The first post...

Hi there!
I should start by introducing myself... My name is Katie, I'm 26. I'm Australian, and I live with my boyfriend Jay on the Mornington Peninsula.
I have been interested in horses forever, well since I was little, and have been riding off and on since I was 12. It was only in recent years where I started competing and taking lessons, following a relationship break up - pouring myself into riding really gave me something to look forward to every week, and before long I was once again hooked on horses!
It wasn't long before I did my first comp, a dressage test which was a huge deal because I came to the school as nothing more than a self taught paddock basher. Next dressage comp I rode a friends horse and placed 4th out of over 20 to get my first ever ribbon, then the jumping comps began where I found my true calling. I absolutely LOVE jumping.
After a couple of years at Oakwood I started looking for horses to work to further my riding as I couldn't afford to have extra lessons, or afford my own horse. I met my now dear friend Georgie through a customer at work, and started riding her off the track thoroughbred, getting him going for her. She had rescued him from being sent to market for meat. Before long she had rescued another, King, and I put my hand straight up to work on him. We decided from there that ex-racehorse rescue was to be our game, and after King went to his new home we got Roger who is my current ride.

This past 6 months have been an absolute whirlwind... I have started working at Oakwood, where I have been taking lessons, and I have started competing Roger in low level dressage and jumping. I have been learning as much as I can, passed my EFA riding certificate to go towards becoming a coach if I decide to do that, and have started competing a horse for a friend of mine to get me out there jumping bigger courses, and to get him back into competing again.
Now the real fun starts, Jay and I have decided to buy an acreage so I can train full time, so we are currently saving like mad for that and are hoping to be in there by this time next year.

I'm hoping I can look back over my posts when we are on our property and remember just how hard we worked for it, and how badly I wanted it. We've been to inspect a few that are on the market and know our price range, what we can afford, where we want to move, and have a pretty good idea of what we want house-wise etc.

I figure if I write it all down, then I am committed to it, so here it is... I want to be a successful horse rescuer and trainer, I want to be a successful show jumper, and I want to do it all from my own property... Here we go!

Luv Katie x