2018 Goals

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New year, new goals. But with the following provision: these are goals, not requirements. There is no such thing as failing, there is simply moving the needle. Not that I would like to take them any less seriously, but if 2017 taught me anything, it’s that if life brings about circumstances out of my control that results in missing a goal, then it’s not fair, and not useful, to consider that achievement/goal a failure. For instance, last year we aimed to go abroad. Then family health, funeral, and other expenses caught up to us, and we didn’t go. Did we fail to go? I guess you could look at it that way- but instead I think I would rather put our lack of vacationing down as something to attend to another time instead of a failure.

Ahem, anyways, with that said.. Here are my goals for 2018:

The Horse

  • Get his weight up. This is a short term goal, as I expect to not have as many issues once the grass returns in the spring. But homeboy is looking a little rangy despite my literally stuffing him full of food like a hog for slaughter.
  • Gain confidence cross country. Meaning I would like Jack to become the master of ditches, and to be more forward thinking to new fences. This will only come with repetition, so that means I need to commit to getting out as much as possible.
  • Go penalty free at a recognized show. This spring, I’m aiming at the Southern Pines HT in March and Longleaf in April.
  • Move up to Novice. Obviously, this goal is contingent on meeting the above cross country goal. We’re already schooling the showjumping, and well beyond the dressage, but he needs to be less impressed by new cross country obstacles before attacking the black-on-white numbers.
  • Ride a First Level test at a schooling show, likely. But if finances allow, perhaps a recognized show could be thrown in there.

BN looks tiny compared to the yellow moose. PC: Brant Gamma

Photography

  • Book 1 Gold Session/month from March – November. Mostly this will be down to learning about marketing, and will hopefully be aided by the next goal, which is…
  • Implement a referral program. Incentivize former clients for getting the word out!
  • Plan at least one out-of-state photog trip. Last year I did shoots in Florida and at Fair Hill (oh hey Niamh! 🙂 ). I’m not sure if I’ll get to Florida this year, but with WEG and Rolex on my list of events to attend I would love to sneak in some tog-related stuff while I’m there. Also would LOVE to hit up some other destinations, so if you’re interested in a shoot let me know!
  • Save up for the Holy Grail of lenses. The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2, to be exact. I rented this lens for Fair Hill last year (see below photos from the 3* SJ) and was so impressed. But it will take quite a few precious pennies to make it my own.
  • Start shooting with more precision. I’m hoping to get into the habit of back-button focusing, as well as utilizing all the available focus points on my D750.

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The Blog

  • Commit to 3 posts each week. Thank you to all who took a moment and participated in the survey. I guess you want to hear more about Jack, so I’ll be doing my best to deliver!
  • Try and get back in the groove of reading everyone’s blogs. I seriously neglected this (just like my own blog) over the last 6 months. Going to try and do better!
  • Write some posts for The Plaid Horse! What what?!
  • Host my first giveaway! Details to commmme!

Results from the Blog Survey

So here’s looking at you, 2018! Onwards and upwards!

2017 Wrap Up

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2017 is over… and a lot of people, myself included, went through a lot of trials and tribulations over the last 12 months and are more than happy to show 2017 the door. We lost my husband’s father, grandmother, and great-aunt this year. My own family got dealt a major health blow in regards to my mother. I came to the realization that Smitty was not going to be the forever horse that I had hoped. Our beloved German Shepherd, Drake, spent several days in emergency care and scared the bejeezus out of us.

2017, let’s call you Felicia.

But…

Even with all that, I would prefer to focus on the positives. In many ways I have become so much closer to my family than ever before. I was able to sell Smitty to the absolute perfect buyer, and somehow not record a huge financial loss in the endeavor. My photography side-hustle grew in a way that I had hardly dared to hope for. I found Jack, my barbie dream horse, and despite his own “looky-loo” tendencies (I’m stealing that from a friend), he is making me a braver rider than I have ever been as a result. The husband and I were able to take a lovely trip to Savannah for Christmas. And I met a great handful of amazing bloggers and continue to feel so blessed to be part of this community.

Even saw this pretty lady TWICE!

I have been marinating on what goals I’d like to set for this year, but I think I’ll save that for a separate post. The only one that I feel pretty certain about is that if I am to continue my photography pursuits, then this blog will never be able to be the daily exercise I had aimed for. Instead, I think it’s more appropriate to expect ~3 posts each week. Not being able to blog daily was a stressor last year, and honestly, that misses the point of blogging. It’s always meant to be a chronicle of the horse and house journey, and a way to have open dialogue with equestrians from around the world. More on this soon!

Until then, I hope everyone is feeling optimistic about what 2018 will bring. I know I am.

XC and SJ Lesson Recap

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Don’t mind me, I’m just over here losing all the things… my ice boots, the $60 I had in my pocket, my mind….

XC schooling over the weekend was pretty mentally exhausting for the golden boy and I. Our focus was on creating a positive experience and getting over some baby ditches/banks- issues that bubbled up at the Boyd Clinic. And it wasn’t resolved without some initial drama.

moment of drama

little more drama with a hint of tail

too. much. drama.

Luckily my trainer has literal balls of steel and she helped Jack make better life choices. And he did. Including going over a baby ditch on the very first try.

We were able to even revisit the first ditch at the end of our schooling, and Jack remembered to move horizontally instead of vertically- wise decision indeed, and a lesson that hopefully he will remember when we get out there again in January.

Not one to let things lie, we then had a jump lesson yesterday. Golden boy’s brain was fully intact, and all the “scary” things were jumped the first time around. My challenge is to ride effectively and not let my defensive habits take over when I get worried. Unfortunately I have no media, but know that despite the scary screenshots from above, the Barbie Dream Horse continues to be in my good books.

Let’s Discuss: Wheels

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Almost exactly two years ago, I traded in my towing vehicle for a more practical, gas-friendly daily driver. You see, I was this close to having all the pennies saved up for a proper truck, and was excited to be able to finally have an appropriate set of wheels to take Fosterpants to the destination of my choice.

The old rig

And then 3 days later, I learned I needed to retire Foster.

From making plans for Foster, to saving up for a new horse(s), my dreams of independently taking my horse from point A to point B were definitely quashed. So every time I went somewhere in the last 2 years, I borrowed a truck. But recently I finally, finally, filled the truck fund up enough to go shopping.

And came back with this beauty:

She’s an ’07 F150, with 4WD and over 8,000 lbs of towing capacity- huge overkill for my 2 horse stock trailer. And though I may be making payments for some time, I could not be more thrilled to finally have the wheels I dreamed of.

Now I can’t help but turn my dreams towards a trailer upgrade, though in reality this will likely be another couple years in the making. Not that there’s anything wrong with my trailer- it’s an extra tall 2007 2 horse straight load, and I’ve done my best to take care of it. But I hope to eventually get something with a tack room (though I have become a bungee cord queen over the years) that’s warmer in the winter time.

The Chariot

Isn’t it ironic that the days of horses transporting us from destination to destination have become replaced with humans spending thousands of dollars to do just the opposite?! What is your current rig set up? Do you have your own truck and trailer, or do you have a borrowing scheme in place like I did? If you own truck/trailer/etc what are the things about it that you love? What would you change? What would be your ideal set up?

XC Schooling Recap

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Last week’s revisit to the cross country course was perhaps not as amazing as I had hoped for. I think in general ending on a not-as-great note with our ditch and water-drop issues at the Boyd clinic hurt Jack’s (and probably my) confidence a bit, and a couple exercises that had been easy for him before, like the baby up bank, were a little tougher this time around.

And we definitely ended on a good note this time- stringing together the new-to-us cabin, water, and coop and maintaining a steady rhythm throughout.

Jack continues to make his opinions well known, and I can’t help but giggle every time I see that tail flying high in the videos. So much so that I made a highlight reel of Jack’s latest opinions:

We need a solid outing and some real confidence boosting at our next cross country schooling, which is this weekend. No time like the present to nip some of these issues in the bud!

Photography Friday: Dyland and Rizzo

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You may not know Dylan Phillips personally, but if you’re a horse person on the internet, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen her before. Almost half a million have seen her viral video, after all:

Dylan and Rusty, a few years later ❤

Now a little bit older, Dylan is one heck of a rider and just waiting until her 14th birthday before she can rock and roll around Prelim with her new partner, Rizzo. Rizzo, aka Fernhill Fierce, is an Irish Sport Horse mare and the new love of Dylan’s life. We took these images to memorialize the start of this beautiful partnership, and I can’t wait to see what these two accomplish together!

Have a great weekend all! And please, if you have a minute, check in with yesterday’s poll on blog content!

House on a Hill in 2018

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It’s no secret that this blog has been a little less loved in the last couple months than regular readers are used to. Mostly that’s due to a huge increase in my photography work, temporarily riding 2 horses, and now being in a committed 2x/week lesson program.

In 2018 I hope to get a bit more back in sync with the going’s on in blogland, but I’m curious as to what you guys want to see as the new year approaches. Please take a moment and let me know what type of content you enjoy most, and want to see more of next year!

Let’s Discuss: Courage in Riding

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Being brave is something I have struggled with since a child, and is one of the biggest mental challenges I deal with as an adult amateur.

I tend to assume that professional riders are where they are today not because of bank rolls and nice horses, but because of their lack of fear, or ability to mine courage where seemingly none exists. To me it goes hand in hand with the grit that is required of making a living from riding horses. Sometimes I dream of the fences I would jump if only I weren’t so cowardly, or how far along I would have progressed in my riding career if only I hadn’t been scared to try more challenges along the way.

Tattoo that helps me find my mojo

Yet despite my apparent lack of balls, the situation is that I own a horse that is a downright worry-wort. And two weenies do not [obviously] make for a brave combination. Add in that, oh yeah, we’re eventers, and bravery is kind of a necessary quality in this sport.

Jack is therefore teaching me to be brave, every ride. My trainer has embedded a mantra in my head for all those times he goes to look or spook at something- and that’s this:

Don’t tell him what not to do. Only show him what to do.

Here Jack, let me show you how to ditch

So if he gets tense, I shouldn’t also get tense- instead I should sit deeply, remind him to focus on the rhythm and going forward. It’s been a huge learning curve to go against instinct and not clutch the reins in panic, but slowly and surely I’m becoming a more reliable partner for my giant scaredy cat. Which I need to be- because as George Morris puts it, every second in the saddle you are either training the horse or untraining the horse. And if I have any hope of creating a confident partner in Jack, I need to be brave myself and show him the way.

Is finding courage something you also struggle with? How do you overcome your fear in the saddle? Is your horse one that gives you confidence, or do you also find yourself being the brave one? What tips or tricks do you have for squashing fear?

Photography Friday: Sofia and Sunny

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I’ve done so many shoots recently that I honestly can’t remember which I’ve shared and which I haven’t! So let me share one of my more recent sessions- this is Sofia and Sunny, a Welsh cross mare that is just beyond precious. The sweet relationship that these two have was just adorable- Sunny is nothing like your typical pony mare, and Sofia just showered her with love and kisses- all I had to do was press the shutter button!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!