Part One: Things To Do NOW!

(This post will come in three parts!)

1. 10 Things to do NOW!
2. 10 Things to do SOON!
3. 10 Things to do EVENTUALLY!

We shall begin with things to do NOW! (Or within the year...)

Otherwise phrased as....My Goals of 2015

1. Customize/Monogram/Tag/Plate everything! I have a ridiculous amount of decals, monograms, patches, etc. and I really want to use them! i.e. on my helmet, on my car, on my brushes (which I have freshly painted), on my saddle pads, my halters, bridles, it's a long list! I just need to sit down and do it!

1 1/2. Sew ribbon onto my existing polo wraps! How fun :) I have a few sets of ribbon-trimmed wraps and LOVE them- so (or should I say sew!) why not add more to the ones I already have!

2. Get my equine business up and running! (It's a secret..but it's something everyone will love & use!) My goal is Mid Spring, 2015! So be on the lookout! ;-)

3. Take Lily to lots of shows this summer! Jumper and eventing mainly...maybe some dressage shows as well. I also want to lesson with and participate in clinics with dressage trainers! Lily could really use that work!

4. Go to the Dover Tent Sale! Cause what's a girl without her favorite shop?!?! It's just a must-do for the equestrian!

5. Build some jumps this summer! It could be so fun :) Grab some pizzas, some friends and some paint-and I'm all set! I want to do a few stadium fences as well as cross-country!

6. Go through ALL my tack. I've already sold some! (Old boots, old headstall, old breeches-CHECK!) but I still have a shitload to go through!! I need to reorganize, relabel, refresh every last piece! :) Especially the leather goods!

7. Get Lily to super-use her back-end! She was being AWESOME the other day, and we are gonna keep it up! In addition, I need to buy the book 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse and Rider. We are gonna work that booty, girlfriend! Suppling exercises here we come!

8. Improve our groundwork. I have a bunch of Natural Horsemanship loot and I'm gonna put it to use this year! We've got the trust down pat, but I'd like to see a bit more respect on the ground...oh mares! It has been getting a lot better as we work with each other, but we are a long ways from liberty!

9. Jump [and compete] above 3 feet! We've jumped that high, sure. But with flawless strides, consistent work and wonderful tempo...? Nope. So let's add that to our must-do list!

10. Finally. (Why is the last one always the toughest?!) I want to let my mare relax with a wonderful equine massage! It's a super good way to say hello to spring and un-stiffen any winter blehs! I promised for her birthday, I'd get a massage! (What a spoiled mare!)

Here we go 2015!!!

What are YOUR things to accomplish NOW?! :)

The Owls Approve Blog Hop: Worth 1,000 Words

Worth 1k Words.

Let's share our favorite photos of our stud muffins.  No limit.

Trinity Show!

More Trinity!

Basically my favorite photo ever <3

My deer! xD

And finally, another :)

Honestly one of my favorites! Our Spooky Halloween Ride of '09 will never be forgotten. 

Kristen ridiculed me for years about how stupid a costume "colonial girl" was...I still don't give a hoot.

My SG Lily!! 

We are elegant.

Matchy-matchy! Mini jumper clinic!

My circus pony!

Hitching Post Event, 2013

One of my favorite, I just adore it!

Blue.

Stunning.

Pretty in Pink!

At the state jumper show!

My mule <3

Jump training!

Dressage clinic!

Saddle Club Love!

RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED.

Silly mare~!

Our first BIG blue! NHHJA Show!

Lily is SUCH a goof! Mid-2009.

I just LOVE my horse <3

Things I Hoard (In the Equine World)- You Can't Have Just One~

Hoarding things is..well easy.
Hoarding horse things is no different...except maybe it is outrageously expensive! (Most of the time, however I get insanely good deals on the things I buy- phew!)

Maybe I shouldn't call it hoarding...collecting? Saving? Assembling? I don't know..

Anyway. What do I...collect?

SADDLE PADS & POLO WRAPS (and more recently: BONNETS)
I have almost every color...and counting.
I own at least 22 saddle pads..and 12+ sets of polos, and now 6 bonnets!

My pink set. I have recently added a new pink bonnet to the collection.

One of my three navy sets...

How could I pass on that incredibly cute SANTA bonnet??

BRIDLES:
I own 8...for one horse. (I was given three of them for free).
& I'm selling one (an old western headstall I don't use) So let's say 7. Of those 7, I use 3 for show and 1 for practice. 1 I use on a pony. The western and driving ones are occasionally used when they are in demand :)

Crappy old dressage bridle in its good days

Then I have my current western headstall (with cute bling!), a driving bridle (with blinders!), a crappy old dressage bridle, an old style flat hunt bridle, a show hunter bridle, a crank dressage bridle and my Showmark figure 8 jumper bridle...sigh. The latter three are reserved for shows. (Trying to justify myself here...)

My Jumper bridle <3

HALTERS:

I have two rope halters (maybe three??) two web halters, one breakaway, a cheap leather one, and a super nice leather plated halter- that is on order! I can't wait! I also have an old pony halter from leftover from my first pony, Joe.

Cup O' Joe- my first pony!

BITS:
I use one: my Happy Mouth Dee. :)

Well, I occasionally use my Korsteel loose ring or my full-cheek for western. Otherwise I have a ton of bits I've collected, but rarely use. They're great to have around though! Plus I have a cool, older bit that was my mom's as a girl!

Lily's hunter bridle and Happy Mouth bit! 

MONOGRAMMED THINGS:

Pads, boots, trailers, helmets..anything-and everything!

BLANKETS:

Lily has sheets, winter blankets, turnouts, stable rugs, fleecy blankies, sleezies, quarter sheets, coolers, show sheets...Hey, it's cold in NH!

My favorite of her blankies :)

Horse things are like potato chips....you can't have just one!
What do YOU hoard? 

Last Catch-Up Blog Hop!!! "I'm a Loser, Baby!"

This was from week four of The Owls Approve Blog Hop! (whoops!)

I'm A Loser, Baby

Let's talk about your horse's biggest fail.  What did Thunderhooves do that embarrassed you, scared you, shocked you or just annoyed the hell out of you?

Lily, oh Lily. Like I mentioned in the last post, Lily used to dig to China..I mean a hole so deep from being in her stall that I could hear the freaken gongs and see dragons...okay.

A more calm moment...of her stall-digging past.

Lily also trampled me one time. And attempted kicking me. Luckily has never bit me. She's bucked and reared and performed caprioles...whilst mounted and whilst on foot. 

The fact that my mare is constantly trying to get laid is also a minor issue...and just a tad embarrassing.

Hussy.

Lily hates, and I mean HATES showmanship, fitting and show, whatever the hell its called. Anyway, she dragged little 12-year-old me around the ring parading and eating a chunk of the judges straw hat off...and just generally being snarky and restless, and well, terrible. The only reason we didn't place dead last is because some girl's pony actually kicked the judge....sigh. (In all honesty this photo was a good one.)

She was plotting something. I know it. 

Finally. This is hilarious. I can't get the whole video on here, so screenshots it is~ enjoy my mare being a complete and utter doofus. Failing whilst free jumping! 

Ruh..roh... I skipped two weeks of The Owls Approve Blog Hop! (Week Three!!!)

TWO Yup. Somehow I forgot to ever blog about these! So I'll do 'em now!!
I'll start with the Blog Hop #3...SHINING STAR:

Shining Star

Let's talk about the biggest achievements your horse has accomplished.  I'm not talking about you as a rider - I want to know what your ponykins has done to make you proud.  Is there a glorious satin collection, did he/she figure out some dressage movement that took months to learn, or are is it just a great day when your butt stays in the saddle?  

My most proud moment? The fact my horse didn't paw a hole to China at our latest horse shows...no that's not the biggest acheivement but boy...you'd think I abused her by the way she used to HATE her stall. and I mean HATE. She would be dripping with sweat, pawing, neighing, pacing, you name it. Now the mare walks in and won't leave!!! Talk about a pain in the butt...mares.

But okay, our biggest achievement: Lily and I have been through so much together: parades, shows, trails, new barns, "Crop Tag", trying new things: i.e: polo, barrel racing, derbies, etc. There isn't a single moment where I don't think I wasn't beaming with pride at my horse. I love her and am so proud of where we have come and the work we have done together. She's simply the best and makes me so happy and proud to call her my baby :) 

I was proud when Lily and I got our first 7 on a dressage test  (...and then an 8...then several 8's and then...a 9!)

I was proud the day she became mine.

I was proud when she swam in the pond or waded through the river.

I was proud when we did our first flying changes.

I was proud when we jumped 3 feet...and then 3'6".

I have to say, one day when my younger sister (about 7 years old at the time) was leading Lily through the barn and she tripped and fell directly in front of Lily. Lily instantly stopped and bent her head down to sniff the small child in front of her, patiently waiting until my sister stood up and continued leading her. God if it had been me I'd be a pancake!! I love how I can trust my horse with things like that-- it  just made me beam :)

I remember this day feeling so, so happy and proud of Lily.

Over the last fence to win the State High School Jumper Show!

Trying new things!

Schooling some cross-country

The day she became mine!

The Owls Approve Blog Hop: Sugar Momma

So continuing on our adventure of blog hopping....

Sugar Momma.

Let's continue pretending that horse poop magically transforms into money instead of the other way.  So money doesn't matter.  If you could buy anything for your horse, what would you buy? 

Well besides Sir Niro HW....(c'mon doesn't Lily need a companion???)

* First, I would buy another Ogilvy. I love mine so much, I simply have to have another!! (Or several!!) 

*Okay, next a Devoucoux saddle (with red trim...) and red composite stirrups and a red eventer pad...and ALL THINGS RED for eventing! hehe :)

* Plus a dressage saddle. I could definitely use thaaaat!

* And a brand new slant-load trailer....(with or without living quarters...)

* The stud fee (and care fees!) to breed Lily to a super fancy stallion..Perhaps: Formula One

* Endless massages for Lily...in our private barn with fancy smancy fittings, stables, bells, whistles and indoor arenas with footing...

Now doesn't that paint a realistic picture???