You know you are an equestrian when (list five original ones):
- Your truck often holds in no particular order: A saddle, two or three saddle pads, spurs, a bridle, helmet, gloves and carrots. Things it never holds: Makeup (except for chapstick), heels, or jewelry! 🙂
- You hang all your event ribbons up very carefully but throw mail on the table and drop your clothes in a pile.
- You often say whoa in traffic when stopping at a stoplight. You also cluck to go.(Seriously I have done this to people ahead of me in traffic, #needhelpdontI)
- You much prefer horses to people on any given day: They are (usually) nicer, better behaved, enjoy your cooking, and don’t ask for anything in return. Plus they are warm and fuzzy!
- You have no problem paying thousands of dollars for a saddle, a few hundred bucks for a bridle or boots, quite a bit each month for horse board, and so on but you get pissed off when gas goes up 20 cents a gallon (or when stamps increase in cost too).
Paper Chase Sunday
We went, we rode, we survived. And I am really really sore today LOL! It was great fun though and Remus was a star. However, Remus was also a very spunky star. And at one point he almost took off with me and another he bucked so hard into the canter he almost jarred my teeth. And he squealed when he bucked. He felt GOOD! But over all he was perfect (though I kept him mostly to a smart trot after that, if you can’t behave cantering, horse). His canter mostly was a lope which is hilarious to see with a horse squealing and trying to buck. OH Remus.
It was a long ride though. It ended up about 8 miles and took us about two and half hours. We were not fast and we had to stop to look for markers so often (they were not easy to spy and sometimes were even knocked over by the wind, it was very windy!).
Star and Remus chugged along though. We popped over a couple jumps but I mostly passed on them as the first one we went over had a huge drop on it I didnt expect (And nor did Remus, so we jumped it perfectly then almost faceplanted). the other jumps were by roads or just a bit big for me. So we mostly hacked and that was fine. It was a gorgeous day (in the high forties) and except for the wind was perfect. Sun was out and the views were GORGEOUS.
There was one VERY iffy question where it was straight down into the woods to water thru some very log-strewn trails. I got off. I just couldn’t make Remus walk down that steep hill. And then I could not get back on before the water because there was no log near that of course (we were on a huge decline at this time so it was very iffy us actually standing up LOL). So we walked through the water together. And found a log so I could get on again. HA. He really is a great trail horse honestly because he plowed thru every other water obstacle and would have that but I was so worried about the footing and the hill I just couldn’t. He stopped every time I needed him to (yes for people busting ass by us, see my Pet Peeves grhh) and was a perfect gentleman when I got off and back on. Though he always wonders why we are not jumping the logs rather than me using them as a mounting block HA).
We went by Buck’s field of babies too! OMG Jess and I were plotting how we could steal one (Not really but omg so much chrome in that field and BEAUTIFUL). Like how does he have such pretty weanlings. Most weanlings now look like dog poo. HA.
I was very glad when we made it back to the end. My knees and feet were killing me. My saddle was PERFECT and I am sure I would have been even sorer without it. It did slip a bit going up all the hills (and down) so at one point I hopped off and adjusted it but otherwise it was perfect. Just a gorgeous day to go riding with friends. I am so glad I came back early to do it. I know we won’t have days like this for long, WINTER IS COMING!
Fat Buckskin in a Little Suit 
I don’t think people realize that a paper chase isn’t about passing people and being the first to cross the line. So frustrating.
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yes there were some unfit horses being pushed to the LIMIT. I told Jess i was glad i didnt have to cool some of them off. Now there were others that were fit as can be and they were flying but at least it makes sense then. 🙂
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Sorry to have missed the paper chase, but I’m not sure my back could have taken 8 miles or hopping on and off (I’d have had to hop off for that steep part too). I sort of killed my back moving stall mats on Friday… It sounds like Remus had fun and was quite full of himself!
Weather looks gorgeous next Sunday (low 50s) if you want to try and get in a ride.
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yes i am doing a lesson with Sally on Sat but nothing planned on Sunday!! 🙂 How was the musical on Sunday?? (Yes my back is hurting sitting in my desk chair right now so def would have killed you)….
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We’ll talk then! I work Saturday but I’m not taking Batty and he just needs to stay sound…. He was sort of ouchy on Saturday (though he worked out of it). Monday I need to drop the animals off at their various locations but Sunday looks clear. A non 8 mile trail ride sounds nice!
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wtf is a paper chase?
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ha, its a bunch of things. It is a leisurely hack in the countryside following a marked trail with a few jumps interspersed for me and Jess. it is a balls to the wall gallop for some people and jump everything they come across. I had not done any till this year. It was fun and I enjoyed it but almost too long in the saddle for me. People who go fastest win but obviouslyy that was not us 🙂
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Sounds like so much fun! Besides the whole bucking thing. That’s something P has figured out how to coordinate exactly once (and has never tried again), so I highly doubt I could stay on, let alone laugh about it later….you weirdo!
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Remus can’t buck. He is so uncoordinated he might fall down before he would get any one off. BUT i choose not to encourage him to learn how to do it better. He wanted to run. Which was funny cause he would last five seconds then be huffing and puffing. It was fun though. You and P could have been done in 10 minutes HA
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so jealous of your paper chase!! sounded like SO MUCH FUN!!! soon enough hopefully charlie will be ready to get back to doing stuff like that. also lol at your list of “you know you’re an equestrian when…” and would add “when your car trunk doesn’t have any room for relative’s luggage when taking them to the airport bc it’s filled with horse stuff already” lol
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Your equestrian list is hilarious and so accurate. I ALWAYS cluck at slow people and drivers. I bought a new Edgewood noseband on Saturday but then refused to fill my tank because gas was 10 cents more at the po-dunk station versus the other knes I drove by earlier in the day. #imridiculous.
The paper chase sounds so fun! So so glad your saddle is working out perfect, I can’t wait to hopefully say the same someday soon! I’m also LOLing that you say 40’s is a gorgeous day. It’s been mid 70’s in Texas all week!
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actually with #fatassRemus and #fatassme cooler is better than hot 🙂 HA HA HA (LOL I am laughing out loud at you buying a nose band but refusing to get gas)! HA HA HA
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Love the paper chase! Sounds like a good time (except the rude people grr) but I also love your 5 originals! Very spot on lol
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looks like so much fun!! i am with amanda – i have no idea what a paper chase really is, but it sounds like a ton of fun (minus the intense galloping people lol).
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there were only a handful of that most people were VERY polite. And we werent LAST to finish which is a miracle. It literally is a long ass trail ride with a few jumps. HA.
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OMG you hit the nail on the head with #5 on your list. That is me to a T! And the paperchase sounds so fun. I wish we had more of those around here. I could organize one if I had more time, but so few people I know would want to jump, so I don’t know that I would take the time to build many jumps into it.
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