R

R is for Rowena. Rowena is one of my best friends in the entire world. I have known her since I was four years old. Because we ride the bus together every day, we get to spend quite a lot of time together and we really know each other well. She is always there when I want to talk, and she never lets me down. Sure she's pretty quiet, but when Rowena does talk, it's either HILARIOUS, or definitely worth listening to. She can make me laugh when I'm close to tears, and she can give me great advice when I'm confused.

Rowena loves horses just as much as I do. Sometimes we end up seeing each other at competitions. Rowena even has a barn right at her house (which to me seems like heaven), so she spends a lot of time with horses, and knows A LOT about them. She is a great person to talk to when you have questions about horses or when you want to talk to someone who will understand what you are dealing with. She has a pretty crazy horse named Max, who she loves to death. Honestly, I have no idea how she stays on Max! He is very energetic and faster than the wind! Max is a bay, which means he is brown, with a black mane and tail. He has a white star, right on the middle of his forehead. He is so cute! (Not as cute as Mister T, but a close second!) Max and Rowena are a pretty funny pair. She can be quiet, responsible and mature, while he can be cheeky, spunky and spirited. Perhaps what they say is true: opposites do attract!

Rowena and I aren't opposites though. We have a lot in common (not just horses). We share a lot of the same interests, ideas and opinions. We can work well together because we have similar styles. Rowena and I both find the same things funny and when we start to laugh~warning~it can be dangerous! Remembering to breath can be a challenge. I really enjoy the time I spend with Rowena.

Life Lesson: Good friends help you navigate the long journey of life. Good friends are always there for you. Good friends never let you down. Have a good friend. Be a good friend.

As Walter Winchell once said, "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

T

For all of my life, I have always wanted a horse. I started taking riding lessons when I was four years old, and have loved horses ever since. I never in a million years ever thought that I would get a horse of my own, but on June 25, 2008, my dream came true.

Mister T is a Welsh mountain pony cross. He is chestnut, which means he has a reddish brown coloured coat, mane and tail. He has four white socks, which means the bottom of his legs are white, and a white stripe on his face. He is 12.1 and 1/2 hands tall (1 hand is equal to 10 cm). The boundary line between a small and medium pony is 12.2 so Mister T is a small pony by just 2.5 cm! Because he is so close the boundary line, we are often pulled aside at shows to have him remeasured.

Mister T and I compete a lot. Because he is quite small, the only hunter competitions that we can enter have pretty small jumps (2.3 - 2.6 feet). (Hunter is based on how pretty you and your horse look while working together. You need to have a good position, and a fancy horse to do well in hunter.) Because we like to jump bigger than that in competitions, we tried entering jumper contests. (Jumper contests are a race against the clock, with bigger jumps than hunter.) The jumps were 3 feet, which is pretty big for a pony like Mr. T, but we did really well, and I really enjoyed it. We decided to continue doing both hunter and jumper shows. I had a great, but busy summer last year, finishing in second overall in jumper.

My pony has a lot of nicknames. Everyone in my barn has a different name for my pony. I usually call him Mister T, or just T. But here are some of the other names that people call him: T-Pony, T-Boy, Tea Time, Mister, Ponykins, T-T, or Shrunk In The Wash. (Shrunk In The Wash is his show name, or his official name, whereas Mister T is his barn name.)

I tell everyone that T is my pony, but that doesn't say enough about what he is to me. He is always there for me. He is always so happy to see me. When I'm sad, he cheers me up. When I'm stressed, he calms me down. He accepts me no matter what. He is like a best friend, or a brother. As Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse, that is good for the inside of a man."

Life Lesson: Animals are there for you when humans are not. They listen when the world won't. They give you advice when the world is silent.

L

L is for Lily. In the novel that I am working on writing, there is a sweet seven year old girl named Lily, who is the sister to the main character, Sophie. Lily has medium length blonde hair, and clear, blue eyes. She is kind, cute, and best friends with the world. She loves life, and everyone in it. As soon as you meet her, she becomes your best friend. She loves animals, and often brings strays into the house, feeds them, and then takes them to her neighbour, who is a retired vet. The vet checks them over and helps Lily find new homes for each of them. Lily has a cat named Simba, who she pampers and loves.

I was inspired to create the character Lily from the book, The Hunger Games. In that book, there is a character named Prim, short for Primrose, who is the sister of the main character, Katniss. Katniss is very attached to Prim and will do anything to spare her from the hardships of life, just like Sophie would for Lily in my novel. She tries to put herself before Lily, and tries to spare Lily from the grief and anguish caused by her father's death.

One thing that I have learned from writing about Lily, is that life is always easier with a friend to help you along the way. I have also learned that when you do good things to others, they are willing to help you out when you are in need. I think that we can all learn a lot from Lily, and I hope that once you read this, you will be inspired to do something nice for someone else.