Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Everybody's posting goals, and I feel like such a slacker for not really having any.

Well, that's not true.  Right now, I have exactly two goals for this year.

This time for real.

Cessa will get saddle training some time in the spring.  (And hopefully oh my god, mare, being tied is not a game of break-the-equipment re-education while she's there...)

Year 3 coming up!

And Justice gets his nuts off and diagnostics on his eyeballs mid-month.

I'd like to get one or both of them out to shows this year, but the lady that runs the show circuit we usually go to had a double lung transplant (!!) around Thanksgiving and is only going to run about half her usual number of shows this year.  So we'll have to look around and see what we can find here in the Land of Stock Horses that won't turn up their noses too badly at our drafties. lol

Happy Holidays!

Is this food?

It doesn't look like food...

Hey guys, is this thing food?

This. Is. Not. Food.

You've got to be kidding me, human.

I hear sleigh bells!  It's Santa, and he has FOOD!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Grown up halters!

I mean, it's on the smallest of holes and still a bit baggy, but he can wear an Average Horse-sized halter now!

Looking more and more like a big boy.

I tried to tell my DH that it's a manly halter.  Apparently silver dots on the metal that kind of look like rhinestones if you squint disqualify it as manly.  lol

NaBloPoMo Day 30 - Your future with horses

The realistic view here is that I hope to always have a riding horse (or two).  Or at least a horse or two.

If I were unrealistic?  Gimme lottery money and I've got plans.  lol

And hey, look!  I wrote something for all 30 prompts... even if they weren't all written on the right days. :)

NaBloPoMo Day 29 - A style/trend in tack/riding apparel that you don’t like

Hearts.

Random Pinterest image, but these things are a dime a dozen.

Crosses and crucifixes.

Oh honey, no. I'm sure Jesus loves you too, but this is getting into the creepy stalker-level love.  From here.

And beaded browbands that are basically a single or double string of beads, a bit of leather at each end to attach to the bridle, and nothing else. 

They all just look like a recipe for a cascade of beads down your horse's face to me.

There are exceptions, but I'm not generally a fan of browbands without the leather backing up the beadwork, actually; it just seems so fragile.

Oh, and special dishonorable mention goes to the beaded browbands where there's no leather behind the browband and the browband is either silver tube beads, a chain, or a rope of plain white crystals.

From here on Amazon.

I know it's for the conservative dressage ring folks, but... I just find it so ugly.

NaBloPoMo Day 28 - Helmet or no helmet?

Helmet.

Helmet.

HELMET.

Shown: not my helmet.  That's the helmet of one of my BOs the day a green QH mare freaked out and the BO bailed instead of letting the horse try to jump the 5' arena fence to get away from the "monster" on her back.

That's right.  This was from an intentional bail-out.

I was 100% pro-helmet before I watched the ambulance haul her off for a night of observation, y'all.  Talk about reinforcement of an idea.

(I mean, I'll ride without a helmet in a dude ranch trail ride.  And I forgot to put on my helmet one day, on about the safest horse at the barn.  But that's about it.)

NaBloPoMo Day 27 - You know you're an equestrian when….. (Give 5 original ones)

...You mourn the poor, dead saddles nailed to the walls in Western-themed restaurants.

...Your tornado shelter area has your fancy tack in it, just in case.

...Your bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap isn't for the furniture.

...You critique the horses and riders in video games.

That's not a real horse color. C'mon.

...Despite the critiques, you still buy every last horse you can in video games, and stop and stare hopefully at the ones you can't buy.

I don't have a problem.  You have a problem.  Leave me and my flaming skele-horse alone!  lol