If you want to go to Heaven, drive west

I know this might catch the eye of those who might live in our western states but I apologize, I’m not talking about your neck of the woods.  I’m talking about Northern Virginia horse country. 

This way to heaven

By day, I work in a suburb to Washington, DC.  I’m on what used to be referred to as the technology corridor.  It still is the technology corridor but now, it is more correct to call this the defense corridor.  For cyber-stalkers, I’m a stone’s throw from Dulles Airport and have a wonderful view of it from my swanky office.  I’m not kidding when I say a wonderful view.  The sun sets to the west of us, where all of the horse barns are located, and casts the most serene scene while tucking itself into bed for the night behind the Bull Run Mountains. 

As I elbow my way down the Toll Road along with everyone else fighting their way get to the next chapter of their day, I am always stricken by the view of  the sun taking its last peek through the clouds and shining ‘just so’ through the American flag fixed proudly above the airport, surfing on a gentle breeze off the mountains.  I don’t know if it is simply because I’m an American or because I’m a Marine’s daughter but I am very patriotic and do love to see our flag on display.  A Marine Corps flag next to it would be icing on the cake.

Don't forget to wipe your boots!

After about a 50 minute drive, I’m at one of the doorsteps in God’s country.  God’s country has back roads lined with stone walls, split rail and black board fence and pristine green fields kept up by his most loyal caretaker, the horse.  And I, as a loyal subject of the horse, pay my respects to it and the sport at least four times a week.  Good weather, bad weather, hot weather or cold, I am there.  Communion with the horse is not for you if you can only show up every now and then.  There’s no room in the pew for you.  I’m sorry, you’ll need to stand at the back.  The rest of us have been blessed.  We are horse people.

Needless to say, I rode last night.

Tonight’s ride

Too many details to cover for my next posting of my visit to Syracuse (I’ve at least started it) so I’m going to have to skip to filling you in on my ride tonight.

There is constant discussion amongst horsewomen about how they juggle job, home, family and riding.  Thankfully, I don’t have kids and have made certain I won’t have kids but it doesn’t make it any less difficult for me to get out to the barn.  In the words of Nike – Just Do It.

I pack my bag of riding clothes the night before and put the bag in my car.  I have already made certain that all of my equipment is clean.  I usually do it after my ride but if there is an item here or there that I didn’t get to, I do it before the ride.  I never show up less than immaculate, that means me and my equipment.  Like George Morris said in the video I borrowed from Dani and watched on Sunday, “I have a system and I NEVER EVER budge from it.”  I love him.

Ideally, I get to work early so I can leave early.  And I eat at my desk to make that happen as well.  I’m expected to put in 8 hours or whatever it takes to get the job done.  Realisitcally, I am on the clock as long as my boss is awake.  So, if I am up at 6 a.m. and I see an email come through from him, I answer.  Same at night.  I don’t claim that time – it would be a matter of minutes – but my boss at least knows I make a strong effort to be accessible.  Every boss I have ever had has always been cool about me getting to the barn.  With my last boss, I had to sort of work him into the idea that I just might leave after 7 hours but I’d make it up at some point.  With my new boss, who basically got me because of acquiring my last company, we discussed my loyalties to the sport in my interview.  He had absolutely no problem if I left early on Wed/Thu to get to the barn.  Smart girls will get on a level with their bosses where they can swing the same deal.  You’re not 14, you’re an adult and need to make certain everyone respects you as one. 

Anyway, I slipped out at 4:00 p.m. to get a lesson from Sabrina, which, quite frankly was about a half-hour later than I needed, given the time change.  I completely forgot to get to the office earlier to make that a full 8 hours so I wrote my boss a note saying I ducked out a half-hour early (he was in a meeting) to beat daylight.  Thankfully, with the sun setting in the west and all the barns I ride at being in the west, we get just a wee bit more of light out that way.

Made it to the barn in about 45 minutes.  Thanks to Shoogie being clipped and blanketed, grooming was a breeze.  He was a little fresher than usual.  Aside from going around like a giraffe, I actually like him on the fresh side.  He can be a bit dull otherwise and requires lots of spur at the beginning of the ride.  I had my Prince of Wales spurs on tonite which proved to be sufficient. 

We did a proper warm up and moved on to doing things like a figure 8 at trot and canter (with simple change), making a point to stay as straight as possible before changing direction.  This is especially tricky at the canter because I can forget and break into my inside hip and drop my shoulder for this.  After a few reminders, Shoogie and I stayed organized and executed nicely. 

We started out trotting over a little X.  Paying close attention to maintaining straightness and an even rhythm.  This is especially hard when you are on a fresh, distracted horse.  Shoogie likes to lolly gag a bit by ogling the other horses out in the field.  There is lots of looking one direction with shoulder popped in other direction going on.  And, lest we forget the drift towards the barn.  These things are corrected by me with a ‘chatter’ of my spur, as Torrance Watkins calls it, a strong outside leg to correct the drift to the barn and maybe even a little bit of a shoulder in or an indirect rein.  Lots of work and I try it all to get through. 

On the landing, I always, always finish.  In other words, if he lands on the wrong lead, I do a simple change through the trot, wait until he is balanced, ask for the canter, and finish on a few nice, soft strides of the canter.  People, always, always finish and teach your students to finish.  It is like nails on a chalk board for me to watch other people who just careen through the turn with no regard to the ugliness of not finishing the job.  Not that it matters that it bugs me.  Look at a video of yourself doing that and trust me, it’ll bug you.  Plus, you are training the animal, which requires repetition (thanks George) and diligence on your part.  Ride right.

Off soapbox.  After warming up over the X a few times, we then worked in doing so over two Xs on a figure 8.  We then worked at the trot through a two element gymnastic of two Xs, then did the same at the canter.  Eventually, after jumping the two Xs, we continued through the corner to an oxer as the second element of an outside line.  I nailed that thing in stride each time and was very pleased with that.  Because as it is with jumping, there are so many things that must be remembered and be correct and held out for all the way to that jump and if you and the horse disagree or change your minds at any point, things just don’t work out.  So, Shoogie and I both went beautifully to that jump.  I made a specific point of focusing on being as deep in my heels as possible – something that riding Lenny at Jess’s forces me to do or he’ll jump me out of the tack.  The deeper my heel, the more solid my position. 

I did have to stop and back Shoogie two times when he thought it would be fun to drag me through the turns after jumping.  Um, there’s no reason to land and haul ass, my equine friend.  Therefore, ass, meet teeth.  After tactfully backing up (this means without being emotional or abusive) once off the right lead and once off the left lead, my did we have a very respectful partner.  Which allowed me to be soft on the landing and ride a respectable, finished circle at the end.

I always enjoy my lessons with Sabrina, even though neither of us typically has time to do them together.  She keeps a sense of humor, picks up on all the right things and keeps things interesting. 

When I got home, Bob and I sat down with the dinner I brought home (no, ladies, you do not need to feel pressured to cook meals – a man will eat whatever you put in front of him – if he doesn’t, show him the curb), then, after he did the clean up, I vacuumed the lower level because our cleaning lady has been MIA for several weeks now, and I cleaned my boots. 

And now, I am exhausted and it is only 9:00 p.m..  Time to unpack my work clothes and re-pack my bag for tomorrow and do it all over again!  That’s how you juggle job, home, family and riding.  At least for this night.  Throughout the week, there’s a whole science to it.  I will refrain from boring you more.

Syracuse Recap Part I

I love going to the big shows – the good shows that bring all the best talent.  I hate it at the same time.  It absolutely KILLS me to watch the good riders ride.  It sort of gives me a hamster-on-a-wheel feeling, which is something I’ve had for the past five years.  Even though, when I look at my blogging (which is one of the reasons why I keep this thing) I realize I have actually made some headway in working towards my goals.  Quite a lot of headway for a girl who hasn’t owned a horse she could jump in something like, what…six or seven years?  I try not to know the exact amount of years because that would bum me out even more. 

Anyway, I feel as though I should be farther down my personal road.  And quite frankly, how I stay motivated is beyond me.  I think because I have been doing this sport for as long as I have, I feel I can’t stop now or it would make the past 40 years all for naught. 

I am lucky in that I live in a very equine sport-heavy area.  There is no shortage of horses to ride and places to ride them.  I can give myself a pat on the back for always managing to keep several horses under my butt through my networking efforts.  But I can’t help but wish for having my own horse to train my way and to build a partnership with.

Dani (right) and me

Until then, I continue to be a faithful student of the sport and try my best to be as correct as possible in my riding and my horsemanship every single ride.  And, as a student of the sport, I made the trek this past weekend to the Syracuse Invitational with Dani, one of my best horse-girl buds who is as respectful of doing the right thing by the sport as I am.  Dani and I speak the same language and are ‘Morrissians’ – disciples of George Morris.  Which doesn’t mean we rode with him, it just means that we believe in his methods and respect his contribution to the sport.  We’ve attended several of his clinics together and own all of his books and watch as many of his videos as we can.   Also, my trainer in college trained with him and was practically a clone so I am comfortable with the lingo and philosophy.

The ASPCA Jump

We went to the show to specifically watch the ASPCA Medal Finals which really was a treat.  The show is nicely done, a newer show on the circuit which, with a few improvements could easily become one of the best shows around rivaling shows like Harrisburg.  The Syracuse Invitational’s heart is in the right place and can become whatever it wants to be. 

Leslie's boo-boo

While the show ran, there were several clinics taking place in the adjoining building.  I made a point of attending the talk with Leslie Burr Howard.  She’s been an idol of mine for many years and came up through the George Morris system.  Leslie was a delight and had a great sense of humor, especially after crashing a tractor through the wall in the indoor during the Ride and Drive competition (which was hilarious). 

Leslie Burr Howard - An idol of mine

She opened her talk by asking people to ask questions that were important to them – questions that she might be able to answer, given her experience in the business.  The first person was most curious about the timeline of Leslie’s success.  After that question was answered, I raised my hand and asked what advice she could give those who don’t have their own horses, who didn’t in the forseeable future expect to own a horse.  Her answer was one that gave me confidence that I’m on the right track.  She said to realize that you will be riding a lot of not-so-good horses, which will only make you a better rider.  To be certain that you always practice textbook horsemanship to build trust with an owner so that you can continue to ride their horses.  And to give every horse the best ride you possibly can.  Check, check and check.  I can never doubt that I am constantly striving to ride well.  It is most definitely a moving target for me but I never let that goal out of my sight.

The vendors were nice – Dani and I both did some damage while doing our part to boost the economy.  We both LOVE outerwear and picked up some beautiful Helly Hansen jackets at Hadfield’s, who had their fabulous mobile shop parked curbside.  I wish I could direct you to the exact jacket but the jacket selection on the Helly Hansen site is just vast and while I was surfing there trying to find it, I noticed a ka-zillion other jackets and clothing that I would die to have.  Best that I navigate away.

Best surprise of all while in Hadfield’s came from running into an old friend, Harry, who I haven’t seen in about 20 years.  He’s from Holland and I remember him as being a skinny, silly and sweet guy.  He rode with my hateful husband at the time at Chestnut Lawn where they both worked.  I hosted dinners for the guys from Chestnut Lawn, at our humble little apartment from time to time.  They were sweet guys and I always enjoyed seeing them.  They were bright spots in a crappy time in my life.  So, when reintroducing myself to Harry, I got the warmest, warmest hug.  We swapped phone numbers and emails and I plan on catching up in full as soon as I can.  He was working at the show so we were only able to do a brief catch up.  What a blast from the past!

The Saratoga Saddlery guy (a.k.a. the Margarita Man) talked me into a shirt I would never buy for myself (um, because they cost over $200 and are just a bit edgier than I see myself as being).  I actually love it already because of that (the edgy part).  My favorite line from him, “You, in this shirt, would be illegal in most states.”  Sold.  I also bought a Joules Beaufort polo shirt – navy, white and yellow.  Fits me like a glove and I’m ready for it to be warm all over again so I can wear it.

This was fun!

We ate at some neat places.  First night, we ate at bc.  Second night at pastabilities.  We got lucky at both places and didn’t have to wait long to get in.  Each booth at pastabilities had it’s own little board with the magnetized words on it so you could form all sorts of crazy sayings.  Syracuse is quite the sleepy town (well, in comparison to the DC area), despite being a college town and it didn’t appear that there was a large selection of decent restaurants (lots of pubs though!) to choose from.  So, places tended to be quite packed due to the lack of other restaurants to select from.

Have so much more to say but I’ll have to do my Syracuse reporting in parts because there is just way too much to share.  To be continued.

All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go….

I hate packing.  The dogs hate it too.  As soon as they see that suitcase, they go into a dither.  Sassy will go so far as to get inside of my bag in hopes I’ll either take her with me or it will slow me down.  She’s lucky to be alive right now, actually, given that she bit me this morning when I went to kiss Bob goodbye.  God forbid I should touch her man.  She’s lucky I didn’t punt her from one side of the house to the other.  Freaking barracuda.   

This is a quickie trip.  Dani and I are headed to Syracuse for the Medal Finals because we are such horse geeks, it’s not even funny.  I dig that about us, though.  Dani is my horse girl and she’s Bob’s ‘The Hills’ girl.  They chat ‘The Hills’ when Dani comes to visit or if I hand Dani the phone, they txt about it.  Me, I’d be watching some documentary if left to my own resources.  But Bob does love his trash TV.  And since, in reality, I really don’t care about TV (except for the Today Show and NBC Nightly News), we watch what he wants to watch. 

So, I leave tomorrow after work.  Have tried to upgrade myself to 1st Class but because I’m a peon, I don’t think I’ll get it.  It’s a regional jet anyway so it’s not like it is decent first class.  It’s a short flight – I’ll survive. 

I really try to be a minimalist when I pack but somehow, it never works.  But I think I got it right this time.  Just a few sweaters, a few jeans, same shoes, my nifty Spyder ski jacket (as if I ski)…. you get the picture.  Of course I’ll wear underwear but didn’t think we needed to cover that here. 

I’ll try to Tweet.  That is, if something worth Tweeting about happens…. we’ll see.  I’m just psyched to hang wit Dani.

Twiddling with my blog

I’m all proud.  Not only did I add a chat widget but I managed to figure out how to put a hyperlink of text under my Women’s Colony button in the sidebar to the right so you can go directly to my post they published there.  Hah! Do ya hear it?  Yup, that’s me, patting myself on the back.

I can’t take too much credit for the chat widget (although I’m not even sure if it shows if I’m not logged in to Meebo and I can’t access Meebo while I’m at work – that’s probably a good thing).  That was a click and drag, sign up, done.  So, now, if you are visiting my blog while I’m on there you can chat with me!  That might get a little weird for me but we’ll see how it goes.  It takes cyber-stalking to a whole new level!

Behold my upgraded blog!

Weekend Wrap-up (more)

I love riding in the fall

My, my how I love fall.  I feel like fall is my month since I was born in it.  As you might already know, if you’re a friend or a good stalker, this is my birth month.

The picture above is of Tracey (on the right) and me riding in the fall one year.  I had a similar fall day today for riding.  Went to visit Sabrina.  She was going to give me a lesson but I was so beat from yesterday, I just wasn’t feeling it.  So we decided to do a trail ride.  The day was just beyond gorgeous and perfect for it.  I rode Shoogie and she rode Malcom.

Supremo Gold - a.k.a. Shoogie

That’s Shoogie above.  No, that’s not me on him.

Star Innis - a.k.a. Malcom

That’s Sabrina on Malcom.

Anyway, the boys were pretty good.  Well, very good, except they don’t have a lot of gate experience.  Which means they got some today.  There is something to be said for training your horse to walk up close and parallel to a gate and stand quietly while you undo and redo it.  Our boys didn’t quite get that the first 50 tries.  But on the way back, they both did very well and stood quietly. 

The ride was gorgeous but I couldn’t help but think about how the large trail we were on was clearly carved out to be part of a housing development in the not too distant future.  All along the trail were manhole covers marked ‘Loudoun County Sewer’.  Regardless, the ride seemed to go for miles and I’m hoping we can enjoy it for quite some time before everything gets screwed up.

I have to say, there is absolutely nothing more wonderful than being carried by a horse across beautiful countryside.  I always feel truly blessed to be a part of this sport on days like this. 

After our ride, a group of us went to Glory Days for lunch.  I had a nice fat mushroom and swiss burger.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Then, it was off to get my car cleaned.  It was pretty nasty from my drive in Middleburg on Saturday.  I always get a kick out of the look of surprise when the car wash guys open the back of my car.  They look at all the horse stuff a little perplexed, they look down and realize there is only about a 2″ swath of carpet they can vacuum back there.  Some don’t even bother, the guy today gave it an obligatory swipe with the vacuum head then moved on to the windows. 

Was supposed to go get my nails done after all of that, but I chose a fat burger instead so it looks like tomorrow will be nail night.  God forbid I should be seen with less than perfect nails.  Dey be pretty banged up right now.  Especially since I came home and cleaned a bunch of my equipment today.  Now that I think about it, my ladies would have been horrified if I came after riding.  My nails take two showers and a good scrubbing with a nail brush to get all the horse and barn dirt out from under them. 

Off to get ready for tomorrow.  It’s going to be a busy week!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well, the weekend’s not over yet but I feel like I need to crank a few lines out before the day gets away from me. 

Bob’s brother, Matt was in town this weekend.  Friday, we went out to dinner at Carrabba’s and Saturday, we did our traditional breakfast at Silver Diner.  The first time I ever met Matt was at Silver Diner so I always appreciate it when Bob and Matt fit time into their man-schedule to do breakfast with me so we can carry on our tradition.  Plus, you know how I love my breakfast. 

After breakfast, I headed out to Middleburg to ride.  Had a blast riding Flash in one of Denise’s lessons.  Flash is cool.  He’s a TB and is my kind of ride so we mesh pretty well.  After that, we took the ponies to the indoor to motor them around a bit.  They are both green so we keep the rides pretty basic.  Working with youngsters is fun.

After our rides, we headed to Hunter’s Head for lunch.  Such a cozy, warm place.  It was packed in there!  That place kills me.  It is this fairly small place in the middle of a little piddly town but people love it.  They use all local produce and meats.  Have never had a bad meal there.  I had the crab and tomato soup and the field greens.  Yummy!  The pumpkin cheese cake was so, so tempting but thankfully, I didn’t have time to get it.  I was off to my lesson at Jess’s.

I had a lesson on Klink.  He worked my butt off today.  Or Jess did.  Not sure who to blame.  We rode indoors because the weather was being weird.  Sun one second, rain the next.  We did a simple exercise of jumping two jumps on a figure 8 and it never ceases to amaze me how hard exercises like this are.  For me, asking for a good canter transition is work.  I want them to canter from the walk.  Not every horse knows how to do this so it takes a lot of diligence from the rider’s part to set the horse up for the transition and to ask for it each time.  Once you have the canter, just sitting very still in your body and soft in your arm takes work.  Every step, every turn takes work.  Then, you have to get to the fence, keeping the pace the same on your approach which does not involve just holding the reins.  All the way to the jump, it is a constant conversation with the horse thru your legs and hands.  Finding the right distance is always a challenge, then, landing and getting a smooth lead change, regrouping then doing the exercise all over again.  It is tough and exhausting!

I love every aspect of riding and the horsemanship involved with it.  Where many want to simply ride and rush out of the barn, I enjoy the grooming, tacking up, untacking, bathing the horse and cleaning and putting my tack away.  I enjoy taking care of the horse and my equipment.  Yes, it all takes extra time but that’s horsemanship. 

I’m headed to ride at Sabrina’s today.  Just one ride for me today then it is off to the salon to get my nails back in shape for the week!  Friday, I leave for Syracuse!  Dani and I and some of her clients are going to the Syracuse Invitational to see the medal finals!  I can’t wait!!

Another visit to Lynchburg

Augh!  Thank God my man is back home.  He was in Boston this past weekend for the Head of the Charles, and while I find plenty to keep me busy while he’s gone, I HATE it when he’s gone.  Everything was off-kilter the whole time. 

First, my BlackBerry crapped out.  One of my techs had me wipe the the thing and after doing that, it never reconnected to our server at work.  So, I was getting all my other emails, none of my work emails, had none of my contacts and no access to the internet.  AAAAAAAAAGG!!!!  Additionally, I was getting weird texts from other random people.  Then, my keyboard at home started missing strokes.  That was really, really annoying.  Next, the outlet in my bathroom blew (yes, I tried to reset it).  I ate like crap the whole weekend (McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Popeye’s, pizza, icecream).  Bleh!  Anyway, when Bob came through the door, I made him put everything down right away and beat the dogs to getting some attention.  AND he fixed my outlet.  Things are right in the world again (except for that stupid keyboard).

I wanted to steal this kitty

On Saturday, Liz and I drove down to Lynchburg to visit Codi.  She brought her little grandson, Logan, who is just adorable.  I judged a show for Codi.  And while the weather here was horrible, we had a lovely day in Lynchburg.  Nice and sunny for most of the day and no rain.

I love judging the little shows (I’m not certified to judge anything else anyway) because to me, those shows are what horse shows should be like.  Typically, the secretary’s stand is run by one of the moms or one of the kids.  The food is usually put together by a group of parents and one of the dads usually mans the grill.  The kids all adore their horses and ponies and while they take their performances seriously, they are having such a good time.  People don’t go to the big shows to have a good time.  I don’t care what they say.  I like a good time and trust me, I wouldn’t be at the rateds to have a good time.  You go to win.  At the little shows, a lot less emphasis is put on the win and the kids actually just enjoy showing up in the ring.  If they get a ribbon, they’re thrilled.  Watch a kid in the rateds get a ribbon – they don’t smile.  If they do, it’s rare.  The more they win, the less they smile.

Anyway, there was a costume class and I gave out a $100 gift certificate to the Best Turned Out Pair, along with certificates of appreciation for the others that competed in that class.  The pony that won had her mane braided and her tail braided into a mud knot.   I love the look of a mud knot.  Granted, you typically would only use those in very muddy conditions, but the soft conditions and the day that started out overcast made it appropriate enough.  It definitely caught my eye.

Feel like someone's watching?

The pig, Paddington was there, bigger than ever.  I actually had to take a glove off to pat his belly and tell him he was very, very fat.  He just snorted at me and waddled on.  The goat was there – boy, can they give you some looks.  I told the goat he/she could not go into the tack room and gently pushed him aside and he looked up at me like, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Yee-haw!

They even did a little hay ride around the farm.  The kids enjoyed that, some taking many laps around the property.  Kristin’s new husband drove the tractor.  There were lots of parents and lots of cameras.  Everyone had a great time.

The drive home was mixed with a stop at Wendy’s (we didn’t have a dad manning the grill this time), a stop at Starbuck’s (it is drive-thru) in Warrenton, a stop for gas then a stop to drop Logan off (he didn’t want to go), then I dropped Liz off and that was when I had icecream for dinner (I think I need to run tonight).

Sunday was spent ticking off the hours when Bob would finally get back home, having lunch at Popeye’s in the mall (I actually could only eat one piece of the chicken strips), then heading up to share my technological woes with the Verizon folks.  They got me straigtened out.  Next, I headed to my nail place to get a nail fixed (makes me sound like such a fluff) and finally, I had to make a stop at Giant because I was completely grossed out by all the crap food that I’d consumed and had to pick up some healthy stuff. 

A few more pix to enjoy.

Ninja Pony Rider

Codi gets Logan ready for Leadline

End of a great day

Totally pooped

Happy Birthday to Me

The end of summer sort of marks my new year.  By the end of summer, I like to look back and assess any headway I might have made on my riding goals.  In the summer months, I go full tilt in hooking up with friends because the days are longer.  I tend to crank out more projects around the house in the warmer months.  I’m a pretty productive person on the whole but I imagine I’ve got a lot more going on when the days are longer.  And by the time October gets here, the leaves start changing, and that pretty much says, “Guess what?  Summer’s over.”  Not to mention, this is my birthday month.  And yes, today is my birthday.

So, on the day of my birthday, I sort of assess the previous year and I also have my own personal Thanksgiving.  Wow.  That’s rolling a whole bunch into one day.  But hey, it’s MY birthday!

On my big day, for starters, I’d like to give thanks.  Thanks to God for keeping me healthy, healthy, healthy.  Without this pretty much problem/maintenance-free vessel, I could not do more than three-quarters of what I do.  So, thank you God, for issuing this one to me when you were handing out bods because I’m still one of the few women I know who’s pretty damn comfy in her own skin. 

Inseparable

Next, I’d like to give thanks for Bob.  Without Bob, I would be miserable and be with some dumbass, ambitionless, ungrateful, annoying, dense man who takes me for granted and thinks chicks like me grow on trees and are replaceable.  Bob makes coming home every night something I look forward to.  It is like our first date every night.  Bob gives me confidence in me, us, our future, life in general.  He is kind, truthful, helpful, never lazy, always considerate, has never done anything stupid or thoughtless.  I never get tired of that view that is him.  He’s my very own 6′5″ Michelangelo sculpture but much warmer.  Because of him, I have a relationship that is never angry, never cheap, always respectful and I treasure it with my entire being.  I have been on a happy streak for 10+ years because of Bob.  No ups and downs, just an ongoing trip on the happy train and a constant diet of love.

Of course I am grateful for my family.  They are where I came from and they are who made me the person I am today.  Because of them, I grew up in a safe, sane, secure household and had such an easy, easy childhood.  Almost too easy.  A bit of a rude awakening when I got out into the big world.  Eh, live and learn and you fall back on your DNA to get you through.  I’ve got good DNA (thanks Mom and Dad).

Also very important to me are my friends.  Damn I have good friends.  And such an array of friends.  I have drinking buddies who I actually just drink tea with (because I just can’t keep up with their drinking and I’m not big on it anyway), I have friends I can call for legal advice, career advice, free rides on horses, fashion advice, investment advice, you name it.  They make me laugh and they add to my everyday happiness.  I’ll do anything for my friends.

Life is so, so good but it did not come easy.  I had to pick up and move on from a lot in my life in every facet of my life and by sheer determination, spunk and with the help of some really good friends, I have hit my 45th birthday in a very enviable position.  I am ridiculously happy and insanely in love.  I’m already looking towards another great year.

It’s been awhile…

I’ve been busy and just haven’t had the time to sit and fire anything out.  Evenings are either spent making dinner, cleaning it up, tidying the house, grocery shopping, running errands or riding at the barn.  Fridays, I don’t do anything except spend time with Bob if I can help it.   We usually go out.

Riding is going well.  Wednesdays, I’m out at Stonegate, Thursdays, I’m out at Sabrina’s, Saturdays, I’m usually lessoning at Jess’s and Sundays, I ride at one of the above or all.  I’ve even re-organized the trunk of my RAV-4 so that it is an even meaner tack trunk on wheels.  I have replaced the under-the-bed-storage-box with the two-sided lid to the plastic stacking drawers.  Two, side-by-side.  I like them much better.  I keep all of my square pads that I like in the left one and spares (the old baby pads that I don’t use as much) and other odds and ends (bits, spurs, tack cleaning cloths) in the right one.  Girths and bridles remain in the cargo net (I love that thing) and a fly quarter sheet and my mobile saddle rack goes on top.  Grooming bag and helmet bag sit in front of those. 

I’ve been riding Klink mostly at Jess’s.  I like him because he’s a Thoroughbred.  That type suits me best – the ones that take you to the jump and need a finessed, soft ride.  I hate the clunky ones that you have to kick who hang on your hands.  They enable bad riding, which is why I think they are so popular these days.  Fewer people ride regularly and the ones you have to kick (typically warmbloods) don’t mind if you make mistakes.  A more sensitive horse will make you a better rider.  Klink is only forgiving in that he’ll kindly jump from wherever I put him.  I’m pleased to report that I’m getting a lot smarter in my rides and staying much more organized while on course. 

At Stonegate, I’ve been riding Lady mostly, who I think is just a wonderful horse.  She is only 4 and has the loveliest temperament.  She’s never fussy, never acts out and just tries her little heart out.  I’m thrilled with progress on her, although I’m not the only one that rides her.  I do know that she wasn’t doing some things back when I started riding her.  She had absolutely no bend to her neck whatsoever.  She is now beginning to flex very well while tracking right and we are working on tracking left.  I’ve been doing a ton of transition work with her because, as we know, I hate to have to remind a horse to keep a certain cadence.  She moves right off of your leg now and maintains a good rhythm at the trot very nicely.  She’s getting better at the canter but is still getting stronger behind and should soon be able to carry herself better and stay more balanced in a straight line.  I like horses like her because you can easily measure your success.  I always enjoy feeling as though I’m accomplishing something.

At Sabrina’s, I ride Supremo Gold (Shoogie).  He’s also a Thoroughbred and is extremely sweet and pretty much bomb proof.  Not much fazes him and if it does, he’ll simply prick his ears and continue on.  I enjoy riding him on the flat and over fences.  He needs patient work at getting him to get a little longer and lower.  He’ll flex at the poll all day but  getting him to drop in his neck at the whithers takes some more time.  He has a lovely canter and gives you such a good feeling going to the jumps. 

I’d be bored on horses that went like a dream all the time.  Every horse will give you the nicest ride if you know how to ask for it.  And if you listen, they’ll tell you how to ask!