05/16/2026
Sappy post alert 🤍
Today my homebred Mimi competed in her very first 1.40 and I could not be more proud of our Drama (with a capital D) Mama.
It’s been almost four years since she came to my farm and there has been a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears, doubt, frustration, and learning along the way. More than once I was told, “don’t give up on her, I think she can be something.” At the time, I wasn’t always sure they were right.
Last season we did the 7 year olds at WEF and while she was always willing and respectable, I truly never thought I’d get our unorthodox little jumping bean to look even remotely conventional. She has always done things her own way.
After our last show in early February, I decided to spend the winter focusing on developing her properly without the pressure of showing. Being a professional producing young horses is not easy. It’s expensive, there are eyes everywhere, and one bad day can follow a horse forever. So I stayed home, worked on the fundamentals, focused on getting her right inside and out, and took my sweet time.
This week I brought her to the show, walked her off the trailer, and straight into the 1.40. And my girl did not disappoint.
You would have thought we won a Grand Prix with the way I celebrated afterwards. No, we didn’t jump clean. We had a green rail and a rider time fault. But to me, we won.
That’s the funny thing about this sport. To some people, a 1.40 power and speed is just a warm up class. To others, it’s a dream or a goal. For me and Miss Mimmers, it wasn’t even something I thought was possible.
This sport can be so humbling because the biggest moments rarely look big to anyone else. Sometimes the wins that mean the most never come with a ribbon, a trophy, or a podium picture. Sometimes they look like quietly taking care of your horse after a class trying not to cry because the little homebred mare you once worried might never figure it out just walked into a 1.40 and gave you absolutely everything she had with ease.
Today, that felt like a Grand Prix win for me.
I could not be more proud of my baby 🤍
