OTTB Charm

I'm not sure many people followed this blog before, and I'm sure after a year+ hiatus, there is almost no one who will be reading it now. But I've always enjoyed keeping up on Instagram or blogging as my own personal diary to look back on over time anyways, and I think now is a good time to get back into it. That being said, who knows if I'll be able to keep up on it this time, but I really hope I do. Things are different in almost every possible way since I last wrote on this blog.  In early 2020, Banner was still my main mount, Charmer was just barely coming back into work, and covid was just beginning. Early that year, I lost my long time trainer and good friend when she moved back home to Oregon. I still am lucky enough to see her intermittently since then, but seeing her once every few months is definitely vastly different than weekly lessons.  An early XC school in 2021 with Charmer (Training Rolltop) I'm a little mad at myself for not blogging the last half o...

On top of the incredible turmoil of the world in general right now, I am heartbroken to learn that my trainer is moving away at the end of the month. She is moving back to her hometown to be closer to her family, as her young son grows up. And I absolutely understand her reasoning and it makes sense, but I am quite saddened by the news. Photos are from the last lesson I had with Trainer C I've had a relationship with her as a Trainer for nearly 3 years now, and she has inside knowledge of Banner (as she rode him weekly for months before I owned him). She has always been patient and kind with Charmer as well, and keeps a good sense of humor about his antics. Lately, Banner has really been kind of a pill and I was definitely planning to lean heavily on Trainer C to try to get us back to "normal", but now this has rocked my world just a bit. There's another trainer at the barn that I train at that I am also familiar with & who I love, but she is more expensi...

For anyone that follows me on Instagram, they probably have already seen this, but unfortunately my farrier passed away suddenly last weekend. Needless to say, I am utterly devastated . I don't have really any great photos of my farrier, but he was one of the kindest people that I have ever met. Someone said it well on his Facebook page, "Mike never met a stranger". And he really didn't! He was the guy that would walk up to your first appointment and just start chatting with you like you'd been friends for years. I know that because that is exactly what he did at my first appointment with him. Mike always walked up with a twinkle in his eye, a never ending smile, and a skip in his step. His joy was infectious & his laughter filled the room. Charmer has typical, crappy thoroughbred feet and Mike always kept him wonderfully sound. Mike looked like the very typical old cowboy when he walked up and he always had this gentle, confident way about him. He...