Tag: eventing
Defending the suck
I was emailed by the United States Equestrian Federation last week with an inquiry. Someone had filed a complaint into my amateur status, and they were asking for a rebuttal. How did I wish to respond to these statements? Could I defend myself? I responded back to the USEF with a bulleted list of responses. I told them that I had in fact managed … Read More Defending the suck
Left to left
I knew the news was bad about Philippa hours before it was ever released. I was doing what I always do on the weekends of the “big ones.” Scrolling through Eventing Nation, constantly refreshing, trying to see the latest update or the most recent scores. My trainer Allie was four or five riders away in the 3*, and I just wanted to know … Read More Left to left
A life full of bumps, bucks, and turns
I heard the news today and the wind was sucked from my body. My mind raced through years of memories, and my heart broke into two. The world’s best/worst pony had finally left us; Chocolate had passed away. This heathen of a pony was the original love of my life. I had inherited him as so many others do – through my trainers daughters … Read More A life full of bumps, bucks, and turns
The greatest distraction possible…
Yesterday morning, I loaded up two horses. One to journey 400 miles away, as he adventured off into hunter land in Middleburg, Virgina. The other to travel only 30, to yet another clinic with the superb and amazing Doug Payne. I knew that this was the best strategy to get through the otherwise devastating day – by staying busy and distracted – two things … Read More The greatest distraction possible…
How do you measure a year?
“525,600 minutes. 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?” These lyrics sang in the Broadway musical “Rent” have been weighing heavily on my mind. Tis the season for everybody to begin to speak of their year, telling of triumphs, and failures. Victories, and setbacks. Statuses of show records, and levels competed. Claiming to change their strategy for next … Read More How do you measure a year?
Retraining, not rescuing, the modern day thoroughbred
In the few weeks since I have placed Nixon (Called To Serve, the winner of the dressage discipline at the RRP TB Makeover) on the market, I have been barraged by comments about how he will fall through the cracks due to the fact that I am selling him. Let me start by saying how insulting this is to an owner, a trainer, a … Read More Retraining, not rescuing, the modern day thoroughbred
Little Victories To Most…
I walked off of the cross country course in tears yesterday. Sweat poured off of my face, and the tears caught into the black mane and glistening neck of my thoroughbred. I patted him on the neck as they ran from my eyes, not even sure how to process what had just happened. The tears were so reminiscent of what had happened so many times … Read More Little Victories To Most…
One mans trash is another mans treasure…
In January of 2012, I received a phone call from my best friend saying that she was going to finally sell her pony Miles. She had decided six months prior that he just wasn’t “the horse” for her and had started riding another horse at her boarding facility – discovering just how much she truly loved and MESHED with this new mount – and had decided … Read More One mans trash is another mans treasure…
Things that you can learn from a (great) riding instructor…
When I was five years old, my Aunt Holly and Uncle Bob recommended to my mother that I begin REAL riding lessons – and specifically with a local woman that they knew from the Quarter Horse industry, Rose Watt. Up until this point my “riding” had consisted of my weekends with my grandparents – climbing up on, and falling off of, my Shetland pony … Read More Things that you can learn from a (great) riding instructor…
A Yankee in Paris 
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