Linger

We are ONE WEEK away from our big clinic with Olympian Kasey Perry Glass!!!

Naturally, Hampton pulled a shoe. And popped a splint.

But since it seems to never stop raining in KY anymore, the ground is soft so I really don't feel bad about working Hampton in the soft outdoor. #ruthless. He is totally sound without the shoe AND with his splint. I got a concoction from the vet to treat his splint with, which is hard and cold and doesn't bother him. And the farrier is coming out Thursday to replace the shoe.

Looks good this year coming out of winter! #booty Not sure why he looks so butt high tho

But otherwise I seriously CANNOT WAIT.

And after the Kasey clinic, we are going up to Indiana to FHF for a couple of lessons from my long-time instructor.. Good time for a little boot camp before show season. I always come back so inspired with new tools. (My home instructor is awesome too! Their coaching actually really compliments one another)

So I should have plenty of blog fodder for a little while! Feels like I haven't had much to post recently.

Oh! I have finally upgraded my tack locker!

Our barn owner built this for me, and I installed all the fixings. I actually put the door on, too. I'm just a regular Miss Fix It Now basically.

Have a few more things I want to install but holy cow it's nice to have so much room! I have been living out of my old box that my dad built me 20 YEARS AGO. It has served me well, but I outgrew it a long time ago really. And now it can retire to be a storage box.

I am actually using pieces from my dad's workshop and office to spruce up my new locker, so I know he would be most proud of my resourcefulness. lol

Tomorrow we are having a barn clean up day in preparation for the clinic. Here we go!!

30 Things

Hampton and his weirdo human a few years ago.

I'm so late to this party - but I have really enjoyed reading everyone else's so maybe I can come up with 30 interesting things. Certainly not going to compare with some others but here goes.

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1. I have congenital hammer toe on both feet.

2. When I was around 3 or 4 years old, I liked to eat earthworms. My parents just let me.

3. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 17, mostly because I was too scared to drive on my own.

4. My first concert was New Kids on the Block. I was a Joey fan haha.

After the NKOTB concert! My sister fell asleep but you can tell I had the concert bug already!
lol my dad took us. What a guy.
(also THOSE GLASSES)

5. I have never watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies. Nor will I ever.

6. I taught myself to play guitar. And can also play a little piano. Not super great at either.

7. I used to play and sing at open mic nights once a week. See number 6.

Thankfully cell phones with video recording didn't really exist yet
when I played open mic nights.

8. I'm a terrible cook. I will make something easy (mac n cheese) or just go out to eat.

9. A was a "professional" horse trainer for about 7 months back in 2007. I rode young draft cross horses for a lady who bought and bred them. She still owns Hampton's sire I believe.

10. I quit that job on the spot one day. Knowing I had no back up plan, totally broke, depressed and almost wanting to sell my horse and quit riding for a while. But I didn't. And a week later a newspaper called out of the blue and hired me.

From my short stint as a pro. I rode young draft crosses. This one is Graham.

11. I have a degree in Equestrian Studies from the University of Findlay.

12. My other degree (because I knew I needed a "real job") is in Visual Journalism from Ball State University.

13. I'm in the minority because I use BOTH my degrees daily.

14. I am obsessed with documentaries. Doesn't matter the topic, I'll watch it.

15. I have never smoked a cigarette.

17. in 2009 I was furloughed from work so I followed Phish around the country - from Hampton, VA, to Indio, CA. One of the coolest things I have ever done.

One of my all-time favorite photos I captured while following Phish. This was at Red Rocks.
Even the cops were laughing.

18. I've met Mike Gordon - the bassist from Phish.

19. I have never been arrested.

20. I refuse to eat, smell or touch seafood. BARF.

21. Speaking of barf, I have emetophobia.

22. ... which led to Avoidant Restrictive Intake Disorder.

23. Basically I'm crazy.

24. I got stung by a wasp one time at the barn, so naturally I put magnapaste on it. My entire arm swelled up. My mom made me go tot he ER where I got a lecture about putting horse products on my skin. #didn'tlisten

25. Also if you mix banamine and water, and apply topically, it takes the pain out of sunburn.

26. I did quite a bit of line dancing in college.

27. When I was in choir class in grade school, the teacher told me to lip sync.

28. I really want to cut my hair super short but am too chicken to do it.

29. I can roll my tongue, but I can't whistle.

30. I wuv horses.

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Well I bet that's a couple minutes of your life you will never get back. hahahaha

It's my job

Hampton as a young 3 year old! 

At risk of sounding like Andy Rooney here ...

You know what really bothers me?

When people blame their lack of work and training with their horse on anything other than themselves.

A few years ago I was at a dressage show with Hampton. The facility was lovely, and a couple of vendors had set up tents to display their products. The tents were not even close to the show rings. On Friday evening, I was out schooling Hamp and a lady started bitching to management about how a tent was spooking her horse and they should take it down immediately.

No, that's HER PROBLEM. Her lack of training with her horse. It's not the show's problem, or the sponsor's problem. As a rider, THAT'S YOUR JOB to deal with things like this, and to teach your horse to deal with it too.

Maybe the worse thing he ever did while starting him? 

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Recently a friend was competing and the judge stopped her in the middle of the test. I guess the judge lost her place, and was trying to get her ducks back in a row. My friend was pissed that she had to stop, and blamed the judge for "ruining her test" and thus her score for the event.

Yes the situations sucks, but as the rider IT'S YOUR JOB to teach the horse that sometimes we stop, and then we go right back to work. It should not be an issue IN DRESSAGE, especially lower levels, to pick right back up and keep going. Judges make mistakes, too. If your test was ruined, that's on YOU.

His first horse show. I was so happy nothing disastrous happened.

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We all have unpredictable situations happen both on and off the farm. Of course I would speak up if someone was doing something completely dangerous and inappropriate, but otherwise I deal with the environment. And teach my horse that no matter what, he needs to keep listening to me. Am I always successful? No. That's horses. But I am certainly not going to blame show management, sponsors, friends, judges, etc. for something that happens to me.

Like when we got dive bombed by a horse fly in the middle of a test. Bad luck? Yup, but I handled it.

Smacking the shit out of that damn horse fly.

Or when a plastic bag blew into the arena right where we were doing a turn on the haunches. Hampton peeked, but stayed right with me.

Or when a loose horse galloped by us as we waited outside the ring. Hampton stood stock still. Other riders had to stop their test because the horse was running through other rings. Crappy luck? Yep, but you deal with it.

I have had Hampton spook, stop, buck and stumble during tests. No one to blame but myself. Not people on the rail, not my coach, not even really my horse.

Hot mess express right here

Umm err this movement not required in tests

He wanted to spook at the judge here, and then protested when I dug
my spur into him. oops. lol

It's my job to teach him how to handle things, and help him during times of uncertainty.

It's MY job, not anyone else's.

Flying changes and floods

Aimee and Leah: Do you recognize this deck?!?!

I'm not sure I've ever been so thankful for an indoor arena! Well, ours is just covered but still. Louisville made national news with the amount of flooding we have had, after 10+ days of rain.

The farm is muddy, but thankfully we are far away from the major flooding. My condo is OK, too, although I was getting nervous that I would soon have riverfront property. I live about a mile from the Ohio river.

A mile down the road from my condo.

All of my favorite river front bars are totally submerged and you can only access anything along certain roads by boat. It is insane! I also cannot get on the interstate since the ramps down the road from my place are under water.

Road I usually take home from work. errr. 

Inside of Dark Star bar. :( 

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But thankfully working the horses has not been affected. Hamp has been feel really great lately. He is starting to put on a little more weight, and I body clipped him one more time.

I finally for a few little videos of our work on the tempis. Sorry these suck but the best I can do is set my phone on a ledge in the arena and hope I get footage. haha.

Anyway, the 3s and 4s are really starting to get strong. Still some polishing to do, but if I can keep him straight and sharp, and listening, we can nail them. At times he gets a little stabby behind, but I will take it as long as he is on my aids, and changes clean. The rest we can polish. My coach set up "the chute" for the weekend which REALLY tests your straightness. It's a fantastic exercise!



He felt so good I start to play with some 2s some days! I just start out with one set, because if I try to keep going he gets really swingy and strong and that isn't good schooling. So until we both get better balance, I am keeping it simple. And as you can see from the gif, he changes late anyway from left to right. This is a chronic problem, which I now know will clear up once I get him more straight, sharp and more uphill.

You gotta start somewhere! I like to post these not so perfect videos because this is training! And I am learning, too. I have never done 2s so poor Hampton has to learn AND teach me at the same time.



Even though he was late behind, I still praised him because he at least responded to me and did not get strong. He maintained the same rhythm.

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Bleh those gifs are awful. I am no Austen that is for sure! :)

Meanwhile, the SUN is out today so I am off to the barn!

Spring will arrive eventually guys. right? RIGHT!?

A new member of the family!

I have been casually looking for another cat to add to the household for several months. I figured that one would eventually find me, and that is exactly what happened.

Every one meet Hunter Nimitz!

He was rescued back in June 2017 by a wonderful shelter in Indiana. He was found to be shot - leaving his right front leg broken in two places, a large wound in his neck and injuries to his ear.

He spent two months in a cast, but during that time became depressed and agitated, so they decided to amputate the leg and after more healing, he started to come around.

So pitiful

Eventually he was ready for adoption and I just happened to stumble upon his post on FB and immediately knew he had to come live with me.

So far he seems to be settling in great! He does hop and wobble some, but has zero problems jumping up on things or getting around.

At first Buckley - my other cat - would just follow him around and stare at him like a total creep. Then he started to slowly touch Hunter with his paw. Mostly a lot of staring going on. Hunter was very patient and tolerant, until this morning when I heard a scuffle. Not sure what happened, but ever since then Buckley has been walking around Hunter giving him a very wide berth. hahahaha. I suspect that while sweet, Hunter has a gangsta side to him and finally told Buckley to mind his own business.

Hunter is 14 pounds if that gives you an idea of how
enormous Buckley is.

It appears as though they will peacefully co exist, maybe even be friends one day.

He is pretty hard to photograph because as soon as I make eye contact with him he gets up and hops over to me! It is damn cute I tell you.

He is about 2 years old, and otherwise healthy. I'm so happy I am able to provide him with a great home where he can lounge and never have to worry about asshole humans ever again.

One of his adoption photos that sucked me right in

Porkchop in the press

As if his ego wasn't already out of control, Hampton has been in the news again lately.

He made the USDF Connection yearbook issue in recognition for earning his rider her Silver Medal:

That's us, bottom right! 

And the KDA newsletter featured him in a fun new column:

Meanwhile, I've been able to keep his weight pretty steady. He is still a bit thin, and lacks much of a topline, but at least he doesn't resemble skeletor like he did at this time last year. He is getting Equine Senior, FibreEnergy Hallaway grain, beet pulp, cool calories and Super 14 so (oh wait that maybe explains all the EXTRA ENERGY lately ...) .. and of course free choice hay. So I am happy if he just holds steady and doesn't get any more thin. When the grass comes back in he will bloom again.

But the dapples tho!!

Meanwhile we are back in full work, and weekly lessons.

He is feeling good and we are slowly regaining our strength and fitness. I'm debating whether or not to body clip one more time. He won't be totally shed out by the time we have our big clinic in early April and I'd rather he not look unkempt. But I also hate body clipping ...

I also have been planning out the show season this week. That sort of helps keep me motivated when it's 17 degrees and I need to ride. haha.

Horse shows aren't won in June, they are won in January!

Right? errrr.

Lol weirdo

The gifts we give

It's been a little more than a month since my father died.

Helping me halter break one of our homebred Morgans.

He always worried about me, as dads tend to do. But as his health declined last year, I could tell how helpless he felt. He worried about me, about my family. How he couldn't stop this process from happening. He couldn't fix it for us. He couldn't make it better. He did everything there is to do to prepare for his own death - how difficult that must have been for him. But there's only so much paperwork you can really do. There's nothing you can do to prepare for the emotional void his death would leave. That, I think, perhaps devastated him more than the cancer itself.

My youngest niece grabs on to grandpa (my dad).
This was 5 days before he died.
My family experienced both the beginning and end of life in 2017.
What a f-ing year.

Who would watch out for me? Who would come to my rescue? Would I be ok? I know he thought about these things, and prayed - A LOT - about it.

He also started leaving little legacies around for us to remember him by. He made thousands (I'm not kidding, more than 2,000) of these crosses for children who receive first communion at his church. Each will have the kid's name engraved. Again, I'm not religious but I found it to be a very touching gesture. Because it was important to him.

There were a dozen or so others he engraved with the words, "Pray, Hope and Don't worry." This was the title of his favorite prayer book. He gave me one of these crosses over the summer, before he really started to decline. And an extra sat at his bedside during his final months and days.

My Christmas gift to him was a lovely throw blanket, embroidered with - you got it - "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry." He loved it, and while he only got to use it for 5 days, it laid across him during his final hours, and then across his coffin at the funeral and visitation.

As his health started to decline, my dad started writing notes to his friends throughout the years. They were just little cards, each with a personal message inside for the recipient. He had a list and he was checking off names as he completed each note.

We mailed them after he died. I bet those people cherish that card. It must have taken tremendous courage to write those - knowing it was a true and final goodbye. A gift so meaningful it's hard to put into words.

That was my dad, always finding meaning in the little things.

I so wish he could see the support and love that has surrounding me (and my entire family) this past month or so. He would be so enormously grateful and proud. And the little gestures that have kept me going the past month.

BFF Liz got me this bridle charm. It swaps out "love" instead of "pray" since
I'm agnostic, but the spirit is the same. My dad would love it!

From messages, texts, cards, thoughtful gifts, visits, loaning me a car when mine took a dump, flowers, food, hugs, laughs, craft parties, tequila, ice skating, and general kindness and understanding.

From my fellow cat-loving co workers.

Another thoughtful gift from friends.

I have always known I have good friends. But man, when you go through something like this - it is just humbling to realize how GOOD people are. There are good people in this world. A shit ton of them are in my friend circle. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I will do my best to pay it forward.

For my friends, and for my dad.

Thank you. You all know who you are.