TRM Blog Hop: 25 Questions

Cathryn from That Red Mare is hosting a 25 Questions Blog Hop - yay for content!! And actually I *do* have other things to write about too!!!! (Like visiting Austen this weekend and auditing a clinic that included a horse very similar in some ways to Isabel)

So there will be more to come this week. Just. Ya know. Gotta edit some media. In the meantime, enjoy these questions and chime in with your own answers too :D

1. Mares or Geldings? Why? No true preference. I tend to say geldings, but obviously love Isabel dearly.

pictured: one well-loved mare

2. Green-broke or fully broke? I've always tended toward greener horses - probably a function of having never owned and only been able to play around with the horses that needed attention, typically green horses. As far as what I go for when I ultimately decide to take the plunge into ownership... well, idk yet. It might depend on the exact circumstances, and what's available at the time. I've always imagined myself with a young green-broke OTTB (oh hai Bali!), but as I wrote yesterday, one of my coaches would encourage me to gain experience on something already trained up. 

3. Would you own a "hotter" breed (ie. Arabian, Trakhener, etc)? Yup!

some like it hot ;)

4. What was your "dream horse" growing up? Palomino pony all the way!!

5. What kind of bit(s) do you use and why? I have a Sprenger loose ring KK Ultra on both my jumping and dressage bridles, and ride Bali in the same thing. It's just a really nice, straight forward bit and is perfectly sufficient for my purposes (esp given that both Isabel and Bali are technically push rides, even if Bali's brakes aren't fabulous). Isabel hacks out in a mechanical hackamore tho. 

snackamore ftw

6. Helmets or no helmets? Helmets. 

7. Favorite horse color? I like bays a lot, but am really not picky. I tend to like interesting markings like dorsal stripes too. 

for instance, this is a bay that i like

8. Least favorite horse color? Hard to say, maybe flea bitten gray? Nothing wrong with it, it's just not my favorite. 

9. Dressage or jumping? JUMPING!!!!! (admittedly I'm starting to become quite fond of dressage too, sorta, maybe if I were better at it?)

10. How many years have you been riding? Upwards of 20. 

11. Spurs/whip or no spurs/whip? Yup. I ride with a dressage whip and spurs with Isabel in our lessons with Dan and dressage trainer C, and when I compete (a crop for jumping while competing, tho I'll jump with the dressage whip in lessons). Not usually in lessons with trainer P. And not every schooling ride. Bali goes with a dressage whip and spurs every ride, and will continue to do so until his 'go' button is more confirmed.

pictured: reinforcements via neck scritches and a dressage whip

12. Your first fall? Also my first canter - on a trail ride, pony started cantering and turned away from a corn field sharply enough for the stirrup leather to slide off the bar. I slipped too far to be able to right myself again and instead just dropped to my feet. 

13. When was the last time you rode and what did you do? Le sigh...... It's been just over 3 weeks. Last time I rode, Bali came with me to a lesson at OF and was a total star, and even quietly hacked out to the xc field. And then I broke my leg. Womp womp. 

14. Most expensive piece of tack you own? My jump and dressage saddles are both Bates, and I spent more or less the same on both of them. The close contact saddle takes the cake tho, since I've poured way more into trying (unsuccessfully) to make it fit my mare. 

ugh kill me

15. How old were you when you started riding? Hm. My first ride was when I was 7 or 8, I think. 

16. Leather or nylon halters? No preference as long as it has a breakaway crown piece. 

17. Leather or synthetic saddles? Leather, tho I've lately been hearing good things about the hybrid Thorowgood T8 saddles. 

18. What "grip" of reins do you like? I always rode in laced reins bc hunter. But my first dressage trainer encouraged me to get reins with stops on them, which I did. And now that just seems to be my de facto choice. 

19. English or Western? English.

cutest ear fuzz ever? mebbe

20. How many horses do you currently own/lease? I lease one horse, and have mostly full access to a second. 

21. Do you board your horse? Self-care/full board? Home board? My lease horse is boarded at a full care facility, and I have a hard time imaging myself ever doing anything other than that. Lots of people love having their horses at home, but... well, that's not really a life style choice that I am likely to make. 

22. Have you ever had to put down a horse that you loved? I've never been responsible for making those decisions. As it is tho, I've known and loved more horses that have since passed away than I currently know living. 

Smellie Mae was also very dearly beloved, and was gone too soon with white line disease

23. How many saddle pads do you have? Simultaneously too many and not enough. Lol. 

24. Slant-load trailer or straight haul? My current trailer is a straight haul.

she prefers to think of it as her chariot, not just as a trailer, thankyouverymuch

25. Why do you ride? It's (arguably) cheaper than therapy ;)