Skeeter was more than a horse, he was my friend

This week has been a hard one as we had to say goodbye to my beloved horse, Skeeter, on Christmas Eve.

I wish every little girl could experience the love of a horse like Skeeter. He was a part of my life for almost 24 years and helped shaped me into the person I am today. My parents bought Skeet (Sizzling Commander) for me, when I was 7 years old. And my Grandma and Grandpa Lane bought my first saddle to go along with him. Little did I know at that time, some of my best childhood memories would be sitting on that saddle, on top of that horse. What I wouldn’t give for just one more ride.

A picture of myself and Skeeter is at the top of this article. Other photos are including a recent one of one with my daughter Kallie.

One of my proudest memories from showing was from the summer of 2005 when a couple of judges had asked me about Skeeter and who trained him. You couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face when I told them my mom and I did all of his training.

He toured many places: too many horse shows to count, presented the American flag, state fairs, cattle roundups, parades, trail rides, but one of my favorites was just going for casual rides in the summer with my childhood dog Meeko always following right behind us. Skeeter loved working cows in his earlier days, and we enjoyed chasing calves during my dad’s calf roping days.

Skeeter was the most gentle, one of a kind, all around horse. Several friends and family got to experience the joy of riding him throughout the years and I’m so happy my daughter Kallie was able to have that experience too.

I’m so thankful for everything my horse taught me and all the memories we created together.

Kylie Reiss is events and special projects coordinator with High Plains Journal.