October 10

Thank you to Liz from In Omnia Paratus for the list of 10 questions. I've been feeling uninspired lately content wise, so this is just the ticket!

1. Most equestrians quote fall as their favorite season to ride. Are you one of those that does? Or maybe not; what is your favorite season to ride, if so?

Fall is my favorite. While I do enjoy show season, I like the quiet fall evenings working on all the things we've learned over the summer, getting ready for next year. I  tend to give myself permission to take a time out here and there in the fall, and maybe just do some trail riding and pony spa days...I love that the days are still long enough, the weather is perfect, and there's no pressure to prepare for anything major riding and competition wise.

We went to the race track this weekend and saw some many gorgeous TBs. However, the only picture I took was of this tree on the way in...:(

2. Do you clip your horse in the fall? Or maybe you wait a little longer? 

Bridget is getting clipped this week. I skipped last year because she wasn't overly fuzzy. This year she's a woolly mammoth already and overheating in our mild coastal temps so the hair must go.

Already getting so furry. B waiting for room service this morning.

3. Have any costume riding events in October on/near/around Halloween? What will your horse be dressed as? What about yourself? What would you dress as if money/time were absolutely no issue?

There is a local event coming up, unfortunately I'm travelling that weekend. Bridget has previously been taken by the lesson kids as Pippi Longstocking's horse, and Pokey (as in Gumby and Pokey). Neither required costumes for her, she just got to be herself :)

4. Is your horse afraid of any autumn colors? Or maybe has a certain quirk that appears only in the autumn?

The leaves rustling and falling off the trees last weekend were cause for much alarm, but normally she's a pretty good girl and not overly spooky.

Our low winter light does make the forest look extra dark and spooky though.

5. Pumpkin spice. It's everywhere right now. Find any natural pumpkin [squash] spice-esque recipes for your horse? 

Ick. Am I the only person in the world who doesn't like pumpkin spice and especially pumpkin pie?

6. We're getting to the end of the calendar year, any final few "big-bang" shows to look forward to?

Nothing left show wise, although I did submit our scores for provincial year end awards and am crossing my fingers they're good enough for a placing. I've got a dressage clinic I'm looking forward to mid November and another one mid December.

7. Winter is coming. What are you doing to winterize your trailer/rig/car?

I live on the west coast just slightly north of Vancouver, so my winterizing amounts to nothing...we get relatively few days below freezing, so I tend to just live with it if my windshield washer fluid or whatever is slushy for a day or two.

8. Do you have any autumn traditions you/your horse follow?

I keep saying I'm going to make it to the couple of foxhunts they hold up here in the fall, but so far that's not happened. My tradition is planning to go, then not :)

9. October in many places marks the beginning of deer hunting season. Does this affect your riding at all? Do you wear blaze orange or modify your schedule to accommodate the season?

Here is BC something like 95% of the land is crown land (the Queen of England 'owns' it, the federal and provincial governments manage it, and in theory it is all available for public recreation), so you can hunt in a basically unlimited wilderness. Fingers crossed, this means I've never seen anyone hunting anywhere near civilization or the trails we frequent. Honestly, we're lucky here and don't pay too much attention to hunting season when we ride.

Although I could just not be seeing the hunters, our terrain is pretty rough and thick with vegetation

10. What are you most looking forward to goal-wise as the final months of the calendar year approach?

Goal wise, I'm going to take lessons once a week on my coach's amazing 3rd level mare. I'm hoping that improves my riding and feel for how I want Bridget going. As far as Bridget, she's coming home with me and I'm looking forward to becoming independent again and getting my problem solving skills back up to par. Also, the trails there are great, so hopefully I can get her fitter easier than here where I am mostly stuck in the arena. But, speaking of arenas, the one at home is huge and has a ton of different jumps to use, so I'm hoping we can set up some makeshift xc practice and get her more confident about coming at speed to new/different fences.