New Beginnings

Time flies by and a lot of things change in my life, but the one constant is my drive to make my dreams happen.  

Welcome to my new blog!  I am making a lot of changes in my business outlook, so I felt it was appropriate to change the name from Rocky Start Stables (which will still be the name of our home farm) to JBH Eventing.  In this business, your name is your best advertisement, so I decided it was time for to attach my name to what I'm doing.  

Last year was, on the whole, a pretty pivotal year for me.  Bug and I finally completed not one but two CCI***.  As always, there are things I need to improve to be more competitive, but for our first two completions, I'll take it.  

Those completions have officially qualified us for Rolex 2016!  If all goes well this spring, Bug and I will be making the drive to KY the end of April.  This would mean the realization of a lifelong dream, and just writing about it both excites and terrifies me!  I can not thank God enough for bringing this amazing horse into my life.  Just being around him makes my heart smile.  

Along with some pretty big things going on with Bug last year, I had another blessing walk into my life in the form of a big, gangly grey horse.  Bishop de Selah is a young Zweibrucker gelding that stole my heart the minute I saw him with his previous owner (and one of my best friends), Autumn Grogan.  When Autumn and her hubby decided it was time to expand their family, I was given the chance to add this amazing boy to my "string."  He and I clicked immediately, as I seem to speak his quirky language.  Bishop went from barely being able to stay on a straight line to fences, to finishing up the year doing his first Training at VAHT.  This boy is the real deal, and I'm so excited to announce that he is being added to the Win the War Syndicate!  He and Bug will be my top competing kids in 2016.

Many may ask, what happened with Pine Island Girl, aka Ellie Mae?  I have made the difficult decision to keep her at home.  She has some struggles that we have been dealing with, and I feel that trying to compete her is just not fair to her.  I am praying that we can breed her again, as RSS Island Rendition (Twiggy!!!) is pretty darn fabulous.  My tentative plan is to breed her and use her for lessons, as she's got the best brain ever.  This mare is also one of touches my soul, and I would love to keep her around as long as she lives.  There's just something about her kind eyes, and giant lips and ears that makes my heart melt when she looks at me.

The other little child that stole my heart in 2015, Donovan (lovingly known as Baby D), showed that he has the brains and athleticism to be a pretty darn good event horse!  He's off doing some dressage right now, but I can't wait to have him back later this spring to take the eventing world by storm. 

I hope the year will be full of new prospects and the business growing and changing.

I am very thankful to all of those who are in my corner and keep kicking me in the pants.  

A huge shoutout to my sponsors, Hastilow USA, ThinLine, Omega Alpha, Snider's Elevator, and Equus Couture.  They keep myself and my horses looking and feeling great!!