Of course, it is every little girls dream to own a horse, right? As a child I lived, breathed and even dreamt about horses. Going so far as to try to talk my parents into keeping one in my backyard! No one would notice, I’d say! Having the passion for riding is one thing. Grooming, mucking stalls, feeding, exercising, hand walking a sick horse and the financial responsibility is another thing. Owning a horse may be an expensive proposition but the benefits and life lessons learned at the barn outweigh the negatives 100 to 1! Several years ago I met a very quiet, shy young lady by the name of Megan. Her parents had heard about us from some of our church family and thought it might be a good idea for her to hang around at the farm. We started out hanging out on Saturdays. All day long we would clean stalls, scrub buckets, clean water troughs, feed horses, clean tack, cobweb the barn, water and drag the arena, put up hay, groom, clip and bathe horses and anything else you can think of associated with horses. She had the very same passion and love for the horses as I did. I could see it in her eyes, as she lit up whenever working around and being with the horses. Megan would work from sun up to sundown along side of me barely uttering a word. She never complained, never questioned, she just rolled up her sleeves and got down to business. She has proved her love and compassion for horses over the last 4 years many times over. It has been a privilege teaching her how to ride and handle the horses. She has blossomed into a very elegant, talented rider who has learned how to ride any horse that she gets the chance to swing a leg over. She has learned many life issues at the barn as well and I think it has given her a sense of accomplishment. To be able to ride like the wind on a trusty steed! What greater thing in life is there? There is no greater gift that I could ever imagine than presenting her with her own horse. Megan’s 17th birthday was coming and I spoke with her parents about the possibility of giving her a horse that she fell in love with the minute his hoof hit the property a few years ago. Lets face it. Everyone has their favorites! They felt that she had shown them that she was capable of caring for and taking on the financial responsibility of owning a horse and agreed. The word spread like wildfire throughout the barn about the secret, to everyone except Megan that is. She could not understand why so many people were at the barn the day she showed up to clean stalls and ride. It was just another typical day at the barn, right? We put a put a large bow on Titan and hid him in the arena and just casually gave her a birthday card. As she was reading the card and tears were filling up in her eyes, Titan was brought out behind her and there he stood, looking ever so handsome! He wrapped his muzzle in the crook of her neck and breathed a soft breath while she read her card. It took her a few moments for it to sink in and then she knew that he was hers forever! Megan, it has been a wonderful journey and we look forward to the years to come. We are grateful that we were able to make your dream come true! If ever anyone deserved to own a horse, it is you! Be blessed and share what God has given you! I promise you the blessings will continue to multiply.