Tag: horseback

Lessons learned with the help of horses:

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Maybe every young girl doesn’t need a pony for Christmas. There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t have a horse, money and time being two of the biggest, but I want to talk about some amazing things that my favorite hobby has gifted me, and why I’m kind of glad I got a horse for Christmas all those years ago:

  • How to manage money: The old joke is that you should buy your children horses because they’ll never have money for drugs, it’s true, but all jokes aside the horse taught me financial literacy and responsibility from a young age. They’re expensive pets, especially if something goes wrong or if you’re showing them. I’ve always been a bigger money saver than a lot of my friends, and that really started when I was 15. My parents told me that I was responsible for D’Artagnan’s vet bills. Which would have been fine if he didn’t get seriously hurt, but of course he did, and I emptied my savings account. My parents stepped in then, but it taught me that that savings account needed more in it in case of emergencies, and not just the equine kind.
  • How to be patient: Bad habits take a long time to work out, riding ones are no different. Learning to deconstruct your riding, find the bad part, then put everything back together again without it is no easy task. It takes a long time and a lot of work. It gives you patience. So does dealing with an animal that is just as stubborn as you are. Horses get set in their ways too, and getting their bad habits fixed takes time and energy as well. There is a lot of slow work that needs to get done before you can move on to the exciting parts. Any trainer will tell you just how important slow work is.
  • How to handle competition: It’s funny, but I became less competitive when I was racing as a child. It became more about competing with myself, my past times, my past rankings, and less about competing with my peers. This might not be true for everyone, some people are just competitive to their core, but what is true is that horseback is a game of give and take. If you want to place better, you have to give a lot of time and energy, and you know that all the other rides are giving it too. It gives you perspective on how to gauge your success and what to keep in mind when you’re going for the gold.

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Equine Study:

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If the question is what are my favorite things to photograph, I bet anyone who has even thought about looking at the blog could answer

  1. My horse
  2. Plants

Now that I have kittens they can be included, but to be honest they don’t sit nearly as nice for the camera as D’Artagnan (Dar-tan-yon). In fact, the only time I have problems with this horse and photos is when he is respectively trying to eat the camera. But, I mean, who wouldn’t want to do that?

Sometimes I wonder if my readers get tired of horse pictures, or more importantly, one horse over and over again. Sometimes I think about taking a break from the horse photos, and sometimes I actually do. But these creatures are so stunning that I could study one for years and not get tired of it. I’m not just saying this about my boy, either, though he is the love of my life.

Horses have long been these figures of grace and power. If you own one or spend time with them, you know that’s not always the case. (Hint: My horse has literally been afraid of a butterfly before) But there is something to be said about that statement.

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Graphic Monday: Horsing Around

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Stars Dartagnan

I think it goes without saying that I have a horse and love it. Well, I decided to play around in photoshop the other day and this is what came up out of it. It’s got his show name, and his blaze (As you can see here). I’ve been talking to my mom, who is a sewing queen, about perhaps getting it made into a embroidery pattern. How cool would it be on a baseball cap or on the pocket of a show shirt?

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A Riders Wish List

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I often find myself looking through horse stuff that I can in no way afford. I think everyone can relate to that on a certain level, but when it comes to horse stuff things are so expensive that they don’t actually make it onto my Christmas wish list because I would never ask someone to spend that much money on me, my parents or otherwise. So I’ll continue lusting after the unattainable. Here’s whats in my dream shopping bag:

Untitled-1Ariat Denim Snap Shirt ($79.95)

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Equine Study: Field Mates

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At some point I figure people will start unfollowing Anna Down South simply because I post too many horse pictures. Is it a risk I’m willing to take? Clearly. It’s hard not to when these creatures pose so easily and are already such a huge part of my life. I do, honestly, try to switch it up a little and not only post my horse D’Artagnan (the spotted one of past posts (X – X – X). So with that being said, here are some of his field mates. Grazing away just days away from fall foliage taking over.

Equine Study: My Love

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I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe what it’s like taking photos of my horse. The photos are magical, the lighting, the setting… it’s all amazing. The horses seems majestic, and they are very beautiful creatures, but they are so much more than you see them as. They’re moody, they’re immature, they’re sweet, they’re jumpy. So, I leave you with the peace offering below to help you understand the process a little better.
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