Last night in Kentucky

A week before NAJYRC I was told that my horse did not have what it takes to be an upper level horse and I should consider getting a new one. After hearing this it was hard not to cry and then of course doubt her. After this weekend She did more then prove herself she established a name for herself. My mother told me that no one makes it to the top without being told "they can't do it" I think when I was told that, it gave me that much more motivation to come back here and let everyone know what my horse is made of and let everyone know we are in this for the long haul. Today it finally started to sink in. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much!! Chloe must know she is a champ because every time anyone goes near her stall she gets a carrot. She is becoming a bit demanding :) All the text messages, emails and phone calls I have been getting are amazing! I cant tell you all how much I appreciate it! I also was not aware how many people started to follow this blog. I am so glad I got to share this journey with everyone and I am not ready for it to end! Tomorrow we head out first thing in the morning to start our long drive home to California. We are planning on doing it in four days stopping every night to let Chloe and the other two horses get some rest. I have some good reading material and plenty of e mails to answer! When we get home Chloe will get turned out in my backyard for a month or so to eat all the grass she wants and get as dirty as she wants! I will have that time to pay more attention to my other mare Annie Oakley. Hopefully now it is her time to shine!! My sister Ashley is getting married soon and I will have more time to help with the preparation for that too!
I am leaving here tomorrow feeling so high on life! I can of course credit part of it to winning the gold, another part to my amazing horse and the rest to all the fantastic people I got to meet and share this experience with. My teammate Natalia Gurmankin is one of the best team mates I could have asked for. Her horsemanship skills are unbelievable and her support was never ending. Madison Reeb, although it didn't go as she planned this weekend she kept a great attitude and was an example for all of us. Kelly Loria was a superstar this weekend and I can't tell you how happy I was to have her there, she was always offering a helping hand. Amanda Sanchez worked her butt off coming out early hours to get things done and staying late until they were done. You rock! Scott Kuhlman never waited for anyone to ask for help he just jumped in and did it. You cant ask for better help than that. Shannon Lilley, holy cow there is too much to thank you for. I think you deserve a whole blog dedicated to you! Your help was never ending but most of all I am so glad you were there for me to share this experience with. I wouldn't want it any other way. To the parents not only was your cooking great, you were our support system. You cheered us all on and that is so appreciated! Laura Werner you are awesome! Even though you dont like my messy hair, bad sense of direction and spelling errors...I still love you! To Dayna I cant say anything without it being completely biased but im pretty sure everyone agrees you were a fantastic coach. You kept everything fun while getting things done and that's what Young Riders is about. To my dad Steve, not only are you one of my biggest fans you are probably one of the only people who will put up with me on cross country morning :) Besides our area VI group I met some other fantastic people. Thank you for making it so memorable! Thank you to our sponsors who donated to our team and my personal sponsor APF!! And I know I have said it a million times but everyone who has reached out to congratulate Chloe and I...It is amazing. When I turned my phone on sunday night after show jumping it was hard not to cry. Your support reminds me of why this sport is so special. We all root for each other and we all want the best for each other. I cant thank you all enough. Again I am so glad to share this journey with all of you and although I am sad it is coming to an end I know this wont be the last one!!
Xoxo Kelly and Chloe