Touching Down in Mexico
Anyone who ever said the Pan American Games are “kind of a big deal” made the understatement of the century. It finally hit me that this was a huge deal when I stepped onto the tarmac on Monday after 16 hours of traveling to look up at a HUGE jet only to realize that this jet was the one that would take Ginger and me to the Pan Am games. Our three superbly hilarious Mexican pilots made the trip more than entertaining. Ursula Lange, my Puerto Rican teammate who will be riding in the dressage, and I got to ride in the cockpit for landing and...
read moreMexico Bound
When I was a little girl, I had my very first horse show at a local schooling hunter-jumper show. I remember when Laurel, my riding coach, asked me if I would like to go. I was giddy with excitement and couldn’t be more proud of myself. I rode a school horse named Little Sundance. The day before the show I brought home the barn’s tack that I would be using to be cleaned. My dad, who is one of my greatest supporters, was so excited that I was invited to show that he stayed up all night with me to clean my tack. We had no idea what we were...
read moreMeet Lauren Billys
I have had the awesome opportunity to blog for a major horse magazine called The Chronicle of the Horse. My blogs will continue on their website, but I will put snipets from each blog with a link to continue you to the remainder of the article. I hope you enjoy! Hi. My name is Lauren Billys. I am 23 years old. I’ve been riding since the age of 8 and grew up falling in love with horses in boxer shorts, tennis shoes and half chaps. My best friends and I learned how to ride by trail riding, swimming down the river, and (my favorite)...
read moreA Weekend of Firsts
As I mentioned last week, this past weekend was spent at the Twin Rivers Horse Trials in Paso Robles, California. Upon arriving at the event, I was unusually anxious and nervous. I really wanted to be sure that this was a positive and confidence building outing for Ginger and I so we could pack our things and prepare for Mexico the next two weeks without replaying the mental video of something not working out at our most recent show. As I have mentioned probably countless times before, Ginger has been conditioned and is getting fitter...
read moreChange is the Spice of Life
Although it has only been a month since I last wrote a blog entry, it feels as though so much time has gone by. Many course-changing events have taken place and I am happy to say that I am more than satisfied with my current location. On August 27th, The Road to the Pan American Games, a fundraising event to send Ginger and I to Mexico, took place. After envisioning this event for the last six months and seeing it manifested into a reality was surreal. It makes me realize that everything is coming together and falling into its proper...
read moreWe’re Back!
This past weekend reminded me why I event: the thrill of riding, the venues, the fun of improvement, and the community. This past weekend, at Woodside Horse Trials, Ginger and I competed at our first event since April at the Twin Rivers CCI**. I must say I was anxiously excited about the event. Ginger is the fittest she has ever been and I am only hoping to get her even fitter. This was definitely a twist in the game for us. Dressage, which is normally our strongest phase, became our weakest phase. The extra kick of fitness kept...
read moreLife happens when…
Life happens when plans don’t work as expected. This summer has been interesting to say the least. It started with planning to go to Woodside Horse Trials, but having to scratch due to the outbreak of the EHV virus. And more recently, the plans to ride in the Pebble Beach Dressage Show and Rebecca Farms Horse Trials were scratched as well due to being diagnosed with Lyme disease (no need to worry, as I will back to normal soon). As I was put on house arrest to recover from this bout of sickness, I have been able to reformat my...
read moreLifestyle Magazine, April 2011
Lauren Billys by Crystal R. R. Edwards for Lifestyle Magazine, April 2011 “Eventing” is the equestrian equivalent of the triathlon. Show jumping, dressage (sometimes referred to as “horse ballet”), and cross-country are judged during the competition over two or three days. There are three constants in life: death, taxes and horse-crazy little girls. What happens when the equine obsession turns into a possible career? Meet Lauren Billys of Visalia. Billys, a 22-year-old student at Fresno State, rides her Irish sport horse Ballingowan...
read moreOne step closer to Mexico!
It wasn’t until the car ride home when it hit me…WE DID IT!!! Ginger and I completed our first CCI** and finished in third place! She went double clean today in the show jumping with no faults in jumping or time, she was perfect. Show jumping has become one of my favorite phases to ride and Ginger keeps proving to me she wants to do well just as bad as I do. This weekend was full of more anxiety than any other emotion knowing that the end of the weekend could mean the potential for an exciting future...
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