When we first moved to CA. we boarded at a stable that seemed very promising. The stables were immaculate and set at the top of a hill. There was a very large outdoor arena that was kept well however the indoor arena was a bit shabby. I had been used to doing a lot of riding inside due to the fact that the midwest winters were brutal, spring was rainy and stormy, summer, also brutal and fall was the best time to ride outside. In northern California most riding was done outside. This was something I had to get used to, I had associated riding with spooking horses because my horse, Andy, seemed to spook at everything outside. They had several trainers at this barn but they somehow could never fit me into their schedule, mostly my Mom helped me and taught me. There was a Pony Club that was started and suited me very well.
I rode in the Pony Club up until the time it fell apart due to lack of sponsorship, perhaps because the trainers, with no time, did not like their students working with other trainers. The stable was nice enough to hold rated shows, which I was able to ride in and, to the annoyance of the busy trainers, do very well. One of my favorite things about the place was that it had a lovely little sandwich shop that made avacado sandwiches, but this about horses. We boarded there until, what I like to call, "the palace" was finished enough to house horses.
My parents had met a couple who were in the process of designing an amazing stable which could comfortably house hundreds of horses, each having their own paddock and shelter with attached storage and tacking areas. There of course was an incredible barn with a tile roof, stucco exterior and arched windows for the horses to look out. The indoor arena was actually just a covered arena, the biggest I had ever seen, and comfortably fit a full dressage ring and plenty of room for jumps. It was connected with a permanent PA system in which we were able to ride with music playing. The tack room consisted of beautiful tack lockers for each boarder and was always perfectly neat.
There was a huge field that was used for cross country events and had several permanent jumps, which I was told not to jump until I was older, I followed the rules. The back of the property was outlined by a creek where much fun was had. My horse liked to jump over the creek, I didn't believe there was a rule forbidding that. The creek was not deep enough for the horses to swim, but in parts you would definitely get your boots wet. On the other side of the water was a hillside, a lovely open meadow, perfect for a nice canter.
I took lessons with anyone who would take me, there were a lot of visiting trainers, I don't believe there was ever a resident trainer. I was able to ride with some top notch people, even olympians mostly specializing in Hunters, Equitation and Dressage. equitation was my forte.
We were there for a couple years, until my parents split up and my Mom, brothers and I headed back to the midwest. We were not able to send Andy back with us and he stayed for two years. I was able to spend the summers with Andy in California and show him and any other horses I could get my hands on. One summer my Dad had purchased two horses off the track, they had months of rest before I got there for summer vacation. I really had no concept of what a horse from the track was, I was eager to meet them. I was fourteen and was certainly not a trainer. I ran out a grabbed one of the horses and brought him to the barn to get ready to ride. A trainer that had been teaching a few people stopped me to make sure I knew that the horse had not even been touched in months, somehow I was ok with it. I tacked the horse and got right on, he was a bit high strung (of course) but after a few days we got along very well, the same went for the other track horse. By the end of summer I had both horses jumping, doing beautiful lead changes and I rode them in some small shows. They were on there way to becoming wonderful companions. I was very proud of them and myself. After I left to return to school, my Dad quickly sold both horses for a nice profit and told me maybe he would have more for me to ride the next summer. I was a bit disappointed that all my work and the horses I bonded with were gone, at least someone made money. I managed to talk my parents into sending Andy back to the midwest and when he got there I no longer spent the summers in California.
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