Children leave lots of things behind when they move out.
- Stuffed animals
- Shoes
- Clothes
- Toiletries
- Memories
- Live animals
I rearrange their stuff when I clean (read INFREQUENTLY here). Of the three souls who share my space, only one, Alice was purely my choice. In the past, I’ve written of Skeedles and Night. It is time for an update on Night.
At 21 she is probably the same as my age in horse-years. Like me, she has moved around a lot. Born in Texas and trained as a barrel racer, she has seen a whole lot of life before last Sunday’s Event at the Groton Pony Club 3-Phase. The two forms of equine sport she has competed in couldn’t be more incongruously different yet similar. In each, the equine partner must have bursts of speed and be nimble of foot. In Eventing, the partners compete in three different arenas; dancing a ballet in dressage and jumping a tight pattern in the stadium portion. The final phase is a race cross-country incorporating a dozen or so permanent jumps. It is heart-pounding fun requiring careful balance and coordination between horse and rider.
Her back sports white patches of hair. To the untrained eye they aren’t unattractive. To me they are the scars of ill-fitting equipment from her former career. I share her with a little girl who looks deep into those wise brown eyes and trusts this animal to teach her the sport. Sunday she carried the equivalent of a fly on her back as she raced around the cross-county course. I’ve been in that pose and know from the core of my muscles what is feels like to fly with her. On this day, I watched it play out through a narrow lens.
- Dressage
- Stadium Jumping
- The start of Cross-country
This is Night’s third Eventing partner; probably her last as I have quietly hung up my vest and Hanni, her first partner has moved on. And that’s OK because like so many things my daughters left to my care, I am enriched and educated about myself and life by her. This little brown horse I didn’t see the value in, has taught me to fly in so many ways.
- Ava and Night after competing
- Night and I in years past
That said, I would be eternally grateful if either daughter could pick up a few articles left behind such as:
- A lovely Norwegian dog-sled
- A trunk full of American Girl doll accessories and clothes (doll has gone missing)
- Disney VHS tapes (many, many boxes)
- Prom gowns
- Bicycles…
Therapeutic Misadventures 
Wow…. great photos!!! Both horse and rider! You must be proud of your Night.
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I felt like a very proud momma, Doppleganger! She is an amazing girl and Ava did such a good job!!
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Forgotten things in the attic or basement, stuffed in a closet. Once so treasured and loved, now reminders of how our children have grown. Lovely images from the Event.
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Thanks Laura. Funny how the smell of an old stuffed animal can invoke such memories…a good smell that is!
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Love your photos, Martha!
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Thank you Julie, your photos inspire me!!
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I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be on a jumping horse, but it must be fun.
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Any time you want to try, I would love to introduce you!
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What a heart-rending story you weave!
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Thank you Susan. Life moves on, right?
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If you want to get rid of the American Girl clothes and accessories, I would be happy to buy them.
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I will check with the “owner” first but I would be happy to donate them!!
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I love Night. Little brown horses are often underestimated. (we’ve managed to finally get the prom dresses out – donated to Project Prom who gets them to girls who can’t afford them…next the Homecoming Mums – which may be TX thing…and the extra stuff animals who long to be adopted and hugged again by kid)
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Thanks Phil. Every time I think I have the closets and crawl-space cleared out, more boxes of memories seem to march in the door…”Can I store this stuff here for a little while Mum???”
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I have an attic full of stuff my boys have left. They have probably forgotten most of it exists. Thankfully they left no animals though. What lovely photos of Night, such a graceful creature.
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Why do we hang on to these things, Marie??
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