After a long break....

Being a mother of a young child and keeping up with my riding has proven to be a very difficult challenge. But the more I drift from showing, the more I realize what a gift riding has been. My daughter starts preschool next week, and that renews my hope that I will once again find time to ride.

An extremely hot summer also has put a kink in the works this year. As a working mom who doesn't get home until 1 a.m. and boards her horse 30 minutes away, summer temperatures well into the 90s has made it difficult to ride without killing myself and my horse in the heat. There are certainly some major advantages to having your horses at home and being able to fit a ride in as the sun goes down or comes up.

There are many setbacks between me and being back in the center of the arena. A new location where the landscape of the show arena is different than it was where I grew up. Different breeds at the forefront of popularity. Different styles of riding in the hunt ring, where quarter horses no longer rule the rail.

For now I'm vowing to get back to riding while my daughter starts her new chapter in preschool. And meanwhile, I'm also going to attend lots of shows. Feed my other hobby: horse photography. And a side business that could help me pay the show bills.

It's always something

Now in Virginia horse country, I traveled an hour north on Interstate 81 from Roanoke to visit the Virginia Horse Center while it was hosting the Virginia Classic quarter horse show. And just as early spring shows always seem to affect me, it gave me horse show fever.

Unfortunately, this year has some extra obstacles in my way. My horse trailer's lights shorted out on our trip from Pennsylvania to Virginia and I haven't yet investigated how difficult that will be to fix. Plus, even worse, both my truck and my trailer are now entangled in DMV hell. It's gonna take lots of red-tape wrangling and extra cash to get them back legally on the road with Virginia plates. So for summer I may have to chalk up to a training break and a chance to survey the show options in my new area.

The Virginia Horse Center is beautiful with new buildings and gorgeous arenas, both covered and open. And it's a very easy drive from Roanoke. Now I need to explore what's out there for open shows, which are cheaper and good for seasoning a young horse. And you don't have to dress quite as brilliantly.

Watching the Virginia Classic this weekend, I was constantly reminded of the money that simply sat on those horses in the exhibitors' outfits, saddles, bridles -- all heavily laden with silver, rhinestones and all manner of things that glitter under the sun and arena lights. But my belief that judges are able to look past all that glitter and see the best horse still prevails. I have won with minimal silver and a simple outfit, because I put my money into my horse. Invest in a good outfit that will stand the test of time, meaning it won't go out of season as the latest trend fads away. And invest in the best equipment you can afford and take care of it. I still have bridles I have used for 15 years. And it helps to ride English. The classic hunter look never goes out of style!

It's the shoes

Last fall I went shoe shopping. I had been putting it off for about a year. I had bought my last pair of shoes when my daughter Avery was 3 months old. She was now turning 3 years old. And my toes were showing in my New Balance sneakers that I wore just about every day. I agonized over buying new shoes. $70? "Did I really need them that badly?" I'd ask myself as I looked at The Shoe Dept. store in the mall. I went to the mall several times, never finding anything I thought was worth the money. I finally bought a pair online, knowing I had to have new shoes. Big toes peaking through was ridiculous.

And it occurs to me now, as I get ready to put Juliet on the list for the farrier to put shoes on, that I buy her shoes without really thinking twice. For 4 shoes is $75. And they have to be reset every 6 weeks. But I don't think that much about that. It's just something that has to be done to protect her feet and legs. 

If the footing is good, I'll put it off until I'm going to show. And I usually don't keep her shod in the winter if I'm not riding much. But at her new barn, the outside arenas are a bit rocky and it's become necessary to put shoes on her, showing or not.

I don't do anything fancy. Just plain steel plates. I guess if I had money to burn, I'd pay for aluminum. I'm told it makes them really float over the ground. I guess one day if I'm ever riding a world champion contender, I'll splurge for the equine version of Air Nikes.

As of tomorrow my paycheck is being cut 10 percent. Fantastic. Great news.

I've moved my horse into a show barn, and that may really up the pressure to show. But when I think about what that means finanacially... ugh. 

First off, Juliet needs shoes. That's $75 every 6 weeks. Then entry fees and traveling. And then the problem of getting the time off, because I work Saturdays and the occasional Sunday. That doesn't even get into things like show clothes.

I still have not gotten a complete grasp on how this pay cut is going to effect me and my finances. And I still have not targeted a show or a group of shows that I'd like to attend this year. I guess for now I should just find joy in having my horse back with me and let the rest fall where it does.

Why?

The list of things I need is always a long one and absolutely always beyond my means. The list that also includes my wants is even worse. From the relatively cheap things such as fly spray ($20) to the ridiculously expensive but still needed show saddle ($1,200 - $5,000). Really when I'm faced with such expenses, I think about how ridiculous it is that we put all this money into showing horses for what? Why do we want to do this? Lord knows it isn't for the $.49 ribbon you get if you actually are good enough to win. Is it the recgnition? What is it about those of us that show horses that drives us to shell out thousands of dollars? Every single time since I've been the one shelling out the cash, I end up asking myself "Is it worth it?" But apparently it is, because I'm still doing it. And I still get a thrill when I buy something new for my horse. And I'm still nervous the day of the show for the possibilities that lie ahead. 

Horses ain't cheap

Riding has been my passion since I was a little kid on my first pony, Stormy. But back then, growing up on a horse farm, horses just were. They weren't a choice and they weren't a sacrifice. I rode and rode and rode all day long simply because that's what I did. Didn't everyone?

Now that I'm an adult and living on a postage stamp in a suburb of Pittsburgh, keeping up with my horse addiction isn't as simple as it once was. And the fact that I didn't take my mother's advice and either 1) marry rich or 2) become a lawyer isn't helping matters much. But I made the choice to keep horses in my life, and each day it is an adventure to not only ride while working full time and being a mother to a 3-year-old, but to also try as best I can to keep showing my horses. 

That task teaches me so many lessons in life. From the big pictures of sacrificing for what you really want, working hard and not being intimidated by those who appear to have more money or any other advantage over you in life. To the smaller lessons such as: you don't need the fancy brand name spandex tail sock when an old cotton gym sock will do the same job and, guess what, the judges really don't care about all that silver (gasp!). 

Riding and showing horses on a tight budget is definitely an adventure. It's frustrating. It's unfair. Some days I feel like not even trying. But on the flip said, when you win, it's doubley rewarding. The sacrifice and the hard work can pay off with the right choices. And to know you got yourself there and no one simply handed it to you can make all the difference in the end.