25 Questions

As things are fairly slow and lacklustre in my horsey-life right now, I decided to take a page out of L's boat and answering 25 questions that were sourced from a page on Tumblr.

1. What is the first thing you do when you get to the barn?

This is a little tough because I live on a farm where my horses are at home.. but looking at the question literally,

the first thing I do varies on what i'm doing.  If Sierra is locked up in a paddock, I will often grab some treats and

haul my grooming tote and tack outside if it's nice.  Alternatively, if it's poor weather or incredibly hot, I will grab

my halter and bring her inside to the cross ties.  If Sierra is in a paddock, I very rarely halter her to groom/tack up.

2. Is their a breed that you would never own?

I don't typically say "never", but the chances of me owning something gaited like a TWH or Icelandic are very slim.

3. Describe your last ride?

My last ride was lovely. My husband and I rode together on Mothers Day before departing to a family BBQ.  We 

both rode flat and jumped. Unfortunately following my ride, I discovered Sierra's injury and she's now getting time

off to heal.

My Hubby and his young OTTB at a recent show

4. Have any irrational riding fears?

So many.  My probably most irrational is falling off - lol.  I'd consider it a healthy fear, but irrational because it's

inevitable.

5. Describe your favorite lesson horse?

I was blessed to ride several fantastic horses in my life.  The most influential one would have to be Bubba. I very

much consider him my heart horse.

6. Would you ever lease out your horse?

We really don't live in an area where it's common to lease horses out, so probably not.

7. Mares: Yay or neigh?

Yay - but I often ponder what it might be like to own a quiet, compliant gelding as my own Gelding can be more

emotional than my mare!

8. How many time per week do you get to see your horse?

Daily - they're at my house :) When boarded elsewhere, typically at least 4x a week.

9. Favorite thing to do on an “easy day” with your pony?

It's really easy to get caught up in chasing goals and forgetting to take the time to just chill.  On occasion, though

not as often as I should, I set time aside to have a hefty grooming session or pull up a comfy chair and read

my book in their presence.

10. Comformational flaw that bothers you the most?

Hind ends are really important to me, as are good feet.  A long, weak back paired with a herringgutted underline 

and general weak hind end and/or raised SI are big no-go's for me... although good muscling can hide a lot

of that (*cough* Sierra *cough*)

11. Thing about your riding that you’re most self conscious about?

Probably everything.. lol!  When ever I catch myself thinking negative thoughts about what innocent onlookers

might be thinking, the toxic thoughts tends to gravitate towards my weight so I guess that takes the cake, no

pun intended.

12. Will you be participating in no stirrup November?

I hope to!  I did a little last year, but not as much as I should have.

13. What is your grooming routine?

If i'm in a rush it's just a quick dandy brush and Sierra's coat is so short that I rarely curry her, but if i'm doing a

thorough grooming, my order-of-go is: 1 - Curry whole body 2 - Dandy Brush 3 - Brush Mane & Tail 4 - body brush

5 - Pick feet

14. Describe a day in the life of your horse?

Sierra: Whinny at mom demanding food.  Sulk when mom leaves without feeding.  Whinny at dad - receive food.  Nap

all day, dreaming of supper.  Whinny at mom when she comes home because I am STARVING even though I get

half a bale of rich alfalfa per feeding.  Receive delicious mash and get it all over my face while mom re dresses

and bandages my injured leg.  Scream at geldings while peeing everywhere because i'm a nasty hoe.  Scream at mom

because she's starving me.  Receive hay - stuff face, but pace fence a little because i'm still a nasty hoe and I can't see

my boyfriends (yes, multiple), nap and dream of breakfast. Repeat.

15. Favorite season for riding?

Fall.  Not only is it beautiful, Spring tends to bring a lot of hungry bugs, high winds and intermittent weather.  

Summer tends to be very busy, and very hot.  Winter is cold AF.

16. If you could only have 1 ring: indoor or outdoor?

Living where we do, two are a necessity but if I had to choose, I would choose an outdoor and I would just give

the winters off.

17. What impresses you most about the opposite discipline (english vs. western)?

* sings Shine Bright Like A Diamond * - where do I begin? Their love for all things tacky, their balls, their 

rough n' tough yolo attitude, their dedication to paying the Vets mortgage, their grit, their tiny muscle-pones..

18. You have unlimited funds to buy one entire tack set for your horse, what is he/she wearing?

A Solo Bridle & Custom (the brand, but also custom made) Dressage saddle.

19. How many blankets do you have? When do you blanket?

Granted not * all * are mine, my tack room has about 20 blanket hooks and are all full - some are even doubled

up... so... a lot?

20. What is your horse’s favorite treat? Favorite place to be scratched?

Sierra likes pretty much everything horse-treat wise including Apples and Carrots, but naturally I caved and

bought a $18 bag of Elite Three cookies that she hates. I have been sneaking them into her mash.  Kidd doesn't

like 'real' food, but lives for stud muffins  Sierra doesn't really have a favorite place to be scratched, but Kidd is

a total butt guy and Amara will take scratches where ever she can get them. V loves to be scratched at the base of

her neck.

21. Something about your barn that drives you crazy?

Again my horses are at home, but I hate that I don't have enough hours in a day to get everything done. I hate

that my main paddock doesn't have a shelter (just a wind break), and my fencing needs work.  I also hate my

rocky arena, but it's being fixed this summer.

22. Roached manes, pulled manes, or long flowing manes?

I'm a scissor girl (but i've gotten pretty good at it so I don't think it looks terrible) but certainly appreciate a well kept,

short mane or roached on the right neck.

23. Can you handle a buck or a rear better?

Emotionally, neither.. Phsyically, a buck.

24. I would never buy a horse who ___________________?

This is tough because I feel like I'm only getting pickier lol.  My go-to's when buying, training or producing a horse

is always #1 - Brain/Temperament #2 - Conformation (and suitability to desired discipline), so I guess I'd never

buy something with a known, dangerous behavior or a trainwreck of conformation.

25. Favorite facial marking?

I love a big ol' blaze and a white chin.

I like dis face