There is an empty stall in my barn that no matter how many horses walk through it in the future - it will never be full again. "Mr. Muscles", No Cost To Invest - AQHA #2588257, passed away sometime on the night of January 14th. He was the greatest horse I have ever ridden; the greatest horse I will ever own. I have ridden some good ones, but Muscles could do it all. He was so smart, so talented, and so athletic. Oh, how I just wish you could scratch your head on me one last time..........

He could watch what was going on in an arena and figure out what he was supposed to do whether it was a showmanship class or a reining class. Many people witnessed this....whether it was a showmanship class with 36 entries where he waited for over an hour for the judge to turn in a score card and then decided he had to pee. Or the many times we watched a reining class warm up and he went in the class and out stopped every horse, without having practiced on good ground like all of the other "real reiners". He tolerated the crazy things I asked of him like standing cooperatively for more than two hours in Ft. Worth when I decided to tie in a fake mane so he would look like a real reiner.....He also frustrated me several times, but all three occasions taught me or someone else a lesson......The first time I showed him he cut off one of Lisa Brown's student's that was winning a BIG Hunter Under Saddle Class....Lesson learned it was just a horse show and there will always be another. The second time was when I rode him too much ( like ten hours without getting off) and he had to pee so bad that he couldn't change leads, which we had practiced 40,000 time in the ten hours previous....(Lesson learned- life is going to be full of losses) Needless to say somethings are just not meant to be.....I never was supposed to be the Congress Queen. The third disappointment ended up being a success.....In 1999 the first time I showed him in the Amatuer Versatility at the Congress he blew GREEN SNOT all over the judge's white coat, I said to her and laughed."I guess that got us some bonus points,"other than that it was the best showmanship pattern we ever did. We ended up placing 10th, but that judge placed us in the top five! Lesson learned - work through adversity.

(Please excuse my pronoun usage)

I won't forget finding some place to ride you on Christmas night after Dad and Matthew went to "secretly" pick you up......It was so cold, but I was so excited and glad that I pitched a fit and made Dad sell the truck he bought and get you instead!

I will never forget the time you spooked in the parking lot at the Dixie Nationals and knocked my feet out from under me and managed not to step on me as I slipped under your feet.

I won't forget the time Dad showed you and beat Karen Mundy in Showmanship at Dixie Nationals!!!!!!

I won't forget the many wins we had. I won't forget beating Benny Sargent in the Open Reining at the Big A.....

I won't forget the first time I ever rode you....trying you out at the Congress and someone across the pen full of hundreds of horses said "woa" and you locked it up and I about fell off.

I won't forget the time we went to a REAL REINING with the Hutton's and earned $18 in NRHA Money! I also won't forget almost falling off warming up the night before because you stopped so hard.

I will never forget the drive back from our escape from Oklahoma, no air conditioning and 110 degrees, and the flat tire we had on the trailer in the middle of rush hour in Nashville.

I will not forget the day after Denton died and I didn't know what else to do except to ride Mr. Muscles. I won't forget Susan coming to ride/"learn how to do reining" with me the fall after Denton passed to ease my mind and heartache. You were there to help me through the hardest times of my life..............

You taught so many people how to ride (really ride).....Me, Kendall, Kerri, Susan. You gave many first rides to people.

I won't ever forget......so many memories.

I love you Mr. Muscles, you were the source of great joy and successes in my life. I was very blessed to have you in my life!!!!!!! You had such a big heart! I KNOW GREAT HORSES WILL LIVE AGAIN......I will see you in heave

The last pictures taken of Muscles were taken on Denton's Angel Day, April 23, 2010....what a coincidence.......





These pictures are the last good ones I took of Muscles (4-23-10, Denton's Angel Day, and in November 2009 - Susan Shemwell - up)Mr.Ben Young was the last person to ride Muscles in October - I won't forget the smile on his face when he turned him around- I wish I had taken a picture that day. I have worn that smile many times.

I will post more pictures later......
You are going to be missed old friend!

Don't Cry For The Horses, by Brenda Riley-Seymore
Don't cry for the horses
That life has set free
A million white horses
Forever to be

Don't cry for the horses
Now in God's hands
As they dance and they prance
To a heavenly band

They were ours as a gift
But never to keep
As they close their eyes
Forever to sleep

Their spirits unbound
On silver wings they fly
A million white horses
Against the blue sky

Look up into heaven
You'll see them above
The horses we lost
The horses we loved

Manes and tails flowing
They Gallop through time
They were never yours
They were never mine

Don't cry for the horses
They will be back someday
When our time has come
They will show us the way

On silver wings they will lift us
To the warmth of the sun
When our life is over
And eternity has begun

We will jump the sun
And dance over the moon
A Ballet of horses and riders
on the winds
to a heavenly tune

Do you hear that soft nicker
Close to your ear?
Don't cry for the horses
Love the ones that are here

Don't cry for the horses
Lift up your sad eyes
Can't you see them
As they fly by?

A million white horses
Free from hunger and pain
Their spirits set free
Until we ride again

Born On Christmas Day

Addelia "Addie Rose" Brown, 12-25-10, 10:24 AM, 6lbs 11 oz., 19 1/4 inches long

The story behind her name.....Addie is Daniels great-grandmothers name- and we just liked it. It had an "A" for Avery and "D" for Denton. Rose is my mamaw's name. After that was decided, Avery was very passionate about naming his baby sister Lia, so we combined the two names. He seemed to be happy with that. However, I am not so sure Daniel is, and she will always have to tell people how to pronounce/spell her name.....but that's ok.....I have to tell people how to spell mine all the time!

Our Miracle Baby surely made a statement by making her appearance at 10:24 AM on Christmas Morning. I can't believe how much differently my heart feels as I am writing this sixteen days after my last post. Maybe it was coincidence, but I truly feel that God and Denton were trying to make a statement by helping Addie make her appearance on such a special day.....My Dr. was even on call on Christmas Day!!!!!

Christmas Day is always my favorite day of the year, but I will never forget Christmas day 2010. I had gotten up about 1:45 and gone to the bathroom and felt fine. At 2:48 my water broke and it felt like a grenade exploded, it almost felt like it made a sound even though I was sound asleep! I tried to take a couple of pictures of Avery tearing into his Santa stuff, because with all the commotion he obviously woke up. I was actually calm, but Daniel and my Dad were having panic attacks. I started having contractions about three minutes apart about half way to Murfreesboro. I will also never forget the since of peace that I felt in my heart. My head tells me to be very cautious, way over protective, and diligent in checking and touching and moving this miracle baby every thirty seconds or so, but I do have a since of peace that I did not think I would have.

I do feel very blessed despite the tragedy we have been faced with. Little Addelia "Addie Rose" Brown is truly a miracle baby! I can't believe she is really here!!!!

Avery is so loving and careful and I am so proud of him. He is a wonderful big brother just like he was with Denton. I will still never forget the look on his face when he held Denton for the first time. That moment is still the most beautiful moment of my life. Followed closely behind by the second he adamantly said, "Can I hold Addie, I held Denton by myself!"

Addie is such a laid back baby so far.....She eats and sleeps, and eats and sleeps, she is even sleeping three or four hours at night and I have to wake her up to eat. She cries very little and has even smiled several times when she wakes up a little after eating.

She is so beautiful, and we are so happy that she is here. I just want to get past these first three months even though I don't want them to rush by, I just want her to be bigger and stronger......