My First Horse

"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse." - Robert Smith Surtees

    To give you some history as to why I started this, I got my first horse when I was 9 from my step-grandparents, Paul and Jan.  They own a Paso Fino horse ranch called Hacienda de los Niños. Her name was San Ann Del Compañero and she had all the energy in the world. She was a Paso Fino and she taught me just as much about having a horse as my grandparents did. Sanny, as she was nicknamed, was a red chestnut (tan) color and had a small blaze of white on her face and some white on her legs called "socks."  She had chosen me as her human and we were quite a pair. Sanny was a broodmare on their ranch and she had spent many years taking care of babies and teaching them how to be the proper horse.  She also taught many humans how to respect a horse when riding them.  She was a challenge for most folks, but for me she was a sweetiepie.  She loved to move out or go fast on the trails and for a 9 year old that was the best thing ever. I could do anything to that horse that I wanted and she always looked after me even when I was doing something that was not all that smart. 
    Being a kid in a divorced family, it was nice to have a friend that I could tell anything to without having to worry about what I was saying. Even though my horse didn't have the answers I needed, she gave my life new meaning.