Honest Scrap Award

A big thanks to my buddy On the Bit for sending this award my way. OTB has one of my most favorite horse blogs. I think part of the reason I like it so much is because we have a lot in common. From gray thoroughbreds, to goofy geldings, to both our riding horses currently having stifle issues, I sure do appreciate the encouragement and support we share. The people we get to connect with are what making blogging so worth it!

So, thanks to OTB, I now have to come up with 10 honest things about myself that I’ve never shared before. The 10 things isn’t too tricky, but the “haven’t shared before” part might be. Sticking with tradition, I’m keeping it horsey (mostly)!

1. I’ve learned so much about horses and riding between blogging and owning my first horse. I was always a pretty good rider and knew a bit about horse care, but I always only knew the what. Now I’m learning the why. Of particular interest is horse anatomy and function, and how my own anatomy affects my riding.
2. I can relate just about any topic back to horses. Need an analogy or object lesson? I can always find one that’s horsey.
3. The worst horse day I ever had was in college while I was teaching a beginner hunter camp at my barn with my mom. I rode Penny before camp and was jumping, and she dumped me. The twit spooked at something and came to a sliding stop AFTER the jump. I landed flat on my back in front of  her, but was mainly just a little bruised. Then, in camp later that morning, an older rider lost her balance over a cross-rail in the same spot in the ring and fell off. She hurt  her back and we had to call an ambulance. So not fun. I know this stuff happens no matter how careful you are, but I felt sick for hours for having someone get hurt on  my watch.
4. I really hate getting dirty. Unless I’m in a barn. There I couldn’t care less. I’ve even been known to climb into a full manure spreader to retrieve toads or eat my lunch without bothering to wash my hands (that one’s for you OTB!). If it’s not horse-related dirt, I hate it and avoid it at all costs.
5. I had to work at my barn when I was 11 to pay off a vet bill because I almost killed one of the barn cats. I liked the cat, and decided to put him on a leash and walk him around. Relatively harmless, right? Except that I made a collar and leash out of bailing twine. He didn’t like it and managed to escape almost immediately. I couldn’t catch him to take it off, and later that night he got himself hung up in a tree! He ended up being fine and lived for many many years after that. But I was knocking down cobwebs and filling water buckets for months because of it. It was a silly kid thing, but I still feel bad about it!
6. I’m worried about what I will do with Ace and his winter coat this winter. Last winter, he had an abscess and was in early stages of training. Now, we’re working a lot harder. I plan to keep working and training this coming winter. Really, Ace will need to at least be trace clipped to combat the sweat. But, if he’s clipped  he needs a blanket. And I can’t put a blanket on him because the other horses will destroy it in 10 seconds flat. So I need to figure out how I can keep working him at the pace I want, but not have him get too hot and sweaty when it’s cold. It’s worrying me, despite the fact that its the middle of July. Advice welcome!
7. I love my horse to death, but sometimes I have to be good and put my hubby first. For instance, there is this awesome event at Pegasus tomorrow that I would love to go to. It’s a demonstration by Lew Sterrett called Sermon on the Mount, and it sounds amazing. However, tomorrow is one of the very few days out of the year I absolutely cannot do anything horsey. It’s our anniversary! Hubby says he doesn’t care, but I know it’s important that tomorrow is our day.
8. Things I just don’t get in the horse world: how to ride gaited horses, why on earth western pleasure is fun, and why it’s so difficult for people to accept preferences in training techniques and disciplines. It wouldn’t be so much fun if every horse person only did hunter/jumpers just because I thought it was the best discipline. I have zero interest in riding western pleasure. So what? If that’s what you love, then get to it! I do think there are some absolutes, like treating our horses with kindness and respect no matter what discipline or training method you subscribe to. How you go about that doesn’t matter so much.
9. My biggest fear right now is that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I bought Ace. Training-wise I’m not worried. Relationship-wise I’m  not worried. But his habits of getting hurt drive me nuts. I hope that I didn’t buy this falling apart horse who is going to have to be retired sooner rather than later.
10. My greatest joy is the way Ace looks at me. I can walk into the arena, and he immediately walks right up to me with his ears pricked and his eyes full of recognition. He very clearly says, “Hey there, it’s my human!” I like that we get along and have learned to trust each other.

If you haven’t done the 10 things yet, consider yourself tagged!