6 September 2004

Even though it was ridiculously hot today, I went to the horse show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It was a 5-day show put on by Gold Coast. They put on one show a month for most of the year. Who knows whether I’ll show in their next one, which will be the end of October. It all depends on whether or not I buy the horse that I looked at today. If I buy her, I probably cannot afford the show. If I don’t, then perhaps I can show Goldie, the mare I’ve been leasing since February, who is unfortunately dead lame right now. It happens, especially in older horses. Goldie is 15.

Anyway, the horse I looked at today. At one point I was baking in the hot sun but still enthusiastically watching my compadres ride in their classes when my trainer told me that she found a horse for me to look at. The horse is a six year old Thoroughbred bay mare named Tiffany. She’s a sweet-looking mare and has been taking some ribbons in her classes with her beginner rider aboard. My trainer’s assistant rode her over some jumps so we could get a better look and an idea if she has potential. She does. She’s willing and does her flying lead changes already. My trainer feels like she make the horse into what she wants. Tiffany needs some weight as she’s kind of scrawny in the rear end (and I am most definitely not!). She’ll get chunky under my trainer’s feeding program. I get to ride her a week from tomorrow. If I wasn’t going to my class reunion, I could ride her sooner. I feel surprisingly calm about this, which is often a good sign.