Saratoga!

I can finally post my photos! My editor and I went to Saratoga Springs, New York, to attend the American Horse Publications(AHP) conference. We toured the city and racetracks and I got some cool photos! I was dying to post them all last weekend, but my internet connection in the hotel wasn't working too well. So here are some photos!

It wasn't a race day, but a few horses were getting worked. This is the oldest racetrack in the United States. The following photos are on the Oklahoma racetrack just off of the main Saratoga racetrack, where the horses are worked daily and trained to break from the starting gates.

Later that evening we toured Saratoga's "racino" which is a harness racetrack connected to a casino. I was beyond excited to see live harness racing, because as far as I know, there are no harness racing facilities in Texas. The light was fading, so I had to use my flash, but I kind of like the panned effect.

Let me know what you think! I'm at the APHA World Show for the next two weeks, but I'm gearing up for my ITALY trip starting July 16!

Welcome to my blog!

Man, setting up a new blog is harder than I thought it would be! I'm still tweaking the look of my blog, so please bear with me!

I rode my 23 year old Quarter Horse Willy yesterday. We've been partners for 12 years! He's got a heart of gold and I wouldn't trade him for any other horse. I've learned so  much with him. Willy has always let me try out all my "training" techniques on him over the years and he's always trued to do whatever I wanted him to do. From reining and team penning to driving and all-around events, Willy is always game to try something new. People who have seen us together notice what I've always valued about Willy: we seem to read each others mind. One example of this is when we work cattle. He just seems to know which cow I want to go after and where I want to take it. We just work as one unit! It's so much fun to be with my horse.

Willy is my main animal model, so look for more pics of my big red horse. Let me know what you think of these! Who is your favorite animal and why?