Summer Sale on Paper Cuts!

Hi everyone-

Time to start chipping away at Riley's expenses! I'm running a new sale over at my Etsy shop!

Enter code SUMMEROFLOVE to receive a 25% discount on your total order! Don't delay, this sale ends August 31st!

Here's my latest piece for inspiration!

**I need to lay off the exclamation points.

You've made a believer out of me.

Nature that is.

While my gut told me to pull Riley's shoes I don't have any credibility to back up that feeling, and without the thumbs up from the farrier and the vet I don't think it would have been an easy choice for me. It's only a been a week, but I am so pleased with the improvements so far. The new turnout schedule seems to be helping too. I know he prefers to be outside 24/7, but apparently he's become quite fond of his fan, living the life! But in all seriousness, I think just having a bit of a break from wet grass constantly is helping to firm up his hooves.

His Farrier's Formula arrived today (along with the Venice Turpentine) so that starts a new part of his treatment, another factor in this hoof equation. While he was still a bit gimpy on Tuesday morning, he was like a different horse this morning when I went to see him!

Generally, he's a bit on the lazy side. He's got it in him to be naughty and I've seen glimpses of his athleticism out in the field, but that never usually translates to how he is on the ground/under saddle. Today, rather than walk quietly across the field while his pasture mate canters over, he raced him to the gate! Oh boy. I took his buddy inside and grabbed him halter and lead to take him down to the arena for a soundness check. As I walked down I could sense that he was feeling quite full of himself, and without warning he squealed and bolted away from me. I literally had no idea this was coming until the lead rope slipped through my left hand and I was holding the end of it! Cheeky! I don't know if he was mad about not getting breakfast first or what, but he snorted the rest of the way. We got inside the arena, I unclipped his lead rope and grabbed the lunge whip assuming I'd have to chase him a bit...um, no. He took off at the most beautiful (sound) trot I've ever seen out of him. He proceeded to trot around making circles at either end of the ring changing his direction... it made for some good video:

What can I say? He looks great. I let him prance around for a bit, called him and he walked over very proud of himself. He was all too eager to get back to the barn and I had reinforce some ground manners en route. Seriously? Who is this horse? After breakfast I cleaned his feet and after a 15 minute battle with the lid, I put some turpentine on his soles. I don't want to jinx him, but I hope he keeps improving this steadily. I still might hold off on riding him for another week or so, but this weekend starts lunging boot camp 101. Time to get him in shape!

Also, I can't say thank you enough to all my readers (and friends, internet and otherwise) who have been so supportive throughout this. I know it's just a small thing in the realm of horses, but it's been nice to have my questions answered, hear stories about your horses, and get great recommendations on our situation. I feel very supported by all of you!

Good news, bad news.

With all the craziness that's been going on in my life (good crazy, not bad) it's about time that I throw myself 100% into horse ownership. Because of the timing of his purchase it still hasn't completely settled in that he's MINE and I will admit to leaning on my training wheels more than a few times out of fear of screwing up my horse. Case in point, I wanted to take a MUCH more proactive role in his care, starting now. He's been on and off sound since I bought him. I wanted to figure out why and although I had come up with my own conclusions of what I thought the best course of actions was to take, my sophomoric prognosis needed some backing. More so, we needed to make sure that any of the really scary boxes couldn't be checked while we evaluated the possibilities (talk about a rabbit hole).

Down an internet rabbit hole of lameness.

Sunrise over beautiful Chester County.

Ugh. Of course, I find a saddle that fits him, start going to the barn at 5am for sunrise rides and then...

Riley is lame, again. I have owned him for 2.5 months and he's had two abscesses in the same hoof (and he blew one in that hoof a month or two before I bought him) -- he's hardly been sound for more than a week at a time. Remember his PPE was near perfect, not even the slightest reaction to the hoof tester or flexions/jogging... so yea, I'm a little frustrated at his chronic lameness. I'm trying to dutifully record the patterns of lameness to see if I can find any common threads. This latest case of lameness was likely caused by him ripping off his bell boot AND shoe (shoe was not loose) on Friday. However when the farrier came out to look at him she wouldn't put the shoe back on.

Here's what I've come up with so far:
*He is quite flat-footed up front
*He probably has thin soles (he's quite tender on gravel without shoes)
*He's had 3 abscesses in his left front (all that have ruptured near the toe)
*The last time he went lame was right after the farrier came out to trim and re-shoe him
*He seems to respond well to magic cushion/wrapping for a few days
*He's definitely more comfortable being outside. We kept him in for a few days and he got VERY stocked up behind. But keep in mind it's about a million degrees here and the humidity is off the charts.
*In the past he's traveled well over varying terrain and types of surfaces
*Usually after a day or two of tenderness he's sound again (ex: he trotted across the field sound this morning)

My game plan for this week is to have the hoof x-rayed and see what the vet says and if everything looks okay, I'm going to have a second farrier take a look and see what their recommendations are. I think my farrier is fine, but she's not much of a problem solver as much as she's good at doing simple trims and shoes. I will admit, I was a little frustrated on Friday when he was jogged for the farrier and she decided that he was too sore to put the shoe back on. Of course he was sore, he just ripped his shoe off and you can see he's standing on his soles. Sigh.

Because of all of this I've found myself digging deeper into internet rabbit holes into the causes for multiple abscesses in the same hoof and of course all I have done is thoroughly freak myself out. What if it's laminitis? What if it's pedal osteitis? AHHHHHH. I'm so new to horse ownership and I am positively freaking myself out because I'm sure I'm going to ruin him.

Step away from the internet. Slowwwwwwly.

For now, I think I am making the right decision to get a picture taken and have a second and third opinion. He's only 4 and if the worst case means I pull his shoes at the end of the summer and let him recover and grow hoof, then that's okay with me. There are lots of horses there for me to ride. I gave him a nice microtek bath on Saturday, scrubbed his legs with betadine (he had some little cuts on his back legs) and stuffed him full of treats before re-wrapping his foot.

Speaking of riding, I had a lesson on Saturday and I discovered two things: one... my horse is really easy/comfortable to ride, two... I forgot how to ride any other horse but him. I rode my friend's new mare who is a 5 year old OTTB mare. She's gorgeous and dainty. She last raced at the end of May and she's pretty quiet in nearly every way. Of course, when I rode her, I nearly got taken off with at one point, so we spent a majority of my lesson working on helping her understand contact at the trot and we got some really nice work out of her in the end. I just love watching the greenies figure things out.

She's going to be really special and better yet, she's a sort of celebrity. If any of you follow along the Retired Racehorse Training Project, you can read about her here. I took some glamor shots of her for the blog too:

Victory Money, aka. Prima

Two cheeky ladies (ps. Emily is the person that sold me Riley!)

I feel quite fortunate at least that I can keep my horse under the guidance of Emily & Co. I describe myself as a horse owner that has training wheels... at least for now. And while Riley gets sorted out she's graciously offered to let me ride her horses so I don't miss out!

I'd love to hear any feedback you guys have about abscesses and lameness and everything else!

PAPER CUT!

Recently, I took on two commissioned paper cuts one of a horse and another of some pups. This particular commission has been a long time in the works (we first started chatting about this back in November I think) but I didn't get the official art work until April. Anyway, I started with the horse portrait because I assumed it would be harder, and while it was one of my trickiest ones to date, I LOVE how it turned out. Best of all? I made it from an Instagram photo -- that's right folks, you can send me your hipster-y, artsy photos and I can make you a beautiful paper cut from it!

Photo:

What a handsome pony! Apparently, he is a well-behaved stallion that gets blue ribbons everywhere he goes. I just love his owners gaze at him!

Paper cut:

It's almost finished. I say almost because there are little tweaks I will make (mostly highlights) and it will be mounted and matted for delivery. I'll photograph is again before shipping.

What do you guys think?

I have another commission underway, but I''d love to do more. I'll even barter for them (don't be shy).

Leibster Award!

I was nominated three times for this... but I will answer the questions from the first nominator Janine over at Hoofprints of Kaspin. A big shout out to Kate at Grey Brook Eventing for nominating me also this week!

The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued. Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog. 
2. List 11 random facts about yourself. 
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you. 
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate. 
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs. 
6. Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

Eleven random facts about me:

1. I'm an Irish citizen. It's unlikely that I will apply for American citizenship (having EU status is golden), but I may eventually go for dual.
2. I have a severe phobia of static electricity. It's seriously ridiculous, and I allow myself to get super anxious in situations where static abounds. Winter time with blankets on horses is THE WORST for me.
3. I'm a middle child and I have very strong feelings about birth order and how it plays into your personality. I am a stereotypical middle child.
4. I wanted to be a forensic psychologist during my early college days... a summer class in photography and a 40-year old Nikon helped me find my real calling!
5. I hate peanut butter, pumpkin, AND watermelon. To most people this is very disconcerting, but since I didn't grow up in the US it makes total sense to me!
6. I've lived in 4 countries, Ireland, The Bahamas, England and the US respectively.
7. I was on my high school golf team and we went to the state championships.
8. I am ridiculously blind. When I was 15 my ophthalmologist told me I'd be legally blind by the time I was 25. I got most of my AP English books on tape because my vision was so bad in high school. It's gotten quite a bit better, but I can't see anything within 8 feet without my glasses -- it's a good thing I'm such a hipster!
9. You pronounce my name "nee-av". It's a two-syllable name that means bright or radiant. It's one of the most common Irish girls names of all time!
10. I believe in serendipity and the idea that things happen for a reason. I have a bit of a hippie streak that allows me to take life as it comes and I adapt easily to change. 
11. I used to eat legos as a kid. Deal with it.

Eleven questions for me:

1. How did you get your horse? Ha! My enabler friend Emily (who runs an OTTB retraining business) had Riley in her barn. She knew I was desperate to ride and offered for me to play around with him. She saw immediately how well we got along and the next thing I knew she was making me an offer I couldn't refuse... Sometimes horses just find you.
2. How did you come up with their name? When I was young my Dad had two nick names for me. He alternated between Daisy and Riley. Riley is after one of his favorite singers Paddy Reilly. Since my red-headed horse was foaled on St. Patrick's Day, I thought an Irish name of some sort would be perfect. His show name is Irish Goodbye, a move I am known for in social situations.
3. How often do you ride a week? 3-4 days a week during good weather!
4. Do you trail ride? Yes! As often as I can. Riley is only 4 and I think that getting him out into new places is so good for his mind, not to mention his fitness. He loves going for long hacks and we're lucky enough to be close to lots and lots of good places to ride.
5. Favorite food for you? This is tough, but if I had to pick one food for the rest of my life it would undoubtedly be Mexican. 
6. Favorite treat for your horse? He is very food motivated, but he definitely prefers carrots over mints. I'm sure I'll discover all sorts of other things he likes!
7. Do you use a helmet when riding? Always. I care about my brain more than my looks.
8. Favorite horse trainer? I've had some really good and some really bad trainer's over the years. I can say that my favorite trainer to ride with currently is Betsey Parker in Middleburg, VA. She's is very good at pushing me to go further than I think I'm capable of... there's a very fine line with me between boosting my confidence and me bursting into blubbering mess of tears and anxiety. I can't wait to get Riley down to her!
9. Best horse show you went to? Best show I went to as a spectator I'm assuming? Fair Hill International so far. I'm hoping to finagle a trip to Rolex into our honeymoon next year (I think we're going to do a bourbon/bbq tour of the south).
10. Future goals for you and your horse? First and foremost, to have fun. We're just getting to know each other and I want to really enjoy him this year and build up our trust together. I'd love to get him out xc schooling and maybe to a few shows towards the end of the year, but most of all I just want a sound, happy horse to spend time with.
11. Best picture of you and your horse?

    

    
    11 questions for you:

1. What's your biggest fear as a rider? *I feel like I don't trust people who say "nothing".
2. Who's your favorite rider and why?
3. What's the most useful piece of advice someone's given you as a horse owner?
4. How old were you when you got your first horse?
5. Burghley, Badminton, or Rolex?
6. Quick, you're trapped on a desert island, what three things do you bring?
7. If you could could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead, famous or not) who would it be?
8. Favorite guilty pleasure? 
9. Tell me three things on your bucket list.
10. If you could ride any well known horse who would it be and why?
11. Would you rather: Ride without stirrups for the rest of your life OR have one arm tied behind your back at all times?

Here are the blogs I nominate:

1.  All In -- I am simply amazed at anyone who can hold down a family AND ride. I recently came across this blog and not only is it filled with great photos, but I adore her chestnut OTTB Henry. 
2. Pia and Prairie's Parade -- This blog is like my own personal fantasy life! I love following along the journey of Gingham and her gorgeous mares as they take the PNW by storm. She has a terrific sense of humor and loves to analyze her rides with plenty of photos and video.
3. The Jumping Percheron -- I'm not sure if Stacey has more than 200 followers (she should), but her's is one of the first horse blogs that I started following. Way back when she was living in Hawaii and her mare was constantly covered in red clay. I've admired her tenacity and persistence and look forward to her new adventures with a second mare in her crew! Also, she's the kinda chick that I want to go drinking bourbon with, enough said.
4. The Polka Dot Periodical -- Holy Spots! I've been reading this blog for a few years (I believe before she even sat on Pongo and it's been amazing watching them progress. Nicku puts the well-being of her horse first and she's been an inspiration both in her horsey and personal life. 
5. The Adventures of Lucy -- Okay, she has 230 followers, but this is one of my favorite blogs! I love how Kate deals with the ups and downs of owning a OTTB mare. Lucy is never short on entertaining material for her blog and and presents Kate with challenges at every turn. Despite all of her shenanigans, it's clear just how much she is loved and cared for!
6. Sprinklerbandits -- Aimee is one of the most grounded people I know (on the internet). I've followed along as she's struggled with her former mare and later found her perfect partner in a lovely chestnut OTTB gelding. Red Pony Club for life! She's an inspiration to those stuck in a rut with a horse that is just not right for them and how to make the decision to find one that is.
7. Slow and Steady Wins the Race -- another Mom and another chestnut OTTB (are you seeing a pattern here?). I've just started reading this blog and I am completely fascinated by her courage to raise horse crazy kids and train a horse of her own!
8. Eventing in Color -- Another OTTB, this time one that was a featured horse in the HBO series LUCK. Again, a new blog for me, but I went all the way back to the beginning of her journey to get the full history. I'm really excited to see what these two will do together!
9. Thoroughbred Adventure -- This blog has everything! A TB mare, and gorgeous draft project and a newcomer who's a little paint thingamagig. 
10. Charlie and Me -- yet ANOTHER chestnut OTTB who is as cute as a button. I can hardly believe she has only 38 followers, so go over there are start reading her blog!
11. Good Time to Review -- okay, okay, okay... yes she has chestnuts too! Not only is Kari's blog fun and entertaining, but she's boldly honest, takes amazing photos and we're practically penpals in real life! I love reading her stores of life in North Dakota (she might as well live on another planet is seems so surreal), keeping her horses at home and how she makes it all work.

Weeeeee! Horse ownership! #FAIL

No one said horse ownership was easy, right?

Right.

Well, Riley is lame. But let's back up... before I purchased him he had a hoof bruise (LF) which developed into an abscess. It ruptured quite easily, but he was very lame because of it. Fast forward to post-rupture and a visit from the farrier and he was much improved. In fact, I rode him on two paper chases over varying terrain and he never took a weird step. Furthermore, he did not react positively for hoof testers at the PPE, not even a tiny bit. He had his feet done last Tuesday or Wednesday and the farrier said everything looks quite good, though he'll be even better after a few cycles. The spring grass has been good to his feet, they're growing like weeds! But she did notice another bruise on the LF. E told me that it may have been aggravated by the trim, and that she'd keep an eye on him for me (see: I am insanely busy), she applied some Keratex, and has done a few cycles of Magic Cushion to see if it will improve. We're thinking it's likely another abscess, but it could simply be a bruise. Time will tell for now... I went to see him Sunday and his hoof was neatly wrapped up from E's visit in the morning (so I left it alone), but I brought him in for a once over and a nice grooming. He still has these weird 3 inch long hairs growing all over his belly, seriously? Just shed out already! Anyway, I stuffed him full of treats, attempted unsuccessfully to apply Corona ointment on his nose (still scabby and sore) and worked away at his perpetually fuzzy body.

UGH.

And then I noticed this --------------------->

So he has hives now. Perfect. They were pretty much localized to his ribs and flank, but they did not look very nice. They didn't seem to be itching or bothering him, so I shot E a text, she confirmed that she saw them in the morning and that we'd keep an eye on them. Sigh. Most likely cause is either flies or a buttercup sensitivity. Today she told me that his lameness is slightly better, and his hives aren't nearly as bad. It's time to invest in a good fly sheet I think. He lives outside 24/7 so any recommendations would be great. He's fairly good about not ripping his clothes or instigating fights (he's only out with one other horse). Tomorrow, I'll run out after work and see how he's holding up.

Soooooooo cute.

I would have the sensitive red head! Ah well, the only silver lining about his lameness is that I'm so busy that I can hardly think straight so riding him is really out of the question for now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's done with the dramatic issues for awhile!



ps. I haven't forgotten about the Absorbine Giveaway -- it seemed like a lot of bloggers were offering it at the same time and I wanted to wait a little bit.

Sore backs and new tack

I've started this post a few times this week because in a word, this week a has been HELL. I worked 3 freelance jobs between Thursday and Sunday, adding 20+ hours on to my already insanely busy schedule and regular work time. I had two big meetings this week and I have another freelance job tonight after work. I'm not saying the extra money isn't nice (and needed) but I am worn out. On top of all that I have had literally the worst week at work in 8 years. The dust is starting to settle, thankfully.

work, freelance, work, repeat.

I popped out to the barn on Wednesday evening to say hello to Riley, put a little zinc oxide on his nose and organize my stuff in the tack room. I have literally no time to see him for the next week and it makes me a bit sad. Luckily, as part of the sale agreement (see: worst timing ever to buy a horse) my friend has offered to ride him 1-2 times a week for me to keep his education going. I have 4 freelance jobs in the next week on top of my regular schedule and I'm hoping to squeeze in some pony time Sunday morning before one of them... Saturday's job is 12 hours though and I'm not sure if I'll be human Sunday morning.

Luckily, my friend indulges me and sends me cute pictures and updates when she rides him. This pony makes me smile:

Starting to look less like a raggamuffin.

Check one, two.

Today marks one full week of horse ownership. You would think that after waiting so long for a horse of my own I would have been eager to get out to see him every single day... but no. I've been a nervous nelly... After watching a friend go through a very tough situation with a horse she had on trial (long story short he mysteriously punctured his stifle joint and had a 50/50 chance of recovering) at our barn, I felt the need to insure Riley before I did anything with him. Yes, it's probably a little bit paranoid of me, but I'm hopefully going to have him for a long time, and I'd rather get this all squared away now than deal with heartache later. I called 6 places to get comparable quotes and finally settled on a plan that met all my needs and was not crazy expensive.

Finally Saturday (after watching Rolex XC) I drove out to see him. I brought Kiki's old bridle to see if it might work for him (mostly because it has a full cheek). I don't know why, but I was really, really nervous. Has anyone else experienced this new-horse syndrome? I was so nervous that I literally forgot how to tack him up for a minute and got very tunnel-visioned. He was being quite naughty as he and his pasture mates had been careening around just before I arrived, and I pulled him at feeeding time. He's a very easy going horse 95% of the time, but he's a bit of an ass when there's food involved, so he was very squirrely for grooming and tacking. I had decided after our excitement at the PPE that we need to install proper lunging technique and it seemed like the perfect day to work out some kinks. He seems to understand lunging in a very basic way, but it was clear that he didn't understand cues, so we spent a little while working on simple transitions and proper behavior on the lunge. One he was warmed up a little I put a neck stretcher on him (on the easiest possible setting) to help him work on softening at the poll. He spent most of the time sort of fighting against it, but eventually relaxed and softened quite nicely. Seeing as he's just coming into work and he's still young, I only want to incorporate a few minutes of "hard" work at a time, so he doesn't get burned or or resentful. He definitely wanted to figure out how to answer what I was asking, and that made me very happy. I hopped on (with Kiki's bridle -- which fit like a glove and looked quite cute on him) and a different saddle to try. It's a Pessoa close contact saddle I'm borrowing (more on this later). We worked on more transitions on the flat in both directions and also worked on getting him to focus on me and not the other horse in the arena. He needs so much work on developing contact and bending, so I'm trying to mix up his work load to keep him forward and happy. I think in a few weeks, I'll be able to come up with a list of goals for us to work toward, but for now his rides are quite basic. The weather was beautiful all weekend and I was eager to go somewhere for another conditioning ride. My friend and I headed over to The Laurels Preserve which is essentially miles and miles of protected land with trail and open fields to ride in. There was a competitive trail ride going on (we passed a bunch of lovely looking horses along the way) which added a fun element to our ride since we were often going in the opposite direction of them.

Cheeky pony doesn't want to share his hay

Riley started off a little looky and curious. We parked the trail down the road from the entrance, and we hopped on and had to walk along the road to get there. He was happy enough to follow his buddy, but definitely keeping an eye on the woolly donkeys and cows along the way. Once we got into the trail system he settled a bit. I have to remember to wrap my legs around him so he knows I'm there and that everything is fine. He seems to relax with that support. About 10 minutes into the ride we found a fun log to jump and we popped over it a few times with a small audience of couple and their two well-behaved dogs. E suggested I take Riley over to a stream to cross and come back, but he was not thrilled about this option. We had a bit of a discussion and I pulled him away to re-approach. We came back and he got very wiggly, and climbed up the bank to the right of the opening, I wasn't really sure what he was going to do once we were up there, and he wiggled around some more, leapt left and...


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I fell off.

Luckily, I rolled mid air and landed on my shoulder a little but my hip/back took the brunt of the fall on a well-placed rock. I was inches from the water (which I was grateful for) and Riley didn't take off. Ouch. I got back on, re-approached defensively and we went in without drama. It was odd being that he's never had a problem with water before, but I think leaving his buddy and this being a pretty big stream made him question whether or not he really wanted to go. Needless to say, I'm eager to get him out XC schooling, since he's going to need to learn to walk, trot, and canter through water without a buddy! So, with dirt in my teeth (truly making me feel like an eventer) we continued on our ride. We were able to get in some really nice trot sets over gradual hilly terrain. We walked up and down most of the steeper hills for fitness and we found a really nice huge field to get some canter/gallops in. E was riding her 5 year old TB who thinks he knows best, and he was none too pleased with having to stay at Riley's speed. The first time, we cantered side by side up the hill, then let them out to a gallop at the top all the way across the field. The second time I went first, this time really driving him up the hill, and let him really go at the top (I got into a gallop position, tucked my fingers into the yoke and clucked him on), behind us E's horse just about lost his mind having to wait, and bucked in place until he relaxed and she let him go, I could hear them coming up behind us as I urged Riley on, they caught up with us and we had a nice gallop across the field. Having two very different horses, we tried to work on boosting their confidence in different ways. E's horse was VERY upset about not leading, so she forced him to walk side-by-side with us. Riley got very antsy and annoying standing still at various points, so we worked on that intermittently throughout the ride. We got in another nice slightly downhill trot set and walked the rest of the way home. Once they figured out where they were, they happily marched along the path back to the entrance. We rode for about 2 hours and the horses we quite tired by the time we got back to the trailer.

Petey is curious, and Riley says, "mmmmm, hay"

Trailer buds.

I want to get him out as much as possible to work on his fitness, I think it's terrific for his brain to trailer to new places and have it not be a big deal whatsoever. There's a nice field behind the barn with hills that I can walk over to when we can't trailer somewhere. His coat still looks awful, it's in a weird shedding/curly/gross stage, but I am starting to see a cute pony under there (and he's getting a daily supplement, I think Omega Shine). He's going to be lovely in a month or two. Ps. While he didn't object the the Pessoa, and it felt fine on the flat and conditioning work, it's not a great saddle for me to jump in. I felt really out of balance even just over a little log, and I think it's partially to blame for me coming off so easily (stiff, slippery leather and a close contact saddle), but it's ours to borrow for now, so we'll make it work until we can get something better for both of us.

Rolex Predictions, revised

So I wrote a draft for my Rolex predictions, but it was a few weeks ago and three of my favorites withdrew for various reasons. Since it's gearing up tomorrow and the jogs are today, I feel a bit more secure in declaring my favorites to win.

I spent an enormous amount of time writing the other draft, so I'm going to keep this one simple.

My predicted winner: William Fox Pitt & Seacookie (I also entered them as my guess for EN's contest) *Granted WFP seems like a gimme, but this is high-stakes for him as he's going for the Grand Slam. While I'm certain he could ride a giraffe around the course, I'm eager to see them go. I'm expecting a really good score in dressage, likely finishing on that for a top 5 finish for sure.

Other combinations in the top 5:

Peter Atkins & Henry Jota Hampton: First of all, I adore this pair. How many **** horses do you know that can tote a 4 year old kid around a lead line class? Peter has had a string of really bad luck over the last few years and I would love to see all of their hard work find them in the top 5. I think they'll be in the middle of the pack after dressage (maybe closer to the top than bottom) but they'll go well around XC, fighting for the leader board on Sunday.

James Alliston & Parker: I really like Alliston's riding style and his approach to his new business (he's focusing his attention on breeding and training quality stock in the US). They had a rough go around last year falling at the 2nd fence XC, but I picture them looking for redemption this time around. *Bonus points for being an OTTB.

Jennie Brannigan & Cambalda: I believe this is Jennie's first trip to Rolex (and possibly her first ****), but they've had a great Spring season so far. I think they'll be at the top of the leader board after dressage, and will fight hard to keep their place over the weekend. There's no question that this horse can jump, and Jennie is a consummate professional. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for them!

Becky Holder & Can't Fire Me: I love this horse, not to mention he looks like a chip off the old Courageous Comet block! Last year they were in the middle/top of the pack after dressage and unfortunately were forced to pull up two fences from home on XC with a teeny, tiny knee scratch. A really unfortunate set of circumstances for them and although it was clear the scratch was very superficial, when you're riding a grey horse on television, these little things can get blown out of proportion. Again, I see this pair looking for redemption. *Another OTTB!

Can't wait to follow along online (live!) and watch everyone go. Only wishing I was there... someday!

It's official... and a poll

Well, it's official! I signed all of the papers and he's officially mine! We took him for the PPE yesterday and we (his owner) and I were on pins and needles about how things would turn out! I brought him in for a thorough grooming (he's shedding like crazy and he looks like a muppet) and got him ready to go. True to form he walked casually on the trailer and stuffed his head into his hay. I am thankful for his manners, constantly. We got to the clinic right on time and they had us pull him off the trailer to graze while we waited for the vet. He looked around a little but was happier just grazing on the lush spring grass. Keep in mind this clinic is busy... it backs up to Ryan Wood's farm and Phillip Dutton's is on the other side. It's also next to an enormous landfill with tractors and bulldozers going all over the place. We me the vet and brought him into the exam room which I would assume is probably a big deal for some horses. It's a big white room and from the outside it looks like a house, and while he was alert, he happily complied with us. We went over a few details and the exam was underway. I asked for a fairly standard PPE, with the options to add things if we needed to. He was stellar throughout the whole exam and we took him outside for the flex/jog portion. Knock on wood, but he didn't take a single bad step. Like not even one hitchy stride after each flexion. Then we put him on the lunge and the vet asked us to get his heart rate up a little. He was perfect going to the left, but heading right (his tougher direction) Em had a hard tome getting him to canter so she cracked the lunge whip at him... he got offended and took off running straight for me and the vet! We had to scatter away from him and we were all laughing hysterically. It would totally be my luck to be run over by my horse at the PPE. His heart checked out perfectly and the vet made a really nice comment saying that when horses are well-bred the class has a way of coming through. Yay. Em put him back on the trailer and I walked back with the vet who told me I had a really nice horse on my hands.

Of course, no horse story would be complete without a little drama, right? Well, we finished up the day with a celebratory beer while we waited around for the farrier to put a shoe on one of her horses. A few hours later I decided to leave to make the 45+ minute drive home, about a mile away my car just shut off and died. Yep, the ink was hardly dry on the paperwork and my car broke down. Thank God for AAA+. I was able to get a ride home and the car was towed home safely. Hopefully it's something minor!

Phew. On to fun things! In the sidebar I've added a poll. I need your help re-naming Pip! I think Pip is a cute name, but after getting to know him a bit better I think he needs something different. He's such a laid back, chill kinda dude, we actually played around with the idea of giving him a reggae themed name! But I'm more of a beach Boys fan than a reggae lover, so here are our choices, with descriptions. Keep in mind his JC name is Women No Easy (barf).

Fleetwood Mac, aka. Mac - I grew up listening to these guys and I love their mellow jamsssss.

Irish Goodbye, aka. Buzz OR Junior - Irish goodbye is the term for when you sneak out of a party or social gathering without saying goodbye. I am renowned for this, and since he was foaled on St.Patrick's Day, I think a little nod to that would be cute. Also, Buzz is my uncle's name and Junior was my Dad's nickname growing up. I love both of those options!

Don't Worry Baby, aka (?) - Beach Boys, and thinking about surfer dudes just chilling out... yea! Need a barn name for this option!

Little Lion Man, aka (?) - I think this is super cute... since he's red and kinda rides like a big pony. Plus, he's brave.

Game Show Host, aka (?) - This is the name I was convinced I would name my future horse, but it just doesn't strike me as the right choice!

Bonus: I'd love to hear any other suggestions you have! Please vote in the side bar for your favorite and comment on this post with any suggestions for barn name or otherwise! Thanks!