A Celebration of Love for the Horse!

By Sharon DeCarlo

I would like to introduce Gianna Toscano, a truly beautiful bright spot in a rather chaotic upside-down world that we are experiencing right now. So refreshing and positive is this young woman  that I just had to interview her after reading her wonderful school assignment paper entitled “Ode to Horses”.

Gianna is a 15-year-old Sophomore student at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno, Nevada. As a school assignment she was asked to write a piece about the thing that she was most passionate about. As it turns out she absolutely loves horses, this is not an unusual thing, many of us ladies can remember growing up wishing, wanting and craving the ability to have a horse or be able to ride and spend time with them.

Gianna said she has always loved horses, and while her friends learned to read adventure books geared for young readers and teens she was selecting books about horses. Gianna looked for books with pictures and illustrations of horses, cowboy, cowgirls, rodeos, jumping horses and everything and anything to do with horses. This fueled her desire to be a horsewoman and she yearned to know all there was to know about them.

Knowing how horse crazy Gianna was and being the kind of grandparents that live to make their grandkids happy, they gave Gianna 10 riding lessons as a birthday gift about 2½ years ago. Because of this wonderful gesture and gift and her parents giving her the green light to go on, Gianna was able to pursue her education and contact with horses. Now Gianna gained even more passion and love for her childhood dreams and in a short time she has become a wise and talented horsewoman. She credits and thanks her family for this opportunity. The stable’s that Gianna currently rides with and receives instruction from is Maplewood Stables just south of Reno.

She credits her instructor and mentor, Elisabeth Beasley, for advancing her knowledge and riding skills along with the great Maplewood horses she handles and rides today. Gianna rides English style and jumping is her favorite of all the English riding forms. She also enjoys trail riding and loves to go to Tahoe and ride the beautiful Tahoe Trail head. Maplewood has provided Gianna with some great allaround horses such as Lorelei, a good solid horse that has taught her a lot.

But now Gianna states, “they have me ride several different horses in order to give me a wider education on how to handle different personalities, situations and challenges.” Gianna’s plans are to further her horsemanship in college and hopefully be on a Hunter Jumping team. Besides having her own good horses one day, Gianna is interested in becoming involved with the rescue horse advocacy. I was so impressed with this young lady’s description of her daily journey with the horse that I felt like I should share it with all the Horse Tales readers as I knew some of you would find many of her expressions and feelings as those you have experienced as well. Her heart is solidly embedded in these wonderful creatures and you can tell that every minute she spends with them is precious, unforgettable and important to her. I hope you enjoy every warm description and heartfelt word in her Ode to Horses!

Ode to Horses
By Gianna Toscano
A Celebration of Love for the Horse! continued
I wake up to the bright sun shining through my blinds,
7:00 am on the dot,
I am awake as planned.
Apprehension always fills my stomach.
Always the first meal of the day,
Before I even have anything to eat,
And before I feel the usual sense of calm.
7:30
I’m dressed and ready to drive to the stables,
Where I feel truly at home.
Expensive breeches that are comforting to wear,
Like a smile or a hug.
Boots that required time and effort
To mold to my legs,
As though they were all along.
My hair tied back,
Not the most elegant or attractive hairstyle,
But my favorite one.
8:15
I arrive at the stables,
Driving along the winding, bumpy, dirt road.
Riders are in the distant arena,
Elegant and beautiful
Like the best dancers one could imagine,
I can’t keep my bliss from showing.
I smile
Finally, the road ends at the wooden barn.
I am at long last, at peace.
I excitedly clamber out of my car.
I’m full out grinning at this point,
Like a maniac.
8:30
I walk slowly,
Assuredly,
To the pasture
Where the horses are kept.
Aspen trees line the path,
And the creek gurgles alongside it.
They whisper and laugh,
Some inside joke that I get to be a part of.
The sky is blue and there are few clouds.
The air smells crisp and cool,
With subtle hints of dust, manure, and hay.
It’s a very nice morning.
I reach the gate,
Unlock it with confident,
Knowing fingers.
It creaks when it swings open,
But it’s like a sigh,
Not a scream.
I shut it gently behind me.
I walk quickly towards the horses,
Unable to contain my excitement any longer.
Crossing the creek,
My boots are wet,
My socks are wet,
A cold, but familiar feeling.
I have a halter in hand,
I loop it around my horse’s head.
We’re connected now,
We walk together, back to the stable.
8:45
In the stables,
I let out a contended sigh.
I know,
In my soul and in my bones,
That this is where I need to be.
I wrap my arms around my horse’s neck.
She’s soft,
She’s warmth,
She’s calm,
She’s home.
I bury my face
Into the soft fur of her neck.
Breath in deeply,
She smells like dust
And sweet sweat.
I am instantly at ease.
I release her from my embrace.
Pick up a brush,
Polish her coat until she shines,
Beautiful and bronze.
I easily and carefully
Place her saddle on her back.
It sits there,
Waiting for me to fill it.
My friends are here by now,
We trade laughs,
Smiles,
Stories,
And gossip
Like tarot cards. It’s the best feeling in the world,
Getting to be yourself.
9:00
I climb gently
Onto the back of the horse.
I pat her neck soothingly.
I wait for my friends,
We ride together to the arena
In easy, comfortable, silence.
I listen again to the jokes
Of the trees and the creek.
I laugh with them inside my head.
In the arena
I ride with strength,
And confidence.
An easy companionship
Between me and my horse.
Her and I work together well.
We canter and jump,
And together we fly.
The jumps aren’t high
But flying is flying,
No matter how far you get off the ground.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins.
Riding is amazing.
It’s exhilarating,
Calming,
Terrifying.
10:00
We ride down from the arena
Back to the stables.
Sweaty and tired and exhilarated.
I slide smoothly
Off my horse’s back
I land hard on the ground,
Jolted back to reality.
My legs feel like they’re on fire,
So does my soul.
I lazily walk my horse inside.
I slide her saddle off,
I brush her and hose her down.
She smells nice,
Like sweat and happiness.
I walk her outside,
And climb back on,
No saddle this time.
The bones of her back
Press hard into my thighs.
It hurts,
But it is a good pain.
I ride her back to the pasture,
Again listening to the jokes
That the aspens and bubbling creek
Have to tell.
And I laugh.