For as long as I can remember I've been lucky to have family and friends that run cows in the mountains. I've spent some of the best times with my horse, family and friends chasing ornery cows across a steep hillside or sliding off what seemed like the face of the earth, only to find myself and my horse, in the bottom of some very brushy draw that we had to climb our way back out of.
My husband gracefully supports my equine habits. During and after high school I spent many hours perfecting my barrel racing skills, then decided to leave that behind so that Gregg and I could spend more time with driving horses. We started with two and at the peak of the driving era we had 6 Blonde Belgians and 4 bay and white registered paints. We drove a 4-up at plowings and parades and a team on local wagon train events. We operated a carriage business for many years doing mostly weddings and funerals. As we faded out of the driving I started riding heavily again. I continued to enjoy helping local friends and family gather and move cows on the mountain. During this same time I had the opportunity to learn a bit about endurance riding and I loved it. It is hard to top a 25 - 35 mile horseback ride in about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours on a bright crisp morning. Even though I loved all the riding, to condition my horse prior to the event, it became lonely as friends couldn't keep the pace that I needed to keep my horse in top shape.About that time a sport that is now known as mounted orienteering was growing; my girlfriends and I became interested in it. I spent many years enjoying meeting new people and seeing new country while participating in scavenger hunts using a map and compass and looking for hidden objective stations. Most of these rides are held in mountainous areas that will challenge most riders and horses. They are timed and can be very competitive when a healthy rivalry flares up. I continue to enjoy this sport.
A couple years back I took a year to explore combined driving with our paint horses. A girlfriend and I talked Gregg into helping us compete in several combined drives during the summer of 2006. We had lots of fun but the events are several hours drive away, coupled with my girlfriend living 2 hours away, it was nearly impossible to practice and keep the horses in shape; so we put the sport on the back burner for now.
Over the past 3 years I've become involved in search and rescue (SAR) and am a member of the Walla Walla County Sheriff Search and Rescue team. SAR gives me the opportunity to give something back to the community that helped raise me while spending time with my horses. The SAR certification criteria for horses is fairly difficult to earn. Horses must be extremely trusting and desensitized to potentially spooky stimulus while be highly sensitive to their surroundings. Currently I have two SAR certified horses.
In the past two years I have found the sport of competitive trail to be very interesting and I think it will be with me for many years to come. I have found that it is with this sport that my heart is at as it combines many of the aspects from other sports that have drawn my attention.
I've been blessed with many wonderful horses. The ones that hold the most special spots in my heart are Wyoming and Montana, who are registered APHA bay and white geldings. They have been with me since they were young colts. Chip, a Belgian gelding and Traveler, an Arab/quarter horse cross gelding. The memories are far too many to recall for this profile but it is safe to say that they will never lose their place in my heart and my memories.