Hi Reader,

A few weeks ago, I shared with you that we were heading to our first rated show of the season as a qualifier for Pony Finals.

We made it there unscathed, aside from a very stressful wasp incident in the car on the way there (think: teenager driving, my sitting shotgun, 2 teens in the back, one of whom is VERY afraid of flying, stinging insects AND a wasp in the car).

Chloe and her friends and the horses settled in nicely on Wednesday, competed well on Thursday and Friday and then...at 3:45p on Friday, an official from HITS came to talk to our trainer.

We found out a horse in our barn at HITS Culpeper had tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) and developed Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a highly contagious and often fatal disease in horses.

And just like that…everything changed.

Our show was over. We were scared. We had questions. And we were left scrambling to find a barn for our 3 horses to spend, at minimum, the next 14 days in a state-vet mandated quarantine.

This week’s episode is not the one I planned to record.

We’re still in it. Still doing temperature checks. Still counting pills to make sure we have enough for all three horses. Still hoping our horses stay healthy. Still trying to support our trainer as she is now managing two barns and a very strict biosecurity protocol.

In the episode, I walk through:

• How we were notified (and how quickly things escalated)
• What quarantine actually looks like in real life
• What we had to scramble to figure out
• How our barn community stepped up to support us all
• Where I see the biggest opportunities for show venues and organizations like USEF

We laugh a lot about not knowing what a lead change is or why inside leg-outside rein is the go-to instruction, but taking your own horse's temperature and praying it doesn't approach 101.5 degrees is a whole new level of unknowns that I never new existed.

Listen to to this week's episode to get the full, unfiltered story as my friend, Ashley Winch, asks me all the questions.

The Rated Show We Never Finished at HITS Culpeper

🎧 Listen on Apple
​🎧 Listen on Spotify​

I'll share our quarantine set-up in a special newsletter next week - too much for one email, friend. Think...Lysol, bleach, Clorox wipes, grinding horse pills in a shed, multiple thermometers of varying quality...SO MUCH.

👀 BTS: On the Road to Pony Finals

What a 'cute' segment this feels like this week.

We still have a solid plan to get Chloe to Pony Finals. Luckily, at Culpeper, she was able to complete 3 qualifying rounds, so she only needs to compete in one more class at one more rated show to check the box for Pony Finals.

While we were expecting to do another full show in May, with Phoebe coming off quarantine, we're likely going to trailer to a show in Virginia, have her and Chloe compete in one qualifying class, and then head home.

It just doesn't make sense to push either of them right now when it's unnecessary.

Apparently, there's going to be a lesson today in a cow field so...that should be interesting. Be sure to follow along on Facebook or Instagram to see the BTS of what's going on with us.

As a reminder, if you want to support Chloe on her road to Pony Finals, you can learn more about it, check out some of her riding, and learn about ways to contribute and/or partner with Broke Horse Moms: https://brokehorsemoms.com/ponyfinals

No pressure at all. I know how expensive this life already is. But your support, whether it’s contributing, sharing, introducing me to a business who would be a good fit as a partner, or just cheering her on, means the world to us. ❤️

Alright mama, that's it for this week. As always, thanks for being a part of this community.

Eyes up, leg on,
Angie

P.S. Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here.​