Blog Hop: 20 (very random) Questions

Posted on July 8, 2022 by the_everything_pony

I thought this would be a very fun thing to do, but was supposed to get this posted a while ago, and I just never got around it it haha. Well, better late than never! After reading Amanda and Michele’s blogs I figured this would be fun to do while I haven’t had much other news to report. The original idea came from Anxiety at A on this blog post here.

1: What is one of your favorite brands specifically for your horse, and why?

If it’s specifically for Amber, then I kinda have to say Back on Track products. She seems to respond very well to them, despite the fact I can only use certain things in the winter because it’s just so horribly hot here. But she loves her BoT saddle pad, and I think with all her ouchies it just helps her muscles. Because I have lots of neck stiffness from my bulging disk, I bought a neck wrap from them, and it honestly helps me a ton. Otherwise there’s not too much brand-wise that I really swear by. Maybe the Sore No More Ultra gelotion since I use that in conjunction with BoT on Amber and myself. I know it’s mostly the arnica in it that helps, but I can’t deny that it does since we both have issues from all our injuries lol.

He is just THE absolute cutest when he sleeps and he’s got his little tongue out ❤

2. If you were given a gift card for a tack shop with unlimited funds, what would you buy first?

Oh geez. Um, I basically have everything I need…? I mean, I’ve got everything from western matchies to english matchies so I am honestly not sure what I’d get first. Maybe a crap ton of supplements?? I mean, I’d love a new dressage saddle, but that’s waiting until I potentially get a second horse, sooooo…? I have no clue haha.

3. What horse event/clinic do you really want to audit or participate in? (Events like Equine Affaire, or the LRK3DE, or even local events, etc)

I was able to go to LRK3DE in 2017 and that was fantastic, so I’m hoping to go again in 2023. I’d also love to meet some bloggers there if others are going. I’ve always wanted to participate in a clinic instead of auditing like I’ve mostly done, but I’ve got no idea who I’d want to have a clinic with at the moment. Considering all the injuries I’ve gotten riding, I actually really want to participate in a Landsafe clinic to learn how to tumble off of a horse. I think that would be a hugely good skill to have in the toolbox for me wanting to event in the future.

4. What is something your horse has taught you that you didn’t expect to learn?

That I can forgive myself if I make a bad decision. Whenever Amber didn’t understand something or was just having a bad day, I’d break it down for her to understand or I’d pat her, tell her we’d take it easy if she wasn’t feeling it, and we’d just have a good time together. If I could do that for her, why was I always so hard on myself for missing a sign, for not understanding something, for making the wrong decision? If I could forgive her, why couldn’t I forgive myself? So I started changing it. If she did something in response to me, but I made the wrong choice or couldn’t get my body working, I’d walk her and pat her and tell her she was good girl, that was totally my fault. And I’d laugh, and I’d let it go, and I’d do it better the next time. She’s truly been my most wonderful friend and teacher.

The bestest, sweetest, most forgiving mare ❤

5. If you could take your horse anywhere, right now, to do anything, where would you go and what would you do?

We’d go ride on the beach. Absolute bucket list item right there. She dislikes water, so I highly doubt she’d actually be happy with waves, but I’d take her anyway haha! She’s the only horse at the moment I’d want to do that with, and she’s been great about letting me drag her anywhere and everywhere, so I’d do that with her. I’d also love to play around a starter XC course if she was able to jump; she’d love the open spaces and the trees, but I know after a bit, she’d definitely say it was too much work and want to walk LOL.

6. What are your favorite colors to put on your horse? (think saddle pads, tack colors, browbands, etc.)

Navy/blues of any kind are the best colors on her. With blue on the opposite end of the color wheel from orange, and Amber being – well – orange, it makes sense. But I oddly love her in French blue. It just looks *chef’s kiss* on her. But I also love variety every now and then because one color all the time bores me (yay, for ADHD lol), so I still like her in greens, whites, browns, and the occasional deep red.

No photo description available. — I think whiskey browns look phenomenal on her ❤

7. What is your least favorite equestrian brand?

Ahhh….. I’ll have to think on that one? I mean, there are some that I think are overrated, but there isn’t really a brand that I terribly dislike that I can think of at the moment. I’ll come back to this one if I think of anything lol.

8. If you could change one thing about your discipline, what would it be?

Since I’ve actually trained/shown reining, I’m going to answer this question on that. I don’t feel I have enough experience in eventing to fully comment on anything there. But boy, I’m hard-pressed to keep it to just one thing I’d change about reining. So I’ll keep it to one thing, and then honorable mention the other two haha. First, and what I do consider most important, I’d change the ages of the horses that show. It’s a big reason I switched to eventing, seeing these horses in their upper teens just romp around a 5* course and be sound and absolutely in love with their job. Reining horses don’t really compete past age 6 unless they become youth horses, and they have very little longevity. This makes me really sad to see these horses used up so hard before they’ve ever really lived their lives. So I’d love to see competitions that celebrate an aged horse, that the futurities aren’t held until the horse is 4 or 5 (preferably 5) and they’re still competing much later in life.

So my honorable mentions: if a reining horse is supposed to drop their hind end to slide to a stop, why in god’s name is everyone breeding them to be built so freaking downhill?? And: everyone is narrowing the gene pool by breeding to too many of the same stallions, and too many mares are just getting shoved in the breeding shed without having a show history or proving they’d be adding good quality to the reining QH.

9. Did you grow up in an ag/equestrian familiar family, or are you the first person in your family to step foot in a barn?

My mom always had a horse, always loved horses, and I was the only sibling that took to it like a duck to water. I often joke I’ve been riding since in utero, because I was the only kid my mom could ride with until she was 8 months pregnant. I’ve been extremely lucky to always have access to horses and that my parents were willing to pay for horseback riding lessons and didn’t make me stick with piano lessons or soccer lol.

10. Do you like the bit that is in your horse’s mouth currently or do you want to try a new one?

I like Amber’s current bit. It’s a Myler eggbutt, and the straight mouthpiece is really the only one that fits her tiny mouth. The roof of her mouth doesn’t allow a lot of room between it and her tongue, so it’s really the only type of mouthpiece she likes.

11. If you could change one thing about your horse, what would it be?

To not have had injuries haha. I’d heal those babies up so we could get back to doing fun things together. It’s the only reason I’m looking for a second horse – if she weren’t injured, it’d be a different story. Other than that, I adore everything about her, so I wouldn’t change anything else lol.

12. What is one thing about horses you are weirdly obsessed with? (i.e wrapping techniques, footing, grooming, hair care, clippers, saddles, etc)

Ahh, sniffing noses haha. For as long as we’ve had Whisper she’s had the absolute best smelling muzzle ever. I have had other horse people agree her nose smells awesome haha. They’ve also agreed that if I ever found a way to bottle the smell and magically put it into a candle they’d buy it lol. Amber’s nose is not equal, and does not smell as good as Whisper’s haha. Yes, I know it’s weird. Do I make Whisper put up with mandatory kisses every day just to smell her nose? Yup. I do lol.

13. What is the most advanced horse you have ever ridden, or what is the most advanced move for your discipline you have done?

I’ve ridden a few advanced horses, my favorite being Chica. That mare was awesome, and was a finished reiner that I had an absolute blast riding. She taught me how to really get my body better positioned for a sliding stop, she was a whiz at spinning, and just absolutely loved her life. Gunner on Ice and Heavy Duty Chex both were at our barn for a time, and I got to ride them. Both were some of the sweetest stallions I’ve every worked with. Dax was another advanced horse I rode but English this time, and he taught me a lot of cool things in the short time I rode him. He had a lot of awesome dressage moves.

Heavy Duty Chex was a real sweetheart, and a lovely horse. Casey Deary rode him in the 2018 NRBC CRI for second place, and he was part of the 2018 WEG reining team as well.

14. What is your favorite type of reins?

Slim? I have tiny hands, so I dislike bulky reins. I’ve never ridden a horse that pulls a lot, so I’ve never had a use for rubber reins. My PS of Sweden reins are thin, but with stops and a bit of rubber on the inside of the reins, and so far those have been perfect for me.

15. What are you a diva/stickler about in terms of equipment quality?

Yes and no? If you’re going to charge me an arm and a leg for the equipment, it better last me and it better be good quality. If it’s cheap, I expect it to be cheap. I’ve had great luck with both types, so as long as the quality matches the price, I’m good.

16. What is your favorite barn hack you learned?

Those hoses that retract and expand are absolutely perfect for our small barn. Ones we’ve bought off of Amazon have lasted us a year and longer. They’re so much lighter than regular hoses, don’t get kinks, and are very easy to roll up/keep out of the horse’s way when not in use.

17. What is your least favorite piece of equipment and why?

Draw reins and excessive use of gag bits. Not generally together, but I’ve seen it happen. Personally, gag bits do have their functions – I’ve used them a few times on horses that would use me as their brace to slide stop instead of using their bodies. It’d throw out my back, throw both of us off balance, so it was a good tool to use for a few rides until the light bulb went on, and then it was back to the snaffle. I’ve seen many trainers use gag bits as their every day bridles, in western and english, and I just think most of the time that it isn’t necessary to ride horses in gag bits. Draw reins also, because it encourages horses to have the wrong head and neck posture, and in my opinion encourages riders to focus on what is in front of their eyes instead of the feel of collection from the hindquarters.

18. If your horse was a character from a Disney movie, who would they be?

Oh goodness, I had to think on this one.

– Amber: I am not totally sure, but I’m thinking she’s like Meeko from Pocahontas – is always hungry for food, will go into potentially scary places and situations for food, and will fight for her food lol. But she loves her humans, even if she half-asses everything for anyone other than me lol.

– Whisper: maybe she’d be Lucky from 101 Dalmatians? Especially when he says “my ears are froze, my nose is froze, my tail is froze, and my toes are froze” because she gets the smallest owie and she’s three-legged lame and swears she’s dying lol.

– Kahlua: I have no clue haha. What Disney character is mostly timid, but is a bit brave, and will throw a temper tantrum for pets if you don’t scratch her ears??

– Oscar: I had to add him lol. Cause there’s no other one to fit him than Slink from Toy Story!

The slinkiest doxie ❤ He hoped that by laying on my shirt it would deter me from going to work LOL

19. If you could change one thing about the property you are at right now with your horses, what would it be?

Grass. I’d love to have grass – a grass turnout, a grass pasture, I’d even be fine with riding on grass if I could just have some greenery around this desert lol.

20. What is the purchase that you regret in the horse world?

I don’t really think I have one…. I adore my truck, the trailer is my parents’, and I’ve loved all of my saddles, bridles, accessories, etc that I’ve bought. If I haven’t liked them, then I’ve given them away or thrown them away. Not really anything I really regret though, thankfully!

Eek! Guess what I finally got to do again??

This was fun, and I’m glad I finally got around to doing this. I hope others join the hop, and I look forward to reading everyone’s posts!

Category: Uncategorized

6 Comments on “Blog Hop: 20 (very random) Questions”

The Backyard Horse Blog
July 8, 2022

Enjoyed reading this post as well as seeing the photos you included. I have read several other bloggers responses. Fun to see all the similarities and differences in answers. I have been thinking about playing along too, but I am having trouble figuring out some of my answers . . .

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- the_everything_pony
  July 8, 2022
  
  Haha thanks! I felt bad not having too many Amber photos, but I have a ton of the dog LOL I’d love to read what you have! As you can tell, there were a few I didn’t know how to answer, so I gave it my best shot lol.
  
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martidoll123
July 8, 2022

thank you for doing this i was hoping you would do it too 🙂 So interesting your answers. thank you for sharing and glad all your critters (and peeps) are doing well. I hope to possibly get to LR in 2023. I MUST MEET YOU! 🙂

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- the_everything_pony
  July 8, 2022
  
  OMG yes, it just took me nearly forever haha! Yes, PLEASE make it to LR in 2023! We definitely need to meet!! And yes, thankfully all critters are doing well 🙂
  
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Anna
July 8, 2022

Love the replies! Super interesting to hear about your thoughts on downhill reiners, I know so little and that always confused me a bit I’ll be honest. Also super glad I found you! Big benefit of creating blog hops is you find all sorts of cool blogs in the process. 🙂

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- the_everything_pony
  July 15, 2022
  
  Thanks! Yeah, don’t ask me why they all keep breeding them downhill. The horses built level or uphill had a much more natural stop, so it baffles me lol. Thank you for commenting!
  
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