On May 8th, 1952, a girl was born to Juanita and Bernard French in Louisville, Kentucky. The ninth child in a family that grew to sixteen, Sissy came into the world with some strikes against her. Her family was of meager means, and Sissy was afflicted with a genetic disability called arthrogryposis, resulting in severely clubbed feet. The doctor told Sissy's mother that with so many other children at home, she would not be able to take care of a handicapped child who would never be able to walk. With these clouds on the horizon, would this little girl ever dare to dream of a bright happy future?

Sissy spent most of her nine years at Kosair Shriner's Hospital in Louisville, where she had a total of nine surgeries and wore casts and braces in between, often having to lie still for many weeks. "It all seemed so unfair," Sissy recalls. "Why wasn't I like other kids? Why was I the crippled one?" The bedridden child dreamed of having good legs, and galloping along on the back of a beautiful Arabian horse, like Walter Farley's Black Stallion.

At the time, it didn't look as if Sissy would ever walk, let alone ride and handle horses. But after experimental and drastic surgery, Sissy did gain limited use of her legs. "I have never been able to tap dance, or wear high heels, or even run more than a couple of steps...but I have done many things they never thought I would," she says.

As a teenager, Sissy worked in a stable, mucking stalls, just to be around horses and get an occasional ride. During those years, Sissy saw a picture of the Arabian stallion Fadjur, and fell in love with the beautiful bay horse.

A move to California at the age of 18 brought Sissy closer to Arabians. Pedaling down the road on her bike, her feet slipped off the pedals and she fell flat on her face in front of a car. Little did she know that one of the young men sitting in the car, Ken Goodwin, would one day be her husband. "Ken still tells everyone that I fell for him the first time I saw him," Sissy relates. After several years of marriage, Ken decided to give his young wife a special treat. He knew she loved horses, and made special arrangements with his aunt for a visit to her ranch. He didn't know what kind of horses his aunt raised, but loaded his wife and family into the car and went to Stockton to meet his aunt Marge. The year was 1985, and perhaps you have guessed that Aunt Marge is Marge Tone of the Jack Tone Ranch, owner of the fabulous Fadjur.

Marge Tone, in her wise understanding of humans and horses, saw a future for these two together, and six months later, Fadjur's Gusto belonged to Sissy and Ken. "When we tried to take Gusto home, I had second thoughts--it took my trainer friend, Mellany Harris, two hours to load him into the trailer. Where was that kind face? He seemed so wild now." With assurance that Gusto could return to the Jack Tone Ranch if he proved too much for Sissy to handle, the stallion stepped into his new life. Says Mellany,"With Sissy's handicap, 'Goose' had to be extremely aware and careful of where the handler was at all times--quite difficult for

Fadjur's Gusto and Sissy

Fadjur's Gusto and Mellany Harris

"Another time, Gusto became frightened and made a dash for his stall. He didn't see me standing in the doorway because I was on the side with his one bad eye, and I sure couldn't get out of his way with my slow legs. On just about his last stride, I screamed bloody murder,'GUSTO!' That horse literally pivoted on his hind legs and turned full circle to miss landing on me. I got my first look at a horse's hooves above my head. I also got my fist assurance that Gusto would never deliberately hurt me. And ever since, we've figured out how manage both our disabilities, while using our abilities. Can you believe it: a crippled lady and an Arabian stallion?"

Fadjur's Gusto now has his own large stall and paddock, where the "quack patrol"--three fat ducks--go marching through single file at any time of the day or night. A friendly chicken or two may lay an egg in the hay next to Gusto's stall. These often go into his grain to make his coat shine. Gusto has his own harem now, including the Wheeler-bred mare Mystre, who produced and elegant bay colt, Fad La Re. Gusto's foals have great legs, level top lines, lots of spunk, and of course, that classic Arabian head.

The fiery son of Fadjur seems to know that Sissy's feet are slow and her balance poor. Because the tendons in her legs have been removed, she cannot put her foot in the stirrups and swing up on her mount like many of us do. So Gusto steps close to a picnic table and waits while Sissy mounts. Likewise, the gentle stallion walks carefully and obediently when giving riding lessons to children and old ladies, and he's working on his second level dressage with his trainer, Mellany Harris.

Fadjur's Gusto and Sissy Goodwin are proof that you can have your fiery stallion, performance horse, and family friend all wrapped up in one silver package. They prove, too, that dreams really do come true.

Sissy in her "spare time"