I never get enough of competing. It’s as exhilarating now as when I competed as a child. Now， I compete in about 35 shows a year. I enjoy stadium jumping the most. Each competition is like attacking a puzzle； I must constantly calculate height， speed and distance as I move through the 12 to 15 jumps on a course.
I’ve been ranked one of Northern California’s top three riders for the last ten years， but it’s the special connection I have with the horses， not the prize， money， that keeps me going. It also gives me a real edge： I can read their faces and sense their moods. I know when a horse is timid or lacking in confidence. I can relax a horse when it’s being uncooperative. I try not to pick favorites， but some of the horses I’ve become the most attached to have been especially quirky or eccentric. The joy I feel when those horses excel is tremendous.
It’s so hard for me to believe that I can make a living doing something I love so much. It’s pure fun. Every night， I walk up the path to the 20 stalls in our stables， where half of our horses are boarded. When I look at each of their magnificent faces staring back at me， I can tell they know： I’ll be there to check on them again， first thing in the morning. With all that horses have done for me， it’s the least I can do.
我站在家裏農場的競技場上，看著14歲大的米亞騎著她那匹名叫裏奧的馬。作為米亞的教練，看到她和她的馬緊密地結合在一起，我感到很欣慰，她能理解它的想法，洞察它的能力。騎術好說明體內有雷達，有能力理解動物的感覺。我看到了米亞和其他在農場練習的女孩身上的這種能力，因為我也一直跟我的馬之間有一種特殊的交流。對於我來說，它們是我同血緣的精神支持者。事實上，發現自己的這種第六感幫助我成為了一位傑出的女騎士。它拯救了我的人生。
我出生於1961年，由於麵部畸形，我的下半邊臉完全走樣。我的童年很痛苦，經常做外科手術，還經常受到其他孩子們的奚落。但是四歲那年，父母把我放在馬背上，幫助我練習平衡（人們認為平衡對我這個隻有一個耳道的人來說是很困難的），今天看來，我的先天缺陷反而是一份禮物。它強迫我體會心靈深處的東西，讓我把所有精力都關注在我所熱愛的東西上。