I grew up with horses. My grandmother always had them on their farm. I got my first pony when I was 6 years old. A lifelong love affair started. My grandfather said I looked like an Indian riding bareback, tanned, with braids in my hair. I rode any horse I could. My grandfather bought my horses and he liked to trade often. So through the years I had several. As a teenage I did barrel racing and pole bending at our local shows. We belonged to a couple of saddle clubs and had lots of events and rides during the year.

The day I married my first husband, we had to put my horse down. (Well, that should have been a clue that marriage wasn't going to last.) I went about a year without a horse and finally talked my non-horse husband into getting one. I rode while I was pregnant until I couldn't get my foot up in the stirrup. Matter of fact I was in a parade when I was about seven months pregnant. After 5 years of marriage we divorced and I took my horse and son and tried life as a singe mother. It was hard finding a place to keep my horse. After a few years I had to let the horse go.

I remarried to a non-horse man and moved to another town. He had a daughter, I had a son and we had a son. Life went by with me always still loving horses but from a far. I had horses on my checks, horses on my clothes and a dream of some day having another horse. But here we were still in town, my husband retired, my oldest son had passed away, I went back to work and it didn't look like we were going to be moving into the county.

Last winter I informed my husband that if I could find a place to board a horse, I was getting one. After 32 years it was time for Sue to get back to horses. Our kids were married and out of the house and I needed something for just me. I really never thought I would be able to have a horse again. I looked around for a place to board, talked to area horse people and began a search on the Internet for a horse. It must have been my time and I think I had help from my angel "Eric" because I found a great boarding place with a lady who has four horses on a small farm not far out of town. Her oldest horse is 34 and the youngest 22 and they all look great and she takes wonderful care of them. I spent the winter driving my husband crazy with constantly looking. He has really been great about it all especially since he doesn't ride and doesn't want to ride.

I looked at several during the late winter and early spring and kept going back to the red dun mare Brenna. I had never owned a mare and didn't think I would want one but she kept bringing me back to her. In April, I bought her home. So that meant new tack, a horse trailer and all the other goodies that go with horse ownership. My husband just shakes his head every time I decide I need something for Brenna. Of course, he says I sure smile a lot now when I am doing something with her.

I am so happy to have found the group Red Hats and Purple Chaps i and look forward to getting together with the group. Horse people are great and especially us older more mature ladies. We know how to do it up right.