I’m supposed to be showing at my barn’s local IEHJA show this weekend, but after losing the “Will I Lesson?” game too many times… I’ve taken Simon off the list. Truthfully, I’m super bummed. I was really looking forward to getting back in the ring with our new skills, but he got another abscess that sidelined him for a week. Although he’s sound and happy again and I’ve had some great rides, it’s not fair to my horse (or my…
If horse blogger friends aren’t the best kind of friends to have, they’re at least in the top 5. At least that’s how I felt after equestrian blogger extraordinaire, L Williams, came to see me last week. Though I’m blessed to have some awesome writing friends that I’ve made through my MFA program, I have to admit that I really miss going catching up on the latest barn drama over margaritas or analyzing everything horsey with my barn friends back…
First off, thanks everyone for all the wonderful comments and suggestions about Simon. After I wrote that post, things actually took a turn for the worse and he showed up lame with a fat leg. Naturally, I decided he blew his suspensory and called the vet… planning his retirement while I waited for a diagnosis. After two days of cold hosing + mud wrapping, the minor amount of swelling originally present went way down. Today the vet came out, and told…
Are you foolish enough to move your horse across the country to join you during grad school, a time that’s full of anxiety and oftentimes responsible for bringing out the worst of your personality? Then this post is for you! 1. Pick a state where it’s impossible to find a boarding situation similar to what he’s been used to for 11.5 years. Over ten hours of turnout? A predominant diet of grain? How about a life full of equine friends…
Two great things happened in the last seven days, and they sandwich the end (hopefully) of my adjustment to grad school depression that’s been lingering since I started school. After a week of questioning all my life choices, crying in my professor’s office and wondering if I could ever be successful as a writer, I decided to give myself a break for the weekend and be as social as possible. One of those social events was heading to Del Mar…
I still need to arrange shipping, but once I have that squared away we’re going to be on the official countdown until Simon gets here. Though I’ve been on extended breaks from horses before, this is the longest I’ve gone without riding or touching an equine while owning a horse. Even though I’ve never been the kind of person that feels compelled to go to the barn every day, this is far too long of a horsey break for me….
I know I’ve already shared a lot of big news, but this is probably even more important than all that. More important than me moving to California. More important than graduate school. Guys. GUYS! GUYSOMGGGGGUYSSSS!!! Simon — My beloved, nerd horse… IS DOING LEAD CHANGES! Now, he’s always done some lead changes. My trainer would get the occasional clean change when she asked, but it was never consistent. On course, Simon would do a clean change when he really needed to…
I’ve been competitive my entire life. I’m not sure if the figure skating started it, or if I was drawn to figure skating because of it but I’ve never known a period of time where I didn’t want to be the absolute best at something. First it was double sow-cows and flying camels. Then it was riding horses with 4H shows and much later, IHSA equitation. When I took a break from riding during my time in MA, I turned…