The Horse Girl

Our family moved around like gypsies for years. It seems like job changes came on a regular three-year cycle. I occasionally wondered if the frequent relocations benefitted or harmed the kids' social psyches.

Anyway, one of the moves was to Fallston, a small town in NE Maryland. My daughter Jane, KarenKool's older sister, was in Paradise when she got her first horse. One day, my BBB while dredging through the Saturday paper for weekend yard sales, came upon an add, "Horse for Sale - $100". Well, guess what? The next thing I knew - I was on my way with check in pocket - to a house about 10 miles away. I had no horse trailer, no saddle, no bridle - no nothing except a mission "Get a Horse" and get it home in one piece.

After finding the place, by the grace of God, meeting the older gentleman owner, paying the $100, and making friends with Kris, [the small - docile horse], who I think might have even been my age, I started back home on foot, with the rope bridle that Kris was tied up with when I found him. The return trek took all day. We arrived home at about sunset - but what joy there was in the Peele household. Jane soon learned to ride Kris and we acquired saddle and tack. She began riding English style - with all the garb and even competed in local shows. She was in her glory. About a year later, when she really became serious about riding and competing, a lady who really liked Kris, asked to take him and arranged for a trade up to a larger and younger horse. [Is horse trading like buying used cars?] Jane agreed and she became the owner of Patrick - who you'll see in a few lines down from here. BTW, the neighborhood girls all seemed to come up with horses of their own and a local 'horse-girl-gang' was formed. It got so bad that they would have brought their horses inside to sleep with them, if they could. I even think the girls sometimes sneeked out and slept in the barn with their steeds [sleepovers]. I do know they used every excuse possible to go to a nearby stream and wash down their horses and swim with them.

After a year or so, a rising storm started brewing. My next assignment was looming up in North Carolina and would be happening soon. It was going to be a heart breaker because Patrick wasn't going to be able come along with a family of eight. This was a disappointing time in Jane's life. But, I guess we all have to confront those bumps in our roads of life. All-in-all, she accepted it like a trooper and went on, although there was sadness for quite awhile.

Years later, Jane and Gary [her husband] bought horses and some property for pasture, where they now live in North Carolina. They kept them for a time, but later sold the horses and property and concentrated on other ventures.

Often, when we visit Jane we always see her English riding hat or some other piece of tack. It brings back good memories of a nice time, a great place to live and good friends. We occasionally talk about how nice it was to live in Maryland.