So lots of stuff that has happened over the last couple weeks. I was able to ride the Red Plowhorse as I like to call him or Prince of Ponies or the Red Rogue Pony when he's being naughty or throwing a tantrum. But usually it's the "I was a Clydesdale in a previous life" pony and not one of those cool ones that pulls the beer wagon but one the ones that you see standing in a field waiting patiently and happily for his farmer to stop jawing with the neighbors so they can get back to plowin.
But I was able to ride him last week before Superhubs and I went down to Charlotte, NC. Our trip was a two fold manuever. Months back I had bought Superhubs a package where he could drive a real NASCAR race car around a real track. And then he wanted to do it again at another track. We chose the Charlotte Motorspeedway because we potentially might be moving near there when I finally get free of the evil blue beast that owns me right now better known as the Navy.
I have my eye on Monroe, NC because it's an easy drive from Charlotte and it's two hours from Aiken and an hour and a half or so from the Carolina Horse Park. Sounds perfect to me. Superhubs wants Mooresville because it's where the mother ship of Lowes Corporate is docked. While Mooresville has lovely rolling countryside and also not a bad drive to Charlotte its 3hrs or more from both CHP and Aiken. No. Not just no, hell no. I swore after living in the furthest part of VA from all HT's that I would not live more than two hours from either Aiken or CHP. I can deal with losing distance to one but not both.
I want to live in a horsey concentrated area. I want neighbors to trail ride/train/event with all three would be nice but any one of those would be awesome. I want to live in a place that it doesn't take a miracle to get a great clinician out to. A friend and I were just discussing after seeing that Dom Schramm would be giving a clinic about 3hrs from us what it would take to get him out to us. At least three months of planning, aggressive advertising and a lot of begging around for enough eventers in my area. Damn the Navy why can't they have a Navy base in Aiken? I'm sure there's a lake out there big enough for Admiral So and So to park his Air Craft Carrier in.
Superhubs and I also did a lot of other fun stuff including a food tour. If you've never done one, DO IT! Delicious food, new friends, history and usually lots of wine/beer/mixed drinks. This is where we booked ours. Awesome woman who owns the business and does a lot of the tours. http://feastfoodtours.com/ We also visited the US White Water Center, totally cool and we saw a movie in a theater that had not only a resturante that served you while you watched the movie but a full bar!
Back to the horsey side of things. We returned last Sunday but I didn't have to go back to work until Wednesday. Monday I spent being a house slug. But Tuesday I planned ahead fed early, got some housework done, then rode the pony. Usually not a big deal except this would mark the first time I would ride without Superhubs being home. I had a ton of stuff to get done in the afternoon and sometimes by the time Superhubs would roll home I'd lose all my motivation. So pulling on my big girl pants I tacked up and got on.
If it had been the High Queen I was swinging a leg over I probably wouldn't have ridden alone. But Fox when he's doing his Plow Horse routine is pretty unflappable. I decided that if he acted like an ass while I was grooming and tacking up I'd just turn him back out and wait for Superhubs. But he behaved himself and we actually (despite the over 80 degree and stifling humidity weather) had a really great dressage school. Lots of bending, changing direction and practicing the test for the CT.
What else is on the horizon for us? Well the perfect opportunity to take Fox off the farm to a place with other horses that weren't either of his farm mates presented itself. Two local h/j associations are doing a double show at a place about an hour from me this weekend. One of the associations is very...Hunter Princess. The other is more laid back. The laid back one had THE perfect class for us. A Beginner Hunter Over Fences class whose 4 baby fences max at 18 inches! Yes this is perrrrfect! This situation will almost completely mirror what we will be doing in two weeks.
And Superhubs will be able to come with as the official photog/videographer/driver. I have an absolute terror of taking my full rig to a place I haven't been before or at least eye balled for parking. I am always afraid I'll put it someplace I won't be able to get out of and have EEEK! back up. *shudder*
So Superhubs will take that anxiety off my shoulders. Not that I haven't taken my rig out solo to unknown venues but all of them I had double checked that they could easily accomodate larger rigs ie they had massive fields to park in so that even if I got there late there was always a large space for me to manuever in.
I need to pop the pony over some more cross rails today or tomorrow just to give him a refresher and he needs to load in the trailer a few times to make sure we don't have any issues there either. But all in all I think this is going to be awesome. Despite having to become a Faux Hunter Princess and infiltrate their ranks, although I REFUSE to wear a jacket (not required but idiots will do it anyway, its going to be in the mid to high 80's with mad humidity for the love of all things sacred!)
Until we return from the alien planet of Hunter/Jumpers keep it between the flags everyone!
But I was able to ride him last week before Superhubs and I went down to Charlotte, NC. Our trip was a two fold manuever. Months back I had bought Superhubs a package where he could drive a real NASCAR race car around a real track. And then he wanted to do it again at another track. We chose the Charlotte Motorspeedway because we potentially might be moving near there when I finally get free of the evil blue beast that owns me right now better known as the Navy.
I have my eye on Monroe, NC because it's an easy drive from Charlotte and it's two hours from Aiken and an hour and a half or so from the Carolina Horse Park. Sounds perfect to me. Superhubs wants Mooresville because it's where the mother ship of Lowes Corporate is docked. While Mooresville has lovely rolling countryside and also not a bad drive to Charlotte its 3hrs or more from both CHP and Aiken. No. Not just no, hell no. I swore after living in the furthest part of VA from all HT's that I would not live more than two hours from either Aiken or CHP. I can deal with losing distance to one but not both.
I want to live in a horsey concentrated area. I want neighbors to trail ride/train/event with all three would be nice but any one of those would be awesome. I want to live in a place that it doesn't take a miracle to get a great clinician out to. A friend and I were just discussing after seeing that Dom Schramm would be giving a clinic about 3hrs from us what it would take to get him out to us. At least three months of planning, aggressive advertising and a lot of begging around for enough eventers in my area. Damn the Navy why can't they have a Navy base in Aiken? I'm sure there's a lake out there big enough for Admiral So and So to park his Air Craft Carrier in.
Superhubs and I also did a lot of other fun stuff including a food tour. If you've never done one, DO IT! Delicious food, new friends, history and usually lots of wine/beer/mixed drinks. This is where we booked ours. Awesome woman who owns the business and does a lot of the tours. http://feastfoodtours.com/ We also visited the US White Water Center, totally cool and we saw a movie in a theater that had not only a resturante that served you while you watched the movie but a full bar!
Back to the horsey side of things. We returned last Sunday but I didn't have to go back to work until Wednesday. Monday I spent being a house slug. But Tuesday I planned ahead fed early, got some housework done, then rode the pony. Usually not a big deal except this would mark the first time I would ride without Superhubs being home. I had a ton of stuff to get done in the afternoon and sometimes by the time Superhubs would roll home I'd lose all my motivation. So pulling on my big girl pants I tacked up and got on.
If it had been the High Queen I was swinging a leg over I probably wouldn't have ridden alone. But Fox when he's doing his Plow Horse routine is pretty unflappable. I decided that if he acted like an ass while I was grooming and tacking up I'd just turn him back out and wait for Superhubs. But he behaved himself and we actually (despite the over 80 degree and stifling humidity weather) had a really great dressage school. Lots of bending, changing direction and practicing the test for the CT.
What else is on the horizon for us? Well the perfect opportunity to take Fox off the farm to a place with other horses that weren't either of his farm mates presented itself. Two local h/j associations are doing a double show at a place about an hour from me this weekend. One of the associations is very...Hunter Princess. The other is more laid back. The laid back one had THE perfect class for us. A Beginner Hunter Over Fences class whose 4 baby fences max at 18 inches! Yes this is perrrrfect! This situation will almost completely mirror what we will be doing in two weeks.
And Superhubs will be able to come with as the official photog/videographer/driver. I have an absolute terror of taking my full rig to a place I haven't been before or at least eye balled for parking. I am always afraid I'll put it someplace I won't be able to get out of and have EEEK! back up. *shudder*
So Superhubs will take that anxiety off my shoulders. Not that I haven't taken my rig out solo to unknown venues but all of them I had double checked that they could easily accomodate larger rigs ie they had massive fields to park in so that even if I got there late there was always a large space for me to manuever in.
I need to pop the pony over some more cross rails today or tomorrow just to give him a refresher and he needs to load in the trailer a few times to make sure we don't have any issues there either. But all in all I think this is going to be awesome. Despite having to become a Faux Hunter Princess and infiltrate their ranks, although I REFUSE to wear a jacket (not required but idiots will do it anyway, its going to be in the mid to high 80's with mad humidity for the love of all things sacred!)
Until we return from the alien planet of Hunter/Jumpers keep it between the flags everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment