12 Questions

Borrowed 12 Questions for your Friday reading pleasure - have a good weekend and I hope it's cool and the right amount of sunny where you are!

Q1:  What hobbies do you have outside of riding?

I love photography, but usually only as it relates to horses...

Unless it's Hank, who is gorgeous despite not being a horse.

Bailey does lots of hikes...

Our family is spread out and we spend a lot of time trying to visit them a couple times a month. Usually for some kind of outlandish party.

But, y'know, there will probably be horses at that too:

I also looove shooting (clays mostly, but I try to pheasant hunt once a year!) and I enjoy fly fishing. I'm doing my very first backpacking trip this fall so... that should be interesting.

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

I'm currently at a small private farm. There's no arena, hot water or indoor wash stall, but the horses get free choice hay and live out as much as possible unless the weather is very bad. It's super quiet and I am very much left to my own devices. The barn owner is wonderful and since it's such a small farm she takes care of him exactly as I would. For right now, it's absolutely perfect for me!

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

I want EVERYTHING from the new PS of Sweden grape fall collection.

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

I have a new horse trailer... but it only beats the saddle by a couple hundred dollars.

NEW HOTNESS

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

Honestly, none of them have been hard lately. Which is nice!

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

Ground work. I can't ride without doing at least a little before I hop on.

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

Aiming to do some kind of trail ride at Fair Hill this fall!!

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

I think Spicy has an old hip/pelvic injury, so I'd probably get rid of that if I could.

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

Our relationship. It's gotten so much better but I still need to do a better job listening. Just last week I went to the barn and he was being difficult. For whatever reason I really wanted to long line, even though he was pretty clearly telling me he needed some ground work. I did what I wanted to do, because I iz hooman and haz better kritikal thinking skillz and Spicy did some SHIT. Like, multiple airs above the ground on the long line. I couldn't even get mad at him, he tried to warn me but I just did. not. want to listen.

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

WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THIS QUESTION. I feel like I should preemptively schedule a vet appointment for tomorrow.

Funny story: Spicy came home on a Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning at 7am - not even 24 hours since he got home - my BO called me and said he had somehow managed to slice open his knee. He had to have four stitches. This was day one. I almost called the shipper and slapped him back on the trailer because I didn't know if I could deal with another one.

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

My self doubt. It's really annoying to have to cycle through my self doubt and feelings of shortcomings when I know what to do, or I at least know what to try. I go through all this pain before I can just do it. I'd love if I could skip that step and just try without having a mental break first.

Q12:  What feeds your motivation?

Becoming the best horsewoman I can be, where I can look at the training I've put in and knowledge I've built and be proud of it.

Also buying more purple shit. So much purple that people look at it and go oh my blarg, where did you even find that. When is enough? Never. Never is enough.