Day 05- Your first fall

Day 05- Your first fall


My first fall…YUCK. I was taking my very first lesson at my riding school in Sweden. They put me in a class with people obviously way more advanced that I was. For some reason we went out riding on the trails. They did an AWFUL job telling me the commands to control the Devil horse I was riding. I knew how to stop a western horse, and how to neck rein. But the horse I was riding had never been to America lol, he was no dude ranch horse. Something happened that I’m not entirely clear of when we were out in an open field with some jumps. My hose took off, and I lost my balance, slipped off the side and was dragged a few feet after I came in contact with the frozen ground. I looked up and started laughing. It was the only way to keep my already tear filled eyes from gushing more tears. I remember as I looked up I saw all kinds of horses faces and riders faces. Looking at me asking me a million questions. Someone brought back my horse and asked me if I wanted to get back on. I didn’t want to, so my instructor gave me her horse and then explained to me that saying “HO!” will do nothing to get these horses to stop. Great thanks for telling me that before Devil horse took off. She also told me that the horse I’d been riding was once a big time million dollar show horse that was retired because he had some brain damage or something crazy. I really wish those things had been told to me before I hit the dirt.

When we were riding back to the riding school, we passed some riders in western saddles and they were riding QUARTER HORSES! My riding instructor talked to them breiefly and then introduced me. They told me to swing by their barn after we got home and we could talk about me riding their hroses.

So sure enough I got back to the barn and limped to the other barn…a good 30 minute walk. They told me they were looking for someone to ride their quarter horses for them so I said YES! And agreed to meet them there later that week. Then I limped the 45 minute walk home. When I got there my host mom was excited to talk about my lesson. I sat at the kitchen table and then started bawling. My leg and elbow hurt so much. So the next day was my first and only trip to the Swedish Hospital for x rays! Nothing broken but I had badly bruised my elbow. It still hurts to this day if I carry things for two long.

They say the hardest thing about riding horses is the ground…I agree!

Day 04- A ride that impacted your life

Day 04- A ride that impacted your life


I guess you could say that every ride impacts my life in some way or another. But the ride that most impacted my life the most was the first time I rode Yellow. I had been away from horses for a while. I had had a lease that went extremely sour. I’d taken a horsemanship university class with a professor who went out of his way to make me look and feel like an idiot because I wasn’t born in the saddle like the rest of the girls in class. Rather than helping me out, he made me the example of what not to do with horses. I was at a point in my life where I’d pretty much wanted nothing to do with horses.

I’d ran into an old friend of mine who was now working at a private barn and I ended up going out there a few times to help her with horse chores. One day she asked me if I wanted to go riding with her and a big group of girls she knew from college up in the sandhills. I actually didn’t really want to go as I felt I was pretty rusty in the saddle. But I went along because I never could say no to my friend…mostly because I was too scared to say no to her. Hahaha

The horse she had me riding was the meanest, ugliest palomino I’d ever seen. Every time I went by his stall in the barn he’d bare his teeth at me, or reach out and try to nip me. His ears were always pinned back and he just looked pissed off at the world. My friend assured me that once he was saddled up he was a good boy. I took her word on it.

Once we go there and got the horses unloaded, she tied them up to a hitching post while we got our saddles. Just as we were coming back to the horses Yellow had gotten his halter stuck on a piece of the hitching post and was flipping out. He was stuggling and then reared up once he was free. “awesome” I thought. “I have to ride this monster? This may be my last ride EVER!” But we calmed him down and tacked him up. Then I hopped on.

The group started along and I was now riding a prancing, dancing horse. He was flipping his head, and piaffing in place when I tried to hold him back to wait for my friend. Me and yellow had some difficulty communicating at first. I had no idea what he was saying to me. The bitchy girls on the ride with us were of no help to me either when I asked what I should do. One girls actually said to me “if you can’t handle your horse you shouldn’t even be on this ride!” My friend was having her own issues with her horse whose only speed was fast. So I didn’t want to bother her. I then just tried to figure out what he was saying to me. I gave him his head, and had nice long reins and he calmed down. A light bulb went off in my head; my friend told me once that he was a Western Pleasure show horse when the barn bought him. So it made sense that he wanted a nice long neck and low head. From then on out I was in heaven.

Once I figured him out I had the time of my life. He was the best trained horse I’d ever been on. When I asked for the canter he did it. No fighting, not asking two or three times. I even got some flying lead changes out of him, when I asked.

About halfway through the day we arrived at a little river with a wooden bridge over it. I sat and watched as the girls who were complete bitches to me struggled to get their horse over it. Not one of their horses would cross. I figured it wouldn’t hurt for me to try, so I pointed him at the bridge, and he crossed right over. No hesitation, no asking numerous times. He just walked right over it. The girls behind me couldn’t believe it.

I fell in love with that horse that day. And I regained my love of horses and riding. After that day I started spending more time with him around the barn. I managed to sweeten him up and he no longer pinned his ears, or try to bite you when you went near his stall. I spent hours brushing him and talking to him. And he was always my first choice to ride. The owner of the barn was impressed at the change in Yellow. He had been ready to sell him because of his bad attitude but yellow had become one of his favorites now because he was so sweet. Two years later Yellow was my horse, as he was given to me for my birthday from the barn owners. He was my dream come true, and I miss him every single day. His life was taken from him too soon. But I know he’s up there waiting for me and in the mean time he nudged me towards Piney. Who he knew would take care of me.

Day 03 - Your best riding

Day 03- A video of your best riding Your best riding


My best riding ever sadly wasn’t on Piney, it was on Wizard, that little white arabian I took lessons on. It was my last training level dressage test at my first show at my barn. The test was going awesome and everything felt like it was going right. I was doing my last 20 meter circle at the canter when I lost my stirrup, in my head told me to panic, slow him down and get my stirrup, but my heart and Wizard said “don’t worry about it!’ We are almost there!” So I finished the test up, halted and saluted caught my breath and heard my instructor call out from behind me “HOLY CRAP GIRL! That was your best ride ever! I’ve never EVER seen Wizard move like that for anyone! WOW!”

We ended up getting Reserve high point that day and it still tops my list of my best most memorable rides ever. Especially since I didn’t panic, and grab my stirrup. He took care of me and we finished perfectly. In lessons when that happened I’d freak out. I looked at stirrups as my safety net for some reason. I know now that I can manage without them sometimes too. I just wish I had video of that ride!

Day 02- The last time you rode a horse and what you did

Day 02- The last time you rode a horse and what you did


The last time I rode a horse, was a few months ago. I rode Piney bareback because I had been too lazy to adjust the gullets in my saddle. It was a pretty un eventful ride to most I’m sure, but to me it was amazing. Every time I get on that horse bareback I can’t get over the fact that I am riding a thoroughbred…bareback…MY THOROUGHBRED…I’d always dreamed as a child that I’d own a thoroughbred I just never thought it would come true. I’m thankful for ever ride I get on my horse knowing that he is my dream come true.

I love our little bareback rides because usually it’s just me and him. So I talk to him and tell him all kinds of things. Obviously he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying but I like to pretend he does. Especially when I say something positive about him and he lets out a great big sigh. Makes me laugh every single time.

30 Day Challenge Equestrian Edition

I've seen a lot of people doing these and I always thought they looked fun. so I thought I'd give it a shot!
I had to change a few as I don't have any videos of me riding!

30 Day Challenge Equestrian Edition


Day 01- When and why you started riding
Day 02- The last time you rode a horse and what you did

Day 03- A video of your best riding  Your best riding ever
Day 04- A ride that impacted your life
Day 05- Your first fall
Day 06- All the tack and riding clothes you have (brand/color/other details)
Day 07- Your favorite ribbon won at a show and why
Day 08- A little about the barn/stable you ride at
Day 09- Any injuries that occurred from riding
Day 10- How your family/friends feel about your riding
Day 11- Find a horse for sale online that you would want to buy
Day 12- Favorite horse color
Day 13- A video of your worst riding Your worst riding ever
Day 14- Your dream barn/farm
Day 15- If you could speak to any horse, dead or alive, what would you say?
Day 16- Your most recent fall
Day 17- Your equestrian idol
Day 18- Your grooming routine
Day 19- A discipline you would like to do that you’ve never done before
Day 20- Your favorite horse show
Day 21- Your perfect schooling outfit
Day 22- The importance of riding in your life
Day 23- Critique a famous/well known equestrian’s jumping round of your choosing
Day 24- Your best riding friend
Day 25- Your dream trailer
Day 26- Biggest riding pet peeve
Day 27- You know your an equestrian when….. (Give 5 original ones)
Day 28- Helmet or no helmet?
Day 29- A style/trend in tack/riding appearal that you don’t like
Day 30- Your Future With Horses


Day 01- When and why you started riding


I’d like to say that I was born in the saddle and grew up around horses, but sadly that isn’t true. I grew up in a small northern, Manitoba town. When I say northern Manitoba most people don’t quite get how far north I’m from. I’m from 600Km NORTH of Winnipeg. That’s 6 hours in the car, on a single lane highway seeing nothing but trees and an occasional wild animal. The town I’m from is the furthest northern farming community in Manitoba. But people just don’t have a lot of horses up there. I think I knew of one girl who had a horse. But I never actually saw her horse.



My first horse

 Summers we spent at our lake home in Minnesota. There were a few dude ranches nearby and I’d beg every single summer to go. And I got my wish at least once, twice if I was lucky, each summer. I’ll never forget the first time I rode a horse. Her name was Misty, and she was a little solid bay mare. I thought she was the most beautiful horse I’d ever seen, and one day I was going to have a horse just like her! They put me up in the saddle and I was on cloud nine! Finally on a real horse! They told me how to steer and how to make her move. But nothing really worked, She wouldn’t budge, so they hooked me up to a lead rope and ponied me alongside the leader. I thought I was super cool because I was up front. The ride was an hour long but it seemed to go so quickly. I spent the rest of the summer playing with and riding my invisible horse “misty”.

"Cowboy" The second real horse I've ever ridden

The photo of me on the bay hrose was taken the same autumn as my first ride. The stable wasn’t giving trail rides that day but I had my mom ask if they could saddle me up a horse to sit on. They agreed and again I was in heaven up there! I knew I had to have a horse of my own one day!

Every summer I went on one or two rides a year. Until I moved to Sweden for my year as an Exchange student. I FINALLY found a city with real actual horse riding lessons! I was 18 when I started taking lessons and since then I’ve been taking them on and off for about 11 (ugh where has the time gone!!) years.

When we were kids all the girls I knew loved horses. But they all grew out of it. I never did. Some days I wish I would have. I’d have a heck of a lot more money that’s for sure!! I often joked when cleaning stalls or doing horse chores that maybe if I’d had to do those things when I was younger I probably wouldn’t still be a horse addict! Being a horse obsessed person it just something that I am! I've said it a few times that I want out of horses. But I keep coming back it them. It's just something that I need to keep me alive. My childhood obsession turned into a hobby that I hope to continue many more years of my life.

still waiting...and missing my pony

Well it’s been 6 weeks since we signed the paper work on our house and we are still waiting for the sellers to send them back. We were supposed to close last Thursday. Obviously it didn’t happen. Hubby and I have come to the realization that we may have to walk away if they keep dragging their feet. It’s not what we want to do but we don’t want to wait forever.


We have been keeping our eyes open for properties in the area, and there just aren’t many in our price range. Obviously there are great homes in double and triple our price range but those are just obviously out of the question. Everything we’ve seen needs some help. It would be so much easier to just buy a home in town and we could get a lot of house in town but it’s not what we want. We both want to have room to run and play. We want our horses nearby and for the dogs to get out and stretch their legs. I want a barn darn it! I’ve been in lots of barns that had everyone elses rules and set up I just want my own!

Yesterday we decided to head out and check out one of the houses we’d found. It’s in North Dakota which hubby likes since we wouldn’t have to transfer our vehicles over to MN, and he could retain his ND hunting. We went out there and tried to hate it…but we didn’t. We wanted to hate it because it was so far away from work. I think we figured that we’d end up putting 150 miles a day between the both of us. And I’m not sure I want to commute 2 hours a day. And with gas prices climbing higher and higher it would end up costing us almost $9,000 a year in fuel if we kept our current vehicles. Hubby said I will have to get a geo metro to use as a daily commuter vehicle if I want to keep my pretty white dodge ram. Haha.

The yard of the farm didn’t have the thick tree cover that the house we are waiting on has. Which is sucky. The yard still had quite a bit of snow so it must have had pretty high drifts this winter. The yard could also use a lot of landscaping (but every house we’ve looked at needs landscaping!) The house is on a very low traffic dirt road. Which is great for the dogs. We wouldn’t have to worry about them playing on the highway and getting smucked by a car. But with North Dakota winters we would be snowed in a lot more as I’m sure they aren’t high priority to get cleared right away. The house itself was an old farmhouse probably built in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. It had new siding, shingles, and windows which is great. We peeked in the windows and it was a typical old farm house…small. It appeared that it was in the process of being remodeled and a lot of the paint and flooring looked great. But it was very small. I honestly don’t have a problem with that…less house work more horse work!

There was a huge garage like building that was in ok shape. needed some repairs and it didn’t have a cement floor which hubby didn’t like but it was definitely big enough for his toys and cars. But on to the best part…the barn. It was a great old barn that looked like it was going through some remodeling too. It had new garage doors on both ends and a newer entry door. There were three homemade box stalls and looked great as well as a small tack room. We didn’t go up into the loft but there was a newer garage door up there too. But the lean-to on the south side of the barn was another story. It was missing half the roof and looked like it was about to fall down. It would require a lot of work to make it a bit safer for the pony beasts. But I liked that it was open on both ends so they could come and go as they pleased. The pasture was HUGE! It had a Ritchie waterer that was still functioning too. The fences must have been hot at one point because there were a lot of insulators and a newer charger in the barn but it hadn’t been on in a while since most of the fence was down. There was also a smaller pasture up by the road and house that must have housed mini horses or sheep or goats because there was a tiny little run in shed and the fence was all no climb fencing with wood at the top and there was the remains of an old hay bale. But It is almost the perfect size for a riding arena… a little small but workable.

But as much as I like the place is having a great barn worth all the driving I’d end up having to do? Property taxes are lower and we’d retain our ND residency but 2 hours in the car a day?? Probably more in time in the winter. The property is also about $20,000 less than the one we are waiting on. But again 2 hours a day in the car!! We asked our real estate agent to check out the house and see what the story is. Hopefully it’s something major that is super expensive to fix so we can just rule it out entirely.

Ugh I just want the sellers of our house to get their butts in gear and let us close so we can stop looking around! I want to close and get my horse home already! I miss him!

treasure hunting

It’s over a week since I’ve done chores or even been out to the barn. It feels really weird. I had been going there for over two years, at least three times a week. I kind of miss it but at the same time I don’t. I don’t miss hauling in hay bales, or fighting with frozen buckets or hoses. I certainly don’t miss crabby horses or devil ponies. I won’t miss the awful, frigid -40 degree winter feedings or the hot, humid, buggy summers. But I will miss my friends, both human and animal. I’ll miss the smell of the barn and arena. I’ll definitely miss the arena that’s for sure.


Sadly finances won’t allow us to have an indoor arena anytime in the near future. I’d happily settle for an outdoor arena. In fact I think I prefer an outdoor arena. Hubby thinks I’m weird that I prefer “riding around in a circle” rather than going out to explore the world. An arena is like my safety net, but don’t get me wrong I’ve gotten plenty banged up in an arena and I’ve eaten my fair share of sand/woodchips/dirt/etc. I just have more fun working on things in the arena.

We went out this week to look at the new place. The snow has melted a lot and it was our first chance to go out and explore the pastures. The fences are in much better condition than I’d originally thought. I still want the top barbed wire to be replaced with hot rope though. The east pasture is in better shape than the west one. And it even looks like the wooded area to the north is fenced off into a third enclosure. I doubt that we would use it. The west pasture has a very deep lake in it right now, so it will definitely be off limits in the spring. Under all the snow was a lot of treasures that we discovered and will have to have hauled away. Its kind of interesting to see what was under the snow. To the east of the barn was an old pickup box liner with some tools in it, an old fridge and a pickup box camper. The camper has a big exposed hole in the side so I can only imagine what lives in there. YUCK. Up on the north east side of the pasture is a little gun range. Hubby is happy about that. He’s wanted one for, forever. He wanted a place to sight his guns in for hunting, now he will have one. Guess the horses are gonna learn to not be gun shy. Yellow wasn’t gun shy because of a similar reason. In north end of the pasture near the middle is a HUGE pile of old foundation from some sort of building. No idea as to why it’s there but it is. Close to it we also found the remains of a young buck that was more than likely last hunting season’s target. We also found parts to an old swing set, and a chain link fence. The chain link fence will be used to make a kennel for the dogs. Towards the east side of the pasture was the bottom of a snowmobile, a pick up topper, a big rusty roll of no climb fence, and an old fuel tank. In the west pasture we saw an old kiddie pool, and a tent with a quilt inside. That pasture was pretty swampy and snow covered so we didn’t venture too far into it. There were also a lot of downed trees in the East pasture that will have to be chopped up and used for bon fires. Up by the west side of the barn was a bunch of bikes. All shapes and sizes. Too bad I can’t ride a bike! Randomly around the yard we found a lot of buckets and misc. trash that will need to be picked up. There was a nice bench that was tipped over that could use a nice shabby chic make over. As well as a few more rusty antique pieces that may receive a new life.

We are still waiting on a few things with the house to go through 100% the inspection passed but we had to wait for the septic to get tested and pass. I just want to get everything over with so we can bring Pinecone home! I miss that big red creep!