Amanda’s Poetry Corner: ‘I Always Want the Bad Horse’

I Always Want The Bad Horse.

The down-trodden,
and sometimes ring rotten.

The ones who buck,
and the ones who rear.

The ones who bolt,
and are full of fear.

Because bad is not worthless,
nothing could be further from the truth.

Bad just means misunderstood,
broken,
and sometimes abused.

Bad horses are quirky,
that’s a simple fact.

They can be jerks
if you don’t ease up or take a step back.

So next time you see a bad horse,
send him my way.

Because bad horses need riders too,
and a whole lot of love at the end of the day.

Amanda and Gumpert.

‘Gumpert’ is my notorious bad horse. I found him listed for free on Craigslist in January 2011. I remember his seller describing him as “grumpy but so sweet.” She also said more than once, “He can really have a fit and buck hard.” Our first few rides were extremely chaotic, but things slowly improved.

Six months later we were competing in Beginner Novice and having a blast. He still throws tantrums to this day. He firmly believes lateral work, signs with the letter ‘A’ in a dressage ring and patches of dry, yellowed grass are all made by the devil, but he’s also one of my biggest cuddle bugs and handiest jumpers.

Go Riding!

Did you miss Amanda’s first bad poetry reading, “10 Thing I Hate About Horses”? Check it out here.