EQUINE AFFAIR 2005 Mass

I've just come back from a great time in the US again visiting my friends...I'm totally hooked on the US now lol and I've only seen a tiny piece of it!!!
I went to stay with my friend Karen who lives in Rhode Island for two days and then my friend Jaime for two days who lives in Massachusettes and my friend Day for four days who lives in Virginia. While I stayed with Karen and Jaime we went to the Equine Affair which is like our own 'Your Horse Live' at Stoneleigh (where I went with Ruth and Mandy the week before :-) )
In true American style it is even bigger than our equivilent lol
It was great fun and I managed to get some cool shopping bargains to bring home and saw some great displays and clinics. We saw George Morris teach who is the US mentor for Hunters and Jumpers (I even persuaded him to take a photo with me lol)we saw Darren Chiacia give an eventing clinic too!
We met up with all our internet chat friends which was so great :-)some of us didn't know what eachother looked like and I wore a Union Jack cardi (courtesy of ebay lol) so people would reaconise me!!! We had a great time and it was like we had met up again..not like it was the first time!
On the Friday night a few of us went to Brendas benefit dinner..it was to make funds so she can make life easier since she was paralysed from her accident in August. It was a lovely evening and her brother in law made a very emotional speech and presented her son with a bravery medal because he took good care of her at the time og the accident...there was not a dry eye in the room.
On the Saturday night all the internet friends met up for Dinner....it was a great laugh, I really enjoyed that :-)
So I spent two great days with Karen and I had great fun playing with her cute Corgi puppy Kooper and then spent two great days with Jaime,Joey and Mikaila and all their animals...it certainly is a happy household with all the cats and dogs :-)
After Jaime speeded me back to Boston Airport I caught the plane down to Virginia to stay at Days.
I had a fantastic time with Day and we laughed and talked all week...especially when she fell off the chair when she spilt her coffee on her lap (I'm still laughing now!)
Day has a lovely homely farm with one cat, two dogs and five horses. We went for a good ride all around her farm on the Tuesday on her horses Fancy and Ally..she has Hippo (34yo)Baby Nix and Hazel too.They live in a lovely barn with run ins and the field as well.
A friend Michele keeps her horses in another field there but I can't remember their names as Micheles boyfriend looks after them as Michele has got a new job further out in Virginia...so I didn't get to see her again this time.
Day and I went shopping on Wednesday two hours away as she lives in such a rural hour and then had dinner...and then nearly fought over who paid the bill lol
Thursday Day took me sight seeing around the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains! WOW what a sight!
Larry and Conrad (Day's husband and son) took me out in the evening to see some real rural folk playing Bluegrass music.....it's certainly different from what I'm used to listening too lol but it was great unique experience and really glad I met them..they were soooo friendly :-)
Friday Day took me to the airport with several new suitcases because I couldn't fit everything in! and I flew back upto Boston and then got a connecting flight home to London. It took me 22 hours from the time I left Days house till I stepped into mine!!!!
I can't thank my friends enough for having such a wonderful time...I'm sooo lucky to have met such wonderful people :-)
Here's some photo's I took so you can share my fun :-) Hold the arrow over the photo to see what they are..Enjoy :-)