Spring Goal Check In

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Well, horse shopping has officially begun in earnest and since it feels like the start of something new, let’s take a look at the goals I set for 2016!

fb_DSC0865The Horse:

  1. Find the perfect situation for Foster.   Blessings abound. May 1 I handed Foster over to a lovely woman who I know will take good care of him and allow me to visit Fosterpants!
  2. Keep riding, even if catch riding
  3. Participate in at least one dressage clinic

kitchen_beforeafter

 

The House:

  1. Paint upstairs – hallway, study, State room
  2. Wrap up giant handyman to-do list covering all sorts of small sins
  3. Declutter in the extreme….
  4. In order to put the house on the market!   Done, done, and done! House sold and house on a hill 2.0 purchased!

IMG_1204

The Rest:

  1. Health
    • Eat less red meat The husband is surprisingly keeping me on track with this one!
    • Make a dedicated effort to consider myself an athlete as a rider and take responsibility for staying in decent shape
  2. Concentrate on photography and expanding my range of work
    • Complete 10-15 sessions this spring – my fingers are itching for that shutter button!
    • First newborn session!
  3. Stay positive and keep calamities in perspective
  4. Focus on savings Saved enough pennies to be able to afford a new pony- I call that goal accomplished!

Let’s Discuss: Spring Chicken or Made but Maintenance?

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You may have noticed yesterday that in terms of budget, I classify myself as “champagne on a beer budget”. I won’t go into financial details, but Foster’s inconveniently going to pieces 3 days after I purchased a car (a non-towing car, I might add, with the hopes of buying a truck in a few months) left my bank account in a place where, let’s just say, buying a fancypants new prospect wasn’t going to be happening any time soon. So I’ve been scrimping and saving, and I’ve finally got enough pennies to go shopping. But still, the horses that fit my criteria seem to fit into two categories- that is, spring chicken or Made but needs maintenance.

Let’s go over my (eventual) goals, first and foremost:

  • Be competitive at 3rd level
  • Ride at training level eventing with no jumping faults (time faults will be forgiven)

Given the need for a horse that can sit, with good movement, and can be forgiven for not being the best galloper, that tends to point to warmbloods or warmblood crosses. So let’s look at my options a little more closely.

The Spring Chicken
These typically end of being 3 yr olds at or near the top of my budget, but within budget nonetheless. They may or may not be started at this age. The horses I’m interested in have great conformation and most of them have moves like Jagger.

One of my babies as a yearling

One of my babies as a yearling

Ideally they have good brains, and a good look at how they handle life (as in new experiences, as well as routine life around the barn) can be an indication as to how easy they will be to train. A peek into bloodlines can indicate some idea as to their potential ability, but the key word here is potential. They have not been tested, have not had to answer many of the questions I would ask, but have the flip-side advantage of not having wear and tear on precious legs. There is a risk in not knowing how they will react, but there is also the bonus of being able to make the horse you want from the ground up.

Made with Maintenance
These guys tend to be a little easier to find, but also tend to be a bit more than I’m financially comfortable with. They’re also at or slightly above my age range, being 8-12 years old, even up to 15. They have show miles, good records, great attitudes, and are proven athletes. But they come with caveat, and that is either a questionable soundness history, or a questionable soundness future.

Riding a horse of this type in Intercollegiate dressage, where many Made but Maintenance horses find themselves

Riding a horse of this type in Intercollegiate dressage, where many Made but Maintenance horses find themselves

The pro to these guys is as my friend puts it, they are “sitting on go”. I can immediately get in the saddle, start showing and competing, and maybe knock my goals out of the park in the next 18 months. The risk with them is of course with what happens afterwards. What is the Plan B if and when those maintenance issues flare up and interfere with the work asked of them? Of course there is no guarantee with any horse’s (or rider, for that matter) soundness, but the knowledge of previous issues is both a blessing and a curse.

The Question
I have my own (many) opinions on what I want, and obviously there are outliers that fit neither of these types, but I ask you- What would you choose?

In search of…

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Thank you for all of your comments and well wishes yesterday, they were very appreciated. The paperwork went through, and just like that, I am no longer Fosterpants’ primary caregiver. Luckily his new mom is absolutely wonderful and wants me to have as much access to him as I want, and I’ll probably be hopping on him once a week or so for the next little while. More details and an attempt to sum up the journey coming.

In the meantime, let me regale you with my horsey ISO ad, since I’m officially in horse hunting territory.

“Adult amateur seeks fancypants unicorn in ultimate champagne on a beer budget scenario. Prefer gelding, at least 15.3 hands tall and between the ages of 3 and 9. Must have great brain, preferably canine-like personality and cuddly tendencies. A forgiving nature, for those amateur moments, is an absolute requirement. Need not be able to memorize showjumping tracks, but being able to count jumps would be helpful to this occasionally ditzy eventing DQ.

Fine, fine, I'll share it again.

Never gets old.

Suspension and athleticism important. And by suspension, I mean that of a Porsche or Audi, not a Model T. Prospective owner seeks to be competitive in the dressage court and in the eventing irons, that is, if she can remember her courses. Proven jumping ability preferred, but willing to survive train a green but willing jumper as well.

vertical_jump

Horse will receive almost daily attention from prospective owner, be taught ridiculous tricks like smiling and bowing, and in general be spoiled rotten. As such, the horse must in turn tolerate copious amounts of picture taking, both as the subject of his new owner’s photography experiments, but also on a routine basis for the purpose of bombarding the blogosphere and social media channels with their presence.

horsegif

Besides being sound of mind, horse must be sound of body. While this amateur owner has become efficient at wrapping, icing, hand walking, and bonding with vets, she would like to turn her attention to other hobbies. Like riding. Lemons need not apply, and you better believe there will be a pre-purchase exam.

brokehorse

In return for meeting these lengthy and lofty requirements, any future horse will be held on a pedestal above all others, if not in the judges’ eyes than in his owner’s. He will receive the best of care at a top-notch facility, have his legs and feeding regimen obsessed over at length, and be stuffed full of cookies at every horse show. Oh, let’s be serious- he’ll be stuffed full of cookies every day. And with all hope, he will be a lifelong partner.”

horsehug

Is today the end of an era?

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Today’s the day that the Foster Parent and I make a decision- is she going to be Foster’s new mom? I still hope so.

It’s bittersweet to want this to work out. But I’ve been able to see Foster a few times since dropping him off two months ago, and though it’s taken some getting used to seeing the changes that come with a horse going from stall board to living outdoors 24/7 (i.e, scratches, nicks, wooly coat), he seems happy.

Foster Field

One half of Foster’s field (aka horsey heaven)

It’s also been reaffirming that when I hop on him, not much has changed lameness-wise. He still has a slight hop when trotting right, and I can tell he’s much happier walking, although it’s Foster, so what else is new. The only thing better than walking is standing.

His stone wall run-in. Pretty nice digs!

His stone wall run-in. Pretty nice digs!

Obviously I didn’t expect 2 months of turnout and light riding to cure him, but it was interesting to see that even with the most minimal of work, he’s still not going to be a competitive sporthorse. No, its much kinder to him to live life as a spoiled trail horse.

The painted pony makes an appearance.

The painted pony makes an appearance.

We’ll see what this day brings. But either way, Foster is well loved and forever a treasure.

Lessons learned from Foster

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Since I guess I’ve kind of admitted on the interwebs that I am window shopping for a new pony (and probably jumping the gun since nothing’s official yet with Foster- please please don’t jinx myself!), here are some of the lessons I’ve learned since last going pony shopping and coming back with a certain spotted creature.

  1. Brains are worth it. Every time.
    Last time around I prioritized a good mind above all, and boy am I glad for that. Because of his good brain I was able to do more with Foster in the 5 years we’ve been together than any other horse, and have more fun doing it. And even when not in the saddle, spending time with an orally-inclined, loveable ham of a horse was still an absolute pleasure. You better believe brains will continue to be the top of my list going forward.
  2. But soundness is a major priority too.
    I took my chances on Fosterpants and didn’t do a pre-purchase exam. Hindsight being 20/20, I now realize how important it is even to have that baseline exam. Any new pony will be vetted and examined thoroughly before coming home with me.
  3. It ain’t all about that trot.
    Now that I’m more acquainted with my goals and what it takes to get there, I won’t be as dumbfounded by a flashy trot. The walk and canter take presendence from now on, as those are the gaits that are the hardest to improve. (And most boring- walk work being what it is)
  4. Know what you’re getting
    Foster’s history is a bit ambivalent- supposedly out of an Olderburg mare by a Paint/TB stallion, and try as I might I never got more information than that. Even his age was a little questionable, and my dentist was who confirmed it for me. All this was fine for me given the amount I spent, but going forward, I want more information. Who (exactly) is the sire? What are the tendencies with that lineage? How was he brought up? All these things will hopefully be one more detail that will help the next horse be that forever horse. Knowledge is power, as they say.

I regret nothing of the journey I’ve had (and will have) with Fosterpants. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse and I am so, so happy for the time I have with him. Hopefully the lessons I’ve learned because of him will make me a better horsewoman in the future, and for that, I’m ever thankful.

Where does the blog go now?

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What happens to a horse Foster centric blog called a House on a Hill, when the certain horse gets potentially rehomed (final decision in May), and the house gets sold?

I enjoy blogging, I really do. I’ve published 428 posts since this blog was started in 2013. What started as a purely cathartic exercise and a way to track the progress of a horse and a house turned into becoming part of a community that has inspired new friendships and relationships (albeit online) with people across the globe. It’s allowed acquaintances and friends in the real world a way to keep up with our activities, and it continues to shock me when I find out that someone reads my blog. The journey has been a fun one, and a revealing one.

But as I said, where do we go now? I look at this site from a web designer’s POV and think- we’ll, that banner’s got to go, or thank goodness we didn’t get a domain name registered. It’s all very strange to me that these events, selling the house and rehoming Foster, don’t seem real until I write them down.

I can’t see myself just setting the blog aside. So in all likelihood, it will continue on and evolve as all things do. I won’t stop riding, and goodness knows I’ve already sunk my teeth into some house projects (update coming, I swear). But if it’s a little quiet in the meantime, well, that’s because that’s how things are at the moment.

We’re still here, in the house on a hill, 2.0.

Let’s Discuss: Rider Conformation Faults

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I spent some of the weekend visiting with best friend N, and yesterday got to hop on her one-eyed wonder mare, Rea, and her mom’s mare, Ace.

While Rea rode a lot like Foster, Ace immediately called me out on my biggest conformational fault- my hollow lower back. A yoga instructor once told me (how’s that for a professional diagnosis) that I had lordosis of the spine – in horses we call it a dippy back, or sway back. In humans it looks like this:

lordosis1

All I know is that it’s something a couple instructors have caught on to, but tends to fade into the distance after a while. N’s mom worked with me to get me to “fill” my lower back to release the tension there, allowing my pelvis to swing and get Ace to relax and swing her back in return.

Some of the visualizations included putting a hand on my hollow back and trying to fill it up, or push against it with my muscles (which engaged core muscles I realized I haven’t used in some time!), imagining I was widening my lower back, or stretching my shirt in that area. All these were super helpful, and while it will definitely take some time to make a relaxed, non-hollow back muscle memory, gave me a lot to think about in the meantime.

What about you? What is a personal “conformation fault” that you deal with? How do you overcome it, or how does it affect your riding?

Darcy Update

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Darcy left this weekend to go to her new home, where she will eventually learn the ropes of cross country and try not to get fat on the lushest grass in the county.

While I’m certainly sad to see that sweet little mare go, I think she and her new owner will grow a lot with each other and that it’s a good match. And though not riding is clearly not a long-term goal for me, with the bits of remodeling (i.e, painting, etc) going on in the new house, it seems a good time for me to have at least one week off.

I won’t be out of the saddle for long- this weekend I’m off to visit a friend and see her one-eyed wonder mare and hopefully get to take her for a little spin. Then it’s just a matter of weeks before some serious Derby party action and if all goes well, the horse shopping will begin.

Lots of change, and lots of luck to Darcy in her new home!

Let’s Discuss: Moving

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Moving homes is an exciting, exhausting, emotional process. You look forward to it, because it means forward momentum in your life, but you dread it, because of the growing pains.

It’s funny how moving can show you new things about yourself. It’s an experience that exposes patterns and how you are a different person than you might have been before.

The things that stay the same from the House on a Hill 1.0 to this 2.0 version tend to be those associated with use. The toothpaste goes in the top drawer of the bathroom because it always has, the non-stemmed wine glasses go on the bottom shelf of the upper cabinets because that’s where they belong. But then what about the things that aren’t just functional? Why is it that even in this new and unfamiliar space, I get the left sink and he the right? If we wanted to switch things up, this would be a great time, but without discussion we simply assume the familiar.

Then there’s the little things that make the familiar seem odd. The way the light comes in in the morning is still extremely disorienting, even in my own bed. The pause of the lights before they turn on thanks to some special efficiency bulbs. Eventually I’m sure these will become the familiar to me, but for now it’s somewhat unsettling.

But there’s other changes that I look forward to. Paint colors. Not having to pull the weeds out of the patio. Having enough space for lots of friends or family around the table. These are the things, while somewhat trivial, that make the process worth while. That’s the exciting part- to see what eventually becomes the familiar and allows us growth.

When you move, what are the things that you keep the same? What is most unsettling about the process? What are some of the things about a new place that you struggle with or find most strange?