I want to take this post and make it personal to me and I hope some of you can relate as well.
Your first horse is a horse that you will never forget. They're the horse that taught you everything you know and put up with you through it all. They gave you the confident to move onto that step-up horse or showed you the ways of the show ring. They might have been the little short pony that showed you there is no dirt road out there as bumpy as a pony. For me it wasn't the normal story.
My first horse was 16.3 h.h. and he showed every bit of his height. His legs were long and looked like he could've just came off the track. His muscles looked as if they were carved to shape. His hooves looked like platypus. He always held his head high, like he was looking 100 miles away to see what was coming. His ears were ears were perfectly proportioned to his conformation and his muzzle was as soft as they come. He looked like a soldier ready for battle with his sleek lines and strong frame. Everything about him was strong, but when you looked into his eyes you saw his soul and that folks was beautiful. He was a protector, a lover, a healer, a guardian, and my Samson. His eyes looked as if they could calm a storm and quiet a baby. They made you feel safe whenever he looked at you. One look and you could tell how that ride was going to be.
The reason we decided on the name Samson was because in the bible there is the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was very strong and he fell in love with Delilah, even though she would betray him. He killed many in his death, but saved even more.
Whenever I got on to ride Samson, my mom would whisper in his ear "take care of your girl." and I'm sure he understood exactly what his job was.
Oh he challenged me... He played games with me and tried to get away with everything he possibly could. He made me a stronger rider and now I look back on it he was probably doing it on purpose because he knew it was only going to make me better.
My first show with him was pretty terrible. He loved showmanship and we always placed. We never went into a showmanship class without placing. The riding classes were a different story. I was in walk trot classes and Samson was not a walk trot horse. I had full control of him though, I never once doubted my safety. He was still taking care of me even though he sure didn't look it on the outside. People would look at us and say that my parents were crazy for buying a horse like him for me, but what they didn't realize is that "crazy" horse was probably 10 times safer then their kids little pony.
Samson passed away three years ago February 19. It took me a long time to realize that writing about him would somehow make me feel better.
The day Samson passed away is a day that I'll never forget. It's always one of my biggest regrets.
When Samson was younger he was a fantastic jumper, but as many of you probably know it takes a toll on the horses body. He had terrible hocks as a result and severe arthritis. He fell one day and when he got back up he wasn't the same. Oh he still had the spirit that's for sure, but his body just wasn't keeping up with his mind. I was at school when my mom texted me and told me I needed to get home. It was three days after Samson's initial fall and I knew it wasn't going to be good when I got home. He fell and wasn't getting back up. Even typing it now makes my heart stop.
I was always the good kid (or at least I tried) and I didn't want to get up and just leave class so I waited until the office called my teacher to release me. That's my biggest regret too. If I would've just left I probably could've been there for him. He was there for me all those times and the one time he needed me I couldn't be there.
When I got home it was to late. Samson was gone and I was to late. When I walked in the barn I knew he was gone when I looked at my dad. That man doesn't cry to often and the only time I have seen him cry is when he knows I'm hurting. He said "I'm so sorry." I looked in the stall and there he was.
I remember the whole day, all three of them actually, but the image that remains in my head is his eyes. Lifeless, gone, nothing. I can never and never will be able to shake that image out of my head. He was gone and he'll never be back.
So after that long story you might have tears streaming down your face like I do right now or you might be saying "well I'll never get that time back.", but what I hope you can take from my first horse is don't take anything for granted. Don't let people tell you you can't and don't look past a horse or a person just because they don't fit the mold of what it's "supposed" to be. Samson was the best thing that has ever happened to me and his death has left a huge hole in my heart. Things won't be the same after you lose them, but the time you have with them is going to be something else. So wether you're in the market for your first horse or your last horse just remember, the eyes look into the soul of the horse. Maybe next time you look at that little girl on that horse that just looks all to big for them, you'll think of Samson. His body may be gone and I will never be able to look out my window and see him again, but his soul can live on. Not only with me, but with all of you.
With love,
The Modern Equestrian
Fly high Samson...
My dear Samson a year after he came into our family.
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