From: gnd@idaho.amdahl.com (Greg Darnell)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: another bio (not mine)
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:49:58 GMT
Organization: Amdahl Corp., Rexburg, ID

I'm posting this for Jodie Gilmore, who's unable to post directly...
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Hi all! It is so interesting to read about everyone on the net! I'm
sure my 'life horse story' isn't as interesting as most others, but
I don't want to be left out, so here goes!

My name is Jodie Gilmore, and I'm 29. I currently live in Cary, NC and
work as a technical writer for SAS Institute (software company). But my
heart and home is in Western Washington, where I grew up. Both my horse
and I miss it!  I read rec.equestrian through EQUINE-D, and don't have
direct posting access. I'd post more if I did!

I began riding at age 6, on a Shetland Pony named Midget bought from the
local livestock auction. She was unbeknownst to us pregnant, so after
a year, we had TWO Shetland Ponies! Midget was an AWFUL pony, barn sour
as the day is long--but having learned to ride on her, I can ride almost
anything, and am not afraid of much! She foundered one spring, and I
graduated to a beautiful Welsh/Arab mare (grey, named Cricket). After
her, I had various horses, including a grade QH mare, an App. filly
out of her, a BIG Paint mare who didn't work out (reared, bit, bucked,
hard to catch, ran away, wouldn't stand tied, etc...), a buckskin 
roping gelding (QH/Morgan/Percheron), and my current horse, Mira.

I've owned Mira for 12 years, since she was three. She moved from WA
to NC in 1989. She is black, 14.2, and supposed to be TB/App. She has
a weird personality, virtually schizophrenic. But she is a very good
trail horse, and I wouldn't trade her for anything!

I am not very competitive, so I don't do anything really well. But I've
done a lot of things haphazardly. I started out bareback, for 7 years
before I got a saddle. I never belonged to 4-H, or Pony Club. But I
showed in open shows, first Western, then English. I've barrel raced,
pole bended, ridden huntseat and jumped, done competitive trail rides,
and even dabbled in the driving world a tiny bit. But I haven't shown
in years, never took a lesson, and really like to just trail ride. But
Mira and I cover a lot of ground when we "trail ride"--a common Sat.
ride is at least 10 miles!

I have done a moderate amout of training over the years. My specialty is
giving a horse a solid basis from which to grow, rather than
concentrating on any particular discipline. I would like to more of that
when I get a place that is my own, with a corral, etc.

I ride in a mixture of Western and English attire -- stop gasping you
show purists! :) :)   I wear cowboy boots, and Mira wears a mechanical
hackamore, a huntseat saddle, and a combo of English and Western saddle
pads (her back is very sensitive, and whatever works is what we do!).
She will go in a bit, but is much happier in the hackamore. 

In the future, I would like to take some dressage lessons, and get back
into some amateur/owner hunter showing--nothing heavy duty, just fun
stuff.

My philosophy is that horses are supposed to be fun--and if you're
having fun, you must be doing it right. Even if what you do doesn't
match other people's opinions of what "right" is. Be yourself, listen to
your horse and your heart, and ride with the wind!!  

-- 
Jodie Gilmore
sasjmg@unx.sas.com
posted by a kind soul

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