AE Blog Hop: 12 Tough Questions

I just kind of casually slid that whole planning-to-move-the-horses-home thing into my last post. In retrospect, it might have seemed like it's a new plan, but as with so many things horsey, I've been obsessing considering the concept for a long time and believe it or not, prior to this blog my horses did live at home on that same property with me. I'll post the reasoning for revisiting that plan soon along with my new barn design inspirations. Actual plans to follow in a future post...I have a few small details I want to iron out, plus we don't even have the building permits yet so it feels almost like tempting fate! A tiny part of me is still hopeful I'll win the lottery or we'll find a last minute deal on something bigger too :) 

Just in time to beat my planned extra long weekend of horsey activities (I am SO ready for this!),  here's a fun blog hop. Thank you to Alberta Equest!

Q1. What hobbies do you have outside of riding?

Way, way too many. Basically anything creative and hands on appeals to me. I thrive on being busy, interested, and learning new things. Lately, I'm loving figuring out my new camera. Sometimes I work on my old vehicles. I really enjoy gardening and carpentry as well. We also do quite a bit of hiking. Lately, my work has been full of fun projects designing some new web apps and mapping themes. My career is nothing I thought I'd ever do as a kid, but I have to admit a lot of aspects of it are a really good fit for me and there's a crossover of projects that appeal to me outside of work as well.

Fun with cameras

Q2: What is your boarding situation?  Are you happy with it?

I'm pretty much self boarding on someone's property. I grew up with the barn owners' kid so I've known them forever. I love them, but honestly it's a bit of the worst of both worlds in that I have all the responsibility of self care, plus the expense of board, travel to the barn, and compromises in how things are set up and run - it's very rustic compared to most barns and sometimes I am basically renting a tiny field. The horses seem really, really happy there though, so it's worth the extra expense and work. There is not really any such thing as a full service barn here, and there is a real lack of land, so I'm very lucky to have the place I do!

Lots of little individual fields, the horses love it!

Q3:  What's on your horsey-related wish list?

Sophie needs a dressage saddle. Bridget needs hers fitted again. I need a trailer. Other than that, I think I have what I need...I can't afford to look at 'wants' (I'd love a new show coat) - I need to save for that new saddle and trailer!

Q4: What is your most expensive horsey-related item?

The horses? I didn't spend big money on either, but I'm thrifty when it comes to the rest of my gear and buy the majority of my tack second hand, and everything else gets bookmarked until it's on a good sale.

Q5: What was the hardest horsey-related decision you've had to make lately?

I've been lucky to not have anything too difficult to deal with! A minor thing (although it makes good financial sense) is that it's been kind of hard to take a year out of lessons and showing while Sophie grows up. 

Q6:  What's something you feel you can't live without in your routine?

An extra I don't necessarily need but always buy is detangler. Both girls have really thick manes and tails and fluffy pony coats, plus they live out year round. As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm cheap, so I just buy whatever's on sale, sometimes from the drug store rather than a horse specific product.

Q7: What's on your horsey-related calendar for the rest of the summer?

It's been a super quiet year and that's not going to change. I'm going to a going away party soon at my old barn for one of the working students who's off to the Netherlands to train. I'm planning to take Bridget to our local fall fair mid month, and there is a clinic I'd like to take Sophie to at the end of the month. 

Q8:  What is one thing you would willingly change about your horse?

Bridget would be more interested in being a sporty pony, Sophie would be less mare-y and silly. I'm lucky, because both of those are things that can improve!

Champion at sleeping, tho

Q9:  What is something you most want to improve on with you and your horse?

Bridget owes me nothing, so we're just having fun. With Sophie, I'd like to skip ahead to the part where we are under saddle and effectively communicating there :)

Q10:  What has been your [current] horses most severe injury?

Bridget has an ongoing minor lameness we haven't really pinpointed. It's super mild, and she's way more on than off. Last year when I moved Sophie to the other barn for the winter one of the horses went after her and she has a nasty scar right down her side from shoulder to hip, maybe from teeth?Fricken grays and palominos scar from everything! Overall so far I've been really lucky with them both.

You can kind of see it, even from this far away

Q11:  What do you feel your biggest downfall is as a rider?

Confidence. Weight. I'm pretty inclined to get in my head and think I'm doing it wrong. My weight is always a struggle...I ride better when I am thinner and know it, so I can be pretty hard on myself about that because I don't seem to consistently keep the pieces together to keep my weight down.

Q12:  What feeds your motivation?

That feeling with horses when everything is 'right'! The barn mates and coaching at the competition barn as well, as I mentioned above, some of them are off training in Europe and setting their sights on Olympic teams and things, which you can't help but find pretty inspirational!

One more sunset, just because