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- From: lrichard@ics.uci.edu (Leigh Richards)
- Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
- Subject: Re: Readers Bio
- Message-ID: <2B65D805.17443@ics.uci.edu>
- Date: 27 Jan 93 00:32:05 GMT
- References: <1993Jan19.142635.9408@cmhcsys.cmhcsys.com>
- Sender: Leigh Richards
- Reply-To: lrichard@ics.uci.edu (Leigh Richards)
- Organization: Univ. of Calif., Irvine, Info. & Computer Sci. Dept.
- Lines: 64
-
-
- Here's another one for the files (I tried to post last week, but I
- guess I blew it and it ended up being sent directly to Brandy. I
- hope this one works! I've also asked Brandy to post the 1st one for
- me, so if the following is redundant, I apologize in advance).
-
- Hi there. My name is Leigh Richards and I've been reading this
- newsgroup for about two years now. I've never posted before; there
- have been many times I have wanted to, but didn't know how to
- go about doing it.
-
- I've been horse crazy for as long as I can remember, and knew I was
- "hooked" when, at the age of 5, the pony my Dad's friend put me on
- ran off with me and the slipped saddle under its belly--I was so mad
- that I made them put the saddle back on, and I climbed right back
- on! Then, on my thirteenth birthday (and after years of whining),
- my grandparents bought me my first horse, Champ. We spent only
- one year together as I had to sell him when my Dad was transferred
- to California, but tht year was the best year of my youth!
-
- About 5 years ago, I discovered that UCI (the University of California,
- Irvine) had an equestrian club that was run cooperatively by its
- members--i.e., all of the care of the horses and the facility is
- done by the owners/members. Being that caring for a horse is for
- me one of the main joys of ownership, I quickly put my name on the
- waiting list. About 1 year later, I was the proud owner of a crazy
- Arabian that took me for many wild rides! It was great at first,
- but then my over-30 bones started complaining, and after a fall
- that left me with 6 stitches in my head and one hell of a headache,
- I decided to purchase a mount of a more honest nature.
-
- I bought my Morgan, Travis, in August of '90, and in November of
- '90, he spooked while on trail and ran away with me. Being
- inexperienced (and somewhat shy of falling again), I decided to
- hang on. Well, that didn't last long, and I ended up with a
- broken back (in 2 places) and a crushed ankle from that fall.
- Needless to say, my riding days were over for quite a while!
-
- To pass the time and to build my strength, I spent hours reading,
- watching, grooming, and mucking. During the past 2 years, Travis
- and I have built a very strong bond, and I'm convinced that he
- learned something valuable from this experience as well.
-
- After 2 surgeries to bond my spine, and 1 to remove the pins,
- I started riding Travis again about 9 months ago. Most of my friends
- think I'm crazy, but those with horses applaud my efforts! I'm
- certainly a much more safety-concious rider, and the club gets
- an earful every time I see our members doing something foolish (like
- riding on trail alone and/or without a helmet!).
-
- Riding and working with horses is my greatest pleasure in life, and
- I am grateful to have such a beautiful place to keep/ride my horse.
- Someday I hope to have a farm/ranch of my own, and I would like to
- try my hand at breeding and/or training--but dreams are dreams...
-
- I love reading this newsgroup and I have learned a great deal from
- it. I also welcome mail from other horse enthusiasts; I can be
- reached directly at:
-
- lrichard@ics.uci.edu
-
- Sorry for the ramblings, but what can I say!
-
- Leigh
-