5 Day Challenge – Day 4

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! What better way to spend it than riding ponies!

On to day 4 of the challenge.

16. One thing you’d like to change about your horse

Phoenix – Realistically, I’d like to take back his torn tendon so he could jump more than the occasional X. He has always loved jumping. In the totally off the wall way, I would make him younger again and a bit taller.

Stampede – Fix his kissing spines and whatever else bothers him that causes his sleep deprivation. Maybe I just need to take back him falling in that sink hole with me all those years ago. Who knows. I just want him comfortable and happy long-term.

Boo on kissing spines!

17. Your horse’s future

Phoenix – Enjoy as many flat rides together as possible, indoors and outside. If he ever fully retires he will probably come home to our barn and 7 acres to eat lots of grass and be outside my window.

Barn and part of the pasture at my house

Stampede – Hard to know with Stampede. I would love to have one or two good show seasons together, but his kissing spines is kind of ticking time bomb. Eventually the treatments he is getting will stop working and that will be the end of his riding career. When he is done with riding he too would probably come to my house and hang out.

18. Your worst show ever

Phoenix – Never had a bad show!

Stampede – Probably one of the first shows I did after moving to my current barn, I was doing the hunters in the grass ring. Stampede was alternating between running away with me and trying to refuse fences. It was pretty embarrassing but I kept fighting and got him around the ring each time. I would say the worst part was all the people who knew his past (which I didn’t when I bought him) talking about how crazy he was. No one was going to believe me when I said he will jump anything on a normal day, which was the truth. Pretty sure my parents thought I had the worst horse ever for a long time since they only came to shows! (They still liked Phoenix the best, even before I got him back!)

19. Favorite horse show venue

My own barn hosts several shows each year for the local B and C circuits. I try to do all the B circuit shows, although last season was a disaster. Nothing easier than your horse already being at home and your stuff already being at the barn besides show clothes.

Horse showing with Stampede at my home barn

I do think it would be neat to show at the Kentucky Horse Park or Horseshows by the Bay in Traverse City, MI, but I don’t think Stampede will ever be the one to take me there. I’ll let him prove me wrong if he wishes, lol.

20. Your show day routine

Hmm, I’m not sure I have much of an exciting routine. I get all of the stuff together the night before and shine my ancient tall boots (please go to a show near me La Mundial reps!). Since I’ve only been doing home shows, I don’t usually have to get up early. I pay my friend Christie to braid the beast, and he’s bad if I’m there, so I stay away.

Horseshowing with Christie

Get to the barn and groom the pony, make sure he’s eating plenty of hay constantly to avoid tummy upset, and organize all of my tack. Try to get on with a fairly good amount of warm up time with no standing around (impossible!).