Spring break 2010: I wanted to ride again. To make this happen, I needed a car. I started browsing around, as one does, running totally blind, and stumbled upon an inexpensive, moderately low-mileage Prius on Ebay. I asked my parents all the right questions: why is it so cheap? What should I be looking for? I bought the car. It doesn’t matter what questions you ask if the people you’re asking are equally clueless. A few thousand in repairs later, it turned out to still be a reasonably good deal. Would probably not purchase car on ebay again.

End of summer 2010: Met Confetti. Fell in love.

Summer 2011: First trail ride. First ponderings of “what do I do with a horse that doesn’t seem to get tired on trail?”

Summer/fall 2012: Officially gifted Confetti. First LD at Quicksilver, where Funder and Dixie very kindly got us through. I don’t know why I can’t find any photos of this, but one is framed and on the wall.

Winter 2012. Yes, two in one year. First beach ride.

We hauled out a lot in 2013, and completed both Fireworks and Quicksilver LDs.

In 2014, we volunteered at a very wet and muddy trail trials event, and I had total confidence in her surefootedness. It paid off. I never want to do it again quite like that – the worst parts aren’t pictured. NATRC ride, Fireworks, and Quicksilver LDs again. I regretted not doing the 50 at Quicksilver. We finished up the year with a beach ride.

2015. NATRC again as a warm-up for the season. Two days of LDs at Wild West, where we met Aurora and Mel and IrishHorse and destroyed a whole bunch of boots. Friend’s young Gypsy started coming along on short rides with us. I begged, borrowed, and negotiated a rideshare up to Cuneo Creek, where we absolutely rocked our first 50 with Cyd and Bugsy. Finished up with a LD at Quicksilver with Olivia and Nilla. Rained aggressively within the week, which took us from a season of Working Hard to a month of Can’t Do Shit, and I did not manage Fetti well through this.

2016. Rode to local gymkhana, got bucked off, minor concussion. Completed the 50 at Quicksilver with Olivia’s husband and Eugene. My gut feeling coming into the finish was that we were done with competition. Then the barn flooded.

2017. I got my Haffies in Endurance article published in the Haflinger magazine, and another in the AERC magazine. Fetti stuck her head through the fence, injured her suspensory(?), and we spent the summer on rehab instead of being trail buddies for my friend’s young horse. We also befriended the orphan deer.

2018. I wasn’t really shopping for another horse, but. We detoured a few hours on the way home from vacation. Friends hauled Polly home for me a couple weeks later.

2019. First rides on Polly. Continuing to ride Fetti around as my reliable pony. And finished up the year by buying a truck.

It truly takes a village. I’m grateful to have found a good one and hope to keep making choices to effectively build the future I want.