Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Goodbye 2006, Hello 2007! A Personal Look Back


I can't believe 2006 has come and gone. This was quite an exciting and busy year for me. It began with a new horse, Gage, for my baby sister Lauren. We have both had a BLAST with our big baby. Geez, we've come a long way in his and our training since this time last year! All three of us began Dressage training- something that I've never "officially" done in all of my years of riding. What an eye-opening experience this has been! With Gage being so green, and with Lauren and myself learning Dressage for the first time, I've realized how much there will always be to learn with horses no matter how long you've been riding! Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks... I'm the proof!

Lauren and I are looking forward to our
continued training with Gage and are super excited to begin his jump training soon. Hopefully by this time next year, we'll all be able to canter around jumper type courses with ease. We both plan to continue our Dressage training, and perhaps this year you'll catch a glimpse of us at our first Dressage/Event/Jumper shows in the Memphis area with Gage!


I also began another new horse venture this year- something I've always wanted to do, Driving. What fun this has been! I went to my very first rated carriage shows with my buddy, Domino, a 38" macho miniature! We did well and had great fun at the shows we attended (The Cannon Classic in Woodbury, TN and Nashoba Classic in Germantown, TN) placing out of the Novice divisions. I look forward to continuing my driving adventures with Domino this year and hope to focus our efforts onto the CDE realm of driving- can't wait! I feel the need for speed!!!



This year also helped me to realize one of my life dreams and goals with horses. I want to one day have my own horse rescue farm- dedicated to OTTB's. This year, it really hit home with me how many horses there are out there that need good, caring, loving homes and kind-hearted owners. My eyes were open to horse neglect and the attrocities of slaugter, and it has changed my life forever. I am passionately dedicated towards making a difference for all those beloved horses out there who've been forgotten and discarded. I've been truly blessed in my lifetime to have encountered and learned invaluable life lessons from so many special horses. Starting with my first horse, Sam, a discarded OTTB who truly blessed my life for seventeen years. Looking back, I now realize that his time with me is the driving motivation behind my passion to help horses like himself, who deserve a second chance to shine. Hopefully by this time next year, I'll be a little closer to making my dream of helping horses in need a reality.

In summary of this past year: I got a new green horse, started two new disciplines- dressage and driving, attended my first driving shows, made some fabulous new "horsey" friends, rode some walking horses for the first time, became an Aunt for the first time, and bought myself my first home. Whew, it's been a busy year. Looking forward to 2007!

2 comments:

Christine said...

Hi there!

Just stumbled across your site from blog top sites. The "horse" word always catches my eye!

Nice site and very interesting to hear of the new things started; I hope 2007 is even more fruitful!

Driving sounds like so much fun, something I hope to be able to learn about in the future. All the best with it and the dressage!


Chris

Ashlee said...

Thanks Chris for checking out my blog! Driving is awesome- I highly recomend it! Even though I've worked primarily with "big ole TB's" most of my life, driving is a nice change of pace, and a whole new challenge! I highly recommend it and starting out with a mini or pony is a great way to learn and build confidence!

Best wishes to you too for 2007 and definitely get driving!