"This is what horses are all about."

Today was one of those days that reminds me why I love horses. I came home from the barn with a new perspective on riding and my relationship with these wonderful animals.

I was invited to judge Triple Rise's schooling show today, and I accepted without hesitation (well, a little hesitation - me? a judge?). It turned out to be one of the most beneficial things I've ever done for my own riding. Sitting in a chair for almost four hours, carefully critiquing and evaluating each horse and rider's performance made me aware (painfully so, at times) of my own equitation and corresponding goals. Having to pay such close and critical attention to the competitors and weighing their strengths and weaknesses was really difficult - I mean, these are my barnmates! I know how hard they work and I know the areas where they are focusing and that made it hard at times to be objective.

This was all well and good for me on a nuts and bolts "fundamentals of riding" scale - I'll be able to take what I learned and observed judging back to my own lessons - but it was something Mike said after the show was over that caused me to really sit back and say "huh." The last riders were cooling their horses out and parents were coming over to talk to them as they were leaving the arena and getting their mounts comfortable. Anna's mother was there with a young girl (5? 6?) who I'm guessing was a cousin or something. The girl (Mercedes) was very intrigued with everything that was going on and asking about a dozen questions a minute. Mike was instantly charmed. He may not have any biological children, but his riders are his kids and he has a definite soft spot for youngsters. In no time, he had tracked down one of the smallest helmets I've ever seen, plopped it on Mercedes' head and was lifting her onto Cuervo's back. She could not have been more pleased - her grin stretched from ear to ear as Anna led her in a small circle. Mike said, as much to himself as to those of us standing with him, "Let's not forget, this is what horses are all about."

It was a poignant thing to say at that moment. After a day of competition, with some riders feeling jubilant as they strung up multiple blue ribbons and others feeling glum because they didn't win a single one, we all needed to remember that riding is not about awards or being better than others. It's not even about snappy lead changes or getting the correct number of strides in a line. It's about the thrill, the connection, the feeling of flight. Mercedes got her first view from the saddle today and I could tell from the look on her face that she liked what she saw. For those of us who have been riding for several years, it's easy to forget the novelty and excitement. I'm not saying we shouldn't push ourselves. I'm not saying we shouldn't have goals or be proud of our accomplishments - but I think we'd all be better off if, every time we climbed into the saddle, we did so with bright eyes, looking at the world from the back of a horse as if it was our first time.

Spectacular results

Fancy and Kate: Reserve Champion - Modified Child/Adult Hunter
Henry and Julie: Champion - Adult Equitation, Champion - OHJA Adult Medal
Lucky and Holly: Reserve Champion - Long Stirrup Hunter, Reserve Champion - Long Stirrup Equitation
Jackson and Sophie: Reserve Champion - Pre Child Hunter Pony
Patches and Anna: Reserve Champion - Pre Child Hunter Horse
Keenan and Missy: Champion - Pre Adult Hunter, Reserve Champion - Pre Adult Equitation, 5th - OHJA Mini Medal
Q and Kristine: 7th - OHJA Children's Medal
Keenan and Jessie: 3rd - OHJA Children's Medal
Bella and Lauren: 6th - OHJA Adult Medal

And major congrats to Tamara and Jakob who got 4th (out of 14) and 5th (out of 20) in two of their jumper classes; and to Allison and Bijou who competed in their first 'AA' rated show and did a phenomenal job!

Spectacular photos

Tamara and Jakob

Clayton and Keenan became fast friends

Keenan with his Champion sheet and Grand Champion ribbon


look how handsome my boy looks - fancy or no



I'm finally not jumping ahead!

2010 Medal Finals girls!

we're both a little tired, can you tell?

Jessie and Keenan, taking 3rd in the OHJA Children's Medal

Julie and Henry with their Circuit Reserve Grand Champion ribbon in Adult Equitation

Lauren and Bella

Anna and Patches

Kristine and Q

Sophie and Jackson

what an end to the season!

Two weeks of horse shows...wonderful, yet exhausting! Northwest Spectacular was absolutely fabulous. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful show season. I am so proud of Keenan and very pleased with the progress we've made this year.
We started off the show by winning the OHJA Mini Medal on Thursday afternoon, thus qualifying us for Medal Finals. I knew going into the class that we had to get a fourth place or better in order to have accumulated ten points - but Tamara was having none of that kind of talk, haha. As I was mounting up, she laughed and said "Don't come back without the blue ribbon!" I smiled back and promised her I wouldn't. And it turns out...we didn't! I felt so great after that, like the Mini Medal curse had finally been lifted! I think part of why I did so well was because I wasn't heaping pressure upon myself. Sarah asked me before I went in the ring if, for some reason, I didn't qualify for Finals, could Jessie ride Keenan in the Children's Medal? See, she had qualified earlier in the season, but with Cody a little foot-sore, she didn't have a horse. I told Sarah of course, and so felt like if I didn't qualify, something good would still come of it. As it happened, she rode him in the Children's Medal anyway - but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Classes were a little turned around at this show for me, so Friday was equitation day. We won our first class and got a fifth in the next (ugh, I hate it when I do that...inconsistency is my number one enemy!). We pulled off a third in the flat class, which got us Reserve Champion for the division! Turns out, we had enough points to be Circuit Reserve Grand Champion - I didn't even know that was a thing until Jessie came bounding up to the barn with a giant red, white and yellow ribbon.
Friday evening was Medal Finals for everyone (well, it was supposed to be - they ended up having to push the Children's Medal to 7:30 the next morning because our daylight was waning). Jordan had designed what I thought was a heck of a course - tough, but not impossible, just as it should be. I was super nervous, but for once, I was able to breathe deeply enough to ride through it. After we finished our round, the announcer called out our score to the spectators - a 78. That was the highest score so far, and stayed so for awhile. At the end of phase one, when those points had been combined with our written test scores, I was in second place with a total of 87.
Saturday morning started with Jessie and Keenan blowing everyone else out of the water and getting a score of 84 in phase one of the Children's Medal. Keenan and I kept up the good work by getting a first and a second in our two Pre Adult Hunter rounds. Then, before I knew it, it was time for the second phase of Medal Finals. For us in the Mini Medal, that meant a flat class for the competitors with the top ten scores from phase one/written test. Well, after an ETERNITY of trotting and cantering (and an awesome part where the judge called for a halt and a reverse - I know that you're always supposed to reverse and continue at the same gait, so while a lot of the riders did a tiny circle and started walking, I turned Keenan on the haunches and continued to halt - Sarah smiled and winked at me from the rail) we lined up in the middle of the arena. Keenan and I wound up fifth out of the original 28 competitors! Not half bad for our first-ever Medal Finals! Jessie and Keenan got a third in the Children's Medal - that was such a proud moment for me, cheering on my boy. He worked so hard for Jessie and I over the weekend.
Just like the week before, Sunday was the quiet day. Keenan was so tired that instead of going for a gallop, Nathan and I took him for a walk around to stretch his legs. That seemed to agree with him - in fact, he really liked strutting around the show grounds, all braided up and spiffy. We finished up our hunter division by getting another first and second over fences, just like the day before. Our Under Saddle class that day was one of the best flat rides I've ever had on Keenan. We ended up in fifth, but with every step, I could tell that Keenan was trying his heart out for me. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to the barn, but he stuck with me and was almost flawless. He couldn't help that other horses were more well-rested or "fancier" than him, he just gave me everything he had. Our points were enough for Pre Adult Hunter Champion and, as it turned out, Circuit Grand Champion as well! I honestly can't think of a better end to the year than that.

Oregon Summer Show

Wow, what a weekend! I'm still exhausted from it, so bear with me.
Keenan was an absolute stinker for Sarah in the Large Working Hunter classes but he and I won the Low Amateur 2'6" Hunter class on Thursday. That set us up for a great day on Friday - we got third in our schooling round but as soon as I got Keenan moving in front of my leg a little more we improved and won both our Pre-Adult Hunter classes over fences. We took sixth in the Under Saddle class because the other horses were "fancier" than my boy and Keenan spent the entire time trying to convince me that he didn't need to work hard. Saturday was, as has become my tradition, not as good. We got third in both our Hunter classes, but that was enough to clinch the division championship by 1.5 points (close one)! We also earned four more points toward qualifying for OHJA Medal Finals, now we just have to get a fourth place or better at this week's Northwest Spectacular to qualify!
The Hillcrest Starter Medal Final on Saturday night was, well, a complete disaster. I think it would have been okay if I'd managed to hold Mr. Keenan to a trot ALL THE WAY to the trot jump, but he decided that two trot strides was enough, then picked up a canter again. D'oh! We ended up finishing ninth out of ten competitors. Hey, that still got us a neck ribbon! A nice, pretty, light gray one. I'd really been looking forward to the victory gallop afterward, but as it happened, Keenan had a racetrack flashback and our gallop turned into a trot circle with a halt at the end in order to keep his sanity intact.
Sunday was like the calm after the storm. Even with as hard as I've been working, I'm not as fit as I should be and couldn't keep my legs from wiggling all over during the Equitation on the Flat. But, we did get a first and a third over fences, getting us reserve champion!
We had a great weekend as a barn:
Julie and Henry - Adult Amateur Hunter Champions, Adult Equitation Champions, Hillcrest Child/Adult Medal winner, Hillcrest Adult Medal Final winner, OHJA Child/Adult Medal winner
Holly and Lucky - Long Stirrup Hunter Reserve Champions and Long Stirrup Equitation Champions
Jessie and Cody - Children's Hunter 13 & Under Reserve Champions, Equitation 15 & Under Reserve Champions
Sophie and Jackson - Pre-Child Hunter Reserve Champions
Lauren and Bella - Pre-Green Hunter 3' Reserve Champions
Kristine and Q - Modified Junior/Amateur Hunter Reserve Champions
Also, Lauren and Julie rode in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Classic and even though they didn't place, they did really well. Katherine and Casper showed together for the first time in years and did really well, too!
Can't wait for Northwest!

points and Medal Finals

http://oregonhunterjumper.org/points.php

Check out the OHJA points! They don't include Country Classic, but you can still get a pretty good idea where our TREC riders stand. As of Country Classic Preview, Keenan was still leading Regional Large Working Hunter and Regional Pre-Adult Hunter and I was leading Regional Pre-Adult Equitation over fences. I've fallen to second in Eq. on the flat, but with two horse shows coming up at the end of this month/beginning of September, I hope to be back on top. What really frustrates me though is that despite leading the Pre-Adult Eq. over fences, I have not qualified for OHJA Medal Finals! It's absurd! Sarah agrees and has made it clear that I cannot work hard enough in the weeks leading up to Oregon Summer and NW Spectacular. Time to step it up!

Oregon Trail show report

Kristine and Elusive Q

Anna and Patchwork

myself and Frampton

Jessie and Big Time

Lauren and Southern Belle

What a great way to kick off the outdoor season! The Oregon Trail was a new show this year and I opted to go to it versus the Early Summer Classic a week later - the single 'A' rating (as opposed to a 'AA') would keep the costs down and I wanted an opportunity to do well at a smaller show and rack up some points. Turned out to be a shrewd decision - although for a day or two there, it looked like I might not be riding at all. On Thursday afternoon, as Nathan and I were putting the finishing touches on our packing, Sarah called me from Wilsonville to tell me that for the past few days Keenan had been sore and stiff. So much so that Sarah had scratched him from the pro days' classes. He wasn't outright lame, she told me, but Keenan is a horse who very rarely gets sore. I told Sarah that I'd be coming up anyway and we decided to have the vet out first thing Friday morning to take a look and make sure there wasn't something more serious going on. I was nervous when I arrived at the show grounds on Friday - afraid that I'd see my poor Keenan in pain. I'll admit, I wanted to ride in the show very badly, but I was more concerned with my boy's health. I went about business as usual - namely, working hard to get that stubborn yellow stain off Keenan's barrel - just so we'd be ready. Thankfully, after watching me ride and doing some flexion tests on Keenan, the vet deemed him fit to compete and told Sarah and I that riding and putting him in a frame would likely be beneficial because it would stretch out and loosen his muscles. So, with less than an hour to go before my classes, I was rushing around getting he and I dressed and ready. We had an abbreviated warm-up that commenced with Sarah saying, "okay, go show!" And we came away with a first and a second! That's when I knew two things I'd only previously suspected: 1.) my horse can do absolutely anything, and 2.) he loves me a lot. Keenan hadn't been ridden in three days and even though he was sound, he was not feeling 100% - and he went out and performed for me in spite of those things! We totaled 21 points for our hunter division (1st, 2nd, 3rd and a 5th) putting us one point shy of reserve champion - and that was without doing our under saddle class and me riding like a sack of flour on the second day! What a horse I have!

Of course, one of the great things about Triple Rise is that ALL of our horses are incredible animals and the riders they are paired with are some extremely talented horsewomen.

Lauren and Bella:

three 1st and two 2nd awards in Adult Amateur Hunter = Champion

one 1st, one 3rd and one 4th award in Adult Equitation = Champion

winner of the OHJA Adult Medal

Anna and Patches:

one 1st, one 2nd and one 3rd award in Pre-Childrens's Hunter = Co-Champion

4th place in the Hillcrest Starter Medal

Kristine and Q:

one 3rd award in 0.95 meter Children's Jumper

one 1st, one 3rd, two 4th and one 6th award in Modified Junior/Amateur Hunter

one 2nd and one 3rd award in Restricted Equitation 14-17

Keenan and I:

one 1st, one 2nd, one 3rd and one 5th award in Pre-Adult Hunter

two 1st and one 4th award in Pre-Adult Equitation = Champion

And hats off to Jessie and Cody - in their first show together, they placed in almost every class! They are going to make an amazing team as they continue to grow and learn together. Another great show team Triple Rise!

we've got catching up to do!

Well, it's been forever since I've written anything, despite the many exciting events of the past two weeks. So I figure it's time for a little catch-up!

Our open house went really well. We had a great turn-out and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. I think we have a few new clients coming on board as a result and I know some parents are going to be interested in their kids joining the YMCA day camps we offer during the summer. My father in-law brought along Nathan's two youngest brothers, Zach and Levi, so that they could see what this horseback riding thing is all about. Zachery is an absolute natural! Laura had him up on Honey and I've never seen a kid have more confidence his first time on a pony. I think my favorite moment of the day had to be when Jessica was fielding questions after her second jumping demo - one of the children raised his hand and asked, "Are you going to be in the Olympics some day?!" It was adorable - "And talk about an ego boost!" Jess said.

The day after the open house, Sarah gave Nathan a special lesson on Phoenix since he didn't get to have a mini-lesson the day before - and, I suspect, because he's been doing a lot to help out at shows. It was great to see my husband participating in my favorite activity - and loving it! I don't know if it's because he's such a naturally athletic person or if it's because riding is something that he genuinely wants to do, but he rode really well - posted to the trot and everything! - especially for his first lesson. I've been offering to let him ride Rapper for months now, but he kept saying that he'd feel wierd and awkward and he didn't want any of the experienced riders to make fun of him. But now that's he's realized that he's better than your average beginner, and that all of the girls are behind him 100%, I think he'll be more interested in the idea.

Along with all the wonderful things that have been going on, we've had some bad luck, too. Poor Chloe (one of the mares who was born and raised at TREC and who is now in active training) seems to have borne the brunt of it all. Besides her mystery hives (a reaction to a still-unknown allergy), she was involved in a freak accident a couple of weeks ago that left her pretty scratched up and sore. During a lunging session, she somehow managed to get loose, jump out of the arena, tear around the driveway and bang up Laura's car. I wasn't there so I didn't see exactly what happened, but those seem to be the facts. Afterward, I helped Laura hold her still to clean out her wounds and let me tell you, nothing takes years off your life like trying to wrestle with a 16.2 hand mare who wants nothing more than to squish you into a wall. Then there was the incident that began with Cody spooking at a mud puddle and ended with Sarah getting kicked in the knee and spending the rest of the week on crutches. This all happened during a week straight of pouring rain while everyone was trying to get the barn and jumps spiffed up for the open house. Needless to say, it was a pretty stressful few days. I don't like to dwell on negative happenings (especially since things look like they're working out just fine), but I think it's important to point out that these things do happen. After all, they're part of life and learning to accept them and deal with them is the only way to learn and grow.

But now we're on to the heart of show season and things are looking up. We just wrapped up the Oregon Trail Classic, this week is the Early Summer Classic and the Country Classic weeks are just a month away! Kate is returning to Oregon, Julie will be showing Henry for the first time in two years and Chloe and Lana are along for the ride to learn what life as a show horse is like! It's going to be a great summer!

OHJA Points

So I've been waiting forEVER for the Oregon Hunter Jumper Association to update their points on the website - and they're up! I have to brag a bit - not just about Keenan and I, but all the riders from Triple Rise.

Lauren and Bella:
4th in 3' Pre-Green Working Hunter (Open System)
4th in Adult Amateur Working Hunter (Open System)
2nd in 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat (Open System)
9th in 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences (Open System)

Debbie and Houdini:
3rd in Adult Amateur Working Hunter (Open System)
8th in Large Working Hunter (Open System)
3rd in 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences (Open System)

Tamera and Cloudy:
2nd in 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat (Regional System)
3rd in 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation Over Fences (Regional System)
4th in 0.85-0.90 Meter Jumper (Regional System)
5th in 0.95-1.00 Meter Jumper (Regional System)
2nd in Low Adult Jumper (Regional System)

Kate and Titan:
1st in 3'3" Pre-Green Working Hunter (Regional System)
1st in Adult Amateur Working Hunter (Regional System)

Kristine and Q:
1st in Children's Working Hunter (Regional System)
1st in Open Working Hunter (Regional System)
1st in Children's Equitation Over Fences, 14-17 (Regional System)
8th in Children's Equitation on the Flat, 14-17 (Regional System)
11th in 0.85-.90 Meter Jumper (Regional System)
4th in 0.95-1.00 Meter Jumper (Regional System)
1st in Beginning Jumper Rider (Regional System)
4th in Low Children's Jumper

Laura and Beau:
7th in Pre-Adult Hunter (Regional System)
3rd in Pre-Adult Equitation on the Flat (Regional System)
2nd in Pre-Adult Equitation Over Fences (Regional System)

Holly and Lucky:
1st in Long Stirrup Hunter (Regional System) - with 264 points!
1st in Long Stirrup Equitation on the Flat (Regional System)
1st in Long Stirrup Equitation Over Fences (Regional System)

Allison and Bijou:
3rd in Short Stirrup Hunter (Regional System)
2nd in Short Stirrup Equitation Over Fences (Regional System)

Sophie and Jackson:
3rd in Pre-Children's Equitation on the Flat (Regional System)

Jessie:
1st in Children's Equitation Over Fences, 13 & Under (Regional System)
3rd in Children's Equitation on the Flat, 13 & Under (Regional System)

Honey:
1st in Pony Working Hunter (Regional System)

And, of course, my Keenan!!!:
1st in Large Working Hunter (Regional System) - with 225 points!
1st in Pre-Adult Hunter (Regional System) - with 213 points!
1st in Pre-Adult Equitation on the Flat (Regional System)
1st in Pre-Adult Equitation Over Fences (Regional System)

I must be dreaming

The success DID continue! Yesterday, Keenan and I took the championship for Pre-Adult Equitation! I was actually really worried that we wouldn't do too well because he and I were both so tired, but we held it together for one more day and did great! And that was in spite of me leaving out a fence at the end of our first round. I guess I was just rushing to learn my course and didn't realize after the outside line there was one more fence - I just left it out entirely. When I came out of the back gate and Sarah told me what I'd done, my heart just sank. I thought to myself - "there it goes." But because I got a first in my other round and won the eq on the flat class, I wound up ok. And that wasn't even the best part! My friend Laura, who also rides and works for Triple Rise, had won a first, second and third in equitation on Beau and we ended up with tying scores for the championship! Sarah was so delighted when we rode out of the ring, she threw her hands in the air and said, "my life is so good right now!" Laura and I stayed in our show clothes, threw some red Triple Rise fly sheets over our horses and had the show photographer take some pictures of us together. Other TREC champs and reserve champs were: Kate Laue's New Favorite (with Sarah aboard), Adrienne Potwora and her Captain Jack, Holly Brooks on Mollie's Lucky Me and Kristine on her own Elusive Q.

It was such a whirlwind of a week and I could not be happier with how it turned out - well, alright, I wish I hadn't left out that fence, and my OHJA Mini Medal round definitely left something to be desired but STILL! I am so excited for the rest of the season! The rest of my shows will take place at my absolute favorite show location, Hunter Creek Farm in Wilsonville which is beautiful, outdoors, close to my family and full of great memories. Come on, Early Summer Classic!

exhausted but elated

This is about all I have to say about today...

I'll write more later, but I had to post about the Mother's Day Classic so far - Keenan and I won the championship award for our Pre-Adult Hunter division! He has been absolutely stupendous all week; even winning the reserve champion award in the Large Working Hunters with my trainer Sarah on board. Today, he felt amazing and we were so in tune with each other! Equitation tomorrow, let's hope the success continues!!

show results

I'm still extremely exhausted from this weekend, so I'm not going to go into much more detail than this:

Friday - I sucked. I waited around all day to show, and with each hour, I got more and more nervous. I was 4th or 5th in all of my rounds (out of, like, 6 competitors) because I managed to forget to breathe regularly. I did better in my last class of the day, my first medal round, but overall, I still count it as pretty pathetic.

Saturday - Much better. I only rode in two classes, rounding out my hunter division, but I got a 3rd and 4th in those. More importantly, I felt a LOT better. AND (hee hee) I got to wear my new show outfit, the much-anticipated pinkish-orange show shirt and dark brown coat! (is it sad when your clothes are the highlight of your day?....my defense: I work in retail.)

Sunday - One of my best show days to date! I got 2nds in my first two equitation rounds, then a 3rd. I actually WON my eq class on the flat (which Sarah said was "lovely") and wound up reserve champs for the Pre-Adult Equitation division! Then we won our Hillcrest Mini Medal round! I almost cried when they announced that. Given how I'd started the weekend, I did NOT think I'd be able to pull it together that well on Sunday.

Keenan was absolutely fantastic all weekend. He takes such good care of me and is such a team player. I honestly think that's why we did so horribly on Friday - he's more than capable of doing things on his own, but he hates it. And a grumpy horse is not a winning horse. The cutest thing about the weekend was Keenan realizing that he doesn't just have a "mom" but a real family. I know it sounds silly, but there was one time this weekend when Keenan was fretting and fidgeting a little at the back gate and I motioned to Nathan up in the stands and mouthed "he needs you." Sure enough, once that spoiled little prince of a horse had two people to dote on him, he was relaxed as can be.

So to sum up, great horse, great people, great show, great weekend!

schooling show pictures

Thought I'd share some of my favorites from the schooling show on Valentine's Day. Keenan and I didn't do too terribly - 3rd and 4th in hunter over fences classes and 2nd in equitation on the flat. I did, however, totally botch my equitation over fences class...I don't know if I didn't know my course 100% or if I was still so tired that I couldn't stay focused...but at one point I totally forgot where I was going. *sigh* And of course I was beyond angry with myself after that. I don't really know why I get so hard on myself when I "fail." Part of me feels like since I've wanted to do this for so long, I'm somehow entitled to do well. Also, I know how much this sport costs. I wish I was young enough to be blissfully unaware of the money involved, but...I'm not. Sometimes I feel that if I'm not perfect at this, then I'm not fulfilling my part of the "investment." By the way, I know this is all absolutely ridiculous but it's just how I feel.

I have to admit though, after saying all that, the horses and people make everything completely worth it. I care so much about succeeding, yes, but even after a tough day, when Keenan wants to snuggle or I hear Rapper nicker as I walk down the aisle to his stall, I'm at peace. I'll always struggle with "winning" and my own definition of success but at least I've got my boys.

showtime!

Good lesson tonight, I only botched one of three courses, the other two were actually pretty solid! Sarah's exact words: "way to show these kids how it's done!" "wow, fancy!" I had a really great time with Keenan, he's such a goof. And Rapper has started doing a cute thing - when I'm about 3/4 of the way down the aisle to his stall, he starts nickering like crazy and gets so excited to see me. It's cool to have horses who are so affectionate and who I have such a connection with.
In other news, it's time to start planning our show season. Right now I'm thinking...

• February 14 - Pony Club benefit show, Goshen, OR.
• May 14 - 16 - Mother's Day Classic, Eugene, OR.
• June 25 - 27 - Early Summer Classic, Wilsonville, OR.
• July 16 - 18 - Country Classic, Wilsonville, OR.
• September 3 - 5 - Northwest Spectacular, Wilsonville, OR.

I might add in the Spring Hunter/Jumper show next month, but honestly, showing is so expensive and it takes so much time off work...I just wish I didn't HAVE to have a job and could just be a horse bum full-time. Sometimes (almost always) I wish I could work at the barn full-time and take care of all my horse-related bills that way...*sigh* maybe someday I can just live my horsey life instead of having to split it with the real world.