In 1976, when I was just six, like many little girls, I had my first impulse to ride. Our family moved every couple years, so I set my dream aside. Twenty years passed and I became a successful career person devoted to the corporate culture. Yet, the days left me feeling dull, so I sat down to write.

I asked myself what I had and what I wanted. And in relfecting, I returned to my childhood dream and decided, excitedly, to bring horses into my life. I joined a small jumper barn in Southern California, where I spent long afternoons in the arena trying to find my seat, taking a few lessons and wandering along the trails of the outlying date farms. “Love struck,” my life changed overnight. I came home to Reno, Nevada. I changed careers. I began to ride more frequently and pursue dressage seriously. I invested in a dressage horse, and added educational videos, articles and clinics to my learning repetoire.

To remember everything I was experiencing, I wrote it all down wherever and whenever I could. But with stickie note heres, and single pieces of paper there, it became a disorganized and disheartening system. One day, staring at my desk covered in notes, I decided to create an equestrian notebook that really mattered. It would serves not only me, but others who also loved to ride and write and who really wanted to excell. I also wanted it to record and honor the journey of our thoughts, just as we honor the sport itself.

My intention behind the project was quickly stretched to include an on-line companion. The website I imagined would be inspiring, help others in the writing process and depict the beauty behind the essence of equestrian sports. It would also benefit equestrians of all ages, and offer a platform to discuss the importance of writing about not only arena training, but also equine management and higher standards of care.

Now addressing the needs of riders at all competitive levels in dressage, show jumping and eventing, and on a global scale, Barnbooke is in full motion and available to all. We look forward to your presence at Barnbooke.com.