EQUINE NIAGARA NEWS

Dreams can come true!
By Stephanie Mercier

It's been about eight years I have dreamed to own my very own horse. Eight years that I have been around horses. Never did much with them besides ride, never really understood the whole idea of keeping one as a pet until last year while I started to ride at Saturn Stables, every week I got to ride a different horse, and every week I had to clean the barn inside out.  I became friends also with my coach Deb and loved being at the barn, I volunteered as much as I could and practically lived there, but Deb told me I could not live in the barn lol.

Once I started to ride at Saturn I fell in love with each and every one of those horses and ponies. However, there was one that caught my attention, one that I loved more then anything in the whole wide world and his name is Jokes on you (Joker); he is a 15.3 hand high, sorrel, Quarter horse paint, who stole my heart. He taught me how to truly love a horse and receive all the confidence I could, he is my best friend.  I worked hard in the barn and at home and told my mom that I was saving my money to buy Joker. I got a job and worked and put away money but it just was not seeming to come fast enough, I never gave up and continued to go to the barn to be around the horses.

One day I was at the barn and Bill came up to me and said 'hey I might just have to give you that horse (Joker)", I did not think he was serious but came home and told my parents, my mom talked to Debbie and she said that Bill was serious. I wanted Joker so bad that I put together a presentation after talking to a lot of my friends that own horses and showed my parents what it would cost to own a horse.

They had to decide if I could have him, it took forever for them to approve but I did not give up hope.

I was at the barn when my Dad said I could have him I ran out of the barn and jumped on Joker and gave him a hug, I could not believe my Dad said yes, and then I went running down the driveway to Deb saying "he said YES", and gave Deb a hug. I was so happy.

At the cancer ride Deb presented Joker with a huge red bow hooked to his halter to me with his papers and said in front of everyone that Joker was now my horse and that Bill gave him to me because I loved him so much and all the work I have done with him.

I was stunned and started to cry, that was such a special moment.

Bill and Deb have the biggest hearts and I can not thank them enough for making my dream come true.