25 Questions

What’s funny is that originally when I saw the 25 questions posts I was kind of bah about the whole thing but then I read a few and found it really interesting so I’m joining in late. 🙂

Mares or Geldings? Why?
I don’t have a huge preference besides refusing to own a stereotypical “mareish” Mare. I’ve known plenty of mares where you couldn’t really tell when they were in heat and they did their job without a fuss (Miss Willow is this way) and that’s the only kind of mare I would want to own. I figure since so far I seem to own only chestnut geldings they might just be my type. I’ve even vetted a bay gelding and a chestnut mare before but neither passed so chestnut gelding it was.

Green Broke or Fully Broke?
I like a horse that’s broke enough to be able to flat around a bit but I don’t mind putting buttons on and such.

Would You Own A Hotter Breed?
Mmm, I love a forward thinking horse but I do think that can be installed on most. I’m not sure I would want to own a full TB again after Stampede but he’s fairly extreme with his hot and cold.

What Was Your Dream Horse Growing Up?
This may sound corny but I feel like by the time I could truly start to form a dream horse I was already lucky enough to own a horse and the horses I’ve owned became that. I certainly have a dream horse now that I would pick (monetary limits aside, lol) but Mr. P was certainly my dream horse when we found him all those years ago.

What Kind of Bits Do You Use And Why?
Stampede goes in a Sprenger Duo D ring because he’s so sensitive in the mouth that anything more makes him hard to ride with any contact. P goes in a copper lozenge D ring. P can really go in just about anything fine but I think of this as a nice soft one.

Helmet or No Helmet?
Helmet 99.99% of the time. I would go without one for professional photos. Even then I’m not sure on Stump, maybe just on P.

Favorite Horse Color?
I don’t really have a preference besides not a gray but since I own two chestnuts and they are my favorite I’ll go with that color, lol.

Least Favorite Horse Color?
I guess I don’t really worry about odd colors because most don’t exist in the breeds used for my discipline. I don’t like grays very much but that’s mostly because of the cleaning needs and risk for skin issues.

Dressage or Jumping?
I would love to learn some dressage to help with my flatwork and thus my jumping but jumping is my thing and I miss jumping Stampede so much! I hope we get back to it.

How Many Years Have You Been Riding?
Yikes, regularly for over 22 years and sporadically for several years before that.

Spurs/Whip or No Spurs/Whip?
Since I prefer a forward horse these are necessary sometimes. I ride P in a spur off and on just to keep him sharp. Stampede has been a tough one because spurs in the past have made him suck back but using a crop he shoots forward as soon as he knows he’s going to get hit which sucks. Recently (as in before he went three-legged recently) I had gone back to spurs and he was doing much better with them.

Your First Fall?
When I first started taking lessons regularly it was with a 19 year old trainer who put every kid on a full size TB. It was winter and there were two of us in the lesson. The other horse took off bucking with the other girl and the horse ran up on mine once loose so my horse then took off and being as I could barely trot I was a goner. One ambulance ride later I had just bruised my knee caps badly and gotten a bloody nose. That trainer got fired and the new one was much better.

When Was The Last Time You Rode And What Did You Do?
Today. Hopped on the three-legged Stampede for a walk about. He’s pretty much sound, especially at the walk, just a little sensitive on that foot so we worked on some bending exercises and walking on contact politely then did a bit of trot to see where we stood.

Most Expensive Piece of Tack You Own?
Stampede’s CWD

How Old Were You When You Started Riding?
10 when I started riding consistently.

Leather or Nylon Halters?
Leather – nicer and safer especially since my horses wear them during turnout.

Leather or Synthetic Saddles?
I love french leather saddles.

What Type of Reins Do You Like?
So I used to be a rubber reins person but the problem was when I would go to show I would have to pull out my laced ones and I hated them and I could never keep a grip on them. Quite a few years ago now I forced myself to use laced reins all the time and once I got used to them it was no longer an issue. Laced reins are still the worst to break in but now I’m totally cool with using them 24/7.

English or Western?
English.

How Many Horses Do You Currently Own/Lease?
2 handsome chestnuts

Do You Board Your Horse? Full Board? Self Care? etc.?
Full board although I’m extremely involved in their care. I find it very weird when people own horses and don’t even know what their horse is eating.

Have You Ever Put Down A Horse You Loved?
Not yet but I think about it frequently because P is older. Recently my barn lost three horses tragically to three separate issues in the same month and all were younger than P and that really hit home. Have to love your horses when you can because they won’t be around forever! Same with our other human and animal loved ones!

How Many Saddle Pads Do You Have?
I have only a few that I really like and keep in regular rotation but I probably have 8-10 overall. I may have a large number of half pads too, lol.

Slant-Load or Straight-Load Trailer?
If I were buying it would be a 2 horse and straight load would be necessary to be able to fit the Stampede in it.

Why Do You Ride?
Being on the back of a horse feels like home to me. When I’m cantering around in the field on a nice day my heart sings.