Bloghop: Favorites of 2018

"A" over at The 900 Facebook Pony started this Blog Hop and at first I felt a little bummed because once again, I feel like I had an incredibly unproductive horsey-year, but once I clawed my way out of my Pity Party for 1 I decided a lot of really fantastic things DID happen this year, and they're worth highlighting.

Favorite Show Picture,

I didn't show *really* this year (I did an Online Show but I don't really count it), but my husband got his green OTTB out a few times so I chose my favorite of them instead.  This photo was taken at a Jumper Jackpot at an absolutely ridiculously busy event where our oddly shaped ring was sandwiched between Tractor Pulls, the Barrel Racing Arena/Warm Up area and the entrance for trucks/trailers/campers/etc.  Banks was such a rock star.

PS they have a Facebook Page & IG following their journey to the Canadian Version of the OTTB Challenge, follow "Bankin The Gold".

Favorite Non-Show Picture,

As a former Photographer (Far too busy now), I decided to play with some Black Background Photos this year for the first time.  My barn has 4 doors, one in each direction, which is really convenient for these puppies and I absolutely * love * how this one of Sierra turned out.  The shadow sucks and I know better for next time, but she has one of the prettiest heads I have ever seen and I feel like this really encompasses that.

Favorite Thing you Bought,

As I ran through my list of tack purchases, round bale hay net and so on I struggled to pick a favorite  until I remembered uh, duh... SIERRA! Sierra is, by far, my most favoritest thing I purchased this year.  On June 9th I drove 8 hours south to try her out.  There was a horse show going on at their barn and she went around like a camel in the warm-up ring. Nervous of those watching me, I also feel like I rode like a sack of crap but once hacking out to the outdoor where I could ride without the pressure of being watched by some BNTs, etc we got a mini-lesson from the woman selling her on behalf of the owner, and I decided to take her home. We immediately headed home and spent over 16 hours on the road that day!

Schooling her in the outdoor when I tried her out

Favorite Moment on Horseback,

This one was a bit tough because I feel like I had a lot of 'lows' or generally 'decent' rides but nothing really, really special.. That being said, I think riding one of my best friends horses on a trail ride while back home on Vacation tops the charts.  "H" and I have been best friends since I began riding at the age of 10.  We met in Pony Club, and the very first day she wanted to show me her horse (the one I was riding in the photo below) and told me how much she loves it when she blows in her nostrils.  Naturally, "H" had half-chewed smarties in her mouth and she blew them all up Nifty's nose.  Once we, as cruel children, stopped laughing, she then wanted to see my horse so we jogged to the other side of the arena and she took one look at my scraggly, skinny OTTB mare "Molokai" and said "oh, she's ugly" and walked away LOL.  Anyway, here we are 15+ years later and I always feel so grateful that her childhood horse, who I grew up riding along side on my "ugly OTTB", is still with us - not to mention I love every moment when I get to see my best friends back home as I now live over 1000 KM's away and only get there 1-2x per year.

Favorite Moment Out of the Saddle,

This is one section that i'm going to change up a bit and sway away from horses entirely, because our summer vacation was hands down my favorite moment out of the saddle.  There are three routes to my home town in BC and last summer (2017) we were forced to take the longest, but most scenic route due to a road closure.  My husband and I were in awe as we traveled for 22 hours straight, dipping into the Yukon and coming back down through Northern BC where a lot of my family once called home and we always swore we would go back.  For my hubby's birthday this year, I found an off-grid cabin in a secluded area of Northern BC and rented it for us for 3 days before travelling home to Terrace for a wonderful 10 days.  Once at the Cabin, it was 72 hours of pure relaxation and it was a truly eye opening experience, surrounded by natural beauty of crystal clear lakes and mountains that I miss so much here in Northern Alberta.  I loved canoeing and fishing through the lake that our cabin over looked, reading books in silence until 3:00 AM, and enjoying the most glorious outdoor gravity-fed shower with hot water on-demand that overlooked the private lake.  The photo below was of my hubby taking our fish for a walk (Tonka, our Malamute LOVES water) at a lake roughly 45 minutes from our Cabin.  We were making good time and arrived far earlier than anticipated so we pulled over to explore this world renowned lake before continuing on to the cabin.

Favorite "Between The Ears" Photo,

I had two but chose this one for imagery's sake.  I often hack down the road to cool out after riding, and the sun is hiding our house in this photo.

Favorite Horse Book or Article,

This year I read more novels than educational books, however I did focus more on my blog and nearly tripled my Reading List. I don't know that I have a photo post in specific, but I love M's Biomechanics Posts, and the general updates of about 5 other regular posters.  While I try to read everyone on my reading list, I am particularly drawn to eloquently written posts of dedicated English riders.

Random photo of my tack room, just cause

Favorite Horse Ridden (Or Groomed/Cared For) that Isn't Yours,

This one was tough.. I had 2 friends keep their very special horses at my house this summer, and also had my husbands 2 horses and Vida on Breed Lease (though I am now purchasing her) but I think for nostalgic sake I have to once again, go back to Nifty, my best friends mare I rode on a trail ride when visiting home this past summer.

A different time Heidi and I went on a Trail Ride and I rode Nifty

Favorite Funny Picture Of Your Horse,

Ok, I don't have an actual photo of it because we were all hanging off the sides of our horses trying to stay on, but this spring some friends, my husband and I went for what was meant to be a relaxing hack down the road that resulted in one person on the ground (beginner rider) while the rest of us were trying our darndest to stay on because a 'for sale sign' for a neighboring farm  caught one horses eye funny and it created an instantaneous chain reaction with 0 warning.  This photo was take before this happened but that ride was also the last time I rode Kidd, so it's a bit special.

Favorite Fence or Movement that you conquered,
This one was a little tough for me so again, i'm going to change it a little.  Sierra has some miles on her but by my standard as a Dressage horse, is pretty green/ass backwards so we have spent most of our time working on what I would consider very basic.. that being said,  having developed a random fear of Jumping (after years of doing it competitively and in PC), I lent Sierra to a friend for a jumping clinic (disastrous, for what it's worth) and decided I had better hop her over a few fences because she hadn't jumped since before I bought her months prior.  I wound up popping her over some X Rails that my hubby had set up in our arena and wound up doing it one handed while taking a video and she was 10/10 perfect packer-pony.

Favorite Horse Meme or Funny Picture,

I think I just love this one because I find the word 'plop' amusing. What can I say, i'm an infant.