Miss Kitty

When I was around one year old, my family acquired a kitten - one mean-mammajamma'-of- a- kitten. The mean kitten was so mean that neither my parents or the vet could determine the sex. The kitten was white, fluffy and had small black spots all over - "it" was beautiful. She was given the name Miss Kitty - a kitten that beautiful had to be female.


When the time came to spay Miss Kitty, we were shocked to learn that Miss Kitty was a Mr Kitty. By that time, we had already been calling him Miss Kitty for so long, that the name had stuck.


When I was four, my brother Curtis was born. I'm sure that one of the first things he learned as a child was to fear the wrath of Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty terrorized my brother and I. He'd chase us, claw us, bite us - he enjoyed it immensely too, I'm certain of it. At bed time each night, my brother and I would be paralyzed with fear; we knew that Miss Kitty knew when it was time for us to trudge to bed. He (Miss Kitty) would position himself at the crux of the long hallway leading to our bedrooms. His tail slightly twitching, his paws ready for massacre. Slowly, Curtis and I would inch toward the hallway of certain doom. We'd peep our eyes slowly around the corner to see if, indeed, Miss Kitty lie in wait. Almost certainly, every time, there he lay. Near the end of the hall, positioned perfectly in between my room and my brother's lie the cat, his eyes glowing like the fire pits of hell, waiting patiently for his prey.


"M-m-m000000000000m!" I would whimper "Miss Kitty is in the hallway again.." My brother still clinging to the back of my Bon Jovi nightgown could only ever nod in agreement, his wide terrified eyes glued to the cat. His fear of Miss Kitty was always much greater than mine.


Annoyed that our parents felt it necessary to laugh at our plight, my brother and I would wait impatiently for rescue. We could not understand the bravery of our parents. They could walk right up to that evil cat, and pick him up like it was no big thing. The cat would emit an annoyed mew, but never offered to bite or savage them the way he did my brother and I.

At night Miss Kitty was locked in our basement. Through our vents Curtis and I could hear Miss Kitty meowing. To us, they sounded like blood moans - his daytime terror turned to night time dread. His meow wasn't right, either. They were more like long low pitched howls. "mmmmmoooooooooooowwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnaaaaaaoooowwwww" he would roar. Over and over - the sound of it echoing through the vents made a haunting sound. I'd lie there, eyes wide open, praying he wasn't making his way up the vent in a quest for vengence. (of course it wasn't that frightening, but you know, dramatic effect and all).

As Curtis and I grew older, I found the trick to Miss Kitty. Confidence. If he saw a trembling, sweaty mass coming toward him, his sensors alerted attack mode, and then you'd best run. However, if you confidently approached him; your head held high - he was confused and not sure how to respond. Though his rippling muscles were surely always tensed and ready for battle, you could pick him up just under the front arms and render him harmless for a brief time. To Curtis' horror, I used my new found mastery of Miss Kitty to his detriment.


"If you don't (whatever), I'll throw Miss Kitty on you!" I'd threaten him. My hands outstretched with an increasingly pissed fluffy white cat, claws primed for carnage, dangling precariously over Curtis' gangly 10 year old body.

Sometimes I'd chase him around the house with the cat; it's a wonder my brother even speaks to me these days. I don't know why I turned on Curtis in such a way, he was always a sweet little brother. Never annoying, always passive. I suppose I was just a nasty little pre-pubescent thing. God knows my hormones went insane for a brief period - just the memory of it gives me chills. For a few years I most definitely resembled Shelley Marsh, from Southpark - I acted like her too - ohhh the memories my family must have.



Anyway, back to Miss Kitty. As Miss Kitty aged, he tamed down immensely. His once fluffy hair was dull and lifeless and his rippling warrior muscles were flaccid and weak. Miss Kitty must have known that he no longer held court of the meanest cat around, because he actually became friendly.

They always say the mean ones live the longest, and Miss Kitty held true to that saying. On his 21st birthday, Miss Kitty's reign of terror ended. He died in his sleep, still the king of his castle! Despite all the terror he wreaked in our household, his death was very sad for us all. The funny thing is, through all of the many pets we've had, cats, horses, dogs, birds and rabbits, Miss Kitty is the only one who still haunts my dreams. I bet that's just the way he would have liked it, too.

Bits, Hoggle and Winnings

As I was browsing E-bay for snaffle mouth western show bits for Miss Gypsy, I came across this gem.



This is very obviously not a snaffle mouth bit. It is, in fact, a Spade Bit. Though it looks like a torture device, I don't know enough about Spades to fully judge. Not only that, but I've never actually seen a spade for sale in a tack shop nor do I know of anyone who uses one. Please click the link above to read more about this fascinating bit and where it originates from, it's pretty interesting!



Look at it! Isn't it amazing? I've never seen a bit like it. I do have a bit fetish anyway, I could become a bit hoarder, really. I love the detailed, sterling silver bits the most - yum! I could just hang them in my house, I guess I'm like a bird, or a gypsy, or Hoggle from the movie Labyrinth. Remember him? He loved sparkly things.



Yikes, maybe I'm not Hoggle.



Anyway, I like bits. Here is a picture of the mouth piece of the same spade bit. Kind of scary to look at, but learn more about them before judging, please.


On another note, here's proof that I did actually win money for my costume contest.





Just after I won the money, I folded the envelope carefully and stuck it in my purse. Over the course of the evening I reached into my purse several times for money and or to whip out my camera for pictures. At some point, the envelope containing the money must have fallen out of my flimsy purse. I spent much of the night crawling around a very crowded bar looking for the envelope, but alas, found nothing. The only consolations I have are that 1. I didn't have that money to begin with and 2. maybe whoever found it, needed that money more than I did...I hope that's what happened, anyway. Behind me are friends, Kerri, Lisa and the 7 months pregnant, Susan. Can you tell which one is Susan? (P.S. Susan did not drink and there's a no smoking law in Michigan bars :)

Three Horses

I rode 3 horses yesterday, THREE! First, I rode Gypsy, and felt really off. Sometimes when I get on a horse, I just feel really connected - those are usually great rides, I feel very solid in the saddle Yesterday just wasn't one of those days for Gypsy and I. I rode in J's Fabtron saddle, and I felt like the stirrup fender was sliding all over the place, I felt like a sloppy, ugly rider. I was also riding Gypsy for the first time in a shanked bit (a Tom Thumb). It's a first step in her neck reining training, and because Gypsy has such a very soft mouth, I worried. She did alright with it, but just alright. She definitely had her head too far down and I had difficulty with keeping light pressure on her mouth and getting her to keep the correct pace at the jog. The black flies were just eating her alive as well, so distraction was another key in the bad ride factor for us. I really have a hard time training a horse to neck rein anyway, so I'm sure that added to the poo factor. I worked on Gypsy's canter quite a bit, as well. The last few times I've ridden Gypsy, her canter had been markedly improved. I had been able to collect her just a bit, and the gait felt much more relaxed, controlled and a bit slower - all good signs of progression. Yesterday, I took it easier on her since it had been a while from our last ride. Ugh, she lurched in the canter and we barreled around like a bunch of lunatics. I did quite a few trot/canter transitions until I felt that we had made some progress and then ended on a good note. Of course I made sure J and the other rider were back in the barn before we began our cantering, it's embarrassing. I know we made quite a bit of noise despite my efforts to keep the attention away from us. With me bellowing CANTER, CANTER and EASY and Gypsy pounding the dirt like a whole herd of horses and not just one - of course Casper was bellowing in the pasture behind us, too. I know we must have had an audience at some point. She was a good girl, though...I know my not-so-great ride is only owed to my lack of consistency - I will just have to keep it up and I know we will get there!

I rode two more horses for a potential buyer. As I was tacking up the first horse (Gizmo), the mother of the prospective rider (a 12 year old girl) was telling me about her daughter and how when she was 6 or 7 she had a terrible accident which rendered her terrified of riding until now. The girl is still very timid and scared, but her love of horses finally won out. Anyway, the woman said that the girl took a fall off of her horse and her foot became tangled in the stirrup. She said the girl was being dragged behind the horse, each time the hind hooves came down, they came down on the little girl's leg. In the end, she survived, but she had a hoof nail embedded in her leg; I didn't ask, but I imagine her leg(s) were broken as well - Freakin' YIKES - I'd be scared too. I really think this girl is brave for getting back in the saddle! Gizmo was good but was deemed to be too much for the girl. Gizmo has a tendency for minor spooking. I'm talking very minor spooking, but still, this girl needs a dead broke, old, steady eddy.

The next horse I rode was Sid. Now, for real - Sid is not a horse for a beginner right now. I've already spoken enough about his issues. He's easy and sweet enough, but would just be a bit much for someone who is a nervous rider or inexperienced. They could ride him fine, but he is just a stinker when it comes to other horses. I made sure to tell them this as I mounted up on the already bellowing Sid....UGH! The potential buyers had their trainer with them, so I kind of hoped he'd like the horse for himself. He did, and hopped up on Sid the second I got off! Sid is looking so darn good. Since his gelding surgery he has leveled out immensely. His once heavily crested neck has slimmed down and he is so much more proportioned. He has three amazingly lovely gaits, and he just hooks his neck right over into the most perfect head set. His lope is slower than I can walk - a real rocking horse lope - a-maz-ing! I'm not sure what S, the young trainer thinks after his ride, but I would love to see him back in the show ring (Sid, that is).

So, that's that. Oh, I also won an 80's costume contest, lost my winnings almost immidiately after getting them and celebrated a friend's bachelorette party over the weekend too. Pictures to come :).

Bor-ring!

Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! Even though I spent my birthday sans horses, I still enjoyed myself. I spent the weekend camping up north with my parents and husband. Although we had torrential downpours on my actual birthday (the 18th), I was still able to soak up some sun on the other two days.

Even though I haven't had much time with horses this summer, I am hoping to start back up with my normal riding schedule this week. I spoke with J this morning, and she and I discussed the Fun show (which is put on by the MJMHA) and occurs the weekend of September 3rd & 4th. My mom decided that she'd like to bring her Quarter Horse, Lady, to the show too. It's a HUGE HUGE step for my mom, but I know she and Lady will have a blast. It's a FUN show, after all.

J asked me if I'd like to take one of her horses, it doesn't matter who, but they need Coggins and shoes, so I need to decide quick. I told her that if I wasn't too busy with my mom and Lady, I'd like to take Gypsy to the show again. Last year I had a ball in our hunt seat classes, and this year I think it would be fun to take the behemoth of a mare into some Western Pleasure classes. I just need to start working her regularly again!

I have to say that at times, I really do miss showing horses. I miss the camaraderie, the excitement, that feeling of connecting with your horse as you pass by the judge; best of all, the feeling of accomplishment after a great ride. There are so many fun things about it. I know I was just getting frustrated with my current situation (I've blabbed about that before). Showing someone else's horses is just not something I would like to do on a regular basis. There's too much pressure! With that said - if things go well with Gypsy this fall and winter (and I don't have a horse of my own), I can see myself getting sucked into showing that mare at smaller Michigan shows. The big difference between showing Gypsy instead of Bobby or Contro, though, is that J has no interest in selling Gypsy. Gyps is actually a pulled out of the pasture, semi-retired broodmare. I know that if the economy picks back up and the horse market is going strong, J will probably breed her again. That's her job, really, showing is just an after thought. I just decided on a whim, that I was going to start her under saddle and show her...hilarious, really! GO ME!!!

Dressage, Birthdays and Fond Farewells

I had a Dressage lesson on Sunday, actually the first one in weeks. Just as I pulled up to the barn, I noticed that I had forgotten my helmet. BLAST! I definitely did not have enough time to go back and get it, so I hoped that T would just allow me to ride without one, or that perhaps she'd have a spare that I could use. Normally, I always wear a helmet, but they are not required at J's for adult riders, so on rare occasions I ride without...I know, I know. Anyway, T was incredibly kind because she allowed me to borrow her very expensive, fancy helmet. I don't know what brand it was, but it was light weight, and my head stayed cool even when my body was melting into an oozing mess on the floor (it was that hot)!

I rode C (Chessy is her nickname) again, and I really really enjoyed the ride. I don't know if it was the magical helmet and its fancy powers or what, but this was the first lesson that I truly felt like I connected with what T was saying. We did circles, shoulder in, leg yields, flying lead changes and extended trots across the diagonal (I can't remember what that's called - lengthening strides???). Usually, T has to slow me down so that she can explain something to me, but this time the lesson was fluid. I did fairly well with my aids and I was able to go from one thing to the next without stopping. It was cool, and I really can't wait until my next lesson, which is.....in........2....weeeeeeekkkkkksss....bah!

This upcoming weekend I will be camping. Unfortunately, I also have a birthday this weekend. It's my birthday, which is even worse. I will be 31 - thirty one!?!? I seriously still feel like an 18 year old in my head. I can't understand how 31 came so fast; one moment I was crying about turning 25, and now look at me! I'm still not over turning 25, and I'm 31. I need more time to get used to this aging thing - it's horrifying! Anyway, the weekend after this, I have a bachelorette party up north, so not much horse time on my agenda this month.


Bobby and I - I was 24 here - GASP - where has the time gone?

In other horse news though, both Bobby and Sid have left J's for a time being. They are both at a Jr. Rider's house where they are being ridden regularly. I've spoken about the Jr. rider before, but she has high hopes to take Bobby to Nationals this year, in Oklahoma. Very exciting! I made sure to give Bobby a big old smooch before I left the barn on Sunday evening. I don't know when I'll see him next and I'll miss him. Sid just needs the mileage - he's a good boy, and I know it will be good for him to be with Mar, the Jr. Rider. J says that both will be back at her place in the Fall (so long as they're not sold in the meantime). I love that old Bobby horse, but I am so thrilled that he is being used and put to work like he needs to be! I truly hope he finds himself a nice young girl to spend his days with.

Cousin G Rides a Morgan

I am just not in a blogging kind of mood this week. I don't know what it is. It started on Monday. I got to work (my usual place of blogging - I'm not going to lie), and started in on my duties. My job duties on Monday take about 5-20 minutes before they are complete, and I'm left to my own devises. I logged on to blogger, and read all of the blogs that I'd missed over the weekend. That's usually when I'll be inspired to write, but the inspiration never came. I clicked off the Internet and stared, fiddled around with some filing, finished that, then came back to stare at my outlook inbox; sighing deeply, forlornly wishing for e-mails. Nothing. I guess I am just getting antsy to begin my new job (mid-august). My current place of employment is great, don't get me wrong, but it's gotten so slow. Many people are taking paid time off, and there's frankly not much to do..I'm getting despondent here, and that's no good.

Anyway, enough about that. On the horse end of things, last weekend I actually rode THREE different horses! I know :). Gypsy, Contro and my Sunday lesson, at long last!

On Saturday, my little cousin G was in town from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She's 14 years old and has her own horse at home, though she doesn't show and has minimal experience. She had never been on a Morgan, so I was more than excited to give her the Morgan experience. I called J, who said that I could bring G over to ride, but she (J) wouldn't be there. This was bitter sweet for me, I knew that J would be a great ambassador for her Morgans, but she would surely put G on the 30 year old Morgans and not the fun, Morgany Morgans. With J gone, I had my pick of the horses, Contro!

We ended up riding Gypsy first, then as G was finishing up with Gypsy, I pulled Contro out to take him for a quick spin. After watching G with Gypsy, I wasn't certain she'd be able to ride Contro. Even though Contro is 17 years old this year, he is a quick little bugger. He has a naturally very high stepping trot, and he gets sort of Saddle Seaty if you do anything hastily. G doesn't know enough about riding this type of horse, in fact she'd never ridden in an English saddle (hunt seat or other wise) so I just thought I'd at least let her see him; he's gorgeous to watch under saddle. As I was riding around, she told my mom that he looked too fast for her taste, but she sat on Gypsy watching Contro with her mouth open, I had an idea.

G riding Gypsy


Trotting

After a bit, I brought Contro into the center of the ring and clipped a lunge line to his bridle. I told G to hop up on him and that I'd take her for a "pony ride" so that she could at least say she sat in an English saddle. She hopped up and after I gave her a few pointers to calm her down, we set about at a slow walk down the rail. It took her a few awkward minutes to really get a feel for the slick saddle beneath her, but once she settled in, I could tell that she was excited.

"do you want to trot?" I asked her.

"Well, okay. Don't let go of the lead, though." she answered nervously.

I began to jog slowly beside Contro, and being the good boy he is, he followed along at a slow, smooth jog beside me. G got a startled look on her face, she had never posted before, so I told her up, down, 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 and sooner than you'd think, she grasped the concept. Posting, unlike sitting the canter, came easy for me when I was learning, it's a natural rise, but I've also seen plenty of people really struggle with it too. G has a very natural, soft post and with practice, she'll do just fine. Anyway, after jogging half the arena, I thought I was going to die, so I walked Contro and G into the center. I sent Contro out just a bit on the lunge line and explained to G why I was doing that.

"it's too hot, I'm too out of shape, and I might die if I have to keep jogging with you," I explained between gasps.

Before she got onto Contro, I overheard G telling my mom that she had only cantered on her horse twice. I mean what a travesty! When I was her age, that's about all I did with my horse - canter, canter, canter! Anyway, seeing this as my opportunity, I quickly told G to prepare for a canter. She looked nervous, but was willing. She trusted me. I gave her the instructions to sit deep in the saddle and to keep her heels down. She also seems to keep her spine and upper body too stiff, so after telling her to relax and have fun, I signaled Contro to canter.

Normally, Contro picks up his canter with perfection, especially on the lunge line, but he must have sensed that this girl needed a good saddle seat Morgan trot before her cantering debut. Contro picked up a beautiful above level trot, his head up and his tail flagging. G sat atop, looking confused.

"Canter!!!" I firmly told Contro.

Up his knees flew, higher than I'd ever seen them go. I thought to myself that maybe he might make a nice English Pleasure horse, even in his old age. Finally, he swooped into a beautiful, slow rocking horse canter for G. Around he went, once, twice before I sensed that G had had enough. Like the sweet boy he is, Contro gracefully slowed to a nice flat walk. G looked bewildered for a moment, then a huge smiled exploded onto her face.

"That was fun!" she gushed, as I patted Contro on the shoulder and signaled G to dismount.

I know that putting G on such a horse was on the risky side, it's always best to play it safe. When I was 14, though, I know that an experience like that would have stuck with me for life. I hope it does for G, too.

After our HOT day at the barn, we hit the pool. According to G's mom, she hasn't stopped talking about her day with the Morgans yet!

Did You Know?

**That 90% of today's American Saddlebred Horses carry Morgan blood? Read about that, here (http://www.morganhorse.com/).

**That Morgans were a foundation breed in developing the American Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, American Standardbred and the American Saddlebred *see above*? (click here to read about it).


Morgan, Jubilee King was also registered as a Quarter Horse under the name "Yellow Jacket"

**A very popular horse weather vane was modeled after Black Hawk, an 1833 Morgan who was known to be the fastest trotting horse in his time, click here for his pedigree and to read more about him, here.



**The Morgan horse is the state animal for both Vermont and Massachusetts.

**The Modern Morgan horse is among the most versatile of horse breeds. The breed excels in all known disciplines, including: Parade, western pleasure, reining, hunter pleasure, over fences, sidesaddle, driving, FEI, Endurance, trail, eventing, Saddleseat; some are even gaited for those who prefer a smoother ride! See here for more versatility information!

**A popular brand Kohler (you know, the Bold Look of Kohler; the commercials!!??) Anyway, there is also a Kohler Morgan Horse farm; you put this one together....anyway, one very well known horse out of this stable is HVK Bold Look - check out this amazing farm and it's history, here!

**I know I've already posted about this guy, but a popular clinician Eitan Beth-Halachmy (I think he coined the term "Cowboy Dressage") rides his beautiful Morgans; how could you not want a Morgan after seeing this!?





**The University of Vermont with the UVM prefix is a Morgan horse farm (also a national historic site) that is dedicated to the preservation of the Morgan horse:



The paragraph below is taken from the website (http://www.uvm.edu/morgan/):

"The UVM Morgan Horse Farm is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the Morgan Horse through breeding and selection. Designated as a National Historic Site, the farm is also home to significant Morgan history and a variety of educational programs. For over 50 years, the farm has provided educational experiences and training for students and visitors while perpetuating the Battell, Government, and UVM bloodlines. UVM Morgans are prized as superb pleasure horses for recreational use and as foundation broodstock."

**Morgans are found in a variety of colors. At one time, you'd be hard pressed to find a Morgan that wasn't Bay, Brown, Black or Chestnut. These days, there are some very nice Morgans in Palomino, Silver Dapple, Buckskin,Perlino, Creme, Pinto, Grey and Dun **etc**.



**Morgans go to the FEI - READ ALL ABOUT IT, HERE


Disclaimer: if I'm mistaken or if anyone has more interesting information to contribute, please do let me know :).

Another Boring Vacation Post

I am such a huge HUGE nerd because every time I think about St. Louis, I get this song in my head (From one of my favorite movies ever). Anyway, sometimes I catch myself humming or singing it out loud as I wander about all tourist like - ICK - someone just put me out of my misery!?!



Anyway, Brian (AKA B), Madigan the dog, and I (along with Brian's very pregnant sister and her husband), spent 3 whole days in St. Louis. Imagine my glee, we even went to a FAIR (not the World's Fair, though). We actually spent the holiday with my in-laws who temporarily live down there, and also own a home in Michigan and, eh ......it's a long story. Anyway, I've posted a photo log of our exciting adventures - I'd love it if you followed along!

DAY 1:

Everybody spent the day swimming in the in-laws pool - nice, as it was HOT and Steamy in St. Louie. Afterwards we spent some time in one of my favorite cities ever, St. Charles. I just love St. Charles. It's very quaint yet stylish (there's some fun nightlife there). It's right alongside the Missouri river, and just a really nice place to visit! We had lunch there in a restaurant called Quintessential - YUMMY! After lunch, we shopped around a bit then headed for home for some pool time.

Later that evening we went to a Cardinal's game. Even though I'm a true blue Tigers fan, I had fun watching the beloved Cards beat the Brewers! Before the game, the US Army Paratroopers 'chuted down into the stadium, that was kind of patriotic and befitting of the holiday weekend. It was cool! See the pics below. We also got a suveneir as we entered the stadium. Umbrella hats called Brock a brellas - I was super ecstatic about that, but I'm not posting the picture of me in it.






DAY 2:

The next morning, I coerced Brian to take me to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. Even though I had been there the previous year, I liked it so much that I really wanted to go again. Everyone else stayed home and stuck close to the pool, because it was HOT and HUMID! Unfortunately, Brian's dad let him take his Porsche - YIKES! Sure, it's fun to sit and even drive around in this car, but Brian likes to accelerate quickly and drive all crazy like. Nobody under the age of 45 should be allowed to drive cars like that, that's all I'm sayin' 'bout that! I spent much of that drive clenching the door handle and trying not to scream. I much prefer "natural" horsepower to artificial!



The darned red car - Ugh! It's an awesome car and really fun, but it freaks me out on the highway!




This statue is pretty funny - this is one rubbery looking lady....she's skinny and fat - very bizarre (and I liked it).

The Botanical gardens are so cool. They are huge and have just about everything, from Chinese gardens to English hedge mazes. I love this pool - don't stare directly at my pasty legs though...yikes!

After the gardens, we hit the pool with our hot dog, Madigan!

DAY 3:

On our final day, Brian and I (everyone else stayed at the pool) went to the zoo.

The Penguin house was my favorite exhibit. It is wonderfully cold in there and best of all, you can literally get so close to the penguins that you can touch them (not sure if that's actually allowed), but there's no real wall to prevent someone from reaching over and petting. This Penguin was a foot away from me, just floating like a lazy loaf. He'd look up at me, then turn slowly and shake his nubby little tail feathers at me. Then he'd spin around and do it again - so cute, I was very tempted to give him a squeeze, but of course, resisted!

Like Stephen Colbert, I'm no fan of Bear; however I felt sorry for this big Grizzly bear. He paced back and forth in his corner and was, I'm certain, hot as heck!

Brian cooling off with his pop - he had on his crabby pants at this point, but I took his picture anyway. Ain't he cute? LOL - he was a really REALLY good sport about taking me site seeing.

My parting shot. I wanted a picture of the both of us together, but I'm too shy to ask strangers to take our picture, so this is what we did. Can you tell I'm trying to look skinny? Arms slightly out and legs lifted! I know the tricks, now I just have to make it look less obvious.

Our last evening was spent in St. Charles at the 4th of July festival. All I am going to say about this festival is that there were A LOT of Mt. Dew drinkin' folk there. You can take that how you want to. The fireworks were splendid though; I enjoyed that part immensely!



I'm really excited for this upcoming weekend. I am going to have a lot of horse time, so finally something exciting to be blogging about :).

Happy 6th of July

Here's a patriotic themed Morgan video for a belated 4th of July post! I hope everyone had a safe, fun and sunny holiday weekend! I spent my 4th in St. Louis, MO. I'll have another post and some pictures to post later. I still have to upload and photo shop :). This video is awesome in its 1996-ness. I would have been just so jealous of the girl in the red sequin shirt (aboard the western horse). How about that hair? This was during my "mint green" show days, so it was the style. Nonetheless, it's a very cool video.

A Little of This

Lately I feel as though I'm running out of horse related ideas to post about. I mean, I can only post so many times about my former horses before even I get bored. I am not saying that I have a very interesting blog, don't get me wrong, I know that even my husband refuses to read it. Which if I were to get started on that tangent, I'd start telling you how I read his boring pharmacology papers often enough. He also enjoys showing me the Powerpoint presentations he creates at work - oh the humanity. You. Have. No. Idea! The least he can do is ACT interested in horses! LOL, uh oh, I got myself started on this tangent!

Where am I going with this post? What am I trying to say? Oh, yes. I need some new fodder to ramble about. I need a HORSE to ramble about! Hopefully this will change in the near future. Recently I was offered a position at the company I used to work at (in Southfield, which is like an hour from where I live *YIKES*). What this position would mean is a pay increase of about $17,000.00 a year, but also a long-ass commute. Is it worth it? Can I make that commute? Well, that's what I've been asking myself the past few weeks. I've determined that, yes, I can do this. This extra money and great position will not only give me the extra money it will take to pay off my student loan debt, get a new car (which I'll be needing shortly AND hopefully a horse *yes, please*; but it will earn me some priceless experience that I can use for any future positions (you know, climbing the corporate ladder and all that jazz). Can you tell that every career choice I make is centered on when and if I'll be able to afford a horse? Never mind 401ks and medical!! LOL. I am not trying to jump to far ahead of myself here, but things are looking good ~ Think horse for me, please!

With that said, here is a picture of one of my former horses. DRUMROLL PLEASE -------> Shaker! I don't think I've posted either of these pictures yet, but I can most certainly be wrong. To my great excitement, I found both of these pictures tucked behind another show picture in an old frame, the other day. Of course, I immediately set about scanning them and uploading them to blogger for just this purpose - you're welcome!



Ahhh - the good old days of riding for the blues. Here we are after somehow miraculously duping the judges in a Novice Western Pleasure class at Michigan's Futurity Show. 1996 ~ I still have that mug too :) How do you like my 2nd hand MINT GREEN ultra suede show outfit? It had 4 different shirts, little patent leather matching bow ties and some hand made mint gloves (don't forget that mint hat). I loved that outfit, LOVED IT! It was custom made for the girl who owned it prior to me, and we bought it for a fraction of the price after she was done. After I finished with it, I think it went to a young girl who was getting started showing Arabians...I wonder if it's still minting it up somewhere?


This was one of my favorite blues! J absolutely refused to let me show Shaker in Hunt Seat. Against her protestations, I entered Shaker in a Jr. Exhibitor Hunt class at a small show, anyway. We won against maybe 5 other riders. I felt so vindicated! I never did show him hunt again after this; in retrospect, he would have made a pretty good little hunt horse...oh well. *Note* I am wearing only a hunt cap (not a certified helmet) in a Jr. Exhib. class. I didn't know it was against the rules. Also, my saddle is a $150.00 tack sale purchase and the hunt coat a $40.00 tack sale buy! (I still have the saddle and hunt coat).The bridle? A raw hide cheapy. Don't get me started on those $100.00 dress boots, oh the LOLs!