The derby is over and Simon is extremely relieved that he doesn’t have to wear braids for probably at least another year. We came, we saw and we huntered. For us, it was a personal best. Since we’re not exactly hunters, my goal for the derby is usually just survival and photographs. Mid-last week I texted my trainer and asked if she would be embarrassed if her fat client with the leadchangeless ottb was the only horse at the horse…
Ever since Tim died, I knew that I wanted to give myself some kind of physical reward for making it through this process mostly intact. I’m not above self bribery at all, and there have been many a day where I’ve woken up thinking something like, “I will get out of bed today even though I won’t want to and someday this will all be worth it.” Of course, getting up every day is worth it regardless of any happy I could…
If I was looking at my situation (aka desire to do the hunters) from an entirely objective stand point, it would be time to sell my horse. Your mind may have just screeched to a halt reading that sentence, but you can relax. This is the horse that has helped me accomplish so many of my dreams. He’s the horse I can hop on and jump bridleless if I’ve had a tough day at work and need a fun release. I…
This Thursday I am flying to North Carolina so I can gather with friends to spread Tim’s ashes in the mountains as a more final farewell. I am looking forward to this weekend like someone looks forward to their execution. I know I’ll feel better after it’s done, but I don’t want to have to be there and I don’t want to have to do this. What does that have to do with a horse show? I’ve been getting through…
My weekend of showing has come and gone. I’m sitting at home with a light sunburn, a mild headache and a lot of feels. Then again, when don’t I have a lot of feelings? When I came back from the San Antonio show in February, I was exploding with happiness and hope. My feelings as I write this blog post tonight are quite a bit more complicated and a lot less positive. I’ve decided to break up this show report into…
I’m not usually one to brag, but today I’m going to a little. Things are going remarkably well with my creature. We’ve hit that sweet spot in our relationship – the time period where you’ve had years of learning each other’s quirks all the while your horse has been aging and learning to become a solid citizen. I had this wave of realization when I took Simon to the San Antonio show in February that we have figured out how to…
On day two of the horse show, Simon and I were kind of over it. It’s not that I didn’t wake up excited and ready to horse show (and maybe a little bit hungover… turns out day drinking isn’t really my style)… I did! However, when the hunter ring is dragging and a nap feels like a super solid idea, it can be hard to motivate one’s self. By the time we got to my first class, the 2’6″ Equitation, I…
On Friday night when we were schooling, I trotted around the jumps in the hunter ring and told my trainer how small everything looked. They were all set to around 2′, which used to be my comfort level but now looks like speed bumps. Don’t think I’m knocking all the 2′ hunter riders aren’t there who think schooling that height at the show is scary. I’ve been there. I know your feels, but now it looks itty bitty. After we cruised down…