Here's a horsey questionnaire that's been making the rounds on various equestrian blogs/boards and Facebook. Like others, I thought I’d post my answers here. I won’t officially tag anyone, but it might be fun if readers passed it on by filling it out and posting it to your blogs with your own experiences, and encourage your readers to do the same. Hope you decide to play along! And if you do, leave a comment here letting us know :-)
1. How old were you when you first started riding? I officially started when I was 26, courtesy of the US Army. I've always been a bit obsessed with horses since I was a kid- the usual Lone Ranger- Gene Autry stuff and anything to do with the US Cavalry (even the 7th Cavalry and it's unfortuante encounter with the Lakota at the Little Big Horn in June 1876).
2. First horse ridden: When I was about five years old I took a few riding lessons but I have no memory of it whatsoever. The one I do remember was when I did pulled a TDY tour with the Caisson Platoon/Old Guard at Ft. Myer, Virginia. I don't recall the horse's name but it was a nasty Mustang that the Caisson Platoon reserved for new riders- more to screw with their heads than anything else. My first experience included having the horse take off at a trot straight towards the end of the arena, which was a brick wall, and then swerving at the last minute. Fun.
3. First horse trotted on: The nasty Mustang mentioned above in #2.
4. First horse cantered on: Mickey
5. First Horse fallen off of: Max (my current horse)
6. Most recent horse fallen off of: Max- August 2008 at Morro Bay. We wound up getting lost and wandering down a trail meant for hikers. Max doesn't like closed in spaces and when we became trapped by low-lying trees, he reared up and attempted to climb up a large rock, dumping me in the process. He then dumped right afterwards when I attempted to remount and some passing surfers spooked him (it was the surf boards they were carrying). Max earned a new name: Alpo Boy because if someone had come along offering to take him off my hands and send him off to slaughter, I would have done it in a heartbeat- I was THAT pissed off. We've gotten past it pretty much...
7. Most terrifying fall: I fell off Max on some rocks in a riverbed when Max shied at something. I managed to bang and bounce my head multiple times on the rocks and cracked my helmet in several places- lucky I was wearing one!.
8. First horse jumped with: Max (over some cavalettis)
9. First horse who ran away with you: None- so far
10. First horse that scared the crap out of you: An Arab that belongs to a friend of mine. His mouth is so sensitive that I could feel that all I needed to do was give a hard jerk and the horse would rear up and fall on me. Talk about quiet hands!
11. First horse shown: Max- I've never taken Max to a formal show but I did enter a NATRC event. We won Fifth Place for horse fitness- I never did get my ribbon since they screwed up in computing the scores at the event so we found out after the fact. Oh well.
12. First horse to win a class with: N/A
13. Do you/have you taken lessons: I've been taking lessons for the past six years or so.
14. First horse you ever rode bareback: Buckshot, who promptly dumped me.
15. First horse trail ridden with: Faz, a tempermental Arab who decided to take mercy on me and gave me a good ride with no issues. Basically he was cutting me a break.
16. Current Barn name: Mitchell Ranch
17. Do you ride English or western?: Military...actually English (I catch flak all the time from my friend who ride Western)
18. First Horse to place at a show with: N/A
19. Ever been to horse camp?: No, not formally. I have camped with my horse Max but that's different, I think...
20. Ever been to a riding clinic? No.
21. Ridden sidesaddle? No. I might try it on a lark- but in an arena! :-)
22. First horse leased: Max
23. Last Horse Leased: Max
24. Highest ribbon in a show: 5th for horse fitness at a NATRC event (never did get the actual freakin' ribbon though).
25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show? No.
26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races? No.
27. Ever fallen off at a show: N/A
28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers? No- maybe someday.
29. Have you ever barrel raced? No.
30. Ever done pole bending? Not formally. A couple times we set up poles that we rode around at a trot/gallp and attempted to strike at with a sword.
31. Favorite gait: The canter- with a good canter, I can go all day.
32. Ever cantered bareback? Yes- lots of times.
33. Have you ever done dressage? Yes
34. Have you ever evented?: No- looks way too much like equine demolition derby for my taste.
35. Have you ever mucked a stall? Yep- lots of them (is there any other answer?)
36. Ever been bucked off? Twice. Tried using a curb bit on Max and was too rough. Max objected and I wound up on the ground. And it hurts landing on a holstered pistol twice in an hour.
37. Ever been on a horse that reared? Yes, a few times with Max.
38. Horses or ponies?: Definately horses – at 6'1" and 230 pounds, I'm way too big.
39. Do you wear a helmet? Always. I’ve been dropped on my head way too many times and the helmet saved me. The alternative is a lot worse.
40. What's the highest you've jumped: 2 feet I think.
41. Have you ever ridden at night? All the time- definately a test of confidence but it's good for both horse and rider. During the winter, it's either that or I don't ride at all, the way my work schedule is.
42. Do you watch horsey television shows? Once in a while.
43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall? Not really but I have some nasty bruises.
44. Most falls in one lesson: Zero. Really. :-)
45. Do you ride in an arena/ring? Sometimes but mostly for lessons only. I prefer to ride in the field or on trails.
46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse? No
47. Have you ever been bitten? Yes- NOT FUN! :-(
48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?: Yes- sometimes even twice in a week. Not pretty.
49: Favorite riding moment: When I took Max to Morro Bay in 2007 and I ran him down the beach with some friends. I've never seen him move that fast- it was like he dropped three feet and he had no neck. It was like a rocket. I held on with the deepest canter seat I could muster and prayed that he didn't shy (well, at least I would have landed on sand). It was both terrifying and exhilerating at the same time and the adrenaline rush. Between the sea spray, wet sand, sun, etc., it was the perfect moment. I hadn't felt that since I was in the Army.
50. Most fun horse you've ridden: Like a lot of riders, just about every horse I've ridden have been fun in their own way but Max is probably the best all-round I’ve ever ridden
1. How old were you when you first started riding? I officially started when I was 26, courtesy of the US Army. I've always been a bit obsessed with horses since I was a kid- the usual Lone Ranger- Gene Autry stuff and anything to do with the US Cavalry (even the 7th Cavalry and it's unfortuante encounter with the Lakota at the Little Big Horn in June 1876).
2. First horse ridden: When I was about five years old I took a few riding lessons but I have no memory of it whatsoever. The one I do remember was when I did pulled a TDY tour with the Caisson Platoon/Old Guard at Ft. Myer, Virginia. I don't recall the horse's name but it was a nasty Mustang that the Caisson Platoon reserved for new riders- more to screw with their heads than anything else. My first experience included having the horse take off at a trot straight towards the end of the arena, which was a brick wall, and then swerving at the last minute. Fun.
3. First horse trotted on: The nasty Mustang mentioned above in #2.
4. First horse cantered on: Mickey
5. First Horse fallen off of: Max (my current horse)
6. Most recent horse fallen off of: Max- August 2008 at Morro Bay. We wound up getting lost and wandering down a trail meant for hikers. Max doesn't like closed in spaces and when we became trapped by low-lying trees, he reared up and attempted to climb up a large rock, dumping me in the process. He then dumped right afterwards when I attempted to remount and some passing surfers spooked him (it was the surf boards they were carrying). Max earned a new name: Alpo Boy because if someone had come along offering to take him off my hands and send him off to slaughter, I would have done it in a heartbeat- I was THAT pissed off. We've gotten past it pretty much...
7. Most terrifying fall: I fell off Max on some rocks in a riverbed when Max shied at something. I managed to bang and bounce my head multiple times on the rocks and cracked my helmet in several places- lucky I was wearing one!.
8. First horse jumped with: Max (over some cavalettis)
9. First horse who ran away with you: None- so far
10. First horse that scared the crap out of you: An Arab that belongs to a friend of mine. His mouth is so sensitive that I could feel that all I needed to do was give a hard jerk and the horse would rear up and fall on me. Talk about quiet hands!
11. First horse shown: Max- I've never taken Max to a formal show but I did enter a NATRC event. We won Fifth Place for horse fitness- I never did get my ribbon since they screwed up in computing the scores at the event so we found out after the fact. Oh well.
12. First horse to win a class with: N/A
13. Do you/have you taken lessons: I've been taking lessons for the past six years or so.
14. First horse you ever rode bareback: Buckshot, who promptly dumped me.
15. First horse trail ridden with: Faz, a tempermental Arab who decided to take mercy on me and gave me a good ride with no issues. Basically he was cutting me a break.
16. Current Barn name: Mitchell Ranch
17. Do you ride English or western?: Military...actually English (I catch flak all the time from my friend who ride Western)
18. First Horse to place at a show with: N/A
19. Ever been to horse camp?: No, not formally. I have camped with my horse Max but that's different, I think...
20. Ever been to a riding clinic? No.
21. Ridden sidesaddle? No. I might try it on a lark- but in an arena! :-)
22. First horse leased: Max
23. Last Horse Leased: Max
24. Highest ribbon in a show: 5th for horse fitness at a NATRC event (never did get the actual freakin' ribbon though).
25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show? No.
26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races? No.
27. Ever fallen off at a show: N/A
28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers? No- maybe someday.
29. Have you ever barrel raced? No.
30. Ever done pole bending? Not formally. A couple times we set up poles that we rode around at a trot/gallp and attempted to strike at with a sword.
31. Favorite gait: The canter- with a good canter, I can go all day.
32. Ever cantered bareback? Yes- lots of times.
33. Have you ever done dressage? Yes
34. Have you ever evented?: No- looks way too much like equine demolition derby for my taste.
35. Have you ever mucked a stall? Yep- lots of them (is there any other answer?)
36. Ever been bucked off? Twice. Tried using a curb bit on Max and was too rough. Max objected and I wound up on the ground. And it hurts landing on a holstered pistol twice in an hour.
37. Ever been on a horse that reared? Yes, a few times with Max.
38. Horses or ponies?: Definately horses – at 6'1" and 230 pounds, I'm way too big.
39. Do you wear a helmet? Always. I’ve been dropped on my head way too many times and the helmet saved me. The alternative is a lot worse.
40. What's the highest you've jumped: 2 feet I think.
41. Have you ever ridden at night? All the time- definately a test of confidence but it's good for both horse and rider. During the winter, it's either that or I don't ride at all, the way my work schedule is.
42. Do you watch horsey television shows? Once in a while.
43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall? Not really but I have some nasty bruises.
44. Most falls in one lesson: Zero. Really. :-)
45. Do you ride in an arena/ring? Sometimes but mostly for lessons only. I prefer to ride in the field or on trails.
46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse? No
47. Have you ever been bitten? Yes- NOT FUN! :-(
48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?: Yes- sometimes even twice in a week. Not pretty.
49: Favorite riding moment: When I took Max to Morro Bay in 2007 and I ran him down the beach with some friends. I've never seen him move that fast- it was like he dropped three feet and he had no neck. It was like a rocket. I held on with the deepest canter seat I could muster and prayed that he didn't shy (well, at least I would have landed on sand). It was both terrifying and exhilerating at the same time and the adrenaline rush. Between the sea spray, wet sand, sun, etc., it was the perfect moment. I hadn't felt that since I was in the Army.
50. Most fun horse you've ridden: Like a lot of riders, just about every horse I've ridden have been fun in their own way but Max is probably the best all-round I’ve ever ridden
2 comments:
wow! you've had some really unique riding experiences! i didn't realize the army had real cavalry anymore... that's really cool! and i have to say pole bending sounds like a lot more fun with swords ;-) though i doubt i'm coordinated enough to pull that off without injuring my horse or myself - i've always wanted to try polo, but haven't for exactly that reason :-\ thanks for playing!
Just to let you know, I usually use either a modified wooden dowel rod or a rubber sword that a friend of mine had fabricated- I've accidentally hit Max way too many times (he kind of gives me the look of "why are you doing that?"). :-)
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