Lyric and I after a clean but soggy Training level cross country finish at Penny Oaks. Photo by Rachel Skirvin.
My name is Rachel and I wear many hats. I’m a mom, a paramedic, a riding instructor, a trainer, a Pony Club supporter, and of course, an eventer. Staying busy and diverse keeps me out of trouble. It also makes for lots and lots of things to talk and write about. Just in the past few weeks, I’ve made a solo trip to the metal scrap yard (terrifying and fascinating at the same time), removed five spitting, hissing, feral kittens from the barn and placed them into my bathroom, taken my first homebred around his first Training level event after battling EPM, ulcers, lameness and a hatred of the sandbox (him, not me, I tolerate it…), got attacked by ground bees while bush hogging and ended up in the ER with a complementary epi/Benadryl/steroid combo, convinced my last patient not to eat their blanket and pulse ox probe, and failed to notice when the 18 month old child pilfered a giant carving knife out of the dishwasher and placed it in the dog cage. It’s never ever dull around here.
I’ve been riding since I was 7 years old, which means it’s been a long time. I did my first recognized event over 20 years ago on my first horse, who I still have and who now begrudgingly totes around my 4 year old son. She is destined for sainthood. I have come to love my big bay gelding, he has turned out to be pretty awesome, but I have a soft spot for mares — the small, red and feisty are my favorites. If you get one to trust and appreciate you, you have a gangster friend for life. Piss them off and they will end you. In your sleep. I can respect that.
Raising small humans is the hardest job in the world, but it’s also the most rewarding. I totally get the momma bear mentality. Hurt my kids and I will go red mare on you. But I can also understand the moms who drive their station wagon off the bridge into the river. Sometimes you have to place yourself in the bathroom and take a five-minute Facebook break, with the feral kittens, all while screams of “Mommy!!! Mommy!!! MMMOOOOOOMMMMYYYYY!!???” ring through the house and tiny fingers make valiant attempts at entrance under the locked bathroom door.
My horses, my sport and my family have made me who I am. Being a new blogger for EN is super exciting for me! I promise adventure, laughs and insanity, and not just in the middle…
