Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Roses and Dreams

I was in Tulsa last week for the Arabian and Half-Arabian US Nationals. (It goes through this week, too. Saturday is the last day, but I just went for my class.) It was such a great time. I loved being able to see people I haven't seen in years. I loved sitting around and watching classes, being able to admire the truly talented horses in front of me.

Then on Sunday I had my class. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. I never used to get nervous, but it's been a few years since I used to do this all the time.

Fortunately I have an awesome horse and an amazing trainer. Maybelline, my mare, and I had a great ride. She's only a four-year-old, but she's a very talented and very willing horse. When I came out of the ring, before they announced the Top Ten and the Champion and Reserve, I said I was happy no matter what happened. This was my last ride on Maybelline, because she's being sold to another girl at our barn, and it was a great last ride. So I was happy.

And then I was shocked. We won. I've been National Champion at the Canadian Nationals, and Reserve Champion at US Nationals, but I've never won at US before. It was a huge dream come true. I cried.


This is my dad with me and Maybelline.
 
It's cool too, because this win, this dream come true, came one month-almost to the day-before the release of RUN FOR THE ROSES, my novella set at the US Youth Nationals. I'm so excited to share this part of my life with readers. In fact, I'm writing another horse story now, which will show a lot more of the chaos that goes with showing horses than what the other one shows. The horse shows really are like their own little world, their own little small town where everyone knows everyone else. I'm glad to be back.
 
How about you? How was your weekend?
 
 



22 comments:

  1. Congratulations! What a wonderful echo in your real life for your novel! And what a beautiful way to spend the last ride with a great horse! I'm so happy for you! The roses, the horse, Showing is such a wild ride, I'm glad you wrote about it, and I can't wait to read your story!

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  2. Rachel, that's awesome! What a way to end your riding with that horse.

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  3. Congratulations! That is so awesome. I've never actually been on a horse before. Crazy, I know!

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  4. Hooray! Congrats on winning! And I love the name Maybelline. Yay for you both! =)

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  5. Congratulations, Rachel! That's amazing!!

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  6. Many congrats...sorry your selling your horse though...always so sad. My sister was an English horsewoman for years...she loved it, and had three horses....trained at Via Verde Equestrian Center and Dorothy Miller was her trainer....this was in West Covina, Ca., she did well and is excellent with all animals to this very day.. Sandy

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  7. Wow, congrats on winning, as well as having a fantastic last ride on Maybelline. That's awesome! Good luck with that new horse story you're writing--chaos is always fun to read about, no matter what the form! :)

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  8. Wow congrats! There can't be a better end for your time with Maybelline.

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  9. That's really fantastic, congratulations :-)

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  10. Congratulations, Rachel!! That's amazing. Maybelline is a beauty and what a last ride you had.

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  11. Congrats!! What a wonderful last ride on Maybelline. And the pictures of you both are amazing!

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  12. That is so amazingly awesome!!! I heard from the ninja captain about it, and I wanted to bawl for joy right along with you. Congrats, woman!

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  13. What a wonderful post! Congratulations on your win. I can't imagine how exciting that must have been. What a great companion experience to your book release.

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  14. Wow! That's wonderful!!! Congratulations on your win!!!

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  15. Aw! I'm so excited for you :) What an amazing accomplishment. You look stunning on Maybelline! How amazing that this precedes Run for the Roses release as well!!

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  16. You were in Tulsa...Oklahoma??! You were in my state!
    Congrats on your win! So many awesome things happening for you. Love the photos!

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  17. Oh my gosh Rachel!!! How did I not know about this!?!?!? That is freaking awesome!!! Congrats girl!

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  18. That is so cool! Congratulations. I really can't come up with anything I did that compares to that! It's so neat that this was your last ride with her too.

    Can't wait to see the next story too and learn more about the horse showing compettions.

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  19. That's about the coolest thing I've ever read on a blog. Seriously! Wow. I know someone who won the US Nationals, my daughter the horse-lover will be amazed. :) Congrats!!!

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  20. Congrats, Rachel! I saw that last week on Alex's blog. You still got it.

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  21. Yay!! That's so cool!! :D You go gurl!!

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