# Another, 'Hi, I'm back!' (it's so much nicer than FB here)



## Mambo (Sep 25, 2008)

I joined 12 years ago, loved the forum, then I guess just wandered off into social media. Coming back here yesterday reminded me of the far more peaceful nature of forums compared to the showy, loud, 'look at me', fake nature of fb - I'm still there, but I use it less and less these days.

I wrote my first book when I was here in 2008 - there are five of them now and the sixth nearly out - plus some other novels. Since 2008, I won some more national and state titles with our Quarter Horses, bred some wonderful horses, and judged around Australia but I've cut back on horsey things this past couple of years because of our ongoing drought. Our creek hasn't run in four years - luckily, we have a bore so the horses have water.

Since last here, I did some writing and reporting for Horse Talk TV, and continued writing for horse magazines - not really 'freelance' as such, but a few Australian horse magazines are owned by friends and they sometimes ask me to write for them. One year, a good friend asked me to write about the lives of four well known Australian horse women who passed away that year - as well as the article I wrote this poem (below) because I thought it expressed some of the things the women would want to say. It has since been used at many funerals for horse people. It is lovely that people like it but sad that so many good people have passed, some of them tragically young. If anyone likes it, they are more than welcome to save it to their computer or print it out - I'd like to think I wrote it for all of us. (Oh, 'the blue' means the blue ribbon which is first place in Australia - I know red is first in some countries).

Best wishes for 2021, everyone.


*Where Do The Riders Go?
By Leanne Owens.*

Remember me with laughter, do not forget with tears,
For I remain the one you love, so put aside those fears.
When you ride or laugh or sit alone, just know that I’m still near,
For I remain bound to this earth by all that I hold dear.

And when you see the horses play at dawn or in the night,
Please know that I’m there with them riding bold and good and light.
And when you’re out competing, look to the horse I knew,
‘Cos I’ll be right there with him, still trying for the blue.

It’s not about how long I stayed, just that I stayed at all,
It’s not about you losing me, I merely crossed a wall.
On this side there are horses that need the care of souls
Who know how to handle them and raise the tiny foals.

So do not think you’ve lost me into an endless night,
I’m just caring for the horses who’ve moved into the light.
I’m still riding, I’m still loving, I’m still me and I’m still here –
You just can’t feel my fingers as I wipe away that tear.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Welcome back. What a lovely poem!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Nice to 'see' you back again Mambo!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Welcome back! Off to search for your books, sounds like the kind of story I enjoy.


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## 289250 (Dec 11, 2020)

What a lovely poem! And, what a wonderful background you have- welcome back!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Welcome back! I need new reading material.


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## Mambo (Sep 25, 2008)

QtrBel said:


> Welcome back! I need new reading material.


I do tend to write long winded replies  so you should have plenty of reading material, lol


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## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

Mambo said:


> I do tend to write long winded replies  so you should have plenty of reading material, lol


😂 your certainly do! I live reading them


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## pnr (Jan 16, 2021)

Hi Mambo. I've always wanted to go to Australia. I would move there if I could. I've also always loved Quarter horses although I have only seen them in movies. Nice to meet you.


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## Mambo (Sep 25, 2008)

pnr said:


> Hi Mambo. I've always wanted to go to Australia. I would move there if I could. I've also always loved Quarter horses although I have only seen them in movies. Nice to meet you.


I've never been OUT of Australia but, luckily, I love it and it's such a diverse country from rainforests to deserts, snowfields (with more snow than the Alps in winter) to grasslands, with glorious beaches and waterways that I'm OK with that. I keep saying, "I'll travel overseas one day", but I think that's going to be a dreadfully busy day because of all the other things I've promised to do "one day".

We were always more Thoroughbred people than Quarter Horse, in fact, we had about 100 Thoroughbreds that were used for mustering, racing, polocrosse, showing, and everything else and one Quarter Horse that was never ridden - my father in law bought it for one of his sons for polocrosse, but he was so straight shouldered and short in the pastern that he was uncomfortable to ride. He could turn and stop fast, and was quick over short distances, but the athleticism and stamina of the Thoroughbred was so much better for six minute chukkas of explosive riding. Then I found some Quarter Horses I really liked and they are comfortable to ride - here's a video of our main stallion, Days Of Gold with our daughter hacking him in the bush behind our farm. I think it shows how comfortable he is. And he's taller than he looks - Kate is six feet tall but when someone 5'6 rides him in a western saddle, he looks more than his 15.3 and a bit hands.

Days of Gold - YouTube


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## AJ Yammie (Dec 20, 2020)

I rarely see quarter horses here. At the place I ride my coach has a few because he does reining but all the others are TBs and WBs. I prefer QHs over anything. Most of the other horses I see are Aus riding ponies and stock horses


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