Hello dear readers!

Those of you who read Eventing Nation may have noticed I now have a blog on Bloggers Row over there. It's not something I planned to do. I sent them a humorous piece and they decided I needed a blog.

I have mixed feelings on the whole giving them content they're not paying for thing. If it was anyone else I would have never sent them my amusing piece, or the event reports I've sent in the past. But, I am representing two underrepresented groups: the scared shitless adult and eventers in the desert southwest. And the number of readers EN has is large. Scary large for me, as I now have people With Opinions reading things. Not that you all don't have opinions, but you seem to be more circumspect about voicing them (which I greatly appreciate.) I'm not entirely sure I have a thick enough skin for things that people can have opinions on to be up at EN.

Anyway, this won't change things over here much. This blog has a different purpose and a different audience.

Not like in the movies with cattle

Today the Danish Warmblood Inspectors were in town so I went to watch them. It was interesting. It was all local horses, saw one of my friend's horses basically get all 8's (she's a nice horse.) I also saw them brand the babies... That was super interesting. However, the worst part? It was seriously hearing the brand get heated up. It takes forever, and it's loud. The branding itself? Basically instant. The brand was off their butts before they even realized it was happening.

Brand new hot brand

I actually think the heating up traumatized the humans more than the branding traumatized the horses. Now, I'm not about to brand my horses, but it wasn't nearly as horrendous as I thought it would be. Hot brand smells like burning horns on cows though and that's not a smell I particularly wanted in my nose again (many hours as a child, I lived on a cow farm.) Out here in the west, a brand would be helpful, harder to steal.

Interesting is that hot branding is illegal in several European countries, including Denmark. So, Danish Warmbloods can't be hot branded in their own country. Why the hell are they doing it here then?

A friend has it in her head that she wants to get her mare American Warmblood Society approved so she can get dressage awards. They're one of the few sporty horse registries that allow Quarter Horses. Now we're plotting to bring AWS inspectors here.

No grey mare for me

I went and tried out the grey mare, as some friends were going to ABQ anyway so I was able to hitch a ride. She was sweet and lovely to be around. However, her back end was seriously unfortunately conformed. I've never seen a horse that dished as badly with its hind legs as she did. Due to such, I declined purchasing her. I do hope she finds a fabulous home, she deserves one. However, that home will not be with me.

I'm hoping good old Sonny will come to live with us this winter. Stops me from getting another horse.

I am not horse shopping, I am not horse shopping...

Why is it when you have the least amount of money more horses start appealing to you?

There's a grey mare about 4 hours away, there's something about her. I don't know what it is. I swore I'd never get another grey, she's only just started over fences, but yet, I keep looking at her. There's also miss B from the horse rescue that I've liked since the first time I met her several years ago when she was too young to do much. Now, she's like 6. But, she's really too small for me, in that she's Penny's size and I've gained a little weight. And I don't want to start from the beginning again. But, she needs a home and the rescue has said they'd just give her to me without adoption fees.

Really, when it comes down to it, I can't afford another horse. And I'm not talking the actual purchase price, it's the actual keeping part. But, if I did have another horse I'd probably not have to borrow companions for Naners and that would be super.

Map of Las Cruces

In case I ever need to direct someone to it.

Another busy weekend done

I am beyond tired now. Two day show: dressage and hunter/jumper. Secretating both days, though I squeezed in some classes on Naners this morning. Where we placed last. In. Every. Single. One.

Now, in many ways I'm really pleased: she was forward and jumped all the things (helps that I kept my damn eyes up) and it was our first time ever jumping in an indoor. We've jumped a grand total of twice since May (why we did pile of poles and x-rails) and she just went in and did her job. Alas, it wasn't pretty and I can't necessarily be concerned about leads when she's got her rockets on. Of course the people that are actually working on equitation and proper hunter rounds are going to beat us.

But goddamn it's discouraging. You have to sit around for hours, as you're on hunter time at a hunter show. No, a kid can't just go in the ring, the trainer has to talk to them first. If they are the only kid in the division you have to wait between the rounds where the trainer has to talk to them, go over their course again. And then when they're actually in the damn ring there's the trainer, yelling things at them as they go around.

Yes, I'm in a bit of a foul mood and I just realized it's due to this one trainer and hearing her voice all damn day. I never feel this way about the other hunter people. Generally, we all get along. But right now, most of the local eventers aren't planning on going to the local h/j shows. We're never going to place well against people that just work on being hunters. Yeah, we go in the classes for practice, but it would be nice to win.

So, now it looks like next year I get to plan a combined test for the eventers. Thank god. And I think I'm washing my hands of the h/j shows. Someone else can deal with them.

Busy = tired

I have been a very busy Pam as of late. Last weekend was our fabulous Adults in Pony Club weekend that I organized for, well, adults in pony club to have fun. We went to Cocktails and Creations, rode the train, went out to dinner and went on a trail ride with brunch (including mimosas.)

It was an awesome weekend, but holy crap was I tired at the end. When I got to the trail head with Banana I announced my brain was shut off and someone else would have to make the decisions. When I got home I was so tired I tripped over the 4" lip on the shower and banged into the toilet. My knee has an impressive bruise.

As soon as the weekend was over, despite it being my birthday, I had to somehow schedule next weekend's dressage show. 62 rides. Holy crap. It's completely unprecedented for us. I worked it out and then today was told with this many riders I need to accommodate them less and the judge's sanity more. Would have been nice if I'd been told this two days ago. Today I assigned numbers, printed the tests, put the labels on, put them in order...

Now I'm waiting for H/J entries to roll in for Sunday. Knowing people, I'll get most of them Saturday, despite there being a late fee after tomorrow.

Also, I picked up the club's new hats and the Horsemasters shirts on Friday when I went to C&C since I was downtown. The bumperstickers and magnets got here yesterday as well as our kaleidoscope (I want to use that word but I'm not sure it's really the right one) of new ribbons.

School restarts on Friday. This term I have orthopedics, or as those brits say, orthopaedics. I don't know whether I'm excited or not. I think I'm too darn tired to have an opinion at present.

Over the fences we go

As you can see from the above pictures, Naners and I jumped today for the first time since she injured herself. We didn't suck, though I'm totally rocking the colors of my high school spirit club, the Dials (pink, blue, purple.) I bought the pink helmet for better visibility on the road and didn't even think of it when I threw it in the trailer today. It's very bright. Excellent for the purpose it was purchased for, but it will give one of the trainers I work with a heart attack (she's one of those hunter types that thinks we should all be in CO helmets and white saddle pads.)

The trainer we were working with had me doing three-point. I've never done a three-point in my life. Judging by how much better my jumping was using it as opposed to a two-point I will be revisiting it frequently (top pic, two-point on approach, bottom, three-point on approach.)

Assuming Naners is still sound tomorrow we've got another lesson and I'm thinking I might get a couple of more in before she heads back to Sweden. Boot camp for us maybe wouldn't be a bad thing.

Introducing Miss Tea

Here's Tea, an older arabian mare who is visiting while her rescue finds a new home.

She isn't in horrible condition, but there's definitely some improvements I can make so she can return looking nicer than she left.

I'm nuts. Or something.

Our local horse rescue's landlords are kicking them out next week. So, guess who's getting a foster horse on Tuesday?

Me, of course. Right now I'm slated to get one of their permanent residents, a sweet little arab who is allergic to flies. Luckily, I don't have a ton of them. I haven't gone through a whole bottle of fly spray in two years. I'm a bit worried about her other problem though... she's scared of other horses. Fortunately, none of my residents are mean or nasty to other horses, so I think everything will be okay. And if anyone is going to win her over, it will be Ollie :)

Pam