2019: A Recap

2019: The Quick Recap

I miss blogging and I miss writing down the revelations I learn along the way. I also think I need to leave traditional social media and return to more blogs to remove myself from some of the overwhelming negativity.

In 2019, I decided to officially start a business. It has been fine, but let's say I am not quitting my day job as a microbiologist anytime soon.

In April, I had a chance to ride with Jec Ballou. I find her exercises to loosen and supple a horse very insightful and she seems just like a wonderful and personable individual. At one point, she said my horse had a 10 canter. If only we could keep that every day!

Riding with Jec in 2016 at a large equine expo

Unfortunately, shortly after that, I scratched a dressage show where I was to show to Tom Poulin. I had been looking forward to that opportunity, but Chili wasn't quite right. The farrier found an abscess, but then it was still lingering. I ended up showing my coach's Morgan stallion to Mr. Poulin instead and earned a respectable score in training level, despite once again, forgetting the pattern and setting the horse up poorly at times.

Isn't he just the cutest Morgan expression?

In July, I ended up taking Chili to another vet for a second opinion. She had her stifles injected, went back into work, and was diagnoses with upward fixation of the patellas, partially due to being stalled and not having enough exercised while being turned out. I started seeing the "catching" of the stifle and the lameness so I stopped any work at all and ultimately made it worse.

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals was to be held in the Chicago area in September which is within driving distance of where I live. We were qualified from 2018 scores. I decided to go ahead and not enter undersaddle classes (sport horse under saddle or dressage) since I wasn't keen on spending $200+ on a class that with my riding anxiety would probably not turn out well. ;)

I ended up entering Chili in four classes in hand. My friend who often shows with me was to show two classes and I would have the other two classes. Short recap is that all four classes were successful. We placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th against the best purebred mares in the nation. The other horses were exceptional horses and our team did well in both the amateur and open classes. She was the only purebred mare to place in all of her in-hand classes (hunter and dressage type).

Hunter type in hand

Meanwhile, I began having significantly more tightness and pain in my hip that I had surgery on. More frustration under saddle and my horse was a bit more of a hot tamale to ride and pretty much convinced that barn cats that pop out of the mounting blocks are mountain lions ready to eat her.

So 2019 in a nutshell! Onward and upwards to this 2020 adventure.