Tobiano

Many years ago, my barn obtained a "paint" mare. Looking back, I doubt that's what she was. Certainly a mutt of some description. She had a sharp V sliced out of her left ear. Someone told me that indicated she...

Let it Go

The last few weeks have been interesting for me, to say the least. I visited my family in Houston to celebrate Christmas for the fifth (FIFTH!!) time in 2016. We rang in the new year with kisses, champagne and ...

Sometimes

For the last few weeks I've been negotiating my work life for 2017. Since my daughter was born in February of 2014, I have generally worked from home. I go into the office once or twice a week, but the rest of ...

Mantras

In general, I live my life under two simple mantras: 1. Progress not perfection and 2. Listen and be kind. I don't always follow my own advice, of course. I'm not perfect, and bad days are just as likely to mak...

Road to RPSI – It Takes a Village

**1 week until RPSI inspection** The best part of the RPSI Inspection? It ended up being the same week as my family’s yearly cottage trip. I don’t just mean my husband and daughter. I mean my father—who liv...

Forward

I’m not a timid person by nature. I like to make a plan and execute it. I hate the limbo of waiting, or uncertainty. As my husband often says, sometimes I have a habit of just crashing through rather than cauti...

An Easy, Uncomplicated Ride

It's a bit of a rarity in the horse world, but it's something we all look and strive for: an easy, uncomplicated ride. At its essence, it seems impossible. True riding, by anyone's standards, is neither eas...

Showing Star

June 18, 2015 was the day I rode Star for the first time. We hit the year anniversary with nothing too exciting happening. Okay, that's a lie. I spent that day doing show prep. Star's first ever show prep. (...

Getting There

I recently realized that I'd been at my barn for a full year starting from May 7th, this past Friday. I can't believe I'm not further in my riding, and I'm shocked how far I have to go to get where I want to be...

Grief

Grief is a weird thing. I've heard it referred to as a weight. Others describe it as a burn. For me, it felt like drowning in the ocean. As a child in Florida, I was in the ocean a lot. One particularly lon...

Finding My Star

Growing up, I loved to perform and I quickly gained the nickname of “Star Searcher.” As I entered my teen years this was shortened simply to “Star.” During high school I had a dance teacher named Starzyk who I ...

Watching & Learning – Clinic with Peter Gisborn

Riders often speak of clinics in the same revered tones as they speak of the Grande Prix. I only became completely aware of the aura that surrounds clinics when I asked a young barn mate if she was attending. ...