You Can't Be Afraid. You Have to Just Ride.

 Somehow, someway, while sitting on the bleacher stands, during a summer cutting horse show I was hit by this powerful, deep sense of loneliness and alienation, like no one understood and I was all alone in some tragic, teen-agery way. I couldn't escape it. It didn't help that no one at the cutting knew me, and that I haven't ridden in a horse show in about twenty years. 

James was there, telling me I was a piece of shit, and as much as I like to ignore him, I do often times feel like a piece of shit. At least when he's telling me I'm dirt, the bottom off of someone's shoe, he's not telling me I'm stupid. I do feel unintelligent, and I don't need James to remind me of that fact. 

I sit there, and I watch the horses. I notice that there are plenty of skinny loper girls in tight jeans, running around, brushing out tails for trainers who are just about to step in the show ring, but there is only one female rider in the open classes, Morgan Cromer. The rest are all men. 

I look at Morgan as someone who could have been me if I didn't have fibromyalgia and chose to keep training horses at Skip Brown's ranch (for a little while longer, then moved on to an assistant trainer position at a cutting horse facility). We both rode with the same cutting horse trainer, Russ Westfall.

I can't go back in time and change the path I was on (I went to New Jersey, and realized that turning a hobby into a profession was not for me).

Being a loper is a tough job, and the only job I'd be able to find if I wanted to go back to work in the cutting horse industry. Early mornings and late nights. Physically, I probably couldn't do it full time. Nevertheless, I sent a Facebook private message to Morgan Cromer saying that I was looking for work, willing to do any kind of work--clean stalls, saddle and unsaddle or--yes, lope. I can lope a circle. For how long? That is to be seen.

So, why so many young, enthusiastic female lopers, making their way literally in circles in an arena, booting horses up, shampooing tails,  and only two well known female cutting horse trainers (you cannot forget the Lindy Burch)? Talk about a glass ceiling. 

I have Sawyer, my three-year-old gelding to think about, and I have been searching for someone in the industry to help me with him--labor in exchange for lessons. My friend John, who I've known since I was eight, has help me some.  But otherwise, so far, no luck. If I had success with him, would that make me feel better about myself as a person?  Riding Sawyer is complicated for me because every time I swing my leg over him, I am facing down some demons. Simply, the horse scares me to death. I lost my fearlessness at some point in my illness, and you can watch Morgan ride, the way she send her horses across the pen to catch those cows that she fears nothing. 

Sawyer can be unpredictable, he's bucked, he's bolted, he's jumped around, etc. You have to be prepared when you ride him. He is, also, very fast and very strong. You can't be afraid, You have to just ride. 

It has been suggested to me to sell him and find another horse that isn't so scary. I've put a lot of thought into that. Honestly, he's just so talented. No, he's not going into the show pen any time soon, but he has the ability to go there someday.  He can compete at the open level. He just needs to see some cows.