Miss Carrie was my first horse. She was a Thoroughbred who'd been on the track for two years, and hadn't really been broke. She was a rogue, tossing her exercise boys right and left. She had all kinds of tricks, from bucking to running away to stopping suddenly to swerving and jumping the rail. She was for sale cheap... $200 (this was 1962).

I found out about her from a friend who was going to look at her, thinking she might make a good broodmare since her conformation was good. She was 16.2, and long and lanky. She moved well when someone managed to slow her down. I went along when he looked her over. She was thin, with a long mane and tail, and was being kept with a bunch of cows... when we came to see her, she came running to the gate, whinnying and calling. She was lonely!

Well, it turned out that after a thorough examination, my friend decided she was indeed worth buying... but his plan was to get the price down by $50. As for me, I fell in love with her immediately. She was very friendly and easy to work around on the ground. I asked if I could try her out, and the reply was tomorrow two trainers were coming to ride her, and I could take third place in the lineup. I didn't even own a saddle, but my friend agreed to loan me his.

I was only 17 and didn't have the price, so my next chore was to talk with my parents. I explained to them that my job as a waitress this summer could pay for her keep, and she would be boarded a short distance away so I could ride my bike out to the barn to take care of her. Oh, they were amused by this scheme. Did I think we were rich?? Just what kind of horse was this? This was probably something I'd just lose interest in (despite my having paid for and taken 2 years of riding lessons, and having ridden every chance I got on friends' horses since I was 13). I begged, I cried, I did everything I could think of ("I'll do the dishes every night!").

Came the day to try her out, and that morning, my father said we'd go out just to see the horse. WAHOOO!

We got there just after noon, to find out that the two trainers who had ridden her that morning had both been thrown and decided against buying her. Great. I was partly scared and partly hoping that they had worn her down a little. The owner led her out, and my father, who grew up on a farm and knew a few things about horses, could see how beautiful she was, despite her being underweight and a bit shaggy. He began to stroke her and talk to her, and hope gleamed in my eyes.

The set up was a big barn and in front of it a lane. The other side of the lane was a 5 foot tall white board fence. To the left of the barn and behind it the lane curved around and opened into a big, open field. I figured I'd ride her in the lane a bit and then take her out in the field. I asked my family (father, mother and 3 brothers) to stay over by the fence to be safe while I rode. And up I went, into the flattest, least secure saddle in the world. And immediately Carrie began to prance... I could feel the power and springs in her legs. Uh oh.

I rode her back and forth in the lane a few times till she gave me the semblance of a flat footed walk. Then I took her around to the side of the barn and set out into the field. And here came the prance again, stronger now. She moved into an elevated trot, bobbing her head up an down, reaching for more rein. I could not bring her back to even the prance, so I moved her out into a longer trot without the elevation. I did all I could to keep her from a canter, because I knew she'd buck. She was doing pretty good, trotting out nicely if a bit fast, when we came to the end of the field. I stopped her, miracle of miracles, and began to turn her around. And out of the blue (literally) came a bright yellow kite, diving right in front of us!

That's all it took. We were off and running, and bucking as well. Lucky for me, she was running so fast for the barn that her bucks were not very high, and I managed to stick with her. I have a feeling that the two who rode in the morning didn't have the kite to set her off so fast, and she was able to buck more effectively... but I never told a soul that. [g]

As we came to the barn, I saw my whole family stretched across the space between the barn and the fence, watching us. "Clear the way! Climb the fence!" I shouted, shivvering at the thought of the horse plowing through my family, leaving them strewn all over the place. They took my advice and hit the fence, climbing as fast as they could... the kids through the fence, and my father helping my mother up on top.

We swirled around the turn, ran down the lane and wound up in an apple orchard, which had just been plowed for fertilizing (lucky for me!). The deep ground slowed her way down, and after dodging a few apple trees, I was able to bring her to a halt... and immediately jump off. Took me a few minutes to get my land legs back, then I led her to the barn.

My father, whom I'd expected to be outraged by this wild horse, was ecstatic! "My daughter can outride two professional trainers!" He took the reins from me and led Carrie around, cooling her out, talking to her and stroking her neck. All the time I had her, he never lost his fondness for the horse. My mother was a bit more hesitant, but my brothers were thrilled, laughing about diving through the fence, and excited by the whole scene.

And that's how I got my first horse. After I got her home, it took me a month to get the bucks and spooks out of her, which involved quite a few spills on my part, but I was young and fearless. Eventually, Miss Carrie was bought by a friend of mine and was ridden sidesaddle in the most ladylike manner. She wound up on a Kentucky breeding farm and had 9 foals, all fillies but the last one who stands at stud in Pennsylvania to this day.