to Devon in a Year
staff commented about her beautiful trot, which she frequently displayed as she cavorted and spun, already practicing pirouettes and levades. These comments always gave me such a boost that I couldn’t
stop smiling, at least for a few minutes. Finally, after two weeks
at the vet school, lots of drugs, and one very large bill, Boogie was released to come home with us. The summer passed for me and my husband in a blur of
medicating Boogie three times, and sometimes even four times, each day with antibiotics and ulcer drugs. Luck, whether good or bad, would have it that we were both at home, thanks to my husband’s retirement, and we were able to commit nearly unlimited time and energy to Boogie’s around-the-clock care. During the summer, as Boogie’s recovery progressed,
I agonized over whether or not to take her to the Hanoverian inspection and the Labor of Love Dressage Breed Show held in September in nearby Raleigh, and I was advised to not do it. I went along with that advice but was very disappointed, as I wanted so badly to show off my beautiful filly to the rest of the horse world. In August, blood tests revealed that Boogie’s liver
enzymes were near normal again and we could finally breathe a tentative sigh of relief. By September, she was fully recovered and I thought now life would surely return to normal. But that would not be the case.
STORM CLOUDS In mid September I was diagnosed with very early stage breast cancer. Suddenly, I was the one fighting for my life. The remainder of September, October, and November are
a blur of doctors, tests, decisions and surgery. As my treatment progressed, I was thankful to be alive
and looking forward to a new year. In the meantime, Boogie thrived and bloomed into the beautiful and athletic young horse of which we’d dreamed. She gave me something to hold on to.
LABOR OF LOVE So let’s fast forward one year to the 2010 Labor of Love Dressage Sport Horse Breed Show. Finally, I was going to get to show off my gorgeous girl! This trip was Boogie’s second trip away from home, but
for the first time she was without her mother. Even so, the trailer trip to the Hunt Horse Complex was uneventful. Her first stroll around the grounds was a wide-eyed, terrifying event for her. But she obviously trusted me because soon she was inside the arena and calmly walking around with the other horses. The next morning, my husband and I barely got her
groomed and braided before she had to go in for her first class, Yearling Fillies. As I handed her over to handler Bruce Griffin, I felt a pride for my little filly that is really hard to describe. I had already scoped out the competition and I knew that the classes were small but excellent quality. Maryanna Haymon, one of the top breeders in the country was there with her 2009 Devon winner, Duet, and Debbie Malinowski was there with her beautiful imported Donnerhall mare. But my little filly held her own against these fine horses. When Radiance COF won the yearling filly class, I was
very happy. But as the day progressed I felt like I was living a dream. We were very busy running back and forth to the indoor arena as they kept calling #229 back for the championship classes. Radiance COF won the Filly Championship, the Young Horse Championship, and was the Grand Champion of the 2010 Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Classic. In addition, she won the Hanoverian IBC class. I felt like I needed to pinch myself to be sure it was all true. It was certainly going to be a day to remember forever!
ON TO DEVON Boogie’s wins at Raleigh qualified her for the USDF
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