The Lady and the Cowboy

I am having second thoughts about being a senior citizen. If anyone knows where that fountain of youth is I wish they would let me know. Not that I want to be young again. Heavens no! Not for all the tea in China. Somewhere around 45 would be okay. It was right after that I started falling apart. Blood pressure went sky high, eyes that were already bad started getting worse, weight went even higher than it was, knees got suddenly very painful and stiff, just not what I had planned on when I thought of being middle-aged. Little did I realize this was as GOOD as it was going to be and would get a lot worse in a short time.

Why doesn't anyone tell you that when you are in your twenties? Oh right! I think someone did and I thought they were just whining. Well of course they were. Wait till you are told you are too young and too fat to have knees replaced but will be in a wheelchair in 10 years without them. I whined to. Actually I think I did more than whine, and still am. I always thought I would age gracefully.

I had visions of driving my Haflinger pony until I was at least 75 yrs. old. No one told me I wouldn't be able to lift the harness, let alone do all the grooming and clean hooves besides! Once you get all that done you must get the cart out, wipe the dust off, pull it down to the pony and then put him to it. That's the easy part. Now try taking those stiff, aching knees and actually climbing up into the cart. I was 60 when I threw in the towel. I gave that precious pony to my granddaughters along with the cart and harness. I want to stay as close to the ground as I can in case I have to meet it fast. Now I'm forced to watch others do what was my true passion in life. Riding and driving horses.

A few years before I retired from life I took my pony to the Haflinger Horse Show in Harrisburg, Pa. My family thought I was crazy and only my sister in law and a friend of mine went to see me. It was truly a day I will never forget. After a big dramatic catastrophe involving torn harness, a total stranger came up to me as I sat on a bale of straw bawling my eyes out. He said he was sorry I was having such a bad day. He was to. His cart never arrived and he couldn't show his pony either. He was entered in both the Ladies and Men's Pleasure Driving classes and now he didn't have a cart. Without hesitation I said, "Well for heavens sakes, take mine!!! It won't be doing me any good!" Wah Wah Wah! He said only if I would show his pony in the Ladies Cart Class. Well, the lady and the cowboy both got to show that day. He got a 5th and I got a 3rd. Not bad for an old lady on her last big adventure. I was delighted and he and I had a great time laughing about our dual win afterwards. I never saw him again but I the memory is sweet and so was he.