Horse Crazy 4 Life

Hi, my name is Tonia and I’m a horse-a-holic. It started at an early age: Drawing horses, writing stories about horses, reading the entire Saddle Club series over and over again, watching horse movies (“Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken!” amiright??), and keeping long, evolving lists of horse names.

Growing up in rural northern Wisconsin, my parents had a maple syrup operation. They used a Shire mare named Charity to pull a sleigh through the woods with a tank on it, into which we would pour the sap we collected from the maple trees. She was my first exposure to horses; a saint of a horse and a hard worker. When we weren’t using her for hauling sap, we would ride her bareback through the woods with just a halter- my dad in back and me wedged between him and her withers. We’d tie her to our front porch to groom her, and my brother and I would run in and out under her legs…she never moved a muscle. 

After Charity retired and went to live the easy life at a nearby draft horse breeding farm, there came George- a huge chestnut Clydesdale gelding who had been used by a summer camp as a lesson horse. He loved kids and treats, and was so people-oriented that we could let him loose to graze our backyard and he wouldn’t run away. We used him for making maple syrup for several years. 

By that time I was nine years old and totally horse-crazy. My parents let me start taking riding lessons at a stable in town (Pine Ridge Equestrian Center,  Jayme Nelson) and I continued to ride there until I moved away to college. Jayme was a huge influence on me. I was at the barn, working or riding, nearly every day. It was my second home and I learned so much during my years of being a “barn rat”.

Due to a lack of fear and a fair amount of solid riding skills for my young age and small size, I was the kid that my trainer stuck on all the naughty, green ponies that came through the barn for training. I got dumped a lot, and ultimately learned how to stick to the saddle when a pony’s busting moves. That experience training greenies to be fancy hunter ponies was one of the most useful educations I have ever received.

I was 13 when my parents finally realized the horse-crazy-disease doesn’t have a cure, and they gave up and bought me my first equine…a little black and white mystery-mutt pony named Moo. We competed hunter/jumper together, and cleaned house (he was so cute, and a super little jumper.) Moo was a talented little fart, and we went up to 3’6″ hunters together. 

When I outgrew Moo, I sold him to one of his many admirers. She went on to compete very successfully with him as well, and still owns him to this day. He is retired now, and is a very loved and pampered little dude.

By the age of 15, in addition to working at the barn, I was working at a coffee shop on weekends and in the summers to help contribute to the expenses of board, lessons and horse shows. My parents helped me buy my first big horse, a 15.3 hh TB retired racehorse gelding named Jack. Jack was bay with a thin blaze and one white sock in back. His eyes were kind and his face was narrow and pretty. He had a lot of OTTB energy and athleticism, but was also forgiving and kind.

It was a huge change to ride something that powerful. Jack was pretty fresh off the track, and only knew the basics of w,t,c when we brought him home. But I was lucky to be under the supervision of a great trainer, and after only one winter together, we began to compete hunter/jumper and did very well. My bond with Jack became very deep…anyone who has owned a TB knows how they wear their souls on their sleeves and you can’t help but fall in love. 

Meanwhile, I was also training a Norwegian Fjord colt my family had bought. We wanted a new horse for the maple syrup operation, and the Fjord breed is extremely smart, strong, and are easy-kepers. His name was Loki and we bought him when he was only 10 hours old (Fjords are expensive, so buying a newborn was the only way my family could afford it).

I wanted to try something different and take a Natural Horsemanship route with him, so I was watched Perelli videos from the library every night, and then would try out the techniques with Loki. He went through some naughty-teenager-phases, but overall was pretty easy to train. He worked hard for us pulling maple sap, and I rode him on trails. I sold him as a six-year-old who rode and drove so well that a driving school bought him to use for lessons! I didn’t want to say goodbye, but was so proud of him at the same time. He’s still living there- on 100 acres of rolling pasture with 12 other Fjords- giving driving lessons and living a happy horse life.

I sold Jack too, when it was time for me to go off to college. I was pretty torn up, having to say goodbye to my two beloved horses. I knew from a young age that horses would be a big part of my life forever…but I also felt the need to focus on school for the time being. So off to the city I went, to live and learn. Long story short, I graduated after four years with a Communications degree, spent five years working a corporate job I hated, got married, settled down in a small town, and went right back to pining after horses.

As soon as we could afford it- which was this past December- my husband and I bought a 16.3 chestnut TB gelding named Pie (after the horse from the famous movie/book National Velvet starring Elizabeth Taylor.) He’s a beaut. I’m in love. He was never raced, but was bred down in KY at a big racing farm. Sold to a jumping barn in IL, and then scooped up by a dressage barn in the town where we now live because of his beautiful movement. I’ve never had such a fancy horse, so I’m pretty much freakin’ out.

So that’s my story, and here I am, re-discovering horses after a long hiatus in which I realized I was right the first time- horses are my life. I’m good at it. I love it. I shouldn’t try to do other things, because this is what I was made for.

Welcome to this journey of trials, lessons, joys, challenges, and awe-inspiring moments in the life of a horse-lover.

Peace, Love, Horses-
Tonia

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