Personal Essay: Pursuing A Horse

Since I was about ten, I have been obsessed with horses. Obsessed truly is a good term for my enchantment with equines, but a girlhood obsession is much different from the obsession of young adulthood. My interest persisted long after most childhood infatuations do. I began by researching horse breeds extensively and learning to draw the animals. Eventually, my mother appeased me with regular horse lessons, but horseback riding is an expensive hobby. Riding requires lots of equipment from ten-dollar brushes to six hundred dollar saddles. Leasing a horse is equivalent to a car payment, and owning a horse demands much more investment. I have always been conscious that my family is not wealthy, and this cognizance manifested as a great awareness of costs. I chose tack and other items to complement my hobby with great care. I never requested a saddle, for my riding centers have always offered saddles to use. I gathered curry combs, hard brushes, a hoof pick, a halter, and other smaller items for good horse care with a focus on durable, long-lasting items. I used homemade fly spray rather than buying expensive professional brands. I was soon prepared for my lessons as much as possible and enjoying myself each week. …show more content…
My already hefty schedule of the bowling team, theatre, several AP courses, and dual credit classes did not allow the time for my hobby. Even though I willingly decided to suspend my lessons for a time, I quickly missed the personality of horses and of those peculiar people like me who are drawn to them. I became, as I told my mother on rough days, “homesick for horses” during my self-imposed sabbatical. For a year, I tried to keep my longing to ride in the back of my