I do wish Tristan were more forward. Not hugely! But enough so that I didn’t have to kick – every – single – stride, or at least be thinking forward with every single stride. 

With me. Forever. Always. My goal is to retire him to my own farm, somehow, someday.

Oh, God. There is actually video evidence of this. Brace yourselves.

Shortly after this video ended, he really truly lost it and flat out bolted out of the ring. He didn’t stop for another 50 yards, until I grabbed the rein right by the bit ring and one-reined him into a spin. Good times.

19. Favorite horse show venue.

I’ve never ridden there, but I have a deep and enduring love for King Oak Farm. It’s by far my favorite venue at which to volunteer, and it was going to be my pick for our first recognized event until Tristan’s foot problems started.

I don’t know that I’ve shown enough to really get a routine down, but it usually starts with a stupid early wakeup call, an egg sandwich and lots and lots of tea, and in the middle there’s a frantic re-memorizing of dressage tests, at least one major smudge on my white breeches, me cussing out Tristan while he has a bratty moment while tacking up, and ends with at least one pair of socks soaked through for one reason or another and me flopping in utter exhaustion.

Favorite book: Black Beauty. Hands down. There are many books competing for second place, but this has held first for as long as I’ve been able to read.

Favorite movie: Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. The best. The absolute best. The very, very, very best. Can I find some more hyperbole for you?

“Why do you still take lessons? Don’t you know how to ride?” Sigh. I don’t know why this is the most common question I get, but it is.

Strength: I am not what you would call fearless, but my confidence levels are pretty good. I can’t remember the last time I was genuinely afraid to do something a trainer asked of me. Falling off doesn’t especially worry me; physical injury, ditto. (I mean, I don’t want them to happen, but it’s not something I am concerned about.)

Strength: I am fairly picky about most things connected with my riding: grooming, tack fit, warmup routine, footing, etc., and I like to adjust to keep things just right. This can easily tip over into weakness!

Weakness: Consistency. My work schedule can be unpredictable and I can often be so mentally tired if I do end up getting to the barn that I don’t work as hard as I ought. I am very, very driven in every other aspect of my life, and often for me riding is the thing that I tend to be more casual about – which works well for Tristan, I think, but isn’t getting us any blue ribbons.

I am ever so very tired of being broke all the time, of scrambling to pay another vet bill, another mechanic bill, another supplement bill, you name it. It gives me some rather bitter attitudes sometimes, toward people who don’t have that ongoing, immense financial burden. All the stuff they buy! All the places they go!

Runner up would be the way in which owning a horse has increased my anxiety levels exponentially. I was always going to trend that way but yeesh.

AM: 2 flakes of grass hay, 1 quart of Sentinel Senior, 1.5 oz of High Point Grass

Turnout: free choice hay (usually another 2 flakes or grass in the summer)

PM: 2 flakes of grass hay, 1 quart of Sentinel Senior, 1.5 oz of High Point Grass

Night check: in winter, 1 flake of grass hay

This is a really tough question! Can I cheat and say Tristan? No?

Probably my first serious trainer, the coach of my college equestrian team, who helped me start Tristan. She gave me my confidence back, and helped me start Tristan under saddle and over fences, and introduced me to dressage. 

Nunn Finer 5 Point Hunting Breastplate (Cob). Drool. We definitely need a breastplate of some kind; this has been on my wishlist for a very long time. 

I can’t listen to music while riding. I’ve tried, believe me, but it screws me up. (I can’t listen to music with words while working, either.) I won’t turn the radio off at the barn while I’m riding, but I never queue up a playlist, either.

However! I do sing while I’m riding. I can remember the exact day this started: the day after Tristan’s disastrous first show, when I took him back out to the warmup area he’d lost his marbles in the day before in an attempt to retrieve them. We spent a solid 45 minutes jigging and bucking and occasionally bolting and about halfway through I started to sing Cole Porter songs to remind myself to breathe, and to give him something to calm down, hopefully. It seemed to work. So now I sing Cole Porter when I am nervous, or when I think he’s nervous, or when we’re on a long hack and I feel like I’m alone. “Night and Day” is a favorite, followed by “Under My Skin.”

(I also almost always clean tack to Astaire & Rogers movies, sensing a theme?)

Gorgeous scenery doesn’t hurt.

Horse care: first, last, always. This is absolutely crucial to me. Do they notice if he’s colicky? Do they text me if he’s injured himself? Do they follow my instructions when he’s recovering? Do they check in with me when I’ve asked them to? I tip toward the neurotic end of horsekeeping, and a barn manager that will work with me and understand that is key. My current barn fulfills all these requirements in spades, and thankfully I had seen them go the extra mile (or hundred miles) for other horses before Tristan had his surgery, so I had the utmost confidence in their hard work and professionalism.

1. Topline – that is to say, rebuilding muscle.

2. Fitness – mine and his. 

3. Jumping again, to see whether his foot will hold up.

Oh, geldings. Every day, and twice on Sunday. Just…not a mare person.

2. English or western? English! Though I have not much to compare it with, as I’ve only ridden in Western saddles a handful of times and only gone faster than a walk once. But when I sit in a Western saddle, I feel trapped in an uncomfortable claustrophobic way. There are some super cool things to do in the Western sports – I want to try my hand at cutting someday – but it’s not where my heart will ever be.

3. Do you prefer younger or older horses? Older. Babies are cute and all but I have fairly limited patience for toddler/adolescent antics, in humans or equines. There’s something special for me about the sweet mellowness of a good older horse.

4. Have you trained a horse from ground zero? Tristan! Every ounce of training he has on him I’ve done myself, right from learning to pick up his feet and being groomed through to cross-country. Now, jury’s out on precisely how successful I’ve been, but he is a nice horse to handle and be around, so I usually count that one in the positive column.

5. Do you prefer groundwork or riding? Do you know, I almost prefer groundwork? Probably because I’m better at it. I’ve started some tough horses on the ground and I still like playing with Tristan and adding pieces of his groundwork to make him a fun horse to handle. But I do so love to ride, so this one is practically a draw for me. (I wouldn’t be happy never riding again, for example.)

6. Do you board your horse or keep him at home? Board, but I’d like to keep him at home someday – probably when he retires.

7. Do you do all natural things or just commercial stuff? Weird dichotomy. I’m from Vermont, right? So when possible I look for solutions that are low-impact in the environmental sense, but I have zero objections to “commercial” stuff if it does the job.

8. All tacked up or bareback? Usually all tacked up, but bareback is appealing in the winter – so much warmer!

9. Equestrian role model?  Either Alois Podhajsky or Reiner Klimke.

10. What’s my one, main goal for my equestrian journey? I want Tristan to be happy and healthy. Everything after that is secondary.

So I am late to this and nearly everyone has been nominated and I’d like to do it a bit differently. If you’re reading this, and you have a horse blog, could you do two things for me? Comment on this and tell me about it. I’m trying to expand my horse blog reading. Second, go ahead and steal the questions and answer them, because you are awesome. I know you are. I just might not know you yet. 🙂

If I had an unlimited budget I’d get custom Dehners. I also seriously covet a pair of Dubarry Galway boots.

5. Favorite Helmet
I love Internationals, as they fit my oval head.

6. Shows or no shows?
While I’ve never had the burning desire to show, I’d like to be able to show more often. It sometimes feels like the times I’m able to get training, soundness, finances, and time all in a row to get to a show have been the exceptions rather than the rule.

7. Jumping or flat work?
Flat all the way. I am a secret DQ at heart.

8. Hunters, Jumpers, Cross Country or Derby’s?
If by cross country we mean eventing then yes, that.

9. What other disciplines have you ridden?
Dressage, I guess. I did hunters (IHSA) in college

10. Dressed to the nine or whatever you can find when riding?
Depends on whether I’m lessoning. If I’m just schooling probably slightly grungy (breeches, horse t-shirt) but if I’m in a lesson always newly-clean breeches and a nice polo. Never a belt, always tall boots.

11. Where do you shop the most for you? Your horse?
At the moment, it’s an even tie between Tractor Supply and Smartpak. Tractor Supply because there’s one on the way to the barn and I can pick up quick things there, Smartpak for other more specialized things, especially with all the medical supplies of this past spring. Really can’t remember the last time I bought something for myself. It’s been at least a year.

12. When was the last time you rode and what did you do?
Last night, 15 minutes of walking to get his leg down with a smidge of trot to see if he was sound in it.

13. What tack do you use every ride/day?
Stubben dressage bridle, Albion dressage saddle, whatever saddle pad is cleanest, and a gel pad covered by a pillow case.

14. What are your horses color(s)?
Black/white/gray. I wish I could’ve been more colorful but he’s loud enough to take care of that on his own.

15. How often do you clean your tack?
Not nearly as often as I should.

16. What kind of bit do you use?
Loose ring french link on the dressage bridle, full cheek french link on the jumping bridle.

17. Mares or Geldings?
Geldings, every day and twice on Sundays.

18. What is something you want to improve on in your riding?

I don’t have anything resembling a natural feel. I have to work really, really hard to sense and then interpret what’s going on, particularly in his gait. I desperately envy people who can pinpoint the slightest bit of crookedness through feel, even if they can’t fix it right away.

19. Favorite horse themed quote?
“A canter is the cure for every evil.” – Winston Churchill

20.What was your most recent equestrian purchase?
A salt block. I’m so exciting.