Goodbye, Hello

(and a long catch-up post)

Bye-bye babies

Goodbye: I have left the barn I was riding at. In some ways it was a hard decision and in other ways easy. There are certain things and certain attitudes I will not work with, and when those things aren't changed and I am expected to go along and/or agree with them, I can't stay. Plus my schedule is super busy. I'm working a job and a half this summer, and next school year thinking about working three jobs to get the hours I need. Plus 16 credits of school and an additional 5-plus hours a week of field experience for my education classes. Adding all those up and deciding I was tired (in more ways than one!) was the easy part.

The hard part, of course, was leaving my babies, and leaving the free "miles" I was getting. But Rhapsody, anyway, is scheduled to go into (advanced-intermediate, I hope) lessons this summer, and Brandi and Farewell could do the same (once Farewell is feeling better, but that's another issue). Paradox is staying as a broodmare. Surge is the only one left, but the folks that bought Fringe were possibly interested in picking up Surge as well, last I heard. As far as my riding, we'll find something. Which leads me to the next part,

Hello!

All this time I have been continuing to take lessons with my coach over at her place, just not advertising it to the world. ;) First we were getting ready for my first combined event (cue much excited screaming and jumping around), but then it got cancelled because of too few entries. So then we were going to this great big hunter show two hours away, but then we decided perhaps not the wisest thing to do for our first time out, and besides the horses look kind of rough (Coach kindly did not mention me, which definitely would look a bit "rough" too! lol). So then we were going XC schooling with a couple other people this Sunday, but it's going to rain. Bummer. Lol. So now it's just lessons and maybe we'll go school XC later this summer. I dearly hope so. :) :) I'm jumping around 2'3 to 2'6 now at the highest and it is SO so so much fun. Oh I love to jump. Lol.

Coach also has a horse in training that I could potentially exercise ride, and I'm going to be contacting friends who are "in" the horse world in this area to see if they know of anything. 

The really potentially exciting thing is, though....wait for it..........


I CAN AFFORD MY OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!



My accountant mom crunched all the numbers and she says it's possible, so that means it IS possible! Cue MUCH excited screaming and jumping around! And then getting freaked out! Lol, so I called Coach last night and we talked. She is all for it, though she'd like me to take the horse on something of an extended trial before actually buying it, of course. The major problem right now is I don't have a guaranteed place for a horse if we found one. There's a barn nearby (like 10 minutes nearby!) that I would love to board at, but they don't have openings at the moment. However, we are on the edge of the country so to speak, and there is a regular farm just down the road with lots of fields. Also I have a couple friends that have boarded horses in the past and might still be willing to. It wouldn't be ideal but it might be something in case I found Mr./Ms. Perfect Horse and the other barn hadn't opened up yet.

In the meantime I'm "window shopping," so to speak. Post coming soon on what I think I want. Yikes never thought I'd see the day I'd do this. :D