 From My Saddle From My Saddle Spring is finally arriving. The flowers are bursting through the ground, their brilliant colors standing in stark contrast to the winter landscape. The sleepy earth is slowly shaking off its damp winter coat. I seem to experience renewed enthusiasm for life with the longer hours, warmer weather and outdoor activities. Throughout the pages of this issue, we celebrate courageous young people who have overcome tremendous odds to make a difference in their world. There is so much we can learn from our young people. They are usually trusting, energetic, and hopeful, living each day to the full. So let’s sit back and take some lessons on living from our young people. Since we are celebrating youth this month, we want to give special thanks to Michelle Dempsey, our Youth Editor. She tirelessly gathers information for young people and works with the youth reps in the states represented. Keep up the good work, Michelle. Check out our youth page for a listing of websites with resources for the younger members of our equine community, fun facts about horses and the latest from our youth mascots, Clyde and Shaboom. When I sat thinking about youth, the first words that came to mind were “invincible” or “beginning life”. When I was younger, I mainly thought about being older. I wanted to do the things that were “adults only”. I remember thinking, I can’t wait until I get out of school. In the midst of my thinking I had a reality check. A fellow high school classmate passed away on February 20th. I hadn’t seen him much since high school but it seemed like only yesterday we were sitting in class. Now, I’m sitting at Eric’s memorial. Eric was only 41 years old, too young to die. However, something good came out of his memorial service. Old friends were reacquainted and many of his lifelong friends shared happy memories. In addition, I was challenged to live each day as if it were my last. We’re encouraged by the tremendous response to our newly designed Equine Marketplace. It seems to make shopping easier for our readers, and offers advertising at great prices. Keep watching the magazine and website, as we are getting ready to launch a whole new Online EM, complete with free on-line classifieds! Have a great month, hug your kids and remember to ride! Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source |