Okay, all you segregated Off Coursers, plant your butts, introduce yourselves!

[B.G.M. heidi]

Bonjour, my name is Heidi and I am the uber-fraulein of the Alpines... /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I'm a stay-at-home-mom of three years, previously an exec. in the entertainment industry, married for 11.5 years to delightful Hans, mother of three: a 10-year-old daughter, whose course-glare rivals Anne Kursinski's; an 8-year-old son, who decided today that he'd be a video game developer; and, of course, 3-year-old Sumo Toddler, who delights and frustrates me, simultaneously. Mostly, I wonder, how to get his 63-pound body into the shopping cart at Loblaws. And, oh yes, I've a black lab pup on the verge of his first birthday. He likes to eat horse poo.

I've developed a virtually crippling, and only-too-real, fear of riding and haven't in a few months. We're at a barn on the outskirts of Toronto, where I'm often reminded, "hey, Heidi, when was the last time your butt sat on a saddle?". The more extravagant my excuse for not riding, the better the suggestions - I think they're onto my ploy. Must say, though, we're with one of the most sensible, compassionate, and talented, though unsung, pros in the business.

Long range goals include a string of jumper younguns, a broodmare (I want some babies!!!), and (let's see how Hans' IPO fares) our own barn/home in the country.

So, tell me about yourself.

[B.G.M. heidi]

Bonjour, my name is Heidi and I am the uber-fraulein of the Alpines... /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I'm a stay-at-home-mom of three years, previously an exec. in the entertainment industry, married for 11.5 years to delightful Hans, mother of three: a 10-year-old daughter, whose course-glare rivals Anne Kursinski's; an 8-year-old son, who decided today that he'd be a video game developer; and, of course, 3-year-old Sumo Toddler, who delights and frustrates me, simultaneously. Mostly, I wonder, how to get his 63-pound body into the shopping cart at Loblaws. And, oh yes, I've a black lab pup on the verge of his first birthday. He likes to eat horse poo.

I've developed a virtually crippling, and only-too-real, fear of riding and haven't in a few months. We're at a barn on the outskirts of Toronto, where I'm often reminded, "hey, Heidi, when was the last time your butt sat on a saddle?". The more extravagant my excuse for not riding, the better the suggestions - I think they're onto my ploy. Must say, though, we're with one of the most sensible, compassionate, and talented, though unsung, pros in the business.

Long range goals include a string of jumper younguns, a broodmare (I want some babies!!!), and (let's see how Hans' IPO fares) our own barn/home in the country.

So, tell me about yourself.

[AAJumper]

Hello! My real name is Michelle and I have a big lanky TB mare named Cypress, who is a very sweet mare. I'm 31, married, no kids yet, with a really cool pit bull mix dog named Trask who is our child, and two cats, Sigmund and Trix. My hubby is a firefighter, and works a wierd schedule of 10-24 hour shifts per months. When he's not home in the evenings I spend a lot of time catching up on the BB and chatting with Jo via IM.

I've been riding for 12.5 years now, but only really competitively in the past 3 years. I generally do the A/A Jumpers, but I only do well every other show....it's my curse! My goal is to have consistent shows this summer...and no more trips to the ER!!!

When I'm not doing horsey stuff, I like to waterski, snow ski, or generally do outdoor type stuff. During the week I put on my pocket protector and whip out the scientific calculator in true civil engineer form. I do land development engineering, so I do grading plans, water plans, sewer plans, and storm drain plans. Most of the people I work with are socially inept, old school mentality engineering farts that drive me insane, so it's a good thing I have riding as my outlet. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[CdnRider]

I haven't really introduces myself formally, so I'll bite now.

I'm a student in our local college taking a BSc university transfer program. Aside from trying to do homework (notice the word trying), I ride 3 horses at a barn just outside of Edmonton. And I have a great boyfriend who got on a horse for only the 2nd time and did very well might I add.

I'm an aspiring eventer. I've only been in one event when I was 16 but I have done numerous eventing clinics, especially last year.

I have never owned a horse, but been involved with them for almost 10 years. I have ridden/leased many horses over that time. Right now I ride a Canadian/Standardbred gelding named Nikko who will be "my" event horse. And I also ride 2 Arabs; Banner and Vic. Vic is hopefully going to be sold tomorrow though. Banner is doing some low hunters and dressage. I ride these horses for two wonderful ladies, who spoil and pamper me.:p

And today I'm in a particularly good mood because I had a wonderful ride on Nikko and Vic.

I guess that's all I have to say about me. But I will post a pic of Nikko at his last show, unfortunately none of the jumping shots were nice. So here is a flat one.

[Ashleigh]

So I'll introduce myself again (hey, I remember when these boards didn't exist! Ha)

I'm Ashleigh, I'm 16 and I live in Texas. I lease a 7 year old Appendix QH gelding who is, ahem, a challenge... I'm showing him locally in children's hunters with hopes of someday moving up (but getting sanely around a course is definitely a prerequisite). Yeah, so... I just got my car, it's a blast, and that would be me. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[B.G.M. heidi]

Slugger, you're back two weeks late! Coordinate with AHC and haul your butt to Toronto - we're planning a field trip.

You know, AAJumper, sometimes 'geeks' make the best riders - instinctive and anal. I know, only, by virtue of marriage to a software engineer.

CdnRider, what beats the thrill of a great ride? I still recall to this day, those phenomenal rides I had when all the body parts worked and I felt one with my horse. The only reason, at this point, to get back into that saddle, for me, is to recapture the old glory.

[Becca]

HOLA!! Muchach(a/o)s! (chose the appropriate suffix..)

I am....(self-explanatory, much??) BECCA!! I'm a junior- 17. I show in the everythings division. Do a bit of everything, but do LOOOVE my equitations. I have a barn full of lovely ponies (especially my baby, Taffy- who everyone gets accustomed to hearing too much about!) who I keep at our barn at home; I love them all, of course!!

Aside from that...I am a boarding school brat, and at home I have a massive amount of troublesome siblings- all of whom I naturally adore!!

lets see...thats me in a nutshell!!!

hasta!

[Squirt]

Hello, my name is Betsy and I'm a horse junkie.

I'm a 22 yo college student/feed store clerk/bartender/wannabe trainer/rider. No boyfriends or husbands to report, and no kids (except the four legged kind) and no exciting cool career.

I have three horses. One a nationally ranked jumper (arabian /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif plug, plug! I'm still so proud of her!), one TB who is hopefully going to be my hunter/eq horse, and one baby.

Two dogs, four cats, and soon, three or four ducklings, or chickens. (they're so dang cute when they're babies ya know)

I mainly show on the local H/J circuit, do a few big Arab shows, and even some rinky-dink open shows.

All-in-all, boring as all get out! /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Reckoning]

I'm on it Heidi! I'll be in touch with AHC by Monday. I just accidently deleted my former post on this thread. I'm tired from my drive back from FL (cough, welcome home drinks, cough) and hit the wrong damn button.

Hi, I'm slugger! I work in finance, when not busy horseshowing and riding /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif , though many days thats the other way around.

[Merry]

I'm Merry and I am living proof of that old Chinese proverb "Be careful what you wish for, because you may indeed get it." I used to long for a life totally involved with horses, and boy, do I have it! My new motto: "I muck, therefore I am."

My husband accepts that I venture into public (including church) in two types of apparel: jeans, and clean jeans.

We have no children, which is probably a good thing.

I'm a very busy freelance writer. I show in the amateur adult division and hope that my current young beastie will do the amateur owner division in a year or two, so that I can return to my former glory before I succumb to old age.

[Flash44]

I'm Karen, married, 3.5 yo human child and 11 yo TB A/A hunter (Flash). Currently employed as an workers comp investigator, but waiting on a juicy position with a digital imaging company. I would like to do the Baltimore marathon in 2002 and climb Mount Aconcagua before 2010.

[LaurieB]

I'm Laurie and at 48 I think I'm almost beginning to qualify as an elder around here. I've been married 26 years to a very patient man and have a 16 year old son. Neither of these two cares a fig about horses, but they do come along and try to take halfway decent pictures of my efforts. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I make my living as a writer and am currently the author of an ongoing series of mystery novels with titles like UNLEASHED, HUSH PUPPY and WATCHDOG. As you may have guessed, the series revolves around the dog show world where I was involved for many years as a breeder/owner-handler of Standard and Miniature Poodles.

I rode a great deal as a child and teenager and was fortunate to have a wonderful large pony that I did a lot of showing on. Real life intervened when I went to college, however, and thirty years passed before I had the opportunity to get back to horses and riding(!) I currently have a 5 year old TB mare who is perfect in every way /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif and also very green. I hope some day to do the A/As on her and maybe, if I get really brave, the A/Os. Right now we're noodling around in Pre-Green and Long Stirrup which is just about where we belong.

I posted this picture on another thread, but this is what we look like.

[SuaveReno]

Hi: Uhmmm....I'm a slighted "aged" returning A/O rider returning after a 30 year hiatus to the sport. In my mind though I still think I'm 24. I am married have 2 girls (the younger one rides) and a husband, while supportative, doesn't understand my horse passion.

I have just started back to the show ring, riding in mostly EQ classes and showing so far at a maximum height of 2'9". The 3'6" courses, I use to think nothing about while showing as a junior, look pretty big to me now (does that mean I am shrinking???)

I have 3 horses Carrino, Cosmo and Alexa (aka Lexie) and would like to go down to a comfortable level of one. (Horses are like potato chips, betcha ya can't have just one! LOL /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ) Kari and I hopefully will share Reno, when she can step up.

My greatest challenge as a rider now is remembering the dang courses. ( The single post and rail, breath, lead change, come on dude, LEAD change, breath, The outside line in 8, up the middle in 6 , the outside line in 8, 9 if you chip, make a nice ending circle and out the in gate, don't forget to breath!)

/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

My other challenge is finding a hunt coat cut for the mature figure /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I died, when I mistakenly pulled a size 12 off the rack to try on only to discover I could barely get my arm in the sleeve

/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

I have also really enjoyed my new cyber horsey pals and the CA Clique /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[ErinB]

Love these introductions. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif If only I were better at them...

HI! MY NAME IS ERIN! I'M 16 AND I RIDE HORSES!

No...

�Hola mi nombre es Erin!

No...

Well, I'll see what I can do. Hi, my name's Erin, I'm 16 (15 is my show age) and therefore a junior! I have 2 horses of my own, Griffen and Hopper, and they're both hunters although the latter is more of a pleasure horse. I'm hoping to ride Griffen in the Children's hunters once I figure him out and can sit his springy canter. I keep both of my horses at home, in Florida.

I like Thai spring rolls, egg creams and cherry Cokes. Yeah, a true Southern girl. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

On the board, I am one of the founding members of UJUMP (Unloved Juniors Unanimously propose to Make Progress), which began as affectionate blackmail and quickly turned into a large club, filled with crazy and loveable juniors like myself. The other founding member was Regalmeans, and Heidi is our den mother.

I am also a writer and currently submit articles to my own as well as other websites, and hope to go further than that someday. I have a couple of novels on my computer, too. I also like to draw, design websites, and... stuff. Basically, that's me! Nice to meet y'all.

**Erin**
Horseback Riding: The Sport Of Kings. Bring Your Wallet.

[RubysMom]

Another Californian here....;)
I am 38 (aggh) no kids, one "S.O." (sig.other) who thinks I am a bit nutzo, but loves me anyway.
He can't understand my equine obsession, but knows better than to interfere. <evil grin>
Two horses, one lovely retired 21 year old TB mare, Ruby, (hence "RubysMom" me!)
I also lease a wonderful 5yo Andalusian/Dutch WB cross.
I ride primarily Dressage, have dabbled in Eventing with Ruby, but since her retirement, have only been a wannabe eventer <sigh>.
We also trail ride alot, and go camping in the mountains with the horses at least once a year.

Here is a pic of me and Danny, (http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=213754&a=1579141&p=37390336&Sequence=0&res=high) /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

and here is a pic of Ruby and I taken in 98.... (http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=213754&a=1579141&p=15593751&Sequence=1&res=high)

[This message was edited by RubysMom on Mar. 31, 2001 at 11:34 AM.]

[This message was edited by Erin on Mar. 31, 2001 at 05:40 PM.]

[Paige]

I'm Paige, and I'm a 16 year old from Northern VA. I'm a student, obviously, and I have way too much schoolwork to do. I've been riding a little over 7 years, and have had some great ponies. I now own Come Monday, and 7 year old bay TB gelding. I am working on showing him in the Children's Olders. He's a great guy, actually, but I'm rather scared of him. Its definatly frustrating. Anyway, that's my life.

[AAJumper]

A "geek", Heidi??? Them is fightin' words! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif LOL...my engineering brain is perfect for the absorption of all the technical aspects of jumper courses. I am pretty good at figuring out (and remembering) how I should ride a course.....unfortunately, making it happen the way I plan isn't always easy!!!

Here's a pic of me, Brett (the hubby) and Cypress.

Hmmmm.....okay, maybe not....for some reason this is not letting me upload an attachment. I've done it before...oh well! /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[This message was edited by AAJumper on Mar. 31, 2001 at 12:06 PM.]

[dogchushu]

I'm Kristen and I'm new to this BB, so this seems like a good opportunity to introduce myself.

I'm 34, no kids, no hubby. I do have two great shetland sheepdogs: Maddy and Strut. They're adorable and very well trained but have boundless energy!

I'm pretty new to riding, been at it nearly 3 years now. I'd always wanted to ride but my mother was afraid of horses so I never rode as a child. I finally got the time and resources to take it up as an adult and was hooked from the first second I sat in a saddle!

I have a wonderful, sweet, kind (and oh-so-patient) 10-yr-old, 16.2H, grey, TB mare named Cassie. I purchased her last September and it's the best purchase I ever made! She's off the track and right now we're trying to decifer her just-barely-legible tattoo to find out more about her. I show her a little in schooling and other small shows. She has a lot of talent but I'm still dealing w/ getting over performance-in-public jitters.

I work in Baltimore as a marketing manager. I live and ride in the northern suburbs. Besides riding, I enjoy singing, and I'm an avid reader of mystery novels... so I'll have to check yours out LaurieB!

-K-

[Black Market Radio]

My name is Angel, I am 23, and making the switch from dressage to jumpers because "The Mare" does not like dressage, and I can't bear to sell her.

Chloe (The Mare) is an 11 year old TB mare, she's only 15hh but she is a tank and rides like a 17h WB. She is a slug when doing a dressage test and she shines when in the jumping ring. She is currently 1/2 leased out to a junior who is going to show her on the local circuits and in 4-H. The bonus for me is that Chloe gets more training because I take lessons once a month and this girl will be taking them every week. For pics of my baby girl, you can go to http://www.msnhompages.talkcity.com/IvyHall/gaelicdancer

I am getting married to the most wonderful man on Sept. 28th. I say wonderful because all I have to do is say that it will help Chloe out if we buy (insert unessecary product here) or "But I will look really good in those chaps", or, "But the International Skunk helmet is one of the safest helmets on the market, and FAR cheaper than the original GPA! (I'm getting my skunk helmet today for our 10 month anniversary!!!) Oh yes, and my VERY favorite. "But if I save up my money, and sell one of my saddles for it, then the new Delgrange really isn't ALL that expensive, besides, it's SO comfortable, it's good for the Chloe's back, and it will hold up better than a cheaper saddle, and if I ever have to re-sell it, it will hold it's value! Am I bad or what? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Anyway, I work here: http://www.lifesizestandups.com and yes, I sell cardboard people for a living!

Ok, that was incredibly boring but, that's my life!

Oh yeah, and I am the founder of the California Clique, and live pretty darn close to Megan Johnstone and Elise Haas, two of my favorite riders!

devildog, Queen of the CA clique

[Duffy]

Well, I'm sure most of you know more than you would like to about moi, but here goes...

I'm 40-something (lesser half of that decade for a "titch" longer /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ), single mother of two children: 12 yr-old son and 9 1/2 yr old daughter.

I started riding in 5th grade at a riding school, taking lessons once of week for many years. By the time I was a Junior in High School, I was lucky enough to be asked to ride and train other people's horses and ponies. Then, my Senior year, my then trainer kicked me out of the pond and sent me into a small ocean for my last Junior year - to try to do some showing on the bigger circuit. I didn't own a horse, so again, I was blessed in that I was able to ride/show a couple of horses that other people owned that year, plus a couple of school horses.

Ok - I know I'm getting way too long here..... We'll skip over a bunch, except to say that I LOVED riding intercollegiately at St. Lawrence University and can thank that opportunity for eventually landing me in Virginia! (The Nationals were at UVA my Junior year. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif )

I bought my first horse in 1982. His name was Tax Man. (The girl that I bought him from used money she'd set aside for taxes to buy him out of a pasture. LOL) I showed him locally for years and he was a sweetie and tried very hard. Unfortunately, between his conformation and lack of bravery (and my lack of funds LOL), we did not venture onto the A Circuit.

I got married/had kids = long hiatus! Ok - Now I'll really skip a long part! (lucky you LOL)

I now am lucky enough that I'm able to show on the circuit and I thoroughly enjoy myself! I still get nervous, but at least I don't look like I'm going to be ill much of the time anymore. I adore most of the people I've met through the horses and I am in love with my beasties. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

My son used to ride some and now my daughter is enjoying it muchly. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[and dreaming]

Hey all!

I'm Emily, a 15 year old high school freshman. I live in Pennsylvania, within walking distance (almost) to Devon - which is probably the most exciting thing about where I live. I have a green-bean Oldenburg mare who is trying so hard to NOT be a hunter, like I want her to be. She's in the process of getting over herself though /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I am a self-proclaimed NewsRadio addict (watching it right now) and all my friends think I'm a dork..just because it's on A&E.

I show locally in the Pre-Children's, and I'm hoping to be able to do the regular Childrne's by the end of this year. Eventually I want to do the juniors, but by the time my horse is ready for it, I will more than likely be doing the A/Os instead /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

And that would be me..

[MAD]

Hi, I am a lurker, and I thought I'd finally introduce myself.

I have been involved in showjumping in some way for all of my life, either by doing it (not that well-I get nervous) or watching it (my sister is the pro in the family-but she lives in France right now).

I am a self-employed software trainer, so I take a lot of jobs that involve travel and did get to spend lots of time in Wellington this winter. I didn't compete this winter, but I exercised some nice horses (Belladonna being my favorite).

Because I am on a computer most of the day, I check in on the COTH BB often. This board can relieve a lot of stress in a day!

[coppelia]

Hi, I'm Eiren (say 'Erin')

I've been riding most of my 24 years, taking a few breaks to discover things like jobs I dislike, the inside of a bar, and hangovers. Now that all that's done, I live and breath the horses. I think it was Merry who said somewhere, "I muck therefor I am." /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

I work for another member of the bb, Cortez, at Thistledown Farms in snowy Calgary. Here I have the opportunity to wrastle babies (starting in May!! can't wait /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ), help out with breeding duties (get out of the vets way), and start the young guys (after someone else gets the bucks out /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ).

My steady ride is Colossus, aka 'the Boob', a 4 yr old Holsteiner x TB, belonging to the farm. I wuv him very much and he wuvs me back.

I am a dressage rider, but after having a fun day of jumping 18" rails, I like to think that I'll be ready for the Masters at the end of the season. Yeah, I'll be ready to sit in the stands with a beer and a COTH hat, looking for other delinquents...

nice to meet ya!

[Chicago]

Bonjour, tout le monde! J'habite a Seattle et j'aime les chevals! And I'm a Junior in high school. I don't own a horse, but I have been working (for pay) with them since I was 11. I also leased a horse for a while.

Right now I have a slightly neurotic OTTB project horse, who I love to death, and a Morgan part-time jumping project, who I also love to death. I teach riding summer camp, therapeutic riding, lead trail rides, and pick up poo.

Other than that, I am a bit of a drama queen, I do speech and debate, play electric violin in a band, play electric bass badly, and go on trips to third world countries to work. (Haiti, most recently).

It's mucho cool hearing about everyone!

[smashing fishnets and feathers]

or are there lots of people with the name erin drawn to horses and this BB??
MY name is erin(thank goodness i dont use it, or i could confuse the whole BB), 14yo in OR. currently have a just-turned-15 yo OTT TB, retrained as an eventer. we are prepping for a dressage show next saturday, where my last ride is at 4;40! anyway-
i also ride for my instructor, especially since her back is out right now. we've got 10 horses in training, and on a good day i can put 4 good rides on 4 horses in 3 hours. otherwise i can get 2 done in 3 hours. i could be called an eventer, i do jump but i also do dressage...we will be working more on XC this summer. ive been riding for i dont know how long, i stopped counting a little while ago. i mainly show hunters and dressage, altho we are going to horse masters this summer. cruz, my horse, is a 16.1h bay TB who is shedding out to be a very interesting color. hes done prelim/training in eventing, but previous owner only showed in novice. he can do 3'6"+...
right now i take lessons every other week(got to keep paying the board you know...), but i ride 5 or 6 days each week. ive lived in OR my whole life(i think...), was born in Vancouver, WA. im 1/4" away from being 5'7" right now, but somehow i can still ride my friend's 13.2h POA(i ride her on days that she cant make it out) if i jack my stirrups up to where i could do 3'6".. this little POA can do 3'3". i am also jumping Jet, the POA owner's horse, in training because hes a runaway and said instructor's back isnt "working" right just yet(altho she can do minimal riding...its her job). i help the lesson kiddies get ready for their lessons, and have been known to them as her assistant- if shes not around and they have a question, they ask me instead. i know my way around the barn, and do all my own stuff- grooming, worming, bathing, turnout, show-prep, etc. i have become very well rounded in my riding, thanks to all the monsters i get to ride- we have 3 arabs, 2 lipizzans, 3 TBs, 4 QH, an AWB, a morgan, and 2 appys. needless to say, i ride a variety of heights, temperaments, and widths(not to mention the size of their head and neck- the AWB has alittle too much draft).

[Nylar]

I'm Ellen, I'm 20 as of today /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif , and I'm from Baltimore, MD. I'm currently attending Wilson College in PA, and I'm majoring in Equestrian Studies/minoring in English. I have little clue as to where I'll be after graduation, but I'm hoping to get a teaching job back in MD, since I really love it down there.

I bought my first horse, Dunn By Picasso (Dunn), last summer when I made barn switch #3. He's a 12 year old QHx gelding (and to be blatantly obvious, he's a dun) who will eventually be a wonderful A/A or A/O hunter. Right now we're ironing out little issues like "where did Dunn leave his brain" and "Yes, the wall hurts if we run into it". He stays at home while I'm at school since he hates college life with a passion, and my trainer has the joy of riding him for me. If that's what you want to call it, I'm sure she has other words for these training sessions. LOL

I show Dunn on the local circuits, although I'm the groom/cheerleader/occasional rider for a large pony named Clean Slate (Rocky), who does the 'A' shows with his 2 riders.

*Nylar*
http://www.geocities.com/dunnbypicasso/

[AnnM]

First of all...Happy Birthday, Nylar! Hope its a good one!

My name is Ann, and I'm 22 (soon to be 23) years old. I'm one of the unfortunate BBers who is currently horseless and not riding at all. I owned several horses and showed in the Children's and Junior Hunters all through high school, with the occassional big eq class thrown in there. My parents live in Tampa, Florida, which is where I was raised and where all of my riding career took place. I used to show all over Florida with summer trips to fun places like Asheville, and my winters were spent at HITS in Ocala (4 years).

It's been awhile since then...I graduated from high school in 1996, and headed to Emory University in Atlanta, GA. I graduated with a BA in May of last year, majoring in Psycholgy and Policitcal Science. Now, I'm in law school in downtown Chicago, at Northwestern University. I'll graduated in 2003, and I'm eagerly awaiting my return to the horse world, which will hopefully occur soon after graduation from law school.

I miss horses tons, but I'm glad that I've taken a hiatus in order to focus on my education. I found out my first year, when I went home and showed a few times that I really am not a fan of only being kinda involved in showing and riding...I've been waiting until I can commit the time and $ to take lessons and ride at least semi-frequently. I've always been a tad on the timid side, and I hate not feeling fit and being all loose when I ride only once or twice a year. During my freshman year at Emory, when I was braver and not as far-removed from showing and riding, I showed up at HITS just a few hours before the Adult Amateur Hunter division, hopped on, jumped a few jumps, and headed to the ring -- after a full 6 months of not riding at all! I'm not that brave anymore, though, and I'm holding out until I can ride enough to feel confident and secure in the saddle.

In the meantime, I hang out on the BB and check out horse show results at various other websites...horses are such an addiction, and this is my "fix"! So, I don't post too often, and usually in random threads about people I used to know or places I've been, or the occassional question about education or career paths (my current obsession) -- I don't usually post in topics with substantive horse-y questions.

That's about it...oh, and as far as I've seen, I'm the only law student that hangs out on the BB (although there are quite a few attorneys, many who have given me some great advice!), so I'm glad to offer whatever advice I can about law schools or about college life (which is very fresh in my memory) -- I like to make myself useful even though I probably don't have tons of horse advice!

Ann

[Won2Keep]

I am another Kristen, just turned 37 and have ridden for 33 years. Mostly hunters from leadline on up. Now I try to event, but my first love is the hunters.

I have two OTTBs who are as different as night and day. If I could combine them into one horse...well, I guess that is not possible.

I am a marketing manager for cable modems during the week and I pick up sticks, branches and roots at my new farm on the weekends. I have two All American dogs, Stoney and Grizzlee.

My goal for this year is to get back in the hunter ring, but in the meantime have a good time with the lower level eventing.

It is nice to see everyone's personal info again. It helps to keep all the stories straight.

[skysmom]

My name is Kathy, my horse (TB G 8yr)is Schuyler,Sky for short. I'm perpertually stuck in the AA division for one reason or another..someday I hope to get to 3'6" but those 6 inches seem to make Alot of difference to my mind!! In the real world I work full-time as a retail pharmacist, have an 11 yr. old son (reluctant soccer-mom) and a very non-horsey husband..2 dobermans (my girls, Ruby & Pearl)..We live in the country but I board my horse with my trainer. I rode until I was 17 then quit until I was 30..10 years later I've stayed and despite all the ups & downs I really love the horses and all the challenges created by being involved with them....Oh yeah, PS ..I admittedly have become a BB-junkie, seem to check in twice a day it seems.Nice company though..

[This message was edited by skysmom on Mar. 31, 2001 at 05:08 PM.]

[This message was edited by skysmom on Mar. 31, 2001 at 05:11 PM.]

[spaz]

Hello everyone, my name is Mimi and I am 14 years old. I have a 9 year old gray paint/QH that I show in the local curcuit. As of now we are both working on confidence over bigger jumps, but everytime we seem to have it we lose it again in one way or another. I am hoping to show 2'6"/2'9" at the next show, and have dreams (nightmares?) of moving up to 3' by the end of the season. I would really like to show crossrails, but my trainer won't let me. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I am also training a large pony named Blue, but between the rain and school, it isn't going to well. Maybe summer.

When I'm not riding (which is often thanks to the weather) I am mainly online, playing Snood (evil addictive game...) or other things that my wild, uncontrollable teenage hormones crave. /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif Oh yes, I have an extreme addiction to Lucky Charms and that Pokemon-Lucky-Charm-wannabe-but-much-cheaper cereal.

OK that's my boring life in a nutshell.

Hey my name is Nikki and I'm a 17 year old senior in high school. Next year I'll be going to either LSU or Ole Miss... I own a Trakehner mare named Daria and also one JRT named Frankie. I've been riding most of my life, and hopefully I will continue riding during college... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

- Kahlua -
pix (http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1521322)

[hobson]

In the real world my name's Jen. I'm 32, and started riding when I was 11. I pony clubbed as a kid, and still ride dressage, CT, and games. I love trail riding, and do that more than anything else.

I got married a year and a half ago to a German political scientist I found in a scruffy bar in Pittsburgh. We spent our wedding-gift-money on Hobson, who's now a 4 y.o. very personable chestnut TB. I also own Rex, a 15 y.o. appaloosa who's currently being leased by a D2 pony clubber. Rex is one of those horses everyone just loves - for instance, when schoolbuses roll past his pasture, all the kids push their windows down to yell hello to him. I'm still involved in pony club, teaching some lessons to the D-level kids in the local club, doing horse-management judging at rallies, and acting as a ratings examiner.

Christian and I collect stray cats (we currently have four), ride bicycles (he races, I'm thinking about racing) and both work at Drexel University - I'm an advising/development coordinator for the International Studies & Modern Languages department. I also do some reproductive health/social services education consulting on the side.

Here's our web site:
www.geocities.com/jenandchristian (http://www.geocities.com/jenandchristian)

a picture of her dearest Schuyler!!!

someone to edit the novel that I could possibly write...

I was riding horses in the womb. I fell off for the first time at the ripe ol' age of 18 months. Stood up and kicked the horse in the ankle.

My parents never had a great deal of money, and everything that I showed that was owned by them was either mistreated/mishandled (ie. cheap), or a track reject(cheap again) and EVERYTHING was for sale!!! At a very young age, I took a $50 pony from a field (took 2 weeks to get the burdocks out of his mane and tail), broke him, and 2 years later was in the top 10 at the pony finals, got a second at Harrisburg, and was 1 point from being Reserve Champion at Washington til I stressed for the first time in my life, and blew the last fence of the last round...

<A HREF="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1198441&a=8834799&p=31116087&Sequence=0&res=high" TARGET=_blank>http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1198441&a=8834799&p=31116087&Sequence=0&res=high[/ URL]

Lots of hits and misses on the big "A" circuit, (did all the eq. finals--for several years, and alot of catch riding) but you can view my album at:

[URL=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1198441&a=8834799&f=0&vt=mp]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1198441&a=8834799&f=0&vt=mp</A>

Don't bother to go to the "Friends" category--I don't have any!LOL

I have a beast of a daughter who just turned 5, and is betrothed to Heidi's Sumo-Toddler, and there are some pictures of her in the album as well---she looks FFFFffffaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr more innocent than she really is. She's not into the horses like I was at her age, and I'm glad...

Oops, my real name is Sabra--pronounced Say-bra, and I'm 33.

[This message was edited by Silly Mommy on Apr. 01, 2001 at 08:17 AM.]

[Dolce Vita]

My name is Chelsea and I am 14 years old. I am the proud owner of the best and most spolied pony in the world...Kudos (his show name is Hats Off) He is such a wonderful teacher and loves to babysit - and he's 4 year old! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif I am currently kinda looking for a horse - we're not searching that hard...I am in no hurry to sell Kudos! Thats basically it!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

.:*Chelsea & Kudos*:.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=278828&a=2074616

[skysmom]

Thanks for posting Sky's picture for me..As you know I can't work the scanner-thingie very well
/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[ssaymssik]

but I'm hiding out from those secret service guys, looking for a moment of "time by myself". I love petting pretty horses, and would like to actually learn how to ride someday if I could get rid of this extra baggage.

What's an ex-president's daughter to do???

Get over it!!!

[redhorse05]

I am yet another Betsy... it seems we have a bunch of these here too /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif No hubby/so or kids, just a LOT of four legged ones. Joey is my qh gelding, he's five and a total angel. Winston and Dalton are my dogs, I've just started obedience showing with them.

Actually, I am primarily a dressage rider these days, but find this board and all you guys very enjoyable, so spend quite a bit of time around here. I did grow up in hunter barns and did my working student/groom thing for awhile during college. I was a photojournalism major, which has absolutely nothing to do with what I do now, a fact my dad reminds me of a lot :grin: !

I run a 40 horse lesson barn that specializes in beginners and pleasure riders. Most of my kids won't show but we give them a great foundation that they can go on and just enjoy their horses with. We do camp and trail rides and horse drawn hayrides too.

Probably the most difficult program we've had is the high school PE classes. They had 7 classes of 30 kids come three days a week. Each group would split in two and 15 would ride at a time, then switch. These were ALL city kids who had NEVER been near a horse before! It was quite an experience! Then the horses and I got a half hour break between groups. It made for some LONG days! It was really neat to see how confident these kids would become in just a few short weeks!

But all in all, I really like what I do. We had a surprise filly this winter who has really been a treat to be around. We are learning how to lead like a big girl and she's not always happy about that! Yesterday we had a discussion about how I get to use two feet to walk, but she has to use ALL four!

Another thing about me is that I am a colosal clutz and bizarre things always happen to me. So I REALLY enjoy those 'stupid human trick' threads on this bb!

I will post the link to my web page, I have tons of pictures of my critters and some of my work ponies there. See I guess I DO get to use that college stuff somehow :grin:

hopefully this is my page (http://community.webtv.net/betsyarnfield/odinspage)

[This message was edited by odin11 on Mar. 31, 2001 at 09:32 PM.]

[E]

Nah, all you people can live without it until you meet me in real life. Anyway I'm a 13 year old female currently living in Richmond Virginia and going to a small private girl's school called St. Catherine's (after the saint, if anyone wants to hear the story I can tell it word for word after being drilled into my head for the past 9 years.) I'm turning 14 on the 15th of April, exciting stuff.

I currently own three monsters. Rag, Reddy and Mezz (I wanted another "R" name but NO I got a "M" name.) Rag is turning 21 on Wenesday, he can drink BEWARE. Bred and raced in Ireland he was imported in 1985. Racing in the states till the ripe ol' age of 11 he won over 55,000 in prize money and raced against the likes of Saluut. Reddy has no story, he came out of the wood work very cheap for a trail horse for my mom. When we bought him about the only thing we knew about his jumping ability was that he enjoyed jumping round bales on trail rides /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif . Mezz is "special" he is a very sensative Warmblood that throws hisses when he's madden (God forbid we do anything not to his liking!) He was imported in December to sell and came from the backround of the 4'-4'3" division in Europe.

That my friend's is my life this summer I'll be at a horseshow of some type for 50 days, hopefully Mezz will be sold by the end of the season, or atleast by the end of next.

R&R

[Fred]

because it is the barn name of one of my horses. ok my favourite horse. I'm VERY OLD, and have MANY HORSES. I have ridden my whole life, first "horse" was an unbroken New Forest pony! I used to breed TB racehorses, but now have switched to breeding and showing TB and TB based Sport Horses. I own a stallion who competes as an A Circuit Hunter. I was a television writer, producer/oncamera geek (among other interesting jobs)- but now stay home on the farm and look after horses ( still write) . I am married to a musician, a wonderful, tolerant non-horsey man who when we first got a huge offer for "Fred" said, "the money won't change our lives, having that horse does". He also says things like "honey, you don't have to sell ANY of them if you don't want to". is he wonderful or what? AND he will get up in the middle of the night to go check on the horses. I have a dog Goldy, 2 house cats (Pickle and Oil Can), 3 chickens (Al, Chloah and Chick)
Heidi: want to regain some confidence? get a nice quarter horse. I did (same reason), she is broke to death, absolutely spookless, looks "real cute" in a frame, and can jump a small course, with perfect lead changes. oh and she's about 15.1 -easy to get on and not so far to fall off! not a big mover, but then again , I don't get back spasms from her trot either! another big plus? you can get a nice one CHEAP (especially if they canter too "big" or "fast" for the QH shows.

[This message was edited by Fred on Mar. 31, 2001 at 10:54 PM.]

[sprite]

OK...late to the game, but i still want to play!!

I have 2 horses. Horse #1 is Sprite, a TB mare who events, does dressage and local hunters when i have the $$ to compete /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Horse #2 is Arthur,an OTstandardbred who is my project...maybe dressage, maybe combined driving??? who knows...i have a fiance, a big dog and a crazy cat...have been riding since i was 9, i work for a local vet, and am constantly looking for that perfect horsey job /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif to go with my college degree...

i love this BB and i probably spend far too much time here reading everyones posts...

[Dolce Vita]

I don't get your post? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

.:*Chelsea & Kudos*:.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=278828&a=2074616

[Applesauce]

How can anyone pass on the opportunity to talk about themselves?

My name is Courtney and I'm a horse-aholic. I'm 30 years old, have a wonderful husband and no kids. My husband and I both are police officers and we work the night shift. I love that shift because when I get off in the morning and after I feed, we sleep until the afternoon and then have the rest of the afternoon and evening to goof off. We have 2 dogs, Simon a shepherd/retriever mix and Devin a Doberman. I have 5 cats named Joe, Abby, Maggie, Thelma and Louise. Those are our "kids". I don't have many hobbies because most of my spare time is spent in the barn with the horses although my husband and I love to go out to clubs and dance once in awhile.

I've been riding since before I was born. My mom actually rode with me while she was pregnant. No wonder I'm still heavily involved with horses. I currently own 2. I have a 7 year old QH named Jax who is absolutely wonderful. I've shown him locally but because he's not the fanciest mover will never go higher than the local level. Right now he's used as my "bumb around" horse for other people to ride and to help keep me in shape. My other horse is a coming 4 year old Dutch/TB cross named Caleb. He's already almost 17.0 hands and really a handful. He's my A/O hunter prospect because of how fancy and nice he his. I'm really excited about him and have been bringing him along slowly so he doesn't get ruined.

Well, my post was pretty boring. But now you know about lil ole me.

~Courtney~

[ssaymssik]

I just felt badly because I was using our name, that's all--didn't want to offend anyone, and if you're confused about the cars following you in the near future, just ignore them. They're probably looking for me.

Get over it!!!

[ssaymssik]

my signature.LOL

Still hiding from those guys with black jackets.

[SusieB]

Hi, I have been lurking at this board for a while now. I am 16 years old and I live in Texas. My family owns and breeds Welsh ponies. We own 11 total and keep them at our house. It is ALOT of work, although they are very worthwhile. I consider 3 of these ponies mine. Susie B is a 4 yo Welsh pony, who is starting a career in Combined Driving. We have done two events so far, with some success. The other two are Piggy a Welsh A broodmare, and her 2001 filly, Mercedes. Sadie is an awesome girl, I am hoping my parents don't make me sell her! I got involved in CDE after my mom had one of our ponies trained to drive. We had been doing Welsh breed and open hunter shows and decided they weren't our thing. My entire family is involved in horses, my dad competed for the first time last month. I was in the same class -- I was so glad he didn't beat me.... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

Anyways, that's my boring tale. Hope I am not the only driver here.......

[Blue Devil]

I don't think I've ever introduced myself on the COTH BB but I started posting way back in *gasp* 1999!

My name is Emily, not "May" as some my like it. My username comes from names of my past horses and ponies kind of mixed together.

Besides the point, I'm 16 and from Jackson, Mississippi. I'm a junior at the very boring St. Andrew's High School, and I do lots of activities (mock trial, science fair, youth legislature, managing editor of the HS newspaper, Writer's Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Latin Honor Society...blah blah blah) which leaves me basically no time for horses anymore (:() but we'll come back to that.

I was born in Los Angeles, California, and started riding around the age of 6 at Kennolyn Camp in Soquel Creek area of No. California. I started taking lessons back at Canyon (Something?) Ranch near LA, learning basically just how to walk and trot (but I got a great seat!) in 2 years. I went through cycles of ballet consuming my time as well, so "horses" weren't as big as a thing until...

I moved to Mississippi when I was 11, took up riding hunters full-time, and got my first own pony, Maybelle or "Wake Me When It's Over." The large strawberry roan is QUEEN of the children's pony hunters I swear and has been around to everyone....

Since then I've done the children's jumpers with a great old guy named Parson, tried out some eq. with Somerset, and done the children's hunters for four years now (will I ever make it to 3'6?!) with Abner and Clockwork.

Currently I am so busy with school stuff I haven't seen my horsiues since December 1st!

I ride pretty sporadically, but I show on the A-circuit almost exclusively (nothing against schooling shows, I started out there too, but I have no time!), whenever I get a chance. My trainers have been great- they've picked me up from so many airports at show destinations!

Otherwise, I'll try to remember all the stuff I'm leaving out...

Happy riding!

[justme2]

Well, I haven't been posting here too much lately, (thanks to new horse) but I will introduce myself anyway.

My name is Annette (anyone else with that one?). I am 37 (almost) and started riding 30 years ago, although I "rode" before that. I did not ride much for about 11 years, and then last fall had had enough of doing nothing with my horse and started taking lessons again. I have 2 horses, 2 cats (Aja and Sebastien), and no SO, although I am working on the latter and it is a slow process (but he is worth the wait)...LOL

My horses are:
Tarr, a 24 yo 3/4 arab gelding that I have had all his life. (his momma was my first horse).

And I just got Riley in January. He is a 7 yo ottb, about 16.1+ and makes Tarr look like a pony...lol, and he is so wonderful. He is just what I was looking for. We will be doing some schooling shows in dressage and jumping with the hopes of our first horse trial or event in the fall.

Both my "boys" have super dispositions and loving, cuddly personalities.

I work in a job that sounds interesting to people until I explain it, so I won't bore you.

When I am not riding (or working) I play soccer (goalie or center forward), bicycle, ski, read, write (fantasy/adventure, non fiction, and [because it is easy to sell] romance), draw and paint, and photography. Oh, and I do freelance drafting and design houses and landscapes. Some day I would like to try doing baby triathalons - before I get too old.

Oh, and sometimes I spend way too much time on this computer...LOL

[Islander]

Hey everyone, I'm Lauren. I'm 18 and I'm from Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Right now I have a super cute chestnut TB gelding named Islander. We show in Older Large Juniors and medals. He also does the 1st year greens with my trainer. I've been riding for 11 years and I've had some great past horses and ponies. My first was Imagine That. He was so cool. He was 4 when I bought him and in our third and final show season together we did great. He was '98 AHSA Zone 8 Sm/Med Green Pony Hunter HOTY along with 4th Zone 8 medium pony hunter and a 3x qualifier for AHSA Pony Hunter/Medal Finals. After "Peanut" I had a children's hunter named Vancouver. "Erwin" was kind of a trasition horse between my pony and my junior hunter, but he was a good boy and taught me a lot about sensitive green TBs. So poverty struk in ribbon city for the 2 years that I had him, but he did win the 2000 Zone 8 Children's Hunter Horse zone finals. Now I have my junior hunter, Islander, and he is so cool! He has been a great horse to move up to the juniors on. Along with the 3 that I have owned, I have trained 3 other green ponies. Well that's my riding career in a nutshell. Next year I'll be venturing to Roanoke, VA. to attend Hollins University. "Keds" will probably come with me, but only if we qualify for Indoors, wich is my goal for my last junior year! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
~Lauren

[ponygrl]

I dont post much but here it goes.

My name is Laura and I'm a 17y/o senior at Canyon del Oro HS in Tucson, AZ. I'm originally from Harford County, MD. Im currently on riding hiatus as the 5y/o OTTB is on pasture recuperating from whatnot.

I've evented through training (on my old schoolmaster) and between the schoolmaster and the TB did a lot of catch riding.

I started riding when I was 4 and got my first pont at 6. I've owned or leased almost continuously since then.

I will be attending the University of Arizona this fall and am hoping to double major in Astronomy and Biochemistry - I think research is where I'm headed and it will leave me with time and money to still ride.

Laura

[Riverdale]

Hi Guys...
I'm a breeder and don't ride very often anymore. I've committed to getting back in shape so that my up and comming youngsters don't kill me when I get on them, although I really don't think I will ever be able to sit that trot...not the ones my DWB babies have...wow.

I have 4 horses and will breed two this year, which means I work full-time to support my habit. The sale of the youngsters in good years will offset the cost, but it is so hard to part with them.

I'm glad spring is here, because I'm from the great White North of Canada. It is pretty hard to get motivated to ride in bitter cold weather.

www3.sympatico.ca/vnc

[Albion]

... but I've been lurking for quite some time.

I am a current student at Sweet Briar College in VA, a transplant from Fairfax, VA - which I miss horribly. I am a double major in Latin & History & generally enjoying college.

I've been riding for about 10 years seriously - I'm not really into the showing side of things, since all my ponies have been VERY green. Green ponies are my first love. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif But I'm definitely enjoying riding the very very nice school horses down here - it's great to finally be able to work on my position, rather than training the horse. I don't currently own a horse, but I do ride quite a bit when I'm up in NoVa, mostly greenies. After I get out of school & get a decent paying job (ha!), I would like to get back into eventing (I did Pony Club for a while) or go into the jumpers. My mother wants to start breeding Welsh Xs, so we'll see how that goes ...

my pictures (http://members.tripod.com/civic_minded/photos.html) - from my webpage, you can see my lovely horse-themed tattoos. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I also attached a picture of my second pony, "Operation Ivy", who was a very nice pony, if not a little .. uh ... witchy, as it were!

-Albion

[JumperEq]

Hey everyone, I've been posting here for awhile, so some of you probably know me, but for those of you who don't, here's a little bit about myself. (you lucky dogs you!) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

My name is Erin (yet another one) and I'm 16 yrs old. I live in Michigan which is not the state to be in if you want to ride hunter/jumpers. I've been riding for about 11 years now and currently own a 13 yr old TB mare named Sweets. Unfortunately she's for sale and once she's gone, I'm not really sure what I'm going to be doing. Still riding though, of course.

Last summer Sweets and I just showed in the local h/j circuit and in some open shows where we suffered from "Whats that psycho non-QH doing here!?" looks. In the hunter/jumper shows we competed in Open Eq, Open Hunters, Junior Hunters, Eq 15-17, and Open Medal. We did decent enough but it's time for my girly to move on. We also competed with my high school's equestrian team. Haha, that was the three huntseat equitation classes along with 4 speed classes. Funny funny. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Lily & Sophie]

Hello everyone! My name is Kathy and I'm from Chesterfield, MO (near St. Louis). I'm in my thirties (gulp!) and I have two adorable, gorgeous, wonderful daughters, Lily, almost six, and Sophie, seven months old.
Right now, much to my husband's demise, we own four lovely equines...
Jack is my "steady pal" who I compete with in the adult amateur hunters. I haven't been able to ride or show much lately (b/c of Sophie's birth, etc. etc.) but he gets hacked once a week, jumped once a week by my trainer, and plenty of turn-out. He's almost nineteen years old and is one of those great horses who's "been there, done that"- and did the regular workings and junior hunters everywhere, so he definitely packs me around! I'm very lucky I got to have him...don't let his age fool you, he loves to show!

Max is my a/a jumper. He's an 11 year old hyperactive TB who is being leased for a while by a junior rider while I've been very busy.

Suzy is our baby project. My trainer has been working with her a lot. She's an off the track TB mare, only four years old, and is trying to figure out the baby green hunters. Maybe one day I will eventually ride her in the a/as or even the a/os, we don't know yet. All in all she is a super sweet horse who will let my daughter Lily brush her sweetly.

Al is our "looking toward the future" horse, hopefully one day I will be ok with him in the a/o hunters, and maybe even my daughter will do him in the juniors! (whoa, that's a LONG way off...!). He's three years old. His sire is All the Gold and his dam is Jemini, a young mare out of Jupiter. We already have a show name for him, although he is not showing yet!, Golden Galaxy.

Anyways, that's all right now. Before Sophie was born I worked three days a week as a consultant for a insurance company here- validating medical claims. It's a neat job.

Well, off to pick Lily up from kindergarten.....

[rockstar]

My name is Ann, and I'm 22 (soon to be 23) years old. I'm one of the unfortunate BBers who is currently horseless and not riding at all. I owned several horses and showed in the Children's and Junior Hunters all through high school, with the occassional big eq class thrown in there. My parents live in Tampa, Florida, which is where I was raised and where all of my riding career took place. I used to show all over Florida with summer trips to fun places like Asheville, and my winters were spent at HITS in Ocala (4 years).

It's been awhile since then...I graduated from high school in 1996, and headed to Emory University in Atlanta, GA. I graduated with a BA in May of last year, majoring in Psycholgy and Policitcal Science. Now, I'm in law school in downtown Chicago, at Northwestern University. I'll graduated in 2003, and I'm eagerly awaiting my return to the horse world, which will hopefully occur soon after graduation from law school.

I miss horses tons, but I'm glad that I've taken a hiatus in order to focus on my education. I found out my first year, when I went home and showed a few times that I really am not a fan of only being kinda involved in showing and riding...I've been waiting until I can commit the time and $ to take lessons and ride at least semi-frequently. I've always been a tad on the timid side, and I hate not feeling fit and being all loose when I ride only once or twice a year. During my freshman year at Emory, when I was braver and not as far-removed from showing and riding, I showed up at HITS just a few hours before the Adult Amateur Hunter division, hopped on, jumped a few jumps, and headed to the ring -- after a full 6 months of not riding at all! I'm not that brave anymore, though, and I'm holding out until I can ride enough to feel confident and secure in the saddle.

In the meantime, I hang out on the BB and check out horse show results at various other websites...horses are such an addiction, and this is my "fix"! So, I don't post too often, and usually in random threads about people I used to know or places I've been, or the occassional question about education or career paths (my current obsession) -- I don't usually post in topics with substantive horse-y questions.

That's about it...oh, and as far as I've seen, I'm the only law student that hangs out on the BB (although there are quite a few attorneys, many who have given me some great advice!), so I'm glad to offer whatever advice I can about law schools or about college life (which is very fresh in my memory) -- I like to make myself useful even though I probably don't have tons of horse advice!

Except for the specifics (i.e., Emory, Northwestern, Tampa, etc.) I could have written the same exact thing... were you reading my mind???

I'm from Baltimore at school in DC and I'm two years younger and still an undergrad... heading into politics instead of law... but those are the only differences between you and me my friend!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

That paragraph about hanging out on these BB's and checking results to get your "fix"... but not posting so much on the horsey threads... that would be me too!

How bad does not having horses in your life at all s u c k? But i'm the same way... I don't want to go back until I too have the time and the resources to really get into it again.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[Kryswyn]

Greetings all! What's to say about me??

Well, I'm 42 and I grew up in Old Westbury NY where my friends and I all kept our horses and ponies at home and would spend hours practicing in each others rings and riding on the trails. This was in the 70's when it was still safe to turn your kids loose w/out a cell phone. Sigh.

I went to Virginia Intermont College and got a horsemanship degree, but spent my early working life as a legal assistant in both NYC and Honolulu Hawaii. While out in HI I began working again with horses and bought a pony then another one and another one (!) to train and have my lesson students show.

I moved to VA in 1993 and continued training ponies and teaching but eventually found my way to an upscale tack shop where I am a saddlery consultant (right Cresieda? That's our new title, yes? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ) I don't have ponies anymore, but I am compensating with

JACK RUSSELL TERRIERS

I have 13 at the moment (not counting the puppies!). Their names are: Tinker, Pinch, Impulse, Madison, Chapin, Jack, Cracker, Shout, Olive, Siren, Ivy, Higgins and Paris. I've had as many as 20 at once (NEVER AGAIN) but I'm saner now. We do terrier trials all spring, summer and fall and my terriers are very competitive. I'm related by dog /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif to 2 other BBers and hope to be to a third soon when this litter is old enough to go. I also honored a fellow BBer by naming the youngest pup, 'Beezer'!

I've known Duffy and Baymare since 1973 (!) but only found them again on this board. The Internet - a wonderful thing.

Well that's more than you probably wanted to know, but the above is really the bare minimum you should know about me! That and I really DO believe in my signature!

~Kryswyn~
"Always look on the bright side of life, de doo, de doo de doo de doo"

[KellyS]

I'll introduce myself properly too! My name is Kelly and I am a junior in college studying equine science. My "boy" is Rocky, a gray 16.3 Quarter Horse gelding. He is sidesaddle horse extradinare and even though he is now semi-retired we get out for various events once and awhile (rode with ISSO in the Inaugural Parade)! My "girl" is Chrissy, a bay 15.3 hand Thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross who has come out of pasture ornamentation to a new career as a event horse! She is going to her first recognized event next weekend!

My fiance, is also a horse fanatic. He has a young Thoroughbred who he is eventing after retiring his old prelim horse. We are both full time students, but work part time for a driving farm which gives us an opportunity to dabble in pleasure driving and combined driving!

All I can say, is that I wish that spring would come - I am sick and tired of being cold and wet! Warm weather come quick! In the meantime, its nice meeting all of you! Finally, a formal introduction!

[catcharide]

Hello everybody I am from around here and had to change my identity [ sorry can't tell you why ]
I look forward to reading everyones posts.

[daytimedrama]

My name is Christina, I am 15, 16 on june 14. I have two horses Wesley (Daytime Drama) who retired last summer and is now living the good life north of Santa Barbara. I also own George (Great Expectations) whom I got last september, and hopefully I'll ride him to many medal finals wins, If I ever move past Childrens Hunters. Any way I have been riding since I was 3 and horses are my life end of story. Any outside activities? None besides horses.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1231545&a=9088701&f=0&vt=mp

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1231545&a=11397281&f=0&vt=mp

~Christina~
"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, Darling!" JD;Heathers

[Linny]

I am 37, married with a 14 month old son. I am currently horseless /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif and have just returned to the lesson barn where I began riding 30 years ago. I stopped riding about 3 years ago when work, relationships, seriously ill parents forced a change in lifestyle. After my son was born I decided to make time to get back to the barn.
I am considering leasing in the near future but time is a big problem.
In my lessons I usually ride a horse that has some experience at bigger shows (HITS etc) and I hope to get a chance to show him this season. I occassionally ride some of the horses at my barn. A friend of mine boards there and has been kind enough to let the word out that I'm an ok rider.
I work part time as a tv producer/tv host for a very small local cable network. My husband is in sales and he works alot of hours, mostly from home but as a result its tough to get free for barn time. In my jr. years I did what was then called Medal/Maclay now called Big Eq. It didn't take long to figure out that hunters or jumpers was better for me. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
I'm fairly new here and enjoy reading everyone's posts.

[Lisi]

Hi, my name isn't lisi, but i'm so tired i can't remember what it really is. um, i live in rainy oregon, and i'm a junior. i have a 9 y/o tb gelding Olly who is going to be my junior horse (in like, 4 years because he is really green right now). i got him about 2 months ago. he is very sweet and he lets me play with his tongue. he just went in a clinic last weekend and was great. i also have a 12 y/o grey large pony mare 'Chipper' who is actually leased out right now but i still get to ride her a lot because she's leased to these little kids in the barn who only come out a couple days a week. i had her for four years (she is also my first pony) and i love her. we did pre-childrens and schooled large ponies but never showed at three foot because she had navicular problems, surgery, and then we were worried she'd go lame again showing three foot on show footing. (after nine months of lameness we didn't want to risk injuring her again).
i love blueberries and snowboarding and easter and ponies.
i also broke my arm (my upper humeris, right below my shoulder) two weeks ago so i have not ridden in forever and i am going slightly crazy (crazier than i already am).

[Erin]

Boy, every time we do this, I learn something new (or re-learn something I forgot!) about the "regulars." /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif Guess I might as well chime in...

I'm the original Erin. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I'm 27, and live and work in Annapolis, Md.

I used to work for the Chronicle, first on the editorial staff in Virginia, then as the West Coast correspondent/webmaster in Arizona. (Built the website from the ground up, all by my little self!) After about 4 years with the Chronicle, I quit and moved back East to work for VetCentric (http://www.vetcentric.com), an online animal health care magazine. I write three articles a week (ugh) about anything and everything to do with animals... mostly horses, of course. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I have two horses: Shamrock (aka Rocky), a retired TB/App who I evented through preliminary, and Ithaca (aka Chief), a 9-y-o greenie TB who will be doing his first beginner novice event in two weeks!

I also have a cranky old cat named Gus (after one of my favorite bands, Guster), who I found living under my porch in Upperville when I first started at the Chronicle. He wakes me up at 2 am on a pretty much daily basis, by sitting in my living room and wailing like a banshee. Gee, I love my cat... /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

When I'm not at work or the barn... which, uh, is nearly never, but humor me... I try to have some semblance of a social life, which mostly consists of going to see bands. I'm a big music nut. (Currently playing: Abulum/Glen Phillips, The Space Around You/Tugboat Annie, Millionaires/James)

Home page: http://www.geocities.com/~eharty ... more than you'll ever need to know. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[This message was edited by Erin on Apr. 01, 2001 at 11:21 PM.]

[AnnM]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Except for the specifics (i.e., Emory, Northwestern, Tampa, etc.) I could have written the same exact thing... were you reading my mind???

I'm from Baltimore at school in DC and I'm two years younger and still an undergrad... heading into politics instead of law... but those are the only differences between you and me my friend!!

That paragraph about hanging out on these BB's and checking results to get your "fix"... but not posting so much on the horsey threads... that would be me too!

How bad does not having horses in your life at all s u c k? But i'm the same way... I don't want to go back until I too have the time and the resources to really get into it again.


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rockstar...I'm so glad I'm not the only one who lingers around this board, clinging to the past with a hopeful eye to the future. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Yeah, it really does suck not being involved in the horse world. I envy you guys who get to go out to the barn and actually see and pet your beasties. And I just EAT UP those threads that are about horse shows and who's winning and who's training with who and who's showing in what. WHAT FUN!! It's really weird...in just the few short years that I've been out of the game, it seems like I've missed a ton of stuff! I particularly enjoy threads about clothing styles...I would've flipped if I had to wear a brown jacket -- how icky! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif And how QUICK styles change!

Anyway, keep the good stuff coming to give me my "fix"!!!

Ann

[JR*]

hi...I'm a junior. I live in New York, and I was formerly a lurker but due to spring break and an excessive case of bordem, i have pulled myself from the depths of lurkerdom to become a full fledged member of the COTH BB community. I show in the junior hunters and children's jumpers, and beyond that I like to play music, write, paint, work out, and read. I basically have no life because it is spent riding and doing the necessary studying to achieve a GPA that warrants the effort put forth by my parents FOR me to ride. Basically, I'm a fairly boring person, but that's okay, because I think that a riding life is more interesting than a normal life /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

also, be forwarned..I have a GM obsession and tend to get hormonal at times. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Erin]

By the way... just a reminder to everyone that you should (if you want) include some details about yourself in your profile! It helps everyone remember who's who. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

To check someone's profile, click on the little Rolodex card-looking thingie in the bottom right-hand corner of their posts. To modify your own profile, click on the "profile" link that appears in the upper right-hand corner of each screen.

Are you asking us to update our profiles, or is this going to become a bio-page???

Just wondering...

[Wicky]

which stands for Wicked Stepmother. I'm the stepmom of Wacky, the greatest kid in the world. I have a husband who is having problems accepting, on an emotional level, my committment to riding, two Rex cats, a long seawall always in need of maintainance, a 100 year old shingle style house that leaks, and two horses, one in training (shortly to come home) and one that has just had an attitude adjustment (from angel to rearing devil to looking good!).

My family didn't understand horses, and as a result I only rode once a week for a few years as a child (I'm an elder). Got back into riding about 15 years ago, and made it to M&S jumpers before my jumper died of complications of colic. Have had some riding and jumping setbacks, but am hoping to get back to M&S jumpers with Optical Illusion ("Tiny" - 18 hands of pet horse) and AO hunters with Sight Unseen (still in need of a barn name).

Outside of riding (there is such??) I am a physician, non-practicing, and my husband and I are building a business combining software and management processes applied to pharmaceutical drug development.

[msj]

I have a small farm with 2 horses just outside Rottenchester, NY. One horse, Chocolate, is a retired QH (14) who only a mother could love. The other horse, Tiger Bay (T-Bay for short) was successfully evented to training level before I bought him.

I no longer show but do a lot of volunteer work with some local events and dressage competitions, mainly Stuart Horse Trials and Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club.

In the dark ages when I did compete, I evented when Prelimary was the lowest level, and did hunters and jumpers both before and after that. With the jumpers (remember this was the dark ages!) fences started at 4' and went up from there. Now at almost 56 yrs old, I admit to being too chicken to do any of that stuff.

I have an excellent trainer, Carol Kozlowski, and her assistant trainer, Carrie Wehle, that are kind and patient enough to work with me and my horse, T-Bay. OK, I'll brag about him for a minute. He was trained by Jennifer Johnson in NJ. Jennifer placed first in the '96 3DE selection trials on a horse called Tiger One. That's my boy's 1/2 brother!

While T-Bay did well with his eventing, he is perfectly happy to just relax and poke around the ring with me. I can describe both of us as lazy horse and rider, but if you get after us, we can do it right. Well, maybe not everything right. I still can't get the hang of a 'crest release'. When I learned to jump we used the 'following or automatic' release. Anyway, with about 20 yrs off jumping, I decided to get back into it again but have no guts to do much more than 2'6" to 3' (and am working my way back up to the 3'). I'm at the age that I no longer bounce but go splat!!

Anyway, I also have a rottweiller/shepard mix on the farm as a watch dog. Only problem is she loves the world. Also, a barn cat, Joey and a house cat, Shadow.

I work full time and devote all additional hrs to maintaining the farm. If I'm lucky, I even get a chance to ride! I hope to retire within the next 3-5 yrs whether I can afford it or not. Of course, if I spend much more time on the bb's, I may get fired!

msj

[wadino]

Hello. My name is Ryan and am 14 years old. My username is my intials. Anyways I live in Central PA and ride at Hollyhurst Farm. I ride two large ponies (don't own them). The one is named Willy who is a pretty bay with only a tiny bit of white on a back foot. He jumps great and is soo much fun to ride. The other one is named Smokie who is grey. He jumps cute and moves nice.

I'm in 8th grade and hate school (who doesn't?). I train my Bichon Frise, Bailey, to hopefully do Obidience Trails and Agility. He is 11 months old. I also train my nanny's dog (along with my little cousin) to try to get him to be able to show. He never will be able to because he is a mutt. A cute mutt though!

I also like running and working out. I hope to start acting in plays and then when I get older be a big movie star. LOL


Ryan

[Dementia 13]

I'm MargaretF. I am 42 and live in Maryland and own two TB mares. Perturbed is 18, cranky and semi retired, but used as a school horse at my barn. She came from the Equine Rescue League. I love her dearly.

Twilight (Phyllis) a TB mare that I just bought. She used to do Junior Jumpers with Laurel Mullen (supposedly) under the name Philadelphia.

I do Adult Jumpers and a bit of equitation. I've been riding for a long, long time, but I am just starting to feel confident at 3'6". I hope to eventually move up to the Low Amateur Owner jumpers.

In "real life" I work as a Director of Human Resources for a manufacturing company in Maryland. I have been married for 16 years to a very patient man whom I rarely see because I am usually at the barn. On the rare occasions that I am not showing or riding, I enjoy traveling, shopping and dining out.

[Erin]

Silly Mommy wrote:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Are you asking us to update our profiles, or is this going to become a bio-page???
Just wondering... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone that they have profiles. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I may still try to put together some sort of bio listing. Someday... when I have time... which could be a while...

[Musical_Jumper]

howdy y'all.

my name is musical_jumper, and i live in indiana where i own and love two fabulous (im biased) geldings. my interests outside of riding are few, but i mostly write short "novels" in my free time...

my first pony, who i still own, is a paint pony, and together we are now doing three foot jumps at home. my other guy is a OTTB that is almost 5 now. i love eventing, and think that jumping is a great way to forget about the stresses of the world, but i do not compete because i cannot afford it.

well, hope to get to know y'all soon.

[Portia]

My name is Jennifer and I'm a lawyer with the MegaFirm, doing mostly international arbitration these days. 42, never married though I came close once, no kids except those with 4 legs.

I do the jumpers and have two horses, Lucien, 14 year old (in 3 weeks) chestnut Trakehner gelding, and Portia, 6 year old (in a couple of weeks) grey Oldenburg mare. Lucien is the perfect AA horse and takes care of me. Portia is the young prospect and lives to jump.

Three cats, Greyling (grey tabby) and the young sisters, Monster (1/2 black & 1/2 white) and Creature (multicolored tabby, with grey stripes, brown stripes, and white parts). I would love to have a couple of dogs, but I'm not home enough to give them the attention they deserve.

I love all the introductions. I have to remember to print these threads out so I can have a reference sheet.

Welcome to all the new folks who have introduced themeselves! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Beezer]

Late to the party as usual, BUT ... My real name is Jill and I'm another one of those (ahem) "older" amateurs from the West Coast. More important, I'm Merry's sister.

I show mostly jumpers now -- on Merry's oft-mentioned hot-hotter-hottest pinto WB mare -- but am being pushed to make a return to the adult equitation ranks. My username is the nickname of my dearest friend, the horse I grew up with and still miss terribly. (OK, I'm a sentimental sap.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif )

Merry, I and the QHSM (that would be our beloved Queen of the Horse Show Moms) have a small place in "the Horse Capital of the U.S.A." (honest ... that really is what the city considers itself! /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif ). Our cousin and occasional poster here, Katey (she'd post more but she's a busy mom) also keeps her horse there. We have mostly homebreds, which we show ourselves.

Nice to re-meet everyone!

[jreventer]

Guess it's about time i introduced myself...I'm eighteen yrs old(finally!) and a freshman at unc majoring in biology and on my way to vet school. i currently work for my vet, as well as house sit/pet sit, and groom dogs, and occassionally ride and show horses for others. I have one sister who evented through prelim and is taking a break from riding currently.
let's see all my animals... we currently have six cats plus the neighborhood cats, six dogs, two birds, and five going on six horses(four who will be mine)...I have an eighteen yr old tb/arab who i have owned for five yrs and evented through novice, schooled through prelim; she is currently on lease. i have a almost four yr old tb/qh who hopefully will be my next event horse and who i have done most of the training on. I also have a almost three yr old qh mare who i bought last fall, am breaking, and will be sold come summer/fall. I mostly event but also foxhunt, trail ride, a little h/j, pc, used to do 4-H, team pen, and pretty much anything I can think of. I have been riding since before i was born...my mom has a twenty-seven yr old appy she foxhunts and a five yr old qh/? who is her next hunt horse but I hunted him last season to "break" him in...well that's about all...ok i could go on but don't want to bore all of ya'll

[ponygrl]

Erin- judging by your music taste listed on your webpage you're a fellow (but 10 years older... emokid) thats so rad. I saw the Get Up Kids up in Phx at the Nile in September, and of course the last JEW show in Arizona was 21+, such BS. Oh well, still, that rules /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Laura

[RolexH]

My name is Lisa. I think I am the only one so far, which is unusual. I am 25 and getting married in two months. I am pretty exciteted. I have been riding for 14 years. I started riding in a suburb of Chicago and then moved to sunny Florida, St. Pete to be exact. I do not ride much right now, I am in school. I am graduating in a month so I will have plenty of time to ride again. In the good old days I had a wonderful hanovarian that did the large juniors, medals, and occasionally tried the childrens/adult jumpers. I had to sell him to go to school, but am planning to buy something very soon.

I have a fabulous grey mare that is an investment horse and will be able to be seen in west palm this next few weeks. She's pretty cool.

I have a jack russell named rolex, two cats..Sharkie and Ruffes...Ummm a fish named sushi, and that is about it. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Erin]

Yes, I am a grown-up emokid! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Thanks mostly to one of my good friends from Arizona, who introduced me to all this stuff.

Jimmy Eat World is going out on the Warped tour this summer, which starts in Phx, I believe. Whoo-hoo! I'm planning to see at least two of their shows here. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif The Promise Ring is also heading out on tour... I haven't seen them yet, so that'll be a good one.

I saw the Get Up Kids at the Green Room... great, great, great band. Love 'em. I saw a couple good emo shows at Boston's too, although I'm blanking on exactly who. Hmm. I'd bet we've been at the same shows once or twice!

I do miss the AZ music scene... *sigh*

Sorry folks. Back to your regularly scheduled horsey programming!

Psst, ponygrl... most of the J.E.W. demos for "Bleed American" are on Napster! Good stuff! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[creseida]

I'm 35 (going on 19 /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ) and I currently work with Kryswyn at The Coolest Tack Shop On Earth. Yes, Krys, we are Saddlery Consultants...doesn't that sound cool?

Anyways, I've been riding for about 25 years, starting as a working student, then I lost my ammy status early; at age 15 I was being paid to ride and show and give lessons. I was showing hunters and jumpers nationally at age 18, then took a 2 year hiatus (my trainer totally soured me on showing and nearly ruined my enjoyment of any riding.) /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif .

Became involved in breaking horses and retraining OTTB's while riding for a GP Dressage competitor and a Bruce Davidson protege. Big Bonus was riding GP dressage horses and learning what the big movements felt like when they were RIGHT. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Spent years training horses for others, my unintended specialty was "problem children". I bought my first horse, Cressy, when I was 25. Naturally, she was an abuse case. She was a 10 year old Han/TB mare who had been discarded as "untrainable". I hooked up with a 3-Day trainer, and did 3-Day with her, including jumping to 4' and dressage to 3rd level before she contracted EPM at age 15. So much for untrainable... /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

I have recently been introduced to foxhunting and I am looking forward to going out more next season. It was loads of fun.

I still teach and train on a small scale (free-lance), work at the saddlery, go to school (GMU) and play with my horse on my farm. I am in the process of looking for another horse, as Cressy is now 21, and she is starting to slow down. I wonder what she'd be like now if she hadn't been out of work for 2 years with EPM. Her mind and spirit are still willing, but her body is starting to say otherwise...

Oh, I'm married, no kids, 4 cats, 4 birds, 1 turtle, and one horse.

[Meredith]

I'm 20 years old,a junior(soon to be senior)at UNC Charlotte. I graduate this upcoming dec. and i'm getting married on Dec 22.

I've been riding for 13 years? I don't remember anymore. I bought my first horse three years ago-he is now an 8 year old qh/tb. We do the a/a at the "c" level here in NC.

There isn't much outside of school and Gilbert(the horse). I'm the marketing director for the school newspaper and will graduate with a marketing degree. I'm not really sure what i'm going to do when i graduate, but i have to make some money to pay for everything!

It's great to finally read about all of you guys. I've gotten to know VTrider through email and would love to meet her sometime--Maybe at a lexington show this year?????

Good luck to all of you guys showing this year. I hope you accomplish all of your goals.

[sydneyw]

hello!

i am meg as the name above implies and i am 17. i own one wonderful, occasionally insane QH mare (chesnut) and i am eventing her in the baby levels because we are both major wimps! her name is jodi, showname is truely irresistible and has a registered name but i have no idea what it is!
well i started riding when i was 11 or 12 and when introduced to horse trials was hooked right away- and terrified but thats another story!
im fairly new (as a poster) to this BB and totally addicted to lurking.
oh i have 8 (!) cats..mojo, rascal, kitty (seriously i am very uncreative), and 5 adorable 3 week old kittens named: ernie, chandler, U2 (just learnt i had got tickets to their concert /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif and was sitting with the kitten), pyscho and haybale!
i have no life other than horses and my piano and would love to breed warmbloods or tb's!
so thats my life in a rather large nutshell...

[rockstar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Rockstar...I'm so glad I'm not the only one who lingers around this board, clinging to the past with a hopeful eye to the future.

Yeah, it really does suck not being involved in the horse world. I envy you guys who get to go out to the barn and actually see and pet your beasties. And I just EAT UP those threads that are about horse shows and who's winning and who's training with who and who's showing in what. WHAT FUN!! It's really weird...in just the few short years that I've been out of the game, it seems like I've missed a ton of stuff! I particularly enjoy threads about clothing styles...I would've flipped if I had to wear a brown jacket -- how icky! And how QUICK styles change!

Anyway, keep the good stuff coming to give me my "fix"!!!

Ann

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ditto again Ann! I would sooner have dropped dead then don a, gasp, brown coat! I noticed in my last junior year in '98 that the colors were getting more varied... I thought I was being risque when I bought a light navy checked grand prix... but I imagine that would be considered conservative now! And the good trainers I knew of made every one of their eq girls wear white, simply monogrammed shirts with pearl earings and either black or navy coats in the eq finals. And then there is the brown "cheater harness" /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif... I imagine I would have secretly laughed at anyone with a brown harness a few years ago... it was clear all the way! Sadly for me I tried the brown cheater harness on last time I actually made it out to the barn and I looked ten times better in the brown harness than I ever did in the clear... oh well! By the time I get back to showing I am sure green harnesses on navy hats to flatter lavander coats will be all the rage. /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[AnnM]

Rockstar...you're SO right about the harnesses. A brown harness was just tacky in 96. Had to be clear! And you're right about the brown harnesses actually looking nicer. I probably would've liked them better if I gave them a chance. I don't know if its the wisdom that comes with age or what, but I do realize that my unbending adherence to the latest rage in fashion at horse shows was pretty absurd. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I also bought a wild coat my first adult year -- navy with a dusty green/teal-ish pinstripe! CRAZY! When I was home for spring break, I rooted through the closets, looking at old coats. I found that one, the newest, and also a navy herringbone, hunter green herringbone, and navy w/ a light pinstripe. I would be SO out of fashion at a show these days...especially with my clear harness and pinstriped (GASP) shirt!!!!

Ann

[AM]

Another Ann, but of the elder variety. Learned to ride when I was in England as a school nurse at an American air force base. Returned to the US about 25 years ago and bought my first horse. Did some pretraining eventing and thought I knew something about dressage. About eight years ago I started taking lessons at a dressage barn and discovered I knew very little. Sold Bub who liked to jump higher than I did and bought Avenue who is now 23 and still teaching me how to ride dressage.

I don't compete but do a good bit of volunteering mostly at events. I can do just about any job but mostly do scoring. And volunteering was my ticket to 1996 Olympic participation - scoring and results. Highpoint was being a computer scribe for dressage.

And I'm still a nurse (pediatrics) but am currently working on a new documentation system for out hospital.

[Canter]

I'm Canter and I'm back!!!
Wow - I was segregated right off the COTH board.

I'm even later to the party than Beezer, so I guess I'll have to make up for it somehow.

I'm a 39 year old ex-advertising writer, ex-sous chef, ex-record buyer and when I grow up perhaps I will know what I want to be.

I am currently horseless, but have the entire population of Ontario looking for a suitable jumper prospect for me (I know he's out there waiting for me to find him!)

I have one wonderful hubby and two boys - Damien & Lucifer. I hope when they grow up they aspire to something a bit loftier than bank robbery. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[This message was edited by Canter on Apr. 03, 2001 at 10:51 AM.]

[Tin]

Hi I'm an exotic dancer, have 50 horses and hire only drop dead gorgeous stable boys to work /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

k, seriously now I'm a 20 year old architecture student (hate it!) who is uterly and totally obsesed with horses....still. I just recently moved to a farm with my family where our 2 geldings, Tin and Reggie live and our mare and foal (Brie and Gali) will reside soon. I have a 1 year old mutt-dog who's name is Jessie and I must admit that Heidi, she is a poo eater as well *sigh* She is also a cat, stick, rock, moving truck, and now horse eater too. Is there a 12 step program? I also now have 7 cats, only 2 of which I can get near which frustrates me because all I want to do is chase them, grab them and pet them. Darn cat, I even named them (list at bottom) /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

What else... been riding seriously since I was 13 and started working with greenies when I was 14, teaching beginners and showing when I was 15 and had wonderful support from 2 great coaches and my family of course. Got me first horse when I was 15, trained him, showed him and sold him when I bought Tin at 18. I show mostly hunters but can be found outside the jumper ring with eyes glued and drooling!

I spend alot of time with my sister because she rides too, she's my constant riding bud and a nagging coach /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif 4 years ago we were bashing each others heads open on bedroom walls and now we spend almost all day together without bloodshed, amazing huh? *sigh* memories! lol!
I don't have a perminent bf but do have lots of non-horsies friends who just don't understand why I'd want to get up at 4 am after a night out to go to a horse show *laugh*

Nuff said I think, maybe too much but I still have 15 mins of class to kill /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif


~ Jen (my real name)


Barn cats:

-black long haired- Lucy
-orange long haired- Tristen
-fat dark tabby- Stanly
-white&tabby- Hook
-white&orange-Pickles
-orange tom- Morris
-Calico- LeeLou

[GW]

Now that some of the Canadians have surfaced, I'll come out of my shell and introduce myself. My name is Gillian (aka Jill on the other board) and I am 26 and have been riding for 20 years. I have 7 horses of varying descriptions. I showed in the A/O division last year and had a blast. This year I will be doing more Future shows than anything because I have no money. I keep my horses at home, which is a small farm in Troy, ON. I am getting married in less than 2 months (eek!). I am doing a Masters degree in Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Guelph. I have 3 dogs and 4 cats. Nice to meet everyone! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[LittleWitch]

I have been riding since I was 10 (begged my parents for lessons for a whole year). Now, 15 years later, I have two horses. One is a trail horse and the other is a youngster that I hope to do jumpers with.

I showed in local stuff when I was a junior in CA but haven't really shown since then. I am going to be testing the waters in local hunter classes this season. I can't wait!

I are an engineer so during the day I have to sit in front of a computer and day dream about horses (and read this BB).

[vineyridge]

and I ain't telling my age.

I live in the middle of cotton fields named Viney Ridge in deepest Mississippi. Rode constantly as a child and teenager, but was too chicken to try and show over 3'6 jumps. Mostly foxhunted.

Went to college and law school, never married as the concept of being able to juggle marriage and a careet hadn't surfaced yet. I'm now retired. Quit riding for 35 years, then, for my midlife crisis, decided to start up again. Bought a rescue horse off the internet three years ago and got back into riding at a hunt barn. Rescue horse died, and now I have an 18 year old OTTB named Duncan (funny how they never get over having raced). I am still very much learning about him and me and riding. Some day I plan to have his tattoo researched.

Saturday we went on a paper chase with the Hunt, my first time back out in a field, and I haven't felt so happy and alive in years.

Duncan is coming to my home next Wednesday to live in cotton fields for the summer, and he is bringing his best buddy with him, a 23 year old TB mare who isn't rideable at the moment. We'll spend a lot of time ponying her around the turnrows, and Duncan and I will work on my legs and our stamina. Then we'll move back South for hunt season, DV.

In a way, I'm terrified of the responsibility of caring for two TBs, but it will be so wonderful to have horses to come home to and to fill more of my waking hours.

Ain't life good!

[DMK]

Hmmm... All I can say on the age front is that I am NOT yet 40... damn close to it, but not yet crossing that dreaded line (and clearly not fixating on it at ALL /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif )

Let's see... work in health insurance, don't admit that much outside the privacy of close friends or family as it is roughly as popular as being the head of the nicotine implementation team at your friendly tobacco company. But I tipped my hand on another thread so I guess the cat is out of the bag.

I have a cat (Xena, a maine coon, not named after the TV series, but still the ruler of the universe all the same) and Casey (or KC), which is short for "Kute Corgi" of which he is... (Hattie and Havaklu should be leaping to the keyboard in agreement - I mean how many Corgis do you know that can roll over AND "lay down and die"?) Still single, I always scored poorly on the "shares toys with others" catagory... there may be some connection here...

I have been riding horses since I was 4 and have been in constant possession of one or more four legged beasts since I was 15. I currently have Robbie, my 16'3 gorgeous (not being boastful here, just the facts of life /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ) TB hunter. We just recently moved up to the A/Os and broke his green. Now as soon as we get back into the swing of things after his recent surgery, we can get BACK to the A/O's. Tragically 3'6 is back to looking big. I hate it when that happens.

Although I am on the lookout for a new greenie - had to put my old hunter down in February, in what can be described as a "very bad day", my only other critters are 2 very cute ancient ponies. Princess is 26 or 27 (my sister and I had an argument about that this weekend, I suspect she is right about her being 27). Princess is appropriately named - 9'3 hands (not a mini!) and very delicate, with the teensienst, tinsiest ears you ever saw, and the attitude of royalty (paranoid royalty, actually). Rebel on the other hand is ALSO well named. Too well named... At 11'3 hh and 21 years old, his only job in life is a)to escape, b) after escaping, to cause LOTS of trouble and c) when it pleases his mother, to pull his meadowbrook cart. He's good at ALL his jobs.

[Lavender Menace]

Very VERY late in doing this, but I'll give it a shot anyhow. Is anyone even reading this post anymore? Ah well.

I am 22 years old, and have been riding since I was about five, when I took lessons on a teeny shaggy black pony named Melvin. I'm a college student, and I was supposed to graduate in 2000 with a BA in English Lit from Smith College (MA)... but I took time off a couple of years ago to work on a 100-head warmblood breeding/training farm, which slowed things down college-wise. The experience was incredible but it really derailed me in terms of my motivation to return to school. When I did go back I goofed off and am still dragging my way through the slogs of academia, in my SIXTH year of undergrad study. With MUCH luck I will graduate in January 2002.

I don't have a horse right now, and I'm not even riding at the moment. I had a pretty serious horse-related injury at the end of my tenure at the farm I worked at, which resulted in emergency back surgery to remove a ruptured disk. I have been hesitant to ride in a serious way since then, since my back often cramps up even now. At any rate, my big big dream is to one day, many moons from now, have enough money to have a small breeding farm. I showed in the hunters as a child but didn't love it. I really just want to breed and train my own babies. We'll see.

At any rate, I'm currently living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of PA, which is horribly dreary. I'm originally from VT but have lived in CT, IN, FL, Alberta, NH and Massachusetts.

I spend WAY too much time on the BB, as it is currently my only contact with anyone even vaguely horsey. Thanks for the horse contact, no matter how indirect!

[L Scott]

I've done this before, somewhere, sometime, but I was younger then(about a year).

I'm 37, married to a non-horsey, very allergic man. We have two children, minihim(4) and minime(7). I work in the financial district in Toronto on a trading desk, in institutional and retail sales(makes me a broker, I guess).

Equines on hand are Hannah, 8 months, dutch/Tb bred and Newman(who belongs to my family, but, of course, I consider him mine!), who is an 8 year old Hanoverian high amateur jumper. He is convinced that he was made for children and is a small welsh pony.

Haven't shown for 15 years. Have spent a good load of that time, pre kids, bringing along youngsters for myself and others and hacking. Have not ridden a lot since minihim was born, because the little cuss has asthma and it scares the bejeebers out of me. He seems to be growing out of it. Let's hope, cause mama needs to ride.

I have actually met Canter, Heidi, MAZ, Hans and Worthy, and have had my lovely photo displayed all over this board. I haven't gotten over it yet.

[LoriO]

I've read one of your books!!!! I was browsing through the mystery section at my library last year and found it. As soon as I saw it had animals in the story I had to check it out and read it. I'm trying to remember what the title of it was but I'm drawing a blank right now. I do remember that I really enjoyed it!!!!!!

[Blue Devil]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I live in the middle of cotton fields named Viney Ridge in deepest Mississippi. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am so estatic! Another MS person! We're the the only state in the continental US (I swear) that does not have a single hunter/jumper or even English tack shop....SIGH

Anyways, do you hunt with the Choula Homa (sp) Hunt I assume (know Lila Lavigne? Trish Murrell? Lee Randle?)...or up with one from Olive Branch (the whole Lawson group-)...??

I am so happy there is another MS person here....and YES I have **been** to Clarksdale before!

-Emily

[Regalmeans]

oh yea - a chane to talk about myself /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

My name is Sarah, I'm 17, from NJ and I am the proud owner of 'Of Regal Means' aka
REGAL. (or his highness, mr. inquisitive, and a host of other names). I'm graduating from
high school in 3 months (thankyougod!) and attending Drew University in the fall /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Can't
wait - except I'm heartbroken to leave my horse! I've been riding as long as I can remeber
(maybe 10 years?) and seriously for 3 - I bought Regal in Dec of 1998. He's 16 now, a TB
gelding and he's a hunter - supposedly. Something like that /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif However his legs are shot
(raced for WAY to long) so we do like 2'6-3'0 stuff and show mostly low stuff (pre children's
reserve champion @ Woodedge last weekend!) and whatever - he'll try his heart out and is
the most giving horse. Then there's buffy - who is kind of 'my mare' only right now she's off
at the breeding farm- I ride her for her owner and this summer I'm going to teach her how to
jump. Hmm.....other stuff - I'm a political science junkie, (had waaaay to much fun with the
election), a history nerd, and yes I do have a life (really) - I love live music, driving around
aimlessly (now that my toyota is *ahem* fixed) and parties...........and that's basically me in a
nut shell. I have a webpage called 'another side of the sun' which I've been told is worth a
look (http://www.geocities.com/regalmeans ) and I'll love you forever if you look at it. i'm also
the co founder of UJUMP along with Erin B, a memeber of the random NJ PA clique which
pops up now and then.......and I'm just all around brilliant.....yeah - something like that!

Sarah * AKA "Regal's Person"

[LaurieB]

Thanks LoriO! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[RumoursFollow]

will be 20 on saturday. I am expecting about 300 presents in the mail from all of you Chron people. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif I havent been around in a week or 2 because my computer died and I had to the doctor come and operate. Anyway..

I'm a sophomore at Clemson University, which is in Clemson, SC, near Greenville. I'm a Political Science/Speech and Communications major hoping to go to law school. (that is, if I ever get out of undergrad)

I am probably the most confusing person you know, as I have 3 names that I actually use on a regular basis, and 3 locations at which you can find me at any given time. And no... there is not a name for every location. I live in South Carolina for school, Gainesville GA (poultry capitol of the world thankyouverymuch) is my home town, where I went to school, and where my parents live... and then there is Catlett, VA, where my parents have a summer home that has more or less turned into my actual home within the last year. Im very well known by all my friends (COTH BB & otherwise) as being the Queen of Ramble. If you havent noticed by now, I can go on and on for hours about absolutely nothing.

As for the horsey side of my life, I own two horses. One, Brew, is my 16.2h Irish TB Gelding, whom I once showed in the childrens adult and modified jr/am jumpers and Eq, until his breathing became a problem. He is now on a hopefully permanent keep lease with a barn in Gainesville, where he does the Childrens Hunters. My other horse is my saint, my 6yo Hano (Wertherson) x TB cross gelding, Rumours Follow. I bought him in the midst of Upperville last year when I had broken my tailbone falling off a 2 year old. He's technically a pre-green (eligible in every OTHER zone but 3) but he saves me constantly, and never does anything wrong. You know hes him because he's 17.2 and has a big white splash on his belly. Rumour and I show in the Younger Adult Am Hunters under the guidance of my wonderful trainer, who lives either 20 minutes, 9 hours, or 12 hours from my house http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif He also shows in some 3ft stuff with my other trainer, who just returned to being a pro. I'm thrilled to have her ride him. I have wonderful, caring trainers who only want the best for me and my horse. Rumie and I hope to do the Amateur Owner Hunters next year.

So.. thats me in a nutshell http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Below is a picture of me with my favorite horse, Romeo... who I know everyone has heard me ramble about.

[This message was edited by RumoursFollow on Apr. 04, 2001 at 07:12 PM.]

[Medievalist]

My name is Charlene and I'm 20. I'm a junior at Dartmouth and Mount Holyoke Colleges. I am double degreeing in Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Difficult, but easier than writing papers. I dont plan on being out of school until 2010 /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I rode in the jr hunters and big eqs when I was a junior. I have recently sold/gave away my three horses. I gave Red to my old trainer...I love my Red Horse. He is so cute. My mother dressages, jumps, events, and trail rides on her trakhener Eindruck (whose real name is Medievalist). Eindruck was my jr hunter for a few years, but now he thinks he is too old to do the 3'6." He's a faker /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif We also own a really fancy TB broodmare with a bum leg that my mom wont breed. She keeps leasing her out for the seasons. Someday I'm sure she will breed her <sigh>

I am looking forward to showing again starting at the end of this summer. My parents are investing in a good jumper for me that I will hopefully be able to show in the hi AOs and mini-prixs by next summer. I'm so excited! I am taking a year off of school to get my riding in order. I am so frustrated with my riding because I never have enough time or or money to get the help I need, and I am so excited that my parents are helping me pay for this year of riding. Thanks mom and dad! I hope it goes well...it is a pretty scary decision...

[baymare]

Well, why not.

I'm Miranda and I'm pushing 47. I grew up in Illinois but have had a lifelong love affair with VT and finally moved here to stay in fall of '98. I'm married with twin boys age 11; one elderly brown dog, one wild and woolly German Shepherd youngster; four cats, and three assorted horses, all mares. We are in the process of building our own small family-type lesson barn.

I've been teaching riding since I was seventeen, which I suddenly realized is almost thirty years. Ouch. My first love is hunters and jumpers, but I've foxhunted, done dressage and combined training, and even driven a sleigh for a living.

I love the BB! It has been a source of new and renewed friendships, amusement, an inspiration for almost a year now. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[OnceAThief]

Howdy - I'm 19, I'm a junior at USC, with a double degree in Psychology and English (translation: I have no life.) Yes, our mascot really is the Cock. We actually paint, "Go Cocks" on our faces and go out in public. It's a strange, strange school.

I own three and a half horses right now: Kate, the wonder mare, who has decided that tossing me into the fences is much more fun that actually jumping over them; William, a DutchX 2 year old that I got with leftover scholarship money my freshman year ("Look Mom! He followed me home!"); and Swifter, a 10 year old TB gelding whose main claims to fame in life are 1) being 3/4 brothers to Thunder Gulch, and 2) breaking his jaw in two places the day I got him.

My "half" horse is my love, Just Delighted. I got him when he was 18 months, as an early graduation present from my uncle (funny thing was, Kate was a graduation present too). He was turning into an awesome hunter prospect when I went away for the summer; when I came back, he had mysteriously "come down" with a severe neurological problem (misdiagnosed as a broken neck). Peepers is now sound, and toting my uncle around his farm once or twice a year.

I've been riding since I was three. I got my first horse, Andy's Delight, when I was 12 and he was 1.5. He was the single coolest horse ever, and I am still very bitter about the barn manager whose faulty managment killed him. Grrrr! Aside from him, I claim ownership of my best friend/ second mother's horse, Mr Ebony's Delight (see the trend?) a perpetually greenbroken TWH (Gasp!). He lived at my "real home" in Staunton VA.

I work at a farm in Camden, board two horses at different farms in Blythewood, go to school in Columbia, and live in my car. I have a big smelly dog, Maxy, and three cats, one of whom comes to visit me at my dorm a few times a semester. That's about it.. I'm boring, and, of course, I have no life. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[3-day]

My name is Doug Payne; I am a 19yr old Mechanical Engineering Major at the Rochester Institute of Tech. My real home is in Oldwick NJ. I've ridden all of my life. I compete quite heavily in eventing; right now I have a new young horse I'm starting up. Yes, I'm still in PC, I got my 'A' two years ago. I don't know what else to say? Oh check out the site for pics, I just put it up so there's still some work to be done.

And KAM I'm assuming you are Aaron's, soon to be wife...if so say hi to him for me...

www.payneeventing.com (http://www.payneeventing.com)

[LaurieB]

I'm curious. How can you go to Dartmouth and Mount Holyoke at the same time? I once went to Vassar and Princeton at the same time, but I figured they must have tightened up the rules since way back when I was in school. /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[D.L.]

Not sure if anyone is reading this anymore...but I suppose it would be rude to continue posting without introducing myself.

I'm almost 30 and beginning to get a huge complex about it. All of my friends seem to be tying the knot and having kids (human kids that is). On the other hand, I have one very persistant, scary-smart black lab/ Rockbridge county hound cross who has 15 toys and knows them all by name. "Princess" rules the house and my life most of the time. I have 2 warmblood babies, a 2 1/2 y.o. and a 4y.o. After being horseless for a few years, I am enjoying being a mom again.

I grew up in the midwest and showed my 16.2h psycho TB in the juniors, medal/maclay and some jumpers. He went to college in the south with me where I soon realized that I preferred to work with the greenies. I have had the opportunity to work for several top professionals as a working student, groom and barn manager, but decided I would be happier if the horses were not a career.

I am a member of HJREGA (Hunter Jumper Rider Ex-Girlfriend's Anonymous). For most of my life, I have been afflicted with a strange disease that has caused me to date men who ride for a living. This may explain my rather cynical attitude towards some of the "hot guys who ride" threads. I am now in recovery, and vow to never have a relapse. My friends are praying for me.

I have really enjoyed reading the BB's and for the most part everyone seems friendly and helpful.

[Medievalist]

I am in a dual degree program between Mount Holyoke and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. I go back and forth between the two schools as illustrated below:

Freshman year - Mount Holyoke
Sophomore year - Mount Holyoke
Junior Year - Dartmouth
Senior Year - Mount Holyoke
Fifth year - Dartmouth
Sixth year - Dartmouth

I am currently on my junior year at Dartmouth. After I finish my senior year at MHC, I will have a BA in applied mathematics from MHC. After my fifth year at Dartmouth, I will have a Bachelor of Engineering(BE) from Dartmouth. After my sixth year, I will have my Masters of Engineering Management(MEM) from Dartmouth.

Since my goal is to stay in school for as long as possible, this works out great for me /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif So far I have really enjoyed it. I want to do some neat work with system analyzation and VLSI superconductors. cool stuff /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Who knows what I will do after this...I sure dont!

[MsRidiculous]

My name is Amanda, I'm 17 years old, and a senior in High School. No, I don't know what I want to be yet nor do I know where I'm going to school, so don't ask. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I have a 17h bay gelding named Charlie that is going to be a jumper this year (well, he's always had a jumper mindset but he did the hunters/eq last year). He's a bit of a nutcase, but thats okay cuz I love him anyways.

Ummm... what else? I'm completely boring and kinda weird (as Jo will attest to, I'm sure). I like music (I am anti boy "band" and anti teenie bopper). Oh yeah, and I am crazily addicted to Super MarioKart and chapstick.

There ya go. Thats probably more than you ever cared to know about me. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

-Amanda

[DarkRiver]

My name is Judy and I am 48..wow that is scary! I have been riding since I was 9.
I have a 11 month old PMU foal named Riva who I bought sight unseen last fall from FoalQuest www.pmufoalquest.com (http://www.pmufoalquest.com)
I drive city bus for a living and hope that one day soon I can retire and do horses full time. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
I also do a "Canadian" equine web site called www.thetackbox.com (http://www.thetackbox.com)

[lisa]

I'm Lisa (duh!) and grew up near Tupelo, where I had a pony when I was 4-5 which started my horse obsession. We lived in an "equestrian neighborhood", sort of: there was a neighborhood barn until the property developer tore it down in order to build houses. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Everybody rode Western, but our neighbors had TWHs, where I sat in an English saddle for the first time, and thought, "this is the way to go". But in MS, as others can attest, there is definitely a shortage of h/j activity.

Graduated from Miss. State with a degree in CS and Math. I'm currently unemployed because I just can't do it anymore. Hubby of 17 years got his PhD from Miss State. He's a consultant. We have two children, Michael, 13, no horse genes at all, but is the drummer for a band, and Rachel, 11, who does children's jumpers and eq.

Moved to GA in 1992. I had always wanted to learn how to jump, so when I turned 30 (1993) I thought, "I ain't gettin' any younger" and started taking lessons. That was it. My father, though, even after all these years, still wonders when I'm gonna grow out of the horse thing... riiiight.

My hubby got into riding when he watched Rachel in short stirrup, and got tired of hearing us talk about horses. He said, "It looks so easy, what is all the fuss?" /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif and started taking lessons.

We have three horses: William, 14, Hanoverian, 16.3hh, my ex-adult hunter, who my husband rides and shows, Bon Aire, 5, Trakehner, 17hh, who does the pre-greens and the adult hunters, who I'll do in the A/Os eventually, and Danny, 12, Westphalian, 16.3hh, Rachel's jumper/eq. mount.

We are eventually going to build our own farm (have the land already) but due to my unemployed state, and the fact that we don't want to switch schools, it will have to wait awhile. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Heck, I'm only 38... but then again, I'm already 38... sigh...

This is a fun topic... I can't believe I read all six pages!

[Bopper]

Just a quick intro: I am 30 years old and have been riding since I was 11. I have ridden everthing from saddlebreds to western quarter horses. When I started riding hunters when I was 16 I was hooked. I just bought a 3 year old OTTB. He seems to be sweet, I just hope he does not kill me. Look for posts over the next few weeks with training questions.

[thecowboyway]

I'm a semi lurker but nows as good a time as any to come out. I'm in my last year of the younger adults(I'm so happy to be aging out)and I show on the Qh circut (doing the hunters and eq over fences)I showed AHSA my whole life until a few years ago when we fell into a wonderful horse who was my perfect match. My husband is a farrier and shows the western pleasure so its doubly nice to go to shows with him instead of going opposite directions every weekend. Besides "Cal" we have 2 other horses and 2 very cute corgi's.

[EarthTo?]

why not again? OK, well, I am an incredibly old really tall lanky gawky sort of guy whom lightning struck about 25 years ago when for some inexplicable reason an absolutely ravishingly beautiful blonde from Georgia agreed to become Mrs. EarthTo, and so I've been more or less happy as a lark ever since.

Mrs and I live in glorious Northern Virginia, in no-longer-bucolic Fairfax County but close to Fauquier County where we do most of our riding. Like almost everyone in the DC area (so it seems), I'm a lawyer, while Mrs is a financial/contracts exec for a beltway bandit.

Mrs and I both started riding horses when we were around 6/7 years old, she in GA when her uncle started a pony club for the local kids and me in Colorado Springs when the wife of the commanding general of a big Army base there decided to start offering riding lessons to kids of military officers (my dad was in the Air Force) by commandeering the use of the cavalry horses on the base (in the late-50's the Army still had some, for ceremonial purposes). I continued riding when my dad got transferred to Germany and then when we moved to the SF Bay area.

However, both Mrs and I stopped riding by high school and didn't begin again until we were in our late 20's, when we met some folks in Maryland who trained steeplechase racehorses. We rode with them for 5 or 6 years, but stopped when we moved away from the DC area for a year and didn't start riding again for about 15 years.

We started riding again about 5 years ago when we were at a formal occasion where they were having a silent auction for charity and, on the spur of the moment, we successfully bid on some riding lessons. For the first few years after that we mostly were riding in a ring. But last September we found our old friends we had ridden with years before in Maryland, who were now operating out of a barn on a big estate west of Warrenton, VA, where among other things they lease beautifully trained field hunters to people riding with many of the fox hunts in this area.

So since then we have had the privilege of hacking their horses across about 1500 acres of the most beautiful countryside anywhere. We also can be found at many of the horse-related goings on in this area, including point-to-points and shows (if you see a blue car with plates that read "JUMP OVR" that's us!). We have promised each other that we will never stop riding again until we're too old and/or beat up to get on a horse, which hopefully won't be any time too soon! Our primary interest is in riding in open country. If not prevented from doing so by foot and mouth disease or the newly-enacted legal ban (which is not final yet), we are tentatively planning to hunt in England next year.

[DMK]

Earth to? - great story, and by the way, old riders just become new driving fanatics /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I've been keeping my driving pony around for just that occasion (he may outlive me yet - only the good die young /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif )

[Checkers324]

Hey guys! Well, I'm sure you all know me by now. But I'm new to the Off-Course Forum! I've been riding for a couple years, and I've been bouncing back and forth between hunter-jumper and dressage (and I even did Western for a short while!). I've finally settled on jumping now, though. My username comes from the name of the pony I used to lease (I don't ride him anymore, though) and the date -- minus the year -- of my first riding lesson. Now I ride a 22-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred mare who is very cute, very calm, and just really a great horse. She's wonderful on the trail, too! She's even crossed bridges, no problem. She looks almost exactly like Ludger Beerbaum's old horse PS Priamos! I'll have to get photos of her up here soon. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif If you look at these pictures of Priamos, though, you'll get a very good idea of what she looks like!

http://www.cse.fau.edu/~sbalasub/pspriamos.jpg
http://www.ludger-beerbaum.de/bilder_neu/gallery/LudgerPriamos15.jpg

Welcome to the boards, all new people!

P.S. Hey 3-day, you have a neat website! Good luck in your three-day eventing, hopefully we'll see you in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event soon! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Checkers324
Ride the wind, and be at one with your horse!

[HeyYouNags]

Plus, I need to keep my job. Like most of you, when I'm checking out the BB, I should be doing some Incredibly Important S**t instead.

But hello, just call me HeyYouNags. I'm trying not to post too often, but y'all can be pretty entertaining, and I have trouble keeping my mouth shut/hands off the keyboard.

40 yrs old, 41 on Earth Day. SWF, no kids, excessive education in a life science field. 3 nags, two TB mares and a TB/Han gelding, aka Fat Boy, mother's homebred pride and joy. Another little bundle of equine joy is due late May(anyone want to buy a TB in utero?) All are overindulged and underridden.

I am actually a DQ-wannabe (don't kill me! I started riding dressage waaay before it was cool, like in the 1970's!) I also was coaxed into foxchasing by some friends, and that's about all the riding I do in the winter.

And, all my hard-earned money goes to support the nags on the farm I bought for them (who cares about the house? It's got fences, and pasture, and a barn! The real estate agent just didn't get it.) So instead of riding, I feed, and muck, and mow.

My new mantra is work less, ride more.

[EarthTo?]

Thanks for the kind words. About turning to driving, it does look like a fun and elegant pastime, but after what I saw at the Warrenton Horse Show last September it may be waaaaay too dangerous for me. In case you didn't hear, the two ponies pulling the winner of the driving class bolted during the ribbon ceremony and both the driver and a passenger were pitched out and injured rather badly. The cart was turned into kindling wood before the ponies were stopped.

So all in all, I think for the foreseeable future I will probably stay with something relatively safe like hurdling over coops, fences, logs and walls at an alarming pace!

/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[hillary]

I'm struck by the similarities of the posters' self-descriptions - and i've only read ~6 of the first ones...

Like many others, I'm 43 and showed as a junior in Oklahoma in the mid 70s. I continued to take lessons some during college, where I majored in engineering. Real life intervened for me as well, as I did not ride at all for 15 years, after that point, spending time working on my career. I devoted my life to my employers, who were nice enough to let me travel the globe in their service and pay me well for my service (for which I am very grateful). Three years ago I decided enough was enough, either I was going back to riding or probably wouldn't ever make it back in this lifetime.

I now have two teenage stepchildren, a husband who is an airline pilot and thus gone half the time to somewhere, and (still) a very demanding job as an manager in the electronics industry. This leaves me a little bit of time to ride, mostly 7:30-9:00 PM Saturday nights when my husband is working...

I lease an Oldenburg mare, whose ambition is to become a large pony: this is what she matches in attitude and physique! Too bad she's 5" too tall for the pony divisions. We too "noodle around" in the long stirrup division.

I am among the oldest non-pro riders showing in Arizona, where I live now, and can amaze younger people with the descriptions of days gone by: jumping on the outside courses, every living animal jumping 3'6", no lines, few oxers, many solid 3'6" coops and walls, riding our own horses in green and open hunters, .....

At this point I am thankful for the experiences i had as a junior rider. I kept my horse close to my home and rode 6-7 days a week. I think this was typical and really think younger riders don't get to ride enough. It's too far, with urban sprawl, traffic, etc for them to get to their horses more frequently. Looking at the Ronnie Mutch video, I was surprised at the number of riders who could not ride the prescribed number of strides (like 6 of 19 riders. They were called off course and did not get a score - These are the best eq riders in America. The announcer even reminded them several times during the event. I attribute this to less practice than we got 25 years ago.

I love reading this forum and just laughed my head off on the topic here on "riders with small chests"!

[luxorluver]

Thought I would introduce myself here on the Off Course BB!!!

I have one horse and one lg. pony. My pony is named "Little Big Man" (AKA Luxor, hence the screename) and he does the large green ponies and the pony jumpers and is an Arab. My horse is an appendix named Pumpkin Pie (AKA Rascal) and we do the Children's.

I love Chinease food and shopping!!

Oh, and I love the name of this BB!! I go off course at least twice every show I go to, so the name fits. Record times off course: 6 at one show!! I'm so hopeless.... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[stasha]

I doubt anyone has even read this in a year, but here goes...

My nicknames are Stasha and Boomer...but my real moniker is Stacy. I am 24, a diehard Western horsewoman, and a lifelong fan of Tex-Mex cooking (have you ever tried picadillo?) I have been married for two years to a man who only knows the one-eyed end of the horse does NOT consume the hay! (I don't know where this guy came from, one day he just showed up on my couch to watch TV and never left.)

I no longer own any horses /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif , since last November I sold my last guy due to an accident with a bull. (I got a concussion and a compressed nerve as a result.)

I am now physically able and willing to ride, but lack the time and deniros to purchase my own baby again. Did I mention I am graduating in May? As soon as I get my dream barn and event facility going, I will own a gray QH gelding. Or maybe a bay one. Black is fetching too...

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." ancient Aztec proverb.

[This message was edited by stasha on Apr. 09, 2002 at 12:49 AM.]

[LaurieB]

It's fun reading what everyone was doing a year ago. (And I got a kick out of seeing how dark my own grey mare was. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif ) Anyone want to offer any updates on the last year?

[Midge]

...I got to Musical_Jumper. Had to stop. Gave me the shivers /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

****
'If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?'

[Sea Urchin]

I may have to delete this if Colin finds this thread /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif :

I'm one of the silent minority male posters on the BB, an attorney (the nice kind, not a litigator!), divorced (but still looking...), w/2 kids who walk on water in my eyes. I have, admittedly, a sick sense of humor (I'm the one who laughs when someone has a big "miss" at a show, but I can also laugh when I do it.)

I spend much of my time trying to educate poor VTRider about proper turnout at A shows. I've ridden and shown hunters...uh....for a LONG LONG time! In the middle a/a's now and NOT the olders, popular rumors notwithstanding.

1/2 of 1% of anything posted by Colin about me may be true, all else is hogwash.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

The perfect date: sitting by the hunter ring at Upperville all day long, drinking bloody mary's (drinking bloody mary's on the beach at Sea Island is, however, a close second!)

[Duffy]

On the other hand, everything I might post about Sea Urchin is 100% true! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[texan]

hi everyone, i haven't posted here before so i thought i would take this opportunity to introduce myself. i am a forty-something mother of an 18 year old boy and a nine year old thoroughbred gelding. my son for the moment is still riding and competing on our A show circuit
in jumper classes and jumper medal classes. unfortunately, as mentioned in some other threads he is about to walk away from riding. Seems the horse cant compete with the fast cars and other mechanical devices. I have not done any riding to speak of in the past 10 years so i am about to start taking lessons again. I have decided not to sell the horse and take him over myself. I know him pretty well as i have been the groom at all the shows. The challenge will be getting back on and getting going. We will see what happens... anyway just thought i would share.

[beameup]

normally i just like to lurk mainly because i'm a writer and by the time i get to the bb, i'm wrote out!
but i'm (god, it's killing me to say this) 52, married to a physician, own 2 lhasa apsos, 2 black persian cats (brother and sister), a guinea pig, a canary, a dumpy and wonderful appaloosa, a 7 yr. old tb mare and her son, a 21/2 yr. old dutch wb cross. still have my old grand prix hannoverian (bought him as a competitive schoolmaster) who just turned 30, and my getting-old dutch wb (20) who does everything but a nice piaffe without rearing. i've been riding dressage since the 70's, when hardly anyone else ever heard of it.
i spend my days at the keyboard (just finished my second screenplay), write articles for the COTH, as well as other magazines and am in the middle of writing my second book.
i teach about 10 students a week, garden (actually that means i just put out a salad bar for the local deer) and collect antiques.
i have ms, so i've had to cut back on my riding, but i will be looking for another horse sometime this year - something very quiet. I will probably sell my 2 y.o. since i don't think i'll have the skill and confidence anymore to ride a baby. if at some point the ms worsens, i hope to take up driving. i could never live without horses.
oh, and i usually kill threads when i do decide to post, so fergeddabout adding to this one. it's dead now!

[MAD]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>posted by beameup:
oh, and i usually kill threads when i do decide to post, so fergeddabout adding to this one. it's dead now! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I didn't want you to kill this thread. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[VTrider]

I am but a mere fair maiden from the south. I enjoy long walks in the park and candle-lit dinners. I believe that one should not sleep-around, but save themselves for that special someone who will one day brighten their life. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Maxx]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by VTrider:
I am but a mere fair maiden from the south. I enjoy long walks in the park and candle-lit dinners. I believe that one should not sleep-around, but save themselves for that special someone who will one day brighten their life. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Yes, and VTrider has found that "special someone" over and over and over, beginning at age 14! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

[Pixie Dust]

WOW, this thread's been around!!

My name is Betsy and I'm 39. I'm married to a real nice guy named John and we met in 1987 in a bar (the Sleazpo..no really the Depot). We are childless so far. I'm an office manager in an interior design firm, but I'm ready for a change (I thought I wanted to be one, but eee-eeee, changed my mind.) And my husband has been a lawyer for four excruciatingly long years and has recently decided to do something else. He said to my brother on Easter "I'm giving up law" and my brother gave him a "look" and said "didn't you just get into law?"

I started riding 30 years ago at "Maslin's Little Acres" in Specutia MD, showed in Jr. Hunter in the 70's, switched to eventing in the 80's, was horseless (but still rode) in the 90's and now have an OTTB, Hektor, who I'm tring to turn into an event horse. I just realized I have turned into a major wimp when I looked in horror at an oxer I set up for Hektor to free jump this past weekend. Surely this is huge!! He's ready for the jumpers!!! And then I measured it to be 3'3". EGADS, what happened??

We have 4 cats: Bob, Helen, Calvert & Pepe; one Greyhound (technically not really a dog) Chloe; one OTTB, Hektor and one Appy-TB yearling, Pixie, which is "John's horse."

Besides horses, my interests, which I share with John, include gardening, food/wine, and music. We go to about 2-3 raves per year.

Here is a picture of us in September. Most of our pictures are naturally of animals, and not us!

Superheroes of the universe, unite!

http://hometown.aol.com/bgoosewood/index.html

[This message was edited by bgoosewood on Apr. 09, 2002 at 02:05 PM.]

[BustersMom]

You are right this was a great thread to dredge up. I enjoyed re-reading. (Have to agree with you, Midge)

I realized that I have never introduced myself. I do have a fairly accurate profile though, Erin.

My name is Susan and I am a horsaholic.

There, I said it. That is the first step.

I am a recently single-again mom. I am 49 and have a nearly 14 year old daughter who actually rekindled my horse interest. Like many of you I rode extensively as a junior and gave up serious riding after graduating from college. In 1985 I purchased a Appendix QH that I could hunt which I have continued to do. I was hunting through my 7th month when I was pregnant and when my daughter was an infant frequently went for long trail rides wearing one of those snuggly kangaroo pouches on my 20 year old pinto pony. When my daughter was 8 she expressed an interest in horses and her dad/my husband encouraged this activity. She started with riding lessons, then leasing a school pony and when she was 10 we purchased Buster whom she rode very successfully in young entry and Short Stirrup. Alas at 13 she was taller and heavier than me so we moved up to horse land. Buster is currently leased to a charming little girl who did phenominally with him in Short Stirrup and is currently doing just fine in the Children's Pony Division.

We purchased our Greenie for my daughter during her final Short Stirrup year. She has done well with him but we haven't really headed out for shows big time yet. There were a couple of little issues we had to solve. Both child and horse have needed time to build confidence and understand what their jobs are. She loves him and we hope to soon be back on the road to success again.

In the meanwhile, a friend has had a QH that my daughter has hunted for the last 2 seasons. She has shown him lightly but that is not really his forte. Before I knew it I had added Joe to the herd.

All of this raises the question, where do you keep them? To answer this, I last year purchased a 7.74 acre plot of land in Southern Pines. Eventually all the animals will come home to roost.

Currently I keep them all separate so I never seem to add up what all this costs financially. I know that the emotional returns though are (like MasterCard says) "priceless."

Member of the Baby Greenie Support Group

[Deb413]

Deb here. Finally realizing a dream-a horse before I was 40--eeek coming this Sat.

Thanks to Beameup, I am educating her 7yr mare-I am sure Dixie does not call it that. There are days I wonder who is educating who. We have had all winter to get to know each other and she had been great being green and dealing with only an outdoor ring with this upstate weather. So do we have a 5th season-mud?

Well, the ring is drying up and the sun is staying out longer---time to get to some serious work with Dixie Chick. She just had her birthday last Sunday. Working on finding a trainer also. Finding out not many travel to you-you have to travel to them. Have done mostly local unrated shows. Hoping to go A-rated with Dixie.

Also have one SHD-UWP that lives in luxury in my townhouse named Tiger. Yup, a Short Hair Domesticated Ultimate Wussy Pussy aka a cat. I see him, but when people come over-poof invisible kitty.

I am an office manager for the union Ironworkers.
Also do house/pet/horse sitting to help pay for my horse habit /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

I live in my own little world, but it's ok, they know me here.

[This message was edited by Deb413 on Apr. 09, 2002 at 03:54 PM.]

[This message was edited by Deb413 on Apr. 09, 2002 at 03:56 PM.]

[Duramax]

Wow, now that I just spent an hour reading this whole thing, I guess I'll go ahead and tell y'all about myself!

I'm Janna.

I am first and foremost, an eventer! I can't seem to get above training level right now, but hopefully I've got two nice up and coming horses that will be able to do preliminary (which is my goal!!).

I was in Pony Club for several years, and graduated last year (I miss it!), as an H-A. I still help out with some of the local clubs, and do clinics and help out at rallies and such.

I also have two "beginner-beginner" students that I teach weekly. I have been enjoying teaching them.

I just recently got my first horse, a seven year old 16.2 3/4 TB, 1/4 QH gray gelding named Duramax, or Max. He is an angel to work around... now if he'd just grow a brain when under saddle! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I think he has had some pretty incorrect riding in the past, which I'm trying to undo. He is coming along though, and I hope to get him to an event some time late this spring or early summer!

I also ride a 6 year old chestnut appendix mare, Shasta McNasty, who is so shiny that you almost need sunglasses to look at her! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif She is currently competing at novice, and will hopefully move up to training by the fall.

When I'm not at the barn (when is that????), I'm in class at Clemson University, where I'm a junior, majoring in Marketing. I have no clue what I want to do once I graduate though!

I have a S.O. of 5 years, and <<sniffle sniffle>> one cat (the other one ran away earlier this week!!) whose name is Scouty.

That's me!

Why can't my horse just be normal?? /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[piaffeprincess98]

My name is Lindsay, I'm 15 and i live in Stafford, VA. I'm a freshman at Stafford High School. I've been riding since i was 7 (i started at Hazelwild). I'm into dressage/eventing. I'm showing training level dressage, schooling 1st/2nd. I haven't done too much eventing yet, but once my mare gets back into shape, we'll get going again. my trainer is Nicky Vogel. I own 3 horses, Palais is my 8 year old Hanoverian mare. she's chestnut w/ a star and little hind sock. she's about 16.2hh. i bought her from Hilton Farm back in June of 2000. She's schooled prelim fences and shown 2nd level. my first horse was Olympia Dude, a Paint gelding (i was in LOVE w/ paints at the time!). he helped me alot and i learned alot, but i had to sell him b/c he had arthritis. i also have Nikita, a Han/TB/Qh mare. she's 5 and VERY green, but i now have a nice girl leasing her and taking lessons from Nicky and they get along well, so she should get better. she has very nice movement, so i think she could go pretty high w/ the dressage. she's also 15.2hh, so she's little!
then there's Toppers.....what can i say about my little man? i love him to death. he's a 10 year old Mini gelding. he was technically my "first horse". he's 30 inches tall, red dun in color. he tries his heart out for me all the time, 100%. if he doesn't think he can do a jump, he'll "tell" me, "mom, i don't think i can do this". he also drives, and i'm gonna have a few lessons w/ Nicky to teach him some basic lateral work. he already knows the turn on the forehand pretty well. he never gets scared of any jump or anything.

hmmm.....what else? i'm really big into photography and corie (obiliviousjumper87) are best friends. we've been to the Festival of Champions, Dressage @ Devon, and Fair Hill together to take pics and had a blast. (you may have seen me hundreds of pics i post! haha!) i use a digital camera. we're finally going to Rolex this year also! i'm soooooo excited! corie does jumpers and we'll be at every Culpeper show this year! Corie and I also have our unofficial company, CorLin PROductions. We're excited to get that started and some day, we want to own our own place and train and show horses and have the photogrpahy business on the side.

some more stuff about me.....I collect Breyer model horses and have about 250. i am a nut about horse books and videos. i've been getting alot of those lately! i'm also in the backstreet boys (shut up! i know what you're thinking! lol), 98*, westlife, the calling, and Lifehouse absolutely rocks!

i'm extremely excited b/c we found a small farm and we'll hopefully be moving right after Rolex. i'll try to keep everyone updated on our progress and all.

well, that's about all there is to me. if you wanna know more, please post or IM me @ piaffeprincess98. (hah, like anyone would be interested! lol).

~*Lindsay*~
A proud co-owner of CorLin PROductions. Watch out horseworld, here we come!

[canterlope]

I can't believe how many of you I know or have met at some point without even realizing it. Duffy, I was a student at UVA when we hosted Nationals. I'm sure we've met. Before turning to Eventing, I did the Hunter/Jumpers for ump-teen years, mostly in Virginia, and I recognize a lot of you guys. Now I am heavily involved with Eventing in Area II, so you all can't run and hide either. Now, the real question is, how many of you think you know or have met me? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant!

[Maxx]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by canterlope:
I can't believe how many of you I know or have met at some point without even realizing it. Duffy, I was a student at UVA when we hosted Nationals. I'm sure we've met. Before turning to Eventing, I did the Hunter/Jumpers for ump-teen years, mostly in Virginia, and I recognize a lot of you guys. Now I am heavily involved with Eventing in Area II, so you all can't run and hide either. Now, the real question is, how many of you think you know or have met me? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif


Hmmm....more clues please! I was a student at UVA when they hosted Nationals as well, but judging by your birthday, probably about 4 years earlier. Was it at Farmington the year you were there?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[mvoght]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sea Urchin:
I may have to delete this if Colin finds this thread /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif :

I'm one of the silent minority male posters on the BB, an attorney (the nice kind, not a litigator!), divorced (but still looking...), w/2 kids who walk on water in my eyes. I have, admittedly, a sick sense of humor (I'm the one who laughs when someone has a big "miss" at a show, but I can also laugh when I do it.)

I spend much of my time trying to educate poor VTRider about proper turnout at A shows. I've ridden and shown hunters...uh....for a LONG LONG time! In the middle a/a's now and NOT the olders, popular rumors notwithstanding.

1/2 of 1% of anything posted by Colin about me may be true, all else is hogwash.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

The perfect date: sitting by the hunter ring at Upperville all day long, drinking bloody mary's (drinking bloody mary's on the beach at Sea Island is, however, a close second!)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[mvoght]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by canterlope:
I can't believe how many of you I know or have met at some point without even realizing it. Duffy, I was a student at UVA when we hosted Nationals. I'm sure we've met. Before turning to Eventing, I did the Hunter/Jumpers for ump-teen years, mostly in Virginia, and I recognize a lot of you guys. Now I am heavily involved with Eventing in Area II, so you all can't run and hide either. Now, the real question is, how many of you think you know or have met me? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've met you, and even was a thankful recipient of a cup of coffee at VHT last fall.

Enjoyed talking with you and Steve and learning his system for wrapping legs.

[elizabeth]

Holy cow - you SAY you are 39, but that picture of you looks WAYY younger. I want to look like YOU when I am 39. You go girl!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

"And I think to myself, What a wonderful world;
Yes, I think to myself, What a wonderful world." - Louis Armstrong

[KateDB]

35, once married, no children of the 2-legged variety, analyst in the finance industry, graduate 'A' PCer (and resident Pony Club nazi), MHC graduate with BA in Politics (It's a family thing). I presently have 2 horses, one who was 30 days under tack when I got him two years ago and we are now preparing for a move up to Prelim (I also foxhunt him) and a lovely mare who was my former eventer and foxhunter who is now in foal to a CCI 4star competitor!
I grew up in the hunter ring and still have great respect for that arena of competition; however, I prefer eventing and foxhunting, but will take my horses to shows for more experience. I just don't have the patience to wait around all day for my class. There are not enough Bloody Marys or Caesars in the world for that, however drinking whilst others are in the hot seat for the day is perfectly acceptable!
I am the guardian of three labradors (chocolate, black and yellow) and 3 barn cats, as well as the family farm on which the horses, dogs, cats and I reside with a few boarders in my barn.

[Duffy]

KateDB! You sound perfect for our Sea Urchin! He can groom and drink bloody mary's at your events and you can groom and drink at his shows! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Hmmm...Ya'll are going to need a BIG house for all those creatures! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Ms. Anthrope]

Wow this is an old thread, but I missed it the first time around. My name is Karina, I'm 29 and have been married almost 4 years. I am from Argentina, have ridden on and off for about 15 years, I am now horseless but my past was graced by two absolutely wonderful mares. Chris (my husband) and I bought our first house in December and we have dedicated these past 4 months to painting, refloooring, and otherwise redecorating the house. I don't have children, but I do have a wonderful black lab mix, Kamora, and two beautiful cats, Snuffy, a long-haired black and white snob, and Trouble, a muted calico spoiled brat.
I've ridden mainly hunters, some jumpers, and have done a bit of equitation. I am hoping to get into eventing but my husband is aware of the increased risks over solid obstacles and is not too impressed by my telling him how much I'd enjoy it.
I majored in hotel and restaurant management and i dream of opening a mid-size restaurant with a consistently updated menu, hard-to-find wines from around the world, and unique furnishings and decorating, mainly catered to the 30-to 50 year old crowd.
I love to cook, especially desserts. My other passion is soccer, 51 days for the start of the World Cup /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I have already ordered M&Ms in light blue and white, put the soccer-ball beanbag in the living room, got my lucky shirt ready, made sure speakerphone is set up in Florida where the rest of my family is, and started my bets. Of course I want Argentina to win, but we have a very tough first round draw that includes England. Given the not-too-friendly history between Argentina and England, what I really want to see is Argentina sending England home. We are the favorites, but as I said, the draw is tough.
Back to horses, one of the things that I noticed here is how horses in the United States are much quieter and ironically spookier. In Argentina we like our horses not too overhandled because we don't want to(I'm transalting this phrase as best as I can) break their spirit. I also was surprised about the crossties, and how the horses at the track are sometimes lead by two lead ropes in addition to having the jockey sitting on them. We usually lead them with basically a thread and if they start getting bouncy we tell them a sharp "No!".
Another thing I noticed here is how much extra tack you have. With us, it's a saddle and a bridle usually, but it seems like every other horse here has some extra item.
Well that's about all I can think of for now. It's a fun thread and I'm glad it was revived.

[Court@HJ-OH]

I'm Courtney, college student!! Jack my OTTB is going to be in the baby greens this year. I have been riding since I was 8!! I am really a texan stuck in the horrible, dreadful north!!

**Courtney**
Jack ~On the Rocks~ PLEASE /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Momo ~Just My Luck~

A woman only needs two animals in her life.. the horse of her dreams and a jackass to pay for it!

[Whip 'N Spurs]

My name is Laura and I am 14 years old. I have one horse at the moment. Her name is Casey and she is a 6 year old, 16hh chestnut Quarter Horse mare. I planned on showing her in the Children's Hunters until my grades went down and I was grounded. I haven't ridden in a month ... but that's beside the point! Casey does 1st level dressage, jumps around 3'9" (with me), and is very lazy.

I have been riding for almost five years and I have had three other horses besides Casey. My first horse was a 3 y/o (yes, three, I had an idiot for a trainer for about 3 and a 1/2 years unfortunately) Quarter Horse mare named Holly. Then I got Dude, a roping horse for my 10th birthday. My third horse was Uno, a Thoroughbred gelding who was supposed to be my Children's Hunter. After working through his psychotic problems and terrible ground manners we learned he had Navicular and a chipped hock from fox hunting a while back... so we donated him to UGA /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

Besides riding horses I run track (300 and 100 m hurdles), make web sites, and I spend a lot of time with friends like any other normal teen. I live in Rome, GA during the school year, and Charleston, SC during the summer, but I am either moving to Manhattan, Long Island, or DC by summer of '03... barn suggestions would be nice /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif Other moving choices have been Columbia and Venezuela South America or Vietnam, but I refuse.

Anyway, that's about it. I don't really no anyone on COTH, I just post random things...

Laura & Casey
Men are like good chocolates; the richer, the better.
Photo Album:
http://community.webshots.com/user/viprincesss

[Heidi]

I too love soccer, though don't follow individual teams avidly.

I spend my summer weekends at my daughter's soccer matches and tournaments (she's on the all-star team) and absolutely love the game; to the point that I've challenged these tweenies to games and been tripped, demolished, run over, and otherwise humiliated -- all the while wearing 3-inch Manolos. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

And, of course, we should be so lucky in the horse world to have such fantabulously handsome men (with amazing butts!!) in our sport.

[Ms. Anthrope]

Heidi, I wish I had inherited my dad's ability to play soccer. He was actually going to be one of the players for the World Cup in '78 but he decided he didn't want to be away from my mom and I for over a month. Sadly, I am not too good at it, but I never turn down a chance to play.
Argentina has many more male riders, I think it's 70% men to 30% women, at least when I was riding there. And most of them were HOT!!! Here, I haven't seen to many male riders. Very disappointing.

[stasha]

That my evening of study-breaking (reading random threads and haphazardly posting) would result in such an explosion of responses?

~~like, I am such a trendsetter, dude!~~

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." ancient Aztec proverb.

[KateDB]

you are tooooo funny. I would never put myself at risk where Colin is concerned. I'd sooner go drinkless than to stand in Colin's way in her quest for SU!

[Pixie Dust]

Thanks Elizabeth DEARY, that really made my day!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

But, I was 3 months shy of my 39th B-Day when that shot was taken, and I was very relaxed!!! The Bahamas have that effect on people!!

Superheroes of the universe, unite!

http://hometown.aol.com/bgoosewood/index.html

[Duffy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KateDB:
you are tooooo funny. I would never put myself at risk where Colin is concerned. I'd sooner go drinkless than to stand in Colin's way in her quest for SU!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You are wise beyond your years, Kate. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Janeway]

This was a fun thread to read /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Hi, my name is Jocelyn, I am 28 years old and live in Vancouver, Canada. I am a real west coast gal; Starbucks all the way, everyday /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I've ridden since I was 12, but loved horses since as long as I can remember. I no longer have a horse, but my first one was pretty special; we did a bit of everything, but eventing was my favourite.

I still follow the equestrian sports religiously though via tv, magazines and internet. I think I'm addicted.... /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[hoodoo]

I'm 32, just returned to school and am planning to attend vet school fall 2004. Plan on going on after vet school to study animal behavior. I want to be an 'expert' on animal welfare.

Between myself and my boyfriend, we have 12 horses. He plays polo (I dabble in it)and I am just returning to showing after I broke my back several years ago. I just aquired an 8 year old Dutch warmblood, have a 10 year old appendix prelim horse, and 10 thoroughbreds all OTT.

We have two dogs, a Peruvian Inca Orchid (large hairless breed) and a rat terror pup named Butters.
I'm planning on showing this summer, either in low level eventing, or start back slow in the hunters. Guess we'll have to wait and see /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[linquest]

Hi, my name's Lindsy and I'm a COTH addict /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I'm living vicariously through most of you since I haven't ridden in 4 months.

I'm in my last semester at Cornell now (yippee!) and have a job as a Labor Relations Manager in NYC after graduation. I can't wait to start working to support my horse habit! Not sure where I'll be riding around NYC, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

Although I've been a horse lover since I started reading "Billy and Blaze" books when I was 4, I didn't start riding until I was 12. Until I left for college, I basically just rode whatever backyard trail horse I could get my hands on. I used to ride through Olympian Jil Walton's cross country course and wish that I could event someday. I still do. For now, I ride whenever I can afford lessons (not this semester though since I'm paying my way through college). H/J, dressage, Western...anything to get me on a horse.

Oh yes, I guess I'm also in the "aspiring lawyer" clique!

[LMH]

OK-I am Leah and I live on my 20 acre farm in Georgia (lifetime dream come true).

I am the PROUD owner of my retired adult hunter POLO---I won't everyone with the details of how FABULOUS and accomodating the dear was.

I have Julian my 4yo home grown Viscount baby....we should start showing one day.

Next in line is Milo-a 2yo Omega baby. He is just growing up and waiting to learn the ropes.

Finally is Logan, my 5yo TB project.

I am 37 yo (YIKES), an attorney by education, not attitude.

Life is too short to dance with ugly men

[Fat Chance]

So I'm a bit late, but hey. I'm 16 years old, living in south central VA. Yay for boarding school... ha (one more year!!!). I have been riding (hunters) for 13 years and showing for 10. At the moment I have a horse and a pony all to myself, but we have 7 altogether (and maybe a baby on the way!).

Chance, aka Anything Goes, is my oh-so-loveable, pumkin orange, VERY quiet horse. We're currently working up to the Children's, and we'll get there one day, as soon as Chance keeps all of his legs intact long enough to get in the ring. He's a little accident prone, but I love him anyway.

Then there's Tasha, my very mare-ish pony. She is currently fluffy, fat, and happy as can be at home.

If you ever want to find me, I'm the one nursing and pampering the big orange beast or riding someone else's ponies. Old pony riders are the best! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

So yeah, that's basically me. Have a spectacular day! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

-smile and nod, very effective

[Gucci Cowgirl]

Its nice to meet all you ppl BTW!

My name is Jamie, and I'm from vanvouver, BC. I ride in Langley with Monique Fraser, Andrea Taylor, and Leslie Reid.<--- [They are very humbling people btw..lol)

I only ride on the weekends, because I live too far from the barn to go out during the week..so I stay over at the barn every sat.night, and every day I have off from school..including all the major holidays!

Currently I am riding 4 horses steadily.

-Seafox..Leslie's retired GP stallion...he makes me feel like I am an ABSOLUTE BEGINNER!! he knows sooo much that it amazes me!

-Ivor..Jill Norris' 11 yr.old GP gelding...he teaches me to think REAL FAST and to ALWAYS be aware of whats going on around me-even if i can't see, hear, or sense what it is..lol. He is my best friend and a great teacher.

-Patriotic Gold (Alex),a PSG gelding who also teaches me alot,about alot of things..mainly the benefits of having a horse carry himself..LOL

-Isadora (Izzy) a 9 yr old trak/tb mare who is my 'project'...I am training her to do dressage,she has been a hunter her whole life.

Riding is my life, and working is how I pay for every penny of it..I clean stalls 1x a week, do evening chores 2x a week, and groom for both Andrea and Leslie.It is exhausting, but absolutely worth it!

Thats all, I've written enough!

I just recently bought a dog. I had great fun naming him "Stay". I sit on my couch and call out "Come here, Stay....Come here Stay!" I laughed when he got confused, so now he just ignores me.

[TopBritYR]

i guess i'm kinda slow!w/this post!

WARNING: THIS IS ALOT OF BS, CAUTION do not go futher unless you really really really want to!okay my boring 2p!
i'm 15 1/2 lol! i can drive in september!yes finally! i'm a sophomore in a private "friends" high school, i was just thinking its kinda sad i can't even spell the name of the grade i'm in! anyway a bit about me i'm British if you haven't already figured that out by my over enuthasitic emphasis on everything to do w/my country, basicly def a strong ex-pat! I was born there in Wimbledon (yes where the tennis championships are) which is in London, but when i was 11 my mother whos a big CEO type got relocated to the US, and i got brought along naturally as did my dad and my two younger siblings. So i went from London to the town of Charlottesvile(UVA) and precisely i live in Scottsville but even more accurately Esmont. Esmont just for an visual here for ya, is the poorest town in Virginia, it also has the largest extremes in the amount of income/money people have compared to each other than any other town in the US. Example the surronding farms around my house went for 24million, 18million and one for only uhhhhhh 13million jezzz, while the guy who lives across the road from me lives in a well, to be frank a shack, he's very nice though, he did shot and kill his wife though, i was the only witness had to go to court ect, but thats a whole nother story! anway all thoose facts are correct i didn't just make emm up. anyway thats the boring crap! now to the horsie stuff!

alright well my first horse i got when i was 11 and just moved to the US, bear in mind i had barely even sat on a horse let alone owned one before i lived in the US. Cadbury is his name hence the brit for a mother, he is obviously cadburys chocolate colour with a star!lol! he was 5 when we got him hes now turning 10 in june, hes 16hands and a QH/TB prob?? and well he's the sweetest thing on earth. he has the talent of a peanut, but i still love him. And now pretty much he's just my fun/play horse, and foxhunter and best friend to all the other horses, key note here * WHEN HE'S SOUND*!

so by the time my 13 b-day rolled around i was going bn eventing 2'6-2'9" jumping cads was maxed out pretty much! So incame Bailey II aka BOO the boo monster ect, Bailey is a 16hand now 11 german HAN/TB blood bay with a blazey! he had a werid history coming from germany as a jumper overfaced then became FEI dressage horse when he was imported to canada then he came to the US, he now is a event horse living in the US, but is ridden and classified as a British horse!lol! his FEI passport says he's german/candian/amercian and now British! anyway when i got him he had never seen a XC jump hadn't jumped in 4-5years and i wanted to turn him into an event horse!lol! it worked! we started off fall 1999 BNH/BNR both being green, basicly blind leading the blind has been all along with me. anway to cut the story short were now going prelim extremely successfully, yet to have a single peantly added to any of dressage scores at any event at prelim! and were headed to our first three-day this spring Virginia CCI*. Then we hope to qualify for in august to go to the NAYRC* for area II. Then move up to intermediate this summer/early fall!sqweek!

anway ugghhhh that was a bit boring and a handleful.

my sister also has her pony she's 10, also on her second horse, first was aged small pony mare taught her the ropes. Now for two years she had a meduim, cheshnut welsh gelding, which i'm very fond of he's my claim to fame! i found him sick and starving at this rednecks place for 650dollars isane! i swear the pony is pure farnely hunter breeding or something! wins every show i mean every show ever entered in! Never ever come in anything but first not kidding at all!anyway! yeah so nice pony someone offered me a year ago 20k for him and he's improved sooo much since then its insane so goodness knows what he's worth now!

anway thats pretty much my deal! uggh that was boring sorry!
TopBritYR

"People who say riding isn't a sport are afraid, in the game we play, the ball has a mind of its own."

A woman only needs two things in her life.. the horse of her dreams and the dream guy to pay for it!

[lilblackhorse]

Wow, in all this time, I have never participated in one of these "introduce yourselves" posts.

Ok, well, I am Aimee, and I just turned 40 the end of February. I am married to a NHP and we have two kids, Hannah almost 12, and Thomas, 9 1/2. They are both dancers (tap, ballet, jazz, you name it), so they don't bug me to ride! In fact I overheard Hannah telling her class at the start of the schoolyear once that she had to "spend the whole summer at the barn with my Mom." /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif ...God, I would have killed for that when I was young, but so be it.

I am the product of a military upbringing, and learned to ride in Virginia a age 8. Moved West, and joined Pony Club when I was 12, and never looked back. I've had some great opportunities with riding, I taught PC in Australia, groomed for Karen(Lende)O'Connor, and taught riding at Pleasant HOllow Farms in Pennsylvania many moons ago /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif . I cherish all the memories of the horses and people I have met because of my riding.


I'm part of the walking wounded, having broken my back twice, once in a car wreck in Australia when I was 18, and then again when I was launched off a TB not long ago in 86. Try that with two little kids, a spouse and a job. Not fun!

Will (his name is Will-O'-The-Wisp) is my little black horse. He is 9 next month, and is a 16.1 hand Morgan/QH (appendix, with lots of foundation blood, but he looks like a TB). We putz around doing events and dressage, and paying vet bills mainly /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif . Here is a photo if I can find it of us at an event in the Seattle area in 2000.

Oh, I am in Central Oregon, where all the Californians come to build million dollar homes and golf and drive SUV's. The locals here call it "Poverty with a View". That's my story, and I'm sticking with it. And BTW, the new barn's the charm, it is lovely, 2 indoors, 2 outdoors, and Will has his own 8 acre pasture, and he seems very content. Oh, and the help all speaks english and they would know a bleeding or colicking horse when they saw it. Priceless in my book /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

[Lexus]

OK, I'm finally going to introduce myself and say hello...

I'm Lexus, 38 years old (at least until next Wednesday). I'm married (14 years) to a non-horse husband that tries very hard to be supportive, but has a very difficult time accepting the time and expense of a horse habit. I have a 7 year old son who is not interested in riding, horses or animals for that matter. My three year old daughter loves animals, dancing and gymnastics. She claims she would like to ride but we're not pushing it so time will tell. I work part time (36 hrs a week) in Finance as a Controller but predict I'll be back to full time soon due to employer pressure and the need for horse $$$.

As for the horse connection, I began riding as a 5 year old in Virginia on a back yard pony we owned. After moving to Saratoga Springs we bought another fancy, patient, bomb-proof pony that I showed ponies and children's hunter in the 70's. Eventually I graduated to various leased children's hunters. Due to a lack of family finances, I finished my last couple of Jr. years on a leased Warmblood doing Jr. Hunters and the Medal/Maclay equitation stuff. In fact, I probably competed against Linny and I distinctly remember watching Silly Mommy in the ring at Syracuse PHA on all her ponies. I was so envious of her riding ability!

In between show seasons I hunted in Chatham on some of Skidmore Colleges school horses. I would love to try hunting again someday!

Finally, as an adult I tried my hand at eventing for three years, but my heart is with the hunters. After my diversion to eventing, I owned and showed two hunters in the A/A's then the A/O's and threw in some Adult Jumpers with one of them. Eventually I called it quits to have my children and focus on them.

A year ago I returned to riding after taking 7 years off. I've done a couple leases and in November purchased a Hann/Th weanling that I am absolutely delighted with. I've managed to show occasionally, but my children continue to be my primary focus and the showing will have to fit around the family schedule. For now I am just so happy to be back!

[lonewolf]

I'm 19.
University Student.
Penniless and Horseless. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif (well, not really, but paying for school takes up most of my money)
When I can show, I do the jumpers (usually 3'6ish - I would love to go higher).
I ride at a terrific place with great people who are willing to let me work for them get in some extra riding. I am currently riding a tb whom I adore. I lived in Quebec up until 2 years ago, and would love to move back east someday.

And that is MOI.

[stasha]

I didn't get the chance to update my post earlier in this thread , so here's a few pics of me and mine...

This is my horsie, RV Navidad, aka Tod, who I am very worried about with his new owner...he is a 10 yr old Arab gelding, very formal, well-mannered, with an occasional lapse of good judgement...

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." ancient Aztec proverb.

[stasha]

and here's me and my hubby...

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." ancient Aztec proverb.

[Harvey Danger]

Hello everyone,

My name is Annya and I'm new to the BB. Actually I've been lurking here since last August but have only just started posting. I'm 17 years old and have been riding hunters since I was about 9.

I have never owned my own horse, but for the last 5 or 6 years I worked with a "tempermental" TB mare named Pearl who I absolutly loved. I worked with her from the time she was four and although she was very difficult and could be completely nasty, she taught me a whole lot. Unfortunately she had to be sold a few months ago due to lameness issues /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif On the bright side she is now living out a happy life in a nice pasture. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Recently I have been working with a new horse named Harvey. Harvey is a 13 y/o (you would never know it from the way he acts!) bay TB with a star. The horse is nuts, but a blast to ride. He's an ex racehorse & eventer who loves to run and that's about all he ever wants to do - even after a long, hard ride when we turn him out he still rips around the paddock like a manic lol. We still have a long way to go but hopefully we'll make a good pair someday.

I try to get out to the barn as often as I can and sometimes stay over for a few days at a time so I can work, spend more time in the saddle, and see my friends. I've been half "living" there over the summer and holidays for the last few years and now that I'm not in school (I do correspondence instead) I get to go up a lot more. I guess you could say its like a second home.

On weekends (when I'm not showing) I work at a small boarding stable in exchange for part board on an adorable POA/Quarter horse named Judge. He's a cute little chestnut with a stripe, back sock and a spotted front sock lol.

When I'm not riding I'm usually out doing something with my friends, on here, or wishing I was at the barn!

Anyways, that's enough about me!

(This is a picture of Pearl and I a few summers ago at a local show)

[Harvey Danger]

And here's one of Harvey

[3eme]

My name is Marie, I am 33 years old, and I think that animals are God s finest creation. I am single and if all else fails (i.e., I do not meet a single young brain surgeon who will adore me and buy me fancy horses), I will probable end my days as the crazy lady living in a big house on a hill with all of her once-stray animals. -Crazy dog lady-, they will call me, and the neighborhood children will be afraid to trick-or-treat at my house.

I am currently the center of the Universe for one 4 1/2 month old Jack Russell Terrier named Spike. He is a self-employed recyclable bottle killer who is convinced that the drip coming from my shower faucet is mocking him (his words, not mine). My Chihuahua, Madeleine, does not care too much for Spike, or the dripping shower faucet, and believes that in fact SHE is the center of the Universe. Come to think of it, she may be right.

I have a Seven Sisters / Ivy League education, speak French fluently, make a mean lasagna, but cannot play tennis to save my life. I took lessons once, but on the third day I caught a fast-traveling ball with my right eyeball, and went blind for four days. In high school, I was red-carded off the field hockey team for excessive violence, wrote most of my senior year exam essays in Limerick form, and could never remember my gym locker combination. At Smith, I perfected my knitting skills, ran a humor magazine, and spent one entire day expressing myself only through the word fish. At Wharton, I had a 105% average in my Statistics class. So my friend Howard pimped me out to classmates to do their Statistics homework. Ah, Wharton. While his cut of the deal was generous, I still made out like a bandit, but mostly in the form of pizza and laundry service.

I am in France, recently single, dumped not long ago by a professional rider. Convinced now that there are no nice available men that ride, I am currently attempting to work my charms on a nice, non-riding, aeronautical engineer / commercial pilot. I think it is working, but he is French, so it is really anybodys guess as to what he is thinking. The truth be told, I find the company of my horses much less complicated.

I show jumpers (up to 1.3 meters, or about 4ft3) with my two horses. Heros is a monster-sized (17.3 hh at last count) 7 year old SF/TB. His best friend is a mangy, smelly donkey whom all the other horses cannot stand. He is very bossy, and gets offended if I try to pick a distance to a fence. He likes to do this himself. According to him, I am only along for the ride, I am a mere tourist, I have no business making decisions. He is big, so I obey. Down lines, I close my eyes. Coming around corners, I just pray. And I generally grab a lot of mane. I am actually surprised that he has so much mane left.

My new bay TB five year old ex steeple-chasing mare, existing on the other end of the size scale (pushing 15.2 hh on a good day), is the current love interest of my beloved Heros. Her name is Jolie, and she is. They make an odd couple, to say the least. She does not share his love for the donkey, however. I figure he will stop this Jolie-love nonsense (he is a gelding) as soon as he realizes that, although small and brown, she is, in fact, NOT a donkey. I dream of knowing why, when it comes to animals, the weird ones always seem to find their way to me.

[This message was edited by 3eme on Apr. 22, 2002 at 05:10 AM.]

[Lavender Menace]

x

[CanadianGolden]

I'll bite.

I'm Samra, I'm 17, and I'm Rebecca Yount's daughter. I'm an only child.

I am the proud owner of an Oldenburg, Fabian 64, and also 2 Golden Retrievers and 4 cats. I also have my first pony, Dandy, who is long since retired due to blindess and now spends his days being fat, eating grass, and bossing the two mares over whom he presides.
I do mainly dressage and have been for about 4 years, been riding for 7. I've shown up to Third Level and schooled all movements up to GP.
I did a little eventing for awhile, just beginner novice (2'11" is way too high for me).
I live in Maryland, obviously, and am going to Johns Hopkins this year, majoring in Behavioral Biology with aspirations of working in either dermatology or a veterinary specialty.
Currently have a boyfriend of 2 years who's running off to IU next year--not sure yet how that will work out.

I'm a huge fan of British actors (and some American ones too!), romantic comedies, and Dr. Evil.

That's enough about me.

[BlackWatchLady]

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">Ok, I will introduce my self, I am Tara, stay at home mom to 3 kids a 4 almost 5 yr old girl,a 4 yr old boy, and an almost 2 yr old girl, 2 my own, the other we are in the process of Adopting. I have 1 dog, a chow shep cross that is now going on 11 yrs old, 3 cats, one we got in Germany, and 2 bottle raised nearly 2 yr old out of feral stock kittens. I have one horse, he is a blood bay and white tobiano gelding. He goes by the name of Boot Scootin Boo, or Boo, http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif</span><span class="ev_code_PURPLE"> I have been married to the same man, for 11 yrs, and we have been a military family for the same length of time. Been to exotic and foreign places, and to California lol. It either Cali, or overseas for us. The places we have been are Germany, Ca, Turkey, and Ca, lol. I rode a few times in Germany, but did not in Turkey(was preggo for most of the time I was there) I hated seeing the condition and hard use of Horses there, poor things.</span><span class="ev_code_PURPLE">We are still Military, live here in Ca, and who knows what the next PCS will bring, http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
I ride anyway I can, I am not pretty at it, nor do I care, I just love to feel the connection I have with him.</span>

[Pistol 'n' Me]

I'll bite in the newly re-opened thread http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I'm Danielle a 20 year old college student majoring in microbiology and animal science, and considering a minor in biotechnology since it'd only require one more class. I'm planning on going to Sweden in January to study abroad for 6 months or so. I'm terribly excited!! http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/yes.gif

I've been riding for 10-12 years and dabbled in hunters and dressage before moving cities and taking a detour into Walking Horses for a few years (it was a horse, I would ride it!). Now I've got my TWH leased out and am doing endurance on a friend's half-Arab and am having a blast! Some of the most fun I've had on a horse ever, just this year I finally made the leap into 50 mile rides. What fun!!

Otherwise I like to read any books that catch my eye. I love Mexican and Thai food. I have one crazy cat named Lois who is a blast to hang around. I'm missing her like crazy now since she's at my parents house. My housemate for the next 5 months is allergic to cats. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/cry.gif

[Darkstar]

Hi I'm Rebecca. I am an ex-military brat. My father was a full bird Colonel in the Army and because of it I traveled my entire younger years. I was born in Germany, have a German/Canadian mum, and an American father. I moved to the US, where we were stationed in Denver, Colo. before moving to Canada, then Washington state.
I have three cats who adore me (very very loving) named Olaf, Tiger Lilly, and Baxter.
I also have a fat Golden Retriever named Frisky.
My horses included an Appy Sporthorse named Genesis, and a large pony named Champ.
I began riding in the states, and have dabbled in most every aspect, although I think I have finally decided to stick with the H/J's. I have ridden and shown Dressage, H/J, Pony Club, 4-H, Appy, Arabian, Western Pleasure, and Western Eq, plus showmanship, western games events, and tons more. I also have ridden gaited horses, but not shown them.
Other sports that I do include Cross Country Ski (Classic and Skate), Karate, and Ski Jumping (like as in the Olympics).

I LOVE to read. I LOVE chocolate. I love Thai food (curry is yummy). I love the country of Kenya which I have visited and miss....and well thats about it. Sorry this was so long.

[propspony]

Wow! How in the world have I missed this thread the other *3* times it's come up. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_confused.gif It's been a blast reading about people that I've seen on here for years... and now I want to play too!

Let's see... I'm 25, and currently going to school for music composition and theatre. I work as a stagehand to pay for school and to support my horsie "habit" (although some misguided people seem to think that it's closer to an obsession) http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I grew up with horses, my mother actually stopped off at the barn on the way home from the hospital with me, because she wanted to introduce me to the people that really mattered... her horses. She figured my father's family could just wait their turn to meet me! http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/lol.gif The rest of my life has followed suit...

I am the proud owner of the worlds most wonderful dappled grey TB mare! (I'm not biased at all http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/winkgrin.gif) However, sadly my most wonderful midget mare (15h on her tip toes) is currently struggling with EPM so I don't know if I will ever get to ride her again. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/sigh.gif

In any case she makes a really good lawnmower....

Well that's me in a nutshell...

cheers!

propspony

[Ain'tNoFoolinAround]

Wow, how did I manage to miss this monster thread?!

Well, let's see...I'm 21, and currently unemployed. I have decided it's much harder to work at a job you hate, making good money than a job you love, which pays peanuts. So, I'm looking for a job I can tolerate, much to my parent's dismay http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I live in Canada, home of the ice and snow, and I'm co-habitating between both parents' houses right now.

I am a financial hostage to my beautiful OTTB, Casey, and I love him to bits. Bought him last year, and as soon as I have the $$, I'm going to blow the dust off the show clothes, and try not to make to much of an a$$ of myself in the hunter ring.

I am owned by my lovely (and opintionated!) cat Irish, who's a big fat orange pain, who loves to sleep on my clean clothes, and leave big hairballs on them. He also loves to troment my lovebird, Kurt (who I have had for 5 years) and my gerbil, Veruca. My other cat, Ebony (who I've had for 15 years) lives with my super wonderful BF, Mike, at his place.

I'm also attached at the hip to my *better* (cough, cough) half, we've been together 2.5 years, and hopefully, will be moving in together, as soon as I get off my butt, get said job, and leave said parents alone!

I have a passion for seafood, I'm Hungarian (no, never been there, and can't speak the language very well!) and when I'm not catering to my 'herd' I can be found out having coffee with friends, cooking (love to cook!!), reading something, or watching a movie.

Well, that's the very, very, very condensed version of me, and I'm aware I don't sound very fun when it's all typed out herehttp://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif really, I am fun, and I do *try* and have a lifehttp://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gifhttp://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Sky Meadows]

Good thread!! http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/yes.gif
I don't believe I've ever introduced myself, so here goes nothin!

My name is Teri, I was born & raised in different parts of the San Diego county area of California, started out on Coronado Island and slowly worked my way out to a more horsey area, finally moving to the desert! I started riding when I was 9 years old, I took English lessons for years under different trainers, showed some in open shows (and always in the ribbons). I've ridden and worked with various breeds: Arabians, NSH's, Warmbloods, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Paints, Appendix QH's, Ponies, Miniature horses, etc, though my favorite breed is and will always be Arabians! I've owned 5 horses in my short lifetime, four Arabians (1 gelding, 1 colt and 2 mares) and one OTTB mare. I currently only own one horse, an Arabian mare who is Straight Egyptian (my preffered breeding in Arabs). She's a greenie, I did a lot of her ground work myself, then after sitting on her twice, sent her off for 120 days of pro training...though I wasn't able to ride her much after that and so, I'm getting ready to re-start her again!

What else...I am a wannabe horse trainer & photographer, I own three Shetland Sheepdogs (two of which my father & I bred), Sky Meadows Sir Charles, & Lynas (both males) and Twin Acres Sweet Victory (AKA Kimber a female), the other is a Shephard/Lab mix named Daisy that we adopted from the humane society a couple months ago. I'm 18 years old, married to a great guy (but I'd love it if he was more into horses!) and we have a daughter who just turned 5 months old. We moved accross the country last November (whew, did THAT with 3 dogs in a small extended cab truck!) from Cali to Maryland, and just bought a place down in Virginia (we're still unpacking), I like it here, but, I have yet to meet anyone here that likes horses (or, anyone for that matter!)...so, gets a bit lonely compared to Cali.

Anywhoo, my main goal is training my mare and hopefully showing her within the next couple years. And that would be me!

[Little Indian]

I'll take a bite at this.
My name is Hali, I'm 18 years old, and I live in Southern California. I'm going to be going to college this coming year, which i'm excited and nervous about. I own three wonderful horses, one of which who is being leased out to a wonderful couple who spoil him rotten. the husband, who rides him, just got a tattoo of him. so intro to the horses. Viper is a 11 year old Running (not quite appendix, his TB is pretty far back) Quarter Horse gelding, who is 16.1hh. he was supposed to be my childrens hunter, but he developed a hock issue, where he is now being leased out as a trail horse. Next is Gomez (shown as Triton), a 17 hand Westfalen (branded in Germany) gelding who thinks he's the worlds largest puppy dog.When one first meets Gomie, you will be thoroughly licked from head to toe, and then be followed around until you get tired of that 17 hand hadow. The neat thing about Gomie is that you can only view his brand if the light hits him a certain way, because we'd like to think that he was one of the babies who leaped 20 feet int he air because he had no idea what the heck was going on. Gomie shows in the hunters and eq, though we hope to dabble in the jumpers. Last, but for sure not least is Indy (reg/show name is Brindaro). Indy is a 14.1 hand half Andalusian/Arabian (his arabian side is Egyption/Polish cross) gelding who is the funniest horse you will ever meet. Indy was bred to be a saddleseat horse, but as a foal was turned out in an arena with fences where he proceeded to jump every one of them that was set. So that ended his saddleseat career before it ever started. We bought Indy as a 3 year old where from that time on he has done everything from Dressage (up to First Level), to eventing (baby novice stuff), to hunters (where on a good day he'd win the hack and be in the top 5 in the over fences), and the pony jumpers. Once a year we show at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse which is an "a" Andalusian show benifiting Indy's breeder's husband's orginazation (USC NOrris Cancer Center).
I ride random ponies for my trainer, one of which who Icompletly adore and love as if he was one of my own. His name is Buddy and he's a 14 hand bay connemara pony gelding. He doesn't know much as he's only 6 years old, but tries as much as anything I've ever seen.
We have two dogs, Lola Mae and Brownie. Lola is a year and a half old and we've had her since she was 8 weeks old. She's a Springer Spaniel/Boxer mix and the cutest thing I've ever seen. Khobstetter has named Lola's mix the Sproxer, and that is what we call her. She's been around the ponies since the day we got her and she's been known to go up to random horses and start licking their faces (her and Gomie are adorable together, they lick each other). We got Lola from one of my good friends, who owns the mother and the brother (Samson). Brownie is a 13 year old terrier mutt who is currently deaf (we like to say she has selective hearing, because sometimes she will listen) and has cateracs in both eyes. Brown sleeps most of the day (always has) and is more of a cat then a dog. I LOVE taking pictures, and am obsessed with my camara. that's enough about me.

[marta]

(forgive a screw up)

[CanadianGolden]

I think Blushing Bug x Surely Humble should have produced...

Humbug!

Although I'd be willing to bet a QH is already named that...so much for my creativity.

[MyShadeOfPink]

I'll try http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

My name's Jennie. I'm 18 and live in the worst town/city/they don't know what to call it, because we have a population that gives us the right to be called a city, in New Jersey. I lurk mostly now, because my computer freezes every 20 minutes or so.

I'm off, well I guess on to college (because it's only 4 miles away and I'm staying home) at the end of August. It's called Camden County College and pathetic me already has loans. I have aspirations to be a sign language interpreter, and my extremely motivated self has acheieved three (yes, gasp, three!) credits in summer classes.

I don't have a horse anymore, as it has been a painful year since my parents up and sold my horse because I had a car accident. Fortunatly she went to an awesome home. I must stop by soon to see if the barn they are building for her (yes, they're building her a barn) is finished yet.

My latest struggle is finding a new job and paying for my car insurance. Three thousand dollars a year for liability (yes, that's liability only). I also need a new laptop, anyone care to buy me one?

That's me.

Edited to add that i have completed one third of my novel. It is very horse related romantic fiction. When it is published I expect everyone to buy one!

(PS: How do you get a book published?)

[pcwertb]

I must admit I lurked for YEARS before I ever started participating, but I really enjoy COTH and find the forums generally useful and often quite entertaining http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I am 35 and married for 3 years (it took a while to find the right one!)....let's say I'm sure his parents were relieved he got married as he's 10 years older and never married before. We bought 25 acres and built a farm. I had a smaller farm before and he had a house in the city, we wanted something that was OURS. We have an 11 month old daughter who I hope will be interested in ponies!

I've been riding since I was 11 and have shown at dressage and h/j shows. We currently own a hunter gelding (TB) who I showed at HITS OCALA in 2003 and got ribbons as high as 3rd! (I never in a million years thought I could do that). Unfortunately I'll be selling him as we plan to have another human baby and I don't want him just sitting around, he's only 9 and way too talented. I have a 5 year old Connemara pony gelding who is AWESOME and I bred my TB mare to a connemara stallion for and eventing baby! She is 3 months old and just the best.

For work I get PAID (which I think is amazing) to be a biologist who designs habitat restoration. I love my work.

[Emryss]

What the heck...

I live in Sacramento, Ca - have most of my life. So have my folks.

I own one and a half horses: one being a QH colt that was given to me ("Wild Intimidator" http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif ) that is my current summer project, and the other a very aged TWH mare, Peacock's Shadow, that I have pretty much given to my niece. That's the half.

I have loved horses all my life, but never really got to ride until adulthood. I trained Peruvian Pasos for a couple of years until the Loma Prieta Earthquake (the one that broke the Bay Bridge in '89) caused my job to go away. Most of my life before and after the Dream Job was spent grooming dogs or some other pet-related thing. (I started grooming dogs in San Francisco when I was 11. Don't tell the child-labor law people. Shhh.)

I have one husband, two boys, a mini poodle, two old cats and a few homing pigeons creating massive amounts of mess when I'm not looking.

[maxxtrot]

i'll bite. i am 36 yrs.old married and own a 30 acre farm in horse country, ocala florida.have been riding since i can remember with a few short breaks here and there. hunters all thru teen years and taught for 10 yrs. in atlanta,ga. now for the last 5 or 6 yrs. i have been eventing my off the track tb's, and i love it. owning a farm has cut done on my showing for the last 2 yrs. or so, but now things are good and we are off to the events.www.camaloufarms.com

[Ata]

My real name is Melissa and I live in Chandler, Arizona. I am 23 years old and free lease a 10 year old morgan/QH mare and her 3 year old son. I have been riding for about 12 years now and have only done a few schooling shows. Right now I am in the process of starting a career in the aviation industry, mainly being a mechanic. I plan to work my a$$ off until I get enough money to buy me a farm and move away, preferablly to the east coast, which is my birthplace.

Outside of horses(somewhere I rarely venture), I love to go dancing, camping, anything to do with water and being outside.

[relocatedTXjumpr]

Ok, I'll play...

I'm Becca and I'm 25. I work for an Occupational Med. co doing AR work. NOT my life calling! I currently own two horses, Rudy, 14 year old QH gelding, who I re-rescued back in October of last year,and Taylor, 2 1/2 year old breeding stock paint filly...who rules the farm! I keep both of them at home.
I've been riding since I was 5, and showed on the local and "A" TX circuit up until I moved to GA in 1996. After many years without horses my soon-to-be purchased Taylor for me at a local auction, and then I came across Rudy and fought for 10 months to get him home. My goal for Taylor is to turn her into a junior or amature hunter in a few years, but, who knows!
Theres an assortment of dogs and cats that run my life as well.
I have no dreams of showing again, except maybe sweeping the greens on the "big circuit" with Taylor...but I'm sure that will be someone elses job.

I guess thats about it. I'm a slave to my horses...just the life I always wanted!!!

http://community.webshots.com/user/ga_jumpr

[Beethoven]

Well I have been posting here for awhile, but am still sure many people don't know my background.

Hi! I am Jenna. I am 19 almost 20 well not really till december, but I am excited/scared. I am currently living in Colorado and going to Colorado State University. Right now I live with three other girls, two of which are as horse crazy as I am. I am originally from Georgia. I have been riding since I was 7. I showed on the "A" circut while I was there. My last year I competed in Children's Jumpers and th medals! Extra year as a junior!! YAY!! I have yet to show since I have been in CO, but I really have no time. I currently work at the CSU vet hospital and at Noah's barn. I have an awesome boyfriend, who makes me the happiest girl in the world. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

O yea, my horse is Noah. His show name is Beethoven. He is a 17hh, solid bay OTTB. His pics are on my webshot album. I am on my fifth year of owning him!! YAY!

[doccer]

hello http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Since everybody else got a turn......My name is Carol. I've been riding in northern alberta for close to 10 years now. My horse' name is doccer (show name 'See Doccer's Trip', cuz he does trip alot lol).

doccer is a standardbred/belgium, from what we can figure. and we started showing in western, but out main interest now is dressage http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif (with the occasional jumper class or horse trials.)

I teach 2, 8 year old girls 'the basics' on doccer. (funny how he never packs ME around lol) and have also taught at our disability riding centre.

I'm mainly looking to ride as many horses as possible, to get more experience with greenies, and to build the confidence with greenies. AND to work doccer thru to 2nd level. mainly for my greedy interests of wanting my horse to do as well as he can. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

But this is already long enough lol, BUT, i love telling a good 'I FELL OFF!!' story. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif lol Good Riding

Carol and Doccer

**-*If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right*-**

**-*2 minds*-**
**-*2 hearts*-**
**-*1 dance*-**

[MCJumper]

Hey Guys!

I am Maria, a 16 year old high school junior. I have been riding for about 8 years and I own a little thoroughbred mare who does the childrens hunters named Never Knew. She is actually for sale and I am in the midst of buying a new horse-Lucky a 4 year old Thoroughbred who is adorable! I have shown primarily in the hunters but I have gotten more into the jumpers recently and showed in the jumpers at Roanoke Valley atop a horse who I was leasing at the time-Just Push Play.

I am obviously not married...but I have a bf, Andrew, who just graduated and is going to William and Mary this year.

I have 3 dogs, Tanner-golden, Teddy-Peek-a-poo, and Cricket-Welsh Corgi and a cat named Zeus who would like to think that he is a dog. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/winkgrin.gif I also have a mouse a fish and a hamster....yea I love my animals lol.

all u have to do is go to my website
www.freewebs.com/maria_jump (http://www.freewebs.com/maria_jump)
to find out more about me and my strange ways haha.

[Bumpkin]

Cool, someone Bumpkined this up, and it wasn't me. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[WonderPony]

I'll stick my nosey in. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I'm 39 years old, married and have a seven year old son who plays soccer, lacrosse, baseball and hockey. See a pattern here? Anything with a ball or puck. I'm trying to steer him towards polo or polocrosse. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/yes.gif Of course, his dad would flip, but hey. He'll adjust. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

I work as an administrative assistant http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/sleepy.gif to pay the bills. I used to run programs for at risk kids, but working where I do pays more and has better benefits than human services. Sad. Very sad.

I did 4-h growing up, some english, some western, lots of fun, then was horseless for about 5 years after college.

At this time I have only Katie the WonderPony (McEire Brook Lady Kathleen), a 15 year old, 15 hand Connemara/TB bred by Greystone Farm. In the past year, I've lost Ramsey to old age and Taingeil to laminitis, at age 6, a month ago http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Today, for the first time in 8 years, I paid the farrier for just one set of shoes. Weird. Very weird.

Katie and I have evented BN, shown training level stressahge and done lots of trail riding. We've both been moms. We are also hunterpace junkies. We'd like to do distance riding or foxhunt, but that's not in our future at the moment.

Right now, I'm starting to look for farm, so I can bring Katie and her buddy Taz home. (Taz is my friend's QH that lives with us.) Then, I think I'd like to breed Katie to Erin Go Bragh and see what we get. Of course, I'm already planning my ring and jumps. :lol

WP

[Pirateer]

Somehow I made it to Grand Prix without ever posting on this thread. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

My name is Rebecca, and I'm 20 years old. I was born and raised in Palmer, Alaska, and am the founding member of the now FIVE person Alaska clique.

In theory, I'm showing a 16 year old bay TB gelding in the AA jumpers, except he's been lame all season on and off, so we've only done one show. However, we were champion http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Me and Cruz in a w/up class (http://www.bluffparkfarm.com/DPI/imagesDPI/MidSummerSun04/pages/MidSummerSunday04.013.htm)
I loff my Cruzie (http://www.bluffparkfarm.com/DPI/imagesDPI/MidSummerSat04/pages/MidSummerSaturday04.021.htm)

Since he's been lame, I've been enjoying the ride on a LOFFLY Quarter Horse gelding named HotRod Hank. I only ride him at shows, and we do the AA Jumpers, some Hunter classes, some Eq, and our Zone Medal classes.
Me and Hank at the beginning... (http://www.bluffparkfarm.com/DPI/imagesDPI/ColonyDaysSun04/pages/ColonyDaysSunday04.041.htm)

Me and Hank warming up for the Medal in the jumpers.. (http://www.bluffparkfarm.com/DPI/imagesDPI/SectionSixteenSun04/pages/SectionSixteen04Sun74.htm)

During the day, I post on COTH while I'm at my "Real Job". I'm a clerk for the parks department of my county. There is a grasshopper crawling on my computer right now.

I'm a junior majoring in Equine Studies at Virginia Intermont College. I ride on the IHSA team, or at least, I paid the IHSA their money and got my team jacket. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I live with Leftysmom when I'm at school.

I'm owned by a very opinionated yellow lab, and I fully concur with whoever it was's signature line of

"Her life was okay. Sometimes she wished she were sleeping with the right man instead of with her dog, but she never felt she was sleeping with the wrong dog".

[fivebyfive]

Wow I haven't posted on this yet!!

My name is Carly, I am 22 years old and a Psychology Major at the University of Toronto. However I don't really intend on doing much WITH my psychology degree, I think I am going to attend college next September to become a vet tech.

I've been riding for 12 years, eventing very sporadically for 7 of those years (on school horses). I don't own a horse, nor have I ever, but I do part board a great one. William's a Clyde/TB, also known as "Good Will Hunting". He's nifty, and made even niftier because of his problem: he has a cleft palate! So eating and drinking for him is always amusing to everyone watching http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

This summer we've done a bunch of hunter schooling shows, and hope to progress to an event or short course by September. I think we can do that for sure.

I have 3 jobs right now. My full time summer job is "horticulture" (I plant and maintain flowers) for my town. One of my part time jobs is also with the town, and my other part time job is at a vet clinic (I work with Squishthebunny!)

I have a dog (who has vestibular disease), Mackenzie - he's a 13 y/o border collie. 2 cats (one fat, one not) - Scully and Sydney, and my "angel" cat, Indiana, who we had to put down 3 months ago at the young age of 12. Oh yeah, and my Wal-mart goldfish who is almost 3 years old, Silent Bob (Bob to his friends).

Can I consider my boyfriend of over 3 years a pet, too?

[jen1977]

Hi everyone! My name is Jen, I am 27, currently a stay-at-home mom of three-Morgan(horse CRAZY) is 7, Madison is almost 5, and Max just turned an evil 3! I used to work in Human Services with DSS involved teen girls, then I was a CNA. I currently go to college part time. I am also married, 5 years there! I own a little rescue mini and am getting ready to bring a free lease home on Aug 7th! I am in the hills of Western Mass...
Jcloutier1977@aol.com

[ELCJet]

Okay, I'll bite.

I've been a lurker for over a year. I'm another Erin, 25 years old, currently unemployed and over-educated. I showed pony hunters as a child back in MA, and now I live out West and teach a small group of beginners one day a week at a local stable. I showed in IHSA in college for CU-Boulder. Yes, non-ag schools can also have fun in college equestrian sports! I started teaching as a counselor at summer camp-- 12 horses, 5 counselors, and 65 screaming little girls. I loved every second of it and feel it made me an even better horsewoman. I'm recently engaged to my college sweetheart and "barn slave" from camp. He hates riding, but he loves ponies....I'm happy with that.

With that, I will go back to lurking and chiming in every once and a while.

[MissD]

Hi! http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/yes.gif
My name is really Dina, but I'm known as D by people associated with the barn I ride at. I'm 19 years old, and about to finish my first college course (tomorrow! http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif). I've been riding since I was 9, and my entire riding career has occured at the same barn. I used to work at the barn, mainly cleaning stalls and such. I am now unemployed, but I plan to find a job next summer. This year will be spent concentrating on my studies.

I don't know what else to tell you, so I guess that's it! http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/yes.gif

[pooh]

ok even though we are now up to 10 pages!!! I'll add in my two cents.
I'm Brenda , a 37 y/o- started seriously riding 5 years ago when i decided a horse was better than a husband. Don't have any kids unless you included the obvious 4 legged one and my 2 ( soon to be 3 ) cats. I have an adorable 9 but large!) 7 y/o QH who loves to jump as long as they are small- get to big and disaster results ( including massive buck off at a show) I'm a physical therapist currently in the eastern part of PA but considering relocating back towards south central PA/MD so may need so barn ideas in the future!

[Sing Mia Song]

Wow, this started 3 years ago and is making a return!

I'm Siobhan (pronounced "Shove-ON"), 35, married and a vet tech for the last 10 or so years (licensed since '97). Started out with a degree in journalism and a job on Capitol Hill, but I chucked it all for a lifetime of cleaning up bloody diarrhea. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/uhoh.gif Actually, I just left a management position and am now doing my own thing as a relief tech--I fill in at various hospitals when people go on vacation. It's fun and the scenery always changes.

I have 3 horses, 2 OTTBs who are learning how to jump and be hunters, and a Paint that I bought for my terminally ill sister-in-law. I did all the Big Eq as a kid, but now a "twice around the outside" crossrail class on my greenies makes me hold my breath!

I also have a husband who has learned that the horses will never go away, and it's best to just put up with it. I have 3 dogs and 2 barn cats who love sleeping on the roof of the run-in shed.

Hey, jen1977, are you related to Jackie Cloutier? Rode at Shallowbrook in the early 80s?

[faraway46]

Last but not least (....what a cliche http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif)

I'm Viv (aka Farawy46). I think I'm the BBer that lives farthest away: Argentina(anybody up to challenge me on that?).
I'm 36 and been riding non-stop since the age of three. I've gone from this:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/124888019/124891684ehkYhG
to this:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/92287572/92292245ABDWvg
I've always done jumpers seriously, but have tried dressage, western, polo and a little racing (since I'm 5ft "tall" http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif).
I've been married, divorced, then lived in (with someone else...don't trip on the same rock), separated and now HAPPILY MARRIED!!! YAY!!! http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
I have no kids (eleven horses, six dogs and four cats....my agenda is screaming NO VACANCY!!), although I am playing with the thought of being a human mom....
I'm in exporting (basicly dried fruits) and I slave the day away just to meet the horsey bills (and it's worth every penny!).
I haven't been able to ride since Feb due to a tumor operation (it's been my longest riding layup ever...I am going wild here http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_mad.gif!), but I'm starting again in August (hopefully) after my checkup! YAY! Wish me luck! http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Meanwhile, I keep horsey-busy rebuilding my farm after a squater ordeal and it's almost done (it took me almost six months...it was a mess...check my webpage under destroyed farm:
http://community.webshots.com/user/faraway46)
I'll post pics on the outcome soon.

[MistyBlue]

Viv...love that photo of you as a 7 year old! It's funny how nobody has any issues with mortality at that age. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Not sure if anyone is reading these...but...
Hi, I'm Rebecca, I'm 35, married and have 3 daughters. Stick with me a minute...this gets confusing...I have a 26 year old, a 22 year old and an 11 year old. The 11 year old is the only one I actually carried and gave birth to. The oldest is adopted and the middle child is a step. (but we don't use the term step in my house) My older two are actually terrified of horses...ack! Go figure. My youngest is semi-horse crazy...it comes and goes.
I have an APHA gelding named Max, 15h, chestnut and white, 12 years old, REAL character. (real name is Ima Cool Skippa) I also have my Uber-mare Galopin, 17h chestnut sabino Dutch mare, thinks the world revolves around her and is usually right aboout that, LOL! She's a Purioso/Garant mare and right this very minute is at the vets getting ready to receive some Iroko juice. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif I'm hoping for a shorter foal who likes to jump as my diva thinks dressage is the only discipline in the world. She's 16 years old.
Just brought my horses home a month ago to my new farmette, Overlook Lea. Also just retired from real estate to hopefully start this cute little place up as a small breeding/training and sales barn with a few beginner lessons thrown in. Nothing bigtime, just enough to support my horsie habit and to enjoy working with horses and small children. Thinking about joining Pony Club.
Am slowly going crazy with my MIL here for the last 2 weeks with another week to go. So am right now hiding in my basement typing my life story out to avoid one more "Well, I clean THIS way at MY house" conversation with her. http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/lol.gif

[Sannois]

OK I'll do it! I have been hanging around this board since2001. I'm 46 Going on 13, according to my husband! http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I am told my very first word as a baby was horse!! I have been addicted to them all my life! No kids! Live in MI Born on Long Island NY. Currently have a TB who is 16, Tried eventing with him, not his thing, Doing Dressage with him, and Starting a friends horse going to do our first event in Sept! Have 3 Kittys! Tons of critters that live in our woods, that think I am there servant ! Birds Deer Coons! Skunks you name it!

[Boston Chicken]

I have never introduced myself either...

My name is Gillian, age 31 and I live just outside Boston in Newton, Mass. I am engaged to a wonderfully non-horsey man, named Brendan who has yet to come to a horse show...but he promises to make it to my first ever horse trials on 8/8. I am a partner at a public relations firm but am considering taking a break later this year.

I rode competitively in the hunters and eq as a junior growing up in Westchester County, NY. I had a bad fall just before aging out and took lots of years off to recuperate and then, build other areas of my life. I retired my eq horse due to our accident and he crossed the rainbow bridge this past January. He was the first love of my life.

I started riding again only one year ago and quickly bought my dear horse, a massive selle francais gelding, named Faune. He has helped me find joy in my life again after several years of painful losses. I am way too overprotective of him but like many of you, he's like a child. We started showing this past spring and have been slowly improving in the adult eq and hunter divisions. Next weekend, however, we'll be entering a horse trials for fun. I have never done dressage or cross country so this could be very interesting.

My goals for the remainder of this season are to keep improving, get more fit and keep chipping away at my fears of getting hurt again. I also hope to send Faune to Florida this winter for a few weeks to show with my trainer. Last year's cold was too much for me http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif