With one final day left between myself and returning to a desk bound day job, I find myself asking what else I need to accomplish to be able to focus on work with a lighter heart. I managed to get quite a bit done over the holiday haze, yet not quite enough. Do I spend […]
Tis the soggiest time of year, when I have ample time to ride…and the winds are gusting and the sky is dumping and the heated blankets sing a siren’s song. I’m reading plenty of books, selling off spare tack, and pondering the upcoming year. Several of my friends like to choose words for the year, […]
This week it’s been four years since I went to see Tarma, handed over a decent sized check and hauled her home to my friend’s place and started inflicting my love and efforts and dreams upon her. While I was trying to sum up where we’re at for my dressage trainer at our last lesson, […]
With our endurance season ending a bit earlier than expected, my focus is shifting towards winter work. I was able to fit in a quick overnight trip with a friend from the Dry Side, and it helped me realize that my desire for more adventures might also be shifting from endurance, at least for a […]
Whew, what a week! I feel I got the mild version of a trip to the AERC National Championships, not that it’s a bad thing. A heck of a lot happened, but folks are healing and horses look fantastic from all accounts, so it was a successful trip for many including us. Packing for this […]
I had a much different post drafted last week, before the Tevis 2024 ride got underway. It was a much more navel gazey post, mostly focused on my own goals and process. I happen to know at least one of the riders involved in the incidents I’ll be including below, so I’m going to attempt […]
I do enjoy being an active AERC member for many reasons, chief among them the subscription to Endurance News. There was a recent interview with several successful endurance riders regarding horse nutrition, a topic I am currently struggling with. Puzzling out what Tarma needs in terms of nutrition to be a solid endurance horse for […]
Well, for a ride that wasn’t even on my radar until about mid-April, our first expedition to Still Prineville definitely qualified as endurance! I’m super happy with where Tarma and I are at, in how well we’re flowing together. We’re at the spot where I can decide two weeks before a ride to enter, and […]
I realized in the shower yesterday I’ve never really written in depth about Tarma’s quirks, her likes and dislikes, what makes her tick and what hits her ick. With the spring crazies in full flag, it’s a good time to lunge before riding and capture some of what makes up a Tarma. A solid case […]
January was a bit of a wild month here, trapped in our homes for almost a week due to an ice storm. These level of storms are becoming more regular even in the Willamette Valley, this is the third since we’ve been in our home where we’ve lost power or been stuck for more than […]