Teamwork and Determination Pays Off

Hey Readers,


I am so pleased to say that today I met the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) President, Bob Cachionne. Bob is not just the President of IHSA, he is also the founding father of it! I cannot tell you how much that means to all of us, especially the Western Team. The Western Team has been kind of the "red head stepchild" to the Equestrian Teams here at Virginia Tech because, we are Western and not English. Unlike the Hunter and Dressage Teams, the Western Team is not on campus. Virginia Tech does not supply the Western Team with a barn or horses, we do it all ourselves. The Western Team has to find their own horses, their own tack, their own local barn to keep the horses at, and their own money to pay for this. Now Virginia Tech does help a little bit with this I believe but do not take my word for it because this end of the finances are not discussed. The Western Team Members take care of their horses all by themselves they come out every morning and every evening to feed, to clean the stalls, to make sure all the horses have water and are well. Now of course our membership fee does help us pay for the horses and their board and all of the fundraising we do. I am in no way saying that the Hunter and Dressage Team do not do this, I'm sure they do! But it is a little different when we are not on campus and we are solely ran but just students, our coaches are all students here at Virginia Tech. So for Bob Cachionne to come out to our barn and see where we are and what we have done is a huge deal!! Bob came out to the barn this morning with Shelby at 9:30 a.m and he was telling us about how our story is a lot like his. He too started from the very bottom and worked his way up the ladder. He was just so inspiring!! He also informed us that we, the Western Team, are the only Western Team at a College in Virginia! After talking with us Bob asked us if we had a team banner. Shelby and I replied with a no. He told us that he is going to pay for us to get a banner made!!! Bob said that he could see how close this team is and how hard-working we are and that he wanted to reward us! He also told us that he wanted us to design it and everything!!! This brought tears to Shelby and I! We no longer felt like the "red headed stepchild", we felt like we were finally being recognized! So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you put forth effort, determination, and hard work it will not ever go unnoticed! It may take awhile to be seen but do not ever give up because eventually someone will notice it and will reward you like you have never been rewarded before!

Equine Dentist Maybe????

Hey readers,

         As many of you know I plan to do something in the Equine Industry whether it be a vet, a nutritionist,  a horse trainer/instructor, etc. Well I am already a barn manager, a trainer/instructor, and now proudly a coach for the Virginia Tech Equestrian Western Team. Yesterday I met my friend Amaris, an Equine Dentist, out at the farm here at Walnut Spring Stables because she was coming to "float" the VT Western Team horses as well as some of the boarders horses out there. Well I was her assistant yesterday and the more horses teeth we floated the more I was beginning to gain interest in this Dentistry Field. She was very informative and it was loads of fun. Most people would think some of this is gross but we got to pull teeth from multiple horses' mouths and one horse even had a tooth that grew outward instead of downward. I had a blast yesterday! So now after helping Amaris for 8 hours yesterday I think I have decided that I want to become an Equine Dentist! I hope I didn't gross y'all out too much! Have a great weekend everyone!! And don't forget its a home football game this weekend!! GO HOKIES!!!!

A Day in the Life of Reesie

Hey readers,

     My name is Reesie Fensom. I am really excited to be blogging for you all this semester. This is my first blog so it will defiantly be a learning experience. I wanted to start my first post by telling my readers a little bit more about myself. I am a third year Virginia Tech student and very proud Hokie.  I just graduated in May of 2013 from Virginia Tech with an Associates Degree in Agricultural Technology through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I am now starting my first semester working towards a Bachelors Degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences. I'm currently employed as the barn manager for Walnut Spring Stables, a local  horse boarding and training facility in Blacksburg, Virginia. My job is very time consuming, but I generally enjoy what I do, and this manager's position is getting me one step closer to achieving my dreams of either becoming a vet or working in the equine industry. Horses have always been a part of my life. I have been riding since before I could walk. From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to work in the horse industry for the rest of my life. I am excited to be continuing my education at Virginia Tech and look forward to a challenging, yet rewarding semester.