HOW HARD TO PICK A RIDE

As with most things I almost completely forgot to update my blog. I have been trying but with all the Holiday work and prepping for Tax Season it has been difficult to keep my mind on the blog. Not to mention I go to school full time making time for horses, blog, house, work, school, holidays it's a wacky time of year for me. Luckily I have a minute here while I'm sitting at work to make a few quick blurbs before I jet of to the wonderful world of sending out organizers to clients who would rather be receiving Christmas Presents. Yes folks it's that time of year start prepping for those tax returns they are due in 3 months and fifteen days and I don't want to see the bum rush for the door on the 15th I lock up at 5p.m. LOL.

OK with that being said I have two prospects I have been working on for the last couple months Mighty and Shadow. Mighty is Small but has a long wonderful trot that is easy to sit and Shadow has power and size to boot and an attitude that reminds my family of me *sigh* they think so highly of me LOL. The one of my dark princess Shadow to the botom was her second ride and on the top is Mr. Mighty on his third ride they were both so great. I am getting ready to start riding them out on the trail and soon a Fifty mile ride. Hope you are all having a very Merry Christmas and looking forward to the New Year.

The First Endurance Conference....

Well as my birthday comes closer I was trying to think of something I could write while I was at work due to the fact that I cannot access some of the great photo's I have for my other stories I will start with our first AERC conference. The first one we went to was February 2007. The conference idea was really a spur of the moment idea that started us on the road to our first endurance conference. Mom said something to about well there is a conference this weekend and there is a nutritionist I'd like to hear speak do you want to go? Well shoot Reno is only a hop skip and a jump from Central California right? LOL, I know it's not but it was a fun drive at least to the conference then clouds started rolling in when we got to Reno it was still way to early to do anything so we slept in the parking lot at the Black Bear Diner waiting for it to open I think we arrived in Reno about 4 A.M. I hate mornings keep this in mind as we roll on through the years of endurance. I DO NOT DO MORNINGS so I must be hooked because I don't get out of bed on the weekends before ten if I can avoid it. So the Black Bear Diner opens and we go and have a HUGE plate of Chicken Fried Steak "YUM" that steak was already making my day better not to mention I had several cups of coffee to wake me up. We wandered around checking off our wishlist until the speaker was on and of course half way through I nodded off. I mentioned I wasn't a morning person LOL. Mom kept elbowing me when the speaker got to parts she thought I would be interested in. We also stayed for Angie McGhee I did not sleep through this speaker she had my attention from the moment she started speaking till she finished up I had to have her book "The Lighter Side of Endurance" I was so excited I even had it signed a total bonus. After that we wandered around for a little while longer until we noticed it was looking extremely yucky outside as the black clouds rolled in. So we started on our way home with book and a few other tidbits that we picked up. Unfortunately the weather was not with us and we had to stop for chains about fifty dollars later and a hot Starbucks we went on our way I actually stayed awake for the trip home while Mom and I talked about horses and tack and all that other fun stuff we learned from the two speakers we wanted to meet. The next step in our Journey will be the meeting of CMK and the many horses that she has provided us...

The First Day Many Years Ago....

OK I guess it wasn't many years ago more like TWO. I'm sitting enjoying coffee and my Mom says something about a hundred mile ride and "Western States Trail" oh and of course we should do this in 2009. Talk about a drop in a cold bucket I've always ridden trails but a hundred miles I was sure she was absolutely NUTS and that a hundred miles on horseback was some sort of fairy tale. Boy was I in for the shock of my life sure enough the "Western States Trail" also known as the "Tevis" did exist and she was SERIOUS about riding in it. So of course I'm game never did back down from something interesting.

And boy was I interested I looked up everything about Tevis and more information popped up then we started discussing horses and what we would need we started collecting saddles I love doing stuff with my Mom but it was starting to feel like some sort of whirlwind. So I am about to turn 27 and as you can guess we did not make it to the 2009 Tevis except to watch but BOY did I have a great time and now I'm hooked. It is my goal to go to Tevis next year though there are days it seems like it's mountains away. I will go backwards in the next few blogs and give you the bumps from this year and keep you updated on the next few as Mom and I struggle to climb our mountain to the goal of a "Tevis Buckle." As I go along this journey I hope that I will impart some knowledge that will help those beginning in the endurance track and also learn from those who have been down that road before me.