1. What discipline do you ride? What would you ride if you could pick any other one?
I ride western performance – trail, western pleasure, horsemanship etc. If I could pick another one? I would love to get back to riding English and learning to jump and/or maybe do dressage again. Of course, I would need a riding horse for that! Or maybe I should take lessons over the winter?
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| Riding at a fair a few years ago... |
I can think of about 25 that I rode more than 1x. I’m sure there are a few more – horses I rode when searching for Spencer, lesson horses, my friends pony when I was a kid, etc.
3. Most bizarre activity you’ve done with your/a horse?
As a kid, we used to race each other through the rows of a cornfield when the corn was tall. It was hilarious and dumb at the same time. The horses would spook at the sound of the corn stalks and the corn cobs would hit you in the shins, causing your legs to go numb.
4. Do you consider riding to be your outlet? If yes, why?
I guess…I haven’t been riding much in the past year or two though. I think just being around horses is an outlet for me. And as a kid, I loved the freedom to be out riding around the countryside. I actually had a great childhood, up until my Dad died when I was 15. After that, riding was definitely therapy.
5. Have you ever read horse-related magazines? If yes, which one(s)?
I’m a reformed magazine addict. The ads and repeated articles got to me. I’ve read and subscribed to: Horse and Rider, Your Horse (UK) Horse and Rider UK (at least the ads were for different stuff!) Equus, The Canadian Horse Journal, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, AQHA journal (omg the ads), APHA journal and probably purchased many more.
6. Most memorable advice given to you?
Breathe! And, “more trot”. Both from my friend/retired coach. Every time I ride or even watch a horse show with people riding in English tack (hunt seat in the breed world), I hear my coach’s squeaky voice saying “more trot people, more trot!”. And it just means more leg to get the horse moving out more – which is a common problem with western horses doing the hunt seat classes.
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| I'm not sure what we are discussing, but it probably was me asking if I needed more trot. |
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| More trot? Likely. |
Do Royal Doulton horses (porcelain) count? I have a few of those from when I was a kid. It is a funny thing to buy for a kid really since they weren’t to be played with. They just sat (and continue to sit) on a shelf.
8. Favorite “celebrity” horse?
Not sure on this one. I’m going to go with Teddy the Shetland. He is a big deal on Instagram.
9. If you could spend a day learning from any horse person (past or present), who would you choose?
I would like to travel back in time and spend the day with my friend’s husband when he was managing stallions and breeding a lot of mares. He knows so much about mares/foaling/breeding that I could learn. He is still around for questions, he just doesn’t have horses anymore!
10. If you could ride in any international arena in the world, where would you choose?
Well, since I’m in Canada, the US is technically international, right? I’d love to ride/show at the QH Congress in Ohio someday! I'd also like to ride at Spruce Meadows, which is not international, but still a big deal to me.
