My granddaughter Adeline has been taking horseback riding lessons since the pandemic. She and her parents were staying with me then and riding was a sport that she could do safely. She loved it and has been riding ever since. 

As Adeline’s riding has progressed, I have discovered so much more about my three sisters-Laurie, Billie and Mary—who were equestriennes in their youth. I wasn’t interested in riding, so I guess I stayed home reading supermarket encyclopedias and Nancy Drew books and writing deathless prose and poetry while my female siblings learned how to ride, had horses of their own, entered horse shows all over the northeast, and had loads of adventures. It was all news to me. 

Apparently, the Stabbert girls owned two horses, Drummer Boy and Daddy’s Girl, and boarded them down at the stables that the Slausenbergs had along River Road. Kathy Slausenberg was their teacher, and she was an excellent one. According to sister Laurie, Kathy had trained at a prestigious school in Pennsylvania. 

The only horse show I ever participated in was at the Youth Center, where they had me dressed in green tights and a long green tunic with a feathered cap. I walked the horse around while my sister Laurie, bedecked in a long white gown, sat astride the horse. We were, of course, Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Sadly, photos of this event still exist. 

In the meantime, my sisters have shared memories of their days on horseback.  And they have tales to tell! 

There was the time Billie’s (or was it Mary’s?) horse got stung by a bee while she was in the ring at a show. She was disqualified, but the announcer said she did a good job staying on the horse. 

Then there was the horse love story, wherein a horse from Pennsylvania forded the Delaware to mate with one of our horses. I’m going to guess it was Daddy’s Girl, aka DG who had this late-night encounter. She gave birth to a healthy foal. I mean, the things that happen in Callicoon! 

Laurie competed in Hunter-Jumper shows and her legendary fearlessness was on full display.  

I don’t know where I was in all this, but after a few lessons, I knew this wasn’t the sport for me, and I retired to my garret, where my writing career was being born. 

More next week about Adeline’s horse adventures!