Page 29 2025 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 2025 Ruthie’s senior year of high school proved to be a turning point in her life that she did not expect at all. Her plans for attending any type of college were just not in the picture for her, so she thought! Towards the end of her senior year of high school, she received the Iva Mae Blaum Scholarship in Agriculture in Logan County, which meant that she needed to go to college! Her mom talked her into visiting all the local colleges and universities, hoping for her to stay close to her Mt. Pulaski native home. Even though her parents had thought she should stay close, she found her heart’s desire when she took a road trip with her grandmother more than 1,025 miles to visit the College of Central Florida. Ruthie had always had a desire to live in the Ocala region, and it just so happened that was where the college was located. After a rough start to her new college career, breaking her foot meant that she couldn’t work with or ride horses. To make ends meet those first few months while healing, she worked for Door Dash, an up and coming home delivery service. Ruthie questioned her purpose and thought maybe she should just put riding on the back burner and concentrate on finishing college. However, while surfing the web, she ran across an ad from someone who wanted a ‘barn sitter’ for a weekend and Ruthie applied. This led to her meeting another person, Mike Huber, who was looking for a permanent barn helper. Huber was a 1980 Olympian who was very instrumental in determining how the Equestrian competitions are run today. Ruthie spent the next two years working for Mike and his wife taking care of all aspects of the barn and its animals. Over the next several years, Ruthie worked extremely hard holding down two jobs while going to school at the same time. She said it was the toughest, hardest physical period in her life getting up at 4 a.m. and cleaning stalls for those getting ready for the Winter Circuit. The Winter Circuit is twelve weeks of international competing in major equestrian events where premier competition and diverse opportunities for riders and their horses of all levels come together for an unforgettable experience at the World Equestrian Center. On a trip home to Mt. Pulaski at the end of the summer in 2023, Ruthie’s best friend, Audrey from Canton offered to sell her “Joe,” a pony that Ruthie had been eyeing for quite some time. Ruthie wanted a project horse, but Joe Continued --
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