Just Horsin' Around

I grew up on a farm and it was easy to have and ride a horse.  All we had to do was put one in the corral and barn behind the house, and bring home a bale of hay from the dairy whenever we needed it.  I rode often as a boy, with my cousin Janet who lived on the farm next door, until school activities--mostly sports--began to take up all the time available.  I think I was about twelve years old when we sold my last equestrian partner from boyhood.

My father had been a cowboy at heart, who was forced by circumstances into becoming a farmer.  I still remember fondly one night most weeks when he hitched the trailer, loaded one of the horses, and headed to Shady Acres for a little friendly Team Roping competition.  It was easy to fall into a love of horses, and always taken for granted.

Except for an occasional ride with a friend or vacation trail rides, I was out of the equestrian world for many decades.  Day-to-day life and all of its challenges didn't seem to leave much time for it.

Fast forward to about twelve years ago, and my children were experimenting with all of the usual suspects of extracurricular activities.  For Alex, there was soccer and music; for Julia skating, dance, and gymnastics.  Soccer faded from interest and memory for Alex, but his love of music--playing it and writing it, as well as listening to it--is still strong.  With Julia, every activity received a one-year tryout.  Dance, gymnastics, and skating had only one season of interest.  One and done. 

Then, one fine day, a neighborhood friend put Julia on a horse.  That was it.  She was hooked, and her mother and I were hooked along with her.  From then on it was lessons and learning, then lots of practice and competition--first in Hunter classes, but that changed to Stadium Jumping, which became Julia's forte and real love.

All of this started on "school horses" that belonged to her training barn, but that wouldn't last too long.  She needed her own horse on which to train and compete.

Enter Cameo Appearance.

Cameo has been an important part of our family and our lives for almost nine years.  Julia started riding and training on Cameo just before Cameo's 4th birthday.  She was trained to ride, but that was about all.  Everything else, they learned together.

While all of this was going on