I have heard it said that when God closes a door, he opens a window. This could not be more true for me than with my experience at Royal Palm Farm, which is owned by my dear friends Andrew and Tiffany Palmer.
Lego, a colt bred by Tiffany and Andrew
It has happened twice for us now, that I was looking for some place to go, and they needed to find help! The first time was about 2 years ago when my job ended in Florida and my move to North Carolina was not nailed down. Andrew was hurt at the time, and they also had a trip to Germany planned and did not want to leave their one employee to run the farm while they were gone. Now this year, they are also short on help, Tiffany just had surgery, they have a trip to the ATA convention coming up, and are busy with show season. I have a good situation waiting for me in Florida, but I want their help selling my horse first, and to make sure that I have my ducks in a row before I make my next move. I am sort of using the next two months to refocus and regroup.
It does not hurt my feeling at all that I am surrounded by great people, and beautiful horses. In fact, they have more Trakehner stallions here than any place in the U.S. I find myself incredibly lucky that not only do I get to work with my favorite breed (the Trakehner), but I get to work with the BEST of the breed, and am lucky enough to actually get to ride them! Not every rider gets the opportunity to sit on such amazing horses.
Now that's a dog! One of the 2 Great Pyranees that protects the farm
I have also learned through my experience living in Southern Pines (Eventing capitol) that I may be limiting myself by my intense focus on dressage. Andrew is a beautiful dressage rider as well as jumper, and it is only going to help me to assess and sell young horses in the future if I have a bit more experience and knowledge in eventing; which encompasses dressage, show jumping, and cross country. I plan to use these next 2 months to completely immerse myself in their world, and get as much out of the experience as I can. Preston would love the opportunity to teach me to jump, and if I still have him in a couple months, I would love to take him to an event so that I can add that to his resume. Stay tuned for insights gained through my experience here on jumping, dressage, and breeding!
In addition to horses, Royal Palm Farm is home to a small herd of goats that entertain us with their antics.