2004WorldShow

This is our son, Joe, on our stallion, Secret Mr BarReed at the 2004 World Championship Appaloosa Show, after the Mens' Heritage class. Coming out of the class three of the other participants in his class complimented on how well Joe handled Mister. Some people came up to him and us later and complimented how Mister was the best well behaved horse in that particular class. All these generous things said to us were better than any placing in that class that day could have ever been. ("The Raging Hormone" has officially lost his title and passed it on to another stallion somewhere out there.) We were definitely the proud parents (and still are, most the time)!! Joe will never excel in pleasure, or English, or jumping (oh, sigh...), but he loves heritage, (only not as an Indian), driving (as long as he doesn't have the "bad" horse), and has gone into saddle seat, too, doing well in all!

For those of you who do not know, Jeff and Joe had never gone to the World show with me before 2004. In 2004 Jeff was on strike with the auto mechanics' union of St. Louis for 3 months, and he had made plans to go with me because he "wasn't doing anything else." Jeff went back to work on or around October 16th, had to use 7 days vacation before November 20th, so the plans still worked out. Even after Jeff has been to the show he still claims the only reason I go to the show is to be a part of "the big party." I did catch him cleaning stalls (he never was quite able to keep up with Dona Boatman and her "fecal fetish!"), watering and feeding Mister, grooming other people's horses, carrying their grooming totes for them to classes and being morale support for them while I was getting ready with Mister. Jeff even got up with me at 2:30 AM and sat with me while I tacked up the morning I had jumping warm up. He didn't go to practice with me, but I was thoroughly impressed!!!! I went back to bed when I was done, and Jeff got up, again, with me at 6:00 AM when I got up to get ready for my jumping classes that day.

I went into a jumping class and lost my first jump, ending in disqualification. The only thing Jeff said to me after that class was "how much did that class cost me?" "A hundred dollars." "I thought so." I never heard him say another thing about it, other than I jeopardize myself. No hounding... just a statement. ;) I am so glad Jeff is my supportive husband (for 18 years he's known how to take care of me)!!!!

For an extra update on other things, Joe and I completed 350+ miles in competitive trail riding (me on Mister and Joe on our grey mare, the queen of refusals (in jumping classes)). Completion of these miles, over 7 rides in 6 different states, earned ApHC medallions on our horses (a silver on Mister and a bronze on Jewel). This has surely earned a name with the word "medallion" in it for Mister and Jewel's foal due in March. It looks as if Joe may be the first youth to have completed a medallion through the ApHC in competitive trail riding (the ctr/medallion program did not start until 1983 or so). Our friend, Karen Richardson, Joe and I also hauled, with Karen's rig, one of Mister's 7 year old sons, Chief, Jewel and another of our mares, Dolly, to Oregon and participated in the Chief Joseph Trail Ride. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking they might possibly be interested. It was so awesome!!!!!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have happy Appy trails!~