The weather has improved and it is warmer. We fly in late Thursday to get back
into the RV and horse showing mode. Friday goes well, Saturday is a little
tougher and Sunday is better. It was one of those up and down weekends -
smiles to tears.

We have two horses - a children's and a junior horse. There seem to be hours
in between each class and somehow children's goes at dusk - hard to see a
black horse when the sun has gone down. I try to be encouraging and spend
much of my time visiting with other moms at the ring.

Learned all about tying up when a horse from the barn got this. Got up a night
to check her since I am the only one not showing. My big accomplishment was
to drive and back the RV into its parking spot after picking up a loan of propane
to keep the RV heated. Flight home was tough with a tired rider.

Well the dreaded moment happened - the moment I have always in the back of
my mind worried about. My daughter took a bad fall and was taken out of the
show ring +on a back board by ambulance. She was knocked unconscious for a
few seconds - seemed like minutes to me before we could get to her respond. I
thought my heart would stop beating seeing her lying there.

She had left out a stride and took a fence too long - it was an oxer and the horse
crashed into the fence - broke the pole and went down. My daughter fell on her
head and it snapped back. (Thank God for GPA helmets and the design in back.)
Medics came and put her on a backboard and took her by ambulance out of the
ring. After CAT scans and x-rays- she is pronounced okay with a mild concussion
and a broken tooth. She had a severe headache and was very sore. She rode
the next day in a flat class and jumped two days later to finish out the show.

My reaction - I am crying now as I write this - and I have shed a few tears over
this. Watching it happen, dealing with her lying there and thinking of all that
might have happened gave me a real scare. Thanks to another show mom, I
stayed calm and tried to give my daughter reassurance and comfort. I was
starting to lose it and my friend took me aside and got my attention. (Thank you
Joy!) My job was to stay calm, give her reassurance and insist that we get all the
tests. We made the ambulance ride fun - a first for her. (The whole time I am
praying and praying but kept a smile on my face.)

The horse was fine - he had a vet check, a couple of great massages, a visit from
our chiropractor, and a visit to a specialist just to make sure all was okay. He is
back at work after two weeks of rest. It seems this is a rite of passage for many
serious riders - many trainers came by to ask about us and had their own stories
to tell. I am sobered by it all and really hope this never happens again. I wonder
about my own rite of passage - showing will never be the same.

We survived the National Junior Finals at Kentucky Horse Park. Compliments to
the management on a great show and experience for the girls. The event proved
very challenging for both rider and horse. It was another one of those weekends
full of learning experiences rather than ribbons.

My favorite quote was from one of the trainers: "In horse showing sometimes
there can be little difference between getting stars and seeing stars."

My advice will be to never take a green horse to a national competition - save the
experience for an older experienced horse. My other lesson - start when you are
young so you can have a couple of practice years to season up or maybe save your
money and find something closer to home.