25 Questions

1. What is the first thing you do when you get to the barn? Boarding barn – Say hi to Maestro and give him a carrot, Home – Usual start on whatever task I came out for

2. Is there a breed that you would never own? I can’t really say anything specific since you never know where life will take you, but probably not an Akhal-Teke!

3. Describe your last ride? Monday night Maestro and I had a nice flat ride in one of the rings which was mucky yet again from more rain. He started out a bit up since we were alone out there but then settled in nicely.

4. Have any irrational riding fears? I’m not sure I can say it’s exactly irrational given my history (Stampede and the sink hole in 2007, Maestro last year) but I worry about my horse falling with me more than is probably warranted and just have a general anxiety regarding footing.

5. Describe your favorite lesson horse? He was kind of a lesson horse/neglected regular boarder horse who I took on while we were searching for my next horse (who was Mr. P). He was an OTTB war-horse who the girl had renamed after her last name, so he went by Fergus. I just clicked with him from the start. He wasn’t exceptionally good-looking or talented or anything but I loved him just the same and he taught me a lot about how to ride a sensitive horse. After I got Phoenix I continued to ride and care for him regularly with the exception of the semester the girl took him to school (a college with a riding program) with her after which he came back sore and thin and ultimately for sale. Obviously I wasn’t in a position to buy him as a teenager so I got him used to a western saddle thinking he could go be a trail horse very successfully. I ultimately don’t know what happened to him and I’m sure he’s long gone by now but he’s another chestnut that left a big impression on me.

6. Would you ever lease out your horse? I did lease Phoenix out to my friend’s mom for flat rides a time or two a week here and there but I can’t imagine a situation where I would willingly send one of my horses somewhere out of my sight. I am super anal about their care so I would be VERY picky and I doubt many people would want to deal with that. Never say never though!

7. Mares: Yay or neigh? I wouldn’t want one that is the stereotypical obnoxious mare but I would certainly buy one if it checked all my boxes for the horse I needed.

8. How many time per week do you get to see your horse? Chestnut boys multiple times a day. 🙂 Maestro usually five to six days a week when it’s not tax season, four times a week during most of tax season.

9. Favorite thing to do on an “easy day” with your pony? I love a good field ride, except the field has been flooded all spring 🙁 Otherwise I usually ride bareback for our easy days in the winter.

10. Conformational flaw that bothers you the most? I mean I’d like avoid any major ones but hoof issues really freak me out.

11. Thing about your riding that you’re most self conscious about? I tend to be the most self-conscious about the technical piece of my riding, so is my horse doing correct lead changes, is he leaning, is he on the bit, etc. I want to have good skills and communication with the horse and worry I’m no good if I can’t perform these tasks.

12. Will you be participating in no stirrup November? I do tend to drop my stirrups more often in November but I don’t go all out and remove them for the whole month. I try to ride bareback once a week regularly outside of show season since I think it’s good for me and a nice break for Maestro. It’s an exercise that is important year round.

13. What is your grooming routine? Rubber curry mitt (hands on gloves with the chestnuts if they are extra gross), soft brush on face, hair brush for mane and forelock, long flick type brush all around, stiff brush to touch up body and on legs, pick hooves. If it’s Maestro and I have time I use the magic brush on him after I brush out his mane since he loves it. Several other care things specific to the horse like daily checking of P’s butt to check for poop issues since I’m paranoid.

14. Describe a day in the life of your horse? Maestro – Breakfast 7 am (hay and grain), turnout 730is to 1145ish, nap and clean up any leftover hay in stall, dinner hay around 230 pm, dinner grain 3 pm, maybe take a siesta, 7ish night hay. If it’s a riding night around 630 get a carrot and some kind of hay snack before work, get ridden (and grazed in the summer), back in stall by 830-9 pm where night hay is waiting.

Chestnut boys – Breakfast grain 630 am during the week and 7 am on the weekend followed by turnout (Stamp usually ignores breakfast grain and P eats while I get everything else together). In the summer eat grass to hearts content and be annoyed by bugs, in the winter eat hay out of hay feeders and drive me crazy by pooping in the barn aisle. Sometimes the horses’ grandparents (my parents) show up, in which case that often means an entire bag of baby carrots as a late morning or early afternoon snack to split. Stalls get cleaned after work (except during tax season when my parents help clean during the week and I work late – boys enjoy extra carrots), so sometimes come in and see if mom has treats, can apply more fly spray, or to complain about crappy weather/lack of grass in the winter. Summer come in around 830-930 pm depending on whether I’m off riding Maestro and how bad heat/bugs are. Winter more like 8 pm unless I’m off riding Maestro. Get dinner grain (Stampede likely ignores and eats overnight), one or both horses get groomed, get “special” cookies (P gets prascend, Stamp gets an empty treat or previcox depending on his issues at the time), get carrots and a kiss on the nose before settling in for a night of unlimited hay and resting.

15. Favorite season for riding? Fall for sure – gorgeous views, less sweating, less bugs.

16. If you could only have 1 ring: indoor or outdoor? If I can’t move then an indoor, otherwise you just can’t ride in the winter.

17. What impresses you most about the opposite discipline (english vs. western)? I love how effortless looking some of the riding looks in the western pleasure disciplines – the lack of big movements on the part of the rider and the general calm of the horses.

18. You have unlimited funds to buy one entire tack set for your horse, what is he/she wearing? It would probably be some kind of mix. CWD or Devoucoux saddle, there is an antares bridle I’ve always lusted over, a custom girth most likely since my horses are always too big but I want a cushioned side again the horse not leather.

19. How many blankets do you have? When do you blanket? Each of the three horses has a Rambo turnout sheet, 100g Rambo turnout blanket that takes liners, and 0g Rambo hood to go with blanket. P and Stamp have liners in 100g, 200g, 300g, but Maestro has only 100g and 200g. Maestro has a stable sheet he wears when lows are below 40F but it will get warm enough to be naked during the day. Turnout sheets start when highs are in the 40s to low 50s with wind, blankets start when highs are in low 40’s with wind and it goes from there. The chestnut boys each have two fly sheets for summer as well.

20. What is your horse’s favorite treat? Favorite place to be scratched? Stamp is picky and they don’t make his favorite treat of PB&J Willie muffins any more but next best would be Stud muffins. P loves anything soft with molasses so he would probably pick the stud muffins too. I’m not sure I could say what Maestro’s favorite is, he is a treat hound, maybe apples. Stamp likes to be scratched two-thirds of the way up his neck right below his mane, P loves his face curried, and Maestro his face scratched just between the crease of his lips and his jaw bones.

21. Something about your barn that drives you crazy? How little people care about maintaining such a nice barn.

22. Roached manes, pulled manes, or long flowing manes? Hunter rider so pulled. I have cut the manes of the boys at home a couple of times now and it hurts my soul.

23. Can you handle a buck or a rear better?
Hmm, I think it depends on the horse and the reason for the reaction but generally a buck. Stampede used to mini rear sometimes because he had such a sensitive mouth – he would be wanting to get away from something scary but stop anyways so the only solution was up.

24. I would never buy a horse who ___________________? I couldn’t stop. I hate the feeling of having no brakes and it can be dangerous.

25. Favorite facial marking? Mr. P has my favorite facial marking – a big wide blaze.