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) three-day eventing.
My first horse, Ranger, came from a local classified called the Thrifty Nickle where everything you can imagine is sold from used mattresses to horses. It was with him I learned riding is about the journey not the end product. I really learned to enjoy the day-in, day-out of riding.
He took me to training level, and when I was 18, Molly Rosin (my coach at the time) found me my next horse to compete. Her name was Ballingowan Ginger (Ginger for short). When I saw her for the first time, she was short, fat, brown and slow, but I was in love. It was her calmness and personality that sold me on her.
I had no idea what this horse would become, but with some help from my coaches, Bea and Derek di Grazia and Loris Henry, Ginger has developed into more than I ever could have imagined. We currently compete at the intermediate level and completed our first CIC** and CCI** this past spring. In the least amount of words, it was a blast.
I was a full time student at Fresno State University studying chemistry and winemaking until I got an unexpected but exciting opportunity to attend the Pan American Games for Puerto Rico. I currently live and train in Carmel Valley with Bea and Derek where I sleep about 20 yards from my horse, and I currently am five days away from flying my horse to Mexico.
Aside from my horse life, I guess there are a few things I could tell you about myself….
To continue reading, please visit the following link: http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/meet-lauren-billys