Let's begin with the 3 horses that are no longer with me. First, there was B-Mark, aka 'The Devil Horse'. To be fair, he probably wasn't all bad. Had I known then what I know now... things would not have got out of hand, the way they did. Mind you, no matter how much I may learn and how good of a horse woman I may become... he would never be the right horse for me. But, I also have to be grateful for that horse; he changed the course of my life. I hope he is doing well.
Sophie. Beautiful, lovely, quirky Sophie. She was my daughter's horse, and then, for a while, our only horse. She could be as gentle as a warm summer breeze (or, as stubborn as an old mule), she babysat beginner riders (and me, when I had lost all confidence)... and, she would challenge her rider when he/she was ready. Part Arabian, she was strong willed, but always sensible. She died at age 35 in an accident at the barn where she was boarded for the winter. Her picture hangs in the barn; I look at her every day.
Last, but not least, there was Sir Galahad. He came to me at age 25; his name then was 'Trouble'. He was no trouble. He was gorgeous, inside and out. Half Arabian, he had many of the same traits Sophie had. He was pretty much the perfect horse. He was my canter buddy. I trusted him completely. I even trusted him with my grand kids. And trust doesn't necessarily come easy for me. He was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2014, and died in August of 2015. His picture also hangs in the barn.. and I truly miss him every day.
And then there is Tika 
No, it has not been all rainbows and butterflies with us. We struggled for probably almost 3 years. There were times when I thought that I would never be able to reach him, give him what he needs; times, when I thought of giving up. But, we made it through and I don't think I could ever adequately express how much I love that horse. Or, how much he has taught me, and how much we have grown together.
And, after a long wait, here is Willie 
I'm hoping that Willie will become my 'go to' horse, the horse that visitors can ride on the trail, the horse I can just hop on for a relaxing little ride, and hopefully, he'll enjoy toting the grand peanuts around. He is smart, kind, a little spoiled, and quite a character. I hope he will have a lot of fun here.