Arabian Youth Nationals: The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

Reflections from the Backcounter also known as the barn:

Day 3: Held hostage on the show grounds. Dust, sun, manure and nervous tension threaten the integrity of my cardiovascular system let alone my gi tract. This is anxiety personified and the stakes are high. Not only are we dealing with the uncertainty of a national competition but we must also factor in the unpredictable variable of a living breathing member of the competition team, the fragile horse. Doing well at nationals is like going to Las Vegas. You can never beat the house. Your favorite youth competitor can deliver the ride of her life and still not make the cut . Yesterday we added another layer of complexity to the equation when my oldest daughter got tossed off of her horse onto the concrete pavement and we had the distinct pleasure of spending the next 6 hours in the University of New Mexico Emergency room. Luckily, no broken bones but plenty of bruises and of course a new layer of fretting for the already nearly frenetic mother. Add to that a less than enthusiastic teen age brother who is clearly put out at having to spend his precious summer break hanging around a barn and my nerves are frazzling. Hopefully, they will all look back on these experiences with fond memories and a desire to reproduce the

experience for their children.... and to think I was worried about the menu......at this point we are ordering pizza...daily...

Peace,

Julia