Category Archives: Horses

Mick leaves for Finals and Bruno comes home-A Bruno Story

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Feather is a big horse. Bruno is huge.

First off,the horses have fly masks on to keep the flys out of their eyes.  They are easier to catch as well.

Yesterday was a super stressful day for me.  I decided to go meet Lauren at the Equestrian Center when she hauled Mickey up for Finals.  Dev was coming from the other direction with Bruno in his trailer and the idea was to move Bruno from Dev’s trailer to ours.

I left my car for Lauren and we waited for Dev to pull in.  I saw Bruno’s head emerge from Dev’s trailer but nothing prepared me for the size of this horse when he stepped out of the trailer. Wow!  My friends keep making fun of me because all I can say is how big he is.  I have owned big horses before.  Cupid was a huge horse.  But something about the way this guy is built just amazes me.  Don’t worry I will have plenty more pictures.

I have turned the pulling of the trailer over to Lauren.  The thought of hauling the new guy home by myself in rush hour Houston traffic was not a good one for me.  Okay, I was pretty freaked out.  Dev promised Bruno would not act like Leo-still I was out of practice and frightened.  Each time I successfully made it down another stretch of road to the next turn off, I gave thanks to God and kept hoping my luck would hold.  When we finally pulled into my place, I was worried about unloading him.  Agility is not my best thing.  Old, previously broken bones, arthritis and hip replacements do not allow you to bound easily in and out of trailer.  I unhooked him, went in to undo the slant and was chaining it back when he simply turned around (not an easy feat for a 17 hand horse inside a horse trailer) and headed out.

I walked him up to my ridiculously small barn and thought, boy, you have come a long way from New York.  I got him settled into Mickey’s stall and thought I was going to put Feather into hers.  I changed my mind when I saw he could simply reach his head over the stall and bite the mare.  I moved her another stall down.

Anyway, the evening settled in.  I had let him out in the paddock and Feather and Kid were on the pasture side.  He started racing up and down the gate.  He is here to re-habbed his hoof and ripping his special shoes off first thing was not a good plan so I let them all go out together.  A little excitement ensued but shortly they were all eating hay together.  They will all be fine.

Today Lauren rode Mickey in two classes as warm-ups for tomorrow.  Her first round at 1.0 meter was just about perfect.  Dev praised it as the best she ever rode.  She came out with a blue ribbon.  Later we tried one class in the ring that will host the finals tomorrow.  It was not as smooth, but still produced a clean round.

Send us some extra prayers if you will as tomorrow dawns and they do their best to pick up a ribbon for the first time in Zone 7 Finals.  Thanks for being with us and riding along!

What’s the News?

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Riley, my three-year old grandson, ate some Halloween candy last evening and immediately knew it was not for him.  While sometimes prone to being a little dramatic, he complained about his throat, then started vomiting and coughing. He was obviously in distress. Quickly, his body was swelling and covered in a rash.  Off to the hospital, he and Amber went.  While not life threatening, thank God, it was a pretty awful time as the drugs went to work to curb the anaphylactic reaction he was having.  After several hours (all night) at the hospital, they were on their way home this morning. 

His parents have known for some time that Riley had allergies to peanuts and are careful to keep him away from peanuts at all times.  Other types of nuts have been okay.  I remember my allergist telling me when I had so many food allergies, that even if I was okay with a related type of food, over time, I would surely break down and begin to have issues with those other foods.  Apparently, this is what happened to little Riley.  My food allergies caused stomach upsets but nothing caused my airway to swell or have the type of reaction that Riley just had.  I hope he never has to relive last night again, but I am afraid there could be possibilities for this to occur again in the future.

Baby Kendyll all dressed up to watch the Texans go 7-1!

On my home front, momma came over for a simple lunch of tuna noodle casserole and homemade banana bread.  She thought it was the best thing ever and ate quite a hearty lunch.  Lauren, home from deer camp, did her nails for her and she had a pretty good time. 

We watched some of the Texans game, enough to worry me when it 7-6 as I left to go out and watch Lauren ride.  But Lauren had a good ride and the Texans pulled off another win.  Lauren and I worked on getting Mickey ready for the show including deep conditioning, braiding and enclosing his tail in protective bag (to help it not get torn or pulled).  Mickey was unimpressed with his pink pirate with skulls tail bag.  Feather, however, thought it was pretty cool.

It looked better (and neater) before he spent the night in the pasture with it.

Lauren and I had a nice evening just catching up.  We successfully loaded Feather in the trailer-always a good thing.  We did some chores and got things ready for the show this coming weekend.

My neighbor, who has been gone during the whole dog pack invasion, returned home.  I went over to tell him about it.  Next thing I knew he was out in his Jeep romping through the fields, gun on the seat beside him.  He was going to  take care of the dog pack, if he caught up with them.  Lauren went out later to hay the horses and said the neighbor was now patiently sitting on his back porch, gun across his lap.

With the time change, I leave in the morning still before dawn and by the time I get home and feed the horses, it dark again.  Makes for long, short days, if that makes any sense.

Halloween

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Happy Halloween from Lexi, Amber, Ryan and Riley-all superheros to me!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!  I love the new traditions of the neighborhoods (at least in the south) having impromptu parties, meeting up in the cul-de-sacs with food and drinks and just having family fun.  The area where Amber and Ryan live always seem to have a great combination of the traditional trick-n-treating along with getting to know new neighbors while re-affirming friendships with others.  I heard  many stories this morning of friends and families joining up  for safe and fun times.  I really believe this is one holiday that has gotten better over time. 

We did not really celebrate Halloween and did not get any trick or treaters out in the country where we live.  We were happy to be done with the hay, showered and in for the night.  This morning was warm and foggy with a heavy mist over the pastures and hay fields.  I didn’t spot any evidence of the dog pack and was THRILLED to see my Matt Cat and Boots (the neutered male {wouldn’t you want to be known as the ‘neutered male’?}) both back home this morning no worse for the time gone.  Matt had been gone several days but other than being hungry, seemed fine.  He is a totally black cat and was a nice post-Halloween surprise!

I didn’t see mom last night due to the hay gathering and she never does well when I miss a day.  She got the nursing home to call me multiple times today when I was work.  She told me that I had to get there to get her out of that place.  She was thinking she was still in Denver and had not moved yet.  When I got there she knew me immediately but was still thinking she was in Denver.  Mom was so glad I had come so far to see her and kept asking where Lauren was.  I told her Lauren had taken her boyfriend Blake to the doctor and hadn’t been able to come.  She was confused about that (if Lauren was with me in Denver then how did she get her boyfriend to the doctor?). 

One of her favorite nieces, Suzy, called while I was there.  It was great to see her face light up when I told her Suzy was on the phone.  Mom clearly remembered her.  But Suzy got a little confused when mom told her she was moving soon to be near me.  I will take mom knowing me and the family and being unsure about where she is-that is way better than knowing where she is and not knowing us.

The weather is good, the animals are safe, the hay is in for the winter and all is well in south Texas.  Thank you for riding along!

 

Away Dog Pack! Away!

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I really don’t want to think about how this is obtained

I wrote a few days ago about my cats getting killed by something in the night.  Most regrettable, was the loss of favorite cat, Chloe.

Jordyn came down to spend the weekend.  She was sleeping with me when the frenzied sound of my dogs barking awakened me.  A quick glance at the clock told me it was 2:36 am.  I leapt from my bed mostly because I wanted the dogs to shut up and Jordyn not to wake up.  The dogs were riveted toward the barn and barking like maniacs.  Knowing that I was likely to find coyotes or dogs out at barn, I still headed outside in my make-shift pajamas in the cold (45 degrees) still of morning.  I didn’t have a gun (don’t own one unlike most of my Texas neighbors) but I was thinking about the shovel I had left out by the barn.

As I rounded the corner I caught sight of a pack of four or five dogs surrounding Mr. Kid. They had barricaded him against the barn wall next to Mickey’s stall.  Both Mickey and Feather were in their stalls but Kid is allowed to move in and out of his stall at night.  My cat, Alice, was perched on top of the ten-foot high gate and two other cats were on the roof of the tackroom.  Under the full moon, I went screaming at the pack of wild dogs.  They went running, no doubt frightened by the sight of me in pjs, screaming with a shovel in my hand.

Sunday morning I found blood all over the cat’s bowls.  I did not find any dead cats.  This morning found another kitten dead in the pasture, the cat food container still sealed but found lying on my drive-way and all my cat food bowls thrown haphazard around the my front yard. 

I understand I need to put all the cat food away so the dogs are not coming here to get food.  They are not eating the cats and kittens that they kill.  The are just killing for the sake of killing. Today I got a lot of advice on what to do to stop the killing by the dog pack. 

Here are the top suggestions:

Have someone sit outside all night until the dogs appear and shoot them dead. 

    A) It could be a long, cold night

    B) They would be lucky to get one shot before the others scatter

    C) The sound of a gun in the middle of a quiet night will scare my horses to death

Fence my entire property with solid-mesh fencing that dogs cannot cross through.  I just spent a lot of money (I thought it was a lot of money) to fence a small section of my property.  The cost of fencing my entire property would probably be more than what it cost me to buy this little house.  Good solution, but not practical for me right now.

Find something to keep the wild dogs off my property.  The number one internet solution?  Bear urine-I am not kidding.  Bear urine and wolf urine were both equally recommended, however, the wolf urine does come with a disclaimer that it could attract wolves.  I do have some questions.  A bottle of bear urine is about $30.  You are supposed to leave four or five droplets every two to three feet around the perimeter of your property.  Do you have to repeat every time it rains?  How long is bear urine effective in dry weather?  Does it come in a spray bottle?  (I found on another site that it does come in a spray.)  What do horses think of bear urine?  Will I be cantering along only to have Mickey bolt in fear upon suddenly sensing bears are approaching?  For those of you better at math than I, how far will 32 ounces of bear urine divided into four or five drops every two to three feet go-like, do I need multiple bottles?

Two kittens that are left.

I want to stop the senseless killing of my kittens.  I have moved my one remaining neutered male and Lauren’s favorite cat, L’Orange into my front room.  I see that momma kitty has moved the two remaining kittens to the tack room.  Hopefully, momma can keep the kittens from playing outside in the moonlight.

I also understand that citrus peelings spread around the perimeter may stop the dog packs as well.  My friend at work suggested getting a lemon tree.  And waiting how long for it grow, I asked? Wow, we are going to need a lot fruit.  But until the bear urine gets here , I better getting working on the fruit.  Anybody want an orange slice?

Horses-winning the game

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Watching Lauren compete at Zone Finals 2009. Pretty intense-with baby Riley Roo!

I started off as a young child, playing the game of horses.

It was an endless game for me.  I could come up with more combinations, more games, barrel racing, jumping, running the Derby.  As a child they were all games I could win.

In my teens, I had a top barrel horse.  But I did not compete him too often.  He was state champ one year when I was 15.  I did not like the anxiety and pressure of competition.  After that year, I seldom rode for ribbons again.

A few times in Florida, mostly because we had gotten Ally a top horse and she was too green for Ally to ride, I went in and showed the mare.  But mostly, I have choosen to sit on the sidelines and cheer on my kids.

It is hard to compete.  You do your best, you practice, you work, but things in the ring do not always go your way.  Even when you are a top rider on a top horse.  Our Olympic riders did not meet the expectations a lot of the country had for them.  They just did not get the rides they needed from the horses they had.

Lauren had two falls last week.  Mickey was jumping well, breathing well and Lauren was riding well,  except for the two jumps where she fell off.  A lot of you have had that perfect barrel run except for tipping a barrel.

It is frustrating, maddening and depressing, especially sometimes to be the parent of the child who is riding.  We all want our kids to be successful and yet, we know we cannot all bring home the blue ribbons.  Unless we are riding the leadline class and most of us outgrew that a long time ago.

Tonight I salute the parents of the athletes, riders. ballplayers, swimmers, whomever you may be.  I know how hard you try to do ever thing possible within your control to help your child be the best.  The hours spent learning to play the game (whatever it is), the time spent finding that right horse or equipment, then finding it again as your child moves on.  The delicate balance that must exist between the coach, the child and the parent.  Watch an episode of “Dance Moms”.  Why in the world would they train with that rude woman?  Because their kids win.  It is simply the most difficult thing I will do (we will do) to know how to support, challenge, promote and back-off from your athletic child.

It is not about money, or strength, or courage, most often it is about love and finding the balance to help your child succeed and keeping them in the game so that at the end of the day, they still can be happy when they do not take home the big trophy or win the big game.  Are they still happier on the back of a horse or out in the ball field than anywhere on earth?  Then you have given them the best chance you can to know and find happiness.  I salute all the parents tonight who wanted the big win so bad it almost made them ill but smiled and hugged their child as they came back to the dug-out after the last at bat.  You have given them the best opportunities that you possibly could.  They will be richer all their life for thess sorrows they face when “playing the game” (insert riding the horse or whatever is appropriate).

Rainy Season

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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.

Courage

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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

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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

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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.

Caitlyn Rides the Nationals

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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!