Horse Blogging Challenge #1- When and why you started riding

I'm feeling better, although still groggy and stuffy. But, no rest for the weary/wicked so I'm just surviving on cough syrup. But, on to new things.

I started riding waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I was a wee little tot. My first ride ever was when I was 3ish on a dude string horse named Jug. Yep, Jug, but this was in Arkansas so it was par for the course. I loved riding and started going to horse camp when I was seven. My mother has pictures of me with Dot, "my" pony for the week. And by "my", I mean I groomed and tack and rode her every day for a week, and even in a fun show at the end. I went back to that horse camp for six years, until a spider bite incident landed me in the hospital and it was so poorly managed on the camp's part that I never wanted to go back.

I started taking weekly lessons when I was ten. I started at a saddleseat barn that one of my friends rode at, then started jumping lessons at a private barn two years later. I switched from that barn to a different h/j and dressage barn until I started leasing Royal at Last Chance Farm. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I tell people I went through the horse-loving stage almost every girl goes through and never grew out. I hope I never do.