My name is Kathy and I am the owner of 2 beautiful pinto mare horses. Bailey was my first horse ever to own, and I bought her as a 10 year old in 2010. Cheyenne I bought in 2014 at the age of 12. I also share with my husband of 30 years a remarkable golden retriever named Riley who is 13 years old, and a big fan of the horses. And of course cats, we have two currently, Pea Brain and Snuggy. Dave and I have two adult children.
I grew up in Buffalo, NY and first took western lessons at Amherst Stables. Mr. Ripley was the owner. I wanted to be around the horses as much as possible, and without the money to own my own, I worked every chance I could for Mr. Ripley. First at the age of 10, I went with the ponies to birthday parties and walked ponies around with the kids on their backs. Then when I became 12, I was able to take riders out on trail rides, my real passion. Back then I got paid 50 cents a rider. That was fantastic! I got to ride for free, and get paid 50 cents a rider, and I did this all day all summer. Pretty good money when sometimes the trail group was 10 people per hour.
The first break from horses was when I went to college. I didn’t ride then. After college I moved to Syracuse to be with Dave. A woman was riding her horse down the street and I ran out and stopped her and asked her where she kept her horse. She asked if I wanted to lease her horse and I did. That got me back into riding for a few years, and even got Dave riding another horse at the barn.
Dave and I got married in 1985 and then looked for a house to start a family. We found the perfect house complete with a beat barn, but I had a vision that someday I would get a horse for that barn. It took 21 years, but it happened. I bought my first horse, and the rest is history. I will say there have been very hard and challenging times that I will share with you, but if you have the deep love like I do for horses, then it has all been worth it. Life is great!
If I were a horse... 
Hi, would love to hear how Bailey is doing now is she okay? I’m just reading this for the first time found your post and thinking about the ethyl alcohol treatment for my mare who has high ringbone arthritis in left front.
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Hello…I just read Baileys story…I just had my gelding injected about 2 weeks ago…Still very sore..have considered putting him down. How is Bailey now and do you feel it was all worth it
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Hello, thank you for reaching out to me. Here is my phone number if you want to call. That is easier 315-383-8966. My name is Kathy
2 weeks is WAY TO EARLY to make decisions!!!!!! I outline my entire journey. If I would have put her down after 2 weeks, I would have lost 5 great years of walk trail riding with her!
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Hi Kathy
My horse is going in for joint fusion this coming week. I have read many positive things and have read your blog on Bailey. I am looking to prepare myself with this and wonder if you could let me know how she is know. I hope she came though all of that
Warm regards
Darlene
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Hi Darlene, I was glad I did the fusion. I rode Bailey another 6 years on trails at least 3x a week basically at a walk, which is what I would have done anyway. I did not trot or canter her, although she would on her own. Bailey had a grand maul seizure while I was trail riding her and died 3 years ago. That was very bizarre and not related to her fusion at all. I loved Bailey…she was my heart horse, and I am so glad I did the fusion. As my blog says…patience is important. Time is important. Ignore other barn people’s opinions, most do not understand the process. There will be bad days, but remember the pain your horse is living in now. Once fused, there may be a limp, but no pain. Good Luck. Feel free to text or call me for support. Kathy
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