2018: A Year in Photos

Instead of a formal review of the past year (which would be a novel), I like to do a “year in photos” to remember the year. Here is the one I did for 2017 if you are a new reader! Enjoy!

 

In January I was suffering from 2017 PTSD that Rio would get injured again at any moment and refusing to set any goals. We had just done our first A show and we were really starting to click over fences, and I was finally starting to trust him to the jumps.

 

In February I did my first ever clinic with Rio, which was under the tutelage of the incredible Julie Winkel. It was an amazing learning experience, which also revealed to me some of our weaknesses that would need attention in the future.

 

March was a big month, I got my Voltaire saddle and found my new barn family at Bay Yard Farms! Change is always hard, and this was no different. It also turned into a wonderful opportunity for growth.
April was a month focused on filling in the gaps in my training while wondering if I’d ever jump bigger then 2’3 again, and if trot jumps would EVER feel easy. Also did an incredible photo shoot with the amazing Terri Cage!

 

After almost 6 months, we got back into the show ring in May, at the inaugural show in Ft. Worth. I battled strong show nerves, but we made it around, and most importantly I finally relaxed enough to have fun!

 

June brought more horse show fun with great people. It also brought on some serious anhidrosis in Rio, which had me really concerned about the rising temps.

 

I fell off of Rio for the first time ever in July- and it was a doozy! Thank goodness it was caught on film. We also tried various anhidrosis remedies such a Chinese herbs and Equiwinner patches. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work and we had to frequently wipe him down during rides with a water/alcohol mix to be able to ride.

 

Rio decided to remind me that he is still injury prone in August by escaping his stall and swan diving into some slippery asphalt. He gouged his stifle, got road burn on several legs, and required stichess on his Rt elbow. Silver lining is that it was too hot to ride much anyway.

 

Rio spent most of September recovering & getting back to work. I learned a ton about Rio’s lineage and connected with his breeder, who sent me several totally adorable pictures of him as a foal.

 

Made it back to a show in October, and it was a real break through for us. Battled nerves the first day, but on day 2 all our hard work over the last several months paid off and everything seemed to click. We had by far our best rounds to date.

 

In November we headed south to GSEC in Houston, TX and faced some stiff competition at zone 7 finals. Rio totally rocked it, and we consistently ribboned in all our classes, including some 4ths in the AA’s and a 2nd in the Adult Eq O/F.
December brought another horse show, which made me realize we still have some work to do with lead changes, but also so proud of our progress this year. I also started a podcast with fellow ammys which has been an incredible experience, and I look forward to watching it grow in 2019!

 

I hope that every had an INCREDIBLE 2018!!!!

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