At 7 years old I was given the opportunity to enter a horse show. I was 7 years old and I knew I would have a chance to win as I had been riding since I was four. My mother took me to the local tack store and we bought all my show clothes.  My sister also was showing at her first show. My mother made wings for a horse.  It was a costume class and my sister and the black mare Glow won first prize as a horsefly. The stable where I was riding was extremely good. The only people showing were another little girl and myself. I was ringing rumba and very tall very gentle thoroughbred mare. Patty was riding Babe a talented jumper. It was a lead line class. Although we could handle these horses we were too young to be permitted to be without someone leading us for safety’s sake. 15 minutes before my mother decided it was too dangerous for such a little girl to be riding and 16 hand horse. She forbade me to enter into the show. My girl friend won first and I sat on the side lines and cried all day. A few days later I was playing with a girl friend on a rocking horse. I stood up on the rocking horse and fell off. My arm came down on the base of the rocking horse. The pain was excruciating. Going to the doctor we found I had broken my arm on a rocking horse. The rocking horse was very small. The horse I was to ride was very big. I broke my arm falling off a two foot high horse. My mother never forbade me to ride again!