The Horses We Love, The Lessons We Learn , livre ebook

The Horses We Love, The Lessons We Learn
Tena Bastian

Wiley Publishing, Inc.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2007 by Tena Bastian. All rights reserved.
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bastian, Tena.
The horses we love, the lessons we learn / Tena Bastian.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-11425-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-470-11425-8
1. Horses-Anecdotes. 2. Horsemen and horsewomen-Anecdotes. 3. Horsemanship-Anecdotes. 4. Human-animal relationships-Anecdotes. I. Title.
SF301.B37 2007
636.1-dc22
2006036943
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Book design by LeAndra Hosier
Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
Tell me a story, Daddy
About when you were young
Sing to me a song
That your Mama might have sung
When she rocked you in your cradle
Did she sing you lullabies
Before the bough breaks, Daddy
I need to see you through her eyes
Describe to me a million stars
On a long hot summer night
Hold me like you used to
And make everything all right
Tell me about the porch swing
Your old dog, the people you would meet
Tell me again how you would walk to school
With no shoes upon your feet
Did you go to church on Sunday
Did you sit in the very first pew
Please, tell me a story, Daddy
About the horses that you knew
When you bowed your head and prayed to God
Did he hear your prayers somehow
Tell me the words that you used to say
Because I need to repeat them now
Just tell me one more story
Before you close your eyes
And I will hold you in my heart forever
No tears, no sad goodbyes
Every story you leave behind
Through every memory
I will come to know just who I am
By the boy you used to be
I will share every story
From the first word to the last
I will find my faith through your belief
My future through your past
And when your life is over
It will be your legacy
Tell me a story, Daddy
And you will live on through me.
In Loving Memory of my father, Ellis Ward Coker Pawdaddy
Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One
Dewey: Experience Is the Best Teacher
Chapter Two
Red: Living Your Dream
Chapter Three
Hollywood: Missed Opportunities

Chapter Four
Clarissa: Relationships and Limitations
Chapter Five
Bart: Trusting Your Instincts
Chapter Six
Baby: Trial and Error

Chapter Seven
Harley and Star: Second Chances
Chapter Eight
Mac and Flower: Finding Your Niche
Chapter Nine
This Beau s Eligible: Reaping What You Sow

Chapter Ten
Joker: Regret
Chapter Eleven
Charlie: Facing Adversity
Chapter Twelve
Teddy: On Death and Dying

Chapter Thirteen
Checkers: Children and Competition
Chapter Fourteen
Magic: Discovering Pure Joy
Chapter Fifteen
Osado: Pride

Chapter Sixteen
Breezy: Sharing Your Passion with Others
Chapter Seventeen
Eve: A Christmas Blessing
Chapter Eighteen
The Mexican Pony: Trust

Chapter Nineteen
Pride: High Expectations
Chapter Twenty
The Sorrel Mare: Disappointment
Chapter Twenty One
Sparky: The Miracle of Birth

Chapter Twenty Two
Hootie: Survival
Reflections
Acknowledgments
To my husband, Bear, for all the years that he has loved me beyond my greatest expectation.
To Dusty, Jennifer, and Garrett, for filling my life with laughter, love, and hope for the future.
To Lynn Northrup, for her editing expertise. To Courtney Doss at Wrangler Corporation, who dresses me in style even when I am quite content in my pajama pants and old hoodies. To Kate Epstein, my agent, for always understanding my creative process of thinking.
To the entire horse industry for supporting us through the most difficult time in our lives.
To Jacci Moss, Dr. Cindy Thurston, and all the volunteers at Friends of Felines and Earth Angels in Defiance, Ohio.
In loving memory of Rex Wiley, Jack Osgerby, Mr. Metcalf, and Patience Prebeg Haas.
To my mom, dad, and brothers and sisters for giving me roots; and to God for giving me wings and faith enough to believe that all things are possible.
Pawdaddy-boxes of photos, endless stories, morning talks, and a father who loved me. My life is perfect and I will miss you.
About the Author
Known to many for her work as a Western poet, Tena Bastian is a previously published author and clinician. She has presented seminars at Equine Affaire in Ohio, Kentucky, and California; as well as at the Western States Horse Expo, the North American Horse Spectacular, and the South Dakota Horse Fair, to name a few.
Tena has been involved with horses for most of her life. She and her husband own a small ranch in Ohio, where they raise, train, and breed horses, including three-time world-qualifying Palomino stallion, This Beau s Eligible. Tena s previous book, The Foal is the Goal: Managing Your Mare and Handling a Stallion, was published by Trafalgar Square Publishing. Her poem, Iron Horse, was released on a limited-edition print and was featured in several major equine magazines. The original was auctioned at the All American Quarter Horse Congress to raise money for the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). You can contact Tena at www.bearbackranch.com .
Introduction
E very morning, when I walk out to my barn, I am given a gift. Whether it is the soft, familiar nicker of an old friend or the excitement of meeting the newest resident, it is a precious gift that I know I will treasure for the rest of my life. It doesn t make any difference how bad my day is going, the next morning when it is quiet and I begin a new day, I go out to my barn, and all is right with the world. Likewise, every person that we meet in our lives is a gift.
Each of us has the ability to change a life every, single day. We have the power to make someone smile just by how we greet that person. I believe in a universal subconscious, and I believe that each of us contributes to it in a way that can change the energy of the entire world. If we greet all the people we meet with a smile and a kind word, it sets off a spark in them that they pass along to others. The recent events in the world have created such a negativity within the universal subconscious that it makes it extremely difficult to face the challenges in our lives. I have learned through experience that horses can teach us so much about ourselves and how we view the world around us. It is in that perception that we can strive to make our lives, and the lives that we touch, more fulfilling.
Horses are incredibly perceptive, and this is their first similarity to human beings. They have taught me that if I enter that barn with a negative attitude, I am going to get negativity back, and I am going to be responsible for setting the mood for my entire day. So every morning when I enter my barn, I do so with the same excitement that should be applied to the beginning of everyone s day. These creatures