Sunday, May 20, 2007

I've always loved horses



Linda asked who liked horses first, Dinah or Sally? I've always loved horses, started riding when I was seven, and used to walk out the door and become a horse when I was a child. I rode in high school, in college, then couldn't ride when I lived in San Francisco and didn't have a car to get to a stable. When Jon and I met we went on wonderful rides on the beach, and then in England, and even once in Scotland.

My dear friend Kerry Mellin used to live in Sylmar on a chicken ranch that had belonged to Marlene Dietrich! Kerry and I would go for weekly rides galloping in the hills above Sylmar, the best riding times I ever had. She found Luna for me, the first horse I owned, a truly great horse. She was half Throughbred and half Appaloosa, brave and kind. When I got into show jumping, I bought Pepper, and Luna eventually became Dinah's horse. Luna died a few years ago at age 25 or so. We still miss her.

This is a picture of Dinah and me on Southern Comfort, one of Kerry's old horses. Dinah's not even a year old here. I think this was the first time she was on a horse.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

A friend of mine had a fabulous recording of Marlene Dietrich singing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" in German.

One of the strangest things I have ever seen is the annual walking horse Celebration in nearby Shelbyville: sort of a beauty pageant for horses. There was some controversy last year over soring. The Lions Club makes the greatest donuts to sell there.

Linda Davick said...

Oh. So that's one big reason you left San Francisco (?)
Where did you meet Jon?
Whinsey is my favorite horse. Is Kerry the friend who inspired her?

That's a great photo. It looks like Dinah just jumped up in the driver's seat and grabbed hold of the reins.
(Maybe you can tell I'm not well versed in horsology.)

Sally said...

other sally-- your post made me so hungry for donuts not sold by a chain store. those tennessee walker horses are very controversial in the horse world... weird stuff done to them to get the fancy gaits.

linda, kerry was NOT the inspiration for whinsey, though she's a blonde too. but she's too smart. it was gina smith who inspired me. she'll never notice this blog. she was always flipping her hair with her fingers.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sally! Remember me?
Let's do lunch soon! Then we can shop til we drop.

Sally said...

ahh gina... or maybe not!