Thank you Betsy!!!!

Well, I figure quite a few people may write in about their experiences at Betsy Lirakis' Top O' the Hill Farm First Annual Curly Get Together, and here's my version. First and foremost, I HAD A BLAST! Laurie Lee drove to my house and we packed all of her stuff into my dinkie Toyota Corolla for the trip to the Manchester airport to pick up Denise Conroy. Both Laurie and I were thrilled to meet Denise for the first time in person because of all the wicked cool things she does to promote Curlies, and well, because she is a wicked cool person! (that is a good thing, in MaineSpeak) We arrived safe and sound and talked and talked and talked with everyone. Quite a few of us were starting to lose our voices. Our hostess was the mostest. I can’t say enough about Betsy Lirakis and her wonderful daughter Zoe AND her wonderful herd of horses and how she treated all of us to the time of our lives.

We went on two trail rides with riders of all levels – yep, an 8 mile trail ride on Saturday and a 6 mile trail ride on Sunday - with a sprinkling of beginners and timid riders thrown in with some more experienced riders. All of the women and girls were wonderful, and so was Dennis the Token Husband. There was a ton of estrogen flying around, and wow, do we ever have some SUPER women who love Curlies! I was honored to meet IN PERSON for the FIRST TIME not only the ONE AND ONLY DENISE CONROY who heads up Curly Horse Country and the RAC, but also Deb McGahey, Lynn Downer, Bernice, Laurie (of Laurie and Pyewacket fame), and Michelle Ives and her daughter Mandy. I know there are many others, so please accept my apologies if you are not mentioned here!

Laurie Lee tried to get us all drunk with her homemade Sangria, and she succeeded with one of us (hiccup).

The weather was gorgeous for the rides, not to mention the fabulous scenery. For the umpteenth time I was cursing my duct-taped camera which refused to take even one photo. Denise was kind enough to let me borrow hers, so I was able to capture a few trail ride images for everyone to enjoy, and I was not the only one taking pictures, so I hope we get several posts from attendees.

On Saturday, I rode the 6 year old smooth coat pony Curly gelding OYY Pal’s Job. I just can’t say enough wonderful things about this guy. Fourteen hands of class and grace. An elegant, gentle, safe horse with one of the best minds I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he has the gaits of a horse without the large size that can be intimidating to some of us Baby Boomer Ladies. Which reminds me, Harold, I am sorry you could not come, but I did greet both Denise and Betsy with a hug from you! If anyone is in the market for such a fantastic horse such as OYY Pal’s Job, contact Betsy Lirakis soon, because WOW, if I was in the market for a Curly…but I still love my Didder, of course.

On Sunday, I rode Zoe’s favorite, Teasel Obi, for the second time. Years ago, I rode him as a three year old and was very impressed, and I was definitely still VERY impressed with this Curly! Teasel is very responsive in his bitless bridle. He is graceful and CUTE AS ALL GET-OUT! Zoe, thank you for choosing Teasel for me! On the trail, Michelle was getting a bit sore and dismounted from Keri Orla to stretch her legs awhile. Well! I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try Betsy’s favorite mount Keri with that Barefoot London treeless saddle, so I asked Michelle if I could ride Keri while she led Teasel, and she agreed. (Michelle ended up finished the ride ON Teasel and enjoyed him very much.) Keri had a good amount of exciting energy and I had plenty of opportunity to test out the London. :) I can surely see why Betsy loves her horse so much. Back at the barn on Sunday, Betsy also let me try the Barefoot Cheyenne on Keri, and let me tell you, Keri was a great sport to allow me to keep riding her when EVERYBODY ELSE was being untacked and put away. What a gem she is. I will say, once Betsy put her out in her pasture, she GALLOPED down to the very bottom of the hill with her tail flying. Glad she waited. What a weekend! THANK YOU SO MUCH BETSY AND ZOE FOR ALL THAT YOU DID FOR US FELLOW RACers!!! XXOO - Susan