Words to Live By

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  Henry David Thoreau

Now, there is a quote to live by!  I was very excited to learn over the weekend that I had received the USDF Region 1 award for the 2009 Outstanding Achievement at the FEI Levels!  It is an honor to be singled out for such an award, given all the talented riders in this category whom I admire and respect.  I want to thank the PVDA for their submission, and also thank everyone who has supported me throughout the year - I couldn’t have done it without my team!

But wait; there’s more!  That’s right - just after I heard about the FEI Achievement award, CeCe brought to my attention that Degas and I had placed 3rd in the country at the Intermediare 1 Freestyle (Open Division) level for the 2009 USDF All-Breeds Winners (Hanoverians)!  2009 was quite the musical success for us, having won the GAIGs and BLMs in the I-1 freestyle competition, so this award from the USDF was just a wonderful culmination to the year’s events.  I want to thank CeCe & Frank Maddlone from EquiChord for all the work they have done to help make these musical dreams come true!

We are all very excited about what is ahead for 2010 - stay tuned to Team Strawson as we continue our journey to excellence. To paraphrase Thoreau, our team will be marching “in the direction of our dreams”.