Mother's Day

Things I remember my mother saying to me and I find myself repeating are life's lessons that I never will never forget. Here are a couple off the top of my head that I live by.

"Breed the best you have to the best you can afford. If you can't afford it, don't bother to breed."

Anyone can breed a feed bucket to a mud puddle and you will end up with just another common horse. Anyone can have mediocre. To set yourself above all the rest, breed for quality, breed for class. If you don't like what you get, don't keep breeding that mare or stallion expecting to get different results. Take the time to study pedigrees. It will pay off in the end. Maybe the current down turn in the horse market will better the horse industry. People might start to think about what or why they are breeding and be more selective. The final results will be better quality horses in the future. It seems like everyone has a stallion they are promoting just to make a buck, and many of those stallions would make good geldings.

"If you treat an animal special, it will feel special, look special and be special."

I have followed this philosophy since I was a little girl. I remember seeing a scruffy, long haired pony in a pasture, and being able to see past all the fuzz, to be able to see that with some grooming and attention, that pony would be an animal I would be proud to ride into the show ring. I have always been proud of the animals I showed because I put the time into that animal. I would spend hours practicing, grooming, riding and basically fussing over an animal before I got to the show pen. Animals adore being brushed or pet or just spending time with you. Treat them special and they will be special. Special stands out in the show ring.

I need to get out and ride today. Any day I can get into the saddle is a good day. Happy Mother's Day!