20 Questions

Um.. yeah I failed this week in the riding department.  Between Chrome's trim and locking stifles, being out of town for a few days, the hideously large amounts of rain (and hence also mud) and my weather related headaches that make me feel like I'm dying and wishing I would die so they end I just didn't get around to it.  I don't think it was a bad thing though because Chrome's stifles are much better so I think they did need time after the trim to readjust to the new angles.  So we will pick back up either tomorrow or Monday.

As usual when I have nothing to post about I steal material from L. Williams at Viva Carlos hehe.  She actually got these 20 questions from someone else who got them from the Daily Horse Tumblr.  If you want to see L. Williams answers here is the direct link to her post (LINK).  Now, on to the questions...

1) What discipline do you ride right now? Well... the green horse Olympics?  Haha!  For real though I'm just teaching Chrome the basics and we also just started working on the obstacles for Competitive Trail Riding.  When I get the truck fixed and have the money I'm hoping to start taking dressage lessons on him too.... if I ever manage to start riding regularly enough to get him in shape well enough to not die trotting around in sand for thirty minutes lol!

2) If you had to switch your discipline, which one would you choose? Since I don't really have a discipline how do I answer this question?  With Chrome I want to do dressage, competitive trail riding and driving someday.  If not one of those... maybe working equitation or... oooh polo (which I would probably suck at because my hand/eye coordination is bad hehe)!  LOL!

3) Who is your equestrian idol? I don't really have one.... I haven't ever been involved in the show scene and can't even watch equestrian events on T.V. since I don't have cable or satellite.

4) Who is your least favorite equestrian? I don't know... anyone who doesn't give a crap about the horse they are riding I guess.

5) Describe your dream horse... breed, color, markings, name.... (if you have yours, post a pic)?  Anyone who has read this blog for long knows my dream horse is a Friesian.  :D  They are all black with no markings so that part is easy.  Although in a non-Friesian my favorite face markings on a horse are a star/snip combo.  So adorable!  I do have a name picked out for my future Friesian (if I ever get one), but I don't think I want to share it yet.  Even though Chrome is turning my least favorite color and is shorter than I typically like he is still my dream horse (you can have more than one right?).  He has the Friesian personality and he's my best friend.  The gray (so fun to watch the changes each year) and shortness (easier to mount, cheaper to feed, smaller trailer, less far to fall,  stays sound longer, etc. are all great reasons to love shorter horses) are totally growing on me too hehe.  Here's a couple of pictures since he's my dream horse.  :D

6) Explain or post a picture of the horse you ride.  This isn't really a question lol!  My horse is plastered all over this blog, but since I love to talk about him Chrome is a 2009 Friesian/Arabian gelding.  His registered name is Beebee's Chrome Chavalier TTT.  He was born bay and is turning gray.  He's 15.2hh at almost five years old, so not sure if he will get any taller... probably not hehe.  He has the best personality ever!  He's friendly, curious, confident and always game to try something new.  He's a young, green horse with the brain of a twenty year old horse.  I got Chrome when he was a five month old weanling and I've done all of his training (well besides the stuff his breeder did like halter training, leading, picking up hooves, etc.) myself.  I rode him for the first time on the day he turned three.  I rode him a little bit in his three year old year and a little more in his four year old year, but it's totally time to get our butts in gear and get serious. It's time to stop treating him like a baby.  I did a lot of his training with clicker training, including some fun tricks like smiling and saying no.  He has sweet itch in the summer, which is a pain in the butt, so he rubs his mane out which is why I roach it.  I think that about covers most everything.  If you're interested in learning more you can read his blog since I started it before I even brought him home as a five month old hehe.  More pictures below since I'm obsessed with pictures!

Proof I do ride him hehe.

7) What would you do if you were forced to stop riding?  Been there, done that, it sucks!  I basically spent my time working and when not working I was drooling over horses on the internet haha!  If I couldn't ride though I have a bunch of other hobbies that I totally love like writing, photography, dog training, etc.  :)  Plenty to do, just not enough time!

8) What was your best score at a show? I've never competed, so no answer available.

9) Who's your favorite horse blog? Whoa... how do I choose???  There are a TON of them!  In fact there are so many of them I can never keep up with all of them.  Again so many, just not enough time!

10) Group lessons or private? Why? Private!!  I've never tried a group lesson, but I can almost guarantee I would not like it as much as a private lesson.

11) How high do you jump? I don't jump regularly... I just hop over fallen tree limbs occasionally.  I don't think I've ever jumped over two feet, but I'm not sure since I've never stopped in a trail ride to measure the things I've jumped over.  Maybe I should try jumping an actual jump and measure it someday.... lol!

12) What level dressage do you do?  I've never competed, just taken lessons... I think I've only worked up to First level stuff, but I'm not sure since we just worked on whatever I needed to work on.

13) What level eventing do you do?  I've never tried eventing and probably never will... jumping just isn't really my thing.  I think it would be fun to learn how to jump properly, but I have no aspirations to jump big things or compete in it lol.  

14) Cross country colors? What are they? Don't have any.  My SCA colors are going to be blue and silver though.  :D

15) What colors look good on your horse?  Well once he turns gray any color will look good on him... win!  The only color I've ever really tried on him is blue and I love it!  His breeder had red on him which looked nice when he was dark, but it's never been my favorite color.  I've had a green halter on him before too and it was alright, but not nearly as nice as blue.  :D

16) Your opinions on Rolkur?  It's cruel.... duh.

17) Last time you rode... was it great? My last ride was on Sunday and it was only ten minutes long because Chrome was sore... so it was kind of sad.  He's been trimmed and feels much better now though so I think our next ride will be great!

18) If you can spend a day with any Equestrian.... who would you spend it with... What would you do? I'd probably spend it with my trainer, watching her ride her horses and give lessons.  Having a lesson on Chrome.  Talking.  All those fun things.  :)

19) Helmet or no helmet... your opinions? Helmet!  Sometimes if I'm offered a ride and I don't have my helmet with me I will ride without one, but I try to always wear one, especially on my green horse.  :)

20) Who was/ is your first horse?  I don't have pictures of my first horse.  She was a black and white pinto pony named Patches (came with the name).  I was only five at the time and I barely remember her.  The first horse I loved and that I considered mine (my sister and I shared horses a lot) was Lady.  I've mentioned her on the blog before.  You can read more about her here (LINK).  Lady is a 14hh Appaloosa cross mare that I got in 1995 when she was five.  I gave her to a friend in 2007 when I moved to a place where I couldn't keep her.  Click the link above to see pictures of her.  

If you decide to answer the questions leave me a comment so I can come read them please.  Below are a few more pictures of Chrome just because!  :D