One Year: A Contest

So I've officially done this blog thing for one year. 365 days.

It's been a somewhat strange and unexpectedly rewarding journey, and I'm grateful for that extra glass of wine that inspired me to impulsively click 'publish' one summer evening.

isabel over time

One of my biggest takeaways from blogging is the sense of 'community,' but maybe in a slightly different sense than you might think.

At any typical barn (and most of us have been around), riders usually end up pigeon-holed, categorized or defined one way or another, for better or worse. Sometimes there's a hierarchy (this rider is better than that rider) and sometimes it's just different buckets (weekend warrior v. horse show diva v. absentee owner v. trainer's pet).

In that insulated world, it's really easy to lose sight of each individual's identity or story, and even lose sight of our own potential to break out of that mold.

last year

this year

What I learned from reading other blogs (and ultimately adding my own voice to the cacophony) is that everyone really does have their own story. We have horses in our lives for one unifying reason: we love them. But beyond that, there is just so much variety.

It's been really inspiring to see the different ways people with that one common interest manage to fit horses into their lives, regardless of background and resources, and with different goals, different interests, different situations, different histories.

It sounds cheesy, but somehow reading about all of your experiences opened my eyes to the possibilities. It made me rethink why I ride - and why I ride Isabel. It made certain ideas (like buying my own rig to haul out for trainers of my own choosing) suddenly feel like realistic and normal options.

we can do this!

Ultimately, it refocused my energy on getting the most out of my investment in horses. And participating by chronicling my own journey with Isabel has been a huge part of that.

So yea, thanks to everyone who takes time to read and comment here - I really appreciate it! Thanks also to all you other bloggers out there sharing your side of the story too. Makes for great food for thought!

cha-cha-cha-changes

*****

Beyond that quick foray into my general impressions of blogging one year in, here's a little look at the stats too (bc I can't help myself!).

Most viewed posts:

• constructive criticism v. public shaming -- (a very popular post in every dimension)
• fun times in DC with Austen + Pig! -- (guess y'all really like Austen? haha I mean, I get it, she's pretty cool...)
• BCS Photo Challenge -- (this blew me away, all Jennifer did was share a link to my blog... but she just gets so much traffic that this was the all time high post for me for ages and AGES!)
• review: Mountain Horse Forest Highlander Boots -- (honestly kinda a crappy review. I still love the boots tho!)
• panorama fail: an FCE challenge -- (this is also kinda funny bc actually the hop was a total flop. and yes a TON of ppl read the post! what gives, y'all?? lol)

Most commented posts:

• constructive criticism v. public shaming 
• MDHT: cross country!! -- (our first BN outing, complete with WAY nicer photos than usually seen on this blog!)
• pony prison (a sick joke) -- (ugh... memories)
• we have a winner!!!! -- (new saddle ftw... too bad it might need replaced...)
• the latest craze -- (everyone was really so so so SO helpful during my saddle shopping extravaganza)

Busiest day (by views and comments): Wednesday!!

Perhaps viewers are like me - most active during the standard 9-5 work week? Comments are particularly underrepresented on the weekends. 

Popular labels:

Most total Views	Most views per post	Most comments per post
jumping	waredaca	course walk
Isabel	contest	Fair Hill
video	course walk	saddle shopping
lessons	other horses	tranquility
eventing	tranquility	quarantine

Google search terms:

Beyond the typical 'fraidycateventing' or 'fraidy cat eventing' search terms (by far the most common), here are some of the search terms users have found me through:

• barn cats horses -- (yes. this accurate represents my blog. I approve)
• eventing color suggestions -- (eh, ok? not sure I've ever discussed this...)
• "loughnatousa reiner" -- (this is one of Boyd Martin's horses that I photographed at the MCTA Horse Trials at Shawan Downs)
• anatomic girths -- (my girth experiences here and here)
• canter woes -- (.....I so relate to this)

Readers across the world:

Just over 80% of readers are from the US. What's surprised me is how many readers tune in from other locations (beyond just the bloggers I follow internationally). There's a fairly large Canadian contingent, and also readers from Australia, the UK, France, New Zealand and Luxembourg. But also from China, Russia and Germany. Very cool!


Contest Time!!

And, in honor of my one year of blogging - I'm hosting a fun little contest. Super simple rules - just leave a comment telling me about your favorite post. Or, maybe just your favorite thing about this blog. Or... maybe just a thing you like about this blog? Haha.... or really any comment at all. It's cool if you don't have a 'favorite' thing, tho I'm certainly curious.

In any case, a winner will be chosen at random (by the gods that rule excel's random number generator algorithm) and will receive a $25 SmartPak gift card. Winner will be announced on Monday, 8/24!


Also - Olivia from Do It Yourself Horse Ownership is also celebrating a blog milestone with a contest. Check her out too!