Riding Salissa

Riding a horse is so much fun as long as you know how to ride. Everyday I see Salissa I ride her. She thinks she is in charge so I have to make her obey by not letting go of the reins. When I ride I don't use a saddle because it isn't fitted to her yet and its harder to put it up on her back because the saddle is heavy and Salissa is taller than me. Yesterday I almost fell off when she started to run. The more you ride a horse the more better you get at it and the more the horse gets to know you and listen to you. Also the more used to riding you are and the more used to you the horse is makes it that much easier it is to control your horse.

Spring Pictures

Here are a couple of pictures of Salissa this spring that i took yesterday. She is filling out or getting bigger around her waist because of all the grass she has been eating. Salissa is also very healthy.
Photos By: Author

Last Night

Last Night I went to my grandparent's house with my dad to pick up my brother. While we were there I went down and saw Salissa. I fed her a treat and some grain. Then I had my aunt get her halter and lead rope. I put the halter on her and attached the lead rope to the halter. Then, I took the lead rope around her neck since it was long enough and attached it to her halter. The lead rope worked as my reins. I led Salissa to the fence and climbed up the fence and got on her back. i held onto the reins and started riding her. I got her to start running which wasn't a good idea because I didn't have a saddle. While she was running I flew off her back!!! I landed hard and hurt my neck and shoulder. It was so much fun!! I climbed up on her back and tried again!!!

Yesterday After School

Yesterday I went to my grandparent's house after school. I got to see Salissa. I hadn't seen her since last Friday. I fed her some grain and a few treats. Then I brushed her out and cleaned her hooves. It is very important to keep a horse's hooves clean because otherwise the dirt and/or rocks that may be in the hooves can hurt them badly and make it hard for the horse to walk. Salissa was all wet from the rain. I tried to ride her but she wouldn't move at all. My grandma said that is because of the weather which tends to get horses all worked up to where they don't want to cooperate or be messed with. It was very frustrating. So instead of riding her I gave her another treat and went to the house.

Pictures of My Horse

These are a couple pictures of Salissa. Salissa is 23 years old. She is the size of a pony because her breed is an Arabian Pony mix. She is kept at my grandparent's house so she can eat grass and run around. She has an uplifted spirit or a lot of spunk still left in her and is in very good shape for a horse her age. She loves kids and people.
Photos by: Author

Horses and Grass

Horses love grass!!!! When moving a horse from their stall to a pasture you have to be careful. If the horse is not watched carefully and only eats grass then bad things can happen. On a regular basis, for about a week, check the horses knees and down around their hooves to see if they feel warm. If they do you should tell an adult and take the horse into the stable. When this happens and the horse is not being watched then the horse can get really sick and die. Over the summer it is a good idea to feed your horse a little bit of grain each day to mix with the grass and clean out their stomach. This keeps from them getting a stomachache. So always remember to watch your horse and take good care of him or her because they are depending on you!!

The Other Night

The other night, after my dad picked me up from a friend's house we went to move Salissa. We were taking her from my neighbor's barn to the pasture at my grandparent's house. First thing I had to do was put hay and grain in the horse trailer to make it easier to load her into the trailer. Then I got her lead rope and opened the stall door. I clipped the lead rope to her halter and led her out of the barn to the trailer. We got her in the trailer about two feet and she backed out. I led her away and turned her around and tried again. Finally she went in. My dad closed the door and left it open a little bit so that I could get out. We got in the truck and headed down the road. It was an uneasy ride for both Salissa and me. She kept moving and the road was really bumpy. We arrived safely at my grandparent's house. I unloaded her and took her into the field and led her around it. She started eating grass immediately. It was a lot of fun!

What a horse needs to stay healthy and strong

Taking care of a horse is a lot of hard work. They need a lot of attention and care and love. Before getting a horse it is a good idea to know how to care for them. If you don't know much about a horse you can research them on the computer, watch shows on television, you can talk to someone that owns horses, or you can read books about them. When you get a horse you are making a big commitment in life to yourself and your horse. You need to make sure that your horse has a stable that they can go into during bad weather and cold weather. A horse drinks a lot of water so they need to have access to it all the time or as much as possible. Another thing is what they eat. Horses eat grain, hay and grass. These are the main things they need to eat so that they can get all the minerals and vitamins they need.

My Horse Salissa

This is my horse,
Salissa.














Photo By: Author

Going Back to get Her

About three weeks later we were headed back to get her. Dad said I could get her as long as I take care of her. I was sooo excited!!!!!! I have had her since last fall. She was the first horse I ever had in my life and still is. Salissa was also the girl's first horse who had owned her before I got her. It was sad because the girl Alex, Salissa's last owner, was crying but at the same time she was happy that she was going to a good home. I ride her sometimes when i can. She soooo nice. I love my horse!!!

Going to check Out the Horse

Before getting Salissa, my dad, brother and I went to the owner's house to see what she looked like and how healthy she was. It is important to make sure a horse is healthy before buying it because you want a horse you can handle and you don't want to have to make visits to the vets office first. When we were checking out Salissa, who is an Arabian pony, I got to ride her. It was a lot of fun. She is a white mare. I fell in love with her right then and there and didn't want to leave her. About an hour after meeting the owners and Salissa we left.