My Majesty

Me and Majesty on Rich-Cove Mountain. Shot by my Dad on November 14, 2010.

Hi, I’m going to add on to my last post.  The week after I left Hodges my family went to see my grandfather, who I had only seen a few times.  I was excited.  He lives in Maggie Valley, NC.  It’s about 3 hours away and to me it took forever!  I was so bored.  Finally we got there but on the way my Mom was telling me how he was a mountain man and how once his family owned the whole mountain. But slowly he had to sell the land and he is now left with a small piece.  That’s pretty much all I heard since I tuned out the rest.

When we got there a mountain man was he.  As soon as I got out of the car I was greeted by a dog, a little sweet dog.  A mountain man and a mountain dog equal a mountain life.  I asked the dog's name and he said, “Dog".  My mom and I were talking to my grandfather(Johnny) for about 10 mins and his brother pulls up in the driveway.  My dad had been walking around checking out the property and all of the sudden I hear, “Ms. Arcen come here you have got to see this!"  So I ran back behind the house thinking something was wrong.  I have never seen anything so beautiful and wonderful, so big, and black.  It was a horse!!!!  So I ran back full of excitement. They are all talking and I interrupt with, “I didn’t know you had a horse."  I could barley stand still I was so excited!  I was jumping with joy.  It was one of the greatest moments in my life.  Johnny asked, “Guess her name?"  I guessed something and he said “No, guess again."  He finally said “Horse, her name is Horse.”  So he has a dog named Dog and a horse named Horse, can you believe that?  As I thought about the name knowing it can’t be, I thought Majesty should be her name.  That is what I am going to call her. 

I spent the rest of the day with her, I brushed her and talked to her.    I picked the briers out of her mane and most of all I loved her.  At some point my grandfather asked if I wanted to ride her.  In less then a second I said, “Yes."  We had lunch and then he brought Majesty to the barn and saddled her up.  My dad said he didn’t think it was such a good idea, I didn’t want to ruin the moment so I assured him that I would be fine.  So I got up on her and wow she was huge but gentle like nothing I had felt before.  I walked her up and down the property having the time of my life with Dog right behind us.  A few times Majesty kicked but Dog never got hurt. 

Later in the day before we left my grandfather said she was mine.  All I need is a trailer to take her home and a place to keep her.  Well, I have found a trailer via my mom’s friend and we can board her where I am taking lesions now.  So late spring if all goes well and I have good grades I may get to bring her home.  I am so excited but until then I will have to wait!

I have always heard that when one door closes another opens.

I was told the Untruth

Me leading Choco back to the barn.  photo cred: Dad. 

Hi, this is a horrible tale, not a horses tail, but a sad story. I have been riding  for the past 4 years and I love it. I love riding it is my world. Horses are my life, they mean so much to me. I used to ride at Hodges barn and that is my home  learned to ride there and I wish I could have stayed there longer, but everything just fell apart. Let's start out like this, there is a manger at the barn, her name is Liz and there is something called a barn rat, there are 4 of them and 4 of them only. All barn rats do is they help around the barn, they get assigned  horse they ride, work and have fun!  Well for 2 years I wanted to be a barn rat and finally my last couple of weeks there I was, but that did not last long. Frank the owner did not know there was about 7 barn rats and Liz did not want him to know, well when he found out he got so mad he said we can only have  4 barn rats and you know that so you choose 4 and the rest go home.  So, she choose 4 and it was not me, but she made a huge lie about it and this is what happened. She pulled my mom to the side and told her that she is going to dental school ad JB my instructor was leaving for college and Frank is not doing anything so there is no one to take care of the kids. Then she started crying and was acting like she was dying and she said that she would miss the farm so much and I don't doubt that at all . She said that there was not gonna be any barn rats and Frank was going bankrupt, and that he was going to quit lessons,barn rats, events and he is making Hodges farm a private farm. Plus, I'm growing too advanced for their teachings, so I might wanna leave or find some other place to go ride.

Then my heart BROKE IN PIECES. I felt horrible for days. I went to look at 2 barns and found 1 that I really liked.  That is where I ride now but now that I look back on what happened, it sorta makes me laugh even some times I will text my ex-instructor and we will talk for a while. I just want to go back because I did not get to say goodbye, but home can't be home for too long, some things or better of with out saying goodbye.  It may hurt, but saying goodbye will just hurt more. Then like 3 days later my instructor calls my mom and says she needs to talk and turns out that or the past 4 to 5 weeks were total lies. There is already 4 barn rats Liz, chose them and not me, but I'm not mad at her for that I have no reason to be. I am mad at her for lying to me. I am very proud of JB, she was the JB I knew she would be. The smart, funny, honest, enjoyable JB I knew. I am enjoying my new barn but I will always miss home. In the picture below that is JB and that is me riding Choco the most advanced horse there. Choco is pretty much her horse. Before JB worked with him, he was a wild maniac and then after about a year of working he was able to be ridden for the more advanced riders. So JB is assigned to Choco to work with and ride. Just in case you were wondering Choco is a Rocky Mountain.  Home is now gone.

My dad made this picture of me riding Choco in August of 2010.  JB, my instructor looks on.