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  My husband and I have been showing in the Pinto Horse Association for the past 8 years. We enjoy both the shows and the association because they are fun, family oriented, and the national PtHA association awards very nice achievement awards. 2012 was a particularly exciting year for me. It was my last year of showing in the Junior Amateur division because I turned 40 which bumps me up to the next age division as of 2013. I decided that I would make my final year as a Junior Amateur special and set my sights on becoming the top Junior Amateur all- around competitor on my horse Jose Curevo N Jack, who is better known by his barn name" Jackson."
I teasingly call Jackson the "2nd love of my life." We raised Jackson who is out of my old barrel mare and sired by a paint stud that we used to own. Jackson has taught me a lot as a veterinarian in his 10 years because he has required a lot of maintenance. In fact, his maintenance needs were among the main reasons that I sought advanced training in animal chiropractic and veterinary acupuncture. For example, Jackson has never been a good jogger although he is a great loper. His jog more resembles a shuffle than the cadenced, 2-beat jog that is desirable. I have always suspected that his poor jog stemmed from weak stifles. Although his x-rays were normal, he always moved better when I injected his stifles. Suffice it to say, Jackson was not blessed with the strongest, soundest joints, but his saving grace is his willing mind and kind heart, which have carried us a long way.
 In 2008, Jackson won 2 reserve world champion buckles in horsemanship and bareback horsemanship. After we won the reserve in bareback horsemanship, a lady from Texas wanted to buy Jackson, and she was willing to pay top dollar for him. I was flattered; however, I knew I would never sell Jackson because he required so much maintenance to be sound and happy. Jackson was lucky to be owned by a veterinarian. When we were preparing him for the 2010 world show, Jackson developed significant swelling/effusion in his right stifle twice in a 2 month period. We sent digital x-rays to board certified radiologists throughout the country, and the reports came back with normal findings. I knew something was not right in the joint and sent Jackson for surgery on his stifles. Sure enough, the surgeon found damaged cartilage in both stifles, but luckily the bone, ligaments, and menisici were still within normal limits. Jackson spent the rest of that year healing from his surgery.
2011 was a rebuilding year for us. I showed him twice that year at the Pinto World Show and the Color Breed Congress. At the World Show he was in the top 5 in Western and English trail and at the Color Breed Congress he was reserve champion in showmanship and trail.
 It was at the Color Breed Congress that I told my husband that I thought we had Jackson "band-aided" together enough to go for the amateur all-around in 2012. Such a goal is ambitious under the best of circumstances, let alone under Jackson's. In order to be competitive in the all-around events at a pinto show, a horse and rider combination must be able to compete in many events and have enough endurance to show all day long. Jackson and I compete in "in hand" classes called halter and showmanship which are judged on the horse's conformation and the exhibitor's presentation of the horse while executing a set pattern respectively. We also compete in both English and Western classes on the rail in which the horse's movement is judged according to the ideal standards for the breed at the walk, trot, canter, and hand gallop in the English classes, and the walk, jog, and lope in the Western classes. We also compete in English equitation and Western Horsemanship, which are judged on the correctness of the rider's position in the saddle and ability to execute a set pattern with smooth and correct transitions between gaits. We also compete in English Disciplined Rail in which the judge calls for a particular gait or maneuver and the exhibitors riding on the rail must perform that task immediately. For example, the judge may call for a counter canter, stop, side pass into the center 5 steps, and a 180 degree pivot on the forehand to the left. It is a fun class to show, because you really have to listen, think and cue your horse correctly. It looks a bit like synchronized swimming when all the horses in the arena execute their maneuvers at the same time. Other classes included Ideal Pinto both Western and English which are judged on the basis of the horse's movement, conformation, and color. Trail class is another pattern class which involves navigating obstacles such as a bridge, trotting through cones, turning around in a small box, loping over ground poles, working a gate, or backing though and around objects.
 Jackson and I excel at the pattern classes. We can hold our own on the English rail classes, and shine at the lope in the Western rail classes although we pass everyone at the jog in the western rail classes. Although we are stronger in some events than in others, due to the great number of classes offered at the Pinto shows we usually end up finishing well overall. I have learned that it is not necessarily the best moving horse in the pen that comes out on top at the end of a show day. Rather, a good minded horse with enough stamina to get through the entire show and a rider with a good attitude and lots of ambition are often the high point winners. The biggest challenge, however, is keeping the horse and rider tuned and ready to go and show weekend, after weekend after hauling mile after mile.
Fortunately, Jackson and I have been successful in 2012 and we have certainly put on some miles. We've hauled to shows throughout the Midwest often showing many consecutive weekends in places such as Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Michigan and Indiana. It was challenging to juggle my work schedule, my riding time, my travel schedule and family time I had to make some difficult choices along the way. In early June, I faced missing our grandson's first birthday party to go to a horse show in Nebraska. My husband, Kevin, reminded me how important this goal was for me, and that, if I missed my goal by only a few points at the end of the year, I would regret not going to the show in the end. He almost "kicked" me out the door and assured me that our grandson would have more birthday parties that I could attend in the future. As it happened, the show moved along quickly that day and I was able to swing into the birthday party on my way home.
 Jackson was a trooper throughout the 2012 show season. Nonetheless, he presented me with a few challenges that stretched my limits as a veterinarian. In mid-June, for example, he suddenly "haired up" at the end of the World Show. I tried all the tricks in my vet bag to get him to shed, but nothing would shake the hair loose. Just as I was about to body clip him in August, he began to shed. In early September, my niece and I hauled through a bad rain storm on our way to Michigan. Jackson was okay when we got to the show and so we fed him and grabbed some dinner ourselves. Later that night, however, Jackson became very uncomfortable while we were practicing showmanship at halter. I determined that he was colicking due to excessive gas most likely related to the atmospheric pressure changes from the storms earlier that day. I gave him IV banamine and walked him. He passed stool, but was still very uncomfortable. As a last resort, I did acupuncture (Jackson is not a fan of the acupuncture needles) and that finally gave him relief. By then it was about 1 am. I slept in a lawn chair in front of his stall to stay close to him that night. The next day I limited the classes that we showed in. In the few classes that we did show in Jackson did fantastic. I could not have asked for better performance given what we both had been through the night before. By the 2nd day, Jackson was 100% and we did well during the rest of the weekend. The adventure did not end there though. On our way home, somewhere in southern Michigan, I felt a bump. I looked back in the side mirrors and everything appeared ok. Since the trailer was pulling well we keep driving. I pulled into the oasis on the south side of Chicago off of I-80 and saw that the entire fender of the trailer was missing on the passenger side and the front tire tread was completely shredded. I called my husband and he said, "Well you two are going to have to change the tire!" Although I have seen and assisted in the tire changing process, I never had had to do it myself. We dug out the tire, the changing ramp, the spare, and the wrench, and were going to start the process, when I looked over at the gas pumps and saw a bright, red, shiny new tow truck filling up with gas! It was like an angel sent from above. The gentleman who owned the tow truck not only changed the tire for us but also refused payment on the grounds that helping us out would give him "good karma." My niece pointed out that earlier that day I helped a lady at the show with her horse and did not accept payment. We decided that there is truth in the statement that "What goes around, comes around!"
2012 was a very interesting, exciting, and rewarding year. I have met wonderful people by showing at many pinto shows throughout the Midwest. We finished the year up as #1 pair in the nation for the Pinto Amateur All Around events. We were awarded a new Dale Chevez custom show saddle in March at the Pinto convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I will still show Jackson this coming year, but we will limit the number of classes and shows that we go to.
  
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