After a fall from a horse she was training on September 1, 2004 that resulted in fractures of her 4th and 5th cervical vertabrae, Peggy spent 2 weeks at Shock-Trauma. From there, she spent two and a half months at Kernan Hospital for intense therapy. After discharge from tthere on Nov. 22, Peggy resided at a nursing home, finally coming home to the farm on February 28, 2005 - 6 months after the accident!
What a difference a year makes. Where it was just we 3 Musketeers (Kim, Cassie and Peggy) last year, this year we took a whole entourage with us for the inaugural Sport Horse Nationals. Katie Rose (plus Trooper and Ivy!) came up from her new home in Atlanta to be our coach; Debbi, Kim, Cassie and I rounded out the group. We were taking PX, and three newbies: Braveheart (Bravehearteclipse), Zeal (Kharry On+), and Soli (PA Solidor).
In a year fraught with many positive changes for Starstruck, again we had so much for which to be thankful in 2003.
The never-ending winter from hell FINALLY left, a bit late of course, and we saw the ground. It was not a green spring, but a brown one, thanks to the mud that the snow gave way to....fortunately we had the use of an indoor ring on occasion to try to catch up on all the lost time over winter.
Again this year, we packed ourselves up at O-dark-30 and hit the road for Louisville. Bittersweet memories of Lady and PX two years ago were in the front of my mind. This year, the last year that Working Hunters will show at THE Nationals (they are starting a seperate Sporthorse National Championship in 2003), we took Post Exchange+, our 19 year old Anglo-Arabian stallion, and Silver Run Sohn, my 20 year old Purebred gelding. (I figured its now or never for my sweet Sohn!)
Where do I begin? This year was one of the most rewarding of my life with these horses. We made so many new and fantastic friends, achieved goals we never dreamed of reaching, brought new lives into this world, and had one HECK of a lot of FUN!!!
This page and the stories on the attached pages will evolve over the next few weeks. Keep checking back as I will be adding to it each time I sit down for a few moments.
Our Quest for Kim's Next Superstar!
It all started when Kim got a bug up her butt to have a Purebred made working hunter to be ready for next year's Sporthorse Nationals. With Superman's physical (and MENTAL) limitations, she wanted something fun and easy.
It's difficult to know where to start when looking back on this show year. It was certainly one full of pleasant surprises, lots of firsts (and I don't just mean ribbons!), and fabulous memories with our awesome horses.
With one huge loss (Stirinupastorm), but several new additions to bring out, we were often at odds with whom to take where!
For some masochistic reason, we decided to hit the road again this summer for yet another BIG arabian show. This time it was the IAHA Region 15 Championships, a show we had never attended. (Probably coz its so FAR AWAY!) They offered a Junior To Ride class in Working Hunter, so it seemed a good substitute for Cassie and PX since we couldn't talk ourselves into driving to ALBEQUERQUE for Youth Nationals!
We packed up our two qualified horses, Post Exchange and Stirinupastorm, ourselves, and a weekend's worth of junk. Left at 4 am on Thursday, made numerous pit stops to water, hay and feed ourselves (even unloaded our horses at a state park in West Virginia), and arrived at the Fairgrounds at 5 pm - WHEW!!
Kim and Cassie took the horses for a walkabout while Peggy unloaded junk and set up the stalls in the tents that were MUCH closer to Freedom Hall than in '98.
Back in March, I saved from going to auction for a past due board bill, a purebred Arabian black stallion. This poor guy was special because of his bloodlines, the term Al Khamsa, I soon learned, meant he was descended from one of five Arabian mares, "The Chosen Ones," that Mohammed had selected as the best.
Small in stature, but sweet and kind, he bore the ravages of having been neglected early in his life - a life that was spent in a stall, pacing, wishing to get out into the light of day.