Unique Horsemanship

🎉My best friend for 23 years and teammate for 13, Chiquita, just turned 23 on March 31st. We headed to the soonest race that had poles to grab an exhibition and do a cruise through to celebrate her birthday and man, did she love it. I haven’t felt her that happy since we did this a couple of years ago. I still ride her ba****ck for old lady workouts 3-4 days a week so she’s decently in shape, but not enough to run as fast as she wanted to and not pull something… 😂 So I made her take it easy, but man did she still have fun. A 27 on poles with slow loping her back, and holding her back the entire time in general. Just SUCH an automatic, easy and smooth pattern. God I miss running her. I miss her smooth, enthusiastic runs, wanting it just as bad as I did. 🥹🩷
It was so hard to retire her while she was sound and feeling great at the end of her 16th year, but I’m glad I did - for this moment right here, and hopefully many more. She’s comfortable and that’s what matters most to me. She’s the queen C, so she has to be happy and sound. 😄🩷
Such an absolutely spectacular horse and I’m so grateful to have gotten to run down an alley for 551 competition runs and so many more practice runs, and I’m especially grateful that I still have her and she can still come out here and do this and be that happy. Just look at her face 🥹 So cool to have a horse that loves their job and remembers the poles this well. New arena, first time through the pattern here, SEVEN YEARS after being retired. She’s just the coolest and I can’t be convinced otherwise. 💁🏼‍♀️😂
Chiquita was self started, self trained and my main competition horse for many years, but she taught me far more than I taught her. 🩷 Such a blessing.
Happy 23rd birthday Chiquita🩷

Thank you, Abby for capturing this beautiful moment. I will cherish it for as long as I get to keep it🩷

Thank you, Haley for so willingly offering to only bring one of your two barrel horses to this race so I could have an available slot on my trailer to bring her🩷

And thank you to everyone along the way that helped us, believed in us, encouraged us, and helped in so many unique other ways, you know who you are🩷