My Fears

  Hey guys!
         Sorry I haven't written in a couple of days, I have had no inspiration whatsoever. Only this morning after doing night check at the barn and spending some time with horses do I have an idea what to write about. As you guys have seen in my other blog posts, I ride a pony named Littles.

   Littles isn't her real name, her real name is Dallas, but that name does not suit her at all. Instead she goes by a bunch of different names, including Pony, Little, Littles, Apples, and Ponygirl. :P She is 14.1 and very petite. But she has so much sass and the heart of a horse twice her size. She is 12 years old, so you'd expect she would've mellowed out years ago and would be quite well broke. Well her story goes a bit differently. From what I have been told, she was pulled out of a field when she was older (7,8,9) and broke by my trainer. She is a lovely pony with good bloodlines and she has a really good work ethic. She was a great pony, then she was sold/taken back (I dont know if my trainer owned her or if she was just training her) by a kid to have as a project. I don't really know what happened to her at that barn, but she came back untrained.

    This upsets me so much, first they ruin her then they just send her back? There were times when she was almost sent to auction, but because my trainer is a lovely human being, she didn't end up going. There were a few different riders at my barn riding her and it was all good. She was being worked and slowly taught to be the pony she used to be. She really is a good pony, just very fast. One day I got to ride her in a lesson, it was amazing. I love harder horses and had so much fun riding her. After that, my coach said I could ride her a couple times a week!

  So I started riding her, and grooming her, and then as it always does, started loving her. We started off riding in full tack, not really sure what to make of each other, then slowly the walls came down.

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    I love this pony. I trust her. And now I will tell you my fears. So the barn I ride at with the amazing trainer and amazing horses is for sale. My trainer also leases another barn and hour and a half away from us. There are only 7 horses and few clients at the barn I am at. And it is for sale. Why my trainer still drives out here and teaches us and runs our barn, I don't know. But I am so thankful she does. It can't go on forever though, and the barn is only (hopefully) going to stay open until end of show season. I also ride the lovely Appy and will show him this year. But my biggest fear is what will happen to Littles when the barn closes? Where will she go? Will I ever see this pony who I love so much after September? 

   I don't know the answer to these questions. I've promised her I would never let her go somewhere bad. The problem is no one will lease her and the people who would buy her are not the kind of people who could give her the life she deserves. And I know every kid says this, but no one could ever love her as much I do. I know that's probably wrong, but I need her. I don't know what the future has in store, but I can only hope it is my and her together.

    Sorry for the semi depressing blog post, and thank you all for reading. Have a fabulous day!

Annie

How I Make Money For Horses as a 13 Year Old

   Hello!
Yay! I'm finally writing blog posts every day. Finally the ball of blogging is rolling! Today I'm going to be talked about the ways I make money for horses as an underage worker. It's always a struggle to make enough money to support our very expensive passion. Thankfully, my mom also loves horses so I get lots of support from her. But horses are very expensive and so is everything that comes with them. It's even harder to make enough money when you are under 16 and can't get a true part time job. I myself am under 16 so I have a few tricks up my sleeve for finding jobs and making money. Here are my tips for making some money for horses!
1. Baby sitting. I know, I know, this is the most stereotypical job ever for underage workers, but it makes money and it isn't too physically demanding. I did this when I was ten as a 'mothers helper'. It was kind of horrible, but in the end I had more money than I did before and more money to save/spend on horses. If you really like kids, this is a great choice for you. The best ways to get babysitting jobs are by taking the course, putting signs up, and straight up asking your neighbors, family friends, etc...

2. Working at a barn! This is probably the best choice for the kind of people reading this blog. Working at a barn is a good way to work off lessons, board, or just making a few bucks. There could be a few problems with this kind of job though. First off it is a very physically strenuous job. If you like that kind of work (I do) this could be a great job for you. Also, working at the same barn you ride at could cause problems. From my experience this sometimes causes problems with owing money, drama, and some other problems as well. Of course, I don't know what your situation is, but be careful when working for people who are also you trainer, barn owner, etc.

3. Pet sitting. This is one of my personal favorite jobs to do. You get to work with animals, and you get paid! This job is generally pretty fun if you don't mind cleaning up after animals. I really like working with animals whether it is horses, dogs, or cats. They don't talk back, they are cute, how could it get any better? This job is good for people who are responsible, because there is truly a life in your hands. You can't just forget to feed them one day, like you could another job. There are no sick days and no days off. But that is also good practice for owning a horse, so I really like it!

4. The last tip I have is not a job suggestion, but a tip about money. Save it! I know it's tempting to blow your money on useless things, or things you want, but especially if you are saving for something important, do not give in to the urges! I know it's hard, I want to buy that beautiful piece of tack, or tailored sportsman breeches too, but there are other things I need more than that.

   Also remember, if a job doesn't work out, if you get nothing else out of it, you get experience. You get another thing to write on your resume. And never let someone take advantage of you at a job. No matter how much you need the money, it is not worth it to suffer through a bad situation. Other jobs will come, and it never pays off to stick around in a bad situation. Thank you guys for reading and good luck saving up! Hope you guys learned some good tips for saving for our expensive sport. Thank you sosososossoso much again for reading, and have an amazing day!
Annie

Jumping 2'7 For The First Time!

    Hey guys!
       I just got back from an amazing lesson. It's the first real lesson we've had in over a month due to the horrible weather. So that is one thing making it amazing. You never realize how much you love jumping until you can't do it for extended periods of time. Also, we got to jump the highest we ever have before!!! This was in the form of a 2'7 red coop jump. My friend and I had been eyeing it since we first started on our hunter/jumper journey 9 months ago. I know to most of you 2'7 sounds like a ground pole, but to us it is huge. Of course our jumps weren't anywhere close to perfect, but the feeling of soaring through the air at a height we have never experienced before was perfect regardless.
    So the first time had the most buildup. We cantered to the fence and I could not take my eyes off of it. For a second I thought I was gonna bail, but the great Appy took over and got us over the fence. It felt huge, even though it is only a couple of inches more than what we usually jump. I, of course, failed miserably. But that's okay, the next time was tons better. I am so proud of the rider I have become, and even though there is still a lot to work on, I've achieved so much. I'm so grateful for the amazing horses and people that have helped me and taught me how not to look like a flopping fish over jumps. It takes a village to raise a kid. It also takes a village to raise a good rider. And I can't thank my own little village enough for the support and wealth of knowledge they have shared with me.
   Sorry for the short blog post, school and horses have been keeping me very busy! Thank you all so much for reading and I'll talk to you soon! To pacify you until the next blog post, here is a picture of Appy jumping an invisible jump. He swore it was there though. :P

 Have a fierce day and remember to hug your horses!

Annie

Why I Ride

    Hey!
 Sorry I missed posting yesterday, I was too busy riding! I had such a great day today, I didn't even ride! I went up to the barn to go ride Zack and Boo but it didn't end up working out. Instead, I just spent hours grooming them, playing with them, and talking to them. Sometimes you get so caught up in riding, equitation, showing, and you forget why you are really in this sport. I know I didn't start riding to show, and jump, and win pretty ribbons. I started because I was a little girl who truly loved the animal and wanted them to be a part of my life.
  If you never spend time with your horse on the ground, you never truly know them. You could ride a horse for 10 years but if you never took a moment to groom them, to be with them, to just love them, you would never truly know them and they would never truly know you. You learn so much from just being around horses that no amount of hours in the saddle could ever make up for. If you want success in equestrianism, you really have to love horses. There is no substitute for raw love and appreciation for the animal.

   It's moments like that that make you realize that even if you never win a class, or go to the olympics, or show in the big eqs, it doesn't matter. Yeah, those dreams are great, but if you have nothing else, you have a horse you love and a horse that loves you back. Even if I never show past novices, I will always have the love and connection with my horses. Even on those days that my arthritis is so bad it hurts to stand, I still have my horses. Sometimes I start to feel so hopeless, like I should just give up on my goals. I will never be the girl with the 100 000 dollar horse or the groom grooming my horse for me. I will never have the top trainers, or the best barn, and some days I start to feel like I don't even have a chance because of this. But that's not why I ride.

   I'm happy I have to work for what I get and I'm happy I don't just hand my horse off to a groom at the end of my ride. If I did that, I wouldn't have the one thing I truly love, which is the connection you get with a horse. And that, of course, also helps you to have a better connection when riding the horse. You can't expect them to work their hardest for you when you don't do the same in turn. Groom them, talk to them, love them, and they will give you the world.

   I thought since this post was inspired by my time with the wonderful Zack, I would tell you a bit more about him. He is a 14.2-15 hand ( I'm not totally sure his height, he's pretty short though to give you an idea) quarter horse. He was a really good reiner back in the day. He is so well trained when it comes to that. It;s insane to ride a horse trained to voice commands and neck reining. He is at a private hunter jumper barn owned by a family. He is the dad of the family's horse, but he doesn't ride him too often. So that's where I come in! I am helping to get him back into shape and helping to teach him the english discipline and how to jump. It's been a really fun process so far and I can't wait to see what the future brings with him.

  We are aiming to show him by March 1st, which is coming up so quickly! I can't wait to bring him out to a show, he is such a good horse. He always tries to please, and he's learning so quickly. It's gonna be very fun to bring the reiner out for a spin in the hunter ring. If you guys wanna see a video of him being a hunter horse, 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPIEXS4xMKo.

   So thank you all sosososososo much for reading! Go out and hug your horses and tell them you love them. :) Have a wonderful day!

Eqspiration And Sassy Ponies

  Hey guys!
        So as you guys know from my last blog, I was having some joint issues yesterday and couldn't really do anything. I spent all day just lying in bed watching YouTube videos. It was a pretty cruddy day. I found out that our show division was cancelled (for very stupid reasons I might add), I couldn't ride or see the ponies, it was overall a useless day of nothing. Except of course hitting 250 page views!!! Thank you all for brightening up an otherwise horrible day. So what do I do when I have nothing to do? I watch equitation videos! If you can't ride, you can always watch and learn from other people riding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lw9MBcu0I
   This video I have watched probably a million times. It's like I think that watching amazing riders will make me become an amazing rider! I thought I should post a link to that video in case anyone else is having a cruddy day of doing nothing at all. And for your viewing pleasure, I must post this video too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaP0t5IUnM
   That video should pretty much make your life complete. I find it so adorable how the little boy never even seems fazed by the fact that he's falling off, getting bucked off, being taken off with, etc.. I think every little rider needs to ride a bratty little pony. Usually you grow out of the bratty pony stage when you are about 8. Me on the other hand, I never did.

   So if you are having a bad day, just come back to this blog post and watch little children being bucked off sassy ponies. That sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? We horse people are a strange breed. Anyways sorry for the short blog post, it's a bit all over the place and I'm quite busy. But regardless I hope you guys enjoyed and thank you so much for reading! Remember to hug your horses and have a lovely day!

Annie

Coping With Arthritis in the Equestrian Sports

   Hello everyone!
         So today was a really bad day. You guys probably don't know that I have juvenile arthritis. I have this in my wrists, my knees, my ankles, and it seems to be developing in my jaw and maybe my hips as well. The problem with this is that these are all joints you have to use when riding! Today it was very bad, and I had to leave school early. This of course means I have to miss my lesson. It's so frustrating, wanting to be able to do something so badly but not being able to physically. It sucks. A lot. But pitying myself never helps, and the only way to make it through this is to just push through it and keep smiling. Sometimes I feel like quitting everything, I feel like I can't do it. But as I'm sure all of you know, quitting horses is not that easy. You'll be having your worst day, and you feel like giving up on life, but then you get to the barn. All that changes. Horses make life worth it for me. If I didn't have horses, I would have nothing. They are my everything, and whether I can ride them or not, I could never give up on horses. As you guys know, I have dreams of being a top equitation rider, which of course seems next to impossible considering the circumstances. Maybe that's why I do it, because it seems so outrageous that if I can do it, I could prove something to everyone. But some days that seems to be an impossible task. I want this so bad. When you want something this bad, you can't let anything get in your way, even your own body!
     I wanted to write a blog on how I cope with my JIA. Maybe some other people here suffer from the same kind of problems, and I would love to help. I have had arthritis since I was 8 years old, so I know a few tricks for getting through the bad times. Here is Annie M's guide to surviving joint problems while riding!
1. Ride stirrupless! The best way to avoid pain caused by stirrups is not to use them! This is also great for building leg muscles, which will improve your equitation. It's killing two bird with one stone. In the beginning it seems so hard to do, but once your leg muscles build up it's a piece of cake and kind of fun too! Even if you don't have arthritis, I highly recommend trying some stirrupless riding here and there.

2. Ride in special stirrups designed to absorb shock and prevent joint pain. There are so many different types of stirrups out there on the market, there is definitely a pair that will work for you. Some attributes in a stirrup  that will relieve joint pain that you should look for are

            - Jointed stirrups

            -Twist top stirrups

            -Wide tread

  I won't get into the function of each of these attributes, but I may write another blog about stirrups only. Personally, I ride in tekna stirrups (knockoff Royal Riders :P). 

These are black composite stirrups with wide tread and a little bit of flex. I recommend trying out several different types of stirrups before choosing, because different stirrups work for different people.

 3. Wrap the problem joints and keep them warm/cold. For me, warmth helps my joints, but this will differ between people. Wrapping your problem joints will offer some support. You can use tensor bandages, specially made wraps/braces, or anything that provides support and isn't too bulky for riding. Since where I live it is very cold, this causes major problems in the winter. So sometimes I get a bit creative in finding solutions. First I took some hot packs and applied them to my knees. This solved my warmth problem. Then I took polo wraps and wrapped them around the hot packs and my knees, holding the hot packs on and supporting my joints! 

 Here you can see my slight ghetto solution in action. I'm so classy with my white polos. Do what works for you, and don't let anyone make fun of you if it works! My coach thought I was crazy, but hey! I rode well and not in pain that lesson!

   I'm sorry if I just bored all of those who don't suffer from joint problems (lucky!) but I hope I helped out a few who do. Also sorry for the rant at the top, it feels good to let it all out though. So thankyouthankyouthankyou everyone who has read this far! You are amazing and remember to never let anything stop you in achieving your dreams. Thank you all for reading, and have a fantabulous day!

Annie

100 Page Views!!!! And Some Announcements

  OMG!!!OMG!!!!OMG!!!OMG!!! So I just got 100 page views!!!! I know this probably isn't that big a deal, but I am so happy! It's so crazy seeing that people from different countries have seen my blog! Thank you so much for looking at and reading my blog! Sorry I'm really really excited about this. :) I hope whoever is reading this knows truly how much it means just knowing people are reading what I'm writing. Seeing the number 100 just makes it feel real. Anyways enough of my rambling. I had a few things I wanted to tell you guys. First was that I just found out my show division was cancelled. :( That was pretty sad, but it's okay there's always next time. As well, I wanted to tell you guys what I plan to do with this blog. I plan on writing a new blog post everyday! This is a big commitment but I'm going to try to keep up a very regular routine of posting something every day! I can't guarantee I'll be able to do every day, but you can bet I will try! So thank you all for reading, and I hope you guys have a lovely day!! :)

Haha had to post that.

Annie

Dressage vs. Hunter/Jumper

 Hey!
    I feel like there is this never ending war between different disciplines. The hunters think dressage is evil. Dressage think hunters is the worst. Every single discipline in equestrianism has stereotypes and every discipline thinks theirs is the best. So since I have ridden dressage and hunter/jumper, I thought I would share some of the stories and myths I've heard about hunter/jumper and dressage. It's pretty funny to hear what these disciplines have to say about each other. Please know these are not my personal opinions and I don't think any of them are true to the whole discipline. There are always bad people in every kind of riding, and as long as we all love and treat our horses right, you are good as gold! As well I don't blame the people who said these things or think they are bad people/riders. I'm sure they have reasons to think as they do.
    First I'll talk about what I've heard some dressage people say about hunter/jumpers.

MYTH 1- Hunter/jumpers can't really ride. They just parade around an area on push button horses.
TRUTH- Of course hunter/jumpers and ride! Some of the best riders I've ever met ride H/J. So many amazing riders ride H/J and can get on any horse and look amazing! As well, hunter horses are not as easy as they look. It takes a ton of work to get the horse looking flawless around a course of 8-12 jumps!
MYTH 2- They cover their horses in tack to make them work better.
TRUTH- If that was true, how do so many H/J riders ride tackless, bridleless, bareback? There are some riders who do this, I know, but so many ride amazingly without the use of overbitting, spurs, whips, martingales, draw reins, etc... Artificial aids are not the spawn of the devil, and when used correctly can be very useful for training purposes.
MYTH 3- All hunter kids are spoiled brats.
TRUTH- Yes, there are many spoiled hunter kids. There are also many spoiled dressage kids. No need to say more.
MYTH 4- Hunter/jumpers ruin horses.
TRUTH- I've seen so many dressage horses ruined by bad dressage riding. Yes, in every discipline there are horses being untrained by inexperienced riders, but it is really not fair to pin it on hunters and jumpers. Many wonderful horses are trained really well by hunter/jumpers. And many hunter and jumper horses can do dressage too!

 Now for the dressage myths I've heard from hunter/jumpers-

MYTH 1- Dressage riders saw on their horses mouths to make them appear round.

TRUTH- Okay, there are some dressage riders who resort to using this method, but many others don't. When a rider rides proper classical dressage, the power to be round comes from the hind end, not seesawing on the horses mouths. 

MYTH 2- Dressage riders are prissy and scared to jump.

TRUTH- Any rider who has ridden dressage knows this is not true. In fact any rider would know that to be in the equestrian sport you can't really be prissy. Dressage has it's own kind of thrill, the power and connection you have with your horse is unbelievable. It's such an amazing feeling when you and your horse are working in perfect harmony to perform a movement.

MYTH 3- Dressage riders rely to heavily on their hands to control a horse.

TRUTH- This is kind of the same idea as truth 1. When riding proper dressage, you shouldn't even need hands. You rely on your seat and legs to control the horse.

MYTH 4- Dressage people ruin horses.

TRUTH- Notice this is the same thing dressage riders think about hunters. Both disciplines produce wonderful amazing horses. Some dressage riders do ruin horses, but so do some hunter/jumpers! And as said before, many dressage horses excel at hunter/jumpers!

   So as you guys can see, these two disciplines really aren't that different when it comes down to it. Both are extremely difficult and require a different set of skills. I'm so happy I got to experience both hunter/jumper and dressage because it has truly made me a better rider. I strongly recommend trying different disciplines because there is so much to learn in horses! The more you know the better you will be. Remember we are all part of the same sport. We do this because we all love horses. It doesn't matter what saddle you ride in or the class you show in, we all love horses. This love should unite us not divide us! So remember next time you diss the hunters or call out the dressage riders or say anything about any other rider, that we all love horses and we are all in this together. Okay this blog got really cheesy really fast. Oh well! Hope you guys enjoyed!

Annie

Mother Nature Sucks! And Cleaning White Horses in the Winter

  Hello guys!

      So in case you didn't know, I'm from Canada. And since it's winter, it is super snowy. Now snow is not bad at all when you are galloping through it, or building snow ponies with your friends. And snow days are also a great perk of snowy weather. So today it was a snow day, and also my last lesson day before my first show of the season. It's all good though, we were still going to go up to the barn. Up until we figured out that we couldn't get the car out of the driveway. It hasn't stopped snowing since last night! As you guys can see from the picture, it is pretty bad. Mother nature is not in my favour of placing at this show!

  Anyways, so now that I've ranted about the (horrible) weather, I'll write a real blog post. I ride a beautiful primarily white appaloosa. He looked gorgeous in the show ring and is very noticeable, you can't take your eye off him! He also likes to sleep in his pee. Yes, he has a permanent yellow stain on his right hip that never goes away. It's so nasty, and has marinated into him all summer. And since we still can't bath due to the crummy weather, you have to get a bit creative in finding ways to make him look okay. I really don't want to be strutting around the arena with Mr Sleepsinhisownpee. Don't believe me when I say it's bad? Here's some proof-

 This picture shows that lovely yellow-orange pee stain in all it's glory. Did I mention this picture was taken during a clinic?
    I'm sure lots of other people riding appys, greys, bays with socks, or any other horse colors prone to being totally nasty looking have the same struggle as me. So I'm gonna share all the tips I've learned from riding and showing and grooming an Appaloosa. The first tip is hot toweling. Get a nice clean towel, fill a bucket with super hot water, and scrub away. Be sure the water isn't too hot for the horse to handle, test it on yourself first. The trick to doing this is dipping the towel in the water and scrubbing until the towel becomes dirty. Once it's dirty, dip a clean section in and continue scrubbing. Be sure the towel and the water are always clean or else you are juts scrubbing dirt on dirt.
   The next trick is using Ivory dish soap. Since it is too cold to wash the whole horse, just spot clean using ivory dish soap. This stuff works really well, and is generally cheaper than horse whitening shampoo. Just wet the area of trouble, apply the soap, scrub, leave it for five minutes, rinse, and voila! A slightly less dirty horse! This tip works really well for dirty white socks, but be sure not to use too much product and don't scrub too hard on sensitive skin.
   Another tip is just using the commercial horse whitening shampoos. Theses often come in colors like purple or green. I'm always scared it's gonna die Appy's socks purple, and I don't think the judges would be too impressed. It never does though, so don't worry. This tip is pretty straightforward, just follow the directions on the bottle and hope for the best. One brand of whitening shampoo I found particularly helpful is cowboy magic greenspot remover. Also there is this natural one that smells like lemons that is great, but I can remember the name. :P
    After you've done washed the stains off, showsheen the living daylights out of that area! That way no dirt (or pee) can touch all your hard work. Put a light sheet on if possible. Honestly, when it comes to keeping white horses white, you can never have too much showsheen. When you pet your horse, your hand should slide right off and be covered in showsheen, that's how I know I put enough on (I'm just kidding.... sort of).

 Here's a picture of the after effects of my whitening and brightening routine for nasty pee covered horses. It's still a little bit yellow, but Lord knows I tried. Hopefully this blog will help some other people with disgusting but adorable horses. And remember, it's just a show. Unless you are showing at Spruce meadows or something fancy, a little bit of yellow won't be the end of the world. If you go up to the barn the morning of the show and you're horse looks like he rolled in the muck pile, breath. Don't sweat it. Stay calm, cool , and collected. Don't let a little stain ruin your game. So until next time guys, keep scrubbing!

Annie

Never Be Afraid to Ask

    Hello,
       I just got back from the barn and wanted to write the story of how I got the amazing opportunity to ride Zack and Boo. It all started last summer. There was this beautiful barn just down the street from me, and I always wondered what it was and who owned it. It was even in a magazine I read, I was in awe of it. I decided to send them a letter. This honestly sounds so stupid looking back on it, but I did it anyways. So in this letter I wrote that I just wanted to be around horses, mucking, grooming, doing anything really. You could imagine my surprise when they sent me an email back asking me if I wanted to come visit! So of course, my mom and I went. We drove into the driveway and were so starstruck, this barn is amazing. We walked in, and it's even more gorgeous inside. We talked to the (wonderful) family who owns it, and they are some of the nicest people I've met. They are A circuit hunter/jumpers. I was never exposed to so many amazing horses and amazing riders until I walked through those doors. They were who I wish I could be/become. Then they asked me if I would like to ride their medium pony (Boo), who was coming back from a lease. I was so surprised, I sent a letter knowing I probably wouldn't get a response, and here I was riding their pony! I guess I did something right, because ever since then I have been riding there several times a week. I am honestly the luckiest kid ever. Now I am riding Boo, and attempting to bring him back into more consistent work. I have also started riding Zack, a quarter horse champion reiner who I get to help train to jump and get to show hunters and eqs on. I have never been riding more in my life, having multiple horses to ride at two different barns. I have never been learning and growing and getting better as fast in my riding career as I am now. My story just goes to show that asking is the best thing you can do. The worst someone can say is no, and even then you are no worse than you started. If you have big dreams in the horse world (like me), put yourself out there! Ride as many horses you can! The worst possible scenario of taking an opportunity is that you get experience if nothing else. In twenty years, it won't be the ribbons you won that make you a good rider. It will be the experiences, the tries and the fails, the good rides and the bad. Thanks for reading, and go out there and ASK!!!
   Annie

Welcome to my Blog!

  Hi guys!
    So since this is the first post ever on my blog, I should give you a little introduction on who I am, and what I will be posting. First off, my name is Annie and I am 13 years old. I have ridden horses since I was 4, and fell in love and never looked back. I rode dressage for 8-9 years before making the huge switch to hunters/jumpers/eq. I have been riding hunter/jumper for 9 months now and have totally fallen in love. I have been blessed with the most amazing opportunities and the most amazing horses. One of the main horses I ride is Appy. He is a 15.3 Appaloosa (You guessed it) and he is honestly the weirdest horse I have ever met. Another one of the amazing horses I ride is Littles, a 14.2 sassy bay pony mare. She is awesome, fast, and so much fun to ride. The last two horses I mainly ride are Zack and Boo. Zack is a 14.3/15 hand Quarter horse reiner who I get to help train to jump. Boo is a 13.2 white pony gelding who I exercise too. The story on how I got the amazing opportunity to ride all these horses is a long one that I will tell you more about in another blog post. Long story short, never be afraid to ask. Never be afraid to take an opportunity. And never say no to free riding. Now I wanted to tell you guys my future goals, and what I'm doing now to pursue them. Right now, I will be showing novice hunter (2ft) on the provincial circuit, and doing as many equitation classes I can. My main goal is to do big equitation classes like the CET medal someday. I live in Canada, so we don't have the Maclay finals, but this is of the same calibre. I want to have the best position I can, be the best rider I can be. I want to be able to get on any horse and ride it well. It's hard, especially if you don't have 100 thousand dollar horses and boatloads of money, but passion can get you a long way. I'm going down a road that so many others have. So many have tried and failed. That's my biggest fear, being one of the failure stories. Basically, I'm using this blog to express my feelings. Kind of like my public diary. This may be a horrible idea, but who knows. Maybe there is another young rider out there who can relate. Maybe there are people who will enjoy hearing of my ups and downs in this crazy world of horses. If I can do nothing else, I hope I can make a couple people laugh through my crazy stories and experiences. Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for more!
     Annie