I began competing in ACTHA in 2009, initially on my Arab and then in February 2010 on my Missouri Fox Trotter, Sunrise Smokey Bear aka Sherlock. Sherlock, who is now seven, is an amazing horse and was only three when we began our journey. He is a horse that truly loves camping, trail riding and negotiating obstacles. He is so attuned to people and makes friends wherever we go. Our journey has taken us from our home state of Arizona to competitions in Tennessee, Nevada and California. What a variety those trails have been, from desert mountains, to the hills of Tennessee, to the lights of Las Vegas and urban parks. We have ridden through sunshine, thunder storms and snow and kept on trekking. When he sees the trailer hitched up, he willingly jumps in and asks “where are we off to now”? Sherlock is such a good sport and puts up with all the goofy things I ask him to do. He was a sheik for Halloween in Tennessee, a bunny for Easter in Nevada, and Uncle Sam for the Fourth of July in Arizona. And though we both love competing, it is the people, places and friends that we have met along the way that is the icing on the cake! Sherlock and I have won our Bronze and Silver Medals and are now only eleven points away from our Gold medal. We finished the 2012/2013 year by placing third in Open in both Arizona and Nevada. I’m sure the coming year will take us to new places and the pleasure of meeting more new friends along the way.
Thank you Randy, for being a valued and dedicated member of ACTHA. Would you like to share your ACTHA story? Email your story with a couple of good quality photos to debbie@actha.us OR alex@actha.us, and your story could be featured here!
