More Questions

I'm totally bored (and procrastinating) so I stole this from a couple of blogs I've seen it on.  There were repeat questions, so I did some modifying.  :D

1. Favorite thing about riding? Exploring new places on trail rides and just taking time to enjoy the scenery and relax.

2. Draft horse or pony? I'm 5'11" so it would really not be fair for me to ride ponies, although the Appy I grew up with (and rode for thirteen years; and I was 5'9" by the time I was fourteen) was only 14hh.  I love ponies though because they are so quick and agile, but I just feel like a giant on them.  If I were shorter I would love to have a Fell pony and a Norwegian Fjord.  :D  I do love draft horses, but the older I get the more I'm attracted to shorter horses.  I think Chrome's 15.2hh is going to be about the perfect compromise.  I was sad that he wouldn't get taller when I got him, but I think it all worked out for a reason and I'm happy with his height now.

3. English or western?  Both!  I love learning dressage, but I prefer a Western (or Aussie) saddle (or bareback) for trail riding because they don't hurt my knees as bad for long rides.

4. Dressage or Hunter/Equitation? Dressage.  I've wanted to learn to ride dressage since I was a kid.  I still want to learn it.  One year of lessons was not enough!  I want more!

5.Green horse or trained horse? Both!!!  At the same time!!!  I LOVE training a green horse.  Getting Chrome as a five month old weanling and raising him has been one of the best experiences of my entire life, but I so miss having a trained horse.  One of the things I wanted to do with him so bad was to pony him off of an experienced trail horse before I started riding him on the trail, but I couldn't because I didn't have a trained horse.  So yes, ideally I would like both.  :)

6. Worst fall? I don't think any of them were worse than any of the others.  I haven't been knocked unconscious from a fall so far (knock on wood; I did get knocked unconscious by a horse when I wasn't on her back though; see below) and my worst injuries have been bruises and I would like to keep it that way!!!

7. First fall, what happened? My first fall was when I was five years old.  We had an old small buckskin pinto pony and my mom was longeing him while I rode him bareback (I think she was checking to see if I would be okay to ride him alone, we hadn't had him long).  The pony decided to turn around and the rope pulled me off of his back.  The hilarious part is that when my mom asked me if I was okay I said it was no different than falling off of the couch (he was short).  :)  I don't have a picture of him on my computer, but this one below sort of looked like him, only shorter, scruffier and older.

I do not own this picture.  Found it on Google.

8. Have you ever wanted to quit riding? No never.  Horses keep me sane.  I did quit for a while though, but I didn't want to.  I moved to a place where I couldn't keep horses for two years, then I got Chrome as a weanling in 2009 and couldn't ride him until he turned three.

9. Favorite thing about your horse? Favorite thing about Chrome??  I have to choose?? Probably his personality.  He is so friendly, inquisitive, confident and laid back.  He has the perfect personality for me.  :)

10. Least favorite thing about riding? Least favorite thing about riding.... falling off (or getting hurt even if I don't fall off; I'm a wimp)!  :)

11. What does the fox say? I'm changing this one to something relevant (although I did get a good laugh out of it).  If you could change one thing about your horse, what would you change?  His sweet itch!!!!!  I feel so awful for how itchy and miserable he gets and there just is no simple fix for this miserable allergy.  If there was one thing I could change for him that would be it.  I would also like to change his weak stifles and club feet lol.

12. Do you prefer to ride inside or outside? Outside, preferably on the trails.

13. Do you show? Nope, stage fright and it's expensive.

14. How long have you been riding? Since I was five years old.

15. Why did you start riding? I was born in a city, but when the neighborhood started going downhill right at the time I would be going to school my parents decided to move out into the country (to a great school district).  Since my dad grew up riding and always loved horses, he obviously got a horse and taught me to ride.  :D

16. How many times a week do you ride? This question is depressing.  I have been so busy building our house and exhausted from the stress of everything that has been going on (and insomnia) that I really haven't been riding much at all.  I also hate winter so it probably won't change any time soon.  I'm hoping in the spring to really get dedicated about riding again (if I can get over my fear of trail riding alone).

17. Have you ever fallen off at a show? How? Nope, I have never ridden in a show.

18. Ever fallen onto a jump? Nope.  The only things I have ever jumped are fallen limbs/trees and I never fell into one of them.

19. Ever been bucked off? Yes, definitely.  I can not ride a big buck (where they throw their hind feet over the head, not the easy to ride hunch backed crow hopping) to save my life.  :(  The picture below is the kind of bucking I can't ride.  Nope.  I can't lol.

I do not own this picture.  Found it on Google.

20. Do you have a private or group lesson? When I was taking dressage lessons, they were private.  I am soooo dying to start taking lessons again.

21. In your opinion does it make you less of a rider if you don't own a horse? No... bad attitude makes you less of a rider and not caring about the horse.  Everyone can learn to ride better if they have the right attitude and care about the horse.  :)

22. Trick riding or eventing? Is this asking if I want to try one of these?  If so, the answer is no!  I'm too chicken for both.  :)  As for watching them, I like to watch both.

23. What discipline do you want to try? Why? Driving!!!!  If I could win a ton of money I would immediately by a harness, cart and driving lessons!  Why?  Because it's cool!!!  Come on, tell me Chrome would not look cute in front of a cart like this...

I do not own this picture.  Found it on Google.

25. Ever had barn drama? Yep... I try to stay out of it though.

26. How many barns have you been too? If this is asking how many barns I have boarded a horse at, then the answer is none.  I've always kept my horses at home.

27. Do you plan on having horses in your life, for the rest of your life? Yes.  Even if I get too old and frail to ride I will have my very own miniature horse to teach tricks and to groom (since that's the most relaxing thing ever) until the day I die.  :)  Like this adorable one below.

I do not own this picture.  Found it on Google.

28. Favourite tumblr equestrian? I don't do tumblr so I'm changing this question.  For trail riding do you prefer a horse who likes to lead or who likes to follow?  I prefer a horse that is adjustable (speed wise) and is fine with riding in the front or the back.  I do prefer the front, but a lot of the times I ride in the back because I have bad hearing and can't hear what people are saying if they are behind me.

29. Favourite tumblr horse? Again, I'm changing this one.  What is your favorite season to ride?  Autumn!  The temperatures are perfect, the fall colors are gorgeous, the bugs are gone (for the most part) and it's usually not raining much during this time (whereas in spring it rains like crazy).

30. If you could ride any famous horse (dead or alive) who would it be? Why? It would be a famous Friesian or a famous Grand Prix dressage horse.  Even better if it is a Grand Prix trained Friesian.  :D  The why should be fairly obvious if you have read my blog long.

I do not own this picture.  Found it on Google.

31. Does winning ribbons matter to you? I have no idea.  I have never competed before.  I think it would be cool to have ribbons, but I don't know that if I ever decided to compete that it would be my driving force to do better or not.  :)

32. Do you show? This one has already been asked so I'm changing it. What is your favorite breed, favorite color and favorite gender of horse?  Friesian, black (on all horses, not just Friesians and I loved black horses before I knew Friesians existed; I blame Black Beauty and the Black Stallion) and geldings.  My personality does not mesh with mares and depending on the stallion it can be difficult to relax because you have to be hyper aware of your surroundings when in the company of other horses (not all stallions are this way and I know you have to be aware of your surroundings around every horse, but not hyper aware; sorry for the generalization).  :)

33. Worst riding experience? I really don't know.  I really hate to fall or get hurt, so probably any of those times apply.  I don't dwell on (or try to remember) the bad stuff, so it's hard to answer this.

34. Ever been on a trail ride? Yes, I've spent most of my life trail riding.  Specifically sixteen years consecutively (well I'm not sure if I trail rode at five, but I did ride in the pasture or on trails for sixteen years) and then a few times during my horseless and waiting on Chrome to grow phase and I'm planning to get back to it... once again if I ever get the guts to trail ride alone (I'll take this moment to explain why I keep saying that.  I'm a twin so growing up I NEVER rode alone.  I never realized how it affected me until she moved away, my husband got injured and my best friend started working out of state so I no longer had anyone to ride with.  Now I'm afraid to go out on my own because we don't have trails (we have to ride on the road) and I'm one of those worst case scenario thinkers.  I know that if something happened and I got injured I would be completely incapacitated by pain (I don't handle pain well at all), my horse would get loose and I would have to wait for someone to come get me (and him).  Not a confidence evoking scenario.)

35. Hunter or Jumper? I don't jump.  Upper level jumpers is fun to watch though.  :)

36. Why did you start riding? This is another repeat so I'm changing it.  Is there a horse that you knew and loved, but did not own that you really wish you could have owned?  Tell us about him/her.  Yes!  His name is Boomer (because he boomed around his stall).  He is a gorgeous 16.1hh black Thoroughbred/Appaloosa (trust me he looked like a warmblood even though the cross is odd) gelding with four white socks and a star/snip combo.  He did not have Appy spots.  A friend (boarded at the stable where I worked) owned him and competed him up to third level dressage, but he could not master flying lead changes and he hated dressage so she decided to sell him.  She was determined to get her medals, but couldn't keep more than one horse.  He had anxiety issues (about dressage and the lifestyle of being a show horse) and was stall aggressive.

When I first started working there I was told he bites and to watch him.  Obviously it was my job to feed him and put him in his pasture at night so I was around him a lot.  Actually he was the very first horse I saw when I walked into the stable on my job orientation and I almost melted into a pile of drool right there.  I thought he was gorgeous from the second I saw him.  At first I was put off by his attitude, but I quickly realized he wasn't a mean horse, but was insecure.  I started spending more and more time with him and it got to where I was the only person (besides his owner and the BO/trainer; they are best friends and have been for almost their entire lives) that he would not try to bite.  In fact he's one of those lickers; he likes to lick your hands, arms, clothes, hair, etc.  Kind of gross, but I felt like if he was comfortable enough to try then he trusted me.
When his owner decided to sell him she knew how much I loved him and said I could start taking my lessons on him (I didn't mesh well with the school horse) and it was like a dream come true!  I was ecstatic!  When I found out he was for sale I started trying to come up with the money to buy him, but he was way out of my price range.  I loved every dressage lesson I took on him and I learned so much riding a horse trained to third level that wasn't being ridden by anyone else (yes I was the only one allowed to ride him!!).  Then one day when I went into work he was gone and I didn't get to say goodbye.  I cried and cried.  In fact shortly after he left I stopped taking dressage lessons.  My heart was just not into it anymore.  Luckily he went to a stable not far away and when I went to a show there (as a spectator) I got to see him. He was laying in his pasture, eating hay and I walked up to him.  He never got up and I just pet him and cried and said goodbye.  To this day I wish I could have bought him.  I love him so much.  Chrome is the first horse I've loved as much as Boomer since that happened nine years ago.  Wow sorry for the novel.  Warning Boomer picture spam below.

This was my first time ever sitting on Boomer!  I made a jousting knight's outfit for the Halloween party, but my horse got injured so she said I could use Boomer. I dressed him up and went around in the parade then someone said I would look awesome on him, so I asked her if I could get on and she said yes!  One of the best moments of my whole life.  :D  I have no clue why I wore hideous jeans instead of breeches or something that would match the outfit....

 I even made a lance out of a long cardboard tube and an ice cream bucket for the guard.  It was too heavy to hold like a jousting lance though lol.

This was his anxious, stall aggressive expression.  You can see why people avoided him.  He didn't fool me.  Love that boy.  Oh and I almost forgot to mention she sold him to a family with an up and coming young rider and he gets to stay in a pasture now instead of in a stall.  He's so happy.

37. Ever wanted to buy a school horse? Not a school horse no, but I did want to buy the horse I took lessons on, see above.

38. How many times a week do you ride? This is another repeat, so I'm changing it.  Have you ever been knocked unconscious by a horse?  How?  Yes, once.  It was at the dressage stable where I worked.  I was leading my BO/trainer's gorgeous 17hh+ three year old Oldenburg filly out to her pasture, but I was behind someone else leading a horse out.  The other person's horse hit the hot wire (not sure how) and bolted back toward the barn (towards me).  The filly panicked, spun and bolted.  When she spun her head (her head from ears to nose went from my head to my waist and you know how tall I am) hit me and knocked me to the ground.  I don't remember anything that happened (the horse in front spooking, the filly spooking, the people yelling, nothing), so they think the impact of her head knocked me out before I hit the ground.  Luckily the only place she stepped on me with her enormous dinner plate sized hooves was my hand.  It bent one of my favorite rings and bruised, but did not break anything.  I had a mild concussion, but was fine after.  I did not hold what happened against any of the horses, people or anything.  It happens.

Crappy picture, but I don't have many of me with her.  This is the three year old filly (above) that knocked me unconscious. Yes she's only three in this picture!!  Sorry I blurred out the words on the shirt.  Also notice this was before I had bangs lol.  Her head doesn't look that big, but if you remember I am 5'11" tall and her head is as long as my head and torso... trust me she was huge.  :)

39. Ever ridden a horse 17hh+?  No!  I was going to ride the filly that I mentioned above about a year after that incident happened because the BO/trainer was too busy to ride her, but she sold before I got to ride her.  The tallest horse I've ridden was in the 16hh range.  It's possible that the Thoroughbred we had when I was a little kid was over 17hh, but I don't remember for sure and I always rode double with dad because he was too much horse for me at that age.  Someday I want to ride a draft horse, so I hope I get to do this eventually.  :)

40. Ever ridden a horse 13hh or under?  Yes.  My neighbors had a pony that was being horribly naughty, so I let them ride my horse while I rode the pony.  I felt like I could have just put my feet down and touched the ground (I was bareback so they obviously didn't touch the ground, it just felt that way), but he had no problem bucking, spinning and rearing with me on him so I doubt I was too much for him (I was probably 5'9" at the time).  He eventually calmed down and we had a great rest of the trail ride.  :)

Feel free to join in and please leave a comment so I can read your answers.  It's always fun learning more about my fellow bloggers.