I began riding fairly late..(compared to most Saddleseat riders, who begin at age 3 ;->). I started riding in January of 1997 at Park Place Stable, owner and trainer Joy Ann Lazarus. I'd always loved horses, but after moving to Southern California from Northern California in October 1996, I didn't have much to do..so I rode! :) After 3 months of regular riding, I entered my first academy class..on a (believe it or not!) Quarter Horse nicknamed "Possum". After errrr..poor placings, I still didn't give up :) The following summer, I leased my first Saddlebred...Ch. Slick City. "Slick" was a former gaited horse, and he served as the perfect Saddlebred "spring board". Slick and I had a very succesful season in Academy Walk and Trot classes before my family purchased my first "real" show mare, Bi Mi Scarlet Ribbon..or "Scarlet".

Scarlet & I with our Monterey Springfest 18-and-under Saddleseat Equitation Championship ribbon. It was our first show ;->

Scarlet was a fabulous mare.....she and I had a great year together as I entered the Open divisions. We qualified for the UPHA Saddleseat Equitation Cup in Reno, Nevada at the "Best of the West Horse Show". Scarlet was very much a "teacher"...she taught me how to win (and loose..:>) gracefully, she taught me patterns, patience, and she taught me how to really show a Saddlebred!

Serious Lexi! This was taken right before the class pictured above by a photographer for The Saddlehorse Report. We made the magazine too! I was nervous, can you tell? ;-p

Scarlet and I finished our season in late 1999, after we found Brave New World..or "Fred". Fred is a 7-year-old gelding who, when I met him in 1999 was shown exclusively as an Amateur 3-gaited horse. Cute, flashy, and tall (hey! tall girls need tall horses!), I test-rode Fred in July of 1999 at a Del Mar Horse Show, took him back to the barn for a week to "test", and we bought him!

The picture that was given to me while we were considering Fred..I still keep it up on my wall ;-)

Fred is truly a sweetie...mischievious, but a sweetie! Exactly one year after we bought Fred, we came to the same horse show where I'd first test-ridden him. Happily, we won both the Junior Exhibitor Show Pleasure Open class and the Stake. Yay Fred! We spent most of 2000 in the Show Pleasure division...as it's pretty difficult to change a 3-gaited horse into an Equitation horse with a little transitional stress! In 2001, however, we'll be showing exclusively in Equitation..and I am thrilled to be going to Oklahoma City in April!

Me, waiting for my class in Santa Barbara...if you're wondering (I'm SO sure you are ;->) I'm wearing formal wear, which has to be worn in after 6 PM for most classes. I don't have my jacket on now..but you get the idea..

Keeping with the whole concept of apparel after the last picture, no, I do not show in a DRESS! (lol Char..) Saddleseat riders show in something like a dressage suit. For day classes, or pleasure classes, an informal suit is worn. For night classes after 6 PM, a tuxedo is worn. The two are essentially the same, the suit being made out of a conserative (hopefully..) colored material and the tux out of colors one would traditionally associate a tux with (black, blue, *sometimes* gold or white..). Of course, if you're like me, you also have good luck charms..I *insist* on wearing lucky socks, an antique snaffle necklace, and my (mother's..) diamond earings.

Moi and a Hackney Pony! Look again..because the pony isn't trotting..he's cantering! It's very unusual for a Hackney Pony to canter..but I had to warm up this pony for his 9 year old owner...and the only class ahead of hers was Open English pleasure...so we cantered him a few times behind the barns, and went into the class! We placed 5th out of 9 horses...which is pretty funny :)

That is *not* me on the horse! That's me on the ground! The pony, however, is a very cute former jumping pony named "Bam Bam"..he was a vital part of the barn's lesson program! Whatta cutie!

Okay Okay! So she's not a horse! This is my OTHER show animal, Park Place's Lightning Vision, call name: Vision. DOB: July, 2000. She's done very well showing so far...I'm proud of her :-)

Awww...Vision again! Yay Vision! Vision is our friend! Bonus..you can also see the back of my house! ;-)

Copyright Lexi. Steal these pictures and you die. Most of them were taken by friends & family...and I went through hell to get them scanned ;-) Ask permission first. :)