Triple Trouble: 2025 Round-Up and 2026 Goals
What began as a year focused on productivity and progress slowly turned into a year about surviving. Somewhere along the way, the plans changed, expectations were rewritten, and the priority became simply getting through each challenge as it came and finding a way to keep moving forward in every sense of the word.
Photo by DeAnn Long Sloan
As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself pausing to take in the passing of time and lessons the year carried. This year was a stressful one that shifted priorities and goals, and required growth in ways I didn’t anticipate. There were many challenging moments that shaped how I show up for my horses and within the horse industry as a whole. I’ve learned more than I expected, adjusted when needed, and made choices rooted in what felt right at the time.
Looking back at the intentions I set for my horses at the beginning of 2025, I can see where progress was made, where A LOT of patience was required, and where perspective and goals wildly changed. With 2026 having officially begun, now feels like the right time to reflect on that journey: the wins, the work, and everything in between and take an honest look at how far we’ve come before stepping forward into what’s next.
Sunmans Irish Pay (Payco)
Photo by Mountain Ember Photography
Payco’s 2025 goals were about healing and getting him back into work. At the start of the year, the priority was simple: let his radial fracture heal. If I had to guess, it has. We stopped re-x-raying it after his second major injury, not because it no longer mattered, but because it became the smaller problem in a growing list of battles. Healing is rarely linear, and Payco has become a wonderful reminder of that…unfortunately.
By summer, the goal was to graduate him from stall rest to small turnout and we did exactly that. Goal met. Unfortunately, that goal came with the hardest setback yet. In small turnout, Payco managed to get his right hind leg caught in the fence, resulting in the most time-consuming, financially overwhelming, and emotionally draining injury I have ever had to manage. It maxed me out in ways I didn’t know were possible — mentally, emotionally, and financially — and forced me to dig deeper than I thought I had left.
The hope of starting light riding at the end of summer disappeared with that accident. Instead of moving forward under saddle, we find ourselves facing another full year dedicated solely to healing his back leg. It was a hard reality to accept, especially after everything it took just to get that far. It doesn’t feel like any progress was made with Payco this year.
My biggest goal for Payco in 2025 was to keep him comfortable and sane during rehab, and for that one, I believe we succeeded. He’s been himself throughout the process, even if he insists on pushing down his wraps, tourniquetting parts of his own leg, and creating new minor injuries that make wrapping nearly impossible. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been persistent, and it’s been done with love.
We aren’t where I hoped we’d be by the end of 2025, but I feel like we’re close. Payco has taken everything I had this year and asked for more, and somehow, we’re both still standing.
@_gru_crew_ Payco really outdid himself this year. #cowgirl #horsesontiktok #horseinjury #horserehab ♬ Wait I Can Do That Better – ditto
Funny Bunny B (Buns)
Photo by Mr. Quigley Photography
Buns’ 2025 goals were rooted in gratitude for getting to love and enjoy my heart horse. No matter what the year brought, that part never changed. I enjoyed Buns whether I was swinging a leg over him or hanging with him in the barn. That connection remained steady even when everything else shifted.
Keeping his pain managed was a priority, and I’m proud of how closely I listened to him. When something felt off, I had the vet out quickly and learned he had torn his suspensory ligament. That diagnosis changed the entire trajectory of our year. The injury happened in late June, which meant I really only had about six months to enjoy him under saddle before riding was no longer an option for the remainder of 2025. While that loss was heavy, I take comfort in knowing his pain was addressed promptly and responsibly.
One of my biggest competitive goals was to earn my final four qualified wins at Ladies Level 5 and move up to Ladies Level 6. That milestone didn’t happen this year. Buns was injured before we could obtain any qualified wins, and with that, the move-up was unattainable. It was a tough reality to accept, especially knowing how capable he is — but, of course, his health matters more than any title.
I had also hoped to spend a few weekends trail riding in places we hadn’t yet explored together. While I did get to experience new trails, it wasn’t with Buns. I trail rode during my bachelorette party in Yellowstone National Forest and again during my honeymoon in Hawaii, experiences I’ll always cherish, but they came during a year when Buns was sidelined. His injury shifted the goal from enjoying him in the saddle and chasing success to something quieter and just as meaningful: enjoying his presence, his personality, and the simple comfort of being together in the barn.
2025 forced me to redefine what “success” with Buns looked like. It wasn’t measured in wins, levels, or miles covered: it was found in choosing his well-being over the sport.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Ultrasound image from Equine Performance Veterinary Services
Ultrasound image from Equine Performance Veterinary Services
Unbridled Fame (Hot Sauce)
Photo by Roam Photos
Hot Sauce and I truly earned each other in 2025. It was the kind of year that forces understanding — one where you don’t have another horse in the barn to climb on when frustration sets in, so you either figure it out together or you don’t move forward at all. We figured it out and came together as a team through lessons, trail miles, and exhibitions at mounted shooting events.
She’s not an easy one. Hot Sauce is fiery, opinionated, and far more horse than I ever really needed, but exactly the horse I was meant to grow with. We started the year in exhibitions, taking our time and building trust. Then when Buns was injured, everything changed. Hot Sauce stepped into the role of my main match horse and she didn’t just fill the gap, she rose to it.
One of my biggest goals was to feel comfortable navigating a pattern at a high lope, and by the end of the year, I can confidently say we got there. I accomplished my first main match where I shot clean on her, we’ve set some fast times, and held our own against some of the toughest competition out there.
Getting Hot Sauce to relax while running a mounted shooting pattern was another goal, and that one was also met. In fact, she was doing so well, it gave me the confidence to take her to the 2025 CMSA Derby. I didn’t go with winning in mind. I went to give her a solid showing, to showcase how far she had come from her futurity year to her derby year. While we didn’t land in the top half of the standings, we delivered flawless patterns, and I couldn’t have been prouder of her effort and composure.
Perhaps the most meaningful goal of all was helping Hot Sauce find confidence in herself as a mounted shooting horse. That’s where she truly surprised me. By the end of the year, she had grown so steady and self-assured that she became my outrider clinic horse, serving as a calm, grounding presence for horses brand new to the sport. While others spooked and reacted, she stayed quiet and patient. I even ground tied her during the clinic, walked away to handle another task, and she stood exactly where I left her until I returned.
Watching her transformation this year has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my riding career. With how far she’s come, it’s going to be hard not to set big goals for 2026, but I’ll do my best to stay realistic, knowing that whatever comes next, we’ve built something solid, honest, and earned.
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Here are my goals for 2026:
Sunmans Irish Pay (Payco)
- Heal Payco’s leg
- Be able to swing a leg over him and go for any type of ride
- Teach Payco one ground trick
Funny Bunny B (Buns)
- Heal Buns’ Leg
- Keep Buns at a healthy weight all year long
- Bring him slowly back into work to compete as a lower level horse for Kamille
- Go on a trail ride on Buns
Unbridled Fame (Hot Sauce)
- Be competitive in the Ladies Level 5 class
- Obtain my first qualified win with Hot Sauce
- Obtain an Overall Overall title with Hot Sauce
- Go to the 2026 CMSA Derby and finish in the top 10
- Try an event that isn’t mounted shooting on Hot Sauce
- Ride Hot Sauce bareback and bridleless
Photo by Shea D Photos
As I close the chapter on 2025 and look ahead to 2026, I’m carrying forward a deep sense of respect for the process and for each horse exactly as they are. The coming year will hold its share of rehab, rebuilding, and consistency; not rushed timelines or forced expectations. My priority is to stay present in the day-to-day, to honor the small progress that often goes unseen, and to continue strengthening the partnership I share with each of them. Competition will always be there, but growth happens in the in-between moments. If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that slowing down, listening, and being patient can set the foundation for something far greater when the time is right.
