All in a name

I've named the blog "The Joy of Dressage" in memory of my mother Joy Wright, 1963-2012. She lost her battle with a very rare, very aggressive form of cancer--appendiceal adenocarcinoma--at the end of August 2012 after a 3 year fight. And I mean, fight. When she was diagnosed, it was already Stage IV, and the fact that she was able to persist and fight through 3 years was an absolute miracle. She never gave up hope, she always had a positive attitude, and she kept her absolute faith through it all. That kind of determination is something that I will always admire about my mother and that I can hopefully pass on to my own children some day.


Mom & Brazynska, Summer 2011

 

Now, people always assume that my horse-lust probably came from my mother, and while my mom liked the horses, the obsession was all my own. She--and my father--were always utterly supportive though. Driving me to and from the barn almost every day, spending weekends at horse shows, paying umpteen dollars for horse board, vet bills, riding lessons... Crazily supportive.

So, for those reasons and many, many more, I name this blog in her memory. I want something that I can look back at when I'm feeling frustrated and see how far the girls & I have come. I want something that I can use as an outlet to share my triumphs. Things that I miss being able to talk to with my mom. It will probably end up being more of a training-journal than anything else, but all in all, I hope to continue the "Wright" tradition of determination, optimism, & faith to fuel these horse dreams & ambitions. I'm excited to see where "The Joy of Dressage" takes us!