This list of questions is from Liz Stout over at In Omnia Paratus and I thought it'd be fun to play along too.
- Most equestrians quote fall as their favorite season to ride. Are you one of those that does? Or maybe not; what is your favorite season to ride, if so?
- Do you clip your horse in the fall? Or maybe you wait a little longer?
- Have any costume riding events in October on/near/around Halloween? What will your horse be dressed as? What about yourself? What would you dress as if money/time were absolutely no issue?
- Is your horse afraid of any autumn colors? Or maybe has a certain quirk that appears only in the autumn?
- Pumpkin spice. It's everywhere right now. Find any natural pumpkin [squash] spice-esque recipes for your horse?
- We're getting to the end of the calendar year, any final few "big-bang" shows to look forward to?
- Winter is coming. What are you doing to winterize your trailer/rig/car?
- Do you have any autumn traditions you/your horse follow?
- October in many places marks the beginning of deer hunting season. Does this affect your riding at all? Do you wear blaze orange or modify your schedule to accommodate the season?
- What are you most looking forward to goal-wise as the final months of the calendar year approach?
1. Fall is definitely my favorite season! It's when I have my birthday and so far here in Michigan, it's when my favorite events that I'm most likely to attend occur! (Oak Leaf Run, Hunter Pace, Hunter Trial, Polly Ann trail ride and this year, Metropark Express). As a kid my birthday weekend was also usually the weekend of the Pony Club camp. I got bitten early by horse=fall=love.
The weather is usually the perfect temperature of not too cold but just crisp enough that your horse has some zip! Plus I love the colors as the trees change and walking through a forest path with a multicolored carpet of leaves.
2. I do not clip at all in the winter months. Gwyn gets fuzzy as a yak if she so desires. We don't ride nearly often or at a high enough intensity to justify the clipping and I'd rather she be outside unblanketed as much as possible. If we were in training for some serious competition and needed to maintain condition through the winter I'd reconsider my stance. But for us, right now, unclipped and furry is the best way to be. If we happen to have a tougher ride, so be it, I'll take the time to cool her down. That's why I got a cactus cloth, after all :D
3. No events that want costumes. Actually, all my horse events are done now and we're still a few weeks out from Halloween. I really want to find a good glow in the dark paint though and paint a skeleton on Gwyn and Saffron for Halloween for people driving by on our road. I think it'd be a hoot! When Gwyn had her snakebite face we really wanted to take her out as Two Face from Batman, or dress up as a Nazgul. Scratch that, I still just want to dress her up as a Nazgul, fluttery gauze and gore and all. And then ride through town.
4. Nothing I've been able to pinpoint. Maybe dead deer? But that's not an always in autumn kind of thing.
5. Until this question was asked I was not aware that pumpkin was an option for horses. A quick google yielded a few recipes!
The weather is usually the perfect temperature of not too cold but just crisp enough that your horse has some zip! Plus I love the colors as the trees change and walking through a forest path with a multicolored carpet of leaves.
2. I do not clip at all in the winter months. Gwyn gets fuzzy as a yak if she so desires. We don't ride nearly often or at a high enough intensity to justify the clipping and I'd rather she be outside unblanketed as much as possible. If we were in training for some serious competition and needed to maintain condition through the winter I'd reconsider my stance. But for us, right now, unclipped and furry is the best way to be. If we happen to have a tougher ride, so be it, I'll take the time to cool her down. That's why I got a cactus cloth, after all :D
3. No events that want costumes. Actually, all my horse events are done now and we're still a few weeks out from Halloween. I really want to find a good glow in the dark paint though and paint a skeleton on Gwyn and Saffron for Halloween for people driving by on our road. I think it'd be a hoot! When Gwyn had her snakebite face we really wanted to take her out as Two Face from Batman, or dress up as a Nazgul. Scratch that, I still just want to dress her up as a Nazgul, fluttery gauze and gore and all. And then ride through town.
4. Nothing I've been able to pinpoint. Maybe dead deer? But that's not an always in autumn kind of thing.
5. Until this question was asked I was not aware that pumpkin was an option for horses. A quick google yielded a few recipes!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Horse Cookies
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)
Ingredients:
4 cups whole oats
1 can pumpkin
2 cups water
2 tsp baking powder
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp honey or molasses (optional)
1 can pumpkin
2 cups water
2 tsp baking powder
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp honey or molasses (optional)
Directions:
- Mix the pumpkin and water together well.
- Add the flour, oats, and spices.
- Add the optional honey or molasses.
- Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done.
6. I just had my biggest big bang, at Oak Leaf and I opted to not compete and just help out and volunteer. I've really enjoyed myself the most volunteering and fitting in riding where I can. This year, I did ride some, but that's it's own post, and boy does OLR deserve its own post!
7. I need to get my trailer checked out with it's regular servicing. That's one thing I've slacked on since owning it and and I've decided this year is the one where I don't put it off any longer. I just need to find a place to do it locally. Most of my horse friends are not near me so getting a recommendation wouldn't be super helpful. I would also like to get tire covers this year for when my trailer is sitting dormant longer.
8. No specific traditions. Though facebook has reminded me that this is the time of year when I switch over to my heated water buckets. I've yet to do that. Our nights have only just now started to drop toward freezing temperatures. It's been an oddly warm fall.
8. No specific traditions. Though facebook has reminded me that this is the time of year when I switch over to my heated water buckets. I've yet to do that. Our nights have only just now started to drop toward freezing temperatures. It's been an oddly warm fall.
9. YES. This is HUGE! If I want to be out trail riding I HAVE to be in orange. This is an absolute safety thing. I've got a vest and reflective orange boots for Gwyn. I've also got the materials to make a bright orange rump rug for her to wear so we're even more obnoxious and unmistakable to a hunter.
10. At this point my goal is going to be to get to a lesson once a month and ride once a week. It's an effort to make time to do those things but I know we'll be better for it. I need to call a trainer back, who got back to me right before I left for OLR and set something up with her, or at least do a trial lesson to see if we're a good match. So my biggest goal is setting myself up with a trainer.
10. At this point my goal is going to be to get to a lesson once a month and ride once a week. It's an effort to make time to do those things but I know we'll be better for it. I need to call a trainer back, who got back to me right before I left for OLR and set something up with her, or at least do a trial lesson to see if we're a good match. So my biggest goal is setting myself up with a trainer.
Thanks for hopping! I need to get tire covers for my trailer, too. Gah, the list of horse-related things to purchase is never-ending sometimes.
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