We met Jason on May 21, 2009, two days before a horse show we were having at Amazing Grace Stable.  We felt like it was a miracle when he showed up at the barn.  We had LOTS of work to do to get ready for the show and we weren't sure how we were going to get it all done.  Out of no where there appeared Jason.  He jumped right in and started mowing the grass.  He knew all about the TR3 rake and prepared the rings perfectly for the horse show.  It was AMAZING !!!

Jason told us he had just moved here from Montana.  He said "his wife recently died of a brain tumor, he missed her terribly and he needed to make a new start." He said "they owned a ranch with lots of horses, cattle, dogs, etc."  It sounded like they had the perfect life. We all felt so sorry for him.  Here was this young guy - early thirties - who had just lost the love of his life.  He told us he found our barn through the church he was going to in Newport News.  He was going to them for counseling and they felt it would be good for him to get back involved with horses.  They found us on the internet and thought that with us being a Christian barn that it would be a good place for him to be.  Well - we all welcomed him with open arms.  EVERYONE at the barn loved him.  He was like a breath of fresh air to us all.  He pitched right in and started helping us. It was AMAZING !!!  Jason was personable, quiet, friendly, likeable and enjoyable to have at the barn.  He knew about horses, he could handle them well, he could ride (Western), he could use all the equipment, he could use the computer, used Craig's List to run ads, and he was very, very, VERY helpful around the barn. There really wasn't anything he couldn't do.  We told him right from the get go that we couldn't pay him, but he just enjoyed being at the barn. He was pleasant, knowledgeable enough about the horses that we didn't worry about him getting hurt, or him doing something that could hurt the horses. He would just "appear" out at the barn and pitch in and help us with whatever needed to be done. It was AMAZING.  ALL OF US (including Donna and the Customers) loved having Jason around.  He seemed to be just the boost we needed to get the business off the ground.  He was motivated and hard working and didn't mind early hours and long days.  And that's what it takes to have a barn.  He was a breath of fresh air and he showed up at AGS at just the right time.  We were all thankful that the Lord brought him to us. 

So, for the next few weeks Jason came out to the barn pretty much every morning.  He would drag the ring first thing, and he would help Ryann bring in and turn out horses.  It was amazing because he was not being paid. We made it very clear to him that first day that we did not have any paying jobs, and he understood that.  He said he just missed and loved the horses.  For us he was a major blessing.

One day Jason was really excited because he was applying for a job the next day working with the Clydesdales from Anheuser-Busch. He told me they were stabled in Wakefield.  I'll never forget how forward he was looking to that job interview.  I even made a few phone calls to my friends to try and get him a good reference.  A few days later he found out he didn't get the job.  We felt soooooo sorry for him.  He told us he didn't have the college education they were looking for.  That just seemed so odd to me.  He had genuine horse care knowledge and I know I would prefer that any day over book knowledge.  Anyway - poor Jason was so disappointed.

A few days later Jason told me his car wasn't running right and that he was going to need to get some work done to it, but he just didn't have the money.  He was going to return it to the dealership he purchased it at because he could no longer afford the monthly payment.  Well - my Lincoln Navigator was just sitting at the barn doing nothing.  I didn't drive it anymore - too much of a gas guzzler and too big.  So - I let him borrow it.  I told him he was welcome to continue driving it if he would take care of the insurance and the tags, which were coming up for renewal.  He was tickled to pieces.  So, for the next several weeks Jason drove the Navigator.   Then one day I got a notice regarding the insurance needing to be renewed.  Jason assured me he had taken care of it with the State Farm office in Smithfield. He didn't have a receipt because he left the payment in their drop box.  After several days of phone calls and trying to figure out what happened to his payment, we determined that the check must have gotten lost and he would take care of it again. Jason was driving his car again and leaving the Navigator at the barn.  Well what happened was his mother decided to pay off his car for him and he could drive it again.  The Navigator was also proving to be too much of a gas guzzler for Jason too !

Jason continued to come out to the barn and help us, but it wasn't everyday like before.  He found a job with one of the local farmers.  Jason was living in Newport News with an older couple from his Church, but the drive was proving to be too much for him. He was thinking about moving away - maybe back to Montana, even though he wasn't "emotionally" ready to.  We ALL hated to see him leave.  He had been such a blessing to us.  So, I offered for him to rent a room in my house and I would work out the rent with him so it wouldn't strap him too much.  Whatever he gave me would help me with my bills.  I love my house - it is wonderful - but it is much too big for just me.  Plus the payments, insurance, taxes and utilities are overwhelming.  Not to mention the CARE of the house itself and the yard.  So - I felt blessed to maybe have someone help with all of that.  What a wonderful blessing that would be for me, and for Jason !!! 

Jason brought the nicest young man named Drew out to the barn.  Drew is the Youth Leader at Jason's Church in Newport News.  Jason was a "little" too old for the youth group.  It's usually for people in their twenties, but they all welcomed him because he's such a nice, likeable person.  As a matter of fact, one of the boarders at our barn was in the Youth Group with Drew and Jason.  She told me that everyone loved Jason.  By now Drew and Jason had become good friends and  Jason asked if I would be interested in renting another one of my rooms to Drew, which sounded great to me.  How perfect!!!  So Drew came over with Jason and they checked out the house, decided who was getting what room, and it was all set.  Unfortunately - because Drew had to be at his job in Newport News at 5:00 a.m. each morning  - he wisely decided the house was too far. I know Jason was disappointed but he ended up moving in and he seemed happy.

A few days later, around the first of June, Vladimer, one of Anya's Russian friends moved in.  His housing arrangements fell through and he had no where to go so Anya asked if he could stay with us for the summer.  I LOVED having Vladimer and Jason at the house.  They were a blast. And every night one of them cooked dinner.  And they both can cook.  Anyway - after being here for only a week, Vladimer decided to move to Las Vegas.  He didn't find too many job opportunities in the area. Go figure !  I hated for Vladimer to leave because he was so much fun.  But - I certainly understood.  And Vegas is such a great place with a "few" more job opportunities than Smithfield or Carrollton.

So, shortly after Vladimer left, Anya, our friend from Russia moved in.  One evening Anya and I came home from the barn and we were going to cook dinner.  Jason was home but he was in his room . We called out to him to see if he wanted to have dinner with us.  He didn't answer so we knocked on his door - and still no answer.  It actually didn't sound like anyone was here.  So, we called him on his cell phone and no answer.  I got a bit worried about him, but after a little while he came out.  He told me he was in the shower - which was odd because I didn't hear the shower running.  So, I got a bit concerned about that situation . I know it doesn't seem like much, but it just didn't seem right to me. Anya thought I was being overly concerned, but I still had a funny feeling about it. 

So - we had dinner, and everyone went to bed except me.  I was in the kitchen working on the Deep Run Horse Show.  I sometimes use the kitchen table for my "office" when I'm at home - even though I have an office in my house.  I don't know why, I just like it in the kitchen - sometimes.  Well, I was up fairly late and I heard the front door open.  I got up to go see who it was and it was Jason leaving to go out.  It was pretty late for him to be leaving to go somewhere.  He said he couldn't get a good internet connection in his room so he was going to a friend's house.  I was totally confused because I didn't know Jason had any friends in our area.  He had told us he had just moved here from Montana, and it seemed the only places he went were to our barn and to the farm where he was working.  I thought maybe he was going to someone's house that he met in the Youth Group from the church. Anyway - he said it was a girl he met at Sesroh Tack Shop, that they had become friends, and he could get a good internet connection at her house.  It seemed odd to me.  It didn't seem like Jason had had any time to have gone over to anyone's house.  The next day I told Ryann and Donna about it and Donna agreed with me that it was odd, but Ryann thought I was over-analyzing the situation. 

Jason came out to the barn and pitched in and helped like he often did.  We ALL loved Jason. One thing we loved was he would always drag the ring first thing in the morning when he got there.  Aren't we "horsey" girls funny about what makes us love someone !!!   Jason knew all about the equipment - and there wasn't any of it that he couldn't operate.  He was AMAZING.  

Jackie got Jason to ride their western horse "Buddy."   One day while he was riding Buddy we were having a  "Field Day" at the barn with about 25 children, and Jason gave them a demonstration. It was a spur of the moment thing.  Well, he handled it beautifully and the kids and parents all really enjoyed it.  We were all amazed with Jason.  There wasn't anything he couldn't do !   We all felt like God sent Jason to us because we needed him to help us at the barn, and because he needed us for spiritual comfort and prayer. 

As I've said, Jason is a very likeable, personable person - and he quickly met and made many friends in town.  He sold a local girl several of his miniature horses that he was having shipped here from Montana.  We all couldn't wait to see those minis. 

One day I got an email from the Isner's about some interesting horses for sale at Colonial Downs.  I mentioned it to Donna and Jason and they were very interested and excited about that.  They wanted to go in with me and buy a few of them as a sort of syndicate.  So Jason and Donna took the AGS truck and trailer and went up to Colonial Downs and bought the cutest bay gelding named "Bob."    The agreement was the owners of "Bob" were Jason, Donna, Donna's son Kyle, and Ryann and Hunter.  I put up the initial purchase money which they were all going to give back to me - $125 each.  I was providing the barn and they were all going to split the feed, blacksmith, worming, vet etc. bills.  So - that was the beginning of our syndicate horses. 

Jason would come out to the barn on and off.  He was still working for the local farmer and was there quite a bit.  He would sometimes be gone until 11 or 12 at night - baling hay.  Go figure.  I never knew that farmers worked those ridiculous hours.  Jason was also interested in bringing in some breaking and training horses to Amazing Grace Stable. It was a win/win situation for AGS and for Jason. He was also planning to bring a few of his own horses here from Montana to sell..  He had several very interesting sounding horses so we were all looking forward to that.  I was a bit suspicious - because it all sounded a bit far fetched, but I went along with it.  What the heck - we didn't have anything to lose.

We were all working hard at AGS. Donna did the riding and teaching because for some crazy reason I thought that we should keep Ryann's amateur status.  We had several horses in training that friends of mine sent. Fred White sent a wonderful horse named Zeus.  I love that horse.  He is big, brave, a fabulous jumper and good mover.  When Fred came out to talk to me about sending Zeus  I told him that Peg was no longer here but that she was right down the road.  He still wanted to send Zeus. I introduced him to Donna and gave him her history about her riding with me from when she was a little girl. Donna and I go way back and I love her like a daughter. And Butch and Diana sent us their precious pony Trinket to break and start.  Same thing - I told them that even though Donna would be big on Trinket I thought that we could get her broken.  I figured we would know in a week or two if it wasn't something we could do and we would tell them.  Well, we started her in the big foaling stall.  I would hold her and lead her while Donna rode her.  She was very sweet and very easy. Adorable.  So Donna had several training rides, was teaching lessons and things were falling into place.  We had a few boarders and the lessons were growing.  We even had a summer camp that Ryann totally put together and ran by herself.  I was sooooo proud of her.  So - we were about nine months into being back at the barn when Jason arrived. And boy was his arrival at just the right time.

Remember me telling you about Drew, the Youth Leader from Jason's church in Newport News?  Well - Drew had been coming out to the barn quite a bit to visit Jason.  They had become good friends.  Jason really enjoyed Drew's Youth Group meetings and he loved the church.  He also joined us at AGS in Bible studies and prayer.  He was definitely seeking the Lord and trying to find peace.  He OFTEN had Ryann pray with him.  We all felt so sorry for what he had been through.  But I was still a bit skeptical about him.. Some things just weren't adding up. 

Jason told us about his elderly mother, who lived in Gloucester, and how she was having some health issues.  So he would visit her occasionally.  And one weekend he brought his niece and nephew over to visit. They were the cutest kids. He told us about their father who he said didn't do right by them, and how they would spend most of their summers with him and his wife out in Montana.  He said it was a sad situation.  We felt so sorry for those kids.  But Jason felt like it was a good thing that he was back in Virginia so he could be closer to his mother and his niece and nephew.  It was a bit confusing to me because I THOUGHT he told us that he just came here from Montana to start over and that he didn't y know anyone in the area.  In the beginning he said he was living with an elderly couple from the church he went to.  When I questioned him about some of that it got a bit cloudy.  Something about that he just up and left Montana because he wanted to get on with his life and his in-laws didn't understand that.  They thought he hadn't given enough time to losing his wife and he should be mourning for her longer. But he felt he needed to get a new start.  So - he just picked Newport News, Virginia, hoped on a plane, landed at Patrick Henry Airport, went right to the church, told them his story,  and they found him this nice older couple to live with.  After a few days they sent him to our barn.  I was amazed that anyone would be so daring to just leave their home and fly to an unknown city.  And why - out of all the places in America, would you pick Newport News???  I don't know, it all just seemed very odd to us.  But in the same regard - stranger things have happened.  And - Jason was a blessing to us.  There were so many things around the barn that needed a man to do them.  Ryann, Donna and I were learning all the ropes about the place, but we just needed some "manly" help with some things.  And Jason arrived at just the right time.

As I said earlier, there wasn't too much Jason couldn't do.  One day the fly control system just quit working.  But Jason was able to fix it fairly easy.  Another day the water stopped working - and a new pump was needed.  That was a major blessing having Jason there.  Then he was able to fix the sprinkler system heads that  we were told needed to be replaced to the tune of $310 each.  He changed all the decals on the truck and trailer to Amazing Grace Stable.  He greased and oiled all the equipment.  He rented a roller and worked on the footing in the ring.  He was AMAZING, and we felt very blessed to have him at the barn.  And EVERYONE loved him.  You just couldn't help but like him.  He was so pleasant to be around.  Very soft spoken, very quiet, very easy going.  And his timing was incredible.  He was always there whenever we needed help with something.  It was AMAZING.

But - even as wonderful as Jason was, I was still skeptical about him.  Ryann and Hunter thought I was crazy.  I would tell them things that worried me, but they all thought I was over analyzing everything and being 'negative."  Donna agreed with me about some things.  She and I were a "little" concerned about him.  By this time (and it was only a few weeks) he had made all sorts of friends in Smithfield.  He knew all the people in the tack shops, the local tractor company, the restaurants.  He just made friends easy - people liked him.

One night I was at home - getting ready for Deep Run - and in comes Jason with - get this - a Bloodhound puppy !!!   A puppy - moving into my house, without a word being mentioned about it.  And not just a little puppy - a gigantic, Bloodhound.  And - I had just put in new carpets because my dogs were now "house-trained" and I needed to replace the carpet from when they weren't.  I was dying - needless to say.  But, I felt sorry for Jason and let him keep the dog.  Hmmmmm - I wasn't too happy though.  And - that big dog riding in Jason's little car, was ridiculous.  He didn't have her very long before he had some car trouble and asked if he could borrow the AGS truck.  And of course, I let him.  And "Dixie" (the puppy) fit better in the truck. She was the cutest, sweetest thing.  But we really didn't need another dog at AGS.  We already had Snuggles, Faith, Halo, Emma, Mister (Donna's neighbor's dog who came to the barn with her everyday), and Noel (Kristin's dog.)  Another dog at the barn - and another BIG dog !!!   And - I thought it was a bit inconsiderate of him to not discuss it with us at all. After all, he was living in my home. 

So, right before I left for Deep Run a few things happened with Jason that just seemed odd.  He wouldn't show up for dinners that we had planned at Ryann and Hunter's house. He was coming out to the barn less and less.  He was still staying at my house but he would come in really late - always saying they were baling hay?   And - he would leave Dixie at the barn locked in the big stall all day long.  We ended up taking care of her totally - just what we needed !!!

So - one day while I was at Deep Run, Donna called to tell me that Drew (Jason's friend from church) came out to the barn and told her all about how Jason was a fraud and we needed to get him out of there.  She said Drew was sooooo upset, and was crying, and just torn up.  He told her that Jason had lied about everything, that he didn't have a wife in Montana who died, he didn't have a ranch and he wasn't a cowboy.  He said the people he was living with when he first came contacted the church and told them that Jason had lied about things, and that he left there owing him money.  And that everything he told us was lies.  Donna said Drew was just torn up.  So - I'm thinking - hmmmmm, isn't Drew the Youth Leader at their church.  Why isn't Drew talking to Jason about this?  Why - instead is he coming out to our place of business and telling us about it.  And why didn't Drew talk to ME about it, not Donna and the customers at our barn?  I just thought it was very ODD behavior for a person from the "church" who is suppose to be a caring, loving person.  Sooooo - the funny part was - "HELLO PEOPLE" why does this surprise you.  All of Jason's stories "seemed" a bit far fetched. 

Now get this - the next night - at midnight, yes midnight, the phone rings in my hotel.  It's Drew. He wanted to warn me about Jason and how I needed to get him out of my house. IT'S MIDNIGHT !!!   He told me they had done a back-ground check on him and he was a total fraud.  A big liar !  Well, I asked Drew if Jason had murdered anyone?  Well no.  Had he raped anyone?  No.  Physically abused anyone?  Robbed anyone? Again, no.  Soooooo - I asked, "What has he done that you found in his background check."  Well, he wrote a few bad checks and he had been divorced.  Drew was very upset that Jason had been married and divorced from a girl in Gloucester and hadn't told him.  He felt like the were such good friends and he should have known that.  He also said the kids Jason brought to spend the weekend weren't his niece and nephew but his son and daughter. Really - I had already figured that.   Drew said that Jason told him that he had inherited millions of dollars and was buying this beautiful farm in Isle of Wight County and he and Drew were going to live there and start a "ranch."  Drew was really looking forward to that and now all those plans were not going to happen.  Poor Drew - his whole world was falling apart.  His best friend, his new home, his wonderful life on the ranch.  He was just devastated by it all.  Well - you know the saying,.  "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."  Anyway - I told Drew that if Jason wasn't a threat to anyone, and none of us were in any danger, that I didn't see any reason to throw him out of my house.  He had been kind to us, we felt like God sent him there for a reason, and when I got home from Deep Run we would talk to him and try and figure things out.  Donna and Ryann agreed with me.  I also told Drew that since he and Jason were best friends that it seemed to me that he should talk to him about what he had found in the background check and most importantly he should pray with him.

So - the next day Jason called and told me that he would be moving out of my house that night.  I asked him "why" ?  He told me because he knew that Drew came out and told us all that.  I told him that he didn't have to leave.  If he wanted to that was fine, but I certainly wasn't telling him he had to go.  I wanted to get through Deep Run, get home and talk to Jason face to face.  To me - a few lies wasn't the end of the world.  After all - people lie all the time.  Boy - have we heard some duzzies this past year !  Anyway, I just didn't feel that "threatened" by Jason, and neither did Ryann or Donna.  If we had - we would have asked him to go.  We had peace about Jason - and certainly didn't feel worried or scared.

I got home from Deep Run and Jason and I talked about why he told us these things.  He said he didn't tell Drew about his wife and children from Gloucester because it was all too painful.  He said he did inherit money from his wife dying in Montana, and that he did put a contract in on the farmer's house.  He told me that Drew was mistaken about what house it was and had visited the wrong house and the wrong farmer and that Drew was totally confused.  The sad thing about it all was that the church asked Jason to no longer come there and Drew and Jason were no longer friends.  The day after I got home I got a phone call from the head pastor of the church - and this is no small church mind you - and he talked to me about it all and said basically the same things that Drew had told me.  Yes, I wish Jason had been more honest about some things.  I wish he hadn't lied about the kids he brought out  being his niece and nephew. I wish he hadn't lied about anything.  But - I was, and still am, more offended by the way the "church" handled it.  I couldn't believe they kicked him out because he was a liar !   I wonder how many people in that church, or any church would pass that test.

Oh - so, while I was gone to Deep Run Donna told me that Jason had a girl come out that visited with him once or twice and it made her totally uncomfortable.  She said she overheard them one time have a discussion and some not so good language was being used.  It just didn't seem right because Jason was joining us in our Bible studies, and even led prayer a few times.  It seemed out of character.  By now we were all aware that Jason was a bit of a liar - and we had figured that out long before Drew and the Pastor called us.  Donna had already found out some information about Jason on the internet at "My Space".  a We were already aware that something wasn't exactly true with the stories he told us. 

Jason was really excited one day because the farmer he was working for was buying his tractor from him.  He bought it for the farm in Montana, and it was a big, expensive one.  He said the farmer was paying him $100,000.000.  Wow - I didn't even know tractors sold for that much.  But Jason said this was one of those really big ones with an air-conditioned cab etc.  So the tractor was being shipped here from Montana, as soon as a shipment was coming this way.  I asked him on several different occasions if it had been shipped yet, but apparently something as big as a tractor can't be shipped everyday.  Jason said his father in law was handling getting it sent here for him.  He also had a few horses he was going to bring to try and sell.  Jason was getting very excited about starting a little business in this area. I told him we would rent him a few stalls and a paddock.  It seemed to spark some life in him and gave him "hope".  So - even though I doubted that any tractor or horses were coming this way, I went along with it.  It all seemed to be possible when we were talking to him. 

Jason was so happy about starting a business here.  He was very ambitious, motivated and a go-getter. He was putting together a "business plan" and had all sorts of ideas of things we could do to start earning some money.  He ran a few ads on Craig's List, and he was getting calls.  He got a response from a General in the Air Force who was moving to our area from Kentucky and he was bringing five quarter horses to Jason to break.  And the good part for us was they were going to be boarders.  At that time - a year ago - the entire back side of the barn was open, so we were excited to get them.  And - we weren't going to need to do a thing.  Jason was going to take total care of them but we would get paid for the stalls.  Plus - it would mean Jason being out at the barn more, and let me tell you - he was a big help to us.  There was a hardly a day that went by that we didn't need him to help us with something.  And, there wasn't a thing he couldn't fix.   He was such a blessing to us.

Jason continued to stay at my house, and he continued to work for the farmer.  He came out to the barn most everyday. He usually came out in the morning - first thing. He was definitely a morning person. Actually - I was beginning to realize that Jason rarely slept. He would usually come home really late and be gone to the barn really early. I didn’t keep tabs on him, nor did I ask where he was going. I was pretty busy during the short time he was here. Summer is my busy time of year with the shows I work at, so  I wasn’t home all that much. He joined in our Bible studies if he was at the barn, and he went to church with us on Sundays.  He loved Pastor Mac at Healing Waters, and occasionally he would go with me to Bethel Temple. He didn't get to go with us to Wednesday night services because he was usually "baling" hay. 

We were getting concerned about poor Dixie (the bloodhound puppy) because Jason seemed toooooo busy for her now - and she was spending more and more time at the barn - locked up in the big stall. That really bothered us because she was puppy and needed to get out and run.  Anya was living with us and she had her puppy here so Dixie and her puppy played together and stayed in the stall together.  They got along great.  It wasn't too bad in there because it was the double stall that B.G. and Alice live in.  But we were beginning to take more and more care of Dixie because Jason seemed to be gone more and more.  I figured he must have a girlfriend because he was gone quite a bit.  And he worked a lot for the farmer - baling hay.

So it was now July and I was gone to the Old Dominion Horse Show. I got a call from the girl who sold us Bob and she had another horse that the people would give us.  So Donna and Jason took the Amazing Grace Stable truck and trailer and headed to Colonial Downs to pick up the horse.  It was another horse for the group to own together.  So they brought home "Coach" a six year old gelding.  I was a bit concerned about Coach when I got home and saw him because he is a cribber and he's been pin-fired. But the veterinarians tell me the pin-firing is no big deal. Supposedly that is pretty common practice at the track.  They pin-fire them to strengthen their legs to help them hold up.   Donna told me she enjoyed talking to Jason during their trip to Colonial Downs, and that even though some of the things he told her couldn't possibly be true, she said he was so convincing, and such a nice guy.  We all felt sorry for him.  And - it was hard to not like Jason. 

So now - the Amazing Grace Syndicate - consisting of Jason, Donna, Kyle, and Ryann - own two horses - Bob & Coach, who have basically been rescued from the Racetrack.  My part was to provide the stall and the paddock, and the rest of them were going to pay for the feed, hay, shavings, blacksmith, etc.  It was a great situation for us all.  And we were going to have fun !!!

So when I got home from the Old Dominion Horse Show Jason was planning all sorts of things for the barn.  As I said earlier, he was ambitious and motivated.  He came up with lots of great ideas to get the barn up and running.  And I was certainly up for suggestions because I needed someone to do just that.  Owning a barn is expensive and we needed to come up with some ways to create cash flow. 

Jason made a hand made sign for Summer Camp, and he put it up on the road.  Within a couple of days the camp had more kids in it than we thought we could handle.  And with me being sooooooo busy with Old Dominion and Middleburg Classic I didn't have time.  And as I said, Jason had ambition and drive. Having him put that sign on the road sparked a little "hope" into our situation at the barn.  He was just what we needed to get the ball rolling.  The week of Summer Camp came and Ryann totally set it up and ran it entirely on her own - and she did an amazing job.  I was soooooo proud of her. 

So for the next several weeks Jason seemed to be out at the barn more.  We figured he was planning his business that he wanted to start in the area   It would have been great  because he was going to teach some Western lessons.  There is no one (to my knowledge) in the area who gives Western Riding Lessons, so that business could be very lucrative.  And last year this time I was happy to rent part of the barn because I needed some help paying the bills and we were only using half of the barn.  It seemed like such a waste.  Kristin even talked to me about starting a "Jumper" business, which would also be very good in this area. Kristin said she would give anything to have a place like ours to run a business from.  I told her to go for it !  I'd work something out with her on that.  And, as we all know, horses cost a lot of money and the bills just keep coming in. So I was open to any ideas to make the business more lucrative.  I needed someone at the barn with ambition, drive and vision.  Boy - what I would have given for an opportunity like this forty years ago !!!  Well - I guess I sort of had that at Shamrock Stables. 

So Jason was trying to organize the barn and get it up and running. He came up with some riding, teaching and training schedules.  He was quite handy on the computer so he made up some charts and posted them on the wall. He wanted Ryann to ride more so he came up with a schedule that would have Donna and Ryann sharing the riding.  Donna was teaching more lessons at Fred White's barn so she and Jason talked about her having a few days a week where she didn't come out to AGS.  It seemed to make sense.

I thought everything was working out perfectly for all.  Wow - how wrong I was. 

Within a few days Donna, Trinket and Zeus were gone.

Click here for the continuation of the story about Jason.