Behind Infinity

Four years ago, this lovely, amazing, showstopper of a mare became an integral part of my life and I became a horse owner.

Four years ago last week, my dad and I drove to Arkansas and brought home my mare.

Mare and I have become quite the team. Back then, we were both a little fatter and a lot greener. Now, we keep each other in shape, and we are hands-down the best pair at our barn. (ha, ha. that’s funny because we ride at home!)

Horse ownership has been hard and life-changing and life-rearranging and poop-filled and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Four years and so much love. Whenever I go out to the barn, I know I’m the luckiest girl alive.

This past weekend we showed at the WMAHA May Community show. It was fantastic. Perfect weather, good turnout. Highlights of the day included:
-Jamison’s first leadline class
-Brenna’s first blue ribbon
-My first tri-color neck sash — reserve champion saddleseat equitation. rock on!

Here are pictures. kind of in no particular order.

waiting for our leadline class to begin. it took them FOREVER to finish dragging the arena and let the leadliners in…i thought he was going to demand to get down before the class began. a couple of times said, ‘Want Mumma. get down, pease.” But i told him we were going to ride with the other little kids and then he would get a ribbon and a present. And then he could go and get fries on the way home. So the stalwart little dude did not have a meltdown. He stuck out his lip, pulled his hat down over his eyes, and resigned himself to his horseback-riding fate.

Jezebelle is such a treasure. She knows when she has the baby on her back and moves so gently and carefully for him.

he took his ribbon to church the next day.

lil helper…

walk-trot hunter pleasure novice horse. Starr is coming along nicely. She was still a bit keyed-up though so it wasn’t our best day ever. I think maybe my hunt saddle was bothering her. I’m going to ride her in my dressage saddle this weekend and see if that makes her happier.

she has such lovely dapples this year…

…making our victory pass…

This weekend we will be showing in our first 3-day show, Eastern Michigan Arabian Association Community Show at the Ingham County Fairgrounds. Instead of showing out of our trailer we will have stalls in the fairgrounds barn. It will also be our first time showing in an indoor arena! I wonder what my mares will think of that. We will be showing in several divisions (many of them our first time in that division).
Jezebelle will be showing in Saddleseat Pleasure, Saddleseat Equitation, Sport Horse In Hand, Sport Horse Under Saddle, Native Costume, Suitability for Dressage, Trail, and Training Level Dressage.
Starr will be showing in Hunter Pleasure, Mature Novice Rider (with my friend Marie!), Walk-Trot trail, and Intro to Dressage.

That mare, she is such a gift.
Since the day she came home from Arkansas as a 3-year-old, she’s done nothing but teach us to ride. First me, then my sisters, my dad, my brothers, my friends. Now him.
If I ever have kids, I hope she’ll still be around to teach them. <3

Everybody with a special horse thinks their horse is the best and most loved out of all the horses ever in the entire world. But in our case it’s true. Jezebelle wins.

…and my two mares. This photo captures their personalities so well. Max, my lovable little screwball, is being his doofusy self and terrorizing Jezebelle, which is what he does all. day. long. especially in the winter. Jezebelle, my lovely longsuffering mare, is standing there with a sweet, impassive expression, like she does most of the time. And Starr, my little diva mare, looking just slightly ticked off on Jezebelle’s behalf, but mostly sweet.

And I love this. I love Jezebelle’s extremely short, extremely fuzzy neck. I love Max’s little hooky white marking. I love how the three of them are arranged in order of their appearance (but not their importance) in my life. I love how they are standing in roughly but not exactly the same way, and my wild, spirited mare isn’t quite peeking out all the way from behind my in-your-face boy. It’s my herd.