A horse lover pens her early memoir in the saddle

By Nadine Gilmer
Sun contributor
Like many horseback riders I began riding at a young age, although I started later than most. Since the day I learned what horses were I have loved them. When my parents and I drove to Traverse of Empire I would watch out the window for horses in their pastures. I thought they were so beautiful. I also began to draw horses, and by the time I was five, my drawings were distinguishable as four-hoofed beauties. Once I mastered drawing, I learned in school to write about my first love, a skill I used to pen a book about a life with horses. My father would take me to the library to check out books about horses and read them to me at home. As young people often do I soaked up all his words. My friends and I would collect Barbie horses and make herds with stallions, lead mares, watch horses and everything in between.

Then one glorious day when I was eight, my father asked me if I wanted riding lessons. I stared at him, dumbfounded. I expected him to shout, “just kidding!” but he didn’t. It turned out that he had recently run into an old friend who now owned a horse and gave young people lessons. I was ecstatic. I was to wake up at 7:30 on Saturday mornings … where … for my lessons. Initially, I rode a Quarter Horse Arabian mix named ‘Tis A Boy. The first time I sat on top of him I was terrified of his size. But I gradually grew accustomed to his monstrous height and everything else about him. I rode ‘Tis A Boy for almost two years before my first horse had to change barns.
After that I stopped riding for almost a year, until one day Dad took me to another woman who gave lessons. I enrolled in a summer program that was designed to teach young people how to care for a horse if they ever wanted to own one, themselves. Three mornings a week we would wake up early and muck out stalls; feed and water the horses; and give them their minerals. Later, we were each assigned a horse, and we rode together in a group. I rode a tall buckskin name Beaut (short for beauty). Occasionally, we would ride in the ring where our riding instructor shouted out suggestions to us, or we would ride along a trail.
The following summer our group was smaller because some of the girls had gotten their own horses. I was terribly envious of them, so even after the program ended I rode whenever I could. Eventually, my parents leased a horse for me, but I had to work to keep him at the barn. I worked four mornings a week and received $6 an hour, but half of that went to pay off the lease. Every day after I had cleaned the barn and completed the morning chores I would go riding. The horse that I leased was named Clipper. Like ‘Tis A Boy, he was tall, but of the color bay (brown with black stocking sand with a black mane and tail). I leased him for a year, and during that time I received two lessons a month. But when I didn’t have lessons I ride off on trails through the maple trees, ferns and amber fields. I was very happy on top of my beloved Clipper, but all good things come to an end. After a year we were no longer able to lease him, but I could still ride in exchange for doing chores.
Today my friends and I all ride, and they participate in 4H. Our equestrian 4H location is called Hidden Beach Equestrians and is run by Eleanor Miller. The horse 4Hers hold horseshows in this summer, so they are extremely busy. The first 4H open show this year was held on June 19; the second was the 4H achievement day show on July 2. Our 4H’ers will also appear at this year’s fair, from August 7-13, with horse shows on Monday, August 8 and Friday, August 12.
In the springtime the 4H’ers hold a “horse bowl”. They organize teams and study everything there is to know about the equestrian world, before meeting people from other 4H groups and holding a competition to determine who knows more about horses. 4H also offers a kid camp, where participants learn the basics of riding over a few days. The children are taught how to ride, lunge, brush and lead their horse. They also learn breed names, colors and safety precautions that will protect them when riding and being around horses. The last day of camp features a show where they can impress their friends and families with the new skills they’ve acquired. Kids camp this year runs from August 22-26.
Apart from 4H there are other equestrian-related events happening in northern Michigan. August offers an endurance race on the shore-to-shore trail, which has one leg stretching from Empire to Oscoda and another from Mackinaw City to Cadillac. The riders travel 50 miles a day for five days.
In addition, Horse shows by the Bay, an excellent opportunity to see Michigan’s best hunter/jumper riders, gallops into Traverse City from July 13-17. Horse shows by the Bay is our area’s $25,000 Grand Prix, and most shows are open to the public.
So gear up for a busy summer that could leave you hoarse. From Horse Shows by the Bay, 4H and endurance riding, there’s plenty to fill your saddle.