Despite having nearly 13 years of horse experience (riding, training, showing, caring for, etc.), I had never witnessed a foal being born. Sure, I’d seen plenty of videos on it, and even been the first human contact for a few foals – thanks to some sneaky broodmares – but actually being present for a foaling … More The first foal
Figured I might want to scratch down the events that unfolded last night, so buckle up because it’s a bit of a ride. First, it actually started off fairly quiet, as I tagged along to pick up our broodmare and new colt (born April 26th) from the vet clinic. (Mare was considered slightly high risk, … More A Filly is Born
It’s said that you never stop learning when it comes to horses; you’re a perpetual student of all things equine. That seems to hold true because in some strange twist of events, I have quickly switched from showing and training horses to breeding and delivering horses. Craziness. There is a bit of a learning curve … More Broodmare Duty – 2021
Here I’ll be blogging my adventures during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This is in conjunction with my position at the University of Tennessee’s library, having had a position there since Dec. 2017 as a “knowledge courier” (library materials deliverer to professors and graduate students through Library Express, the library’s material logistics department). Since the … More Growing and thriving in a new “normal”
To the Class of 2020, boy I’m awful sorry. It’s sad and kinda depressing that you won’t have a traditional graduation, whether for high school or college. I should know – I’m part of this graduating class too. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you’ve worked so hard for several years, … More The end of one era, the beginning of another
With 2/3rds of our classes filmed for our next online show (that’s 14 classes out of 20, mind you), it’s time to start working towards the last 1/3rd – all of our English classes. Hank’s pretty good at most things English; it’s me that needs the work. Diagonals kill me every time, especially recently. I’ve … More Jumping between disciplines
It’s been a little while since there’s been a garden update, so I figured I would do one today. Things seem to be growing great in the little garden … all except for the lavender. The peas are kicking butt, as are the lettuce and carrots. I’m particularly excited about the lettuce, as we’ve never … More Growing amongst chaos
I made a slight mistake recently, regarding the world of online horse showing: I signed up for too many classes. It’s not much of a problem unless you factor in that I decided to treat it like an intensive, self-made three day event with 20 classes spread out. Thankfully the third day is a week … More Equestrian Exhaustion
I’ll admit it, I’m starting to get hooked on Western Dressage, and not just because Hank looks so good doing it. It’s actually started helping us in our other disciplines. A month ago, it was common to see Hank loping around fairly fast with his head up in the air. Now – even after just … More The drive of Dressage
Now that we’ve seemed to settle into a new normal, there are a few things I’ve noticed. One, my overall routine hasn’t changed too much. I still go to the barn (now everyday) to take care of and ride Hank. I still wait around every evening pushing off the inevitable assignment for an hour or … More Quranthinking
It’s been a full week since we adopted Ranger from the Sevier County Humane Society, so I thought I would jot down some tidbits about what I’ve noticed about him so far. He doesn’t like to be left alone. This is probably a given, since his previous owner passed away, leaving him and his mixed-breed … More The settling of an otter
Roaming Appaloosa 