I've always ridden and when I'm not riding, I'm often thinking about riding

I don't actually remember riding a horse for the first time, I just remember always wanting to ride, riding at my grandparents or begging my dad for my own horse.

When I was 12 my brother and I finally got my dad to agree to letting us adopt wild mustangs, if we built their pen and barn. Previously he had threatened to spank us if we didn't quit begging him to let us get a horse. My brother Matt and I set to work building a corral and my dad, seeing we were serious about this, helped us out.

The day I got Quincy was one of the most exciting days of my life. I stood there looking into the pens at the BLM holding facility in Marysville CA and saw a little black horse I just couldn't live without.

For 20 years Quincy and I did everything together. Found ways to pass time all of Christmas Eve day till we could open presents, showed western rail classes, worked at two summer camps, took dressage lessons and even showed for a while and finally discovered endurance. Quincy is a jack of all trades sort of horse. He's not the world's finest athlete but he can do pretty much anything and do it pretty well.

During those 20 years I did a few other things as well. I graduated from high school and  college, got married, bought a house (with property, of course), had two kids and changed carriers. Through it all I rode and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

 

Quincy and my son Ryan

Since horses have been such a huge part of my life, it's no surprise that the prospect of getting a second horse is something I thought about, prayed about, talked to my friends about, researched and drove my poor husband crazy about for years.

I think the moment I realized how much my husband truly loved me was when he told me I needed to get a new horse, not wait any long, just stop worrying and go for it. My husband hates horses but he loves me and knows how much horses mean to me. What a wonderful man!

I set out to do the impossible. Find a horse that had a great mind, was started under saddle, very athletic, a personality I could get along with over lots of miles and next to free. All my aforementioned thinking, talking, researching and praying led me to get a passport and take then eight month old daughter and my best horse friend to Canada on a horse finding adventure.

We visited a wonderful Standardbred rescue called Greener Pastures where I road some wonderful horses and decided to bring home a mare named Pureform Bunny.

Bunny and I have been together for a little over two years now and what a great two years they have been. She has proved to be everything I hoped she would be and I think I'm just beginning to see her talent. She tries hard to please and has the best work ethic of any horse I've ever ridden. She's taken everything I've ever asked her to do and done it easily.

Since I've started riding Bunny I feel like I have learned so much; about myself, about the sport and about her I felt like I wanted to write about it. I know there are friends and family who like keeping up with Bunny and I and other riders, who like me, like to read about what others are doing and learn from their successes and mistakes.

So here it goes... Stay tuned for stories from the past and present and the occasional word of wisdom.

 

 

Bunny and I on our way to a 5th place finish in the 50 at Old Selam this summer

Photo by Jessica Anderson