Testimonial– Krystal
Where do I start?!
I was raised with horses pretty much from birth. My parents really wanted me to get into horse shows and equestrian-related activities. My very first horse was a palomino named Barbie. I was five and she was the best! Later that year my parents brought Hershey home. I remember spending so much time with them everyday– brushing them and learning to ride. Over the years many horses have come and gone from my life, but Hershey ended up being my #1 fur baby. I'm so blessed that he has been my constant companion because there were some incredibly tough times that I had to face growing up.
In 2005 our house was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground in Pueblo West, CO. I'll never forget the day I came home from school. I had just sat down and then it happened. Everything was on fire.
From that moment on everything was a struggle. I immediately had to go from being a kid without a care in the world to a kid who had to take on the responsibility of caring for her siblings and pets so that her parents could figure out how we were going to live and eat. The next 7 years were spent with all of us living in a camper. After this, we found and won some land with a house at auction outside of Beulah.
We had the bare minimum of heat, water, food and supplies, but I was still able to have Hershey. There were good days and bad days of course, but everyday I went outside to sit there with Hershey and pour my heart out to him and he just listened and noozled me.
My parents struggled for over 15 years to give us a good life. They wanted to make sure we went to school and then college, and learned the meaning of hard work. Hershey and I have been through a lot growing up together, seemingly from one disaster to another but we have always been inseparable. We were able to do 4H and FFA together and random fun outings with neighbors and friends. These were the moments that kept me going. Hershey kept me going and wanting to do better and be better. I have a very strong testimony of horses being the most life-changing of friends, helping us to grow and learn to become better people through a time-transcending bond. It is a great honor to be able to help others through their journey of horsepersonship.
