Back to the beginning...

When I was a kid I was totally nuts over horses (still am, it never stops). 

At 13, my mom drove me down the road to Watermark Farm and asked the owners,

 Bill and Anne Rawle, if I could work for them. 

She said I would do anything they wanted if I could just ride and learn about horses. 

Lucky for me, they said yes. 

And so began my real education about all things equine at this magical farm 

where they could make horses dance. 

I mucked stalls, cleaned tack, helped stack hay in the barn on scorching summer days. I learned about breeding, handling stallions and young horses, painted faded jumps and swept cobwebs from the rafters of their beautiful old bank barn. 

In return I was gifted with a first class education in riding and horsemanship.

I attended Pony Club, rode in horse shows, went on trail rides and watched the birth of newborn foals. 

It was, and still is, a place that holds a lot of magic for me.

I was fortunate to be able to reconnect with the Rawles on Facebook, and, after almost 20 years, arranged a visit to Watermark Farm last week. 

So, if you find yourself looking for a young horse that excels in dressage or jumping, or are looking for a warmblood stallion that will give you a talented foal, please check out Watermark Farm. 

And be sure to tell the feline, ringside trainer, Oreo, that I said hello!

More photos from Watermark Farm on Flickr.

Devon Horse Show

Thursday marked the opening day for The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. The day started out cool and in the 60's and quickly progressed to hot and humid high 80's. In the afternoon a strong storm blew over  making for some dramatic photos. 

You can see more on my Flickr site. 

Once again Elizabeth from Caracol Jewelry has asked me to display my artwork in her booth at Devon. 

This year I chose 5 photographs to show. I thought they worked well with the space and beautiful jewelry. 

Thank you Elizabeth for taking the following 3 photos, I left in the middle of a storm and didn't get the chance!

The Devon Horse Show IS my happy place. I will probably never get to show a horse there so I am very grateful to get to show my horse art. It is a dream come true!

Devon Hunters, etc.

The photo above is Scott Stewart riding Carols Boy.

He won leading hunter rider at Devon this year.

I enjoy watching hunters at this level. They make it look effortless.

Not sure what to think about this.

All I can say is it was like 100 degrees out.

Would you like a small dog strapped to your chest?

Loved these drift wood horses. Perfect for my garden, right?

My Mom and Zoe trying to stay cool in the shade.

Beautiful grey warming up.

I love the Devon grandstand!

Love and Scratches and Sweet Feed

For the first time in nearly 4 years I'm back to feeding horses.

I was asked by the barn owner if I wanted to feed once a day, 2-3 times a week.

Of course I couldn't say no. Now I get to give love and scratches and sweet feed to all the horses in the barn and they are all so nice. The top horse is Bo.

Dayo grazing. You should see this thoroughbred move. Takes my breath away.

Someday I'll get it on the camera.

Faust, dirty but still looking stunning.

Lily above, Sophie and her muzzled mother below.

Twister the POA (Pony of the Americas).

He's the sweetest pony you will ever meet.

Zoe loves to groom him and ride him out to his pasture.

Rosie and her neigh-bor V.

 They are in love.



"Hey Rosie, can I play with your ball?"

Silent Sunday - Zoe & Rosie

Winter Blogging

Sorry I haven't been my usual blogging self lately. I blame it on winter. No beautiful flowers in my garden to inspire me. No vacations. Very few weekend trips to fun places. Cold, snow, ice. Even my riding has tapered off. Zoe still likes to ride, even when it's too cold for her wimpy mom. And yesterday she turned 5! I can't believe it!
I've been having fun on the site Big Huge Labs making photo mosaics. Click on them to see a larger image. Here's a bunch of pictures of my little gremlin over the last 5 years.

And here's some photos of Pumpkin Pie over the last year of his life...

Boy do I ever miss my garden!

 Here are photos I took of my 2010 flowers. I'm using this one as my current desktop. Fell free to snag it for your own desktop if you miss warmer weather:)

I finished a Painted Pony inspired by The Day of the Dead if you didn't see it on my PP blog:

Now on ebay - "Lovely Bones"

Thank you Amber at the blog- Calamity and Me, for my award!

I'm supposed to tell you 7 things about myself so I'll make it short!

1. My first car was a 1976 Volvo with over 200,000 miles on it.

2. My favorite movie is Amelie - I love EVERYTHING about it.

3. My first horse was an Appaloosa named Niki. I rode him in my first horse show and won 2nd in my first class without ever having a riding lesson (novice horse and rider).

4. I hate flying. I cry during take off.

5. I own a classical guitar (Fender) that I never learned to play (someday maybe).

6. Cello is my very favorite instrument.

7. My dad and I want to walk the West Highland Way  in 3 years when I turn 40.