OTTB Charm

After having a two month hiatus from jumping (have I mentioned that I hate winter 2017? because I do), I finally got to jump Charmer this weekend. does it get any more fabulous? After so much time off, I definitely expected a naughty moment here and there. His usual go-to response is to run out of jumps when he doesn't want to do them, so I was expecting at least one run out, especially when I put the barrels up. And you know what? He didn't even flinch. There was a bit of wide-eyed staring at the jump at first, like a "uh whoa, mom, we haven't done this in forever...are you sure?". But all it took was a very small reminder to tell him that, yes, in fact, I was sure.  His other go-to response is to rush the last few strides before the jump. The first 5 or so attempts definitely had a little rushy response, but once I communicated to him that I just wanted a calm, maintained pace all the way to the base , he complied fairly quickly.  Plus th...

For the first time in 2017, I finally got a chance to ride my horse! Proof that it happened And the strangest thing has happened during the last 2 months. My horse has improved . You know how usually after an extensive break, your horse forgets everything you have taught them? Well that didn't happen for us. I mean, sure he was a little rusty on a few things, like leg-yields, but overall, he felt more broke than he has ever felt before. Still nailed his leg yields even though he was rusty For anyone that knows Charmer, or has seen him in any setting, they will know that, while he has an incredible canter, it is usually a lot  of work to make it nice, and the transition is usually a train wreck. Drooling over all our pretty new things But the strangest thing happened in our ride. He was light and floaty. He offered canter transitions even when I didn't ask for them. And they were some of the most uphill and balanced transitions that I have ridden on any ho...

Its been at least 3 weeks since I've been on my horse. At least. Like 2.5 of those weeks, I couldn't even get him out to groom him because so much ice. So how do I cope? I unleash the inner tack ho, and buy tack. Lots and lots of tack. So due to some various family generosity around Christmas, and good little chunk of saving/planning, I was able to have the cash to really upgrade like 75% of Charmer's wardrobe. The other 25% is all still fairly pretty and entirely functional, so I didn't NEED to replace it. Yet. Don't worry, there are things still on my list of pretties for him. This was the big ticket item. New saddle. Monoflap. Gorgeous. Brand new. Worth every penny. Plus the stirrup leathers and stirrups are also new. The stirrup leathers are made by Millbrook Equestrian, and they're supposed to help with leg stability by increasing friction. I am intrigued, so I had to try them. Then with the stirrups, well, I just always love/need wide track stirru...

Idaho has been getting packed with snow (we are going on 15+ inches and counting), and we have had at least two weeks with the temperatures being below freezing and often dipping into the negatives with wind chill factor. All of that adds up to a lot of no riding, a very hyped up thoroughbred, and a very bored owner. Which would usually mean nothing to blog about. But, thankfully, Facebook reminded me of my post last year about having owned Charmer for 6 months. So that means its been a year and six months of owning him now. Wow. How crazy. I really never imagined that I would have owned him for this long, or that he would mean so much to me. My favorite face to see every day It is incredible how just seeing him, for just 5 minutes a day, can brighten my mood so much. He has become a rock for me and I love everything about him.  I love that he has always been the horse to catch me in my moments of weakness. But I also love that he is the horse that always pushe...

On my "Facebook Memories", it showed that, two years ago today, I bought Pancho. I can hardly believe it has been two years. It both feels like it was yesterday, but also like it was an eternity ago. At the time when I was offered to buy Pancho, I had been exercise riding him for about two and a half months, and had fallen in love with him. I loved his crooked blaze, and cheek "dimples", even his little white sock and stripey hoof. I loved his funny quirks, like always having to show off his teeth, needing a routine (down to the point of even being tied in the same spot), preferring to do some canter work before real trot work, and  always  taking the long spot. I fell in love with everything about Pancho. So I jumped at the opportunity when he was offered to me. So on January 4th, 2015, I bought my very first horse. Pancho was a dream come true for me. In his younger days, he had been a Prelim event horse, and regularly competitive in 3'6" show jump...

A few weeks ago, I sat down and analyzed my goals for Charmer and I, and concluded with twelve goals for us for this upcoming year. These goals will be on their very own page for the entirety of the year, but I figured, as my first post of 2017, I might as well make a post about what I want our upcoming year to look like. 1.    Start being competitive (bringing home ribbons) at the 2'3" and 2'6" levels locally because I want a picture like this with Charmer The point of this goal is mostly for me to really take 2'3" and 2'6" classes seriously this year. I used to be serious/competitive at that height, and I would like to get that way again, and Charmer is the kind of horse that can make those heights look and feel completely insignificant.  2. Begin to play in the 2'9" and 3' classes locally I would love to get some killer pictures of just one or two rounds at 2'9"+ this year with Charmer. Even if I honestly ju...