The Lost Year

I can’t help but feel that 2012 is a lost year. It began with a bang –Moose and I were awarded the Horse Junkies United Ammie Education Grant (posts here and here) which afforded us the opportunity to start our year with a Peter Atkins clinic. 

I left the clinic so looking forward to the summer and fall –I really believed Moose and I were finally on the right track and hoped to be competing well at novice by the end of the year.

Then work got in the way –enter excuse 1.

Then surgery and recovery–excuse 2 & 3.

Then recovery & the hottest summer on record- excuse 3 & 4.

Now I find both myself and my pony fat and out of shape with winter looming. The snow will fly soon and with it the end of our 2012 riding time. It is now the beginning of October and I cannot seem to muster the motivation to use the fleeting month I have left to begin riding…it seems pointless. This attitude is not like me at all. 

I need a kick in the butt.

Easy Keeper?

After years of having thoroughbreds, I decided my next horse would be an “easy keeper”.  In fact when I first asked about Moose my first questions were not “What is his training?” or “Does he have a show record?”…they were more like “How much does he eat? Does he wear shoes?”

And, as promised he eats air and toddles around happily barefoot in a pasture.

So an easy keeper? Right?

WRONG

First was saddle fit (let us not go there-I am still annoyed). Then there was his girth…

Tried and rejected:

1. Leather

2. Leather with fleece

3. Synthetic with fleece

4. Padded leather with elastic one end

5. Padded leather elastic both ends

6. Padded leather no elastic

7. All elastic al… la tixerant

8. Anatomic (leather)

9. Anatomic (synthetic)

10. Wintec

11. Bates girth with CAIR

12. String

13. Mohair

Finally, the Wintec Elastic girth with Cair. A girth deemed acceptable. He now has both dressage and jump versions :/

Then there was his bridle. Flash, crank, figured eight, drop nosebands with combinations of padding, poll pads or ear cut-aways. On and on…add in bit combinations…with keepers or without, d-ring, eggbut, full cheek. To end up (finally) with a Micklem and myler comfort snaffle.

We have also done the dance with saddles pads, wraps and shipping boots.

It seems the challenge this year will be his winter blanket and halter (Dear Mr. Micklem –please make a halter as my horse is wearing a dogcollar. Love Amy and Moose aka the easy keeper).

With the money spent on rejected equipment, I probably could have purchase and maintained a going-prelim-thoroughbred.

But, that horse wouldn’t be this horse…

So C'est la Vie.