My love for horses started at 5 years of age when my cousin Marcy taught me to ride on a stubborn Shetland pony named Mr. T. Oh, how I wish my Dad had bought me an old gentle horse! I learned how to ride by the seat of my pants! Our daily routine went like this - my sisters and I got out of school and jumped on our horses and rode!

At the age of 12 my Dad bought me a buckskin mare named Fawn. I loved her and showed her in local horse shows and we also were in 4-H. At 17 it was a car or my horse. I needed to find a job, so I cried for 2 weeks when I had to sell her.

I got married when I was 21 and didn't have a horse for 8 years. Then one day, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to buy her horse that she had only owned for a few months. The horse was a big red named J.D. He was a retired Standardbred, ex-harness racing horse registered with the American Trotting Association. What a trail horse he turned out to be! I had him for over 20 years when he died.

When we bought our house in Descanso in 2002, it came with two Miniature Horses, Misty and Ahmi. My neighbor, Jamie, taught them (and myself) how to drive. What fun that was - I caught the driving "bug" and haven't looked back!

One day my husband surprised me with a beautiful paint mare that was pregnant - he bid on her on a radio show! Shadow gave birth to a nice solid Quarter I named Scout. He is my current trail horse and riding partner. We learned together and I feel like he is my reflection of how horses have made my life so fulfilled.

My love for horses runs deep in my blood, the spirit and beauty of all horses will always be a part of my life. Who needs anything else in life, my horses make everything better in life - I love them!