Life with a Retired Show Horse: Regaining Confidence

If you read the title and thought “regaining confidence” was about Bella, I’ll let you know that Bella is still full of herself and feeling great. She enjoys having the attention of the horses she is turned out with and has an extra boost of energy with the onset of cold weather.

Bella thinks she is a fire breathing dragon. This was after Saturday's ride.

This blog post is actually going to be more about me trying to regain some of the confidence I lost in my riding abilities. To be honest, it’s probably going to end with how awesome my horse is and how she takes care of me, etc.

So here goes.

Most Saturday mornings I am out at the barn with Bella. Yesterday was just one of those days where I did not feel like tacking up. Instead, I hopped on bareback with a rope and halter. Bella is still learning how to guide without a bit, but she’s picked it up pretty well. However, if something catches her eye and she wants to go a different direction she “forgets” what guiding is.

Back when Bella was in training as a show horse, she would get the winters off for vacation. The last couple winters I finally became brave enough to hop on her bareback, but with a bridle. I used to only walk and canter because of her quick step trotting, but I gradually worked my way into trotting on her bareback too. When doing so every weekend, I became much more confident on her and got a lot stronger as a rider. Even when she was full of energy, it didn’t faze me to hop on bareback and go around at a show trot.

Riding bareback with confidence late in 2014.

When I pulled her out of the stall yesterday, I could tell she was feeling frisky. I had made my decision to go bareback with a rope and halter and I wanted to see it through, to show myself I could do it, but the nerves got to me when I climbed on.

Bella never took off, but she did have a bounce to her step. I held onto her mane (or what we equestrians sometimes call an “Oh, shit!” handle) so hard that my hand was cramping. The energy she had made me nervous. I had been on her bareback with a rope and halter over summer, but that’s when the heat had zapped everyone’s energy.

Now in the cold on a frisky mare, I was nervous. At the end of my junior year in college, I picked up a second job while heading into finals and projects. I didn’t take lessons for about two months, and only slowly got back into them over summer.

There were times I would ride and I felt out of shape. My endurance in the saddle was not what it used to be. A few weeks ago I even said, “I feel like a washed up, out of shape, adult amateur.”

So there I was, sitting on Bella bareback, holding on for dear life and afraid to do more than walk. Andrew was at the barn with me, and with some reassurance from him I finally did trot and canter.

Bella didn’t run off with me, she stopped when asked, and I didn’t fall off. Instead of keeping my legs frozen in place to grip, I began to relax and used them to help guide Bella around the turns of the indoor arena, which is a pretty nice aid when you have no bit.

No bit? No problem. Getting confidence back in yesterday's ride.

As I trotted and cantered, I began to feel more confident in my ability. I wasn’t at my peak, but I rode around just fine. I even posted above Bella’s tall withers without a problem.

There’s been times when I haven’t put the effort in to get my riding back on track to where it was. I was frustrated with myself and sometimes slightly embarrassed. I now realize it’s okay if we lose ourselves. It doesn’t matter how good of a rider you are; it matters if you push through your challenges.

I think I want to spend more time this winter bareback on my frisky mare. I need to not only trust the horse who has never brought me harm while on her back, but I need to trust myself too.

Thanks to my readers for letting me ramble, thanks to my friends and instructors for supporting me through the years, and most of all, a big thank you to Bella for continuously teaching me for more than nine years. I owe her the world.

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Achievements

Turns out you can teach an old horse new tricks after all. That is, you can teach your sassy retired 16-year-old Saddlebred mare to jump over a fallen tree limb.

It’s been about a year and one month since Bella hit the show ring for the last time. Since then we’ve been learning new things just for fun, and I appreciate that she lets me learn with her. We’ve learned galloping through fields is a great activity when we’re feeling extra energetic. We’ve learned ground poles and other obstacles are not so scary in the ring, and we can walk, trot, and canter over them. We’ve learned how to hack around the farm and not spin around at every single new sight. Today we learned not to be scared a fallen tree limb on a trail path.

And today I learned Bella wants to take on cross country as a second career.

Last weekend Andrew dug out all sorts of poles for Bella to do ring work with. He made a zig-zag path to walk through with “scary” obstacles (a small, fake cow used for roping practice and a tire) outside the path. Bella not only had to stay within the path, but walk past obstacles on the sideline. We walked, then trotted, into an octagon shaped by poles and went around an obstacle in the middle. We also managed walking and trotting over three ground poles surrounded by other poles and obstacles.

The lesson seemed to prove helpful today. After pattern practice for tomorrow’s intercollegiate show, Andrew suggested I trail ride Bella around the farm. We set out with Andrew following on foot and went by the pond, down a fence line, through some trees and a field. Bella calmly went past places she had formally tried to turn around in. As we came to the trail path that leads to the very back field, we noticed something new — a fallen tree limb.

This is where plans changed. Bella wanted nothing to do with the fallen limb. She wouldn’t even stand and look at it. She only wanted to turn around and go the opposite direction. The funny thing was, all it took was Andrew stepping over the fallen limb. Then Bella followed like she hadn’t just tried to turn and run.

And here is where our fun began. After Bella stepped over the fallen limb just fine from both directions, I wondered if she would trot over it too. Well, Bella didn’t just trot over it. She jumped it. And then we went over it at a trot again. Then a canter. Then Bella decided she wanted to be a cross country horse. She tried to take off like she had never taken off in her life. With her ears pricked forward, she was ready to run faster than she ever had before. It took me a few seconds before I could rein her back in.

We walked back to the barn after that. Bella kept her head held high, proud and feeling full of herself. Andrew and I cleaned her off before turning her out to go harass some poor soul of a horse. I’m forever grateful Bella still lets me learn with her in retirement. She doesn’t make everything easy, but she takes care of me and teaches me new things with every ride.

Bella enjoyed jumping so much I could barely rein her in. Maybe we should try cross country? 😂 Check out my latest blog on our adventures! Link in bio. #irideandiwrite #itsnotthatconfusing #missbelievin #asbdreams #asbproud #asbversatility

A video posted by Christine Oser (@starsandbells) on Nov 5, 2016 at 4:26pm PDT

#ridelikeagirl

The other day my friend Mary Kate Fahy posted a picture on Facebook of her four-year-old Western Saddlebred Rachael Renee. What you see at first is a beautiful black mare, a nice looking rider, and flashy tri-color championship ribbons. If you read the caption, it starts with “I have a story to share…” before Mary Kate launches into all the struggles she had in bringing this mare to where she is today. (Read here)

Mary Kate & Rachael Renee. (Photo from Mary Kate)

Since men dominated the equine industry for so long, a lot of the older horse icons we look up to are men. And there is nothing wrong with that! Over the years though, the dynamics changed and in came more women. The female gender is the one that dominates most aspects of the industry now. Racing is still mostly men, but there is a much greater rise of women there now too. And I think it’s time we started giving more praise to the women out there now.

Mary Kate’s story not only made me realize that the drive to succeed is extremely important, but it also made me think of some of the women in my life that make me proud to say #ridelikeagirl.

Not only is Mary Kate an inspiration, but so are the ladies of Kismet Farm. Bella and I finished up our last years of showing at Kismet under the direction of Alex Gravett (which I will refer to as Trainer Alex), and Alex Jett (I’ll call her Jett) also came along as an assistant. Trainer Alex started off with Pleasantview Farm, and I came along as she was making the transition into her own operation of Kismet. I was able to see her string of show horses grow as new clients came in and I saw a bunch of kids begin riding in the academy program. There’s enough of them now that Madelyn Palazzo has taken on teaching the next generation there. Trainer Alex was so worried when she moved into her own stable without Pleasantview because the barn seemed so empty, but in no time at all the barn began to fill up and now it is practically full of horses.

Alex Gravett on the left after Bella's last show. (Photo by Show Horse Magazine)

Trainer Alex saw the importance of embracing #ridelikeagirl. In a world where girls already face so much insecurities from societal pressure, we need to be proud of what we are achieving in and out of the show ring. If you’re around the Kismet group long enough, you can’t help but notice the strong connection of dedicated and hard working women out there.

After Bella retired I moved her down the road to Dark HorseTraining Center where I could go out on my own time and play around with my mare while she figured out this whole retirement thing. There I met Mary Rose Cissell. I came from a Saddlebred background and she mostly worked with stock horses, green horses, horses from Eastern Kentucky with little human interaction, and breaking young horses. While the activities from the barns I grew up in looked different from what I watch Mary Rose do, it’s amazing to see the transformation she makes in horses with all her different techniques. I recently read a Facebook post from her (read here) where she talked about all the hardships she has been experiencing with a stallion from Eastern Kentucky. While the stallion has been a challenge, her perseverance has made a world of a difference. It may be a long road ahead, but I know Mary Rose is dedicated enough to see the tough horses through.

Mary Rose on OTTB Good Street "Grayson" at a ranch show. (Photo from DHTC Facebook page)

Deveau Zubrod-Kreitzer is another great woman in my horse life. She is an instructor at Zubrod Stables and also coaches the University of Louisville Saddle Seat team, which I compete on. Deveau has kept me in gear for Equitation after I was no longer showing it in the performance world. She goes from riding in a double saddle with beginner riders to standing in the same spot even when us college kids almost run her over trying to stay on our pattern lines. At the intercollegiate shows, we perform patterns on horses we don’t know that well, if at all, and the patterns may contain difficult elements. As someone who loves pattern practice, even I dread the circles on diagonal lines. Deveau excelled at Equitation in her junior exhibitor years and now passes that on to us. She can even kick butt riding with no stirrups after not being on a horse for a long time.

Deveau and me after an intercollegiate show.

The phrase “like a girl” has had a negative connotation for years. Lately there’s been a push to reclaim the phrase, and the equestrian world is a good place to start for me. There’s so many women who do hard, physical work for long hours but still keep their womanly appearance. Strong doesn’t have to look like bulging muscles throwing hay bales around, it can also look like someone with flowing hair and mascara controlling a 1,000-pound animal and shoveling loads of shavings into 20 stalls.

The women listed here are only a few that came to mind, but they certainly prove that “like a girl” is something to take pride in, and I hope that my fellow female equestrians continue with the movement of #ridelikeagirl.

New York Trip Summer '16

July 6 I flew up to New York for the third time to visit Andrew for just over a week. I'm gracious his family has allowed me to stay with them during my visits, as I have really enjoyed the times I've been there.

Friday, July 8 Andrew and I took a train into Manhattan. When he does date night, he goes big and goes home. He bought Wicked tickets and made dinner reservations at Trattoria Dell'Arte, which has the best Italian food I've ever eaten.

When we first got into the city, Andrew had a surprise for me. I had told him I wanted to make it to Central Park this time around since we missed it the last two trips. It seemed like we were going to run out of time again, but as we made our way out of Times Square, Andrew led me right to the entrance of Central Park.

Central Park is not amazing just because of its beauty alone, but also because you don't have to go very far in to block out the sound of the city. The trees make it hard to hear the cars and horns and shouts. It's cool how you get the serene setting with grass and gorgeous trees along with the skyline above the leaves.

Oh, and I also found Frank from Men in Black (if you get the reference).

As a huge Home Alone fan (the first and second movies), I enjoyed playing out the Plaza craziness in my head as we walked by. That's probably partially why I think the Plaza is so cool. Plus, LOOK AT IT. So pretty.

The next stop of the night was at Trattoria Dell'Arte. Andrew found the place last summer and we went before seeing Mamma Mia!. The food was so delicious we wanted to go back again this year. I couldn't help myself and ordered the same dish, Lobster Carbonara, because of how much I loved it. Andrew and I also had the tiramisu and it was above and beyond expectations.

Following dinner we walked to the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked. It had been on my list of musicals to see, and now I know why everyone who sees it becomes obsessed. I will never look at the Wizard of Oz the same again. I've also been playing the soundtrack non-stop since I got back Louisville. Defying Gravity is basically my new theme song.

The following day, July 9, was my first time at Belmont Park.

Not only did I go for a good day of racing for their Stars & Stripes Festival, but I got to meet the two-year-olds Andrew has been working with.

Avail Ekati is a very handsome colt. He is also a big ham who can't control himself when cookies are around.

Speighgal became my new best friend. She is a cutie who loves to take naps and looks adorable with all the shavings stuck in her mane and forelock when she wakes up.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Highland Sky, who flew home in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational to be second by a neck to European invader Deauville. Highland Sky is one of the most beautiful horses I have laid eyes on.

Seeing Effinex get a repeat win in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap was great as well.

I finally got to see Catch a Glimpse run! It was even more exciting than I hoped it would be. Her win in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational was a special one, beating out European horses and proving she could go a longer distance than some thought.

Friday and Saturday were our two big days during the trip, but I also got to enjoy time with Andrew's family and go out with them. Andrew and I also went to see Finding Dory and I was super happy the movie had a Beluga Whale in it (they're one of my favorite animals). Spending time with this cute fluff ball, Shea, was also fun.

So until next time, New York! Thanks to the people (and animals) who made it great.

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Obstacles

Lately I’ve been taking advantage of the trail obstacles in the outdoor ring with Bella. The more she is around them, the more comfortable she gets, but it’s still a learning process. After getting used to the poles that were laid out in one spot, we had to relearn that they were not scary after being moved to a different spot with a different set up. Bella started feeling at ease walking, trotting and cantering over them, but we had to repeat the process again with them in a different spot.

That’s when Bella decided, “Hey, it might be fun to jump over that pole!”

My favorite view

So now we are not just trotting and cantering over the obstacles, we are jumping them. For an almost 16-year-old Saddlebred who was never taught to jump and for a rider who has never taken a jumping lesson, I’ll consider it an accomplishment. The goal I had was to get Bella used to some new obstacles, and it worked. If she wants to occasionally jump over a pole on the ground, have at it. It means she finds it fun and not scary. As long as she’s not shying away or backing up, I’m happy. She started showing at age three and retired at 15. Eight of those show seasons were with me on her back. She fully deserves to have fun in retirement. Plus, I would rather her jump a ground pole than jump out of her paddock like she’s already done twice. (Thanks for taking part of the fence with you, Bella).

Once we got comfortable with the poles in a different area, we had to learn that the wooden beams set up were not scary, especially the ones that formed an enclosed box. With some snorts and a little encouragement, Bella also learned that these were not so bad. We could even stand in the box and not be scared of it. We can walk, trot, and canter over the wooden beams, and Bella figured out those are fun to jump too. I think I’m just letting her have fun how she wants, but maybe I’m unknowingly creating a monster. It’s been a while since she jumped out of her paddock though, and hopefully it stays that way.

Conquering the scary box in our cutback saddle

So not only does my retired Saddlebred still like to trot around like a show horse, but she likes to gallop in open fields, hack around the farm, and jump over ground poles (even if that was taught by accident). No, I’m not experienced in Jumpers or Western. I don’t claim to be in the least bit. What I do know is that I’ve seen Bella experience new things and become comfortable with them. It’s not always easy for a horse who grew up with show ring training, and I am thankful she trusts me enough to learn along with her.

Keep doing you, Bella, because you’re the best.

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Lessons

99.9% of the time I am grateful for how smart Bella is. There is also that 0.1% where I think she is too smart.

I was riding Bella outside a couple weeks ago and there were poles laid out in the arena. My thought was to get Bella to do something new and walk over them. After a snort and a little encouragement, Bella began to step over them. Doing it again, she picked her feet up methodically and did that a few times. Then Bella decided she didn't need to prove she knew how to do something new.

Bella has always had this funny mentality of "I know what I'm doing. Why do I need to practice?" Halting was not her favorite thing, and occasionally she refused to halt when practicing at home. In the show ring, she was perfect and had the best manners, standing as still as a statue before reversing for a big, showy trot.

At the Good Hands Equitation finals in 2011, Bella refused to back right before we went in the ring to do our pattern. She threw her nose in the air and planted her hooves in the ground. I had made it to one of the Equitation finals and my horse would not back. My heart was pounding as I entered the ring for my pattern, but sure enough, Bella backed like a pro when it mattered.

When it came to the poles, Bella decided she no longer needed to demonstrate she could step over them. She began to knock them instead. Same old Bella. I just shook my head and laughed before trying it again.

Since walking over them was such a bore to her, I decided to trot her over them during our next ride. Once again, it only took a few attempts for her to figure it out and be comfortable doing it. 

The next ride I thought we would try to canter over the poles. We walked and trotted over them again as a refresher before cantering and Bella got the hang of it after a couple times. I thought it would be fun to try something new, but Bella made a guessing game out of it: "Will I go over the poles or will I knock them?"

She’s figured out it is the middle of show season and she is still not back in training. She thinks she can do whatever she wants whenever she wants, and even though she can be a handful some days and lazy the next, she still takes great care of me and also has days where she does everything I ask.

Yesterday I decided I wanted to bareback her with just a rope and halter. I always said I would never trust her without a bit, as I’ve had some interesting bareback rides on her when she’s been wound up and trying to take off, but I knew if she was having one of her calmer days she would be fine. If she tried to take off when I climbed on, I’d call it quits right there and grab the bridle.

Bella was perfect. She stood still as I climbed on and walked around the arena when asked. She also picked up steering without a bit with the extra help of neck reining and leg guidance. She could have dumped my sorry butt as I sat on her and took a selfie of us to capture the accomplishment, but she only stood there, looked around, and waited for me.

Even when she outsmarts me or finds a new way to cause trouble, I am thankful to have such a smart horse, and even more thankful that she tolerates all my antics. Shout-out to you, Bella. You’re the best.

The Unwanted Horse Part 3

One of the Lucky Ones

If you missed the first two parts of The Unwanted Horse, click here for part one on U.S. horse slaughter and here for part two on responsible breeding.

Meet Splash.

How cute is she?

Splash is an unregistered Paint Horse who appears to have some Gypsy in her. She has no papers saying what her breeding is or where she originally came from. She can be traced back to a hunter/jumper farm in New Jersey before she was shipped to New Holland and bound for the slaughterhouse.

Splash at New Holland.

Photo courtesy of Kaeli McCarty via CHW Network.

Enter the McCarty family.

The McCartys came across Rain, a small, registered paint mare at New Holland from the CHW Network on Facebook. Splash was not originally in the picture, but after hearing of how Rain and Splash had bonded, the McCartys brought both mares home.

In mid-January 2014, Rain and Splash were shipped to quarantine before they came home to the McCartys the following month.

Rain and Splash in quarantine.

Photo courtesy of Kaeli McCarty.

Splash was not supposed to make it. Her breeding can’t be traced, she’s a crossbreed without a specific purpose, and was sent to New Holland where she was slaughter bound.

Although Splash was broke, she was a bit of a struggle at first. She wouldn’t flat walk unless you got straight on and trotted or cantered around the arena first. She also had terrible separation anxiety from other horses. Despite the problems she came with, she was a sweet mare. She had quirks to be worked out, but she certainly loved to nuzzle with people.

To further her training, Splash was sent to Dark HorseTraining Center for a month. With that and more work at home, Kaeli McCarty said Splash became “more attentive and willing under saddle.” Her separation anxiety got better too, which helped when Rain left to become a little girl’s horse.

“She’s open to everything she’s been asked of,” Kaeli said of Splash. She was nervous to take Splash on a trail ride at first, but the mare ended up being great. “She was better than the horse I bought to be a trail horse,” commented Kaeli.

Splash enjoying a trail ride.

Kaeli and I went on a trail ride together once and I was thankful to have Splash as my mount. She was very relaxed and happy on the trail, and she also enjoyed splashing in the creek.

Splash is one of the kindest horses I know. She’s never tried to bite, kick, or put anyone in danger. Even though she was placed in a rough situation, she was lucky enough to find people who were willing to put the work into her and give her the love she deserves.

“Many people failed her for her to get where she was,” Kaeli said. Thanks to people like the McCartys though, horses who had no hope are given a second chance.

Instead of escaping the slaughter truck, her only

worries are escaping her stall to get outside.

Splash kisses!!!

The Unwanted Horse Part 2

Irresponsible Breeding and a Crazy Solution that just might Work

In my previous blog post on horse slaughter (read here) I said I was saving responsible breeding issues for a whole different post. Well, here it is.

Over-breeding and irresponsible breeding are huge parts of the unwanted horse problem. Not only are there backyard breeders producing horses that the market does not want, but there are people who can afford nice stock that don’t realize the implications of breeding. It’s not only the breeders’ responsibility to better the breed and have the best interest for the horses they produce, but it is also the breed registries’ responsibility to lead the industry and set standards to improve the breed.

Problem

Let’s start with the problem horses and the undesirable horses.

How often have you heard something along these lines: "She didn't work out as a show horse, so we're going to breed her." "She's too dangerous to train, so she's going to be a broodmare."

I get it. People have to find something to do with their horses that are costing them money, but it's breeding horses like this that contribute to the unwanted horse population. If the mare didn't make it as a show horse, then where would she get those show genes to pass on to her offspring? And if the horse is too dangerous to work with... well, that's the attitude you're breeding for and the offspring will have the same result. Continuing to breed mares because they don’t meet the standard you are looking for and because they are too dangerous to work with will only produce more horses with undesirable traits.

Stallions are also another issue. There are some horses that do not need to stand at stud because A.) they are not a good representation of the breed and B.) they do not produce anything that improves the breed. Again, this only produces more horses with undesirable traits.

And then you get the backyard breeders. Not only are these horses bad representations of the breed, but they are crossbreeds that there is no market for, nor do they fit the tasks the market is asking them to.

So what happens to all these undesirable horses? I can tell you from personal experience what happens to them in the Saddlebred industry, but it’s probably easy to apply it across all different breeds and disciplines as well. Many times these undesirable and problem horses are run through a public sale as a fast way for someone to get rid of them, they go from home to home, they fill up rescues, and many times they end up in a kill pen because no one wants them. I see way too many Saddlebreds in need of rescue, and I’ve seen way too many Saddlebreds get sent back to the rescue after adoption because of various problems.

Not all of the useable horses can even be saved because there are older horses and problem horses taking up room at the rescues. The rescues do not have the means and space to save every horse they come across. I feel like a lot of horses also get discarded because people aren’t willing to give horses they breed for a certain purpose a chance to thrive at something else. Instead of finding that horse’s purpose, they want to get rid of it as fast as they can.

Here’s the thing about breeding: the best stallion and the best mare together will not always produce the best horse, and some of the best horses come from bloodlines no one knows about. Breeding is a gamble, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best to improve the breeds we love.

Solution

It starts with the breeders and the breed registries.

Breeders must not only make conscious decisions to improve the breed when mating horses, but they must also know the numbers that the market can handle. If there are more horses than there is demand, the breeder can be stuck between a rock and a hard place. They may not be able to keep on all the horses that they bred, but then what? If no one is buying, putting them through a public sale is the next move. Breeders also need to make sure the horses they are breeding have desirable characteristics, because then they are right back to the problem of horses that aren’t selling. This time though, the horses don’t even have desirable traits to get the chance of going to a good home in a sale.

The breed registries also need to step in and put their best effort forth in improving the breed. Some have already started and have an evaluation program of sorts, but my friend Kaeli McCarty pointed me to one that really caught my attention.

A Friesian at the Kentucky Horse Park

The Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) has Friesch Paarden Stamboek qualified officials from the Netherlands come to North America once every year for a keuring (judging). The evaluations are done in hand, with 60% on quality of movement and 40% on conformation. The first keuring takes place when the horses are foals for entry into the foal book and they are again judged at age three or older when they are allowed to enter the adult studbooks. Different awards and statuses can be given to horses with the distinguished characteristics of the breed. This also helps breeders evaluate the best horses and the best possible matings. When being judged for studbook admission, the officials keep a linear scoresheet with the positives and negatives of each horse.

In order to be an Approved Studbook Stallion, a horse must be sired by such a stallion. Stallions are given four years to demonstrate their offspring are improving the breed, or else they lose their status. FHANA describes the stallion evaluations as a “merciless selection process that insures only the very best stallions will influence the future of the Friesian horse.”

Cross-breeding is also highly discouraged in Friesians.

For more in-depth information on keurings, the different awards, and stallion approval, click here and scroll down to "What is a judging?"

Though the rigorous Friesian evaluations may seem far-fetched for some, I believe the process is something other breed registries should consider modeling.

Think about it. How many times have you seen a purebred Friesian in dire need of rescue? I’ve seen a Friesian cross here and there, but that’s it for me personally. I’ve also never come across a Friesian that I thought was ugly or below standard. After hearing about all the evaluations, I understand why.

So there you have it. That’s my opinion on the whole responsible breeding thing, but what do I know? J

Up Next – The Unwanted Horse Part 3: One of the Lucky Ones

Hard to believe she was a slaughter rescue.

I promise Splash’s story is coming next! I thought I better call it quits for now after writing more than I meant to.