Blue Ribbon Champ (7 page)
Authors: Marsha Hubler
“I just want to say that I’ve been watching you guys for a long time, especially Skye. Chad’s been inviting me to your church, but I thought you all were a bunch of fakes. I thought Skye was the biggest phony of all.”
Skye put her hand on Champ’s neck, twisting his mane in her fingers. She looked at the ground.
Hannah continued. “But I’ve noticed how you treat everybody the same. With kindness. And Skye? When
you let Joey ride your horse after what happened at the Fourth of July program, I knew you were for real. I’d really like to come to your church. Would you be okay with that?”
Skye looked at Hannah with eyes as big as the medallions on the blue hat. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Mrs. Chambers took one step toward Hannah and reached for the girl’s hand. “Of course, Hannah; that’ll be more than okay. We’d love to have you, wouldn’t we, kids?”
“Sure,” Joey said. “We love you, and Jesus loves you too.”
The others joined in with their agreement.
“I have to go,” Hannah said, hurrying away. “My class is up next. See you all later.”
“Later,” Morgan said.
Skye was still standing with her mouth open.
“Well,” Mr. Chambers said, “how about that?”
Skye looked up into the faces of all her friends. “I can’t believe it. She really meant that, didn’t she?”
Mrs. Chambers’ blue eyes sparkled. “I think she did, honey. Which goes to show, you never know how your actions—or reactions—are going to affect someone else.”
“I—I just wanted to do what was right,” Skye said. “I never thought my letting Joey ride Champ would matter to anyone but me.”
“Cloud, it mattered to me.” Joey held up his prize. “Look! I won a blue ribbon.”
Skye gave Joey her best smile. “And I’m really glad for you, Joey.”
“I’ve been thinkin’ a whole big bunch lately,” Joey said. “And do you know what?”
“What?” Mr. Chambers looked both amused and curious.
“Yeah, tell us,” one student said.
“Well, Skye’s my lovely queen.” Joey ambled toward Morgan, reached up, and handed her the blue ribbon. “But Morgan’s my new girlfriend! She’s the prettiest princess I ever knew.”
“It must be the freckles!” Chad said.
Everyone broke into boisterous laughter.
Skye joined her friends in the special moment of fun. Her eyes met Morgan’s, whose blushing face portrayed a painful,
I can’t believe this!
Skye glanced at Chad. In heart-fluttering style, he glanced back with his dimpled smile.
Then Skye studied Mr. and Mrs. Chambers, her mom and dad, who had loved her through all the tough times, who had loved her in spite of herself. Their faces beamed with pride, that special pride reserved for parents of special kids.
Skye looked at Joey, now dumping all his affection on Morgan, and her heart filled with a new understanding of a special way to love a boy like Joey Klingerman. Now she realized that God loved Joey and had made him for a purpose. Maybe part of that purpose was for Skye Nicholson to grow in the Lord.
At last, Skye understood. She understood that God also loved her no matter what, and she understood that loving God also meant loving others—no matter what. Thanks to Mom and Dad Chambers, Morgan, Chad, and Joey, she now knew what that meant. She would never be the same.
“Now let’s all go get something to eat!” Mr. Chambers captured everyone’s attention, and a raucous cheer erupted.
Skye threw her arms around her horse’s neck and gave him a kiss on his soft, warm cheek. “That’s cool,” she said. “Really cool.”
Dear Reader,
Are you crazy about horses like I am? Are you fortunate enough to have a horse now, or are you dreaming about the day when you will have one of your very own?
I’ve been crazy about horses ever since I can remember. When I was a child, I lived where I couldn’t have a horse. Even if I had lived in the country, my folks didn’t have the money to buy me one. So, as I grew up in a small coal town in central Pennsylvania, I dreamed about horses and collected horse pictures and horse models. I drew horse pictures and wrote horse stories, and I read every horse book I could get my hands on.
For Christmas when I was ten, I received a leather-fringed western jacket and a cowgirl hat. Weather permitting, I wore them when I walked to and from school. On the way, I imagined that I was riding a gleaming white steed into a world of mountain trails and forest paths.
Occasionally, during the summer, my mother took me to a riding academy where I rode a horse for one hour at a time. I always rubbed my hands (and hard!) on my mount before we left the ranch. For the rest of the day I
tried not to wash my hands so I could smell the horse and remember the great time I had. Of course, I never could sit at the dinner table without Mother first sending me to the faucet to get rid of that “awful stench.”
To get my own horse, I had to wait until I grew up, married, and bought a home in the country with enough land for a barn and a pasture. Moon Doggie, my very first horse, was a handsome brown and white pinto Welsh Mountain Pony. Many other equines came to live at our place where, in later years, my husband and I also opened our hearts to foster kids who needed a caring home. Most of the kids loved the horses as much as I did.
Although owning horses and rearing foster kids are now in my past, I fondly remember my favorite steed, who has long since passed from the scene. Rex, part Quarter Horse and part Tennessee Walker, was a 14 1/2 hands-high bay. Rex was the kind of horse every kid dreams about. With a smooth walking gait, he gave me a thrilling ride every time I climbed into the saddle. Yet, he was so gentle, a young child could sit confidently on his back. Rex loved sugar cubes and nuzzled my pockets to find them. When cleaning his hooves, all I had to do was touch the target leg, and he lifted his hoof into my waiting hands. Rex was my special horse, and although he died at the ripe old age of twenty-five many years ago, I still miss him.
If you have a horse now or just dream about the day when you will, I beg you to do all you can to learn how to treat with tender love and respect one of God’s most beautiful creatures. Horses make wonderful pets, but
they require much more attention than a dog or a cat. For their loyal devotion to you, they only ask that you love them in return with the proper food, a clean barn, and the best of care.
Although Skye and Joey’s story that you just read is fiction, the following pages contain horse facts that any horse lover will enjoy. It is my desire that these pages will help you to either care for your own horse better now or prepare you for that moment when you’ll be able to throw your arms around that one special horse of your dreams that you can call your very own.
Happy riding!
Marsha Hubler
T
he most exciting moment in any horse lover’s life is to look into the eyes of a horse she can call her very own. No matter how old you are when you buy your first horse, it’s hard to match the thrill of climbing onto his back and taking that first ride on a woodsy trail or dusty road that winds through open fields. A well-trained mount will give you a special friendship and years of pleasure as you learn to work with him and become a confident equestrian team.
But owning a horse involves much more than hopping on his back, racing him into a lather of sweat, and putting him back in his stall until you’re ready to ride him again.
If you have your own horse now, you’ve already realized that caring for a horse takes a great amount of time and money. Besides feeding him twice a day, you must also groom him, clean his stall, “pick” his hooves, and have a farrier (a horseshoe maker and applier) and veterinarian make regular visits.
If you don’t own a horse and you are begging your parents to buy one, please realize that you can’t keep the
horse in your garage and just feed him grass cuttings left over from a mowed lawn. It is a sad fact that too many neglected horses have ended up in rescue shelters after well-meaning families did not know how to properly care for their steeds.
If you feel that you are ready to have your own horse, please take time to answer the following questions. If you say yes to all of them, then you are well on your way to being the proud owner of your very own mount.
- Do you have the money to purchase:
- the horse? (A good grade horse can start at $800. Registered breeds can run into the thousands.)
- a saddle, pad, and bridle, and a winter blanket or raincoat? ($300+ brand new)
- a hard hat (helmet) and riding boots? ($150+)
- essentials such as coat and hoof conditioner, bug repellent, electric clipper and grooming kit, saddle soap, First Aid kit, and vitamins? ($150+)
- the horse? (A good grade horse can start at $800. Registered breeds can run into the thousands.)
- Does your family own at least a one-stall shed or barn and at least two acres of grass (enough pasture for one horse) to provide adequate grazing for your horse during warm months? If not, do you have the money to regularly purchase quality oats and alfalfa/timothy hay, and do you have the place to store the hay? Oh, and let’s not forget the constant supply of sawdust or straw you need for stall bedding!
- Are you ready to get up early enough every day to give your horse a bucket of fresh water, feed him a coffee can full of oats and one or two sections of clean dry hay (if you have no pasture), and “muck out” the manure from the barn?
- Every evening, are you again ready to water and feed your horse, clean the barn, groom him, and pick his hooves?
- Will you ride him at least twice a week, weather permitting?
- If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then does your family have the money to purchase a horse and board him at a nearby stable? (Boarding fees can run as high as a car payment. Ask your parents how much that is.)
So, there you have the bare facts about owning and caring for a horse. If you don’t have your own horse yet, perhaps you’ll do as I did when I was young: I read all the books I could about horses. I analyzed all the facts about the money and care needed to make a horse happy. Sad as it made me feel, I finally realized that I would have to wait until I was much older to assume such a great responsibility. And now years later, I can look back and say, “For the horse’s sake, I’m very glad I did wait.”
I hope you’ve made the decision to give your horse the best possible TLC that you can. That might mean improving his care now or waiting until you’re older to get a horse of your own. Whatever you and your parents decide, please remember that the result of your efforts should be a happy horse. If that’s the case, you will be happy too.
If you are like I was when I was younger, I dreamed of owning the most beautiful horse in the world. My dream horse, with his long-flowing mane and wavy tail dragging on the ground, would arch his neck and prance with only a touch of my hand on his withers or a gentle rub of my boot heel on his barrel. My dream horse was often
different colors. Sometimes he was silvery white; other times he was jet black. He was often a pinto blend of the deepest chocolate browns, blacks, and whites. No matter what color he was, he always took me on a perfect ride, responding to my slightest commands.
When I was old enough to be responsible to care for my own steed, I already knew that the horse of my dreams was just that, the horse of my dreams. To own a prancing pure white stallion or a high-stepping coal-black mare, I would have to buy a Lipizzaner, American Saddle Horse, or an Andalusian. But those kinds of horses were either not for sale to a beginner with a tiny barn or they cost so much, I couldn’t afford one. I was amazed to discover that there are about 350 different breeds of horses, and I had to look for a horse that was just right for me, possibly even a good grade horse (that means not registered) that was a safe mount. Color really didn’t matter as long as the horse was healthy and gave a safe, comfortable ride. (But I’m not sure what my friends might have said if I had a purple horse. That certainly would have been a “horse of a different color!”) Then I had to decide if I wanted to ride western or English style. Well, living in central Pennsylvania farm country with oodles of trails and dirt roads, the choice for me was simple: western.
I’m sure if you don’t have your own horse yet, you’ve dreamed and thought a lot about what your first horse will be. Perhaps you’ve already had a horse, but now you’re thinking of buying another one. What kind should you get?
Let’s look at some of the breeds that are the most popular for both western and English riders today. We’ll briefly trace a few breeds’ roots and characteristics while you decide if that kind of horse might be the one for you. Please keep in mind that this information speaks to generalities of the breeds. If given the proper care and training, most any breeds of horses make excellent mounts as well.
Some Popular Breeds (Based on Body Confirmation)
The Arabian
Sometimes called “The China Doll of the Horse Kingdom,” the Arabian is known as the most beautiful of horse breeds because of its delicate features. Although research indicates Arabians are the world’s oldest and purest breed, it is not known whether they originated in Arabia. However, many Bible scholars believe that the first horse that God created in the Garden of Eden must have embodied the strength and beauty that we see in the Arabian horse of today. It is also believed that all other breeds descended from this gorgeous breed that has stamina as well as courage and intelligence.