Jumping Back In

2020 was a year full of surprises but not in a good way.  We could not have seen this pandemic coming unless you were Dr. Fauci or the CDC. But the year didn't start well even before "pandemic" became a new addition to our daily vocabulary. In January 2020, I had a bad fall at a horse show that put me out of commission for a bit, both mentally and physically.  When you age these falls make mental notes on your brain, in addition to the cuts, bruises, and separated shoulders.  When I finally recovered physically to ride again, the mental part was still not quite there but we managed and the horse took good care of the Adult Amateur one time before the pandemic shut us down in early March.

With all good intentions I was ready to show again in very early July when things opened back up here in Virginia until a reckless driver took my truck off the road forever (an accident I was lucky to walk away from unscathed, at least physically). No truck, no trailer to take horse to horse shows.  This went on until August when a new truck arrived. By then the horse was in work, I was riding and trying to keep it all together.  A few blips happened - a few horse shows I had to work at so I could not show and then we were into early September.

Another blip. Horse became lame. Horse did not improve. Horse was sent to trainer and to the horse show vet. After a three and half month repair job - horse was out of work until December and it took a bit to get the mare running again. So here we are in 2021, just starting to show again after only two shows in 2020.  Talk about jumping back in. We are jumping back in.  We have done two shows now - one unrated and at a lower level and we started back with the big boys last weekend showing at a level we had not seen in over 18 months. We still have a ways to go but I am of the ilk that you "just do it."  So we just starting doing it. And we'll do it again next weekend if this pandemic behaves itself. It won't be pretty the first few shows but we'll get there....

This is a very old photo - my very first horse show - I think was 8 - and we won that day!  Never looked back. That is my younger sister to my left.  

This is Madison enjoying her 2020 down time. She's clipped now - tanned, rested and ready for 2021.

JUST DO IT.