It is always hard for me to introduce myself, but I will tell you a little about how I got started riding. I don't remember not wanting a horse. It seems like as a child I kept hoping I would get a horse at the next town we lived in. My father worked in the woods in Oregon and when the logging camps moved so did we. He was killed in a logging accident when I was 10 and we moved back to Minnesota. Then I knew I would get a horse, since my grandfather had two work horses and one more would be no problem....Well that didn't happen. I never did get my horse until I was 30 years old. I bought horses on a Saturday, and on Sunday I was in the hospital with a broken jaw, broken cheek and a concussion. Even with all that I never gave them up, but as my children got older and got into other things the summers were too busy for me and my horses. I gave all my horses away except one which was on loan with some friends. They used her occasionally, but not as much as she should have been used. That horse is My Cody. She has gone from a "Pissy Mare" to a pretty nice little horse.
As I got closer to my 50th birthday, I realized that now my kids were all grown up and I didn't have to work my summer plans around baseball games, or their other activities. Now I can do what I want. I had two close friends die of cancer, one was younger than I am and one a couple years older. I decided it was time to start doing what I want to do. I quickly made a list of the things I would really like to do, and the horses came back into the picture.
I was shopping for a new car, and was determined I would get a nice little sports car convertible...And yes I know that in ND that is not the most practical car to drove... I ended up with a Ford 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive Diesel Pick up. About as far from the convertible as possible. I also bought a very big old horse trailer, and you will find the picture on a later page. And my favorite investment was a 9 year old Quarter Horse, named Tony. I loaded Tony up the first of June and headed in the direction of Tennessee.... Now this was a major adventure since I had never driven pulling a trailer or backing a trailer up.
. I'm a Teacher during the school year. I work with special needs children. I sometimes say that I am the Mentally Retarded, Learning Disabled, Emotionally Disturbed, Elementary teacher, and the kids are OK. In ND we specialize in each area and right now I am teaching in a classroom for kids with Emotional Disturbance. (Some states call it Behavior Disorders) It is a very challenging job, and I do enjoy it, but I enjoy my summer adventures, and spend many wonderful times planning them. In the winter I also spend many hours making quilts, which you can find on another page. I enjoy quilting and have given quilts to the people I have ridden with. Many of my quilts have been made from an exchange on line. Of course I treasure each quilt I make and feel a part of myself goes into each one, that entitles me to go visit them anytime I want to..... See guys, if you have a quilt it just means I will keep turning up...
This is my younger sister and me. I am the one on the right, with my mouth open laughing. I think I like to laugh as much as I love to ride horse..
This is my sister again, she is on the left riding Tony, and I am on Cody. Cody really isn't that much shorter than Tony she is standing down hill. This picture was taken in December of 1998. We didn't have a lot of snow. The sloping hills off toward the right are my pasture.
To find out more just go on to one of the ride pages...I think by the time you finish you will know the true Traveling Cowgirl.....I am wondering if I need to change that to the Granny Cowgirl...since I am now over 50.