Happy Birthday, Star.
Cinco de Mayo has come and gone. Every year since I was a kid May 5th has been a special day for me (it was my quarter horse’s birthday, afterall.) His name was Star Dust. Well, Star Dust’s something or other. I just called him Star.
He was 12 years old, used to be used for rodeo- Mostly roping. A big red horse that loved watermelon rinds and hated peanuts. (I don’t think you’re supposed to feed horses peanuts….) He broke my toes once, but I didn’t hold it against him.
Star taught me how to trail ride. He’d go through and over anything, I don’t think he EVER spooked. He loved to run like the wind- you know… you hit the canter and are going along all “girl-on-her-horse-wind-in-your-hair” and you can feel the energy building until you just squeeze and whisper “go ahead, run”. My eyes would water as I held on for dear life and felt the rush of his energy reaching and pulling.
It’s a great wonder how we never hit a gopher hole. I’m too big a chicken in my grown-up-ness to ride like that now.
I miss that horse. He will always have a special place in my heart- for babysitting me and never leaving me behind. He was my best friend for quite some time. He was patient enough to pack me, my brother in the front and a friend on the back. With a curb bit and probably and ill-fitting saddle no less. A saint.
Happy Birthday, Star. Where ever you are.