About Exechorseluver

A writer and horse lover (animal lover) at heart. With a few year's exception, I have mostly worked outside the animal field. I am pretty good at what I do. But at the end of day, I want to be with the horses, cuddle with the dogs and sit quietly as the sun goes down with a cat on my lap. Spending time with my family and especially my grandchildren is number one for me. My little farm gives me a perfect life.

All Around

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Exechorseluver

New fence-sun going down on another day

The world is spinning. I will update on the latest events that have been going on here at the farm.

Momma has had a good week following her deep dive into the world of Alzheimer’s last Saturday. The nursing home had to move her room around due to some state regulations and that left her a little confused. She awakened and fell Wednesday night. We had a trip to the hospital but she is okay with sore back. Thank God it was not worse. That said, she has been brighter this week. Actually, in spite of the fall, getting out of the wheelchair more and being more active. Jim and Jay sent her three boxes of clothes from Arizona and I cannot wait for her to see them today. She has been so excited just anticipating them. She looked real pretty last night, in pink of course, excited about dinner. She has been getting some cards and loves to look at them over and over. Message me for her address if you would like to send her a card. It means a lot to her.

I have been troubled by a rash and pain in my leg. The doctor confirmed that I have shingles and it is slowing me down significantly. The drugs are starting to kick in and I am just now feeling a little better.

The fences are done. The gravel and sand have been delivered, dumped and grated. The weather changed this morning with cooler weather and rain expected. I think all these wonderful updates will help get us through the winter, higher and drier.

Caitlyn is off to Washington D.C. to ride the Washington International Horse Show Medal final. She had a stellar ride in the hunter phase today. Tomorrow will be the jumper phase (the area that she and her horse usually excel in) and then those called back for the final will ride Sunday. The horses are stalled in tents on the hard pavement of the Capital’s roads. I do not think most horses would have adjusted as well as KY. I am sending my prayers for Godspeed and great rounds. If you want to watch an amazing horse jump feat tune in tonight for the Puissance live at www.WIHS.org

Tonight is the salute to the Military and features the heart-stopping Puissance competition. Horses will jump the great wall until only one horse remains without knocking it down. The Washington International is one of the few remaining shows in the US to offer this class. The record to beat is 7’ 7-1/2,” set at Washington in 1986.

It should be on live about 8:00 pm central time.

Jordyn is coming to visit granny. Tomorrow we will ride and Lauren is off to a haunted house. Sunday will be a family dinner. And we just found out that maybe Amber, Ryan and the kids might be able to make a quick stop in Texas for the Christmas holiday. Yay!

Life goes on.

My Cats, My Dilemma

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Chloe

I was deathly allergic to cats growing up and my mother hated them so I never had one. Occasionally, I would sneak a stray into the house but my tell-tale runny nose and swollen almost-shut eyes were a quick give-away to my parents.

Oddly, it was when my top-barrel horse, Brandy, colicked and died when I was in college, that I got my first cat. A friend gave me a little black female. I did not want a cat, I wanted my horse back. Reluctantly, I accepted her gift but told her I wasn’t even going to name it-it could just be “Kitty Cat”. She told me, “you can’t call her that!” I compromised with “fine, I will call her Tiddy Tat” and I did. She was affectionately known as “Tid” and I grew to love her dearly. My allergies had backed off so that was okay. I treated her like a dog, taking her in the car, back and forth from school in Fort Collins to my parent’s home in Denver. She went on airplanes with me and moved from apartment to apartment as I started my career.

Additional cats came and went. I occasionally spent a lot of money on cats, dabbling in breeding Persians, owning purebred Burmese and Balinese Cats. I brought two cats from Florida to Texas but my newly rescued Doberman Abby killed them the first day home. That was enough for me. During the reign of Dobermans, Abby and Wally, we did not have cats. When we moved to Wharton, a mama kitty showed up in our tack room and soon kittens followed. They were wild cats. It took a couple of years and a few generations of kittens to be able to handle them.

I tried to round up each subsequent batch of kittens, get them inside, tame them and neuter them. Many ran off, got hit on the road or died of natural causes. In the past year or so, I have neutered maybe 12-15 cats which proved to be expensive and worthless. Of those cats, two are left. All the others killed or murdered at my farm or on my road.

There are now maybe eight adult cats that are not neutered, two females and the rest males. The two females are feral-wild and near impossible to catch. I should try harder but this routine of spending money, caring about them and having them die is taking its toll on me.

Riley with Chloe-she was patient enough for the roughest child

Chloe was a two-year old neutered female. She was my favorite cat. You have probably seen pictures of her in my grandchildren’s arms, riding along in the saddle with me or the kids. She would jump from the fence posts into the saddle with you as if it were just as natural as the world for a cat to ride a horse. She walked every night with the dogs and I to the back pasture.

I noticed she was gone Thursday, the first day we were gone to the show. I hoped she would show up again. Then we noticed all the cat food we left out on the front porch was disappearing. Dead kittens were littering the lawn in mornings having been savaged the night before. Lauren and I spotted large canine tracks in the arena that were roughly twice the size of our Doberman’s (she is a small dobie).

I was headed out last night to pick up yet another dead kitten from the pasture when the fence man stopped me. He told me he had buried a dead female on Friday. It had to have been Chloe.

I don’t know what to do. I try to be the responsible owner and capture as many as I can and get them neutered. My vet in Wharton has worked with me and given me discounts. A spay-neuter place in Houston has been more affordable and I have tried to use them when I can. Dr. Criner has offered to come do spays and neuters on my dining room table if I will help but I haven’t quite got up the desire to be that involved.

My problem is, the ones I tame, then take care of, inevitably are the ones that are killed. If it is not this current pack of dogs, it is coyotes, the highway or the cats fighting one another. I am emotionally flattened by the loss of my Chloe cat coupled with the sight of kitten corpses across my pasture.

I know I can’t save them all. I cannot have them all inside either. I am just sad and without a plan as to how to proceed. I will not have another cat like Chloe, maybe ever. I love them and I cannot protect them. I am at a loss.

Postscript- Just now coming into the house after feeding the horses, I found another young cat murdered by the fence. I am so tired.

Rainy Season

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Hoping this is a view that happens every 100 years!

I heard from my friend Gaylyn that this winter is supposed to be 33% wetter than in the last several years. Some sort of El Nino effect that is supposed to play out across south Texas this year.

That will not work out for me. I need the forecast to be updated and changed. A long, wet winter will be difficult for us to get through. I guess I should have caught on initially when we looked at the house and found it was in the 100-year flood plain, but then ever calculating my odds, I figured, once every hundred years, we should be fine. The mortgage company made me buy flood insurance-again I should have figured there must have been some risk of flooding. My house is raised about three feet off the ground. If only I had been able to raise my barn, arena and pastures off the ground a few feet, we would be better off. But you deal with what you have.

Yesterday as part of my work, I went on a tour of a refinery that is located close to my home. While many things were interesting about this tour, I was able to reflect my farm experiences on the experiences of the plant. They showed us a retaining wall that was built two years ago when the refinery, also in the 100-year flood plain, flooded . I had the same problem. Then they discussed how last summer’s drought caused them to have extensive water worries. They had to go to an area near my town of Wharton to divert water for the plant. They didn’t have my growing hay concerns but lack of water at a plant that bases many of its processes on water was certainly a problem. It was redeeming in a way to see my petty farm issues played out on this giant canvas.

So, this winter is to be wet. I jumped into action to do what I could, with limited resources, to make my horses and farm a little more friendly in the wet conditions. I have had tractors and workmen on multiple projects this last week. One is bringing in a gravel based sand that will raise the path from gate to arena, pasture to pasture and along the front fence line where water always pools. Another is redoing part of our fence. Initially, the posts were loosened by the flood waters. Then the long, summer drought caused the earth to crack and the posts to lean.

The new posts up but no fencing yet. The new walkway between front and back pastures will help with the sucking mud of South Texas. The arena will be good once it is dragged and level.

Today, they are re-doing our backyard fence which keeps my dogs separated from the horses. Mickey, and Leo before him, liked to hang his head over the back fence in hopes of getting some grass from the yard. Of course, the dogs charge the fence and a lot of barking and running ensues. The new fence will have wood across the top that the horses cannot bend. The old fence was bent to about two and half feet high, we all know that Mickey could leap over that if he ever put his mind to it.

The projects will make my arena look nicer, provide a better base for jumping and working our horses, fix some dangerous situations and hopefully give us some walkways when the winter rains come. Oh, Gaylyn, I hope you and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are wrong about the winter predictions, but if not, we are preparing the best we can.

Feather investigating the arena with no fence line. She asked if we were going to start doing dressage instead. No, Feather-the fence will be back.

Mr. Alz Launches a Blizzard

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Saturday when I got to mom’s one of the aides was busy with her, helping her wash her hands. I have to say from an ego standpoint, that the moment in each day when she figures out I have come to visit is a big one for me. Normally, she will look intensely at me, I will say “hi, momma” and she will say “Cindy!! This is the best surprise ever. You came at exactly the right time”. With that kind of feedback, it is wonderful to be there each day.

Friday I did not make it over to see her. We got tied up at the horse show and did not get back until late. I could have gotten over there but I didn’t. I was tired and worn out, but so what.

When mom turned away from the sink, there was none of the searching in her eyes. I think she thought I was just another person that worked there. I told her who I was-still nothing. She wasn’t tracking along with anything I was saying. Old Mr. Alz was sending the snow deeply in her mind and I was not breaking through.

I mentioned that Jim and Jay were coming after Thanksgiving. She wanted to talk about the stain on her pants and how we should soak it best for it to come out in the wash. Except I did not see a stain and I do her wash. I was excited to tell her that three of her favorite people from the church in Denver had reached me (Elysee, Shirley and Adele) and wanted to call her. I told her about their emails and promised to read them soon. I got nothing from her. She tried several times to get up from the wheelchair and go work on that imaginary stain. I was afraid she would fall.

I brought out my best and most exciting thing-going out to dinner on Sunday after the horse show. Nothing. She said she needed to use the restroom. Finally, I got her ready for dinner at the facility the best I could. Even the little things like smelling her favorite perfume were not penetrating the storm that Mr. Alz had brought -not today.

I was heart-sick when I left her. She had dutifully kissed me goodbye but it was empty like being forced to kiss that creepy relative when you are young. I sent my girls a text message.

I blamed myself for not visiting the day before. I was worried sick that I had seen the last of my mother, that I had lost the little pieces that were left. The blizzard was storming hard around her brain taking the little she had left of memory and leaving this little shell. I talked with Amber and she told me that probably there would be more days like this but still some days where she might know me.

I know this is just my individual experience and so many have faced this before me. I have lost my mother and grieved for her so many times as Mr. Alz has rained down on her.

Yesterday, she was back to some degree, infinitely better than Saturday but not like the week before. She recognized Lauren and called her by name. It was a good day.

I wish I could banish Mr. Alz and all his tricks. I would give my mother peace of mind if only I could. The best I can do now is ride out the storms by her side and try to keep her safe as I can.

Courage

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Its a blur-would you want to take the chance of falling from five-feet off the ground going 25 miles per hour?

The show has gone well. Yesterday not as well as Thursday, but solid rides for Mick and Lauren. Today, they headed into the 1.0 meter (approximately 3’1″) division called the “Low Adults”. This is the division she will ride in the finals coming up in three weeks. Lauren has traditionally had issues with this division. They have successfully jumped 3’6″ inch courses for the last four years. But when we go into the division and call it “the Lows” something psychologically comes over Lauren and she does not do as well.

Today maybe five jumps into the course, Mickey refused. He stopped and Lauren went off hard into the jump. We have done this scene multiple times in the past. Lauren came out of the ring, angry and embarrassed. She was mad at Mickey but it was her approach to the jump that made him stop. At this height, she needs to set up him for each jump or he is not going.

Lauren wanted to quit. She said she was so tired and Mickey was worn out. Probably so. I told her that was fine but we would not come back to ride finals. She needed to go back in the ring and try the 1.0 meter class again. We could not give up, then come back in three weeks and think she was going be successful. She did not like my answer. Her trainer gave her some tough love. He told her if she rode well, Mickey would jump well. Neither Dev or I were giving her an easy way out.

To the degree I can understand this as I have never faced a three-foot jump, I get that galloping at high-speed toward a solid object on the back of horse is frightening. Lauren has been thrown countless times. Been hurt many times, as well. I understand that giving up is easier than facing down her fear.

Dev and I looked around to find Lauren before her next class. She had disappeared. I was not convinced that she hadn’t gone back to stalls and given up. Then I spotted her at the far end of the arena, she wasn’t happy but she was hanging in there.

I sat next to a dear friend who assured me Lauren would be okay. I wasn’t so sure. Neither was Lauren. The first jump was good. Mickey stopped and refused at the second jump but Lauren stayed on. She got her crop, hit Mickey once to get his attention, circled around, sailed over the jump and finished her course. Dev said that Mickey was jumping as well as he ever jumped and Lauren rode like a pro.

Facing down your fears, when you want to quit and give up takes courage. Nothing about this sport is a given. Equestrian sports with the strong connection between horse and rider are exceptionally difficult. What other sport do you share with a thousand pound partner-counting on them to keep you safe? Lauren showed courage (we kind of forced her into it) today and I couldn’t be prouder.

Back in Jumping

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Exechorseluver

First and Second to start out the show

Lauren and Mickey came roaring through the in-gate to start off their first round over fences. Dev told them to trot around the arena first before starting the round, but Mickey had different ideas. He came prancing and dancing down the line toward the first fence and just flowed on from there. He cleared all the fences handily although it did look like he and Lauren struggled initially to get the communication going. End of the first round, he was clear over all the jumps and off to the jump off. They were two fences from winning when I saw Lauren appear to go sideways in the saddle. Then it became obvious her saddle was slipping. One fence shy of the finish line, Lauren hopped off before the saddle flipped over.

With all the weight fluctuations, it has been difficult to gage Mickey’s exact size. Did he need the 46 or 48 inch girth with his new size? Lauren went with the 48 but it just wasn’t cranked tight enough once they got going. She is lucky to have escaped a little embarrassed but no worse for wear. She still pulled a second place ribbon for the class.

In their second class, with the saddle newly placed and cinched tightly, Mickey and Lauren were in it to win it. And they did. No other rider came close to their jump off time and they left with the blue ribbon.

Tomorrow will be a new day, the fences will be higher as they work toward the weekend. I think Mickey is doing great. Lauren seems to have a good feel for him. Best part-not a single cough all day!

The Show Ring

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Lauren-First horse show 1999, Wickham Park, Florida

Lauren entered the show ring for her first time in the spring of 1999. She was riding the small Shetland pony pictured above named Buckwheat. As you can see from the picture it was not a classic horse show outfit but one hastily put together from what we had and what we were able to borrow.

Prior to my divorce, Ally had been taking riding lessons a prestigious hunter/jumper barn in Melbourne, Florida. After the divorce, we did not have the money to continue training at that barn. Instead, so that we all could ride I had purchased my first Florida horse, a beautiful black Thoroughbred cross mare named Silver. I never knew why she was called that. Her papers went back to Man O’War so that was good enough for me. We kept her at a county park which had boarding facilities. Both Ally and Lauren started taking lessons with the resident trainer, Renee. As a county facility this was not where the big hunter/jumper riders boarded their horses, but it had inexpensive stalls, multiple arenas, miles of trails to ride and cross-section of clientele.

When the first horse show was scheduled that spring, we got caught up in the excitement and both girls wanted to take part. Trainer Renee said young Lauren could use her pony. Now take a good look at the picture. One stirrup is literally tied on with hay string. Lauren’s jacket is miles too big. True horse show buffs out there know she did not have on the right riding pants, she wasn’t sporting jodhpurs or the required garters. Her helmet was too big and her hair was a mess. These all could be deductions from the judge’s score card.

Lauren got ready to go in the ring that day, to do a “walk only” class, meaning, all she had to do was walk her pony around, change directions when asked and line-up to be judged. Actually, that is a lot for a young rider and it takes a good and patient pony to not go too fast (child falls off) or too slow (doesn’t move) neither of which will earn the blue ribbon. Jordyn is not ready for a “walk only” class yet-or I don’t have the right pony so Lauren, at age six, was doing well.

As she entered the ring, I spotted Ally’s old trainer, Richard, from the high-dollar barn, sending three riders into the ring on little, fancy Welsh ponies. They were all dressed appropriately, had ribbons in their hair, new tack and jackets that fit. I figured Lauren was going to be a little disappointed with the outcome of the class.

The group was put through their paces. Lauren had her “game face” on and was working hard to execute exactly what the judge asked the group to do. The high-dollar ponies seemed a little more excitable and their little riders were having some issues getting them to stop, turn or just walk on.

The placings were announced and Lauren won the class. It was her first horse show and very first blue ribbon. She had beaten all of Richard’s riders. Ally and I also rode that day. We all had fun, picked up some ribbons and caught the show bug. We all wanted to do more.

The best part of the day was when the trainer, Richard, came and asked if he could buy Lauren’s ride of the day, Buckwheat. He told me he had cash, right now, sell the pony and he would take it home. Obviously, he wasn’t my pony to sell and Renee wasn’t interested. I was amazed at his offer. I guess Richard’s ponies were not earning the ribbons and Lauren’s pony did. He must have figured he could clip and braid and make Buckwheat into a fancy pony. At least one guaranteed to win for his demanding clients.

Since that day, Lauren and I have been in the same situation where we brought our horses to compete with well-bred “fancy” horses. We have gotten better tack, learned to dress the part and tried to understand the rules of what the judge is looking for in each class. We have never boarded at the prestigious barn. My little place in Wharton is not in anyone’s category of fancy. But it has worked for us. Pretty well, in fact.

Tomorrow, after a five month hiatus, Lauren and Mickey will be back in the show ring. I don’t know what will happen, if the little bay horse has recovered his health enough to be competitive with “fancy” horses. But I got to tell you my money is on that same determined little girl who entered the ring and won a walk class on a pony named Buckwheat a long time ago.

Busy times!

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Exechorseluver

I will miss you, little one.

I started out Friday afternoon not with some much needed time off but meeting Lauren at the orthopedic surgeon where she had taken my mother for her hip. I was taking over the appointment wait. I was hoping by the time I got there they would have completed the visit and she would be ready to go home. It was not going to work out that way.

Lauren left. Mom and I waited some more. There were at least five other people in the waiting room. Her appointment was at 2:15 and we got sent to the exam room at 4:30. Then we waited some more. I am pretty sure mom had no idea where we were or what we were waiting for. Finally, long after dinner had been served at her facility, Dr. Chau came in to see us. He said there was some arthritis in the hip but it looked pretty good. Then he started moving her leg around. From the horrified expression on her face, it was obvious it hurt, a lot! He showed me how swollen her knee was (we had just been focused on the hip). He decided to give her an injection in the knee. Wow, I have had my shoulder injected numerous times but I did not see the needle slide two inches into through my arm. Don’t ever watch if you need this done-EVER! WOW! It was now moving toward 6:00 and he wanted us to stay and see how she did with the shot. She seemed to be moving better but hadn’t walked in ten days so her balance was all off.

I knew I would need to get her dinner. There are not a lot of choices and I just wanted to go home. I suggested we get McDonalds and go back to her room and eat. First she asked, “What is McDonalds?” then she asked, “can we get a drink here” and she did not mean diet coke. She probably needed a drink after that shot.

We got her back to the facility, ate our McDonalds (she loved the chocolate shake) and I got her settled in for bed.

Saturday we took Mimi, the pony, to Sarah’s for a month of training. I am just too busy with work and my mom to really get this pony started. I know Sarah will get her started right. It was ironic though, everything that Feather did poorly (load, fly spray, tie), Mimi did well. And everything Mimi did poorly (lunge, be ridden, be sweet) Feather did well. The road trip with trailer took us a good four hours.

Lauren and I rode Feather and Mickey in the afternoon. We are getting real close to the “A” show this weekend so Lauren wanted to ride Mickey. It was real windy and Feather kept spooking at everything. I was feeling pretty old by the time I headed out to my visit to mom. I had received the news that my mom’s niece, Geneva had died. I knew she was always close to Geneva and was worrying about how she would take the news.

When I got to the facility, Mom was in her wheelchair with her purse and a big blanket next to her. She was wide-eyed and nervous. She had heard that the center needed to be evacuated and that she needed to have something warm because it was going to be so cold. First, it was over 90 degrees, second, we were not going anywhere. I have rarely seen her as agitated as she was that day. I felt so bad for her. She was so confused and upset. When I tried to tell her about Geneva-it went right past her. I finally got her to the dining room and handed her off to the aides there. Walking out, two ladies stopped me and asked me if I had heard that the Catholic parishioners were coming to attack them and would hurt them. Apparently, everyone was drinking the same paranoid Kool-aid. One lady even asked me to examine her little dog as the parishioner had already gotten him (not really). I was exhausted by Saturday night.

Sunday saw us watching a lot of the USEF network waiting for Caitlyn to ride. We did get out to meet Ally, Jordyn and Kendyll at a cafe in Needville for lunch. Lauren and I picked up mom and she was like a new person. She enjoyed the drive and great food. Her favorite was the homemade peach cobbler with ice cream.

We talked about Geneva and she told me how much she had loved her and enjoyed being with her over the years. She has lots of other nieces and nephews who are still alive, but Geneva was more the age of her sisters and they all used to run together when she was in Oklahoma.

After we got home, we watched some more rounds in Harrisburg (including Caitie’s) and then Lauren went off to her boyfriend’s for the evening. I was looking forward to the undefeated Texans beating Green Bay. Well, I gave up on that after the first quarter.

I killed my favorite kitten this morning. It was up in my car and dropped out of the engine as I drove off in the dark. I u-turned to go back but she was lying helpless on the road-I had run over her. I took her back to the house and settled her in blankets. Lauren told me she was dead by 7:00 am when she checked on her. I had really loved this little one-I will miss her.

Caitlyn Rides the Nationals

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Exechorseluver

You all will remember my story of Lauren’s friend Caitlyn who was working hard to make the national finals. This weekend she went to Harrisburg, Penn. as a qualified finalist in the Pessoa Medal Finals. Pennsylvania is a long way from Texas. Her horse Ky and trainer, Trapp, traveled long days and nights. Ky was stalled in many unfamiliar places. Ky and Caitlyn met up on Friday to continue living the dream of riding the national finals.

We watched as a live feed from USEF brought us the ‘warm-up’ round yesterday. Caitlyn was one of over 260 junior riders looking for a spot in the top-eight. We watched on our little computer in Wharton, Texas as Caitlyn entered the big arena in Harrisburg. Before her had gone some of the top young riders in country, Lillie Keenan, Jacob Pope, Tori Colvin and Shawn Casady. The camera caught her face clearly as she rode into the ring, calm but determined. Her warm-up round was beautiful. She did not place in the top ten riders of her section but certainly rode well.

This morning, once today’s course was posted, the 250 plus riders and their trainers swarmed the arena like a million ants, walking the course, determining strategy and seeing the jumps up close. There is no warm-up ride to this final event. The horse goes in the arena and is expected to jump what is there, sight unseen. Caitlyn was deep in the list of riders. It made for long hours, waiting and watching as some of the country’s best went before her. Finally it was time for Caitlyn and Ky to enter the tunnel to the arena. I was scared to death just watching. Caitlyn had poise and calm far greater than her years of experience. It was not that long ago that Caitlyn just started these USEF shows and just had this year of hitting the nationals. Some of these kids started in national pony finals as six-year olds.

Caitlyn and Ky negotiated the course well. Former judges and top trainers felt she had a great ride but it would not be enough to make the cut for the finals.

Which is too bad on many accounts. Not just that, wow, it would have been great to see her make the work-off (the ultimate challenge of the final), but because Caitlyn and Ky do their best work when given the most difficult course. And tonight’s work-off was just that, a demanding course that asked a lot of the horse and rider. But nothing Caitlyn and Ky had not practiced a million times in the last few years. They would have been superb!

Caitlyn (and Ky) have everything to be proud of tonight as they head to Baltimore before tomorrow’s long trip home. A nation of horse crazy girls (and so many of her peers right here in Houston) watched a few years ago when Animal Planet did a reality show about how difficult it was to make it on the road to the national finals. We all watched it. But only Caitlyn went on and actually did it. She did all work, rode all the shows, practiced all the moves and built up the points to make it to the top shows in the United States.

So I say to you, Caitlyn-You are amazing! We back here at home could not be more proud of you tonight!

What I have Learned from my Kid’s Sports

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Exechorseluver

Amber at the top, Ally ready to hit and Lauren-my girls at the ball field.

I have been a mother for over 30 years. With three daughters spread out in age over 12 years, I have seen them pursue some of the same interests and some unique.

My oldest daughter Amber, well, what can I say? I was younger, more willing to keep up with crazy practice schedules and her dad was a good athlete in his own right. He was willing to coach her teams and did a great job of seeing Amber was exposed to multiple sports while encouraging her to practice and play hard. My dad had been a great athlete and we hoped Amber had inherited some of his skills. Amber played (and her dad coached her) on an all-boys soccer team until she was 12. Likewise, she played boy’s Little League until about the same age before moving to girl’s fast-pitch softball.

Amber ended up playing Junior Olympic Fast Pitch softball. We were in Florida at the time and she got to play a lot of international ball. At one time I believe they were ranked 13th in the world.

Ally came along when we were deep in fast pitch fever. When her dad found out she was a lefty-he was thrilled. Nothing like a good left-handed pitcher. Ally played some ball and soccer but really rated running track. She won several City and County awards. One of my favorite memories was of her and I running a 5K across the Melbourne Causeway running toward the Atlantic Ocean when she was only ten-years old. Ally got into the horseback riding about that time as well. She showed 4H and local shows with her friends from Wickham Park. Many of whom, are still dear friends all these years later.

In Texas, Ally did competitive cheerleading on a traveling team. I didn’t like it as much as horseback riding competitions but applauded how hard the team worked and how tough the competition was in competitive cheer.

Lauren never really got to do much of the organized sports like softball or soccer. Divorce was disrupting a lot of things then and Lauren got swept along in riding horses. She had her first horse at age six in Florida and has been riding ever since.

Here are some things I learned that I would have never known without sports in my kid’s life:

Ball parks are a great place to raise small children-Lauren pretty much grew up at the Melbourne and Palm Bay ball fields. While Hilary Clinton said it takes a village to raise a child, in her case it took a ball team and their families. Someone was always on hand to help out.
With that said, in those Florida years, the team was our family. We spent Thanksgivings and other holidays with teammember families. To this day, the Bergstressers are close friends, attending Amber and Ally’s weddings.
The cheerleading taught me how to style and french braid hair, skills I still use today (okay, so maybe I am braiding the horse’s tail, but still). I learned a lot about tumbling and choreography and the hours spent making something look simple that was quite complex.
I learned a lot of new things when Ally started 4H with the horses and even more when Lauren went the English route a few years later. I continue to learn more every day about this difficult and demanding sport.
Our horse show family here has expanded over the years. My dearest friends here in Houston are my horse show friends.

The biggest thing I learned from my daughter’s sport activities is that all my children are tougher, stronger and more determined than I ever could have been. Each one of them has taught me the meaning of courage and perseverance. I am so proud of each of them. I can’t wait to see what sport roads my grandchildren go down. I will be cheering them along. Count on it.

Exechorseluver

The life and times of modern day horse woman

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