Caitlyn and Joey
When my baby sister, Caitlyn, was ten, she started taking riding lessons down at Four Winds, which was a family owned (in the family for years) riding and training barn. She liked it well enough that she decided she wanted her own horse. Our family has never been made of money like a lot of the kids she had lessons with, and mom told her that there was no way we could pay for a good jumper, and feed and board.
Caitlyn never took the word "NO" very well. Only this time, for the first time in her life, instead of throwing a temper tantrum, or crying, or trying to manipulate my parents into buying a horse, she started working on her own for that goal. Every cent she got from birthday, Christmas, report cards, she saved. She started doing odd jobs for money from mom and dad, and then the neighbors. Then my mom met a lady through work that made candles, her business was called "Light of Mine," a reference to the Sunday School Song. This lady sold the candles to Caitlyn for four dollars, and Caitlyn sold them for six dollars. She sold at school, at mom's work, I took some to school, she sold them at church, and door to door, and to all of the parents at the barn.
In the meantime, she and mom started shopping. My dad knew a guy named Mike who had a colt for sale. Mike named all his horses after police officers, this particular little guy was named Joey. Caitlyn saw him in the field, and wanted him so badly. She ignored the friendlier horses and walked right out to the shy little guy, and he responded.
Mike took Joey off the market, and waited for Caitlyn to sell enough candles to make $1000 dollars. It took her a full year, but in July, she brought out the money, and a trailer, and Joey was moved to his new home at Four Winds. Caitlyn spent the entire first day with him, right outside his stall. Reading, mostly, but just being there so he knew he'd not been abandoned.
Bob and Beth started work right away. Bob "broke" the horses, and he said Joey was the fastest learner he'd ever seen. Beth stepped up Caitlyn's lessons. Caitlyn chose "Light of Mine" as his show name, both in honor of the candles, and because Joey was everything to Caitlyn.
In August of that year, Caitlyn turned twelve. Child labor laws don't apply to farms, did you know that? Twelve year olds can legally get jobs for agriculture, and Four Winds Farm counted. Caitlyn worked full time, along with Bob and Beth cleaning stalls, turning horses in and out, feeding and haying, and fixing fences, and building jumps, and bathing horses, and everything else that needed to be done. Every penny she made went to keeping Joey and toward her lessons. When school started, she got off the bus at the barn, and worked for three hours until Mom picked her up for dinner.
Every other Sunday in summer and fall, we all skipped church, and the girls and the horses would get loaded up, and taken to another farm or ranch for a horse show. On their first time out, Caitlyn and Joey got first place in their group. Out in the field, and in practice, they had a bizarre kind of telepathy. They seemed to always know what the other was thinking, Joey was known to anticipate Caityln's next move, and Caitlyn knew Joey's moods like they were her own. Bob even predicted that if Joey and Caitlyn continued to improve, she could win equestrian scholarships, easily. Joey was going to be big enough when he finished growing for her to ride all through college.
During this time, I went on to my freshman year of college, and my dad moved out of my mom's house. The divorce was long and painful for everyone. I had a new life, and Doug. Anna had band, and swimming, and working, and Caitlyn kept busy with Joey.
Fourth of July the next year rolled around, it was one year and one day from the day Joey came to live at Four Winds. There was a violent thunderstorm all across the region, from Wise County in Virginia where we were visiting my mom's parents, all the way down to home.
One of the horses was struck by lightening as she crested the hill, running for the shelter of the practice arena. Every horse within 50 yards that was wearing metal shoes was instantly electrocuted.
Beth came out to view the wreckage the next morning, with Brandon, one of the other students. She looked out into the field and saw a brown and white body, motionless at the base of the hill, below the first victim. "Brandon!" she cried, "Please tell me that's Firefly!" As much as she loved the gentle old lesson pony, she would've given anything if it had been so.
But it was Joey.
Part of Caitlyn died that day, too. My baby sister was never the same, despite the out pouring of love that was showered on her from everyone at the barn. The rich parents pooled their money, and bought her a full blooded Virginia Highlander called Rosanna, and Mike sold us Joey's baby sister for only $100. Her name was supposed to be Nutmeg, but no one ever called her anything but Baby.
Rosanna and Baby didn't move like Joey. Baby is a runner, not a jumper. Neither would be big enough to go college with Caitlyn. After she recovered somewhat, she poured all her love into them, and later into others that have their own stories; Stetson and Buck. But they weren't Joey either.
None of us truly recovered. It's nine years later now, and the very mention of Joey and all the Monroe women will tear up and sniffle, except Caitlyn. The hurt was too deep for tears, and she's never cried since; except, maybe one or two for our grandfather.
As a caveat to Caitlyn's story, there was also a small death of mine, though one I hardly regret. When we returned to church that Sunday, a blue haired, boney old woman walked up to my mom, looked at Caityln, and said "I hope you know, God killed Joey because you missed church for him."
My mother was aghast. She said "MY God wouldn't do that." And we as a family stormed out. When my aunt confessed that that lady's attitude was the general consensus, we never set foot into that church ever again. My mom tried to find another, but I was just as happy to never go back.
Caitlyn never took the word "NO" very well. Only this time, for the first time in her life, instead of throwing a temper tantrum, or crying, or trying to manipulate my parents into buying a horse, she started working on her own for that goal. Every cent she got from birthday, Christmas, report cards, she saved. She started doing odd jobs for money from mom and dad, and then the neighbors. Then my mom met a lady through work that made candles, her business was called "Light of Mine," a reference to the Sunday School Song. This lady sold the candles to Caitlyn for four dollars, and Caitlyn sold them for six dollars. She sold at school, at mom's work, I took some to school, she sold them at church, and door to door, and to all of the parents at the barn.
In the meantime, she and mom started shopping. My dad knew a guy named Mike who had a colt for sale. Mike named all his horses after police officers, this particular little guy was named Joey. Caitlyn saw him in the field, and wanted him so badly. She ignored the friendlier horses and walked right out to the shy little guy, and he responded.
Mike took Joey off the market, and waited for Caitlyn to sell enough candles to make $1000 dollars. It took her a full year, but in July, she brought out the money, and a trailer, and Joey was moved to his new home at Four Winds. Caitlyn spent the entire first day with him, right outside his stall. Reading, mostly, but just being there so he knew he'd not been abandoned.
Bob and Beth started work right away. Bob "broke" the horses, and he said Joey was the fastest learner he'd ever seen. Beth stepped up Caitlyn's lessons. Caitlyn chose "Light of Mine" as his show name, both in honor of the candles, and because Joey was everything to Caitlyn.
In August of that year, Caitlyn turned twelve. Child labor laws don't apply to farms, did you know that? Twelve year olds can legally get jobs for agriculture, and Four Winds Farm counted. Caitlyn worked full time, along with Bob and Beth cleaning stalls, turning horses in and out, feeding and haying, and fixing fences, and building jumps, and bathing horses, and everything else that needed to be done. Every penny she made went to keeping Joey and toward her lessons. When school started, she got off the bus at the barn, and worked for three hours until Mom picked her up for dinner.
Every other Sunday in summer and fall, we all skipped church, and the girls and the horses would get loaded up, and taken to another farm or ranch for a horse show. On their first time out, Caitlyn and Joey got first place in their group. Out in the field, and in practice, they had a bizarre kind of telepathy. They seemed to always know what the other was thinking, Joey was known to anticipate Caityln's next move, and Caitlyn knew Joey's moods like they were her own. Bob even predicted that if Joey and Caitlyn continued to improve, she could win equestrian scholarships, easily. Joey was going to be big enough when he finished growing for her to ride all through college.
During this time, I went on to my freshman year of college, and my dad moved out of my mom's house. The divorce was long and painful for everyone. I had a new life, and Doug. Anna had band, and swimming, and working, and Caitlyn kept busy with Joey.
Fourth of July the next year rolled around, it was one year and one day from the day Joey came to live at Four Winds. There was a violent thunderstorm all across the region, from Wise County in Virginia where we were visiting my mom's parents, all the way down to home.
One of the horses was struck by lightening as she crested the hill, running for the shelter of the practice arena. Every horse within 50 yards that was wearing metal shoes was instantly electrocuted.
Beth came out to view the wreckage the next morning, with Brandon, one of the other students. She looked out into the field and saw a brown and white body, motionless at the base of the hill, below the first victim. "Brandon!" she cried, "Please tell me that's Firefly!" As much as she loved the gentle old lesson pony, she would've given anything if it had been so.
But it was Joey.
Part of Caitlyn died that day, too. My baby sister was never the same, despite the out pouring of love that was showered on her from everyone at the barn. The rich parents pooled their money, and bought her a full blooded Virginia Highlander called Rosanna, and Mike sold us Joey's baby sister for only $100. Her name was supposed to be Nutmeg, but no one ever called her anything but Baby.
Rosanna and Baby didn't move like Joey. Baby is a runner, not a jumper. Neither would be big enough to go college with Caitlyn. After she recovered somewhat, she poured all her love into them, and later into others that have their own stories; Stetson and Buck. But they weren't Joey either.
None of us truly recovered. It's nine years later now, and the very mention of Joey and all the Monroe women will tear up and sniffle, except Caitlyn. The hurt was too deep for tears, and she's never cried since; except, maybe one or two for our grandfather.
As a caveat to Caitlyn's story, there was also a small death of mine, though one I hardly regret. When we returned to church that Sunday, a blue haired, boney old woman walked up to my mom, looked at Caityln, and said "I hope you know, God killed Joey because you missed church for him."
My mother was aghast. She said "MY God wouldn't do that." And we as a family stormed out. When my aunt confessed that that lady's attitude was the general consensus, we never set foot into that church ever again. My mom tried to find another, but I was just as happy to never go back.