Sunday, August 1, 2010

Fun Little Equine Survey

About the Rider:

Age: 17
How old were you when you started riding? 7
How many years have you been riding? 10

About THE horse:

Show Name: Greta Golightly (Audrey Hepburn inspiration, much? She IS Miss Hepburn in horse form, afterall)
Barn Name: Greta, the Barbie Horse (affectionately named by the Barn Manager/Owner and her BF and it quite apprpriate), Gretts, Der Greters, Princess, Gretakins, Bahana (long story behind that one.... it means "sister" in Hindi, and I try to use it privately haha) and let's not forget Her Royal Juicyness The Fame Monster :)
Age: 13
Gender: Maresy-mare
Color: Fleabit Grey :)
Breed: SWB/QH Appendix (didn't know they made those did ya? And boy does this girl run like a SWB with the hardiness and personality of a QH!)
Height: 15.3hh
Years Owned: It's hard to believe sometimes, but I've only had her a little over a year. But I'm still discovering quite a bit about her. So it's not that hard to believe.
Tack Color(s): Purple and pink, baby! And by pink I mean SmartPink Plaid :) Black and grey for formal events. She looks very sharp with a black pad with white and purple trim and black polos and a black ear net. Of course, can't do that during the summer haha!
Leg protection of choice: Usually no protection, because she doesn't need it, but when we're working on new stuff I like to use polos, but I can only use those in the winter, spring, and fall. I have a pair of Dover ProSport Fleece-lined all-purpose boots coming in for when we do stuff like cavalettis and gallops and the eventual trail ride. But I can use those in the summer if needed, b/c soft, thick fleece is breathable.
Girth size: 24" (just shy of pony sizes haha!)
Saddle size: Um.... for her or for me? I need an 18" for my spider legs (the seat is a BIT big though haha) but Greta needs the Medium sized Wintec Gullet (might need to make it wider in a few years when she's got a buff back!)
Bridle size: Cob
Bit: French link eggbutt snaffle
Favorite snack: Apples (Red Delicious and Sweet Gala, only, please... believe me, she spits everything else out) and carrots. I wanna try bananas though. And unlike the rest of the horses in the world, she HATES watermelon!


Other (aka Injuries):

Have you ever fallen off? Of course. Nothing serious yet. I've fallen off enough times to know how to fall off gracefully :) I've fallen off Greta three times now. And I've probably fallen off over twenty times since I've begun riding.
Have you ever been bit by a horse? Um... not maliciously. I fed a treat the wrong way :) Sorry Greta, my bad. And it was really cold outside, so it really hurt. But no bruising.
Have you ever been kicked by a horse? I've been kicked AT, but never by Greta. And never has one made contact.
Have you ever been seriously injured by a horse? I had my ankle busted by a horse we tried out before Greta. He freaked out when I tightened the cinch. We were almost sold a story haha! I couldn't walk for a week without a pathetic limp hat I tried desperately to hide. But that's the worst so far KNOCK ON WOOD!
What is the highest you have jumped on a horse? HAHA YOU'RE FUNNY, because it was, wait for it.... A CROSSRAIL! OMG! Actually, I think we jumped a 1' vertical once? Greta's not supposed to jump over 2', and I didn't get her for jumping anyway, and she's definitely not brave enough to be a jumper or (dear God) an eventer, so we've got plenty of excuses. She was VERY cautious about the 1' vertical! And seriously tried to talk me out of going over cavalettis the first time we rode over them. I'm a confident rider, so she is definitely a good match for me.


Pick one:

English or Western: English, but I still have a soft spot for barrel racing. I learned to ride that way ;)
Show or Pleasure: Pleasure. Greta's not much one for showing. We might show in the future, but I didn't get Greta to be a show horse. I just want to learn dressage and to let Greta be the best she can be. Perhaps I'll apply everything I learn to an upper-level fancy-pants show prospect one day after Greta retires (maybe even her baby!) I'm keeping the girl until the very end, so we'll have plenty of time. Like, twenty more years, considering she's been very well cared-for her entire life, and definitely well-cared for now. You see her health just by looking at her SHINY coat and amazing BAREFOOT hooves and BUFF muscles.
Saddle or Bareback: Bareback is fun, it's just not fun when we do a canter-trot transition... because we still haven't got that down nicely haha! But really, I like under saddle. You have just as much fun. I try to keep bareback to a minimum (really just when I graze her) so we actually get work done. I sound a bit traditionalist, don't I? hehe
Tall Boots or Paddock Boots: Tall boots, please!
Breeches or Chaps: Breeches. I've turned out to be quite the traditionalist hehe
Riding Indoors or Out: Depends on the weather. During the summer, it's pretty much the indoor arena for the majority of the schooling, and for everything else we're on the grounds. Greta's still iffy about the SCARY outdoor arena, but when the weather cools down from 100+ during the summer, then we'll keep working in it.
Horses or Ponies: HORSES! I'm way to tall for ponies. My feet touch the ground! I'm not too heavy though. But ALL of the ponies I've very ridden were EVIL, and I would say that I HATE ponies, if it weren't for the fact that the two ponies I know presently are the SWEETEST things ever. Too bad I couldn't learn to ride on Midnight or Peter instead of witchy Jiffy :)
Mare or Gelding: Aw, c'mon. Geldings are fun, but can be a bit too goofy for my likes sometimes, and they can get a bit lazy. I do like them, don't get me wrong, but, you know........ Now, as for mares, Mares make life more juicy :)



Put SNOOKIE GOT ARRESTED FINALLY in your comment if you read all of this nonsense ;)

Post idea courtesy of A Little Black Pony :)))

2 comments:

  1. SNOOKIE GOT ARRESTED FINALLY? What for? Tanning beyond reasonable? Wow. Lotsa interesting information in there today. I think its great how you want your horse to not only be well behaved and ridable under any reasonable circumstances, but look fantastic doing it, too. I love the purple (second favorite color BTW) trim on her blanket. I have been bitten once maliciously, during a trail ride in Colorado (they don't like Texans much anyway). Fallen off more times than I can remember (mostly as a kid at Double Creek Farm), But never hurt anything more than a bruise. Can't wait for the cooler weather for more outdoor riding pictures. Love the pretty ponies, I just cant ride 'em either (I'm way too tall!)

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  2. According to the news reports, she got exceptionally drunk and then proceeded to behave extremely disorderly in public (I hope she watches all of the videos of her on YouTube, I know -I- would be embarassed haha!!!!)

    Haha I'm no hardcore "SHE WILL RESPECT ME AT ALL TIMES!" but I do like to make sure she has manners. And she is inclined to have nice manners anyway. Very rarely do I have to remind her that she can't push me around like she can with the other mares in her pasture. VERY rarely.

    Haha and I used to DESPISE girly colors like purple and pink but I've made a complete turnaround because they look very nice on Greta. My fav color blue looks too masculine. She originally had a blue halter and everyone kept referring to her as a "he". Shame on them :(

    Yes, cooler weather is always nice!!! And I DON'T miss the heat even when it's below freezing. Because you can always add layers, but you reach a point where you can't keep taking layers off haha!

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Comments are greatly appreciated and, most importantly, Greta loves you for commenting ♥

Thanks guys!