PS. A giveaway!

Go visit: She Moved to Texas for her fantastic giveaway of a free pair of Horze jean breeches! I've always wanted a pair of jean breeches, so go over and enter, or don't so I have a better chance of winning:)

Happy Chinese new Year -- Year of the Horse!

Hooray! Also, this would make an amazing paper cut!

So, it appears as though the blogosphere has been filled with some really upbeat, inspirational messages lately. Maybe it's the Year of the Horse moving all of us to look around and take stock at what we have rather than what we have not. Maybe it's just the start of a new year that allows everyone to proverbially turn over a new leaf, leave the negatives behind and move forward with gusto. Whatever it is, I'm liking it, and in the spirit of that feeling I thought I'd write a post shouting out to some of my favorite blog writers explaining what you mean to me as a fellow writer and rider in this little world on the internet. *And maybe to introduce you to blogs you've haven't heard about yet (I'll try to limit it to 10, but I read SO many).

My Mojito -- Redheadlins is such an inspiration! She's done more in her life with horses than I may ever do and she loves working with troubled horses. She has a really positive outlook on life and horses and I'm a new reader to her blog, but I've been loving it so far. Also, I want her position over fences, the end.

The Reeling -- I've been reading Andrea's blog for years and one of the things I love about her is her way of breaking down goals into bite-size little pieces. She's really good at being realistic with what she expects from her horses, has intense standards for herself, and strives to make the right decision ALWAYS for her girls. Better than that, she's hysterical, doesn't take herself too seriously and HAS FUN. I hope to one day meet her in real life (maybe at Rolex) and go for one of her great wine-infused trail rides!

The Young Event Horse -- My friend Emily (and now trainer) once rode advanced when she was 19! We met a few years ago and she single-handedly got me back into horses seriously. Without her, I would have never found Riley and we rent the most amazing barn together. I have so much to learn from her and watching her work with OTTBs is an honor. If you're on the east coast looking for a great horse she's got something for everyone.

All In -- I'm completely fascinated with Hunterland (and all things west coast riding) and I love Karley's blog and her big redheaded boy Henry. She writes frequently, always has great photos and diagrams and manages to balance life with a husband, baby (another on the way) and TWO horses. Talk about inspirational.

Poor Woman Showing -- Carly's blog is always one of the first that I read. If you're not following it, add it to your list NOW! She's the only blog friend I've met in real life and she's hysterical, Bobby is a great example of everything an OTTB can be and exactly what they can be when they don't play along. She always has funny stories, scathing criticism of her horse and her own riding, and she's close by... so I'm looking forward to seeing her at some shows this year! Also, she is willing to put Bobby through all sorts of shenanigans, like barrel racing and driving!

Sprinklerbandits -- Aimee, Cuna and Courage had me at hello. I've been following Aimee since she had her lovely mare Izzy and watched her blossom over the years. I hope that my little red horse can stand up to the bar she set with Cuna. She's great at setting goals, tack reviews and talking about the heavy topics. As someone who tends to lean this way, I appreciate her honesty and frankness.

Eventing In Color -- Sarah and Hemie are two of my favorites. She's really open about all of her struggles with her big horse (who is a a classic anxious/worrier) including posting videos of their most unsavory moments along with their successes. I think it takes a certain kind of person to put all that out there unabashedly and I appreciate it because I'm sure I'll be doing my share of flailing around this year. Now she's literally moving forward in leaps and bounds (read her post about her clinic with Hawley Bennett) and has come a long way in such a short time.I can only hope to get their with Riley.

Riding With Scissors -- Ahhh, the adventures of Ollie and his weanie rider (her words, not mine). This blog is right up there with Carly's in terms of hilarity. She's really open about her nerves, which I can relate to, and makes a real effort to put on her big girl pants and to get it done. She's new to the eventing world, so go over and say hi!

CANTER Mid Atlantic in Delaware -- This was one of the first blogs I ever read. Jessica rides and retrains horses for CANTER and watching her work with them straight off the track (or from their lay up farm) is incredibly useful. She has a slow, firm and fair approach to each horse and changes her plan according to each horses need. I think I've learned more about OTTBs, conformation, let down and how a horse can change over a few months of proper training from her blog. She's had a rough go of things over the last few months, but she's back in the saddle doing great things again!

Viva Carlos -- Another great west coast blog in Hunterland. One of the few blogs I've read from the start, I'm wowed by L's tenaciousness and critical assessment of her riding. I have to admit, one of the reasons I wanted that bracelet made (that says, "Don't Hesitate") was because of L's commitment to being "fearless in the irons". There was a point in my life that I was, and I want to get that feeling back. Following along with her and Ramone has been really insightful and she makes no excuses for his shortcomings or problems, but is sensitive to his baby brain all at once. She's one of the hardest working riders I follow.

I just want to say thank you to all of the writers above and all of the others I read. This is going to be a great year for Riley and I and we look forward to having you all following along with us. I can't thank you all enough for being there throughout all the ups and downs, all your advice and insight, and for creating a community of people that I can turn to when I am surrounded by non-horse people all day!

xo, Niamh & Riley.

First papercut finished for 2014

As you probably remember, I was commissioned to make two paper cuts as prizes for a giveaway over on Aoife's blog. Today I finished the first one for L.Williams over at Viva Carlos. Secretly, I have been wanting to make one for her for a very long time. Hers in one of the few blogs that I have read from the very start (as in, I found out about hers and read it from the beginning to get the full story). I wept when she lost Carlos, because their bond was so tumultuous and connected, spiritual even, in all of it's ups and downs. When I threw my contest for my 200th post I was hoping she'd win (this is testimony to my honesty and that I didn't fix my contest!) so I was thrilled and honored when she won Aoife's giveaway.

I feel incredibly special to be a small part of people's lives and horses that I may never have the pleasure of knowing in real life. The blogosphere is a very magical place.

I love his lip!

WW

We got over a foot of snow last night -- Riley made snow angels.

Day one in the Pessoa (picture heavy)

Being a little bit wild tracking right (his bad side)

Things started off a little rough while I reinstalled lunging basics with Riley. He was very good about his first time wearing the Pessoa. He's only the second horse I fitted one on and based on their very informative video on Youtube, I was prepared for typical reactions to the piece that goes behind their hind and how to set him up for success with the lines. Something tells me that Riley may have been long-lined at some point because he was the least reactive of all three horses we worked with on Saturday (*Henry gave out a series of hilarious bucks showing his disdain for the system). But I instantly got what I wanted on lunge = forward. He was very forward, so without any instruction (and he wasn't being naughty) he immediately picked up a trot once I let him all the way out on the line. I encouraged him to continue to move out and settle in so he could get used to the tension on the lines (they were on the loosest setting).

Warm up trot:)

Warm up canter -- look at that hind leg!

Once he got a feel for lunging again/the Pessoa I set the system on the "long and low setting". Essentially you loosen the side lines and run them through the bit and between the legs. He looked brilliant tracking left and wants to hold himself in a natural self-carriage. He also loves stretching and he was really reaching down and using his back. When I switched him to track right he started off really good but got distracted by a hunter just down the road a in safety orange jacket. he used it as an excuse to test me by stopping and turning in on the line. Grrrr. So we had a bit of a come to Jesus moment. With it being his first day back to work, I didn't want to frazzle his brain, but I also couldn't let him get away with that sort of behavior. Forward is always the answer. So, I stayed calm, made the circle smaller and tried again. He is a stubborn fool sometimes!!! Emily was supervising us and was giving me great advice, but I really couldn't anticipate just when to correct him without getting too aggravated so Emily took over. He got pretty nervous and Emily has to remind him that he could, in fact, walk to the right again (he gets very offended by the whip sometimes).

Emily walking Riley around the ring trying to reset his baby brain.

Emily, reinstalling FORWARD after his meltdown. Zoooooom!

I'm such a visual learner, so it's incredible helpful for me to watch someone work with Riley. I stayed around to watch her work with her two young horses too and her mare reacts very similar to Riley so it was a great lesson! Once he got his brain back, Emily was able to really drive him forward by almost standing near his hind end (as opposed to his shoulder) and she reminded me that sometimes you have to almost "ride" them from the ground when they get stuck. It's like he's behind my leg, but on the ground if that makes sense. In the end, we got some really nice work out of him and Emily handed the line back to me so I  could practice my new skills. I have to say, I'm really impressed with how he's looking. For a horses that's had 3 months off and was barely ridden last year the vacation had treated him well. He still has a top line and looks reasonably fit!

A little resistant, but getting the hang of things -- you can see the gears working:)

Looking fancy.

Not too bad for a horse that's been out of work.

 *I realize now after working him in the new bridle that I need to get Bartville to adjust the cheek pieces slightly. It looks fine from the side, but I think he needs it up a little higher on his nose.

**Also, I don't have a saddle yet, but I may be signing up for a Jimmy Wofford clinic in April! Yay!

Finding the right horse for you. A tribute to Cuna.

I am slightly at a loss for words as I try to write this...

Aimee was faced with the most heart-wrenching horse-owner decision this week. It's the decision that we all dread and the most important and selfless act one can do on behalf of their equine partner. She let her beautiful partner Cuna go. She could no longer watch as he suffered uncomfortably and she made the call to let him pass with dignity. For all he did for her in their short duration together it was the least she could do for him. Over the last few months she's watched as his condition has gone up and down, she's felt hope and defeat and finally when things truly started to look bleak she was able to do the right thing for him. To say I admire her would be an understatement.

You see, I was the kind of girl that wanted to ride ever since I was a little kid. I would ride anything (mostly because my parents couldn't really afford to support my horse-crazed activities) which led to catch riding bad ponies and sale horses. Looking back, I deliberately put myself in danger simply because I wanted to ride. In Florida, I would arrive to shows at my trainer's farm and get legged up on whatever horse or pony she was trying to sell. It was never pretty watching me get around a jump course or xc, but I learned how to be a scrappy rider that could stay on. At the time, that was all that really mattered. I had horses in my life and I was happy. As I got older, something started to change. I took a couple of really bad falls (after a stint of 11 years without falling) and my mortality, which was something I had never given any attention to, was moving to the forefront of my mind. I took a long hiatus from riding during college and few years afterwards but when I got back into riding back in 2008 I felt fearless again. I was exercise riding draft horses at an equine therapy center. I galloped through the woods without a care in the world. I wanted to find a trainer to ride with and get some finesse back so I started taking lessons again. She had a young, feisty mare to give me as a project and I took her on, blindly because (again) I just wanted to ride. She was dangerous, and wild, and 100% the wrong horse for me. She taught me so much in our short time together, but despite the fact that I knew she'd never trust anyone the was she trusted me, I couldn't convince myself to buy her. My trainer offered more than once, but in the deepest corners of my heart I knew that all she would do was further shake my confidence. I had taken her from being almost completely feral to school-horse quiet in the barn. She'd let me do anything with her but she was outright dangerous with anyone else at times. I wanted a horse I could event, foxhunt, trail ride, and do a little bit of everything with and she simply not the right horse for me. I'm glad that in the end I didn't have to make the decision, but it still hurt like crazy when she was shipped away.

Fast forward a few years and lots and lots of lessons and horses later and I found myself at a farm in Conowingo, MD riding some OTTBs with a friend of mine. Even though I wasn't looking for a horse, she kept legging me up on these green beans. I liked a few of them but nothing really clicked. She truly understood what I wanted in a horse. Something young-ish, good brain, not too big and not too small, a horse that I could do a little bit of everything and that would make me confident again. She found me that horse unknowingly with Riley. He restored my confidence with every ride and I knew I had to have him. He was (is) without a doubt, the right horse for me and our journey is just beginning.

But the truth is, I wouldn't have understood that without Aimee. Following her journey and struggle with Izzy, I watched as she made the difficult decision to sell her on and start looking for a new partner. She was really at a crossroads in her horse-y life and then Cuna came along. I cannot put in to words how much she needed him and he needed her at the exact moment in their lives, but the transformation with Aimee's riding and the blossoming of her confidence was inspiring. I wanted that relationship with a horse. It feels like a real honor to have been able to follow along with them over the last year or so.

When I found Riley and began to blog about him, Aimee would always say that Riley was like a mini-Cuna. I always thought that was a really nice thing to say, but now, after everything they've been through it seems like the most incredible compliment anyone could give my horse. If Riley turns out to be 1/8th the horse that Cuna was I would be the happiest girl in the world.

That's what the right horse will do for you... There's not enough time on this Earth to waste with the wrong horse. Everyone deserves to have a little bit of Cuna in their life.

Now go hug your horse!

Getting back on track and setting some tentative goals

Gorgeous sunrise at Derry Meeting.

So the weather has been a bit bipolar to say the least. We've had days where the high was 5 degrees followed two days later by 60 degrees and rain. The conditions at the farm have held up pretty well considering we had a foot of snow on the ground two weeks ago, last week we got 2 inches of rain in an hour, and now the ground is frozen again. According to the farm owner, our property is holding up better than most (she currently boards her horse at a very fancy facility that she said is a complete mud pit). Now that the ground is frozen again the chopped up muddy areas are tough for some of the horses to walk on, but I have to say that Riley is not even a little sore. I'm hoping he doesn't bruise his soles over the next couple of weeks, but so far, so good. So fingers crossed for that. In the meantime, I've been picking up bits and pieces of tack to replace what was stolen. I broke down and ordered Riley a new bridle (though I'll probably reserve it for showing, etc) and it looks lovely. I was inspired by Aimee's post about bridles, so I took the plunge and tried out an Ovation Figure 8. It has just enough fancy stitching, a fancy padded crown piece and it's nicely padded overall without being bulky.

Riley turns 5, we get lots and lots of snow and my pony is the best ever (A picture heavy post)

Breakfast time is VERY exciting! I had to park so far away and trudge through crazy snow drifts to bring him his mash!

Being total lunatics when I showed up with the feed buckets. Riley gives Henry a run for his money.

My horse who has barely been ridden in three months, save for one other ponying adventure, was caught and tacked up in a foot of snow out in his field and ponied his bff 1.2 miles back to the barn like a champ. Love him.

With frigid temps (yes, worse than this) on the way, we decided to move the boys back to the barn. Party time is over. Riley will be back in work in a few weeks hopefully!

Emily opted for the giant snow drift covered banks rather than the slippery roads. The boys were so good! I chaperoned by car.

While the boys in the other gelding field weren't particularly helpful, it's these guys we were most worried about. See that pinto donkey? VERY SCARY INDEED.

The view when I left the barn yesterday. Everything was a sheet of ice when I arrived, but the horses got out for a few hours to play in the snow and we got lots of rain today that hopefully melted most of the mess.

We're going to have to separate these two soon. Lots of screaming for one another as I turned them out one at a time. Usually I'd take them both out together but I was stumbling around in a foot of snow!

That's all for now. The temperature today is 50, dropping to 17 over night. The high tomorrow is 10 with a low of 5 and a real feel of -15. Yikes.

This isn't North Dakota, but...

Tomorrow's high is 17. Low, 7.

We're getting a wicked snow storm tonight that is coupled with 35 mph winds which will makes things interesting at the barn. Luckily I don't feed today or tomorrow and my Honda would not fare well in that nonsense...however the girls were out in full force today to fill up hay racks, give everyone a warm mash and double up blankets...

Riley begs to be let into the truck.

Pleaaaaaaaase? I promise I won't be a back seat driver!

Also, my horse is special.

The cutest pony, ever.