I grew up in
Salinas,
California—home
of the “California Rodeo” way back when.
I have always loved horses.
In fact, my single claim to fame is having
sat upon “Rowdy Yates’s lap” at the advanced age of 4 and having eaten
his orange sherbet
(because Mr. Favor didn’t like children) at
an Elks Club luncheon where my mom was a waitress.
Not long after that, I left and got locked
out of the building in search of their horses which were not to be
found.
I believe they lied to me!
The first true love of my life was a
Shetland Pony named Cindy a black-coated she-devil that no one else
wanted to ride, so I didn’t have to share and that suited me just fine.
I suppose it was that first critical
relationship with Cindy that cemented my bond to mares—those most
tempestuous of steeds of which I now have two, Addie and Stormy, both
Registered Half-Arabs.
In any event, I had a long
childhood playing Cowboys and Indians in the hills, chasing the
neighbor’s cattle, and participating in 4-H.
My love affair with horses has lasted a
lifetime and at this point when I’m too old to ride, I think I’ll just
switch to teeny tiny miniature horses and keep them around for company.
Who knows?
Maybe one will be my service animal!
Family-wise,
I’m a single mom blessed with the two greatest kids on earth—son
Colton
“Colt” circa 1993 and daughter Savanna circa 1995.
I love them to pieces in spite of the fact
that they don’t much care for horses.
“Friends, Romans, and Countrymen, lend me
your children… and I will effectively put them off horses!”
Oops!
Oh well.
A little too much enthusiasm from Mom, I
guess.
Anyway,
I’m the Resident-Newbie-Drill-Gal-In-Training or the “RNDGIT” as I tend
to think of myself.
I’m
also the Water Gal which suits me just fine.
There’s a lot to learn in Drill and I’m
soaking it up as fast as I can while preparing my Stormy Gal (Addie was
too cranky this year) for the rigors of Drill.
It is an absolute BLAST!
I kid you not—it’s like bumper cars on
horseback sometimes and that’s pretty fun… though I highly suspect my
teammates look forward to the day when we’re not bashing into them.
I absolutely love the camaraderie of the
team.
A more wonderful and diverse group of women you
will not find nor will you find a more dedicated Coach.
In all sincerity, discovering and becoming a
part of the High Valley Riders Drill Team has been a dream come true for
me and I’m looking forward to earning an actual riding position on the
team.
Yee Haw!
Stay tuned to see how Stormy and I fare over
the long haul!
Y’all come back now!
Mary
F