Happy Thanksgiving!

     So on the week of Thanksgiving I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the people who keep us in the saddle.  One thing I learned at the Emerging Dressage Athlete Program's Horsemastership Clinic last year was that there are dozens of experts who keep our horses, our tack and ourselves healthy, happy and progressing.

So thank you to the farriers that keep us sound.  Thanks to the massage therapists and acupuncturists and chiropractors that keep both us and our horses walking!  Thanks to the veterinarians that come at all hours of the day and night to address the results of some adventure.  Thank you to the judges and technical delegates who motivate and keep us safe and the sport fair.  Thank you volunteers, scribes, runners, whip and bit checkers for dedicating hours to competitions from the sheer enjoyment of the shows.  Thank you to the GMO and region committee members and officers.  You give us structure and direction.  Thank you to USDF and USEF for guidance, sponsorship and support.  Thank you trainers and grooms for being beside us in all weather (figuratively and literally).  Thank you barn owners for using your land for probably the least financially viable use--arenas!  Thank you saddlers and feed makers and store clerks for the endless answers to endless questions.  Finally, thanks to family and friends for the support and understanding of those of us with the horse disease.