I really enjoyed your latest blog entry.
I loved, loved, loved your last post! Congratulations! I especially appreciate your posts since I started doing the jumpers. You are a really thoughtful rider. I just try to point my poor mare in the general direction of the jumps and hope for the best!
Do any of you read Reddit? They do something now and then where you can ask a person anything (called AMAs), and they’re usually pretty popular. What are your thoughts on a COTH AMA?
Asking because figuring out how to do something interactive like that may be tricky, so if it’s not a good idea, then I won’t pursue it.
Well friends, if anyone wants to join me at the heartbreak hotel, I have a room available.
Nikki jumped out of her skin in the first big prix of the year, I even managed to stay out of her way, and we were 3 jumps away from being clear… until we lost a shoe on the approach to the last line and I pulled up because she felt NQR.
Rooms at heartbreak hotel available at a discounted rate. 
Aww…sorry to hear that, ss. Bummer.
Best wishes for no significant injuries. Hugs.
Oh no, that’s so disappointing. Hopefully it’s easily fixed.
Here’s the video from last night… she jogged sound today on pretty hard ground, so I’m hoping we’re okay. She had today off and will have tomorrow off, and we’ll see what we’ve got on Tuesday.
I like reading about the day to day stuff. Maybe because that’s how I can relate to the writer. My favorite blog posts are usually about which tack cleaning supplies someone really like and how they clean their saddle or how someone has their tack room set up.
Maybe be that’s just me though.
Well the two of you make that look so easy. Sounds like she will be ok, I will cross my fingers.
Reminds me of the Tour de France watching party we had the other week – one of the non-horsey friends made a comment about how cycling has more of a ‘luck’ factor than any other sport (punctures, falls, mechanical failures). I cracked up laughing and said that horse sports would be way worse. Your ride would be a case in point – it was going so well and then whammo! Shoe lost and it’s all over (but hopefully not for long)
And now, because I like hearing about these things; I’m curious about your entry to the ring strategy and I’d love to know more about what you do and why you do it.
Update: Nikki was totally herself under tack yesterday, no soreness or shortness at all, and featured some really impressive attempts to be a buckin’ horse. I think she could have a third career in rodeo if she wanted to. Yay!!!
Feliz: usually containing Nikki in the in-gate is like containing an explosion - it’s not always voluntary on my part when we gallop right at the gate like that (she jigs, bounces, props, whatever she can do to get me to let go of the reins so she can go in!). I usually try to go along with her exploding because otherwise, I tend to be slightly underpaced to the first fence. When we go in hot like that, Nikki is so amped up that she drags me to the first jump, which is what I need!
Awesome news, SS. Glad to hear that. She definitely has character!
SS and Nikki make it look so incredibly easy, I love your updates! Glad she’s feeling 100%!
Just sent in my new blog post and included lots of pictures and 2(!) videos, so hopefully that goes over well.
In the meantime, here are some pro pics from Maffitt that I bought:
Air Wondermare, please fasten your seatbelt.
Nikki points her top lip when she’s concentrating
And a headshot of the prettiest [abused!!!] redhead with freckles heading to the in-gate to get treats from Momma Pope!
And, just because I’m slightly obsessed with her, here are some pictures from yesterday when I persuaded her to stay outside in a paddock for a while (she normally runs and screams like a lunatic and if you don’t retrieve her, she jumps out and goes back to her stall because apparently princesses don’t DO outside) and she stared at the resident goat for about an hour:
“What IS that?” She looks pretty damn good for 19!
“Seriously though, what is it?”
Ack, I deleted my double post and both copies vanished. Sigh…
Newest blog post has been sent in, and here are some pictures I bought from Maffitt:
Air Wondermare, please fasten your seat belt.
Nikki points her top lip when she’s concentrating
And finally, a headshot of the world’s most abused horse heading to the in-gate to get cookies from Momma Pope!
Latest blog post, featuring 3 beautiful pictures and a video of my highly tortured horse :lol: http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/some-days-youre-windshield-some-days-youre-bug
Check out the COTH Facebook post for fun things like poems about how I can’t ride and abuse poor, poor Nikki :lol:
Some of those FB comments! Oh my! Got to love that one lady detailing her entire horse grooming career from 30 + years ago and still had no jumping experience and still trying to drag you through the mud! lol Really would love to see some of them ride Nikki … actually no I wouldn’t want to put Nikki through that!
Love the article like always.
P.
^ She’d probably get rid of them fairly quickly…or would stand still and refuse to move.
I love the poem. I may put it in my tack trunk for inspiration.
Jumpers go in snaffles, geez. Don’t you know anything?!
:lol:
I’m kidding, of course. You and Nikki make a great team. If Nikki thought that bit was awful, I feel like she’d be pretty quick to let you know.
JustTheTicket, obviously you’re kidding; if you really meant it, you’d write me a POEM.
