For the Love of ..........

As you may have noticed from my picture profile, I am a lover of horses.
When I was taking care of my Mother, who had Parkinsons and Alzheimers, we needed a family outing we could all enjoy and this was when I came across my friend Teresa and the
Langley 204 Equestrian Center.
Teresa is a champion rider in her own right and she saves horses from what otherwise could be seen as the end of the trail for them. Teresa trained riders to ride, tack and care for the horse.
Her horses all come with interesting histories and it is here that my family spent some our our greatest moments together.
My Mom enjoyed it, watching the horses as they perked up there ears for a carrot or two.
and the kids enjoyed, as did I, brushing and loving the horses.
Teresa allowed us to brush and care for the horses and she made sure her riders knew all of them.
They were wonderful, all so different in temperament, demeaner, stride , just like people.
In the end you couldn't decide which was your favorite.
My personal favorite was an old Black horse, Toby. He had beautiful eyes and looked at you with such expression.
I loved to brush him but what was special about him was that he peed on himself.
Teresa would laugh at my choice of horses but agreed Toby was a good kind trail horse, who did his job obediently and well.
Toby's best friend was Prince, another, even older, horse. Prince was special in that he knew how to bow. He was a real Prince.
James was a gorgeous, big muscular fellow, red in color with white feet.
What a hunk of a horse! He was a favorite and I think Teresa had many offers for him but she wouldn't sell because she wanted people who were kind to the horse and did not abuse him by riding him into the ground. She let me know she would consider me if I offered, seeing how much we all loved her horses. I didn't because I had no where to keep him.
James was a caring horse and carried himself so beautifully one would be proud to ride him.
He was a weaver and we'd laugh saying to him he would make a great babysitter rocking babies to sleep.
Unfortunately James got a twisted gut problem and Teresa couldn't fix it so he died and every one was extremely upset over this, especially Teresa's girls, who were so protective of all their horses.
Another horse my son liked to ride was Maestro. He was a white horse similar to the picture up top, and enjoyable to ride in the National park.
He was a favorite with the ladies who would dress him up fancy and lacy for the events Teresa would put on to make it fun for the kids and parents.

Whenever we'd go there, we'd pass by this farmers market which sold bushel bags of broken unsellable carrots for horses, for 2 dollars a bag So we'd always buy one or two to treat the horses. They'd all line up when they would see a bag in your hand and it's amazing just how alert they are, cause otherwise you'd think they were not watching you lol
God forbid you miss one cause he will not let you forget it. lol
That summer I made blankets for the horses my kids rode costumes and I also got a fly mask for a sample to look at. They were expensive and tore anyway cause horses roll and rub. I thought I could make them at home much cheaper and so I made 40 of them and Teresa was very happy to get them for her horses. Also shoe ing a horse every month was no small thing cause hooves always grow. It cost 100 dollars a month to shoe a horse. Of course you could always train them to go shoeless. You learn an awful lot around horses.
When it came to barrel races, everyone wanted a big horse but once they were all taken someone had to get the pony Teresa had. Well, being little, this pony never lost any races. He could go round those barrels so fast, no big horse had a chance. By the time Teresa finished showing him every one wanted to ride him and she'd laugh. It gave her great pleasure to say no because she had a weight limit for ponies and most of the kids outgrew him already.
We had a great time at Langley 204 and mostly because of this wonderful Teresa who trained people not to just be riders but to love and care for these wonderful gentle beasts who would give their lives to save a man they loved, in trouble.
Horses have been known to step over and keep babies under their feet to protect them from wolves and other dangers. They have been used to protect soldiers in war and would never leave the man they loved. They would even try to lift and drag him away from danger.
No car would ever do this.
I feel, that with so many horses dying today, cities should try to bring back the horse into public life.
It would be a great reason to create more green spaces and parks and there is nothing so
soothing than to have a relationship brushing and caring for a big gentle animal who stands quietly while you fuss over it and feel him breathing through those big lungs and nostrils.
Next to a dog, the horse, is mans best friend.
In BC, universities offer courses in horse care and it would be a good thing to take if you ever want to own a horse. Knowing more would save you some money and you would also have a trade to offer on the side, in horse care.