I was reminded again and again about the hard work that goes into attending one of these shows, especially in the manner I have constructed.  I have a bit of a hybrid experience that I create for clients at shows that is pulled from the do-it-yourself world of dressage and eventing as well as the my-horse-is-tacked-for-me world of hunters and jumpers.

We strive to make our kids well-rounded, so why stop there?  I personally would like a horse that has an education in many different things: a true Renaissance Horse.

I am not an extremely superstitious person, although I do abide by a few.  I knock on wood religiously.  One blue eye in a horse gives me pause, two blue eyes and I'm praying I survive the ride.  However, after a career as a hotelier and now as a full-time horse person, the superstition that I most believe in is the power of the full moon to bring on the crazy.  

The coming of spring always brings new people to the barns, both as students and boarders.  These new and potential clients are curious about the history, culture, clientele, and staff at the stables, and so I've found myself needing to describe what makes this farm different, and special, several times recently.  That reflection has, as it always does, reminded me just how lucky we are to be able to call the Stables at Frederica home.

"Think about riding as a science and ... love it as [an] art." - George Morris

Horses, much like human athletes, have varying degrees of athleticism, but nearly all that are expected to perform will need some kind of help to get there: maintenance.

I am a big believer in keeping things around the barn uber clean.  Like, OCD clean.  Or CDO, as my friend Kappy says.  I have had many eyes rolled at me for sniping about making something more perfect, especially as many times it makes no sense why I want something put away or cleaned up the way I do.  I have a motto: Everything has a home.  Everything.

As springtime sets in we usually get a new influx of students that want to take up horseback riding.  Our standard new student demographic is elementary-aged girls, usually from 6-9 years old.  Barn rats, as their called.  

One of my dearest friends Lee Burton reminds me often that shows are "about the ride, not the ribbon."  This past weekend was a great opportunity for me to remember that sentiment as well as pass it on to my students.  

With the influx of new horse owners that we have had at the Stables one of the most commonly-asked question I have encountered lately has been "what do we need to buy?"