Plans? We don't need no stinking plans

Hey! It's the end of the year. That means I'm supposed to have some sort of horsie plan for 2014...

I have no plans.

I have some thoughts: I'd like to do 1-2 events at Pre-Comp, maybe do a real dressage show and try out competitive trail. But, I'm not planning past, "hmm... let's see what happens." Inevitably, whenever I make plans they don't work out. So, it's rather pointless because then I just mourn when they don't come about.

Some of my friends are planning events and clinics and I'm sitting back, not involved. Several years with these ladies, planning always going on this time of year, and then they never happen. Something always comes up on the parts of others. I'm rather tired of planning my life around things that end up not happening.

I do know I'll be going to all of the local club's shows, since I'm the secretary, and can usually ride as well as secretate. There will be trail rides and other social outings I'm sure. All I've concentrated on in the last four years is getting to events and competing. 2014 is going to be about enjoying my horse, however that turns out being.


And because we need a picture, here's the crew coming in for dinner:

Christmas Day

My neighbor/friend/vet J decided it would be fun to carol down the road on Christmas. So, at 11:45 Banana and I arrived at her house, decked out in our Christmas finery:

I went as a "Wise Woman" because how often do I get to use my crown and cape? I also figured the massive amounts of fabric would be a good test for Banana for future ridiculous side saddle outfits.

We then rode down the road to J's mom's, where the neighbors that lived just far enough away to trailer in parked. There was some very Irish coffee and jello shots. Off we set down the road, 12 horses/mules and almost that many dogs. Naners was not thrilled about all the horses and kicked out a couple of times at two particular mares so we went to the back of the group. I don't know if she's ever been on a ride with that many horses. In true Naners fashion though, she settled and we were able to ride wherever, as long as we stayed away from those two mares.

 

Naners is very tolerant, and wore her santa hat for almost the whole ride. I dropped it and the cape at our gate the second time we went past it.

We finished off back at J's mom's house, where we finished off the adult beverages and then J and I rode back to her place, and then I continued back to mine. It was a great way to spend Christmas and I wouldn't mind at all if it became a tradition.

Happy Holidays

Oliver, and everyone here at Pam's Pony Place, wish you all a happy celebration of whatever holiday you choose to observe this time of year. (Ollie is a fan of Christmas and Santa, since the big man brought him a new halter and lead rope early.)

Pro Shots from Las Cruces

Alas, the photographer's camera was malfunctioning when we jumped the biggest Pre-Comp jump, so  we have only the smallest.

Fuzz butts

A trip down the road with Naners two weeks after her shoes were pulled indicates I might not need boots for her. Fingers crossed. She's also the fattest she's been in the year I've owned her. She hasn't fence walked in more than a month.

Oliver continues to amuse me.

He only goes out with the big horses for maybe an hour, because even though that grass looks dead I can assure you, down at the roots, it is still green. And that little bit of green is holding onto a crap load of sugar.

The big horses used to have buckets on the ground too, but Oliver would nose Kokomo out of his food and share Naner's bucket with her. He really doesn't need their food, so I had to hang buckets for their dinners.

Cross another one off the bucket list

I think it was sometime early in 2013 that Denny Emerson asked on Facebook if there was a breed of horse you would really like to ride. I said I really wanted to ride a mule. In fact, it was on my bucket list. This shouldn't have been too hard to accomplish, as my vet and neighbor J has mules.

This is me today, finally on a mule :D It only took most of the year. And yes, it was cold out.

If you're envying my awesome pink reflective vest I got it from High Visibility Sportswear.

November

Snow is on the ground and Banana's shoes have been pulled. And it looks like I'm going to have to buy her boots for winter jaunts down the road, if yesterday was any indication. Yes, it was below freezing and snowing but my neighbor and I rode down the road. It was actually really nice.

I know it has been awhile. Las Cruces and then I had one of those "50% of your grade" things to do.

So how was Las Cruces? Decent. My best eventing dressage score to date 34.5.

6's, 7's and an 8! Go us! However, our awesome score only had us in 6th. I wish it had been one of the BN tests instead of Intro.
 
We had a refusal in stadium (my fault, forgot to ride her) and then inevitable time faults. Which, if I'd been thinking at the time, I could have made up. We dropped to 7th.

XC was fine: no refusals, within time. Alas, no one else had refusals or time either. She definitely has an issue when her little jump is between, or next to, big jumps. She was pretty wiggly into a bunch of them too. She needs more milage.

We finished in 7th, which if I can't win, getting a pretty purple ribbon was awesome! I only have one other one, back from when I was a kid.

The driving was brutal. I went out on XC at 1:06. I pulled into my gate at 11:06 after the 8 hour drive. Thank goodness the Starbucks in Bernallio is open at 7:15. Southern New Mexico is actually quite pretty. And they grow cotton down there.

So, goals for next year? None. I think I'm going to stop trying to be "An eventer" and go back into my "let's have fun doing everything!" mode. So, we're going to try competitive trail and maybe go to some real dressage shows. If I can get the three saddles I want to get rid of sold I will be buying a side saddle. The nice thing about Naners is that she's really game for anything so I want to take advantage of this. I'm never going to be really good at any one thing, it's not my style, I like to be competent at many things. Naners is a fine mount to be doing this with.

Oliver the mini continues to amuse me and Aruba is gaining weight. Things are pretty happy here at Pam's Pony Place.