HI PAM,

I JUST WANTED TO DROP YOU A NOTE AND LET YOU KNOW HOW WELL PRINCESS IS DOING.  MY DAUGHTER HAS HAD HER IN FULL TRAINING FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS NOW AND I'M SO HAPPY WITH HER EASY GOING PERSONALITY AND WILLINGNESS TO DO WHATEVER WE ASK OF HER.  I STARTED RIDING HER LAST MONTH AND I WAS SO SURPRISED AT HOW PLEASANT SHE WAS TO RIDE FOR SUCH A YOUNG HORSE.  NORMALLY I WOOULD NEVER RIDE A BABY BUT I TRUSTED KELLY,MY DAUGHTER, WHEN SHE SAID THIS PARTICULAR BABY WAS THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME.  I TOOK HER TO ADULT HORSE CAMP A FEW WEEKS AGO.  IT WAS HER FIRST EXPERIENCE OFF THE PROPERTY AND I KNEW THERE WOULD BE PLENTY OF NEW AND SCARY THINGS FOR THIS LITTLE MARE.  AMAZINGLY SHE HANDLED THE WHOLE WEEKEND WITH HER USUAL EASY GOING PERSONALITY AND NEVER SPOOKED OR SHIED AT ANYTHING OR ANY WHERE I ASKED HER TO GO.  I RODE HER IN ONE ARENA RIGHT OFF THE BAY AND AS WE WERE RIDING DOWN THE LONG SIDE, ALONG CAME A GROUP OF BRIGHT YELLOW KAYAKERS.  WHILE MANY OTHER OLDER MORE EXPERIENCED HORSES SPOOKED, PRINCESS JUST LOOKED AND CONTINUED ON.  ON THE LAST DAY WE RODE IN A WOODSY ARENA.  EARLIER ON ANOTHER HORSE SPOOKED IN THAT ARENA AND THE RIDER CAME OFF AND HAD TO GO TO THE ER.  SO YOU CAN IMAGINE I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO RIDE IN THERE.  PRINCESS WAS NOT THE LEAST BIT WORRIED, NOT EVEN WHEN A HORSE AND RIDER POPPED OUT OF THE WOODS NEAR US.  THE CLINICIAN REMARKED THAT PRINCESS WAS THE ONLY HORSE  OUT OF 27 THAT NEVER SPOOKED IN THAT ARENA.  SHE WAS SUCH A GOOD PONY ON HER FIRST OUTING THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT HER FUTURE.  I'M HOPING TO WORK TOWARDS DOING A DRESSAGE SHOW WITH HER IN ABOUT 6 MONTHS TIME.  SHE HAS SUCH A WILLING ATTITUDE AND SHE'S A CUTE LITTLE MOVER.  I THINK SHE'S GOING TO DO GREAT.  

MARILYN CHIEBOWSKI

A LETTER TO MY TRAINER, PAULETTE ABOUT GUINNESS

GUINNESS WALKED OFF THE TRAILER LIKE A TOTAL CHAMP. YOU RODE HIM ALL AROUND FOR ME AND THEN IT WAS MY TURN.  I AM  AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL RIDER BUT HAD BEEN OUT OF THE HORSE WORLD FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS.  I WAS SO NERVOUS CLIMBING UP ON HIS BACK!!  YOU WERE SO PATIENT WITH ME.  WE WALKED AROUND THE PROPERTY AND GUINNESS WAS A SAINT. HE DIDN'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THE STUDS AND THEIR THEATRICS, DIDN'T FLINCH WHEN A PEACOCK JUMPED OUT OF A STALL WE WALKED BY, AND DIDN'T BAT AN EYE WHEN 2 DONKEYS RAN UP TO US AT FULL SPEED.  AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM THE FARM THAT DAY MY HUSBAND CALLED TO ASK ME HOW IT WENT.  I TOLD HIM "IT WENT GREAT BECAUSE THE HORSE WAS OBVIUSLY DRUGGED!"  OF COURSE, HE WAS NOT DRUGGED BUT GUINNESS WAS SUCH A GENTLEMAN THAT I WAS CONVINCED THAT HE HAD TO BE!!  

LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER HAVING HIM HOME WITH ME HERE IN NC, WE ENTERED A TRAIL COMPETITION.  WE GOT FIRST PLACE IN TRAIL OBSTACLE AND TRAIL PATTERN!  EVERY PERSON WHO HAS RIDDEN HIM COMMENTS ON WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB YOU DID STARTING HIM.

APPROXIMATELY 8 MONTHS LATER:

PAM,

WELL HE IS HAPPY AS A LARK IN THE MOUNTAINS. HE TRAIL RIDES THROUGH ANYTHING AND IS DOING SO WELL IN HIS TRAINING.

NATALIE BACON, ASHEVILLE, NC 

NATALIE BOARDS GUINNES  AT THE EQUESTRIAN CENTER ON THE BILTMORE ESTATE IN ASHEVILLE, NC