2008 Love Your Horse Senior Horse Photo Contest Winners

McKenzie was a little girl whom was suffering from PTSD and sexual abuse. She was scared and angry and didn’t know how to handle her emotions. She hardly slept, would lose weight, have constant health problems and was scared of almost everything. I would watch my daughter in constant pain and fear. She was easily frustrated and could even become aggressive and violent. She hardly ever slept and would wake up crying screaming at the top of her lungs “Don’t, Don’t. Mommy where are you.” So after many sleepless nights and two years of therapy twice a week I realized she needed more. So at the age of five I started her in therapeutic horseback riding. McKenzie loved it, so I waited to see how she would do and if she would stick with it.

After about six months I asked McKenzie if she would like to get her own horse to take care of and ride. McKenzie was so excited. So last year when I got my income tax I looked in Uncle Henrys’ for an older horse ant that’s when it all started. When we went to see Popsy his name was just Pops at the time. It was almost like magic. McKenzie’s eyes lit up and Popsy just loved the attention. We brushed him, got him out of the stall and walked him around, put McKenzie up on his back and she at 6 years old rode this horse that stood 15.3 hands. There was a sparkle in her eye again. All she kept saying is can I have him.

The owner of the horse was hesitant to sell us the horse because she was concerned about how small my daughter was and that she would get hurt. I also remember her saying that day that she had never seen Pop so calm around anyone else before. She said that he usually doesn’t stand there or let strangers brush him.

We went home and talked it over to see if she really understood what having her own horse meant. We talked about how much care the horse would be and how she would have to help in that care. McKenzie had already decided to call him Popsy instead. So I called the lady back and we went out to visit Popsy again a few days later and the lady finally agreed to let us buy him.

When we got him to the stable where we were having him boarded, we found out his feet were bruised because his feet hadn’t been done in a while, that he hadn’t had his shots like we were told and that he couldn’t eat because his teeth were a good 2 inches too long and that he was probably 5 years older than we were told. None of this mattered because there was life in my daughter’s eyes again. So we got all these issues taken care of and started him on grains, alfalfa cubes and hay stretcher trying to get him healthy and put weight on him.

I would take McKenzie every day to see, brush, walk around and ride Popsy. I started seeing signs of a little girl again and a light in Popsy’s eye too. He would always lift his head right up when he heard McKenzie coming. It was incredible to watch them together. You could just see the love and trust the two of them were building in each other. They started training together to do the local horse show. When they went to the shows I had never seen my daughter with so much confidence. Popsy he was a pro he knew exactly what to do. He wasn’t spooked by anything and always kept her safe. By their last show at the end of the season they had won first place together. It was a great moment of the love and trust they had built in each other.

This was a hurting little girl and a neglected horse that when they found each blossomed and have done wonderful things together. McKenzie gave up a horse show to allow the stable owner to take Popsy to the Special Olympics for some of her challenged riders who didn’t dare to ride anyone else. It was another special moment in Popsy’s life and McKenzie’s. She learned to care about others again and to think of them instead of herself and Popsy ended up in the paper.

Popsy gave McKenzie the chance to be a little girl again, to feel confident, in control and not scared. I could not have asked for more in a horse. Popsy will always be the best thing that has happened to McKenzie and this family. When we thought we might lose him this summer our hearts were broken. It was worth every cent we spent on him to get him better. She may not get to show him again but with the two of them I would not be surprised if they have a few shows left. We will continue to love and nurture him and hopefully he will come out of what ails him.

A good horse can change a life forever.