As a kid, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love horses. From clutching Breyer horses to jumping the cracks in the sidewalk, my imagination had me riding horses long before reality caught up.
I was a New York City kid, so my riding was limited to weekends and summers. That’s why it was so important to have an active imagination. This lovely illustration from Polly Hackett Holabird really strikes home for me, capturing the longing and the joy.
Even today, when I’m hiking through a beautiful meadow or on a picturesque trail, I imagine myself enjoying the view on horseback, checking my shadow out of the corner of my eye.
Raises hand. NYC also. UWS until 14, then DC suburbs & barn rat.
A fellow New Yorker! I was UES then UWS. I used to ride in North Salem . . .
YES. This was me…the lower half of my body was a horse, sometimes fractious, but always dependable. I could only skip on the left lead. My upper body was the rider. Reins were invisible yet always there.
MS Holabird caught the desperately horse crazy city girl that I was perfectly.