No News is Good News

Well not much here to report. Tonight I went out with Mom and gave JC his Adequan, he was a champ about it. He's so good with shots. Why do you stand perfectly still for shots, but run backwards during baths, Jimmy? Some things I will never understand.

Meanwhile, Mom and I were talking about all the amazing memories and milestones of my riding career while we were on our way up to the barn tonight. A few came to mind:

When my very best friend (other than Bill) in the world Molly rode in her first ASPCA Maclay Medal her horse reared when he refused the end jump. Naturally, her instinct was to reach up and pop him between the ears...at an A show...in the ASPCA Medal. So the judge excused her for misconduct and called her up to talk to him in the box. She was so hysterical, she was hyperventilating and crying and while wearing her black gloves, wiping her face....So I go to try & console her and can't help but bust up laughing, because she's hysterical, her eyes and mouth are all swollen from sobbing, she's still hiccuping cries of embarrassment, and her entire face is streaks of black dye from her gloves. It was the funniest moment of my life. We still laugh about it today. I love her. Tons. Here she is on her latest greenie, Rae. She's a super cool 5 y/o who's learning to be a jumper. In Molly's words: "She's the real deal". Can't wait to see how she grows up!


Another good moment was when I accidentally slurped up a fly in my iced tea and thought it was a lemon seed. I bit down and realized it was definitely alive, and definitely not a lemon seed and my friend who saw it laughed so hysterically that my horse Doobie behind me began pacing in his stall and nickering - he loved to do this when something was really outrageous. It was like he was laughing too. Here's the one and only:


And of course, a less funny, but equally amazing memory from my younger years in riding was when I got to lease my trainer Diane Carney's grand prix horse, Dublin, to do the Jr/AO jumpers before I went to college. He was the craziest, most out of control, asshole of a horse. Riding him was like trying to control a speeding locomotive. It was the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever experienced in my life. Every second was brimming from exhilarating to nearly being terrifying. A very, very fine line. Dublin made me brave. On that horse, I knew anything was possible. I could only ride him once or twice a week - and we could only jump. If he hacked, he became violent and would literally kill things. He only liked to jump. Also, if he was straight on to any jump, he would just...leave. In lines, I had to break them up. A five stride went like this: Take off at a 45º angle, land & one stride at 45º, three strides using pulley-rein and straight-ish, fifth stride back 45º the other way to jump the out. Combinations were basically get him in and he will somehow jump you out. His stride was normally 16', easy. Every second you had to be four strides ahead of where he thought you were going. He could never know for sure, or he'd kill you. He was unreal. But he was the most fun I've ever had on a horse. And here he is: enjoy :-)