Viva Carlos Blog Hop: Naivete

What horse related or equestrian related piece of knowledge did you believe was true for an extended period of time that turned out to not be true?

I guess it's time I air my dirty laundry of stupid horse knowledge that isn't real. 

I basically though Ries was the best most majykal hunter

When I first started riding "hunters" I was taught to see-saw to no end. "Get his head down! See-saw!". Also, slack in the reins was a good thing. Oh and to lunge a horse that wouldn't "get his head down" while under saddle, I was taught to take a western bridle, run the reins under the chest, bring them up and over the top of the withers, and tie them in a knot. Then lunge them until the sun sets. 

This poor dude suffered my see-sawing and poor lunging skills

Luckily, my new dressage knowledge doesn't leave me like a hopeless freak. And seeing A rated hunters ride (instead of the unrated circuit I showed on as a kid) with contact, makes me happy that hunter rider's aren't actually dumb, I was just taught to be a dumb one. 

Such a saint, hes still a happy pony today! I'll have to write more about him!

And my last ungodly stupid knowledge was related to bits. I was taught the more breaks in the bit the more severe it was. So basically, Waterfords were of the devil. When I first worked at a tack store here in Idaho, I cringed so hard at the first girl who bought one. I didn't understand why everyone wasn't buying a single jointed snaffle. Sorry girl I gave dirty looks to who bought that Waterford (in fact, this was Alyssa, and I was MORTIFIED when I found out that I was the stupidest judgmental Californian-turned Idahoan that existed when we became friends). 

December 10 Questions

Because I'm still struggling to find time to write up a yearly recap and goals post so here is some filler in the meantime ft. pictures of me and my pony Shiloh showing in July 2008.

Does your horse need shoes? Ugh yes. Riesling has princess shoes. Crossing my fingers baby Z won't need them.

What do you think of the barefoot vs shoes debate? Every horse is different. Id prefer to have a horse barefoot but that just isn't possible with all horses.



Favorite season for riding? I love fall. The mosquito are dead, it is still warm, no rain, ect.



How many shows do you think you've gone to? Oh I'd say probably 20 or so on the local hunter jumper circuit growing up. Since high school I've attended 2 rated USDF shows. I've spectated at many many more.

Do you consider yourself a good rider? Far from it. I'm about average probably depending on the day. I'm working to be a great rider.




Have you ever gotten into a fight with your trainer? I've gotten in a few with past trainers. One was just a bitch who took my money but ignored me in lessons. But my version of a fight is where internally I think I'm badass but really I just hide from her and avoid all interaction.



Describe your dream horse. To be honest, there are so many I want with different qualities. At this point in my life, I would like a tall black mare with a lot of chrome. She will have no mareish behavior. Her feet will only require trims and her tail will be long and gorgeous. She would be a thoroughbred X warmblood. She will have natural ability to do high level dressage and be totally amateur friendly. She enjoys trail rides and jumping occasionally. She will also be nearly immortal and never be hurt or sick. I'm hoping to find her in a few years via a Winndeco baby. Her name shall be Winzerkeller. Barn name: Princess Majikal Unicorn



Does anyone in your family ride? Mi Madre! I'm so happy that after her long hiatus she took back to it again.

If you could ride any horse in the world, which one would it be? I don't think I could narrow it down to just one if we have to go with my wild dreams. At this point, the realistic horses I really want to ride would be Zeitgeist and Winntalker. If I could steal a bloggers horse? I'd love to be able to ride Rico from A Enter Spooking in his prime.