31DC: Day 15

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A Picture I Love


Well I can't exactly narrow it down to one picture that I love, so I'll be posting a couple here.


Last fall in November, Tom and I loaded X and Dalal in the trailer and headed out to Crooked Creek Horse Park for a weekend of trail riding.  It was an amazing experience to share with my pony.  He was something completely foreign to him, X had never been on a trail ride before at all I don't think, let alone something like this.  We got there late Saturday morning and saddled the horses up before heading out on the trails.  We probably rode about 15 miles or so that day.  After we came back I hosed my very muddy pony off and snapped this picture as he was looking off to the woods.  It was just a very private moment with my pony.  Tom and I were pretty much the only ones out there that weekend, and he was already back at the stalls with Dalal.


Astrid happened to catch this one day this fall when I took X outside for some confirmation shots.  I love that I have such a well behaved pony that I can just hop on his back with nothing but a lead rope on.  And not even attached to both sides of his halter!   Big time scary thoroughbred that he is.  I could have happily sat up on his back all day while he grazed around the yard.


This was from the second South Farm Combined Test this spring.  It was our first time at Novice and Kaye and I both had a blast with the move up.  Both of us have huge grins on our faces, and Kaye's ears are perked.  She was just on that day.  Jumping everything perfectly and with tons of room to spare.  


Obviously this is a favorite, this isn't the first time it was posted to my blog.  Not to mention the fact that it currently serves as my header.  I love this picture for a couple of reasons.  The first would is pretty obvious, Kaye and I are jumping cross country, something we both love.  And although I do notice a couple of glaring mistakes on my part (I wish I had more of a release, and I hate how much my lower leg swings back) every time I look at this picture I'm reminded that I jumped a training level cross country fence.  I got over my fears and I jumped that.  It's a huge boost to my confidence.


And Buggers.  I love catching moments like this on film.  I had been practicing braiding with Bugs one day this summer.  I was just ducking under the cross ties to pull out the braids when Bugs did his signature move and tried to play with my hair.  And Astrid caught it on camera.  I just love those moments, not posed, not scripted, just a personal moment with your horse.  


Wow this is an old one.  And it actually kinda makes me sad when I look at it, but in a good way, sort of.  If that makes any sense at all.  This is William, my former best friend's son.  To him I was Aunt Jenna, although often I felt like I was his mother.  For this particular picture we were on our way home from the Outer Banks one summer and we had stopped for dinner somewhere in West Virginia.  I loved that little boy so much.  And it really hurt not to see him again when I cut off ties with his mother.  But it wasn't a good relationship for me, she wasn't a good friend to me, and I really didn't have a choice but to end things that way.

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