My Wonder Horse
I was in love with Mikey the moment I laid eyes on him when I was 13 and in 7th grade. I was at a horse show and this boy rode by on the most beautiful horse I had ever seen. He looked fake he was so beautiful. Pearl white, white mane, tail and forelock to the ground, he looked magical, all he was missing was a unicorn horn. I was in a trance. I followed this beautiful horse to the ring and watched him jump around the course. I just stood in awe of his beauty and grace. After the boy got off he tied the horse to the fence and got on another horse to show. I walked over and started petting the horse and the trainer said I could hold him. He had such a personality, playful pulling at my coat and in my pocket looking for a treat. I didn’t want to give him back but he had another class and it was time for me to go home. Years would pass and I still watched Mikey at every single show. At regionals I would sit and watch him in awe just as much as the first time I saw him. That summer Mikey went to Youth Nationals, won Reserve National Champion in Pure Bred Hunters Over Fences after only jumped for about 2 months. I watched those youtube videos over and over again, he was just so pretty. I was so envious I would have done anything in the world for this horse to be mine.
The next year at Regionals I was in the market for a new horse to take me to the next level. Mikey was way out of our price range being a stallion and due to all his winnings, but a lease was up for negotiation. I got to ride Mikey for the first time at this show, we instantly clicked. I was even more head over heels in love with this beautiful horse. But sadly the price was not right, we could not afford him, I had to walk away from the horse of my dreams, devastated. Another year would come and go still watching Mikey and drooling. When Christmas rolled around a big surprise was in store for me. When I went down to the Christmas tree this year there was nothing under the tree, no presents. There was one white envelope in the tree. I opened this envelope to find a newspaper clipping from Idaho; Mikey was the headline winning his jumping class. I was confused and my parents said we were going to go try him out! Mikey was my Christmas present! I tried three other horses just to make my parents happy but I knew deep down in my heart Mikey was my dream horse and he was finally going to be mine.
Mikey was my horse for one short year. It was magical. This horse was like a human, more than a pet, not just a horse. He was orphaned as a baby, was raised by humans so nobody ever told him he was a horse. And I certainly wasn't going to be the first. I would ride him all day long in the arena practicing, then trail ride though the forest. After the riding was done we were still not done. I would bathe him, three times in a row sometimes. Then I would walk him till he was dry or just sit there and let him eat grass and brush him till he was dry. Then I would braid all of his hair back up, I would spend the entire day with him. Our bond was magical he would follow me like a dog and nicker to me every time he saw me. I would ride him bareback and in only a halter and just gallop, fearless. There was nowhere else I would rather be than on the back of Mikey, running wild and free. When I couldn't sleep I would go get him out of his stall and lay on his back in the arena just counting stars. I showed him extensively and did very well on the Arabian Circuit. Starting out at local schooling shows then regionals and qualifying for nationals. The picture above was taken at a Regional show during a Bareback Dollar class. Many people told me it was not a good idea to take a stallion in this class but I did not listen and ended up winning out of 20 people, this was one of my fondest moments with him. It has always been my childhood dream to win a National title. Luck was not on our side however in the four classes I qualified for I got third place in all four. I was quite devastated by knew it was okay because I had one more chance next year to make my dream come true with Mikey.
The next year rolled around and I had not showed Mikey at all because he had some lameness issues. I was at school when I got a note calling me to the front office. When I arrived both my parents were there which was extremely unusual because they both work full time. When I got closer I realized both of them were crying and they told me Mike had broken his leg. I immediately fell to the ground and could not get up, crippled with tears. They told me he was still alive but there was nothing they could do to save him, he had an ice-cube fracture. The vet held the phone up to Mikey and I said goodbye to my wonder horse. Now my wonder horse sits on a shelf in my room, he was cremated. I have an entire shelving unit dedicated to him. Now this is all I have of him and our memories I will forever cherish. Locks of his mane and tail were saved and I now wear them on a bracelet. The horse of my dreams will now forever be in my dreams. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and the special bond we shared. Something inside of me died when Mikey died. I still like horses but I don’t love them anymore. I do not own a horse anymore and don't think I ever will. I can't imagine another horse touching me like he did. I am forever thankful for the time I got to spend with him. I have never felt a bond like the one I shared for him nor felt love as deep as the love I had for Mikey.
When Mikey died I lived in denial for two years. His death was so sudden, so untimely, such a tragedy that I could not cope with. I acted like he was still alive, kept all his pictures up, spoke about him in the present tense and pretended I would see him again. I just could not come to terms with the fact that he was actually dead, he died. I was so mad that he died, why him? But now I can be grateful because I know it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Then I was on the Internet and stumbled across this spectacular website and was truly touched by it, especially peoples' tributes to their horses. After many tears I decided that Mikey deserved a tribute as well, although my words do him no justice. He will forever be missed I can't wait till the day I can ride him again up in heaven. If heaven doesn't have Mikey I surely don't want to go.
All my love,
Your Fearless Rider
SA Marzec Sen +++/ 
