As we move into the holiday season, I have been reflecting on the past year. First of all, it is hard to believe that 2011 is coming to an end. For me at La Luna, it has been an exciting year in many ways in respect to riding.

As many adult riders do, as they get older, I have struggled to have the same level of confidence I had when I was younger. Yet in many ways, I have more skill now and much more experience. I also have the confidence of being able to ride amazing horses. I am very thankful for what my horses do for me everyday. I feel that the partnership a rider has with their horse is one of the most important aspects of riding. I am very lucky that I have that partnership with all of my horses. We have a deal in which I take the best possible care of them at the barn and they take the best possible care of me in the ring. It works well and has given me back such a great deal of confidence and most important, the ability to have fun.

I am also thankful for all of our boarders and clients who come to La Luna to ride. It is a great group of people to be around on a daily basis and I am always happy to be at the barn. I hope that everyone enjoys the upcoming holiday season. Although winter is a time for some horses and riders to have off, others are preparing to go to Florida in January. I am really looking forward to competing this winter and hope that you are too.

The work of the farm could not be done without the amazing people who work at La Luna. Thank you to Paul for all that you do to train both the La Luna horses and the client horses. You have a gift and I feel very lucky that you are here. Thank you also to Paul Jr., Peter, Domingo and Julia for all of the hard work that you put in everyday. You make this farm run and we could not do it without you.

So as all of us riders reflect back on the year, remember to give your horse an extra pat and a thank you for all that they do to enrich our lives.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at La Luna Farm!!