Teachers Part 1 - Jasmine

I've spoken a lot on here about my old horses. About Sierra, Dusty, Kess, and [obviously] this blog's namesake, Tango. However, they are not the only horses who have taught me over the years. So, for the next few weeks, I plan on spotlighting the other important horses that I've encountered over the years. To do that, I'm going back. ALLLLLL the way back. First up, we have Jasmine.

(Jasmine is the black pony - with little me on board)

She was a big pony [and let's face it, at 7, I just flat out thought she was big], probably somewhere around 14.2 and built pretty solidly. She was also a lazy pony, and a lot of people didn't like her all that much, because unless you let her know, quite clearly, that "WE ARE GOING FORWARD TODAY", she would barely budge. She also farted ALLL the time. We all used to get a kick out of that. But, despite the laziness and the gassiness, I grew to love that pony. I learned very quickly that the first time she protested going forward in a lesson, one authoritative thwack with the whip cured the problem for the rest of the day. She was a smart pony that way - ridden in several lessons a day, she saved energy wherever possible. You had to mean business if you wanted her all.
Once I learned her trick, she was a blast to ride. She was the first horse that I ever had a lot of confidence jumping with, and while everyone else wanted to ride Pierre, the little fleabitten gray Arab who was known around the barn as the "best pony jumper", I wanted Jasmine. This was because once Jas and I came to an understanding about the forwardness, she was a pretty impressive jumper. While Pierre went like a hunter - long and rhythmical - Jasmine was more like a jumper - a bit rounder, a bit more up and down in her canter - and I LOVED that. I still love that. In anything I ride. Maybe she's why.
Jasmine was also the first horse that I "went cross-country" with. I put that in quotes because in fact, I just cantered her around a hilly field, jumped a little log in the woods and a ditch at the reservoir. But it was a start! And we did it a lot!
Jasmine and I were also pretty darn good at gymkhana games. Sit-a-buck? No problem, she was round and super easy to sit. Slow-canter? She LOVED to slow-canter! We even rocked the jumper derby. The funny part was that everyone thought I was crazy picking jasmine for a speed jumping class, but we put in a valiant showing. I couldn't tell you if we won or not, but we didn't come in last [time-wise], and we kept all the jumps in the cups.
That pony taught a lot of people to ride over the course of her long life, and I'm glad to say that she taught me, too. I wish I had gotten the chance to see that pony in her prime, because I'll bet she was amazing. As it was, I found her in the twilight of her life. I was around for her retirement, and for her death. For that pony, though, death wasn't something we needed to mourn. She was probably 25 or 30, and she had been with the same person for almost her whole life. I think that she even had a foal at some point. To say that she lived a full life would be an understatement. To say that she lived a good life would be accurate.