Story Time: Gizmo

Gizmo is my first favorite horse. I\’m not completely sure why. She was an Appaloosa (\”Dalmatian horse\” as I used to call them). She was blind in one eye and half blind in the other as I was told. She had spirit and wasn\’t always very nice. She was more of an extrovert, I think, at least I know I never needed a crop with her.

However, one day, another girl rode her in my lesson because she was riding her in a show and she carried a crop. I told her she didn\’t need one with Gizmo, and she told me that if Gizmo misbehaved she would need the crop, implying she would hit her. I was mortified and felt so bad for my poor dear Gizmo. I never really liked that girl before and certainty not after.

I have two entries from my old diary about Gizmo from when I was nine and eleven:

Dec. 8, 2004 — Today I rode Gizmo, and when we jumped she stepped over them.

June 11, 2007 — Today Emma told me that my beloved Gizmo died May 7, 2007. She was put down due to sever lameness.

I don\’t remember when I first rode Gizmo, but the first entry I have is probably one of the last. At the end of January, 2005, I got my tonsils out, and I quit riding at my first barn because I had to take some time off for the surgery and I never went back.

I do remember my first jumping lesson, however, because of Gizmo. I had done a little bit of jumping before, but this was my first lesson where jumping would be a main focus for everyone.

Gizmo was in her stall and there were no cross ties open to bring her out. I left her free in her stall to brush her and she backed her butt up into the corner and along the back wall after she was clean. I went in to move her so I could tack her up, and she swung her head around and bit my right shoulder. It was my first bite. It wasn\’t bad. It hurt and scared me. I was only nine and hadn\’t been riding for very long. After I stopped crying, my mom went into the stall with the bridle to get Gizmo. She bridled her and held her as I put the saddle on.

That\’s all I remember from my first jumping lesson, but after that day when I had to get Gizmo ready in her stall, my mom would go in first with the bridle to hold her while I brushed and tacked her up. I was scared to get bit again, but not so afraid I stopped riding or loving Gizmo. Once when one of the girls saw my mom go in first with the bridle she told me that the bridle goes on last. I told her I know that, but my mom was holding her so she wouldn\’t bite me again.

I only remember one other story about Gizmo. After our lesson I was walking her around the barn to cool her off after I untacked her, and she dragged me over to the grass so she could graze. One of the girls told me not to let her do that, but I wasn\’t strong enough to stop her. I let her have a few bites then I was able to get her head up and keep walking her.

I wish I could remember more about Gizmo and why exactly I feel in love with her. She has and always will have a place in my heart and I can never forget her.

Gizmo set the tone for all my future favorite horses. There\’s at least a little Gizmo in all of them. Because of her I love mean horses. If their ears go back, I go to them.

Gizmo taught me to love mean horses and set up the beginnings of my knowledge of riding and jumping.

It has been so long since I rode Gizmo now — 14 years — and I wish I could remember more about her. A couple of years ago I was even questioning her gender because of something I found online. Even if Gizmo was a boy, I spent most of my life thinking Gizmo is a girl and I just can\’t change that.

I have very few pictures from my first barn, but I am so grateful that I have all these pictures of Gizmo. I may not be able to remember much more about Gizmo other than her biting me, but I at least have these pictures so I don\’t have to strain my mind to remember what she looked like.

I love you, Gizmo. I miss you, girl.

Who is your first favorite horse? What do you remember about them? Do you still like horses similar the first? Do you like mean horses?