What Was I Thinking?!

This was the name my husband thought of for my blog!  While I love the name...it would suggest I am witty and funny (not so much).  I have been reading other horse related blogs for about a year and decided it would be a good way to track my ups and downs of training my sweet mare, Riva. 

Now, for some background info.  I am a 40 something wife and mother to 2 daughters - B is in college and L is in high school.  My youngest is the one who got me into horses.  She had tried every sport known to young girls before finding her passion - riding and all things horse related.  We started out with lessons for her - which led to leasing first a sweet Quarter Horse gelding and then a very ornery POA.  After several years of this, we thought it was time to buy a horse for her.  Being just knowledgable to be dangerous first time horse owners. we adopted a 7 yr old OTTB from a resue group.  Cheers taught all of us so much - he was not the best choice for a first horse, but he will always have a home with our family.  Last summer, we purchased our daughter a better partner - a 14 yr old TB, Hennessy, with training and experience.  She is having a blast learning Dressage on him and improving her Jumping skills.  She is finding her passion to be Eventing and Hennessy is a willing boy.

So, in between getting Cheers & Hennessy, I fell for a yearling black & white filly.  A former trainer of our daughter breeds German Warmbloods.  While L was training with her, I would visit with this sweet gangly filly.  I told my husband she would be the perfect birthday gift for me.  He made my dream come true and arranged to buy her.  Now keep in mind, we knew nothing about training a yearling...but thought with support from a trainer, we could handle this.  Three years later, I would do a lot ot things differently, but I am thankful everyday for the opportunity of owning my Riva Diva.

The past two years found us moving Riva & Cheers to the current stable to board and Hennessy joined them there.  We found a great trainer to work with L & Hennessy and Riva & I.  I spent 2 years ground training Riva - from leading, to lunging, to ground driving, to short reining and finally to backing - I was never so excited as when I was sitting up on Riva's back!  We taught her to trailer load and stand thru baths.  We took her last year to two combined training shows, just as a companion for Hennessy and for the experience. 

My husband has been a huge part of training Riva - from handling her on the ground when I couldn't to holding her for vets and farriers and getting her on the trailer many times.  He has talked me thru many tough times and continues to be a wonderful support for me.
So - to the present.  Riva and I are working toward our first Dressage show in mid-April of this year.  Just Intro A & B - it will be our green horse & green rider debue!