draft horses, she said all the horses knew how to get to the field at the end of the workdays and sometimes the kids were allowed to sit on them when they headed out to the pasture.. and she once spent a day in the river with her favorite chestnut mare. She was born in 1932.
