chuck-a-doodle-doo!

Guys, life with Charlie has been such a roller coaster for the last few months year. Full of moments where it felt like we finally got everything just right for his soundness --- when he started on equioxx --- and moments where he was in the most pain we've ever seen in him --- while in the throes of that catastrophic subsolar abscess. 

This pattern repeated into the spring, too. We got a bit of a, hm, false sense of closure from the abscess when the horse seemed sound, started back into work, and even won his first horse show back at Thornridge. I started getting really excited, more excited than I've been in years. We booked lessons, lots of them, and I even entered a full HT. 

the big boys (and spirit), blissfully ignorant of being called down to breakfast all the way down the hill...

But, Charlie wasn't holding up to the work. In.... kinda surprising and extremely worrisome ways -- he was way too footsore for what we were doing. 

Then a few more pieces came into focus, learning that maybe his latest farrier wasn't the best fit, and, more generally, his hooves had changed and overall degenerated significantly in health and shape throughout his months of intense lameness.

charles stands in this certain sort of way behind that makes us all feel a certain sort of way

And we've kinda been stuck in this rut ever since. He's generally a little foot sore when coming due for getting shod, and a little sore right after getting shod. The hooves just aren't super happy right now. But we got new rads, the new farrier is committed, and I'm doing my best to be patient. 

Charlie, however, has not been super helpful. He loses at least one shoe per cycle, often more. Particularly his hinds -- the perfect storm of lost muscling, overdue hocks (bc other more pressing issues), and general compensation, results in him stepping all over himself behind -- frequently twisting off those shoes, and stepping on the clip in the process. 

how many times have we seen this hoof bleed at this point?? whyyyyyyy.....

Just about everybody at our barn has had to pull a shoe off this horse in recent months. It's legit insane. He just keeps stepping on the clinchers on the inside of his hind hoof walls, wearing them down, then poof!, twisted and stepping on the clip. 

Last week was a real mess, too. My farrier has been trying to tighten his clinchers more often mid-cycle, but it's a double edged sword bc he still twists the shoes, but now they're harder for us mere mortals to pull. This time, when I arrived he was in a significant amount of distress, and all the clinchers were pulled straight into the hoof. 

red = unfortunate nail jab; blue = where the clip inserted
luckily does not appear to be as nasty a clip location as charlie implied by his extreme distress. 
will probably still abscess in 7-9 days anyway, tho! 

It took a team effort to get the shoe off, and in the chaos Charlie stepped on one of the loose nails - puncturing his sole soul (literally and metaphorically), and spurting blood everywhere. UGH. Not gonna lie, I cried a little bit. It just seems... so hard. Why is it this hard? Why?

But ya know. Horses. I took care of him, cleaned it up, soaked it with betadine and epsom salts, wrapped it up carefully, and tucked him into his stall for the night. And believe it or not, he was hale and hearty and sound as an (unshod) dollar the next day! Whew.... We don't call him "King of the Dings" for nothing -- in all his drama, most of his oopsies are just... ya know... dings. 

we love you, charlie <3 <3 <3

The shoe got replaced within a day with no issues, no lingering tenderness or soreness, and so... Ya know... We're otherwise in the middle of his shoeing cycle right now, the golden ~2wk period where he's been pretty comfortable.... so... Maybe let's go for a sit, yes?? Yes!!

Charlie was happy to volunteer as chaperone for a barn mate's 4yo TB, while she evaluated a new trial saddle. She wanted to go to the jump ring to give the saddle a proper test, so... obvi we'd go wherever! 

ermagerd we really love you tho, esp when you trot sound omg! 

Mostly when I've ridden Charlie in recent months, we've stuck to the xc fields for pleasant low pressure wanders... And ya know, while out in the fields it's easy enough to squeeze up into a trot or canter around whenever Charlie has wanted to volunteer it... 

But I legit do not remember the last time I trotted this horse in an actual ring.  

might not look like much, but to me this is everything!

And ugh <3 <3 <3 he was so good. He's just such a good horse. Like, I always want to make excuses for us --- "ignore my position, I'm out of shape!"    " he's overdue for his hocks!!"   "we were just playing around, nothing serious!"

ok possibly actually getting a bit trotted away with at this point <3 <3 <3

But the feeling.... Maybe just because I know this horse so well, and he knows me, but I can just tell when he's showing off, when he's struttin' his stuff, ya know? And I LOVE that feeling!

perched up there, probably drooling like a gleefully dazed idiot, cantering for the first time in god knows how long 

It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be correct, bc.... seeing him go this way tells me everything I need to know. It's like, sitting there, cantering him around for my first canter in probably months, it took every ounce of will power not to point him at any of the little jumps. Every. Ounce.

d'awww charles, legit tried to pet him down from trot to walk, and he burst off into canter again!!

We trotted a lap or two in each direction, then cantered a lap or two in each direction just to sorta do it, have fun, and see how he felt.... and I legit could not get him stopped for another lap or two bc he just wanted to keep going and going and going. Ugh <3 <3

meanwhile, in Dooz Nooz, everyone hated the turkey leg fauxtoshop, so how about something a little less.... cooked? my vet lol'd so basically idc if you hate this too haha

It would be so easy to get greedy in these moments. Bc he feels invincible, would do --- wants to do anything. But, eh... Maybe I'm trying to get smarter. Trying to think about tomorrow, ya know? 

squeezed in a party with the whole family, Chesapeake style, for mama's 65th!

Like, this cycle has repeated often enough that I'm simply unwilling to actually put the horse to proper work until he can trot off sound right after getting shod. That's my metric. Based on... Well, nothing, actually, except that it kinda seems to make sense to me. 

kittens are nice but michael is better lol

So. We continue as we are. I'm hoping to get on Charlie again today, actually, one day after trotting and cantering around briefly, just to see if it feels any different, any less gung ho or willing or forward. Anything that feels like maybe his feet are paying the price for yesterday's exuberance, ya know? 

We'll see. I'm willing to be hopeful. But maybe not willing to rush. Cross your fingers for us lol. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

big news!!

Let's be honest, this year got off to a rocky start for us. A lot of setbacks. But... I've been holding back a little secret from y'all. While Charlie sorted out his gravel-induced abscess plus obvi the ill-timed choke, etc, I was busy planning.

So here's the deal: Y'all might remember, we started Charlie on Equioxx back in November, to excellent effect. He is responding *so well* to the drug that, well, I decided to get serious again about moving up this year. Really give it another try, see how far we can go, ya know?

I don't want to repeat the same mistakes from our past, however, so.... I decided on a more... traditional.... route. We enlisted a competent professional to help get Charlie back into work and ultimately pilot him around his first few bigger events. Enter: Boyd Martin! 

boyd and charlie!

So far, it's gone really well too! Turns out, I've been right all along: Charlie already has all the pieces for the level. He's a good and capable horse, who just needed a slightly more consistent and confident rider to get him really confirmed. It's just so exciting to see <3

Boyd has been a phenomenal mentor to me, too. He realized pretty quickly that.... *I* was the one in need of a little hand holding. In his opinion, I just need more mileage, more jumps, more galloping, more... everything. And more than any one horse (esp a high-mileage model like Charlie) needs to do. 

As such, he's offered up some of his own school masters to help me get rider-fit again plus gain experience at higher levels!!

omg it's me and Thomas!!!

And oh. my. gawwwd has it been fun!!! Like.... Sure, I still kinda suck haha. Tho, turns out, my defensive, back-seat, pearl-clutching stance*** as a rider made me perfectly suited for the drop into Head of the Lake. Check THAT off the old bucket list, lol!

(***Specifically the third photo in that post, in case it's not clear enough!) 

Oh, and guys ---- wowza, Tsetserleg is a serious little pocket rocket! This horse has HOPS! He's teaching me so much, honestly, I'm just so grateful. 

Now that it's April, I'll get less saddle time with him as he preps for Kentucky with Boyd (sadly, I couldn't get my own or Charlie's MERs done in time!) -- but what an experience! 

Here's hoping for much more to come!

ww: Hulk Murray

I always knew Charlie was a junkie, guys. You don't race up thru your 7yo year without learning to love some drugs. 

True story: Charlie literally leans into whatever shot you're giving him, even if you're actually just drawing blood.... Practically communicating as clearly as he possibly can: "This better be the good stuff!"

But still. Even I was surprised by his *immediate* response to the firocoxib. Good lord. Apparently Charlie has *absolutely not* matured past his earlier.... exuberance lol. Perhaps we'll see a return of Hulk Murray (The Chulk?) after all!!

hulk murray is here for the smashies!

I shouldn't be surprised, really. Charlie is not a stoic sort of horse. He's been disinclined to work through the least bit of discomfort for as long as I've known him. Like, seriously. The rigidity of even just a leather girth is beyond consideration. 

Apparently I still haven't really figured this out, either. I see him uncomfortable and am just like, omg this horse, I'm going to have to inject everything from the ears down..... Or maybe just go on ahead and start digging the hole, ugh. 

But, go figure. All he wanted was a basic generic NSAID. Who woulda thunk, lol.

I'll take it tho - Hallelujah! #BetterLivingThruChemistry

friday foto finish: hinting at tradition

Happy Friday, everyone!! And a happy long weekend especially to the US readers out there!! Idk what it is, but this Labor Day Weekend both snuck up on me, AND simultaneously feels way overdue. 

bc it's been too long since we featured some cats here on ye olde blogge

Probably bc... This is legit the first Labor Day Weekend I can ever remember that occurs after we're already days into September. 

And like, Holy Fuck, y'all. It is September 2021. How, -- why!? So much has happened since 2020, and yet.... omg, why are some things not even remotely different yet?! Arghhh... 

lolz, in case you were confused by yesterday's shoddily edited "hint hint" pic.... here's a memorable throwback to an amazing "inspo pic" from years past....

Ahem. Cough Cough. (But not coughing *like that*)....

Anyways. One Very Important Thing is getting back to normal this year. I mean. It happened last year too.... But. Eh, last year was a cluster. *I* was a cluster. So we're kinda just gonna move on and harken back to better, earlier days - and hopefully better (immediate) future days too!

obvi we recycle here at 'Fraidy Cat Eventing, with one mighty superhero cape passed down to the next generation <3 
(pro tip: stuff like this makes excellent 'wrapping paper' -- two gifts in one!)

In case you haven't figured it out yet -- I'm talking about the annual tradition here at 'Fraidy Cat Eventing of liberating our inner 12yos, in conjunction with local farm Tranquility Manor's annual Fall Hunter Pace. 

aaaaand back to the cats again. yes that gray one is exactly as bad as he looks lol

The hunter pace is basically a beautiful mix of glorified trail riding and cross country schooling -- with the bonus of potentially winning ribbons. All for the bargain price of $25. 

Teams gather at Tranquility for a jaunt across their extensive property -- following a specially marked trail through the woods, over hill and dale, and -- notably -- through all their schooling fields. There are different "divisions" to enter, based on whether you want to go fast over the big stuff, or go lower and slower, or even just enjoy a relaxing flat ride (every jump can be gotten around). And each division has its own "optimum time," which is kept top secret until all teams have completed. Closest to the time wins!

it was literally on the floor for like, one second so i could take a pic. then -- insta-cat-battle-ground

Naturally, organizers fully expect teams to linger in the xc schooling fields, tho -- taking full advantage of Tranquility's extensive collection of many many fun fences. They have an enormous assortment of all manner of xc jumps, virtually all of which are below 3', and many of which are right around the 18"-2'3 sweet spot. 

So the "optimum times" are generally padded out with the expectation that riders will take their time to enjoy the facilities, ya know? 

ooooh there ain't no cats in this one, tho!

Tho... Uh, obviously none of that really speaks to the content in any of these photos, lol....

The truth is... We tend to go a little extra at these events. Like, obviously most teams opt for some degree of outfit coordination. By which I mean, the day is generally an absolute ocean of navy blue polos + tan breeches. With the occasional "wild" purple or pink outlier lol. 

hmmmmm, yessss

We kinda go.... hard in a completely different direction. It started innocently enough, with the random creative spark to use the hunter pace as a vehicle for a surprise bridal shower back in 2016.

It grew wildly out of control from there, tho. Like, 'costumes' aren't required (or even really encouraged) at this event, and we are 100% the only people who do this.... but yet, we can't stop haha. In years since, we've done: 

- Taste the Rainbow (2017)

- Jockeys & Racehorses (2018)

- Superheroes (2019)

- Did Somebody Call a Doctor? (2020)

"i was told there would be an adventure?!" -- charles, ready for action

And this year?? We hope to take flight <3 

Or at least, lol, that's the idea. It's a bit of a hodge podge this year, thrown together at the last minute with a lot of new horses in the mix. As it should be tho, obviously haha. 

Ultimately, we're hoping for a Good Day. With good horses, fun facilities, and riders who are ready to let loose and enjoy themselves and this ridiculous lifestyle we've chosen lol. Oooh. And I'm hoping for at least a couple good pics, too ;) 

Happy Weekend, everybody!!

creating a NEW new plan!!

I reminisced a couple weeks ago about how great it was for my confidence to take two jumping lessons each week back in 2015. Ideally, that's the direction I'd like to get back to. In the meantime, tho, realistically I'll settle for even just more saddle time, independent of whether we jump or not. 

Y'all don't need me to tell you that life with Charlie requires many many starts and stops. The casual reader might be forgiven for thinking we're perpetually in the "getting started again / legging back up" phase of work, let's be real.

charlie is the best at making new barnyard friends <3 isn't Bess adorable tho??

To be perfectly honest, I've often considered (at times, very seriously) whether I might actually be able to swing two horses -- just to always have a back up for ye olde King of the Dings, Charles. 

Somewhat serendipitously, tho, an even better situation just popped up. You see, the owners at Charlie's farm have long felt like something's been missing. And they've been casually looking for a new barnyard resident. Finally, they found her: Bess. And guys, Bess ticks all the right boxes. 

she's really the friendliest tho

She's obviously super cute. But also super friendly, gentle, and people-oriented. Only issue is that she's still kinda young and doesn't have a ton of mileage yet. She's not ready for "prime time" in the school program yet, if ya know what I mean. 

So -- we ended up working out a win-win solution for everyone involved. I get a solution for filling the gap in my saddle time, giving me the opportunity to increase my fitness (and grow my skillset in new and different ways). And Bess gets the attention and experience she needs to be a productive member of the farm's society. 

haven't found a bridle that fits her yet (plus, omg, so downhill!) so it's a real test of my balance lol

And honestly, so far everything's been going pretty smoothly! She's obviously a very different ride from what I'm used to -- not even considering the conformation changes. 

And, lol, somewhat embarrassingly, she's already got a bigger better engine than retired racehorse Charlie.... Which honestly is a nice change of pace for me (lol puns) not feeling like I have to kick kick kick her along every step. Tho, uh, the lack of steering and downhill way of going has meant for some slightly dicey moments at times -- esp out in the open fields!

but she's got hops!! good 'nuff for me <3 <3 <3

Honestly, tho, Bess is SUPER fun. She's brave and game and so far has shown a shocking aptitude and talent for her new job. Idk how long the lease will last, to be honest, bc some of the more advanced lesson kiddos are already itching to get their chance with her too. 

But for now, I'm just taking my time and making sure we both get a lot of good positive experiences. So! There ya have it -- my new exciting partner in crime, with our lease starting today, April 1!! :)

riding better with technology?

It will surprise exactly nobody to learn that... I'm a bit of a data geek. I'm kiiiiinda into numbers. Problem solving, data exploration.... Technology, research, analysis.... It's my jam, ya know? And, not entirely coincidentally, also my day job haha.

New technologies in cell phone apps, smart watches, and other digital devices have ushered in this new era of tech-enabled living. We are bombarded with interesting (or otherwise) notifications and nuggets of information every day, every minute almost, of our lives. And naturally, some of this has trickled into my horse habit too. Obvi.

charlie fully supports my mission of trying anything - literally anything - to improve myself lol

If I've learned anything as a purveyor of data products, however, it is this: Information alone is not enough to change behavior.

Thus begging the question: What data or information *is* actionable for riding? Can technology actually influence our riding behavior or choices, in real-time or otherwise?

Over the years I've tried out a number of different apps to use while riding. With.... Various degrees of success haha. Some were discarded immediately for being too buggy or glitchy. Others were interesting enough to stick around for a while, but eventually faded. And a few have had more staying power.

dedicated equine app folder.... most of which aren't actually designed for use with horses, go figure

Personally, I'm interested in figuring out which is which, and why. So here are a few examples of what I've tried, and how I feel about them. Notably, only one is actually specific to riding....

1. Altitude Profile

What is it? A basic hiking app I downloaded to help with conditioning.

This app tracks your activity via gps location and compiles a package of meta data:

- Satellite map of your activity's path
- Total distance covered (kilometers or miles)
- Activity duration and average speed
- Total change in elevation
- Elevation chart

gosh but i love meta data

How do I use it? Honestly? Kinda sparingly, in specific circumstances.

Zillions of apps can track metrics like speed, distance, and duration, but what makes this app special is the elevation chart, IMO. I've used this app to map out all the hills at Charlie's farm, and like to use it during my cross country course walks at events (especially at new venues).

How is it actionable?

This data isn't necessarily useful in real-time (unless you're lost hiking and trying to find your way home lol), and I don't use it often. For instance, you only really need to map out your home base hills and trails etc once, ya know?

That said, I now know the relative size of the various hills available to me. AND, by using this app to map out local cross country courses, I also know how my hills at home compare to what we might see in competition.

 

For instance, Fair Hill has a monster hill that their courses typically run down, and then back up again. Thanks to this app, I know we've got a hill almost the exact same size right in Charlie's back yard that's prime real estate for conditioning work.

Verdict? Overall, it's useful for making plans. The data showed me how to optimize our favorite trail circuits for maximum hill climbs. And it helps me assess how the topography of a new or unfamiliar venue compares. I don't use it often, but I do use it.


2. CVS Simulator (Chromatic Vision Simulator)

What is it? An camera filter app that simulates different types of color blindness.

How do I use it? This app has four filters to see and/or take pictures using the most common vision types.

C = Common
P = Protanope
D = Deuteranope (how horses see)
T = Tritanope

left side is common vision, right side is how horses see. basically red/green color blindness

Theoretically you use this app to understand how horses perceive their surroundings, especially how they distinguish colors (and thus, contrast) differently from us.

For instance, I've used this app to view cross country jumps to see what might look spooky. Turns out those giant imposing red fences prevalent on literally every single course everywhere just look greenish brown to the horses, not the big-bold-aggressive red they seem to us (or is that just me??).

How is it actionable? Eh... Unless you're worried about letting your horse pick out his own clothes, there aren't any real "next steps" to this one....

apples maybe aren't so spooky after all!

Verdict? Ultimately this app fell into the "interesting but useless" category. It was kinda cool at first, but didn't really tell me anything new.

3. EquiLab

What is it? This is the free version of the app that works with the Equisense (a "digital riding companion" sensor device that costs about $250). It tracks ride meta data in real time, and produces after-the-fact reporting on each individual ride, plus weekly and monthly totals.

(Notably, you can only look back so far into your history without upgrading to the premium version...)

can view data from individual rides plus weekly and monthly reporting

Data points include:
- Ride category (dressage, jumping, cardio, hacking, etc)
- Duration spent and distance covered in each gait
- Average speed and beats per minute (bpm) per gait
- Satellite map of ride
- A suite of charts on speed, tempo, stride, and elevation on the ride
- Distribution of time spent in each direction (hopelessly glitchy and useless, IMO)
- Notes section and option to add weather detail

the turn distribution data never really makes any sense. methinks it's entirely bogus. like, that dressage ride was in a ring only slightly bigger than a large dressage court and is mapped below, but we spent less than 4min turning?

How do I use it? This app functions like a riding journal. I've used it to compile how long I spend riding in each gait. Some meta data isn't available until after the ride is complete, but time distribution by gait is done in real-time.

maps can be fun tho. at least, when you have good enough cell reception!

The satellite maps are nicer than those from Altitude Profile, bc they're color-coded by speed. The suite of charts is absolute junk tho haha -- noisy nonsense that's hard to read. Even if I could read it tho, it's not clear what to do with the info. Sorta like a seismograph. It'll measure the force and duration of our earthquakes, but not how to prevent the next one.

Theoretically you could maybe try to scrape the underlying raw data to assess trends over time.... But even then, it's not clear how to act on that data.

but what does it mean??

The reports are nice to scroll through, seeing what our typical riding routine looks like in actual hard and fast numbers... Overall, tho, it's more journal than planner.

How is it actionable?  The real-time duration-by-gait function of this app is its best feature. I've used it often during schooling rides to ensure I'm logging the requisite time and intensity for our conditioning plans. I have also used this more frequently than any others for producing visual blog content.

The "journal" aspect tho, the weekly and monthly totals, were never accurate bc I always try to hand my phone off for video during lessons.

the maps are useful for helping me remember details from a specific ride tho

Verdict? I eventually stopped using the app, and haven't missed it. I prefer a stop watch for proper trot sets (or, ya know, old fashioned landmarks haha), and prefer riding off feel rather than a clock for our dressage schools. Ymmv.

4. Soundbrenner

What is it? A metronome.

It's designed for musicians and has tons of settings for time signature, subdivisions, sound effect, and, most importantly, beats per minute (bpm).

How do I use it? I set it to a "trot" tempo (tick tock tick tock tick tock) at the beginning of a ride and leave it running in my pocket until the ride is over.

I keep it at trot bc:
- That's where Charlie and I have the most work to do
- Changing tempos on the app right before or after a transition sounds disruptive
- It's great for quickly modulating our tempo after a canter-trot or walk-trot transition

there are probably a zillion apps out there with this functionality. i just set it and forget it!

It took a couple rides to figure out Charlie's natural/optimal bpm, mostly bc we're a hot goddamn mess and couldn't hold a rhythm for shit. (maybe why our Equilab charts were so noisy?? lol...)

The google says a good working trot is around 75bpm and we experimented with 70 through 80bpm. Charlie's sweet spot is around 77.

How is it actionable?  It influences how I ride my horse in real time, like a coach would.

Except, instead of a human hollering, "Shorten your reins for the love of sweet baby jesus!," the tick tock tick tock tick tock mercilessly, ruthlessly, relentlessly reminds me RHYTHM is the fundamental block in the training pyramid. Connection and Impulsion can only come after.

It helps me calibrate my ride in real-time, and the effects are noticeable. After a month of sustained use, Charlie automatically holds this 77bpm tempo. Always. First trot of the day, last trot of the day. 77bpm. And he feels much stronger and more balanced in doing so.

basically trying to use the metronome to help get charlie exactly this muscle bound haha. is it working?? mebbe!!

Interestingly -- those might all be very very different trots from the perspective of energy and impulsion and stride length. But they are all equal in tempo. This alone feels like we're figuring out our balance, strength and elasticity within trot.

Verdict? This is the newest app in the arsenal, so it's still shiny and exciting. But... Yea, I use this for every schooling ride and feel like it's made a tangible, measurable difference in the quality of our work.

-----

So. Ahem. Cough cough. This ended up not sounding so cutting edge or modern after all lol, considering topography, time keeping, and riding to music ended up being my biggest "technological" winners lol. Goooo figure.

That said, tho, I'm curious about your experiences too. Have you used any of these (or similar) apps? Or something else entirely?

What sort of features do you look for in terms of helping you figure out what's working, what isn't, and what to change in your riding?

FAIL friday

Lol you had to have known this was coming.... Because it's Friday and we're all a little tired, enjoy a little humor from perhaps the funniest moment of last week's cross country run lol....

the original

And let's be real, what's the point of capturing fantastic moments of fail if you aren't gonna have a little old fashioned fun with them?!

CANNONBALL!!!!!

Only thing missing from this picture is a bath tub and rubber ducky lol.... Because you better believe the only thing going through my mind as Charlie went catapulting into the water was, "Oh, ok. I guess I'll fall off now?" LOL....

death comes soaring in on dark wings haha, courtesy of Liz Stout

Maybe should have added a can of Red Bull or something haha, bc clearly Charlie thinks he can fly!!

another take on "cannonball!!!!" lol

Or at least maybe he thinks he could clear that entire water complex in one bounding shot?!?

it's a bird, it's a plane, it's..... SuperCharlie?!?

He may not be the hero we need, but he's definitely the hero we deserve ;)

Obviously available in video form too, with bonus gratuitous slo-mo.....

What do you think, did I miss anything haha???


TGIF everyone! Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful wild ride of a weekend ;)

a slight change in plans

So you all know I'm a fairly goals-oriented individual. I like to have something to work toward, things on the calendar, ya know?

And, of course, I've written at great length previously about what my journey as a horsewoman and rider means to me. About how, to me, personally, a major fulfilling aspect of my horse habit is the act of learning, getting better, and improving my own skills.

For me, it's all about developing and growing. Facing new challenges even if they scare me. And learning, over time and with practice, how to refine and improve.

charlie's known how to strike a pose since day 1. no bad angle with this good lookin gelding!

With Charlie, this has manifested in my choice to bring him along myself, as his solo rider and trainer since his final race in Aug 2016.

Of course I've had the guidance and instruction of many, many, MANY professionals and trusted advisers along the way. But generally speaking, I'm the one in the irons. And the pace of our progress is and has been dictated in large part by my own abilities.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, however. And with horses, it sure seems like all roads lead to Rome, as far as I can tell.

Which.... Is another way of saying, "There's been a slight change in plans."

first introductions went well!!

You see... I've lamented recently about my difficulties in budgeting, and the expenses of what was promising to be a big blockbuster show season. Ya know, bc I wanted to move up, and show recognized, and maybe even earn some qualifying results.

Which.... currently all feel like majorly ambitious goals when accounting for my own limited abilities haha. To even just get that far, it was clearly going to take a huge investment in coaching and educational experiences, etc. Considering that getting me to ride even marginally better is akin to Sisyphus and his god forsaken rock... It would be no small task, and one big price tag!

The reality is, tho, that.... Well. I'm broke, yo. And I'm finally coming to accept the fact that the enormous cost of reaching those qualifications goals, the unfathomable speculation that is imagining myself as capable of riding even halfway decently... Well... Realistically it's gonna take way more resources than I currently have on hand.

charlie kept his cool at his first major international gig with Matt

Suddenly, tho, and basically out of nowhere, Charlie got his big break and I got my deus ex machina. You see, Charlie's always been a beautiful horse. Let's be real, half the reason I bought him in the first place was bc of his impeccable hair.

Turns out, tho, I wasn't the only one to notice this. A luxury modeling agency's talent scout happened to stumble across pictures of Charlie on a random google search (true story: she was casually searching "fail" horse memes and our George Morris critique popped up lol) and was immediately mesmerized by Charlie's tall, dark and handsome features.

In fact, she happens to represent international Australian model, dressage rider and Youtube sensation Matt Harnacke, and thought he and Charlie would be a perfect match.

to say i'm a little jealous of the bond they've developed would be an understatement!

Obviously, I was shocked when I got the call. And my immediate knee-jerk reaction was an emphatic, "No way, are you actually fucking crazy?!?" What sort of lunatic would I have to be to ship my horse all the way over to the Netherlands just for a couple photo shoots, when we're only just now getting ready for our own competition season?!? Are you guys really that strapped for good looking horses that you need to import my no-name OTTB??

But.... the more I thought about it, the more it made $en$e, even if I felt a little sad and bittersweet about it all. Realistically, the exposure is just so so good for Charlie's career. It would be selfish of me to deny him that.

And obviously the sponsorships were too hard to say no to, esp that Divosa spree!! Plus, Matt even generously volunteered to keep Charlie in work for me, so maybe the horse will come back as a supermodel AND dressage star?

So off Charlie went. Off to fame and glamour and luxury, off to earn his own benjamins (or whatever they call them in Europe haha), while I sit here twiddling my thumbs and waiting for his ad campaigns and agency contracts to run their courses.

It's all good, tho. Yes I still have goals. Yes I still want to do things and go places with Charlie too. But all in good time, right? It's only April 1, after all ;)