New Years

While I have nobody to celebrate this new years with, I'm so grateful for the year I've had. It has been full of surprises, disappointment, and some of the biggest challenges I have faced.

For the first 5 months of the year I was still the owner, head trainer, and instructor (among many other, not so glorious job descriptions) of our business The Next Generation Equestrian Center. There, I worked with over 50 kids in any given month, more than half of those coming weekly. It was an amazing chapter of my life that went on for 3 years prior to this year!

However, I actually started 2017 new years day out at Michael Gascons ranch in Mississippi, learning the ways of the T-Rex. After going home to continue to run my business, I was offered a full time position at the ranch in Mississippi. So, in May I took off in pursuit of bigger and better knowledge. It was an amazing experience for what it was. I got to ride several different breeds of horses, working through issues with everything from saddlebreds to big warmbloods to paso finos and anything in between. Through that I was able to really diversify my horse knowledge and for the most part, i really enjoyed my position there. Me, a few of my horses, and my dog, were there for four months.

Luckily I had someone there for me helping to get me, and my horses, out of there. So I had planned to be there in Florida working and helping out, but hurricane Irma scared the bajeebus out of me. Ok so new plan!

I escaped hurricane Irma during evacuations and stayed a couple nights at an amazing ranch in Alabama. After that I went to Memphis, stayed with some friends, and got to go to Nationals. Nationals was crazy cool and crazy awesome. Opportunity after opportunity presented itself in the Paso Fino breed and I had to really think about where I wanted to go next. I truly couldn't believe how many directions I could have gone. From Florida to the Carolinas to the Midwest. There were options.

But ultimately I chose a path that I had always, always, wanted to try. And here I am, ready to bring on the new year in Joseph Oregon. I got to spend the last three months of the year with some top, amazing reining horses and their trainers.

I'm grateful for my parents who are still working to nurse my horses back to health. I'm grateful for my mother who's always on the other end of the phone to listen to me babble. I'm grateful that I have my dog, Amigo, by my side. I'm grateful that I am lucky enough to work in the horse industry. Without horses I dont know what I would do. I am grateful that I have been given the gift to be able to draw. I am grateful for so much in this world.

I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store.