Weekly Blog Roundup

January 28, 2017 Amanda4 Comments

Let’s Discuss: Your Equestrian Affiliations from House on a Hill
An interesting question & conversation that gets at the heart of how we all define community.

When is it okay to ignore your trainer’s advice? from Saddle Seeks Horse
I would submit that if your trainer’s advice is making you unhappy, not in a shallow momentary way, but in a deep sustained way, then you should ignore it and/or go trainer shopping. But it’s not a black and white issue. We place an implicit trust in trainers, and have a deeper relationship with them than nearly any other professional in our lives.

DIY Jump Stick from Equestrian at Hart
These are amazingly useful tools to have around, and this is a nice tutorial for how to make one.

Sit on your hands to ride better, from Trafalgar Square Books
I’ve done this exercise in the past, and it definitely gives you interesting feedback.

Your non-horsey link of the week: How to #StayOutraged Without Losing Your Mind, a great essay on self-care in the time of activism against the dumpster fire that has overtaken the White House.

morgan history

Justin Morgan, composer

January 27, 2017 Amanda1 Comment

You may know that Justin Morgan acquired a young colt named Figure and in doing so founded the Morgan horse breed.

You may not know that Justin Morgan’s primary profession was actually singing teacher, one of those location- and era-specific professions that baffle us today.

He also composed a number of songs, one of which is still somewhat famous today, AND was named after me.

(obviously not really but I’m still going to claim it)

Here’s a gorgeous symphonic interpretation of that same basic melody by composer Thomas Canning.

So, if you’ve read Marguerite Henry’s Justin Morgan Had a Horse and like me hold dear the image of a lanky and laconic New Englander striding his way through the wilderness, followed by a scrubby colt: this is the music that was in his head.

clipping

Clipping Update

January 25, 2017September 25, 2017 Amanda3 Comments

Somehow, every year, I manage to make clipping my horse into some kind of saga. This year, I wavered about what kind of clip to do, and decided on Irish…sort of.

Then, when it came time to update the clip, well, this happened. I apologize in advance for the pain this video may cause.

A video posted by Amanda G. (@beljoeor) on Jan 1, 2017 at 2:40pm PST

Yeah, that was a no-go. It left poor Tris looking like he’d been chewed on by moths, and I didn’t even finish updating the whole clip. He had to live with that for a few weeks while I angsted about what to do: buy nice new clippers? get new blades for my current clippers? just get my current blades sharpened? figure out what else was wrong with the current clippers by sending them in for refurbishment? I am the queen of waffling, especially about things I was going to have to spend money on.

poor moth-eaten mustang

Then: Hannah came to the rescue! She had her old clippers still, and she brought them up to me this past weekend, and Tuesday night I tested them out AND IT WAS GLORIOUS.

I swear, next I’ll work on straight lines.

So glorious that I finally got around to doing the design I’d planned on! Mixed success, since I hadn’t cut out a stencil and was sort of half-winging it. I’m still happy with it. I have some lessons learned that I can use to apply to his butt on the other side. Poor Tris was deeply wiggly by the time I got to his butt, and I decided to let him be done.

Fastest mustang alive! Like his inspiration, he also makes many bad decisions.

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blog hop

Blog Hop: Barn Bathrooms

January 23, 2017September 25, 2017 Amanda11 Comments

Okay: first of all, I apologize for my weirdness but this is really truly something I’ve been thinking about for a while. Like, months. So I figured where else am I going to be weird except on my own blog?

(The answer to that is basically everywhere, those of you who have met me in person can safely confirm that, I’m sure.)

Um. Anyway.

Here’s my blog hop: what is the bathroom at your barn like?

Here’s my current barn.

It’s basically a composting toilet aka a fancy outhouse. It gets drained from time to time. On the shelf above, anti-bacterial handwash, monkey butt powder, lysol spray, and toilet paper. To the right, a mirror.

Look to the left of the toilet: yup, that’s daylight. So not heated. On the very coldest of days, it’s pretty unpleasant.

It’s not fancy, but it works. It rarely smells. It’s kept clean and neat. I’ve used many an outhouse in my life (I was a Girl Scout for a looooooong time) and this is vastly superior to all of them.

Every barn I’ve ever been at in Vermont has not had running water in the bathroom. My first barn had a porta potty outside, and if you don’t think the wind would come through that thing whoo boy. Never have I ever peed faster.

I have only experienced a flush toilet and running water at one barn, my one previous to this one. It was kind of glorious. After a 1.5 – 2 hour commute to get there, it was a lifesaver.

What about you?

Uncategorized

House Post: A republic, if you can keep it

January 22, 2017 Amanda4 Comments

My parents visited this weekend, and I will have some house updates to share next week. We didn’t get as much work done as we might have: we had important things to do.

blog roundup

Weekly Blog Roundup

January 21, 2017 Amanda2 Comments

LOADS of reading this week. It’s a reading kind of week. Enjoy that freedom of expression while we still have it, folks.

Mass Review: Back on Track Stuff! from The Feral Red Horse
I’ve used a handful of Back on Track products on Tristan and I like the results I’ve seen. I’m getting closer and closer to purchasing more – just trying to shore up those spending holes and savings accounts first.

What has happened to bridles lately? from Clover Ledge Farm
I know you all like your PS of Sweden bridles but…yeah. They don’t do anything for me.

Branding the Equestrian Business from House on the Hill
I’ve been thinking about branding a lot lately and this was a thoughtful appraisal.

Safety Features from WeanieEventer
The trailer widget highlighted here is SMART.

Intro to EquiVibe from The Jumping Percheron
I…am not convinced, but I think you could describe me as intrigued.

10 tools to blog more in less time from Blogging in Balance
Some of these are a little too specialized for me, but they’re still useful to think about.

A Different Path from A Enter Spooking
Really, really wonderful examination of personal motivations and sacrifices.

Freaking Fantastic from Fly on Over
It’s really important to think hard about what works best for your horse as an individual, and this is a great example of tailoring a management program with success.

Pet vs Partner from Dr. Mel Newton
Deeply thought-provoking way of looking at the horses in our lives.

Partner versus Pet from In Omnia Paratus
Liz’s response to the above!

And the non-horsey read of the week: Every book Barack Obama has recommended during his presidency. This is a really extraordinary list, trending (obviously) toward the erudite and complicated, but with so many real gems. Everyone will find something to love on there, and I would urge us all to pick out something new to us to expand our worldview.

equestrian history

Boston Public Library Photograph Collections: Horse Sports, Part 2

January 20, 2017 Amanda3 Comments

More gorgeous photos from the Boston Public Library’s Flickr collections!

puppy · wordless wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Beach Vacation

January 18, 2017September 25, 2017 Amanda8 Comments

I should only ever go to the beach in winter. All the natural beauty, none of the tourists.

Uncategorized

House Post: Miscellaneous Updates

January 15, 2017 Amanda1 Comment

At a certain point, layers of plaster look the same in pictures. But here, have an update again, showing layer #2. Depending on how this week goes, we’ll be painting next week.

In other parts of the house, I spent some quality time organizing the basement. These pictures would be way more exciting if I showed you the before, but I am a failure as a blogger and didn’t take adequate pictures.

Basically, there was a lot more junk, and it was all in the way. Now things are redistributed so paths are clearer, and there’s more shelving for various tools. We’ve still got a ways to go, but the feel is already way better.

blog roundup

Weekly Blog Roundup

January 14, 2017 Amanda3 Comments

LOADS of great reads this week!

A more effective warmup & riding for better scores from Wyvern Oaks
Warmups and ringcraft are two of my favorite things to think & talk about related to shows. I’m weird like that.

Horseback riding in Mexico from DIY Horse Ownership
Amazing vacation. It looks so warm…

How easy it would be from A Gift Horse
“What do riders who have kids do?” my husband asked last week. They work their asses off and provide inspiration for the rest of us, is the message of this post.

(Actually I think I said “they are miserable all the time and they have to sell their horses and they hate everything and IT IS THE WORST” but I am over-dramatic and also really really really don’t want kids.)

Moonlit Snow Galloping from In Omnia Paratus
❤

Non-horsey (sort of) read of the week:
The High-Cost, High-Risk World of Modern Pet Care. This was an unsettling and thought-provoking read. I’ve been lucky to work with locally-owned vet practices for all of my animals, and I try hard to have informed conversations. But what about people who don’t have those options?