Team #815 Barbara Progess and Savannah
Team #815: Barbara Progess and Savannah
From: Fruita, Colorado
Ages: 75 & 30
Combined Age: 105
Test: First Level Test 1
Barbara is celebrating 50 years of horses. She started out at a jumper barn with her small children growing up playing in the haystacks while she rode. After moving to a farm in Utah, she, and her two girls, embarked on a life with Wasatch Pony Club and Eventing. The Progess girls traveled the west following horse trials and Pony Club rallies.
A few years into this rewarding life, Barbara joined the Utah Horse Council, where she noticed an unbalanced representation of Western 4-H interests. She, along with two others, started the Utah Horse Expo which added a distinctive English twist to the horse community experience. For 11 years, Barbara oversaw all things horse-related at the annual Expo which included keeping the arena filled with horses, the lecture tent full, and barn activities.
Barbara maintained all this while working as a science teacher specializing in Physics, Astronomy, and physical sciences. Barbara’s passion for teaching children transferred to GVDS’s summer camp where kids learned the art of horsemanship.
Barbara had the privilege of becoming the guardian of the remarkable horse, Savannah. Betsy Small adopted Savannah 25 years ago and turned her into the most loving, safe, and generous horse anyone could hope to ride. With careful attention to her health, this gorgeous Clydesdale cross is still an active 30-year-old partner who has restored Barbara’s confidence and joy in riding. Every person who spends time with Savannah falls in love with her.
Barbara says it has been a privilege to work with the remarkable board members and volunteers who make the GVDS club an impressive element. She hopes to have many more years with these distinctive friends.
