End of Year Reminisce

Its that time.

That time of year when we all get sick and do no riding and spend literal days secluded to the bathroom. Oh wait, thats just me? Well it been REAL FUN. And I hope my stomach flu vacates immediately because nobody got time to be sick for more than a day or two and we are comin up on day 7. Seven.

What I mean to say is, "Ahhh, its that time of year again"

The time of year where all of us with blogs re-cap and relive our own stories all over again while writing our year end posts, hoping some stragglers will follow along and re-read and et something out of our strange, weird, sometimes complicated lives with our horses.. Some of you guys are actually interesting and cool and did stuff and THINGS. But us over here at CTD are not those things and did no things. Nevertheless, I have painstakingly worked on this post so you bitches better appreciate it (or pretend to).

Without further ado, a severely summarized Year End Post:

2015 started off on a positive and hopeful note, as all new years should. I had lofty goals for my new horse and hoped for great things....

JANUARY:

I was sad about Yankee being gone, but dad and I hit the trails a bit with Lily and B. 

The weather was insane and therefore B was insane. I struggled with his explosiveness and combating the frigid temps with no indoor arena. 

hi. Im a horse and I want to kick your face in.

He was absolutely awful to body clip. I watched a LOT of Greys Anatomy. I got a LOT of flack for THIS (click to read) post. 

To quote a bit, “So to say my ride yesterday was the worst of my entire 24 year existence is no exaggeration. I realize I said that about Tuesday's ride, but I shit you not, yesterday, I rode a dragon from hell. Fucking hell.” 

I also apparently had dental work done that knocked me down for a few days, and the flu. I don’t remember this. Lily was having some extreme weight loss issues. We debated as group on what to do about it. I love all of you. People commented more back then too…hint hint

FEBRUARY:

We also commented and debated as group what could possibly be “wrong” with B. It was actually a really good post. If you want to read it it is HERE (click to read). I stayed sad about it. Like really sad. 

To quote, “I rode once last week and it was so horrible, again, that something in me snapped. I don't want to be done, but I feel so done. I want to ride so badly, but I don't. My mind is my greatest enemy, but who would want to ride, knowing its going to be shit everytime, no matter what. I'm so sick of it & I want it to get better. If this is how every winter is going to be with him I don't know if I can do this.”  

I remember it quite well. He was truly, truly, just the WORST. We couldn’t even hack at a walk without him rearing. We had a few fun things. An old friend took me on a trail ride wherein he only tried to kill me a few times and we brainstormed that maybe it was his tail being tied up giving him fits.

At this point I had started looking for boarding barns. I made THIS (click to read) post about hunters and their positions over fences and people lost their shit over it. We almost froze to death, with constant -10 temps. Lily ripped her legs open (like really bad) somehow and the temps did not help healing. 

Except snow was a mighty nice icebath for the wounded and swollen leggies

It was cold. Did I say it was cold? I also got a new job. PLUS. MONEY GOOD.

MARCH:

I decided not to board at EME. Not having an income does that.  I did buy Rolex tickets though, obviously. I bought giant round bales. There was mud everywhere. If it was possible, B was acting even worse. Like, so bad. He actually laid down with tack on. I got really pissed at some people on the internet, like actually offended by it. Specifically I was told “I NEED a coach and need to put B in training”. My response to that hate HERE (click to read) if you want to scavenge. Yeah that was rude. Did I mention so much mud everywhere? B was loading in the trailer pretty well at this point, but not really unloading. 

Halp. How do I get offs.

Yankee was doing really well though at this point and had a few nice jump lessons, XC school &  got second place at a dressage show.

APRIL:

Started off with a bang and a great dressage lesson at EME. This is my first experience with Supertrainer and I fell in love. 

A quote “I was beyond stoked to find a trainer in my area that I meshed with AND specialized in OTTBs. I will FULLY disclose, I was skeptical at first because I had never heard of her before but I didn't judge too quickly. Her facility was amazing, I had an excellent referral and my first impression of her was fabulous. What. A. Doll. Just picture like, the cutest & sweetest horsewoman you can muster and that is my new trainer. She's a gem! I hope I can continue to afford bi-weekly sessions because we galloped through so many barriers last Sunday.”  

We had a major breakthrough and cantered for the first time since October. Later in the month, I made paddocks for the ponies. There was still mud everywhere. Yankee competed at Holly Hill and had a few rails in stadium but double clear XC. I went to Rolex and it was amazing despite all the rain. I met a wolf and we saw some badasses. I bought some things.

MAY:

I lost my phone and it was horrible. Then I got an iphone 6. I also got a mild case of rhabdo, which can be a pretty serious issue. Also painful.  I found the Goldenwings bit on Ebay for super cheap. We had a few really nice rides at home considering of mostly flatwork and coming out of winter fluff phase 

We also visited Amy and Steady and had some good fun jumping at her house! He adulted like a champ. 

We also had a group jump lesson together with Supertrainer and Bacardi was still not sure what he was supposed to do with jumps. But we discovered that he is a phenom jumper. Like, phenom.  

We celebrated gotcha day on May 29^th too! Then 2 days later he ripped his face open (quite literally) to the bone on the trailer, throwing a classic B tantrum.

JUNE:

B was recovering from said face bashing and the weather was torrential in the form of rain. We barely rode. When we did ride, Bacardi was full of tantrums when it came to loading and he flipped himself over twice. Awesome. Logically, I signed up for 2 schooling shows. We had some pretty amazing jump schools (for the time) at EME though . We made plans to travel to KY to see Yankee and school B. I got REALLY irritated at people on the internet and almost gave up blogging. 

A quote “I've said this before, but apparently there are those it there offended by me calling my horse a lunatic or insane and feel the need to demand I do this or do that. Fucking lighten up.”

We never did make it to the schooling shows, (surprise surprise someone wouldn’t load) so that was a loss of entry fees.  Whomp Whomp.

JULY:

Got some seriously epic 4OJ pics. 

                                                                    Pure badassery. 

Bacardi started to get on the trailer OK, but in a sweaty, rundown mess kind of way. 

do, not, like, this, thing

We headed to KY to meet up with my EME Team, my leaser & Yankee and hopefully get some good schooling in at a real show. B got on the trailer (yay) and we had a very eventful weekend. 

My baby boys. My heart! My soul!

Torrential downpours caused some hell for a lot of riders and XC schooling ended up canceling, fuckimg hell. B was an awful too, a spastic  hot mess and we didn’t really get much done in the ways of schooling.

This was in between random bolting and bucking spurts

Gave us things to work towards amirite? *eyeroll* Yankee also retired on XC…good weekend. After a lull in no-riding-land, we had another BANGIN jump school with Amy. 

A good way to end a semi-crappy and disappointing month.

AUGUST:

This month started off lame. Literally. B had an abscess  from hell and it would not die. It was about 3 solid weeks before the farrier was able to pop it. In classic dude formatting too, he milked it like a giant wuss.

TWO FUCKING weeks into healing and coddling the abcess, B also ripped off a GIANT fucking chunk of heel and was officially DONEZO with the show season before it even started.  WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY HOW WHY HOW HOW WHY WHY WHY WHY

My luck. THEN, I was hospitalized. I guess that happens when you ovaries explode. Fun.

hashtag hospitalselfie

Positive note, I blogged a TON. Readership was up and was very encouraging.  At the very end of the month, we tried to do a walking hack together and realized we were too broken to do that. Oh and I sold Lilly. 

MISS YOU BOO

                                         *****Super great month. A real winner.********

SEPTEMBER:

In a flash, I ended up moving B to EME boarding facility. It happened so fast I didn’t know what hit me, but I was grateful. Still recovering from hospital, I was loving boarding at a full care facility. 

Inspecting...

.....

...Approved

I was having a hard time blogging in this month though. Also riding. I paid my trainer to ride him a few times, and he went XC schooling for the first time EVER with her aboard. I went whitewater rafting (really good idea fresh out of the hospital, fun though).

OCTOBER:

The month of lunging. We lunged, A LOT. 

Fer real ma?

Lunge right

Lunge left

Wat we doin today?

O, lunging

For the majority of the month while I healed and B continued to heal. His foot was looking much better, Mid month I couldn’t wait any longer and we dabbled in jumping again. I was weak AF, but it was fun & and he showed his growing maturity. 

More lunging.  I also body clipped for the first time since it was still about a thousand degrees outside. We had a terrible dressage ride. And that was about it for October. Sorry we are boring.

NOVEMBER

Both of us were feeling better, exponentially. We jumped again and it was majestic.

 I was overcome with emotion regarding how much he had grown up in the last month. I truly and finally felt like he was “MY HORSE”. You know, only almost a year and a half later. I broke the news that Yankee;s lease ended, unfortunately, and BFF Extraordinaire was taking on Yankee (and saving me). 

Then, I tore my rotator cuff muscle. WOULD IT NEVER END. B got a few weeks off, I lunged more. Clipped again. Added chevrons. It was spicy.

 I contemplate life in general and selling B (what was I thinking??). Yankee went to a dressage clinic. I bought a lot of stuff with Black Friday deals. I still wasn’t riding. I also noticed readership and involvement was way down in comparison to other traffic on other blogs. Makes me le sad

DECEMBER:

Which brings us to a close. There was a REALLY great, documented ride near the beginning of the month where we played around outside, courtesy of The Boy (who has requested a blog name change). 

Then several other fantastic, uplifting and encouraging rides (wow, right at the end of the year too). Then we jumped a little. Then we went to our FIRST SHOW together ever. Better late than never, right? I was so proud of B! 

My homies

Then, got our butts kicked in a dressage lesson ( I haven’t blogged about this yet) by Supertrainer, but it was insightful and also encouraging. Then I got the SuperFlu and almost died.

And here we are.

If you made it through that, congrats.

Overall, a tumultuous and trying year. No joke. Injuries and disappointments abound. I am up to my eyeballs in vet and medical bills, but as a pair I felt we NEEDED those failures to come closer as a team. Super corny, I know. While 2015, like almost every other year since 2010, has been pretty shitty and didn’t really go “anywhere” by showing standards, I’m coming out of it feeling empowered. If we can get through 2015, I believe we can conquer 2016 in style.

Here’s to the new year, and less injuries.

Please.