Why does this “horse-crazy fever” infect some people and not others? And why are girls much more susceptible to this disease than boys? As far back as I can remember I was crazy about horses. When I was young we lived next door to a family that had horses. I remember the day the girls came over on their horses and one of them let me ride behind her on her horse. It was a palomino Quarter Horse and seemed like the biggest horse I had ever seen in my life. That was the first time I ever rode a horse.

Now that I had actually ridden a horse my horse-fever turned into a horse-obsession. That was all I thought about, read about, talked about, and dreamed about. I read every horse book in the Plain City Library and in our school library. I remember dreaming once that someone gave me an inflatable horse. I blew it up and it turned into a live horse. The dream seemed so real that I was incredibly disappointed when I woke up and realized it had not really happened.

I begged for a horse so much that I must have nearly driven my parents crazy. When I was 9 they bought me a Shetland pony named Cricket. It turned out to be one of those fortunately-unfortunately stories. Fortunately I now had a real, live pony with a beautiful black and red saddle, but unfortunately the pony wasn’t trained. Cricket bucked me off or ran off with me nearly every time I tried to ride her. Fortunately I was never hurt and she did nothing to diminish my love for horses. (This is a picture of Cricket in 1967. Isn't she cute!)

The next year we moved to a small farm where my dad planned to raise pigs. One of our new neighbors, Mr. Steffens, also loved horses. His own children were too young to ride very much yet, so I became their “adopted” daughter. I helped them with work around their farm and he taught me how to ride. He had many wonderful, well-trained horses and ponies. On one of my early riding lessons I was cantering a pony named Dolly up from the back field when the saddle started slipping sideways. I was able to stay on, but that helped me remember to always make sure the girth was tight enough before riding!

When I was 11, Mr. Steffens agreed to trade Dolly to us in exchange for Cricket and one of our young pigs. Now I truly had a pony of my own that I could ride! Dolly was a beautiful bay pony, about 48” tall. She was trained to pull a cart as well as ride. Mr. Steffens wanted to take Dolly and me to some of the local horse shows, but I didn’t have a show outfit. Once again Mr. Steffens came to the rescue. This was the deal – I would paint their chicken house and they would take me to a nearby tack shop and buy me an outfit to show in. In those days you didn’t need the fancy, expensive show outfits that are worn today. I remember getting a red, checked western shirt, black jeans, and a black cowboy hat (those were the days before anyone wore helmets). We had a great time going to some of the small shows around Plain City and Marysville. Dolly had a wonderfully smooth jog/trot, but she didn’t especially like to canter so I didn’t win a lot of ribbons, but enough to keep me content. It didn’t matter to me that Dolly wasn’t a great show horse winning all the trophies, I loved her just like she was. (This picture is of Dolly and me at the Plain City Fair in 1970. We won 3rd place in the Pony Pleasure class.)

Those are some of my most pleasant memories of my childhood and as I look back I realize what a big role the Steffens’ family played in my life. They were Christians and I can clearly see now how they were putting their faith into action by reaching out to me. Do you think those “deals” Mr. Steffens arranged were fair? Somehow I think I got the better end of the bargain both times! The Steffens are part of the reason why I started the Christian Cowgirl Club. Because of what they did for me I wanted to give some of the girls that we know the opportunity to learn about and ride horses as well as to help them know the God who loves us and created us.

When I remember my experience with Mr. Steffens I think of Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Jesus told us that the two most important commands were to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourself.” It’s easy to get so wrapped up in our own needs and interests that we don’t see the little things we can do for people around us. Keep your eyes open and I bet you’ll all find lots of ways that you can be a help or an encouragement to others. You don’t have to wait until you’re an adult to do it either. Start right now by reaching out to your brothers and sisters, parents, neighbors, or others close to you.

One last thing I learned from this experience is the importance of thanking people who have a positive impact on your life. I’m sure Mr. Steffens knew how delighted I was to be on his farm and to learn all about the horses and riding. I was a very shy kid so I doubt that I ever thanked him properly at the time, but I did later as an adult. I’m sure it made his day when he received my letter telling him how much I appreciated what he had done for me.