As far as we knew, he was a 17 year old Quarter Horse mix. He had a chestnut coat that was somewhat dappled
when the sun hit it just right. He is afraid of cars, barrels, whips and sudden movement. That's all I knew about my
horse. After doing later research on my new gelding I learned that he was a retired barrel racer who was bought at
an auction.
Chapter Two :My Story
My equestrian career started in fifth grade. I began a sudden fascination of the beautiful creatures. I was drawing
horses everywhere. All of my toys were horses and all of my books were stories about them. Later in my fifth grade
year, I began taking horse back riding lessons with a woman named Mary. For the next four years, I learned all of
the proper riding postures, methods and maintenance stable skills that I could. I became very familiar with riding
my instructor's 25 horses. I volunteered at her stable as many days per week as I could. I loved the smells of the
barn. The fresh hay, the leather of the saddle, and the horses themselves. I shoveled out the manure, I groomed
horses, I gave them baths. I even once was a llama sitter....If you ever hear a llama make a gargling noise, run for
the hills, but that is another story.
I got my very own saddle for Christmas one year. It was under the tree with a big red bow. I watched Mary worm her
horses. This involves squirting a thick paste into the back of the horse's mouth. This kills parasites that the horse
my have eaten while grazing. I watched the blacksmith come, and watched him shoe the horses and trim their
hooves. When a hoof is trimmed the smell is very bad. Kind of like eggs and sour milk. Three horses died of old
age while I was a student there. That was sad, and I am glad each time it happened while I was either at home or at
school. I dreamed of horses, and dreamed of having my own.
As my level of riding skill increased from beginner to intermediate, we realized sadly that there was not much more
my instructor could teach me. Her horses were for little kids and beginner riders. I had worked my way up to Slash,
a beautiful Arabian horse with a bad attitude, and Bad Bart, a Tennessee Walker that was absolutely huge, and
loved to dump his riders in the dirt. There was no one else to learn on. That is how we knew it was time to get me a
horse of my own. We began internet searches and looked at advertising for horses that were for sale. After many
ads, we came across one that caught my eye. The horse's name was Doc, and he was a barrel racer! (I love barrel
racing!) He had a cool white stripe down his face. The ad stated that Doc was best suited to an intermediate rider
(that's me!). Everything the ad had to say matched the qualities I was looking for in a horse. Mom had said though,
that we were just looking, and it would be a year or so before we could get one.
Chapter Three:We Meet
I remember very vividly the day we met. My Mom and Dad didn't tell me where we were going. All they said was,
"get in the car", and that they had a surprise for me. We drove for two long hours, out into the country. I was car
sick the whole way. We stopped at two rest stops because I was so sick. At the second stop I bought myself a
cherry red Gatorade and a pack of peppermints. All I knew about this long road trip was that we were heading
north, toward a town called Kittanning.
When we finally arrived, we were at a large farm! As Mom stopped the car, and turned the silver key to turn off the
engine, she said, "Taylor, do you know why we are here?" "No," I replied in a somewhat nervous voice. "We are
here to look at a horse" she said. At first I didn't believe her, but when we got out of the car I saw two big wooden
stalls, and the horse we found on the internet. It was that brown one with the white stripe down his face. It was Doc!
I was so excited that I could barely speak! As we approached the two stalls to get a closer look, the owners of the
horse came into the barn from the other end. "How-Dee?" they greeted us, shaking our hands firmly. They were an
older couple, dressed in old, worn farm clothes. Their two dogs were dancing around my feet, almost like they
knew why I was there.
As the led us to Doc's stall I couldn't help but notice the wild mare in the stall next to his. She was all black and her
name was Shadow. She was smaller than he, but so energetic! There were several occasions during my visit that
Shadow tried to climb out of her stall! It turns out that the farm couple had purchased Shadow to be a companion
for Doc. She sure was. She followed him all over the pasture. They really were good friends.
Doc was wearing a red halter, that they tied him in cross ties with. First they let me brush him. He was so hairy
because he had his full winter coat. His hair was long and thick. His mane was black as night and his eyes soft and
loving. I brushed out all the mudd, and the dandruff from his fur. I picked up his feet, which he let me do. I touched
his ears, and he seemed to like that. Afterwards, they led us to an arena where I could take him for a test ride.
They tacked him up in a western style saddle and bridle. I was used to riding english style, but I ride western
sometimes. A western saddle is one that has a horn, and they are a lot fancier and flashier than an english saddle.
English saddles do not have a horn, or anything to hold on to. Thats where your balance and leg strength come
into play.
After he was tacked up, they lead us to a huge pasture that i could ride him in. This was exciting to me, as i was
used to riding in a small arena with Mary.
Doc and I stayed at a walk and circled the arena several times. I was wearing my helmet, and Mom was still
nervous.
After that i dismounted and lead him around the pasture a little, trying to get to know his personality, and ground
manners a little. He stopped every once in a while to eat the fresh grass, or to sniff a new smell. The pasture was
very muddy and the ground was squishy as we walked. "So?" mom asked. "What do you think of him?"
"He is great!" I replied. " I want him!" :Chapter Four
I am getting a horse!
On the ride home my mind was all over the place. Was I really getting a horse? Was I dreaming? Mom and Dad
were talking about how much we thought it would cost to do this. They were worried. First thing Mom said we had
to do, was find an affordable barn to keep Doc in. We called all over Pittsburgh. We visited a couple of barns, and
talked to other horse owners. Dad found a place called Hobby Horse in South Park. He talked to the owners and
barn manager on the phone. Then Mom and Dad went to see the place. The stalls were clean and the boarders
were friendly. Plus, it was right down the road from Mary, should we need her. My parents arranged to board our
horse at Hobby Horse.
The next obstacle was getting Doc from Kittanning to South Park. Quite a distance. Mary recommended a horse
hauler named Mike. Mike agreed to meet us in Kittanning and bring Doc to his new home. A hauler charges by the
mile as well as an initial fee. This was not going to be a cheap trip. We had a couple of weeks to get our money
together, and get ready for Doc.
On a rainy Monday morning we started out to Kittanning. We stopped once for coffee, as Mom needs that. She is
much happier that way! When we got to the farm, the dogs greeted us as did the farmers. They gave us fresh
eggs from their chickens. We waited nervously for Mike the hauler, hoping he didn't get lost or change his mind!
As the rain got heavier and heavier we were getting worried. All of a sudden, we heard the rumble of a truck, and
Mike was in the drive way!
Chapter Five:The ride
Mike's truck was big. I'll bet he could haul 6-8 horses if he wanted to. He circled the truck around in the drive way
and opened the hatch. I held my breath and I wondered how Doc would react to the trailer. Some horses make a
huge fuss, and sometimes even hurt themselves because they are afraid to get in. Mike lowered the ramp, and
Doc walked right up it! I couldn't believe it.
Mom pulled out ahead of Mike and he followed us into the City. We came right down route 579 and onto route 279.
We came across the Liberty Bridge and through the tunnels. We looped around and continued on route 51 to
Library Road. Then we headed into South Park. Once we hit Stoltz Road, where the barn is, I figured we were
home free. We arrived at Hobby Horse, Mom paid Mike the hauler, and we unloaded Doc.
Chapter Six:Doc's New Home
My Dad had already arrived at the barn and Doc's stall was all set up. There was the jolly-ball that I got for
Christmas from Aunt Pam and Uncle Gregg. It is a green, apple flavored toy that hangs from the ceiling of the stall.
It is designed to keep the horse from being bored. Dad had also hung his stall sign that read, "Doc - owned by
Taylor Tripodi." I could hardly believe it. Doc walked into his stall, then turned around and tried to come out again.
It was funny.
I was eager to try out my new horse. I led him up to the indoor arena. The only saddle I had with me was Western,
so the barn manager, Bob showed me how to tack him up Western style. There were a lot of other riders there,
and we met a lot of new people and horses. My Aunt and cousins came to see Doc too. Aunt Libby was amazed at
the size of my horse, and my cousin Emma was already in love. She wore her white cowboy hat and her cowboy
boots for the occasion. I was proud.
Mom seemed relieved that Bob was keeping a watchful eye on me. I rode Doc a little and then we decided to let
him rest and get used to his new surroundings. We took him back to his stall and said goodnight.
Chapter Seven:Life With Doc
Now, four months later, Doc and I have a lot of confidence in eachother. Not only as horse and rider, but as
friends. I know what Doc likes and what he doesn't like. He likes applesauce. He doesn't like camera flashes. He
likes to run. He doesn't like white lines painted on the road.
Doc and I are together just about every other day. On days that his knees are sore, we don't ride. We play and I
braid his hair. His knees have some arthritis, and he takes medicine that is like Tylenol to help with the pain. Most
days he is fine and we ride. I have only fallen off once, and that was into a huge mud puddle. My fault, not his. I
was bareback and lost my balance. It was still fun.
Life with Doc is better than any dream I have ever had. Every day I wake up and still can't believe I have a horse!
It's not a dream. I have a horse. His name is Doc.
when the sun hit it just right. He is afraid of cars, barrels, whips and sudden movement. That's all I knew about my
horse. After doing later research on my new gelding I learned that he was a retired barrel racer who was bought at
an auction.
Chapter Two :My Story
My equestrian career started in fifth grade. I began a sudden fascination of the beautiful creatures. I was drawing
horses everywhere. All of my toys were horses and all of my books were stories about them. Later in my fifth grade
year, I began taking horse back riding lessons with a woman named Mary. For the next four years, I learned all of
the proper riding postures, methods and maintenance stable skills that I could. I became very familiar with riding
my instructor's 25 horses. I volunteered at her stable as many days per week as I could. I loved the smells of the
barn. The fresh hay, the leather of the saddle, and the horses themselves. I shoveled out the manure, I groomed
horses, I gave them baths. I even once was a llama sitter....If you ever hear a llama make a gargling noise, run for
the hills, but that is another story.
I got my very own saddle for Christmas one year. It was under the tree with a big red bow. I watched Mary worm her
horses. This involves squirting a thick paste into the back of the horse's mouth. This kills parasites that the horse
my have eaten while grazing. I watched the blacksmith come, and watched him shoe the horses and trim their
hooves. When a hoof is trimmed the smell is very bad. Kind of like eggs and sour milk. Three horses died of old
age while I was a student there. That was sad, and I am glad each time it happened while I was either at home or at
school. I dreamed of horses, and dreamed of having my own.
As my level of riding skill increased from beginner to intermediate, we realized sadly that there was not much more
my instructor could teach me. Her horses were for little kids and beginner riders. I had worked my way up to Slash,
a beautiful Arabian horse with a bad attitude, and Bad Bart, a Tennessee Walker that was absolutely huge, and
loved to dump his riders in the dirt. There was no one else to learn on. That is how we knew it was time to get me a
horse of my own. We began internet searches and looked at advertising for horses that were for sale. After many
ads, we came across one that caught my eye. The horse's name was Doc, and he was a barrel racer! (I love barrel
racing!) He had a cool white stripe down his face. The ad stated that Doc was best suited to an intermediate rider
(that's me!). Everything the ad had to say matched the qualities I was looking for in a horse. Mom had said though,
that we were just looking, and it would be a year or so before we could get one.
Chapter Three:We Meet
I remember very vividly the day we met. My Mom and Dad didn't tell me where we were going. All they said was,
"get in the car", and that they had a surprise for me. We drove for two long hours, out into the country. I was car
sick the whole way. We stopped at two rest stops because I was so sick. At the second stop I bought myself a
cherry red Gatorade and a pack of peppermints. All I knew about this long road trip was that we were heading
north, toward a town called Kittanning.
When we finally arrived, we were at a large farm! As Mom stopped the car, and turned the silver key to turn off the
engine, she said, "Taylor, do you know why we are here?" "No," I replied in a somewhat nervous voice. "We are
here to look at a horse" she said. At first I didn't believe her, but when we got out of the car I saw two big wooden
stalls, and the horse we found on the internet. It was that brown one with the white stripe down his face. It was Doc!
I was so excited that I could barely speak! As we approached the two stalls to get a closer look, the owners of the
horse came into the barn from the other end. "How-Dee?" they greeted us, shaking our hands firmly. They were an
older couple, dressed in old, worn farm clothes. Their two dogs were dancing around my feet, almost like they
knew why I was there.
As the led us to Doc's stall I couldn't help but notice the wild mare in the stall next to his. She was all black and her
name was Shadow. She was smaller than he, but so energetic! There were several occasions during my visit that
Shadow tried to climb out of her stall! It turns out that the farm couple had purchased Shadow to be a companion
for Doc. She sure was. She followed him all over the pasture. They really were good friends.
Doc was wearing a red halter, that they tied him in cross ties with. First they let me brush him. He was so hairy
because he had his full winter coat. His hair was long and thick. His mane was black as night and his eyes soft and
loving. I brushed out all the mudd, and the dandruff from his fur. I picked up his feet, which he let me do. I touched
his ears, and he seemed to like that. Afterwards, they led us to an arena where I could take him for a test ride.
They tacked him up in a western style saddle and bridle. I was used to riding english style, but I ride western
sometimes. A western saddle is one that has a horn, and they are a lot fancier and flashier than an english saddle.
English saddles do not have a horn, or anything to hold on to. Thats where your balance and leg strength come
into play.
After he was tacked up, they lead us to a huge pasture that i could ride him in. This was exciting to me, as i was
used to riding in a small arena with Mary.
Doc and I stayed at a walk and circled the arena several times. I was wearing my helmet, and Mom was still
nervous.
After that i dismounted and lead him around the pasture a little, trying to get to know his personality, and ground
manners a little. He stopped every once in a while to eat the fresh grass, or to sniff a new smell. The pasture was
very muddy and the ground was squishy as we walked. "So?" mom asked. "What do you think of him?"
"He is great!" I replied. " I want him!" :Chapter Four
I am getting a horse!
On the ride home my mind was all over the place. Was I really getting a horse? Was I dreaming? Mom and Dad
were talking about how much we thought it would cost to do this. They were worried. First thing Mom said we had
to do, was find an affordable barn to keep Doc in. We called all over Pittsburgh. We visited a couple of barns, and
talked to other horse owners. Dad found a place called Hobby Horse in South Park. He talked to the owners and
barn manager on the phone. Then Mom and Dad went to see the place. The stalls were clean and the boarders
were friendly. Plus, it was right down the road from Mary, should we need her. My parents arranged to board our
horse at Hobby Horse.
The next obstacle was getting Doc from Kittanning to South Park. Quite a distance. Mary recommended a horse
hauler named Mike. Mike agreed to meet us in Kittanning and bring Doc to his new home. A hauler charges by the
mile as well as an initial fee. This was not going to be a cheap trip. We had a couple of weeks to get our money
together, and get ready for Doc.
On a rainy Monday morning we started out to Kittanning. We stopped once for coffee, as Mom needs that. She is
much happier that way! When we got to the farm, the dogs greeted us as did the farmers. They gave us fresh
eggs from their chickens. We waited nervously for Mike the hauler, hoping he didn't get lost or change his mind!
As the rain got heavier and heavier we were getting worried. All of a sudden, we heard the rumble of a truck, and
Mike was in the drive way!
Chapter Five:The ride
Mike's truck was big. I'll bet he could haul 6-8 horses if he wanted to. He circled the truck around in the drive way
and opened the hatch. I held my breath and I wondered how Doc would react to the trailer. Some horses make a
huge fuss, and sometimes even hurt themselves because they are afraid to get in. Mike lowered the ramp, and
Doc walked right up it! I couldn't believe it.
Mom pulled out ahead of Mike and he followed us into the City. We came right down route 579 and onto route 279.
We came across the Liberty Bridge and through the tunnels. We looped around and continued on route 51 to
Library Road. Then we headed into South Park. Once we hit Stoltz Road, where the barn is, I figured we were
home free. We arrived at Hobby Horse, Mom paid Mike the hauler, and we unloaded Doc.
Chapter Six:Doc's New Home
My Dad had already arrived at the barn and Doc's stall was all set up. There was the jolly-ball that I got for
Christmas from Aunt Pam and Uncle Gregg. It is a green, apple flavored toy that hangs from the ceiling of the stall.
It is designed to keep the horse from being bored. Dad had also hung his stall sign that read, "Doc - owned by
Taylor Tripodi." I could hardly believe it. Doc walked into his stall, then turned around and tried to come out again.
It was funny.
I was eager to try out my new horse. I led him up to the indoor arena. The only saddle I had with me was Western,
so the barn manager, Bob showed me how to tack him up Western style. There were a lot of other riders there,
and we met a lot of new people and horses. My Aunt and cousins came to see Doc too. Aunt Libby was amazed at
the size of my horse, and my cousin Emma was already in love. She wore her white cowboy hat and her cowboy
boots for the occasion. I was proud.
Mom seemed relieved that Bob was keeping a watchful eye on me. I rode Doc a little and then we decided to let
him rest and get used to his new surroundings. We took him back to his stall and said goodnight.
Chapter Seven:Life With Doc
Now, four months later, Doc and I have a lot of confidence in eachother. Not only as horse and rider, but as
friends. I know what Doc likes and what he doesn't like. He likes applesauce. He doesn't like camera flashes. He
likes to run. He doesn't like white lines painted on the road.
Doc and I are together just about every other day. On days that his knees are sore, we don't ride. We play and I
braid his hair. His knees have some arthritis, and he takes medicine that is like Tylenol to help with the pain. Most
days he is fine and we ride. I have only fallen off once, and that was into a huge mud puddle. My fault, not his. I
was bareback and lost my balance. It was still fun.
Life with Doc is better than any dream I have ever had. Every day I wake up and still can't believe I have a horse!
It's not a dream. I have a horse. His name is Doc.
Below is a story written by Taylor for school...if we
can all find that child within again imagine what
happier and more appreciative lives we'd lead!
Remember when ....
can all find that child within again imagine what
happier and more appreciative lives we'd lead!
Remember when ....
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