♣Ambitious♣

Seems the whole pandemic thing has finally caught up to me; I contracted coronavirus over the holiday weekend. It's a mild case. Symptoms have been . . . odd. No one told me about the moderate to severe joint pain. I'm over here thinking I've got a case of early onset rheumatoid arthritis. I'm begrudgingly working from home for this week. Thursday will be day 4.5 since symptoms appeared; fingers crossed I test negative and can still go to my lesson on Saturday. In the meantime, Fuego still has my undying attention in the form of saddle shopping. When I shared his glamour shots, they received the exact response that I expected. Folks, I hear you loud and clear. Two things to address: "Why are you buying a saddle for a horse you don't own???" Because he deserves it, and I do not feel comfortable asking for more of him until he learns how and has the space to properly use his topline. "You shouldn't buy a saddle without working with a fitter!!!...

 

The only media I have is of one singular round, so we're milking it I forget how much of a time commitment horse shows can be. Would y'all believe me if I said I almost scratched after the first day simply because I wanted to sleep? My initial plan was to get to the showgrounds early and spend most of the day hand grazing Fuego. He grazed decently the night before and became more comfortable over time. During schooling, he was definitely spooked by people sitting at the edge of the ring. While our ring at home can get hectic, we don't really have lots of people standing at the fence. I figured if I could get him to graze around the commotion, it would help him remain relaxed once we were in the ring. It helped, for sure. He was definitely still more comfortable in his stall and tried to walk back multiple times. While his comfort was a top priority, the horse usually gets 12 hours of turnout daily. No way in hell I was going to cave on this. "Why does my back hurt so m...

Rarely do I make myself eat my own words. A little under a year ago, when Fuego was first introduced on this platform , I asserted that he'd never be a showhorse because of how tense he was. And I felt certain of that. Even when Trainer T initially mentioned him going to shows, I didn't feel good about taking him. We all know how bad my nerves get at shows. It felt like a recipe for disaster. But here we are now, heading into the show ring together for the first time. And we're doing jumpers. This was a huge decision for me to make. Previously, I felt guilty about the idea of showing him. I thought it would be way too much stress, and I didn't want to see him go through all of that. Had it not been for all the changes - and then consistency - that I've seen over the past few months, this never would have happened. I never would have pushed him. It didn't matter to me. On top of that . . . I'm carrying a metric ton of baggage when it comes to showing. I woul...

I love being an adult and making dumb adult mistakes. When you're a kid and you're growing up, you get bigger and stronger. It's fun. When you're an adult and still kind of growing up, instead of getting bigger and stronger, you get IBS and hangovers. What was supposed to be a couple beers and board games with friends somehow turned into a 3am excursion on South Beach. Mind you, I already struggle to make it to a 10am lesson when I'm fully rested. Long story short, my horse is a saint. He was an absolute idiot on the ground, but once I got on, it was like he knew I wasn't at my best. That being said, he also let me know that I wasn't at my best and was way too in his face. Commence head flinging . . . The green box was a fiend once more I do wish I had done some more canter with him because he was decently responsive. I think it might be worthwhile to do some more work on simple changes. Once he already has the momentum, the transition comes easier. It also ...

Very good news: Fuego's got kids! Not horse kids, but student kids. One of them he's had for a while. She's super capable, and it took a moment, but they've clicked well. She hasn't been out to the barn in a few weeks, but in that time, he's also picked up another less experienced kid. I've watched them go a few times, and, y'all, this horse is an absolute saint. I'm hoping with some more time and work, he can consistently be used in up downer lessons. It gives him the chance to get out of the stall and get moving. Haven't recorded my hacks lately, so here are some photos from a Chase Me Charlie that we did a while ago The only downside to this is that he's gone full school pony. Y'all ever thought this horse would be a stick & spur ride? Yeah, me neither . . . I think once I've got a saddle that fits him properly, we'll need a couple Dressage lessons to address how behind the leg he is. I think it'll also help to install ...

  Crazy in a non-stigmatizing way . . .