2013 In Rewind

I've discovered that one thing I love doing with this blog is looking back month by month and recapping what the heck happened with me, the beasts and our time together.

Therefore, I present to you, 2013 in a Reader's Digest format.

January

January saw us set some goals, and hang out in the rain.

Pia was relatively well behaved and a few visits from Supermom meant we not only got pictures, but we got to take a trail ride too.

The P, bitless

Trail Time

P2 Beak.

Prairie continued her jumping education with a field trip to try some courses away from home, along with another field trip for a Dressage reminder which was fun. 

Also, The Boy rode Gus for the first time and I loved every second of it.

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February

We pretended to focus on Dressage, Prair and S had several lessons with our favorite other trainer, Pia started acting out again and I decided that a traditional training barn was just not going to be good for her.

Prairie had her first show of the season and started with a Championship in her 3' Pre-Greens.  It was a month of ups and downs.

feeding treats at the Back Gate

Strengthening our Trot

The Girls out together

March

We got Gus and presented him to M2.  Gus was officially the cutest thing since sliced bread loved every minute of the extra attention

Pia made the move out of the barn and back to a happier turnout situation while Prair's feet got sore and I contemplated putting some shoes on the mare.  Also, my Dad made an epic tack trunk and the month closed out with both Prair and Gus at a show.  (Gus won his WT classes with a kiddo)

Gus, M2.  M2, meet Gus.

swoon

two black ponies sitting in the shade

Handsome Gus.

April

Prairie got front shoes, and promptly tried to rip them off/shove clips up her hoof wall. She also put on some big girl panties and hauled up to an A show for schooling day.  Remarkably she held her gerbils together and handled the whole thing pretty well.  I made the mistake of actually counting how many saddles I owned (too many) but somehow justified ordering the CWD anyway (oops!). Pia settled into her new routine, put some weight back on and started resuming her happier mare behavior.  Finally, we closed out the month at a totally horrid, rainy terrible schooling show.  Prair was great, but we didn't place well.  hence we called it a "moral victory"

schooling with the big kids

complaining about her new shoes

loving her new life.

Happy Birthday/xmas/everything to me

May

We bopped around a fun C show, and Prair collected a lot of loot.  I decide that there are perks to showing in Hunter Land, and the number of ribbons is one of them.

Gus turned 16 and celebrated with lots of treats and presents, and also by turning up lame (well, lamer).

I agonize over whether or not to keep Prair in shoes (I do) and we have a mostly successful rest of the month.


June

The CWD arrived (and didn't fit), Prair's right shoulder got tight again and nothing was working perfectly.

But went to our first Week Long A show and, well... learned a lot.  Prairie was mostly insane for the first few days but calmed down by the time the weekend rolled around.  I learned maybe Perfect Prep isn't a horrid thing.

Somehow we still got two championships

When we got home I started the great boot hunt of 2013 and pulled Prairie's shoes.

July

The Boots. OH THE BOOTS.  I tried all.the.boots.

We pick a pair (finally) and get back to work.

I go a little nutso and put brass tags on everything.

We head to another A show, collect a few more Tri-Colors (though in novelty colors, grrr) and feel great about our progress.

I find out I have to miss our August show due to a surgery (BOOO HISSS) and that's about it.

August

I turn 30.  Obviously I use the occasion to act like I'm still 22 and dance my ass off surrounded by friends and family

Prair shows without me and does pretty decently at her first AA show.  At some point I gave her hind shoes (and drilled for studs) so she had some grip on the grass.  She seemed to like it.

I have a slight panic about having not ridden a single Dressage Test so we find one last schooling show to hit and enjoy the outing (though Prair acts like a Dragon the whole time).

it was really.pretty.

I went to visit P and she reminded me how pretty and nice she is when I don't lock her in a stall all the time.

September

We move up to 2'9" at our next show and win.every.class in our Hunter Division.  Who would have predicted that six months ago!?  The win comes with our first COOLER.  We get a second COOLER in the Pre-Greens and Prair squeaks out a respectable 3rd in the "big" Classic with S.

2'9"!

I torture myself by riding bareback (semi) regularly and I torture Prair with some spinal injections.

The injections and shockwave made her significantly more comfortable and we start to see the "new and improved" Prairie complete with more relaxation, muscling on her back and all sorts of good things.

Gus' prolonged lameness finally erupts in a massive abscess and he gets (more) stall rest.

Prair and I jump 4'3" and don't die, we mentally commit to Thermal and enjoy a weekend clinic with who will be our regular trainer in 2014.

October 

Prairie continues her shockwave treatment.

I pretend that i'm going to commit to the two-point challenge but really only do it one day.

We head to the Eq Finals and win another cooler (!!?)  Though we had a few disappointments (including not having seen the "test" for the medal finals on our course map)

A good friend from college visits and rides Gus in a lesson with me.

Gus continues to be lame(ish) so we walk, and walk, wand walk

and I decide to clean out unused horse things from my garage.  Though I have totally failed to ship any of it - though I SWEAR I will.  soon!! (in fairness I did say that the ups store/post office is my least favorite place ever)

November 

We find out that Prair won a year end award, though we politely decline to travel to the USHJA meeting to claim it.

The Boy and I find out I'm pregnant, (which starts to explain a lot of things...) and I start thinking about what the means for the horses.

It definitely means I'm out most of the show season for 2014, so I look at my 2013 goals and decide I better sneak in one more show and try the 3' AA's.

I do.  Without a coach, or really any preparation and we get our butts kicked by juniors but Prairie is Really Good.

December

I officially decide to move Prairie to a new program, though I agonize over what the right decision is.

Knowing that no matter what, the kiddo is going to significantly reduce pony time, I relish in easy, lazy hacks and try to enjoy the mare still being close enough to see 5 days a week.

Gus is miraculously sound in the super-cold-weather and enjoys being worked again.

I commit to a new barn, Thermal and draining my bank account, all the while loving every second of this crazy little adventure with Prair.

Holy Crap we did a lot in 2013.

Here's to another wild and crazy year filled with what I'm sure will be even more surprises!