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Wentworth Hunter Pace - June 6, 2021

After Margaret and I had such a fun time at the fall hunter pace, we opted to go again this spring! This time, while I rode Rejoice again, Margaret rode her horse Jester and had a friend ride Ladyhawke. All Kennebec Morgans!! Jester and Rejoice have the same dam and Jester and Lady share the same sire. Unfortunately instead of a lovely late spring day, we had one of the first intensely hot and humid days of the year. It was definitely a bummer, but the ride was mostly in the shade of the woods and we had a great time!  most of the fences were 3' coops but we found a small log and this hay to jump haha Until we didn't. 😑 We brought along a third friend who rode Margaret's older mare, Ladyhawke. She's a good rider but hasn't known Ladyhawke for very long and didn't realize how much of a cranky boss mare she could be at times. She kicked Jester right in the front leg just about halfway through the ride, and while the cut itself ended up not being a big deal in the

October 10 Questions

I don't feel as though I have much fodder to write about lately, so I thought I would jump on a little blog hop from Liz at In Omnia Paratus.  It is hard to write blog posts when so much of it feels like a broken record: miss mare was great for our ride, we have been working on the canter and she is becoming much more balanced, ground work is coming along, blah blah.  

1. Most equestrians quote fall as their favorite season to ride. Are you one of those that does? Or maybe not; what is your favorite season to ride, if so?
As much as I do LOVE the summertime, I also love fall riding season!  I am probably tied between summer and fall as my favorite riding seasons.  In theory it is supposed to be cooler and with less bugs, though this year fall in Maine has been a crazy mixed bag of weather and yesterday the mosquitoes were out!  YUCK!  So yes, when the weather is truly fall-like, I do love riding in this season.  Usually show season is pretty much over, and I love enjoying the trails and not feeling guilty for just riding my horse instead of "working on all the things".  It is a little different with Ellie this year, since I feel as though I am trying to fit in all the things before winter hits and I have 76235474 feet of snow in my ring and I end up just bemoaning the frigid temps and everything riding related comes to a grinding halt.

2. Do you clip your horse in the fall? Or maybe you wait a little longer? 
When I foxhunted Dreamy, I did bodyclip her in October.  Otherwise she was just a sweaty hot mess after hunting.  I don't clip my horses unless I have a reason to do so, because while buying pretty blankets and coolers is fun, the actual act of blanketing/blanket changes all winter and spring is decidedly NOT FUN.

Body clipped for hunting!

Terrible quality, but you can see her clip job!
 3. Have any costume riding events in October on/near/around Halloween? What will your horse be dressed as? What about yourself? What would you dress as if money/time were absolutely no issue?
I am not a big costume wearer tbh.  I have done costume class over the years as a kiddo.  I did attend a fall trail ride the other day where costumes were listed as "optional" (hint: I did not wear a costume).  I did dress up once as Supergirl for a Standardbred demo at the Equine Affaire in Massachusetts.  Does that count?  ;-)

Equine Affaire 2013
And this popped up on my Facebook memories today! This was eight years ago when my now 13 year old son did a costume class at my last dressage show of the year!  That was fun!
So cute!  He was a skeleton for Halloween that year, hence the reason he did this!
4. Is your horse afraid of any autumn colors? Or maybe has a certain quirk that appears only in the autumn?
Uhhhh, horses are afraid of autumn colors?  

5. Pumpkin spice. It's everywhere right now. Find any natural pumpkin [squash] spice-esque recipes for your horse? 
I am not a huge pumpkin flavor person, though I like the smell of pumpkin pie and will eat it with enough whipped cream on top!  My horses are pretty happy with the little Rounders treats I buy for them at the local feed store, so I don't usually cook for them.  


6. We're getting to the end of the calendar year, any final few "big-bang" shows to look forward to?
Maybe, if the opportunity arises for me to bring Ellie out to any low key type schooling shows.  The most perfect one was the last Sunday of Fryeburg Fair, so sadly I couldn't go, but there are a few things I might take her to late this fall and early winter.  I think the more we can get out and about, the better ahead we will be in the spring.  Honestly, there isn't much going on right now in Maine for shows, so I will just have to dream about my goals for NEXT year!  


7. Winter is coming. What are you doing to winterize your trailer/rig/car?
Honestly, we don't do much.  My truck does need new tires, so I will probably buy those in the next month or so.  It needs an oil change too, but that's not a winter thing.  We don't use winter tires.  I try not to use my trailer in the winter because of the salt on the road, but once in a while I will go to the beach or something like that.  Otherwise, it is just regular maintenance.  

8. Do you have any autumn traditions you/your horse follow?
No, other than enjoy the season and try to trail ride before hunting season begins!

How about more fox hunting pics?
Dreamy was so sexy back in the day (five years ago haha) when she was younger and so fit!


9. October in many places marks the beginning of deer hunting season. Does this affect your riding at all? Do you wear blaze orange or modify your schedule to accommodate the season?
The first day of hunting season is October 28, so it does mean I cannot trail ride except on Sundays.  Even then, because of the yahoos around here I am not entirely comfortable with riding in the woods.  It is just not worth being shot!  The horses do have blaze orange vests because I would rather be safe than sorry.  I am pretty sure if someone shot my horse thinking it was a deer, I would end up in jail myself. 


Super awkward photo of Snappy last fall in her vest.
10. What are you most looking forward to goal-wise as the final months of the calendar year approach?
I hope Ellie continues to improve and to build her confidence each time I ride.  I am hoping to get out to maybe a show or two if at all possible.  



Comments

  1. I think that my life here in NS is very similar to yours in Maine! I love fall, am nervous during hunting season even on sunday and am not a big pumpkin fan. :)

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    1. That would make sense to me, since as the crow flies Maine is super close to NS! ;-) Maine is pretty much Canada anyway, right!?! Hahaha!

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  2. love the skeleton costume on your son and love your light tan (is it?) coat on you on that one photo of Dreamy! And love the hunting photos and also orange vest on the horses LOL :)

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    1. Isn't he the cutest?? I definitely exclaimed "awwwww!" when those pics popped up on my FB memories!! And that cubbing coat (it is a light brown/tan with dark brown collar) was a STEAL on eBay a few years back! I love it even more because it was cheap (like $30) and fits me perfectly! :-)

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