As soon as Dr. Sickler DVM told me it was okay to jump Annie, I texted Angela, my instructor, who started jumping her the very next morning!  Annie has loved trotting and cantering over ground poles, but it's obvious she has been eyeing the jumps in the arena. Angela started her over some cross-rails and was even able to canter over a double bounce (3 jumps, with no strides in between). She seemed a little clumsy at first but her second day of jumping was much more graceful.

I've been riding enough at this point, that my strength and balance have come back and I'm now able to ride Annie more often. Before, Angela was the only one who really rode her and I might ride her the last few minutes of my lesson.  But in my lesson on Saturday, I spent the entire time on Annie and even cantered!  Angela thinks I am now able to ride Annie whenever I want so, although I will continue my lessons, I'll ride Annie a few times a week without Angela's assistance, which is what I did this morning.

It's hard to believe that when I met Annie, I couldn't lead her down the street, couldn't brush her or pick up her feet as she spooked at everything and fought everyone every step of the way.  I'm not really sure how or when it happened, but she trusts people now.  People always tell me how beautiful she is, that she's one of the sweetest horses they've ever seen, how incredibly calm she is for a 4 year old, and how she doesn't have a mean bone in her body.  I can't believe I'm responsible for most of that.

Don't get me wrong, Joey helped me a lot, but she also knew she needed to step back and let me do my own thing, only assisting when needed.  A few months after I started working with her at Luv Shack, volunteers would tell me how much Annie had changed since I had started spending time with her.  It was hard for me to believe then, but I believe them now.  Annie and I were pretty broken, but we fixed each other.  Many of my friends tell me I'd be able to afford more clothes or have more money to spend on social activities if I didn't have a horse and sometimes it sounds appealing.  At the same time, I remember when I didn't have a lot of friends and Annie was the only one I had to turn to.  If all my friends go away someday, I'll still have Annie.

My last point is, no one can tell by looking at her knees that something was wrong with them.  In fact, most horses completely grow out of epiphysitis, so there really wasn't a reason for other people to want to put her down.  I feel this quote applies to every horse that comes through the Luv Shack, especially Annie because of her situation: "Every horse, is good for somethin'.  You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little." -Tom Smith, Seabiscuit.  At the same time though, I might thank those other people because if they hadn't wanted to throw her away, Joey wouldn't have saved her, and Annie wouldn't have fixed me.