♣Ambitious♣

Before I begin this review, or, rather, scientific analysis, I guess I should go over my credentials: - riding for 4.5 years - keeps all 7 saddle pads meticulously organized - once had 20+ refusals over two courses but still won the hack Now that we've established some ethos, I'd like to make a claim: Dressage saddles suck. Why, exactly, do I need a seat deeper than a Jaden Smith tweet? Can you give me one valid reason why the knee block has to be as big as my bicep (AN: my biceps are big)? We're already aware that such a lengthy stirrup doesn't work for my stubby little legs, and don't even get me started on the billets. If that's not enough, please refer to the figure below: I rest my case. In conclusion, Dressage saddles are surprisingly enjoyable, even if you've ridden in nothing but jumping saddles with the occasional western saddle for most of your career. I'm not sure why everyone isn't doing this. They're missing out. I will...

I hate to do this, mainly because I put my foot down in my own household and forbid talks about Christmas until after my birthday. However, this is business. It's true, the Holiday Season is approaching. Some would argue that it's already started, but, no. Hanukkah doesn't start (apparently) until December 6th. There's time. Just enough time, in fact, to put in orders at my shop . Due to the fact that all the items are made at the time of order, I just wanted to send out this reminder. If you were planning on getting something for a family member or friend or even yourself, make sure that you place the order in a timely manner. I don't know exactly how many orders Customized Girl gets during this time of year, but orders already take over a week to get done, and I don't want you guys to have to wait any longer. As always, I greatly appreciate the support! Just remember, you're funding the future of the sport.

There's a strange combination of things that I need to do in order to not be nervous at horse shows, including but not limited to: - doing dishes at 11:30pm the night before - not cleaning my boots - re-enacting the mating dance of the bird of paradise - large amounts of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins - tbh Erin's cooking in general - Fall Out Boy (obviously) - threatening to fight Kal enough times that I'm actually kind of serious about it - cruddy Naked juice knock offs Again, that's just a few, but if you're the nervous type, I'd give some of these a shot. We had our home show today, and it went hella smooth. Started a half hour late, but still ended around 3:30pm, and we were out by a little bit after 4pm. Me, the awkward yellow lime, posing with the team I think part of the reason I wasn't super nervous about this show is because I was in a familiar place with familiar horses. Of course I'm not gonna be nervous . . . although the dancing ...

THE ANSWER IS NEVER BECAUSE APPARENTLY A SIZE 41 FOOT WITH A REGULAR CALF IS TOO MUCH TO ASK 1. Doublju LS Slim Fit Turtleneck Sweater     amazon.com 2. Wilker's Hunter Jumper Saddlepad     shop.wilkers.com 3. Joules Black Vest     no longer available 4. FixDesign Cotton Breeches     fixdesignhorses.it 5. Mondoni Winchester Boot     no longer available 6. ModCloth She's A Lucky Gallop Scarf     no longer available 7. Tory Burch Robinson Logo Belt     toryburch.com 8. One K™ Defender Matte Helmet     doversaddlery.com 9. Roma Gold Thread Dressage Whip     equestriancollections.com 10. Horze Selena Glove     horze.com 11. Mattes Correction Half Pad w/ Trim     doversaddlery.com 12. Stubben Portos Elite Saddle     stubbennorthamerica.com

That Red Mare has created a 25 Questions blog hop, and I'm all for spacer posts between lessons, shows, and Fashion Thursday, so here's some more stuff about me. 1. Mares or Geldings? Why? Mares, but that's because I've connected with them better in the past. I definitely won't gripe for being put on a gelding. After all, Corbin is still my jumper soul mate. 2. Green-broke or Fully Broke? People trust me enough to put me on green horses, but, frankly, no. I'm still anxious about it. 3. Would you own a "hotter" breed (ie. Arabian, Trakhener, etc). Psh, absolutely. 4. What was your "dream horse" growing up? I played the Bella Sara game, and I had a black colt named Golden Pepper, and for a while, I really wanted to own a Friesian stallion named Golden Pepper, but I don't think I can do that and still maintain my dignity. Oh, and he also had blue eyes. This pon from WEF defines my current fancy 5. What kind of bit(s) ...

Someone please remind me why I ever thought CC saddles with no knee rolls were a good thing to ride in. Also, someone please remind my right leg that it actually needs to put in some effort. I got Boomer (I think) on Wednesday. He's slightly older with a somewhat sensitive back, so I got to half seat the canter. Woohoo! We did some more intense no-stirrup work. It was lots of posting, but it was much easier this time. My muscles are starting to build up again, but I'm still struggling with the collapsed right side, which I might have to go to yoga or pilates to rectify. ya filthy animal We did a bit of jumping, which was 99% successful. By that point, my right leg stopped slipping, and we made it over everything pretty nicely. The 1% is when we went to do a bending line for the first time. I decided to be the unorthodox one and take the barrels for my second fence whilst everyone else was in the hay bales squad. We barely (and I mean barely) made it over the barrels. ...

I am an absolute genius. Instead of leaving my white show shirt open to the elements, I put a nice, white sweater over it. Genius. Smartest thing I've ever done. All sarcasm aside, I did receive my SwigSweg Leg sweater a couple of weeks ago, and the fit is perfect. For reference, I am 5'5" with average upper body proportions (I think 32" chest and 29" waist), and I got the youth x-large. 1. Equine Couture Ingate Shirt     equestriancollections.com 2. J.Crew Relaxed Wool Sweatpant     factory.jcrew.com 3. Anne Klein Gray Glass Pearl Earring     macys.com 4. Brooks Brothers white belt     no longer available 5. SwigSweg Leg Sweater Youth     customizedgirl.com/theambitiousequestrian 6. Ariat Heritage Contour Field Boot     smartpakequine.com 7. IRH Elite Extreme Riding Helmet     doversaddlery.com 8. Shire's Oakland Side-Zip Show Breech     griffinbrook.com

So I know that I said I'd be doing posts daily about this, but this is the first chance this month that I've actually had time to write, so enjoy this short bit from Chapter 2: Fourmi always hated having to go out late for her parents, especially when she had school the following day. An odorium plant at her bedside released its fumes right on time, waking Fourmi instantly. She groaned, pulling herself out of bed, and having to wake herself up with some cold water to the face. She dressed in simple clothing: a t-shirt, jeans, and flats. Steven dropped her off, bidding his goodbyes before leaving for his job. By lunch time, there was fresh gossip.

My first sponsorship. So long adult amateurs. Haha, no. I could barely sit the trot without stirrups on Wednesday, let alone post. Coach S wasn't happy with how the last show went, so it was all about flatwork. I started out on Oscar, another gray gelding. I typically do well with those. Then it was on to Diego, then Dori, then Murry. Of course, I was the only one who managed to pick up the wrong lead . . . twice . It was a very "ugh" type thing, along with not being able to do anything without stirrups, which I'm usually good at. So it was a bad lesson, and I was pretty bummed out, but fortunately, Dia and Kal are absolute idiots, and I mean that in the most endearing connotation. Dinner with them made me feel 100% better.

College is destroying my sense of creativity when it comes to names. 1. Polo Ralph Lauren Sweater     no longer available 2. Joules Lightweight Vest     no longer available 3. Accessorize Pearl Earrings     no longer available 4. Train of Trot Scarf     modcloth.com 5. Ted Baker Belt     no longer available 6. Horze Grand Prix Self Patch Breeches     horze.com 7. Horze Santiago Tallboot     horze.com

It's been years since I've successfully made a drawing by hand, mainly because 1) I always had computer programs at my disposal and 2) nothing can motivate me to get hand cramps. Nothing. Absolutely nothing . . . except not having computer programs. I caved fairly early in the year and bought some graph paper and a binder to keep all of my new nonsense in. So here's the first design of the year. You likely can't read most of it, but that's one of the limitations of hand drawings. I promise to do better next time. Its got five stalls total, three 16' x 16' and two 16' x 20'. The main breezeway is your standard 12' wide. The front wall is where are the necessities are: feed room, tack room, wash stall, and an office (okay, not quite a necessity, but it's there). Above these rooms is the hay loft, hence the steeper front side slope. Don't ask me how you get the hay up there. I was getting frustrated, and my hand was cramping hard core...

And also No Stirrup November, but who cares about that. It's National Novel Writing Month , and, after much consideration, I finally settled on a story to work on for this month. It's what I call my "Witch Story". It doesn't have a title yet, and I'm barely through the outlining stage. It's just a fetus of a story, most of it still mentally noted. That being said, it's a simple plot that I enjoy and want to have published. It's easier for me to write than my (hopefully) three book series, and it's the only stand alone story that I actually brought with me to school. A while ago, I wrote a draft version of the first chapter, which you can read here . I'll try to keep you guys updated on it, most likely by posting a sentence or two at the end of a post.

And mercy she had, or rather pity. Little Miss Rita kept me safe and sound through my class today. It was an easy ride, but towards the end of the day of a two day show. She was pretty tired and trying her best, but it was quite the effort. She broke at the canter to the left, which wasn't a big deal. We got going . . . then she broke on the right, and apparently, I forget to actually achieve inside bend before asking for the canter. Picked up the wrong lead for a couple of strides before breaking back down, organizing, and getting the canter again on the correct lead. Made out with 4th place. Some highlights of the weekend: - Animal facts, so many animal facts - My general, daily levels of saltiness - Selfies - So many friggen missed leads - PIGLETTES - AND GOATS - Appropriate use of the phrase "sick ass" - AND DIA WITH GOATS - At one point, a non-horsey person tried to understand my SwigSweg Leg sweater - AND SELFIES WITH DIA ...