Ropers and Ranchers and Cowboys Oh My!

Oh do I love the Chuck Wagon Races...

Where else can you show up in shorts, boots and a camo hat and be considered "in style"? Where else can you ride double with cowboys all night, and it not be dirty? Where else can you hoop and holler, drink beer, fall on your ass, get your truck dirtier than hell, fall on your ass again (have you met me?) and then have your pick of cowboys to flirt endlessly with? Nowhere else - that's the answer! Now I know everyone is sitting here thinking "wait?! Doesn't this girl ride english?" And of course the answer is yes! I have ridden western maybe 20 times in my entire life, and most of those times would be just sitting in the saddle, not actually riding. But this english rider most definitely has an inner chuck wagon racer that is just dying to come out. I've already decided I'm going back next year and taking a horse - not one of my english horses mind you! Now THAT would be a rodeo! But I most definitely want my own set of hooves to troll around on next year, so I may have to get creative... I will say: yes, wagon racers are crazy and I would never have the balls to do it, but after talking to people who have been doing it for 10+ years you realize that there really is strategy, training and conditioning involved. Not to mention they are some of the most accepting and fun people you will ever meet! Only thing is, if you are offended easily you may just want to stay up on the cliffs! ;-)

A Page from an 87 year old Horsewoman's Journal

I ride. That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know, it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability. I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.

The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness'. It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness'. It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trailhead somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust.

Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.

I consider the simple statement; I ride. I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel better for doing so.

The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.

I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch.. We haul 40ft rigs, we back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.

"My treasures do not chink or glitter, They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night".

A New Leaf

So I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf as a blogger...by actually, you know, blogging. Bear with me, the first few posts back will probably just be boring stuff like updates to my life so I get back in the swing of writing. So here it goes:

The New Job: Back in February I took on a new job in Heber Springs, Arkansas at Hickory Hills Equestrian Center (website done by yours truly). I absolutely love it - I actually found someone (or rather she found me - we went to school together) to give me a real (yes, real - salary, benefits, the whole deal) job doing what I love. My job pretty much entails the following: ride/train horses, show horses, help making management decisions on the horses, foal mares out...the list can go on and on but you get the drift. The best thing about this job is it gives me the opportunity to further not only my teaching skills, but also my personal riding and training skills; something that was hard to do in Northwest Arkansas on my own. Since working at Hickory Hills I've been able to show multiple horses and ride in clinics that wouldn't have been available to me up in NWA.

The Finger: And no, this isn't meant in a vulgar way! Back in June I broke my finger...and yes, I'm sure you will all be just so surprised to hear that it did indeed involve a horse...and gravity was a major factor. Naturally I didn't go to the doctor for almost a month (don't worry, my mother chewed me out big time for that...as did the doctor actually) - anyway not only had I broken my finger, it was pretty much twisted off. Think of a pine tree after a tornado comes through. So after surgery I now have 4 screws in my finger (see the pic below) and it is stronger than ever (just not as straight!). Oh well, go figure!

The Concert: Yes, be jealous...in June I got to go to the New Kids On The Block/Backstreet Boys concert in Memphis with my cousin. And yes, it was amazing. I didn't feel like a traitor nearly as much as I thought I would - those of you who knew me during my N SYNC days would understand. 

We actually got upgraded to third row seats - my cousin and I were like screaming little teeny boppers again; not gunna lie - I'd go again in a hearbeat!

Well this is going to conclude my first update-to-my-life post. My back is killing me and it is waaay past my bedtime (us Heber folks turn in early)! Hopefully I will be able to post again tomorrow, or at the very least next year! :-)

Introducing: High Cotton

I apologize for not posting all summer, but life has been a bit crazy. Horse showing, training and lessons - I'm sure most of you understanding. This October I purchased my first horse on my own - a cute grey 16hh Thoroughbred gelding named High Cotton (aka "Dallas"). He reminds me so much of Onyx (my high school horse) that I'm going to be rather reluctant to sell him. Dallas is showing a lot of promise as a hunter, but also has experience schooling cross country. If you have a minute check out his free jumping video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaQiVAaFDa8. As you can see, white boy can jump! :-)

My New Cowboy & House

Do not get me started on the phone company (I would like y'all to note I am being nice and not naming the specific company that has ticked me off for the past week). Last Tuesday they told me it would be no problem getting high speed internet out to my place on Friday. Thursday (after realizing I do not get great cell service at the house) I call to say I want to add a phone line and they tell me that nobody was coming out on Friday because my address wasn't "verifying"...I guess it is a good thing I called or I would have been out waiting all day Friday and nobody would have showed up (obviously they don't care that I have a life and had rearranged my schedule to be there). Friday they call to tell me I can't get high speed internet, just the phone line - and oh yeah there is an extra one-time $40.00 activation fee they forgot to tell me about. This morning they call to tell me they have changed my phone number - again. If they call me tomorrow I'm going to tell them exactly where they can stick there phone line...

Other than that (and the downpours of rain that have kept me from moving my mattress and desk - the last two things in the apartment) my move has been very smooth. My mom came and helped me last week after graduation - if it wasn't for her I'm sure everything would still be in boxes! I will try to get pictures of the inside up soon, I actually have them on my camera I just can't find the cord to get them on my computer because it is packed in a box somewhere! LoL!

One of the biggest joys of moving is getting my Cowboy! He is a 9 week old Black Lab/Chow mix who is absolutely perfect and has stolen my heart! Though he is still fairly timid (he was abandoned so there is no telling what he has had to put up with) I think in time he will actually grow to be quite the little (I use that term loosely) guard dog. His first horse show is this coming weekend - luckily it is a local NWAHJA show, let's hope he gets through it with no issue!

Hunters and Jumpers and Equitation Oh My!

If you had told me five years, heck even 2 1/2 years ago, that I'd be going to "AA" Hunter/Jumper shows on a regular basis I would have laughed in your face. Well ladies and gentlemen, it's official, I have gone to the "dark side," where the braids are tiny and body clipping is a year round fashion trend (and did I mention there normally aren't thorn trees?). Do I miss the galloping and adrenaline rush of cross country? Yes. Do I miss the dressage? Hell no. :-p

This week I am moving out to Southdown Farms to settle in my little training business, Tripple Spring Training - like we all didn't see that one coming. Anyway, turns out I'm actually pretty good at this whole hunter/jumper/equitation stuff; if you ask my mom she will say she always thought I'd end up in the jumper ring...something about watching Onyx and I rock out in show jumping and then being terrified of ditches on cross country...oh well, I guess it is true: mom is always right! I'm not saying that I'm done with eventing, I will probably do an event now and then, but I'm graduating and will soon be financially responsible for myself. Scary. No, like really scary. And I'm getting paid to go to hunter/jumper shows instead of paying to go to events...it's this whole new concept that I'm starting to like: actually making money, imagine that!

The picture above is one of my students, Shelby, and her horse Ollie. Last weekend they placed in all of their over fences classes in the Children's Hunter division in Tulsa (field of 12), including a 1st and a 3rd. I could not have been more proud of her. The progress that these two have made since November is amazing!

So for now it is farewell to eventing and hello to the world of hunters and jumpers and equitation oh my! (And yes...I am slowly having to change my riding wardrobe and accessories over to the trends of this new world. Example: I no longer rock out in the skull cap helmet. But don't worry - I'm keeping the cross country vest!)

The Lake Where I Grew Up

I spent last weekend with my parents at the lake house down in Mountain Pine. Last summer was the first summer I have gone since I can remember without stepping foot on the boat or a toe in Lake Ouachita. My dad and I went out on the boat and while I sat in the front of the boat in my shorts and sweatshirt, the classic rock station blaring, I realized that most of my life can be documented on the banks of Lake Ouachita.
Horses are a major part in my life, but it is a part of my life I have experienced on more of a solo basis. The lake marks places in life with my family and friends. There is the cove that I busted my eardrum when my uncle threw me off the tube. The shore where I went to Girl Scout camp most of my elementary summers and where my dad and I went to Indian Princess camp. The docks where we went for ice cream and slushies. And finally the rocks where my sister died.
The back of a horse is maybe where I learned and matured, but the waters of Lake Ouachita is where I grew up.