About Me

This is a little about me.

Mikey and I jumping steeplechase at a BN long format event, 2012.

I am a 20 something that got a degree in Actuarial Science that I don't use. I tried my hand at being a professional rider after college, but for a variety of reasons, it didn't work out and I went back to being an Adult Amateur. I can't help but think if I went to work directly for my then-trainer after college, things would have been different. Now I have a career in finance/banking, and use some of my vacation time to compete in dressage.

Mikey and I half passing at 3rd level, 2014.

I've been riding for almost 20 years. I started as a hunter rider, had an instructor switch and went generic western and 4H for a little while, had another instructor switch where came back to hunters and 4H, started eventing and dressage, did a year of Pony Club, did more hunters, switched to my longest term ever trainer and evented seriously, then made the switch to straight dressage in 2013. As we climbed up the levels, at the end of 2016, I changed to training with a BNT who rides Grand Prix.

Mikey and I extended cantering at 3rd level, 2015.

I bought my first horse in 2005, a chestnut OTTB named Mikey who I had started leasing in 2004 when he was fresh off the track. He was fabulous and I loved him immensely. I had 11 years with him before he suddenly and tragically passed away. I bought my second horse, Penn, a 2009 Oldenburg/TB cross in 2015 shortly after Mikey's death.

Penn and I after our tests at his first horse show, 2015.

My goal for this blog was to chronicle Mikey and my dressage career to what I hoped would be PSG before his deserved retirement of toting a training or first level rider around, obnoxiously winning everything in sight. Now, I'm going to chronicle my ultimate goal- getting to Grand Prix and my Gold Medal.

Hopefully with this guy!