Resolutions

Everybody seems to make resolutions this time of year, and I'm no exception. It must be the snow and ice and bitter cold that makes me dream about what I want to do this summer, or at least Spring Thaw. So while I have a list of goals at 43 Things, here's a more horse-focused goal list:

1. Get Willow and Alex registered. I want to get Willow registered first, so I can put her approved registered name on Alex's papers and thus no confusion in the long run.

2. Get Alex gelded. I'll probably do this in March and submit his papers after the surgery, so I don't have to correct his gender later.

3. Saddle train Hope, Faith, and Never, and do more ground work with Willow and Glory. Hope and Faith are fully grown and ready to get some time under saddle and Never is ready for light riding. Willow and Glory both have issues at the moment that will delay saddle work, but more in hand work won't hurt them.

4. Put more riding hours on Cora. She came to me mostly broke, but she needs more time under saddle and just being worked with in general. I'd like to get some show points on her record, so I'm hoping I can get her to a couple of rated shows and maybe a dressage schooling show or two.

5. Do more to improve the farm. I want to put in more fence, install more outlets in the barn, put up better gates, keep the barn cleaner, and put up an arena and a a better round pen.

6. Show. I've been going to a lot of shows, but I've been working as the photographer. I'd really like to get some of my horses to some local shows for points and experience (theirs and mine).

7. Ride more. I haven't been riding much the past few years, not since I retired Tiara and Tassel. Now I have younger, stronger horses, I should be riding more.

8. Lose weight/get in shape. It may not seem to be a 'horsey' goal, but by being lighter and stronger, I'll feel better about riding some of the smaller horses, and I'll be able to ride them better


That's a pretty good list for now, I think.

Finally, a day of 'rest'

Today is the first day in about a week that I can kick back and 'relax', meaning I can finally get some stuff done around the house. The only thing that's stopping me from mowing the lawn right now is the dew still on the grass. Laundry is washing at this very moment (I ran out of jeans), and a list has been made of other things that need doing today: clean my room, wash dishes, finish editing the photo proofs for printing, sweep the office, mop, etc....

I got behind starting last Friday, when I went to my friend Billie's to spend the night so we could leave early the next morning for the American Trakehner Association's mare inspection at KD Trakehners in Watertown, Wisconsin. We stayed up late chatting, and thus at 4 am we were a little wasted to say the least. The trip went well, though, and was a lot of fun, with gorgeous mares and cute babies everywhere. After the evaluations and scoring (one was approved as a model mare), we were treated to a jumping exhibition featuring their stallion Blitz Und Donner.
I would dearly love to breed Hope to such a handsome boy, I just have to find the money for the stud fee!

After the brandings, we said our goodbyes and went back to Billie's for supper. It was late, so I stayed the night again and went to the Marshfield Saddle Club's schooling show the next day. The weather was wonderful, not too hot or cold, and the sun and blue sky made taking pictures easier. Hopefully I can get enough orders to put towards a new (to me) camera, as having just one makes me very nervous.

Heather was delivered Monday morning (more about her in another post), and the rest of the day was spent running around town, shopping for food, and downloading cf cards. Tuesday was mostly spent in front of the computer converting RAW to jpg, sorting the good from the bad, and posting the proofs to my site. Wednesday and Thursday I spent at the Central Wisconsin State Fair taking pictures of friends and working on my gymkhana photo technique. I'm planning to make prints of the best run of each person and handing them to the county horse project superintendent to hand out to the riders. Maybe next year I'll donate my time to take ribbon pics if they're interested.

So we come to Friday and the weekend. Tomorrow starts the Pepsi All Wisconsin Draft Horse Show at the fairgrounds, with the youth classes in the morning and the first of the hitches in the evening. The biggest crowd pleaser is the ten horse pyramid hitch, though I like the four horse competitive driving class. That gets exciting! Sunday is stallion and gelding at halter, then the cart and other hitch classes, and in the evening the tandem classes and champion four horse hitch. Monday wraps up with mare and group halter and the last of the hitch classes. It's a fun time, and if anybody is in the area they should stop in and check it out. The horses are top quality, and the handlers are incredible!

Well, I should get back to work. Hopefully I'll be able to start preparing for winter next week. It seems a little early to be thinking about it, but I'm tired of cutting wood in a foot of snow and ice, and I'd really like to get my gardens laid out and fertilized for next year.