Because I'm Happy!

2015 has been off to a bit of a crazy start.  I hit the ground running with several exciting opportunities through school, honor societies, and knowing I was actually in classes that help further towards a career!

The wonderful Susan Fischer sent me details about a program for the PanAm Games this summer, to which I applied.  I was granted a phone interview just this past week- so if you have a spare good thought for me I would appreciate it!  I did not really think that I would make it, as it is a competitive program, but I was accepted through the first round off of my resume and essay.  Fingers crossed!  This would be such a wonderful learning opportunity for me, and in a very important year for the U.S. Equestrian team it would be fun to be there covering the sport.

We had one horrible week of cold- but it brought Liz and Hobbit completely into our crazy little circle of friends- so that is a great thing!  She hauled poor Hobbs all the way from Virginia to find herself stuck with a crazy lady and without a barn, so down to good ole Cobden they came for a couple of days!  I had now drug her into all of my crazy spring plans and I am counting down the days (almost the hours) until she and I head to Aiken for Spring Break!

 

Kalie has also come down and ridden Sunny a couple of times, which has me hoping that she will take him out some this spring.  He loves to compete, and as you can see she rides him quite well!  Red pony for the win!

 

School is back in full swing now, and I feel like I never have time to sit down.  Unfortunately the sketchy winter weather kept us from getting out for the first show of the year today, but I am enjoying a rare day off.  I have had a wonderful weekend of normalcy for once! (Well, despite my wonderful crazy morning yesterday due to a massive miscommunication!)

 

Friday night I went out to see a band with some of the wonderful ladies, and Ashani, from the barn.  We had a fabulous time dancing to 90's music and acting silly while people-watching the college kids who think they are cool.  I remember when I was 17 and snuck into copper too haha.  I know I say this all the time, but I really am very lucky to have some wonderful friends.  From calling Deb and Liz for moral support, to keep me occupied while hacking, or when I think I'm getting ambushed in the barn- to the wonderful girls in the barn who will come help me when things suck, drink wine with me, and go dance like fools- to Rob who went and saved my ass at a wedding last night, I could not be more grateful!

 

Ahh- the awkwardness that wasn't at the wedding last night!  Ashley and Brian had a beautiful ceremony and it was so wonderful to catch up with some of the guys who I haven't seen in a couple of years.  Rob and I had a wonderful time drinking, dancing, and laughing the entire night.  I could not have asked for a better date to accompany me for the evening.  I was quite worried about how the evening would go down.  First time seeing Oran since we split, he brought his new girlfriend, everyone that I know at this wedding is friends with him, recipe for disaster, right?  Well, when you're so happy with where you are in life it is pretty cool to see how those things end up not becoming an issue.

 

I was vaguely aware of where he was throughout the night, but I never once had a desire to look for him.  I had all of this built up anxiety that there would be a really awkward exchange of pleasantries somewhere in the night, especially since we had so many friends in common there.  This encounter never happened though!  There was no "Hi, good to see you.  How have you been?  Oh and by the way, Courtney- meet my new girlfriend _______.  _______ meet Courtney, my ex who lived with me."  None of that, not even so much as a hello.  I don't believe we even came near one another throughout the evening, which turned out to be completely ok with me.

 

This is the first time in my life I have cared so deeply for someone and then had to experience something of this measure once we have been apart.  For me, having only casually dated and not really connected with someone since this breakup, I was worried I would fall back in love with him immediately and be jealous the entire evening.  I found as I was driving home that I was glad he had found someone and I am much happier with where I am in my life now than where I could see it going when we were together.  I am a firm believer that you fall in love with multiple people throughout your life and that they will come and go as needed.  Well, Oran, with me crossing that milestone last night you are officially gone from my life.  I learned so much from these last 3 years, about who I am and who I do/do not want to be, so I can thank him for that.  I am now, I believe, fully moved on and have close that book.

 

Best of all- show season is barreling down upon me and I don't have time or energy to worry about these things!  Here is to kicking ass and taking names this season!!! Woo Woo!





Sending off 2014 and Not Glancing Back

Well, what a year this has been.  I don't even know where to start.  So many changes, some that I thought would be bad but turned out good, some that have been good from the beginning.  I can honestly say that this has been the best year of my life this far, and I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for me.

I began the year in a pretty low place.  For those who are close to me know that I was quite depressed at the beginning of the year.  I was living in St. Louis and was incredibly unhappy, with my job, my relationship, where I was in my life, and with myself. So I quickly made the decision that led to some major changes.  I quit my job, moved back home, and ultimately it ended the relationship that I was in.  I made the decision to loose the weight I had gained in the last couple of years, and it led to a much more disciplined and healthy lifestyle.

When my relationship ended I was fairly crushed.  This was over 2 years of my life spent with a guy who I actually thought I would spend the rest of my life with.  I believed that he was in love with me and everything would work out.  Life has a way of working out though, and with every day that passed after our parting I began to see how unhappy I was with the relationship as well as other elements of my life.  I learned to love myself again and to be completely satisfied with standing on my own two feet.  I have a wonderful set of friends who have stood behind me and helped me to move forward with my life, and thankfully supported the silly decisions I have made in the months following! Haha

 



Goose and I had a wonderful year.  We completed the Training level 3 day, jumped several clear show jumping rounds, and successfully moved up to the Preliminary level.  We are qualified for the CIC* and are hopefully headed to Chatt Hills in May to contest the 1* there in preparation of the CCI* in the fall.  We picked up a partial sponsorship from the wonderful company, Voltaire Design, and our new custom dressage saddle is on the way. We finished off the year with 3 clear rounds and 3 blues at a local jumper show, giving us both a lot of confidence heading into the off season.  I cannot wait for the spring season to begin because he is feeling stronger than ever and is ready to get out and gallop at some big jumps!

 

I had a wonderful year with the young horses as well with Louis and Cullen both contesting their first event at Dunnabeck horse trials. Both had done well at jumper shows this summer and stepped up to the plate at the event.  It was the first time I had tried 3 horses at an event, and it ran smoothly thanks to some wonderful help.

 

2014 also brought me into the world of Tinder and actually going on dates.  I have some wonderful stories that have been shared, made some good realizations with what I do and do not want in a boyfriend, and made some other realizations about myself.  I talked to a nudist who really creeped me out, several boys who apparently failed 8th grade English, went on a date with a boy that I could not get away from fast enough, and most recently become acquainted with a real life Christian Grey (hey hey hey).  Even if they have all ended without a second date, an ignored text, or me blocking a number I have made some great memories and had some wonderful stories to tell.  I am not in any hurry, as the last one left a bit of a hole in my life, but I am stronger because of these experiences.

 

2014 brought me back to school with lots of awards, recognition, and opportunities.  I will be finished before the end of 2015, which is very exciting.  It brought new friends into my life, made old friends stronger, and got rid of others.  I was able to begin writing for Eventing Nation, which is helping me reach my long term goal.  I have set some pretty high goals for 2015, but I am confident that I am going to do the best I can to reach each and every one of them.  We can either grow from each experience we are presented with, or we can let it bring us down.  I am choosing to remain positive and know that life is like a roller coaster, you have to have to take the highs with the lows.  So thank you all for being a part of this crazy ride!

 

Have a safe night tonight everyone!

Happy New Year!

 

Thanksgiving and some other quick muising

Wow- it has been a long time since I have sat down and written a blog post, I feel like it has been years.

Since my last post quite a bit has happened, nothing too exciting other than work drama, mostly just riding and lots of school work.  I went to a bachelorette party- that was quite fun.  But nothing date-wise, other than getting semi-stood up for a coffee date, which led to me going to dinner and drinking a pitcher of beer with one of my girl friends.  So unfortunately no fun stories there, maybe next time!

Today is an interesting day for me.  Obviously it is Thanksgiving, so I am not in school, nor am I working.  This year is very different for me though.  Usually we go fox hunting on Thanksgiving, as it is considered a high holy hunting day.  (Un)luckily for those of us who hunt with Bridlespur though, it is rifle/shotgun season in Missouri, so holy or not we stay home.

As weird as it is for me to not have gotten up at o'dark-thirty this morning to load the horses, I'm totally OK with that, because we will be right back at it Saturday morning to go hunt as well.  I just have to take a moment to say how THANKFUL I am that my mom and I made the decision to move to Bridlespur.  I could not have asked for a more professional, fun hunt to be a part of now.  Every time we go out everyone is smiling, the hounds work well, everyone is turned out well, the runs are great, the country is well-maintained, and we just have fun.  I was to a point where I thought my desire to hunt had burned out, but now I want to go again and I have having such a wonderful time.

It is very refreshing for me to be around a group of people who take just as much pride in their appearance and their turnout as I am.  There is not a lot you can control in this world- especially being around horses- but you can control that your horse has its mane pulled, whiskers clipped, and that it is free of poop-stains.  I have always held my head high when my horses get off of the trailer, and now I feel like I am a part of a big, lovely group who does the same.  So here I am saying "Thank you" to all of the wonderful horsemen and women of this hunt!

We have also picked up 2 new dogs since my last post.  Max and Mabel are two boxer siblings who were up at the restaurant I was working at.  When the weather dropped down to below 20* at night and no one was going to be there to take care of them, my mom and I loaded them up in the car and brought them home.  They have since worked their ways into our hearts and are here to stay.  I am very thankful that we are in a position where we can take animals in need into our homes and give them the life they deserve, especially for these two who are the coolest and sweetest dogs.  They have fit right into our crazy, dysfunctional farm life.

As always I am thankful for my wonderful friends and family.  I have been able to do a lot of really cool things with my life, and 90% of them would not be possible without this awesome support team that I have standing with, in front, and behind me.  They are amazing.

I am thankful for my health, for all of the small things that I overlook in my day-to-day life, and for my good spirits.  I am thankful that I have learned to let-go and forgive in this last year, and that I have learned to love myself and be happy within my own life.  I have a wonderful string of happy and healthy horses who come running to the gate and nicker when I walk in the barn.  They all give me 100% every day, and not a lot of people can say that.  I am thankful that I made the decision to go back to school, and for all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me and will continue to open up and I continue forward.

I am thankful for so many things that I could continue on for days.  At this moment I am very thankful that I can begin Christmas shopping for the great people in my life, and that I will get to spend today with family and friends.  I pray for those who are not this fortunate, and I especially pray for my home-town of St. Louis that is fighting to stay afloat right now.  I pray for Michael Brown's family, who is spending this holiday for the first time without their son, and I pray for Officer Wilson and his friends/family who are under such scrutiny from the media and community.  I am thinking of my wonderful friend, Kelty, who is spending her first Thanksgiving away from home in Virginia, and we miss her a bunch, along with her four-legged kiddos.

I am hopping off of here so I can check on my ponies, who I am sure are sleeping on this overcast, cold day, and then I am settling in to watch some football.  I never thought I would say this, but I am cheering for the bears today, ONLY so that they beat Detroit and give us some breathing room at the top of the NFC North- GO PACK GO!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and remember to be thankful every day, and for every day spent on this earth.

Turning Over the Reins

My little red horse that could.  Sunny was never supposed to do anything other than sit in a field for the remainder of his life, and he turned out to be a powerhouse Ferrari who tried his heart out for me.  After his injury I made the decision to hand the reins off to someone who would enjoy him, and learn from him at the lower levels, and it has proved to be a struggle for me!

I first met the 16hh gelding when I went to look at a couple of other big bay thoroughbreds.  I had owned the mare he was out of, and we had lost her the winter before due to unknown causes.  I had always owned bay horses (minus the evil white pony) and was looking to stay with those handsome features I was comfortable with.  Sunny was there, just back from his first stint at the track, and was rotten as ever.  He would double barrel the stall wall behind him, pin his ears, and rake his teeth down the wall if I was looking at either of the horses I was to try instead of him.  At one point in time he even reached into the aisle and grabbed the back of my coat as if to say "HEY!  Look at me!"

Cathy wanted to keep racing him, so I purchased the other two geldings and told her to keep me in mind when he was finished.  Little did I know that fate would bring us back together much sooner than anticipated.  Sunny chipped his knee shortly after than and came back to rehab at Cathy's farm.  While they thought he would run again, unfortunately he chipped the knee again while in turnout, most likely from a friendly fire incident.  The vets said he would never do anything again and to find him a retirement home asap.  It had been a horrific year for hay, and since we had the means to keep him on stall rest and then he could live in the field.

Stall rest lasted all of two days before he began trying to tear the barn down.  We ended up putting him in turnout four months early per the vets orders, and he stayed quiet and happy.  After about two years he was galloping around one day, so I began riding him.  He went to his first event and was a professional, so I immediately thought of selling him. Sunny turned into a jack of all trades then, doing a lot of fox hunting, some hunter/jumper shows, a little team roping, etc.  I took him to his first novice the next spring where he won the flat, jumped double clear in the show jumping, and I missed the 3rd fence from home on the cross country- denying him the win.  Whoops.  Sunny continued to put up with my mistakes for three more seasons of work.

He went with me to college, dealt with me while I cried when Bubba died freshmen year, and then subjected himself to my decision to sell him once again.  I took the crazy little horse down to Sam's with me and told her he was for sale, to which she promptly replied that I was crazy.  I continued to stay and work for her for 6/7 months, learning a lot about myself and him.  He turned out to be even more quirky than I originally thought, and despite the pain we finally figured out was in his knee he kept on jumping for me.  I graduated from Sam to Jan Byyny, and he went right along with me.  We hit a snag in our consistency, but became masters on the flat and I finally started to have some success in the show jumping.

Sunny and I moved home, back under the watchful eye of Jill, and I began to dream of running the Intermediate.  We worked hard, knowing that I would not have the opportunity to bridge the gap with a CIC* or CCI*.  We dove headfirst into a hell of a first run, and came out stronger, and with more trust in each other than I ever imagined was possible.

I cried harder than I ever thought was possible after we knew he was hurt at Richland.  I was afraid that he would never be ridden again.  Yet he continued to behave in rehab, and the tendon came back stronger than ever.

Long story short- Sunny has now ended up in the wonderful hands on Geri, an adult amateur who had a great horse that went lame and she was in the market.  I didn't want, and never will again, to sell Sunny- so I suggested that she ride him for awhile until she found something that she wanted to purchase.  Come to find out they get along fabulously and it has worked out very well.

I found out that it is hard for me to not see him every day.  I have a  control issue, and I want to know what is going on with him all the time.  It is also difficult for me because he is 3 hours away, not just thirty minutes.  But when I do see him, his ears are pricked, Geri is smiling, and they look fantastic.  I could not be happier for the two of them.

This past weekend Geri and Sunny took on their first recognized event and finished on their dressage score for a 3rd place!  They also won the adult team challenge for the beginner novice level with their team, and they were the lowest score on the team!  My heart is still bursting with pride at how far they have come in the last few months, and I would have given just about anything to have been there.  I assume this is how parents feel when their children grow up and leave for college.  I want to continue controlling what is going on with him, but Geri is making all of the correct choices, and it is working out in their favor.

I am doing my best to let them do their thing, and only be neurotic about certain things.  I am already waiting for the 2015 season because I want to be able to attend events that they are at.  I could not have hand picked a better home for Sunny to be in right now, and knowing that when he says he is finished that he comes home to me is just as good.  Keep kicking on Geri! And best of luck with the red monster!!!

Now to figure out how to get to StL faster!

All Hope is Lost (until my friends come to the rescue!)

Once again I decided to venture into the wonderful world of Tinder, because I sit in class on Tuesdays for 1 hour listening to some woman who hardly speaks English rant over personal nutrition, tell us how fat we all are, when she herself isn't the ideal of health.

So I sit there and flip through this wonderful little application after I exhaust my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (can you tell that I'm bored yet?)

I have come across two guys who seemed to be decent and so we began chatting.  This is where everything went wrong- no nudists this time, I promise!

The first one seemed ok- good job working for the state, likes to hunt, grill out, and be outside.  Works hard, and apparently didn't finish middle school.  It quickly became apparent that he did not know the difference between two, to, and too; your and you're; etc.  The grammatical errors I can sometimes overlook since I understand that not everyone writes correctly in text messages, but the glaringly obvious spelling errors and misused words instantly got to me.

Then, bless this poor kids heart, he really let me see that he has no common sense.  First he called Olive Garden authentic food.  I don't know about the rest of you, but when the cooks are of Hispanic descent, I don't consider what they are fixing authentic Italian!  After pointing that out to him he said about how good their breadsticks are (which I can agree, as I'm sure can anyone who has eaten at an OG).  I made the comment in passing that they are laced with crack- hence why they are addictive- and it went WAYYYYY over his head.  I'm talking into outer space over his head.  Que palm to face.  I've talked to some very unintelligent people in my lifetime, but I have yet to find someone who really believes that there are drugs in Olive Garden's breadsticks.

Bless.

If only this ended there- but I have a hard time being mean to stupid people, so I continued talking to him in hopes that it was just a bad day.  The next morning he sent me a text that said he was multitasking- driving, eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and texting.  I replied that it wasn't a good tactic for survival and this is the response I got:

"well you half to be smarter than the average bear"

........................................................ Fail.

Rule #1 of calling yourself smarter than anything- use the correct words.  Did you even attend grade school?  Last time I checked half did not have anything to do with requirements, demands, or anything other than measurement.  Maybe I have been out of grade school for too long, someone please help me out here.

Needless to say after this comment and then having to stick to a coffee date, because heaven forbid we meet at a bar and watch part of a sporting event so there is something to talk about other than ducks..... (and I thought I was bad when it came to talking about horses).... I politely declined a second date- did I mention he thought a good place to get coffee was a Huddle House?- I ran off to have a wonderful night out with my barn girls.

Let me just tell you that I have the best friends in the entire world.  We were all a full hour late to see this band, because we were in the barn and smelt like horses and sweat, and the band didn't even begin until 10:30.  We all had to be back up around 6 the next morning, and we proceeded to stay until after close (that's what happens when you know the band!), and have a wonderful time.  These girls will pull out all of the stops and go to the mat for me, each other, and I for them.  They are the sisters I never had, and I could not be more thankful for them (I know I talk about this a lot in my blog- but they really deserve a ton of credit!)

I don't think I have ever gone out with this group and not had a smile on my face the entire time.  Not to mention they are all absolutely beautiful and it makes me feel awesome to be out with them.  Andrew is pretty cool too- and he does a great job of putting up with our wild, crazy selves.  They all inspire me to continue working my butt off for the things I want, and I always have someone to go to when things are rough- not to mention someone to cheer on the Cards with!! WOOOOO POST SEASON BASEBALL TONIGHT!!!

Needless to say I gave a presentation at class on about 2 hours of sleep, and then came home and spent a ton of time in the barn last night, and I wouldn't have changed it for the world.  Horses are on the trailer to Nashville today, someone is coming to try Louis today, and finally the rain stopped- so it is a good Saturday so far!  Fingers cross for good things for me, please!

Oh- and on the second boy.  Well he continues to tell me that "I need a man in my life"- well whoops you definitely screwed up there buddy.  Not only was I raised by my mother, who definitely did not need a man in her life and lives a pretty bad-ass one, but I went to an all female school where they drilled it into my head that I was fine on my own, and I have lived my entire life happier by myself than with a man who thinks like you (you all are welcome to go check my terrible date post again if you need a reminder of how I respond to gender assigning comments haha).  People like you are the reason we are still fighting the feminist war- and I've spend too much time in sociology classes this semester- thank you Amanda....- and I am back off of my soapbox.

Off to ride ponies! Then watch the game tonight- have a good weekend everyone!!!!

Oh and check out the page for my farm on Facebook- Lone Creek Ranch (I had to set up a professional page for school!)- please!

Forgive me for my moments of Weakness

Today started off with someone banging on my door a little after 6am, yelling that I had horses out on the road.  After running to put on proper clothing, and seeing that the majority of my horses were visible in my field, I returned to the door and insisted that they did not belong to me.  After a few minutes of arguing with the woman, and directing her to the correct owner, I still went up to verify that I did not need to bring horses home (pretty easy considering one was a paint and I do not own any paint horses).

This then led me up to the barn for some early morning stall cleaning, bucket filling, and jamming out to old music.  My wonderful friend Deb sent me a pretty badass playlist on Spotify (if anyone wants it just follow me and I'll forward it to you!) full of songs that we all love and sing at the top of our lungs when they come on the radio.  Most of them are from the 90's, with some older and a few from more recent years.  Long story short, I'm in the barn before I've had any coffee, running on little to no sleep, and Cher's "Life after Love" comes on.

I have probably not heard this song in years, and I just had to chuckle to myself.  It is no secret that I am single, and that I was fairly crushed by my breakup this past spring.  Even though I had some fabulous girlfriends, and half a brain in my head, that told me while I had very strong feelings for Oran I know it is best that we parted ways (huge shoutout to all of my wonderful friends who helped me!)  Come on though- let's be honest here- and it still fucking hurt.  My heart was pretty much crushed, especially when I remembered that I live an amazing life and have a lot going for me, while he has kind of fizzled out and sputtered to a stall.  Like Cher pointed out though, "you're gonna be the lonely one" (meaning him), made me feel a bit better.

The funny thing about dating in our generation is this lovely thing we call social media.  When Oran and I first broke up I deleted him as a friend on Facebook, but still had his number in my phone, and we could still message on Facebook.  I could still see everything on his profile, and he on mine.  We ended up in that whole "we can be friends on Facebook" stage, where he liked all of my stuff, and we made passive-aggressive comments on each other's posts.  It finally clicked that I need to cut all strings (haha take your own advice woman!) and I blocked him on Facebook, deleted his number out of my phone, and ta-da I felt like a million bucks.

Now, when I got a new phone and had all of my data restored I ended up with his number back in my phone.  And long story short I had to send him a text laughing about how our text message thread was now back in my phone and from when we were together.  Fine?  I guess, as long as the texting was kept to a minimum and there was no talk of seeing each other.  This has been fine, we talk a little bit of shit about football- GO PACK GO!- and I actually had a technology crisis about a week ago that he helped me fix without me feeling like a dumbass.  We don't talk about anything serious, or even ask how the other person is doing.  Yet, I know it is still wrong.  I know that this is just keeping the connection alive, even if it is miniscule.

I then crossed a line yesterday, and I wish I could take it back, because it sparked feelings I should not be having.  I am still blocked from his Facebook page, he is still blocked from mine, but he has not blocked my mom from his page.  I had to sign into her page yesterday to get an address for her, and while I was on there thought it would be harmless to check out his page.  I was immediately irritated at some of the posts on his wall, and also smiled because I noticed he has put on weight and still has a nasty beard.  I didn't stay on there long, but it was just long enough for me to realized that I jacked up, and need to cut all ties again.  Hence, his number is not blocked back out of my phone.

Dating in our generation is trashed by the social media.  He lives 4.5 hours away from me now, there is no chance that we are running into each other until maybe at a mutual friend's wedding in January.  I shouldn't even be thinking about that though- I should be focusing on myself and not worried that I will see him then.  I shouldn't care.  But because we can still have this connection through the internet, I remember that he exists.  One of my other ex's got married a couple of weekends ago, and I found myself going through the pictures that his mom shared on Facebook, and then clicking on his page to see if there were some more.  This is WRONG!!  Do all of you hear me?  It does not matter that he and I have been separated for almost 7 years, the fact that I still went and looked shows that I have not 110% let go.  Would I ever get back together with him? Hell to the mother-effing no!  But had it not been for social media I would probably have never known he was getting married, hence I wouldn't have a care in the world about it.

A good friend of mine told me the other day that she went and looked for her ex on Facebook, despite them being separated for over a year.  She laughed at the fact that he didn't have a job, was 3x the size he had been when they were together, etc. etc.  It is still wrong though!  We shouldn't be able to do this!  I wish that when we broke up with someone there was an option on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. that allowed you to click "I cannot search for this person, because I am better off without them, and I don't give a damn!"  Then, when we began to type their name into a search bar a message popped up and said "Hey! You're fabulous and he/she is gone, go do something for yourself!"

I cannot stop myself from thinking about him when things come up that we did together, or when I see something that reminds me of him.  But I should be able to just believe that he is happy (or miserable, whichever you want to think about your ex!) and not have to go looking for proof or evidence of the opposite every time I am bored.  Maybe this is a part of the reason I am still single 6 months after ending the relationship?  Because I cannot let go of these little lingering curiosities?  Maybe it is because I am hardly busy enough to sleep, let alone look for someone.  Who knows.  I know that I will find someone eventually, even if it is for a short period of time and he breaks my heart as well.  I am, however, finished with the searching through Facebook.  I am making a promise to myself to be stronger, and maybe when I want to search for him I will instead get away from the computer and reward myself with a piece of chocolate, or a shot of tequila?, either one sounds better than seeing what he is up to!

We got this girls!  And when this life continues to make things difficult, we will come out stronger.  Let them look at us and know that we are living life fine without them, and honestly we shouldn't give them the time of day.  Cut the ties- hell if anyone feels the need to look up an ex just shoot me a message.  I'll do my best to have some witty line to tell you why it is a bad idea!  And now I am off to jam to some old music and enjoy my day on the farm with the best men in my life, my horses!

Still Riding the High- Dunnabeck 2014

Wow- I still cannot believe that Dunnabeck has come and gone.  It feels like ages since I have sat down to write here, and while the event was just a couple of days ago, real life kicked my butt from the get-go and I feel like it was weeks ago.  This thought makes me very sad, but then I reflect on what an awesome week/month/weekend it was and I am already pumped up for next year and coming up with huge plans!

This year at Dunnabeck was by far the best one yet that I have attended- which is fortunately all buut 2(?) or maybe 3.  Dunnabeck is home to me.  I remember years ago, when I was a little kid, thinking that all of my eventing goals were wrapped up into running the recognized horse trials at Queeny Park.  While I adore Queeny, it makes me laugh a bit to see how sheltered I was in my vision.  I have been fortunate enough to compete my horses at some pretty prestigious events/venues; the Kentucky Horse Park, the Virginia Horse Center, Chattahoochee Hills, Wayne/Maui Jim, Southern Pines/Carolina Horse Park, etc.  But nothing gives me butterflies like competing here at Dunnabeck, with all of my friends and family.

 

 

This year I got really ambitious and decided to compete 3 horses, something I have only attempted once and it nearly killed me.  But I figured that I was close enough to home and there were enough barn friends floating around that I could snag some help if I needed it. Thankfully my wonderful friend Maggie and my fantastic mom showed up ready to rock n' roll, and knocked out 6 rides between dressage and cross country like a NASCAR pit crew.  I cannot thank them enough for all of their hard work and (thanks again mother) people wrangling so I could stay focused all weekend.

 

 

A huge shoutout to everyone who helped make this event possible- there are too many names for me to list because I'm trying to crank this out before I head to class.  But big ones go to Mark and Jill- who always run such a wonderful event and who I cannot thank enough for letting me be a part of this wonderful barn family.  Colleen Mills who ran around like a crazy person trying to get things organized while also handling a kid/pony combination, Amelia Stratman who stepped up once again and filled a huge hole in order to get things done (the best sass in the world!), Latisha and Kenny- they just rock!, and all of the other parents who ran around and did little things.  Thank you!

 

 





I have to add a quick reflection of my weekend and then tell everyone why this is the best barn family in the world and you all should be jealous.  While my weekend was great- all three horses stayed in the Dressage ring and the scores were not terrible, they all cantered clear around the cross country, I remembered where I was going, and they all gave me good rounds in the show jumping.  I was unhappy with myself at first, I could have easily made time on Goose on the cross country, and then ridden him more forward in the show jumping, fixed my mistake and not had the rail, and probably could have won (Even though I am SO THRILLED for Lacey, her story is incredible and I could not have been happier for her to get the blue- sorry to everyone else in the division, I am just still smiling from ear to ear for her) and I was disappointed about not winning at first.  Everyone wants to win.  Then I thought about how easy Goose made everything feel, from the flat work that is still coming, to the cross country where he skipped around, and how much jump he still had on Sunday, and I realized that I did win.  I got enough entries for us to make running the Preliminary a success, and my horse made it feel like cake.  I will be better for him next time.

And while I was very disappointed in myself for my rails on the young horses, they both finished their first events ever much more confident than they went in.  And while I would have loved to have brought home ribbons on both of them as well, this is part of the game.  It is all a learning experience, and I came away from the weekend much happier than I went into it.  I feel like I won!

Now- there are too many people for me to give shoutouts to, and too many people rocked this weekend.  But my barn family is better than your barn family for so many reasons, but the main one being all the smiles we had all weekend.  No matter what was going on for one specific combination, they still showed up to cheer on everyone else.  There were tons of hugs, smiles, cheers, and tears to go around.  I'm pretty sure they could hear us yelling at Flying Cross when someone did well.  We had people conquer the water, their first event, their show jumping nerves, and much much more.  Some people realized that they need to take a deep breath, others that they need to go to the stick sometimes.  But all in all, everyone supported everyone else, and we ran around all 2 full barns helping one another.  This really is the best sport in the world, and my friends are the best ones anyone could ask for.

I am so bummed that I have to wait another year for Dunnabeck to come around again, but I'm ready to begin planning now!  Who is with me.  Congrats to all of our winners, of the million awards we gave out :-) , and I hope everyone had as good of a time as I did.

Some quick shoutouts! Because I have to.

Deb- for kicking ass at her first Preliminary back in 2 years! I love you and that little red horse.
Amelia- for running herself into the ground, defying a difficult summer, and letting it all go in the ring for an awesome win in a huge division.  You've earned it girl!
Emily- for taming the wild man and finishing in style, with a pretty pink ribbon. I hope we have you hooked!
And Amberlyn for taking names in the starter and adding a blue to your collection

Last but not least- our fearless leader Jill.  Who puts up with all of our crazy antics, manages to be there for everyone on this insane weekend, and always makes me feel better after I ride like crap.  We love you and could not do this without you!

Until next year my friends