For those of you who know me, you know that my leisure hours are divided between horses and dogs. My wife gave up riding several years ago after back surgeries, and found new passion– dog agility. Somehow, I ended up doing her barn chores and caring for her retired mare as she acquired and trained two corgis.

At the first agility trial we attended, we watched an old man hobble in the ring with a cane. He stood in the middle of the ring and directed his Airedale over and through the obstacles, pointing his cane and using verbal commands. His partnership with his dog was very apparent, and as we became more knowledgeable about agility, our respect for this performance grew. We only saw him once, but it was a memorable event. I learned this morning through a newsletter that he died this month at the age of 92, only one month after the passing of his dog. Whether this man knew it or not, he provided me with a life lesson in dealing with your limitations, partnership with your pet, and the value of competition— even though you may not be in the ribbons.

I smiled later today when I saw show results from the Fort Vancouver show. In first place in a training level class was life member Cary Evans. It seems that you don’t have to go to an agility trial to be inspired or find a role model. Cary is our own example of bouncing back and persevering—- and proving you can be in the ribbons! Welcome back, Cary and continued good health.

I’d like to comment on the email I forwarded to members regarding Gladstone sponsorships. The decision to send the solicitation was my own…. Rarely do we have a club members qualify for national titles. In my opinion, the occasion warranted an email. We are careful in trying to restrict our email use to ODS events, associates, and non-commercial messages unless it is from an ODS business member. Although the message I sent, and the topic of sponsorships and funding was the subject of great discussion on the Ultimate Dressage Bulletin Board, I’m pleased to say that I didn’t receive negative feedback. I received two sincere thank you messages from Jeremy and Jennifer.

I hope everyone is having a great summer. I’m struggling to find enough time to everything I’d like.
Until next month, good riding,

John