Sincerely Yours

The first thing I did when I graduated from Suffolk University, Cum Laude with a BS/BA in Finance was buy a horse. On December 15, 1990, I picked up a 5-year-old Thoroughbred stallion named Tank from a local racetrack. He was the most beautiful Thoroughbred I had ever seen, athletic, graceful and full of life! He had numerous issues. He was head shy and spooky, he bolted and bit. I tried to ride him every day for two weeks. Every day he bolted, I fell off and he was back in his stall waiting for me! I decided that this was not going to work and that I needed to spend more time with him doing groundwork and allowing him to acclimate. I also decided that I did not like his name and called him The Pie after national Velvet as I felt exactly like Velvet Brown did when she looked at her Pie.

His registered name was Never Lucky. I could not possibly show a horse with that name. He was so honest and sincere that I decided his name should be Sincerely Yours.

In May of 1991 he coliced so severely that I had to trailer him to Tufts University. They opened him up and found that he had ingested a rope that became what they call a Fecolith, which had lodged in his Secum. He has lost over 100 pounds and looked terrible. I spent every day of the three weeks he was there driving to see him after work. He was so sick at first all I could do was sit with him, pet him and talk to him. He would really brighten up when he heard my voice. As he got better at the hospital, I was able to take him for short walks. At home I spent hours brushing him, hand grazing him and just getting him used to being touched. I cold finally touch his hears without his flying backwards. I was able to teach him to lunge and long line and he learned the necessary voice commands very well. I walked him for miles on the streets and on the trails until he got used to traffic and wildlife.

Finally I got permission from Tufts to back him again. This time when he got nervous, I just spoke to him and he relaxed a bit. He had gotten used to my hands pushing on his sides as I taught him “turn on the forehand”. He got used to the whip on the ground as I had the time to acclimate him to it while he was unable to be ridden. By October he had healed enough to be gelded. The lady who owned the farm where Pie was boarded was afraid of him as he was still full of life and spent a lot of time on his hind legs over my head! She would only let me keep him at that stable if I gelded him so the decision was made.

By spring of 1992 he popped a splint galloping in the pasture. So, back to recuperation he went. By the end of the summer he had healed enough to start riding again. Then he went lame from work. Back to the veterinarians again. It was decided that the blacksmith had not allowed his heels to grow and he went lame from no sole and low heels. With degree pads we were able to make him sound again.

By this time it was spring of 1993 and I was ready for some serious training and riding. I rode and trained with Kathy Connelly. She loved Pie in spite of his nervousness and strong desire to run at the slightest little thing he didn’t approve of. We went slowly, I faithfully did my homework and we progressed very well.

In 1994 I decided to campaign him at training level. He ended the year first in Training Level with New England Dressage Association and reserve champion Training level horse in Region 8 with USDF. I earned my USDF Qualified Rider Award and The Pie earned his USDF Performance Award.
In 1995 I had planned to ride and show him at first level. We started out the year well but some changes in his right hock stopped us. With some care and rest we were able to keep training. In1996 I showed him at second and third level and he did very well. I was working him at third level and enjoying it very much. In 1997 he won the New Hampshire Seacoast Breeders Concours for high point conformation Thoroughbred in the Thoroughbred Breed Division.

During these years my job was getting more complicated, I had met Scott P. Colby, my “soon to be” husband, and my life really changed. I moved my Thoroughbreds to his Standardbred racetrack-training farm. It took both the Thoroughbreds and the Standardbreds some time to get used to each other. The drivers were not used to the riders and vice versa. Here I learned how to drive race horses and draft horses. I had long hard days. I was jogging race horses in the morning, riding one of my Thoroughbreds and off to manage the credit union by 8:30AM. Then back to the farm at 5:00PM to ride my other Thoroughbred and drive a team of draft horses. I ended up hacking Pie and teaching him to enjoy jumping. He was really beginning to enjoy life, had gained confidence in himself and was not afraid to leave the dressage ring anymore.

In 1998 I got married and had to do a lot of work at another friend’s farm where my Thoroughbreds were moved to. I hacked as often as I could and enjoyed being away from the rigors of training. In 1999 and 2000 I decided to show at the hunter shows where Pie would always pin pretty high. I decided to event him and see what he thought of that. We always won the dressage tests so if he went clean we would win. In 2000 he won the year-end championship in the Beginner Novice Division in the Piepstave Hill Three Phase Series. It was a great experience for him but he does not particularly care for ditches and water or varied terrain.

In September of 1999 I saw a woman riding sidesaddle at one of the horse shows. I fell in love with it. I did some research and started to educate myself. In November we went to Martin’s auction in Lebanon, PA. I had received their flyer and they had a Whippy sidesaddle up for auction. I was determined not to leave the auction without that saddle! I won the auction and practically slept with it in the hotel that night! I took it to Connecticut to Sue Gregg along with one of my pit bull puppies for company. She fixed a few things and I was able to practice a bit. That winter I had bought some sidesaddle videos of the Washington International Horse Show.

January of 2000 brought the worst news in my life. My father was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and did not have long to live. My mother and I took him home from the hospital and vowed we would make his last months as memorable and as comfortable as we could. In February my father-in-law’s barn burned to the ground with my beloved dogs in it. It was a difficult time for me but I found strength in caring for my father. These events changed my decisions about trying for the ISSO National Championship award. I showed Pie in three shows aside. He won but one of the classes and all three championships, one being the prestigious Myopia Hunt Club’s 100th Ladies Side Saddle Division, held Labor Day weekend. I was a nervous wreck that day, but had a wonderful time. George Morris was the judge and I had him sign all of my ribbons! My parents were unable to attend, but I did have support from family and friends. It was the last video my dad saw of me riding and winning at a horse show. I lost my father September 22, 2000.

I decided that I was going to pursue my goal of the International Side Saddle Organization’s National Side Saddle Champion in 2001. I started the year by riding one of my husband’s Percheron draft horses in President Bush’s Inaugural Parade. I had pneumonia and pleurisy for the first two weeks of January. The other complication was that my husband’s draft horse Jeff had never been ridden sidesaddle, nor did I have a 68-inch girth and the other extension to fit him. I wrote my Amish friend and he express mailed them to me. I was so sick I only rode him sidesaddle once in the yard. The second time was during the practice and the third was down Pennsylvania Avenue! Jeff was familiar with Pennsylvania as my husband found him at an auction as a 3 year old covered in cow patties. He had been part of the Colby family for 15 years. He had done it all as a draft horse, funerals, weddings single, double, hayrides either side of the pole, 21 gun salutes -- but never been ridden aside. Like all the other duties in his life, the sidesaddle did not faze him either. I call him my Teddy Bear. He also led the ISSO group in the famous Milwaukee Great Circus Parade in July that year.

I showed Pie very successfully on the pleasure and hunter circuit. My favorite memories are riding in a pair’s class at Myopia and winning the Myopia 101st Horse Show Ladies Side Saddle Hunter Division. We won the perpetual Barbara Keough Trophy in her memory. I was so proud to have my name on it first. Another favorite was riding in the evening sidesaddle class at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. I was so shocked when they announced us 5th in the $5,000.00 Ladies Open Pleasure Side Saddle class. I cried all the way to the stall! Another favorite memory was a Pas de Deux class we did and winning it. We won the International Side Saddle Organization’s National Championship that year. In addition he won the following:
· Senior B,
· Overall Equitation,
· Hunt Seat Equitation,
· English Pleasure, Thoroughbred,
· Hunter Under Saddle,
· Hunter Hack,
· Hunter Over Fences,
· Second in Costume, Trail Ride and Exhibition.

He also won the following special awards:
· Blithe Spirit Memorial Perpetual Award to The National Side Saddle Champion,
· Ski Bum Perpetual Trophy, for the Over Fences Champion,
· Misty Memorial Perpetual Trophy for Hunter Under Saddle,
· Green Mountain Perpetual Trophy for the Horse scoring the most points in open classes,
· The Laura J. Gill Perpetual Good Hands Trophy awarded to the overall Equitation Champion,
· The One on One Challenge Trophy,
· The Katherine White Illoway Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the Hunt Seat Equitation champion,
· The Bon Bon II Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the Highest scoring Thoroughbred Horse,
· Ladies Side Saddle Hunter Hack Perpetual Trophy,
· The Der Freischutz Perpetual Recognized Show Award for the most points scored in recognized shows,
· The Chattanooga Perpetual Trophy for the amateur owner Grand Champion,
· The Taris Bali Bob Rookie Horse of the Year,
· The Mary Crawford Perpetual Trophy for the Rookie with the high score in overall Equitation.

Both of us also won our silver and bronze rider and horse award. Perhaps the most any horse had ever won with that organization.

That same year Pie also won 3 year end awards with the Massachusett’s Horsemen’s Council. He won the year end Pleasure English Champion, The year end Hunter Champion and the year end Ladie’s Pleasure third place. He also won several year end awards with New England Aside. He won the Hunter Champion, English Pleasure Champion, The Prime Time Champion and Reserve Champion Hunter Over Fences.

We went back to the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in 2003 and won the reserve championship in the Ladies Side Saddle Hunter Division. That was my proudest moment with Pie. He was just outstanding that day. I rode in the $5,000.00 ladies Open pleasure Side Saddle class and placed 6th this time. I was beaming and I breathed in every minute of it. I loved riding under the lights and listening to the music. I had a wonderful time at that horse show that year. I hope to go back again some day.

I hunted Pie with the Myopia Hunt several years in a row. It was not Pie’s favorite thing to do. He was nervous about it and did not like the different types of footing after spending years in the dressage rings and the hunter rings. He tolerated it well and I have some memorable hunts. I was disappointed that Pie was not the horse I won my colors with. Those would be won on another horse I trained after Pie.

Pie is not the only horse I have ever trained. But, he is the only horse I have ever trained and shown in four successful careers and fox hunting as well as training him to harness. I will be forever grateful to Pie for having the strength and will to live through his surgery, for teaching me patience, to believe in myself and for him to believe in himself. There is a oneness and a bond in our souls that words are unable to express. It is rewarding to me to have a keen spectator share their appreciation of the oneness and rapport that they recognize between Pie and me.

I retired Pie in 2005 and bought two young horses to take his place. We still enjoy hacks and I still ride him aside in order to keep myself legged up. He really enjoys the attention. He is still sound and strong. I retired him at age 23 thinking he deserved it after the years of showing not that he had to retire due to any ailments. I really enjoy having him around and I look forward to taking care of him for many years to come. He is that once in a lifetime horse. Once in a while a horseman is lucky enough to have that rare once in a lifetime horse. I was blessed to have found him that day at the racetrack when I went to pick up another horse. Pie made a name for me in the horse world and made me the horsewoman I am today.