Big Dooz News!!!

Some of you already know this, but back before I made the final decision about buying a young thoroughbred, I was actually in discussions with friends and partners about possibly breeding my next horse instead. 

Obviously at the time we still fully believed that Charlie would be with us for years to come. Although, eventually, uncertainty around his soundness won out and we determined that the timeline for breeding didn’t quite make sense with my goals.

a classy mare with a classy pedigree!

It was such a fun idea, tho, and as one does, we spent countless hours musing about how that particular fantasy could play out. My longtime equine chiro / acupuncturist had a good mare available, and there was a lovely local stallion standing at Hilltop Dressage from which friends of mine have produced very nice and universally useful babies.

As it was, I shifted gears and you all know how the story went instead: with Mondeuse coming home to me in August 2023!

GK Calucci stands locally and has been on my list for a long time 

But I dunno guys, there’s something about that dream that just won’t quit, just won’t stop nibbling away at me. I’m not getting any younger, ya know? Bringing along young horses isn’t going to be the easiest thing for me forever (well, real talk, it ain’t exactly easy now, it’s only just going to get harder!).

And meanwhile, news broke last month that after 35 years, Hilltop Dressage would actually be closing up shop — the end of an era! 

champions like this only come around once in a lifetime!

That news was a bit of a shot across the bow around here — it got ALL of us talking! Especially considering Doozy’s recently minted status as Champion mare… We started wondering if it made sense to just pause for a minute, and really think this through, game it out, ya know?

And after much soul searching, we decided… What the hell, let’s go for it! And we’ll do it the old fashioned way too — with Doozy still able to continue on for most of the competition season early in her term so we can keep building on the momentum from this winter and spring. 

so what the hell, let’s give that black dot a shot! 

And then, right around this time next year — we should have a little bebe Dooz! How exciting!! I know it sounds kinda crazy — you might even say foolhardy — but it really just feels so right!!

So get ready for it, and for ALL the foal pools!! Take your bets on all the things — what color will the bebe be? Any markings? Will it be a giant, or a fine boned elegant little thing?? Will Doozy pass on her crooked legs?? 

Be sure to mark your calendars for April 1, 2027 to see what happens :D

fire horsing forward

It’s still winter around these parts… But at least the weather is normalizing a bit. It’s only freezing out?? We’ll take it! It hasn’t been quiiiiite warm enough to meaningfully melt any of the snow, tho hopefully that’ll come this week.

somehow only very few new pics, so enjoy this nice shot of Ms Fire Horse Herself, She of Big Emotions, from the last snowstorm

In the meantime… It feels like time to get back on the proverbial — and literal — horse. 2026 has already been a lot of things to a lot of different people… for better, but unfortunately often for worse too. 

We’re imminently approaching the Lunar New Year — the Year of the Fire Horse — tho, which is apparently a time to embrace our independence, challenge authority, and trust our instincts to strike off down new paths, while not shying away from pivoting or adapting as needs arise.

bc…. the current snowstorm is still with us LOL… gotta love mares tho, look at that tidy little path out to the pasture, clearly demarcated by breadcrumbs manure piles

To me, that leaves a lot of freedom and openness to interpretation. That linked article says,

 “It’s a time for big change and big emotions,”

Which… feels somewhat strangely dichotomous considering so many folks are feeling cooped up, restrained and stir crazy, kept inside by a vast array of perilous external forces… Literal, figurative, take your pick. But maybe that’s also the point, the actual sign of the times?

pathway marks a direct line straight to the round bale lol

Anyway. I dunno about you, but “big change” sounds good to me. Well. Ok, let’s back up a sec. I’m actually a bit more of a Wood Ox, personally. More of a ‘dependable planner’ type, admittedly change-averse in my own day to day operations… LOL. 

But it’s a sentiment I can get behind if we’re talking about the general times!! 

well. **almost** a straight line— clever ladies dogleg over to the heated water trough on their way in and out

Because as it is, there seems to be an increasing feeling of general restlessness and malaise with everything going on. Shifting seasons aren’t likely to fix all (or even any) of that… But maybe the improved conditions can inject some much-needed energy and motivation into the collective psyche, right? Maybe??

speaking of injecting much-needed energy… this gadget continues to be useful in the face of persistent cold!

For my part, I finally dug the trailer out of its snow cave, zapped the truck battery back to life, and hauled Ms Mondeuse over for a dressage lesson with trainer C. Sure sure, we’ve barely ridden at all in recent weeks and the animal is straight up feral. But. Eh. Who cares. We’re following our Fire Horse intuitions, not getting bogged down in the rigid details, amirite?

older pic, lately have had the best success with hooking both positive and neutral cables directly to the corresponding bolt nuts on the battery. ymmv.

And it was good! Tho you’ll have to take my word for it bc obviously we don’t always have friends tagging along taking pics and video of every little moment LOL (sigh). 

all the better for gettin where we wanna go!!
(yes, this is the only actual picture from our lesson LOL)

And ok, maybe it wasn’t, like, classically “Good” in terms of getting stuff done, being productive, furthering Doozy’s dressage prowess, etc etc etc. More like small-g “good” — keeping horse between rider and earth despite unplanned dance moves; staying patient with a sense of humor when the mare can bolt on a balanced 15m circle… etc etc, you get the picture! 

replaced the pastern wraps we’d been using with new navy DSBs snagged with a recent gift card

It maybe ain’t much lol… But I’m here for it anyway. Getting my fix, focusing my time and energy on the things I love doing. 

Spring is coming. The Fire Horse is coming. And if the Chinese lunar zodiac is to be believed, Times of Big Change and Big Feelings are also coming. 

flashback pic of my mare and her sweet glare <3 <3 <3

For as tiring and relentlessly oppressive as this winter has felt, it has to end eventually, right? 

imbolc

That weird rodent up in Pennsylvania might have predicted more winter, but we still passed an important milestone this week: a previously-unknown-to-me Gaelic holiday Imbolc!!

#trashhound

February 1st is apparently some sort of ancient pagan festival celebrating the beginning of spring — marking the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. 

trying to hide how excited she is about actually getting to go do something again!

Presumably all these weird winter holiday variations all have shared ancestral roots — or at least, in the case of good ol’ Phil, shared observations of the natural rhythms of seasonal change. 

“reading the news”

And while I wouldn’t exactly look out the window and think, “Ah yes! Spring is coming!” there ARE some undeniable signs.

biscuit has been so bored she was literally thrilled to be back in the dusty ring lol

Sunset is noticeably later now — something that makes a HUGE difference for me personally, and probably a lot of you too. 

apparently so starved for grass, even dead half rotten grass

The horses are also getting more serious about mid-winter shedding. Doozy started getting a few loose hairs around the solstice, but it’s really picking up steam now. Which, as usual with this sensitive little mare, is a good reminder for me to keep an eye out for under-blanket skin funk.

sunset is later and later every day!

Coat Defense powder is my go-to for trying to stay on top of funk prevention. And actually, one of the barn managers makes a DIY version with tea tree oil that is absolutely luscious! 

behold! we aren’t the only crazy ones!

Anyway. Other signs of a shifting season: The horses definitely seem to be hunting for ANYTHING approximating grass. Which I guess could also just be a reflection of having the ground hidden from them for a couple weeks… But still. I like to believe it’s a sign they can smell the earliest signs of growth. 

friesian frens are best frens <3

Tho, the downside is Doozy seems more preoccupied sometimes with hunting grass than just chillin at the round bale. It feels inevitable with TBs that they tend to grow a little lean by the end of winter, and Doozy’s definitely on that path. 

Nothing crazy - imo she looks fantastic (and was possibly admittedly a *little fat* at the height of summer grass anyway), but ya know. Something to keep an eye on!

so intrigued by this dark mucky substance peeking thru the white

We’ve laid relatively low since the storm anyway. Obviously the new year kicked off with a bunch of exciting lessons, and hopefully we’ll get back to all that soon! But, eh, all in good time — and temperatures, amirite?? 

Maryland is finally returning to more seasonally appropriate weather, which means this snow might be gone soon-ish too. Here’s hoping!

mmmm maybe more grass!!!

In the meantime, we’re working on embodying yet another little teaching nugget from the recent yoga classes: focusing on ‘wise stewardship of energy.’ 

In other words, trying to be mindful in how we use our time and energy, rather than operating in mindless autopilot. Recognizing that even tho Doozy has apparently limitless vast reserves of stored energy (lol), it’s up to me to help channel her in productive ways, especially when some of her normal outlets are less available bc of conditions etc. And maybe also especially when my own energy levels are decidedly less than hers… Let’s call it a work in progress LOL!

2025 foto finish

Happy New Year!! Whatever your feelings on the matter, 2025 is well and truly over. As such, I’d like to do one last flush of ye olde iphone and post the final few photos from the year. 

according to the jockey club, this wild child is 8 now! somebody should let her know lol….

You’ve already heard me whine about being confined mostly to the great dusty indoors for our December rides. And… Well, that ain’t super likely to change in the immediate future. C’est la vie!

anyway. the holiday season is dead. long live the holiday season!

I still followed through on my traditional holiday limbo routine, tho — polishing off the last of my ‘use it or lose it’ PTO for the week between Christmas and New Years.

weather has been wintry this month

Idk what exactly it is about this week, but I always find it super peaceful and restful. Sometimes, depending on conditions, we can be really proactive about scheduling fun adventures — like schooling Loch Moy’s derby course! 

lots of time spent indoors for sure

This year was a little less hustle-bustle with the horses, tho, instead favoring quality family time. (And the lesser-quality associated driving time that entails…)

the snow never lasts long tho, and it dried enough for some hacking!

Tho actually — I DID get out to Loch Moy before Christmas. Less for high octane, jump-all-the-things schooling of the derby course, and more so just bc it was a convenient meeting spot for erstwhile longtime coach Dan, who’s located down in Northern Virginia these days.

woods are so pretty this time of year <3

And it was good! I didn’t write about it bc 1) zero media; and 2) it was more of a sorta reintroduction for us all, plus obvi his first time* seeing Doozy. Plus I was actually a bit of a hot fucking mess, not gonna lie, for reasons you’ll understand shortly. So Dan asked to get on Doozy for a little session — putting her thru her paces and over a couple jumps before handing her back to me to do the same. And again — it was good! 

Rest assured, tho, if I get my way, and my 2026 intentions hold true, there will be more to come in the near future!

(*If you ignore the time we almost accidentally murdered him when he was coaching in the warm up at Doozy’s first ever event, oops)

my sweet new shelter kitty Jojo was such a wonderful addition to our little household, even if it was heartbreakingly brief <3

And anyway. About the whole ‘hot fucking mess’ situation… The night before that lesson, my sweet beloved new shelter kitty Jojo, who had only been with us for about 4 months, suddenly went into significant respiratory distress. I took him to the hospital, where x-rays confirmed he was in the final stages of heart failure. We made the only possible choice and let him go right then and there. Ugh. My heart is broken <3

The Original is carrying on tho <3

It feels like a lot of beloved animals lost just in the last year or so, with Jojo’s predecessor Martini passing from cancer this past summer. And obviously losing Charlie a year ago now, if you can believe it. I still think about him and miss him every single day. 

my mom visited!! doozy was #obsessed

Part of the beauty of the holiday season, however, is making space for bringing family and friends together to remember and celebrate those who aren’t with us today. 

Doozy had only met my mom once before, but basically immediately picked up on her strong “Cookie Lady” vibes and was instantly smitten <3

also made time to ride with friends!

Really, tho, the year closed quietly. Well. Ok. “Quiet” is probably not the right word to describe Winter Doozy, Queen of Chaos. Ahem. 

experimenting with the KK again to see if maybe doozy has actually grown up

She’s been an absolute handful in our schooling sessions. Explosive, touchy. Sad if we’re alone, but also sad if we have company, but the vibes are off. It’s been a LOT.

really tho, so much time indoors. sometimes with bounces!

And it’s been a bit frustrating, not gonna lie. Except… Actually, the quality of the work (when we aren’t turned inside out spooking at the sound of clumps of dirt pinging off the walls…) has been quite decent! Relatively speaking, obviously.

the face of a horse who is more than happy to make her own excitement

We even made it out to a lesson with longtime dressage trainer C* as a fun limbo week to-do, and she felt like Doozy has developed and changed so much just in the last ~6 months, and even since she last saw us in September. 

(*OMG if 2026 is the year of ‘getting the gang back together’ I’ll be over the moon!)

ooooh we finally made it out for some lessons again!

Obvi Doozy was still a hot touchy explosive diva in that lesson too. Like omg she almost straight up Lost Her Shit, Ma’am, when we arrived as the last horse was finishing their lesson with practicing flying changes (in a slightly thunderously forward manner). 

“New Year, new you. *I*, however, make no such promises!” — Doozy, 1,000%

But overall, it was a great lesson and great to get that outside perspective that, sure, yea it might feel like I’m sitting on a barrel full of TNT, but the moments that are good? Are good. 

Regardless, it’s so good to get out again, after a somewhat prolonged cautionary period of mandated isolation. Doozy is always at her most civilized when she’s routinely getting off property. Plus, getting into new and different spaces can make our at-home indoor feel more boring and familiar (and therefore perhaps less exciting lol). 

A girl can dream, right? And isn’t that what January 1 is all about anyway?? We’ll find out, I guess. In the meantime, happy new year, folks!

spinning ‘round again

Maybe this is only just further proof of my inevitable descent into… madness adulthood, but each year I find myself indulging more and more in weirdly satisfying mundane little tasks throughout my birthday month.

still grass left in some places!

Like, sure sure, I still do all the ‘regular’ normal birthday things like nice dinners with friends and family, time off from work, and special extravagances — like our recent Allison Springer clinic!! Or, slightly more extravagantly years ago when I upgraded to a Charlie-sized chariot.

hay loft denizens being #nosy about our fall shots appt

But ya know. In an ideal world we aren’t buying new horse trailers every year, amirite? Plus, as is well documented here on ye olde blogge, I have grown increasingly suspicious of putting all my hopes dreams and expectations of happiness into any one particular riding activity. 

Like, the clinic was awesome, would 100% do it again — but what if it had sucked?? No no, that wouldn’t do!

inspecting the vet mobile lol

Something that’s almost guaranteed to bring me at least some modicum of fulfillment  and satisfaction tho is a nice orderly row of ducks. Or, said more plainly: knocking stuff off the list, getting my shit together, imposing order on any little chaotic details in my life. 

Why yes, I *am* very fun at parties, can’t you tell?? lol….

my own denizens, looking more preoccupied by that sweet sweet radiant heat

For real, tho, maybe it’s part of the shifting seasons. Some people are into “Spring cleaning” but I’m more of a “Fall into action” sort. So all manner of little outstanding tasks have been getting done lately — like Doozy’s fall shots!! Perhaps slightly later than normal bc it’s been so unseasonably mild lately, but hey, we got ’r done, and that’s what matters!

hard to tell but this one got a fat lip, probably from getting smacked right in the face by the other one lol…
i love you, jojo, but you probably deserved it <3

Oooh I also tacked on a full set of spinal rads too. My vet (whom I love) is immensely practical and generally counsels against neck or spine imaging without matching compelling physical presentations — especially in TBs where it is enormously common to find spots of questionable proximity that may or MAY NOT actually be pathologically significant. 

anyway, had a great hack out for my bday!!!

But eh, she knows me well enough at this point to trust that I probably wouldn’t go nuts if we saw anything sketchy. Which… Whew, we did not. Turns out Doozy doesn’t even have anything that even looks like it could be KS. 

Given our issues with crookedness and saddle fit shenanigans, it definitely felt nice to cross that off the list of possible problems! Definitely a nice little bday present haha.

explored some new-to-us sections of trail too!

Anyway, let’s see: other little items recently crossed off the list…. Ooh, that headlight that’s been out for damn near a year? Finally replaced that! Got the nail that’s been riding around in one of my (nearly new, sob!) tires for a few weeks fixed while we were at it. AND, all that proved so satisfying that I sent the trailer in for service too. 

Woooo hoooo — who knew vehicle maintenance could be so exciting!

am i the only one who sees getting my car washed and detailed as a special little treat??

Nor was my apartment spared from this flurry of organization and fixing up either. Not all at once, obviously, bc that’s the other cool thing about adulthood: I can celebrate the whole damn month if I want, not just a single day. 

ok ok but we have actually been riding!! pictured: trotting this way

Bc guys, the satisfaction is so real lol. 

also pictured: trotting that way

If only it lasted forever! Alas, tho, somehow there are still more dishes every day, the laundry doesn’t actually stay done, and now the truck wants its turn next, with a blinker bulb replacement plus new wipers still on the list, natch.

round ’n round we go! easy peasy nice ’n easy!

And so it goes LOL. And so it’s been going with the riding too. Indoor season is so blah, so repetitive, so monochromatic. It’s hard to get excited about yet another night of dusty brown circles. 

“ARHGAIGHHKKRRRR!!!” — ahem, Doozy accidentally letting her inner wraith slip out a shriek

Not that Doozy doesn’t occasionally find opportunities to, er, spice it up haha. But generally, our weeknight indoor rides lately have lacked the contour and definition of a more typical outdoor daylight schooling session. Tho, again, thanks to birthday PTO + normal weekends with nice weather, we fit in some of that this weekend too <3

“da ba deeeee, da ba dooooo, just trottin around!!!! TOTALLY NORMAL, GUYS!!” — the most pleasantest princess

But still. It’s kinda getting into the time of year where some of our rides feel a bit more like going through the motions, ‘checking it off the list,’ so to speak. Ideally, tho, the object in motion stays in motion — so that when a more exciting opportunity or adventure arises — we’ll be ready!

“this biscuit is serving drama for dinner ;)”

Which, ya know. November ain’t over yet!! Perhaps there will still be more to come !