18/05/2025
“3 DECADES OF LOVING WHAT I DO: CONNER COMBINED TRAINING OFFICIALLY CLOSED TODAY”
“But Mama, it’s not ‘Conner Combined Training’ anymore. Since Daddy died and I left for medical school, it’s just ‘Vanessa Conner’ teaching riding lessons, you know?” Kaitlyn could see the tears welling up in my eyes as we talked about how soon the day was coming, the day I would be walking away from our family’s business, our horse farm, my entire way of life, and most importantly, the endless memories of Patrick, Kaitlyn and me and our time working together at our stable.
“I know,” I said tearfully, “And I know that you are right. And I will keep teaching at Fantasia Fields, but it has been ‘Conner Combined Training’ for nearly 30 years, since 1996, and it’s so bittersweet to be leaving the farm, our home of 18 years, and the memories of your Daddy here. I know it’s time, but I can’t bear so much change all at once. It’s a lot. This farm has been my whole life.”
The sadness and grief threatened to overwhelm me. As I began to cry, her eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged me. “I know, Mama. I know. But it’s time.”
It’s time. At 61 years old, it’s time. I can no longer run the farm without Patrick and Kaitlyn, and it’s time. I no longer need to work the 60 hour weeks, and it’s time. I can no longer travel across the country from show to show, hauling a trailer full of horses, and it’s time. And I can no longer hang on to this place, this beautiful horse farm full of memories of my life with my husband who has now been gone for 4 long years, and my daughter, who is now finally living her own dreams. It’s time.
I was lucky. I got to do something I loved. Big changes are never easy, but it’s time. Please share your memories of Conner Combined Training here. It has been a hell of a ride! But it’s time. ❤️💔
