05/11/2026
I have mentioned this story in regards to Boss before; I just wanted to do a little Mother's Day tribute in my own way, by writing, like my mom would appreciate. Thanks for reading. ❤️
I don't really know why my whole life has always been about horses. I don't come from a horsey family. In fact, my mom was afraid of horses.
I collected Breyers and Grand Champions. I didn't have one herd of model horses, I had multiple herds that played out different story lines. I was either reading, writing, or dreaming of horses.
The first time my mom bought me a real horse, it was a $200 ($300 with hauling) little bay grade arabian that an acquaintance had purchased at auction.
I couldn't touch him for the longest time, but that didn't matter because I had a horse! My mom didn't have a spare penny. She was a single mom raising two kids while working full time office jobs (that she went to school for, as a recently divorced single parent).
So despite having zero extra dollars, she made my horse dreams come true. She drove me to the barn on weekends to work. On weekdays for lessons. Somehow she saved enough money for my horse to get 30 days of training. $600 back then. That was a big deal.
Her money was not wasted. While I still managed to get into trouble on the side, I never missed a day at the barn. Wether it was working, riding, or lessons, it didn't matter to me. Some of my best memories are of her and I stopping for Quiznos in Lloyd on our way home from the barn on a Saturday or Sunday.
The first time I went to a horse show as a competitor, it was in Thorsby at the Haymaker. My mom rented a bed and breakfast suite that was painted like the northern lights. We ate pizza and read bad horror novels from the local grocery store at night.
She did buy me another horse, eventually. It's funny how the universe works. Really, we had no right to be buying a c**t from Montana. Steeve and I had seen some success with our new business. I had a few more dollars than I was used too, but not enough to be buying a fancy c**t.
And yet, when I showed Steeve Boss's page on the Slush Creek website, he was on board. He loved Boss's mask, it reminded him of the Hollow masks on an anime show we were watching together. I loved Shelley's description. It said something like "Boss often goes off on his own to explore". I thought, that sounds like a horse I would like.
When it came down to crunching numbers, we quickly realized not only did we have to factor in the US exchange rate, but there was shipping and vet fees.
My mom always said that I get what I want. And I wanted that c**t. So I asked my mom if she was interested in investing. And if you knew my mom, you knew she wasn't all that serious, more snarky, funny, not very prim and proper.
And yet, she asked me in a very serious voice, "will you get a return on your investment when you sell him in a few years?"
To which I seriously answered, "oh yes. Definitely." Since we were on the phone, she couldn't see my very bad poker face. I knew I would never sell this c**t.
When I say I have the very best mom, I truly did. She knew me better than that. And she helped me buy Boss.
She never got to meet him. But I think of her everytime I ride him. Everytime he walks up to me. Everytime he takes care of my brother. I have always loved my animals. But I didn't know a horse could mean so, so much to me and my family for so many reasons.
Happy Mothers Day
PS this photo is of my mom and my first horse, Jake.
