"What It Takes"

 Hello all! I have had a few more rides now on It's Aerosmith since I last posted and we are starting to get more serious for show season. My first show is River Ridge in April. We are still working on the canter and perfecting it. It has gotten much better.

I would say that my most recent ride on Tyler was pretty good and it made me get even more excited for the 2016 show season. For those who don't know, I ride at the Louisville Equestrian Center, which is 45 minutes away from my house without traffic... I go to the barn three times a week, however, each time I go I ride multiple times. On Saturdays I usually ride four or five times and one of the lessons is a bareback lesson. My knees bleed when I ride, so bareback is a great way for me to work on my balance and positioning rather than riding stirrupless. When I ride I always wear Morgan Riding Tights under my jods and on the outside I wrap rundowns around my knees for extra padding. I have special knees...

I recently started to work out with a personal trainer and I hope to gain more muscle, which will benefit my riding. I worked out on a Tuesday and went to ride the next day and my instructor, Jenn, thought it would be fun if I rode bareback along with my two scheduled lessons. I had just gotten on my favorite horse, Hue, to ride bareback, and I almost fell off doing the frog position while trotting because I was so sore from working out the day before! Jenn was just standing in the middle of the ring laughing. She was highly amused!

All the extra riding and bloody knees are worth it because hard work pays off in the end. My mom tells me that my middle name should have been "perserverance" because I work so hard to reach my goals. I don't know about all that, but I do set high expectations for myself and hope to achieve them this coming show season with Tyler.

Our motto last year was to just have fun, so I plan on doing the same thing this year and hopefully being successful again. Tyler has been the "dream" horse for me and I could not be more thankful for my mom for buying him for me. My first horse, Raindrops On Roses, is about 25 years old now and is also black. I got Rosie when I was seven years old and showed her in academy for a few years. I guess I have a special love for black horses.

This summer is going to be one to remember because it is my last year showing as a junior exhibitor and I will be moving into Rollins College at the end of August. I can't wait to share with you all my experiences and memories I create this show season with my barn family. My instructors have taught me so much not only about horses, but how to be a caring and motivated young woman. I hope I make them proud this summer! Good luck to everyone showing!