For the past week, I have been working hard to stay ready for this big show. Because Smartie lives in Arkansas and I live in Mississippi, I obviously cannot ride her every single day—although, I wish I could. So, while I am at home, I ride other horses to stay in riding shape.

Lately, I have also been teaching some riding lessons to a kid from our church. He went to camp and fell in love with horses. When he got home, he asked if he could come hang out with me at the barn and learn more. Henry is 11, and possibly the fastest learner I have ever taught. He understood the concept of leads in one explanation! He is patient and listens extremely well with a smile on his face. I can only hope that I am as nice a student to teach.

Another factor in my preparation for Lexington has been the awful heat here in south Mississippi. I know it is bad everywhere, but the humidity here is just unreal! I feel as if I live in a sauna 24/7. Our riding hours tend to be between 6 and 10 in the morning or 6 and 9 at night. No matter what, though, we get our full days worth of perspiring in.

Just six hours away, the heat was so much more tolerable to me. The humidity drops considerably in Arkansas, but it’s still a challenge to not get over heated too quickly. I drove up for some last minute preparations, and our first ride went really well. We drove to the local college so that we could have some shade to ride in, but we forfeit good ground when we go there. That is ok though, because I never have to worry about Smartie’s stops in a pattern. I believe that is her favorite part, and she does it with such ease and grace. We rode for a good while working on circles, spins, and rundowns. She was great. She felt solid and confident, which is always helpful to make me feel the same way. So that was definitely a good day.

Mr. Randy said he feels good about my horse. He’s confident in Smartie and trusts her to stay honest. She will have a few days off before the competition to rest up.

I also took some time to spoil my girl. She LOVES candy, so I hunted around the break room to see if I can find her favorite- butterscotch. She'll love me forever if I show up with a few of those.

She knows me way too well! If I just show up at her stall, she follows me back and forth like a puppy. If I am there with no halter, she knows I have goodies and some TLC. She loved the cherry candy that I found, since that was my only option. She also likes Starburst a lot, so I will keep that in mind for snacks later.

Well back on the road home to start packing for our week and getting ready for the 14 hour haul to Lexington. We have stall signs to make, and golf cart decorations we are working on, as well as goody bags for the other teams.

Can’t wait for the NAJYRC!

 

Photo One: Laura And Henry riding at her house.

Photo Two: Alex, a fellow barnmate, and Laura feeding Smartie "Smartie's" after a hard day at the Derby.