For her birthday last fall, I gifted my 11-year old niece horse riding lessons because it was an activity in which she had long indicated an interest. Some horse riding lessons have turned into a membership in a 4-H club, volunteer work at a horse riding facility, a passle of new friends, and a new hobby: horse showmanship. It's now been almost a year since those first riding lessons, and my niece completed her first horse show at the a county fair this summer. She did well for her first effort; she showed her friend, Peanut, a miniature pony with whom she seems to have a particular bond. For her first horse show, her grandfather made the 7-hour drive from western Illinois to be able to see his granddaughter in action at the fair, and then he decided to stay the week so he could watch all the fair's activities. Grandpa is and always has been a cowboy at heart and rode a lot when he was young, and he is so delighted to see one of his progeny enjoy horsemanship as much as he did during his younger days (none of his other children or other grandchildren have shown any interest in horses). The cache is placed in honor of the grandpa, the granddaughter/niece, the friends, their adult guides and teachers, the first show, and, last but not least, the horses and their beauty and grandeur and power.
The cache is located across the street from an MSU animal science program involved in equine research, training, and horsemanship. It has been part of the university programs since MSU was founded in 1855 as an agricultural land grant college, when horses were America's main mode of transportation and very best "power equipment." On some days, you can see momma horses with their long-legged foals, running swiftly on the property according to their own will – a lovely sight.
Congratulations on the almost instantaneous FTF, CastanedaBoys!