Here is the winning essay I wrote. Enjoy!
What This Horse Will Mean to
Me
“If God made anything more beautiful
than a horse, he kept it for himself.” (Author Unknown). In this essay, you
will read about my journey as a horse lover. We will start with my story, and then
we will talk about my situation. I will talk about my future and my potential
care plan. And finally what I would do with the colt. Now it is time to mount
up and start reading.
My story starts out with my grandpa,
who put me on his horse when I was just 2 years old. He led me around, whenever
I visited. He is the biggest reason I love horses and am writing this essay in
a quest to own my own horse. Another reason is my best friend’s mom, who is a
horse lover too. As an equestrian lady, she taught me how to properly ride and
how to do groundwork. She brought me on some trail rides. For three years now,
I have cared for her horses when she travels. She said,
“Aaron has a passion for horses like I've never seen before…. I am so
impressed with what a knowledgeable and capable horseman Aaron has grown to
become…. I trust him implicitly with my animals and I never worry when I am
away.”
When I was nine, my grandpa, who lives two hours away, bought
a pony at a horse sale. I would ride that little pony bareback in a halter and
lead rope. When I performed natural horsemanship training with her, grandpa
would look at me and say, “What does that do?” I would explain what I was
doing, why I was doing it and how it helped both the horse and the rider. Two
years ago, my family and me were at our local parade and saw a 4H Club riding their
horses. Next to us, a lady wearing a 4H shirt cheered. I found a 4H horse club
that day, which is only 5 miles from our home! I am now leasing a 14-year-old
horse and I ride almost every day. I even got to ride in the parade. My grandpa
gave his pony Princess to us last fall; my little sister rides her since I’ve
outgrown her. I spent the winter training Princess to pull a cart. Thanks
grandpa for getting me started!!!
It can be challenging to grow up
loving horses as a boy! A 4H horse project guy is like a cup of coffee: older
people love it and younger people hate it, generally speaking. Adults love that
I am interested in horses. Some teenagers are kind of like “Eww!” As a 7th
grader, I am 13 years old and still have five more years left in 4H. Recently, I
realized I really want a foal or yearling to train from the ground up. My
parents have always said, “If it’s meant to be, an opportunity will present
itself.” When I heard of this essay contest for a horse, I started shaking in
my chair thinking, “This could be it!!!” Because I was told I could be anything
I wanted, I wanted to be a horse when I was 4 or 5 years old. Now I want to be
a horse trainer, run a therapy riding stable and lead a 4H club when I grow up.
I have a lot more to learn! I would love to continue my equine journey with a
horse I can call my own!
In my future, I see myself running
a ranch that specializes in youth development. I believe that horses have powerful
hearts that will bring out the true you as they did for me. When a horse and a
human come together, amazing things can happen with patience and perseverance. Horses
taught me to be a leader. Once I started riding regularly, I became a whole new
person who stands up for what I believe in. The first year that I rode a lot my
old football coach said, “Where did you get all of your leadership skills?” Of
course, I didn’t know it was from horses but now I realize it is. I wish that
more youth would realize the things that I do. Now my mission is to start a
ranch that can strengthen youth to become young adults. I want to pass on information
that is not taught in schools. To train a horse takes hard work, patience, and
consistency. On my ranch for youth, I could see myself training horses. I would
love to start with my own as soon as possible and be buddies for life! Using
horses to heal people may be my life’s work.
Variety is the spice in life, and
with horses. At least twice a week, the 4H club practices different events in
preparation for the fair. With so many kids and horses, there are a lot of
ideas, questions, and answers at these riding events. I learn a lot as I help
the farrier and vet when they come out to the farm. I participate in the Anoka
County horse committee meetings and am a member of the Northwest Saddle Club. I
mentor a young kid in the Horseless Horse 4H project. Additional community
service projects of mine include MN Horse Expo, pony rides at Farm Fest, and
the Anoka County Tack Swap. I run “Round ‘Em Up” Pet Sitting; my newest
customer watched me effectively handle her spunky thoroughbreds and commented,
“You just have a nature with horses.” In addition to hands-on, I learn a lot by
researching horses using books, magazines, and videos. As you can see, besides
competing at the fair, I am active in a variety of horse related activities;
winning this contest will further expand my knowledge of horse and life.
If I end up winning this contest, the
horse would board at my 4H club leaders farm, which is about five miles from my
home. They have many horses at their property, including my sister’s pony Princess.
They have many acres, a barn for shelter, and a riding arena. My leased horse
was born and trained there and he has been to the Anoka County Fair every year. My 4H leaders have owned horses for a very long
time and know a lot about them. They always encourage me to learn new things. They
will help me train and care for this colt. As a home schooled kid, I have a lot
of time to research different training methods and work with the foal. I will
do anything and everything to make sure he is happy and healthy. The care for
this horse will be outstanding!!!
With any horse, it’s vital to start
training at the bottom with a firm foundation and work up. Trust is a key; in
order to gain trust, you have to give trust. Once you trust your horse, he will
trust you. I believe that one horse can be good at anything with the right handler.
I plan on training this colt to be a pleasure and a gaming horse. I’d like to
train him to do other fun events such as roping, mounted shooting, and even
cattle work. I would desensitize him to walk over tarps, through water, over
and under bridges, and to handle any other obstacle that presents itself in our
path. Before all of this, I will teach him how to pick up his hooves, stand
still for grooming and allow work being done on him. Sometimes, I will just
groom and bond with him. I learned some equine massage, which I do with my
leased horse; he loves it and I enjoy it also. Watching horses move, eat and
play with each other is something I enjoy doing and will help me increase my
knowledge in natural horsemanship. I believe a firm foundation will lead to a
successful relationship between horse and rider!
Now you know a little bit about what
this horse will mean to me. Ever since I was young, I prayed and prayed for a
horse. My prayers are slowly coming true: I currently lease a horse and my
grandpa’s pony is here now. In the last two years of 4H, I’ve worked on lead
changes, carriage driving, collection, side passing, and slide stops, just to
name a few. In this essay, I shared my dreams for this horse and of my life. I
told you how this horse would help me and I will help him. If he comes to my possession,
he will be one lucky horse and I would be an even luckier person. One thing is
for sure: if I get him, you can come see him and me any time you want, because
the longer we are together the more your mouth will drop.
