October's 10 Questions

Tango and I at JK Presents

1. How many pairs of breeches do you own?

7 pairs of schooling breeches, 3 pairs that are unwearable and in dire need of repair, and 2 pairs of show breeches. 

2. How many horses have you ridden?

Believe it or not, at one point I knew the answer to this. If I had to guess? My low-ball excel spreadsheet came out with 249... so quite a few.

3. How many trainers have you had?

Much like Carly, I'm going to limit this to trainers I've spent more than a month with. I've had six trainers that I've stuck with over the years, and another ten or so I've either cliniced with or taken a handful of lessons from. I currently train with Anne Howard (who's amazing! Even if in every lesson I remember how HARD IT IS to be a student and also wonder if I'll ever be good at dressage.)

4.  How many barns have you ridden at?

Are we counting barns I've showed up to ride at and never visited again? Are we counting places I've shown? Let's count the farms that I was a real presence at. Eight? I've ridden at more farms than I've had real trainers. 

5. What is the name of the horse you consider yourself to have the strongest bond with?

That's a difficult question. I've had different bonds with different horses, and they're all unique and powerful. In the past few years, I'd have to say the horses I've owned I've primarily bought because I like them and I jive with them and we work well together. In Tango's case, I bought him when I absolutely wasn't looking for a horse at all.

6. What is the best show name you've ever come across?

Simply Sophisticated! Her barn name was Sophie. I loved it!

Simply Sophisticated 

7. What do you consider to be your greatest weakness or flaw in riding?

I tend to plan, and then over plan, and then plan minute-to-minute for my rides/teaching sessions. And then I get on or start teaching and start thinking "poniiiiiieeeeeeesssss" and it's not until I've worked on something TOTALLY DIFFERENT that I remember my goal was, I dunno, leg yielding and not simply lots of changes of bend or keeping them in front of my leg. 

8. What do you consider to be your greatest strength?

As a result of my over planning, I have a lot of different strategies on the front of my mind whenever I tackle the next stage of training. I am generally well-primed for trying different things, and my method of experimentation allows me to find what works best for each horse and rider. 

9. Have you ever leased a horse?

Not really.

10. What is the name of the first horse you ever rode?

Gypsy, but the first horse I remember riding was a little pony named Dusty. I think he's the reason I love buckskins so much.   

I mean, just look at that. It's gorgeous.