First Horse Show!

Well...technically it's Sig's third horse show, but his first with us.

Ashley took Sig down the road to Lakeside.  He stayed overnight, did schooling the first day and a couple of hunter classes the next.  Overall report card was excellent, she said he took everything in and handled it all well.  He had some issues getting the bigger steps so they ended up adding in some of the later classes, but Sig went around perfectly happily and didn't look around very much.  Just a good little dude!  It's a great start and so fun for me to see this young guy handling an overnight show this well and being so chill.  I'm pretty chuffed with him!

Lucky 13

I just watched Netflix's "Love, Death, and Robots," and an episode in that series called "Lucky 13."

MIND. BLOWN.  Because there are parallels to a great girl wearing 13 in my life and it just feels beyond coincidence at this point.

First of all I will say it's a kickass show, I was skeptical at first but quickly realized it's an incredible ride, fresh and original, and full of twists.  If you love a little sci-fi/action/nudity (who doesn't)/short stories, do check it out and enjoy.  But on to the point of this post...and yes, there's a tie to that Netflix episode. 

Tomorrow is April 1st.  The rest of the world knows it as April Fools Day, I only know it as the birthday of my Wondermare, my first horse, my teacher, my best friend, the one that has led a line of distinguished, life-changing horses behind her.  She taught me the meaning of hard work, perseverance, heart, generosity, and giving back.  She was the one that tore my heart open not once, but three times.  She was my Phoenix that rose from the ashes.

Her name was Triple Thirteen.

She went by Triple, Triple Dipple Doo, Doo, Wondermare.  Triple was a Louisiana-bred Thoroughbred, born on April 1st, 1987.  She is my April Fools baby, it's right there on her papers.  Her race record was nothing remarkable - 13 starts (are you seeing a trend here), 4 seconds, 2 thirds.  I am honestly surprised she hit the board, because after she left the track she cemented it in her constitution that she would never gallop again.  If you needed to go faster than a polite canter, you could get off and run it yourself.

She came into my life in 1997.  She was my first horse and funny enough, she was the one I wasn't even looking for.  I tagged along on a barn mate's horse shopping trip and she was the first horse we looked at.  She walked into that freezing cold indoor with a square cooler covering her, like a prized fighter walking into a championship fight.  She came home a couple weeks later and took on the role of professor for this 12-year old starry-eyed kid.  Funny story:  our first horse show never actually happened.  She refused to load onto the trailer that morning, so we eventually had to stay home.  Her punishment was trucking me around at home instead, the braids still in her mane.  We may not have gotten off to such a great start, but we had a pretty damned good run after that.

All dressed up and nowhere to go!

Over the next five years she took me from the 2-foot divisions through 3'6" (and higher, she won not one, but two puissance competitions up to 4'9"!).  We competed in the hunters and equitation divisions all over the state and some regional competitions.  She and I earned year-end titles and ribboned at different state medal finals.  She patiently taught me finesse and I loved her for her generous nature.  She was a part-time school horse, and occasionally filled in as a catch ride for adult medal riders needing to qualify; the only advice I ever gave them was "Point her in the general direction of the fence.  Even if you don't, she'll find it and jump it anyway.  Literally just sit there and don't get in her way."  She knew the job better than any of us did, and she was always happy to help.

She also carried me through a Medal round in sideways flying snow during a freak October blizzard.

Her generosity and heart wasn't just shown in the ring.  She came back from the brink of death.  In 1999, she had her first of two colic surgeries.  After that surgery she contracted an infection that killed the other three or four horses that had also contracted it.  She lost over 300 pounds, had a body condition scale of probably 1.5 (2 if you're being generous).  Amazingly enough, in the second week of fighting for her life she turned the corner.  She might have looked like a walking skeleton compared to the sleek show figure she normally wore, but she walked out of that hospital.  Sole survivor.

She was the state Junior Hunter champion the following season.

Triple had a second colic surgery in 2001.  She and Soon have many things in common, but one of the more heartbreaking things is that I cradled both of their heads in my arms as we laid crumpled on the ground, thinking I was about to lose them forever.  At the time, I didn't know horses could have more than one colic surgery.  So imagine my relief when the surgeon said she was going to surgery, and afterward when everything went perfectly (including her recovery).  The Wondermare, back from the brink of death a second time.  And like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes she transformed and started a new role in life.

Following that surgery, we eventually (after trying things out for the better part of a year) decided to step Triple down.  She was getting older, I was trying to enter the more competitive equitation ranks and it wasn't fair trying to drag her along with me.  She hated being idle as I moved onto another horse.  I maintained ownership, but with the help of my wonderful trainer, Triple found a loving home with an eventing trainer, Kathy, in the state in a long-term free lease.  Triple became a schoolmaster for Kathy's daughter, and eventually a full time school horse for beginner riders.  She was always in good weight, cheerful, and Kathy came to knew her little annoying bouts of gas colic like the back of her hand (every time the barometer dropped, or so it seemed).  I visited her at least yearly, between college schedule and then moving to Virginia for work.  The last time I saw her ridden, five years later, she was toting the tiniest little girl around the ring at the most careful, polite trot I have ever seen.  She loved her job.

Visiting with The Doo in 2005

Triple passed away on August 6th, 2007.  Kathy called me in Virginia (which never happened, so I knew something bad was happening), explained she was colickign badly, and asked permission to put her down.  My parents were ready to hook up the trailer and go take her to the clinic (we were all pretty familiar with colic surgery at that point, it was instinctual), but I had to plead for them to stay home.  I spoke to the attending vet, uttered the phrase "nephrosplenic entrapment," and there was a long pause on the phone.  "...How did you know that?" he asked.  I explained she had suffered it twice before, both episodes surgical, and it was then that we all knew.  Triple was 20 years old, and having been through what she had, there was no way any of us were going to put her through surgery a third time.  I gave my permission and her suffering was ended.

 I never got to say goodbye.  I was supposed to come north to visit her the following week.  Kathy and I had spoken about Triple's retirement, and I had made plans to bring her home with me and retire her in Virginia.  I was just too late. 

Our last visit together, Christmas 2006

As a more mature adult, I sometimes look back and wish I had the presence of mind to stick with Triple after that second surgery, keep her with me, and do whatever she was capable of.  I loved her with my whole heart, I felt that heart get ripped out of my chest with every major colic episode.  I shed many desperate tears for Triple, and still cry about her from time to time.  But I wanted more in my riding career than she could physically provide, and we both started new chapters in our lives.  Yes, sometimes I regret that deeply, wishing I had that one extra day with her, not to compete, not to even jump, but to just go into the back hay field up on the hill.  We would go up there in the fall after the medal finals and canter back/forth in the wide open field, enjoy the gentle cool air, and stop to look over the valley draped in all the brilliant colors of the New England fall.  Looking back on that moment now, I could stay there forever.

I was thinking today about a unique difference between Triple and Soon.  Soon was all mine; I picked him out at the track, I trained him, I rode him, I was there with him when he died.  While Triple was mine in ownership, she also belonged to others.  She taught so many people about riding, both while I had her, and afterward with Kathy.  In the rollercoaster of our relationship, I realized things happened exactly as they were meant to.  I was meant to move on to riding other horses, and she was supposed to go give other riders confidence.  She had to go help everyone else.  She was never meant to be mine alone.


So....what about this Netflix show?

Here on the eve of Wondermare's 32nd birthday, I was watching this series of short animated stories and this one episode comes on titled "Lucky 13."  Now...obviously I'm a huge fan of the number 13 after Triple and absolutely consider it my lucky number.  I wear #31 in hockey because it's 13 reversed (13 is not a "traditional" goalie number so I got creative).  So just by the title alone I'm thinking "Oh hell yeah."  Then I watched the episode and cried by the end.

It's set in the distant future and is about a young female Marine pilot who is given an old ship with an unfortunate history and an unlucky serial number...13.  I laughed with I saw the extended serial number was 13-08313...I think I remembered the whole serial, but point is it ended in "313," which is my code for Triple (Triple Thirteen = 313).  Old 13 had been through battles and shot down and recovered/returned to service twice.  The pilot came to love that old ship, they get each other through many combat missions, and at the end (BY THE WAY, SPOILER ALERT) the pilot scuttles the ship after being overrun by the enemy.  But the explosion didn't destroy the ship when she thought it would; it was delayed for a reason unknown to the pilot, and amazingly enough it went off just when all the enemy soldiers surrounded the ship itself.  The ship exploded and the enemy were all killed, saving the surviving Marines now on the ground.  It was the ship's final act to save her crew.

I guess I felt compelled to write all this because of what I saw in the show, because of the coincidences of the timing, the prevalence of the number 13, the relationship between the young pilot and the twice-resurrected war horse of a ship...yeah, that episode had me in tears at the end for all the good reasons. Smiling, too.


Happy birthday, Doo.  As always, I'll see you in my dreams. 

💕313💕

 

Fitness goals and finding my way back

So I'm sitting here with my feet up for the first time in a few days because I'm making myself take a rest day....and yesterday was leg day so I can't walk anyway.

LEG YAY

I had a goal when I came here to Okinawa that I wanted to get back into shape.  Not only get back into shape, but drop some pounds, eat right, work out a lot, and leave in the best shape of my adult life.

When I got here I was about 15-20lbs over where I'd like to be, horribly out of shape, and just feeling rotten about myself.  It was the result of over a year of pitying myself, being stuck in a deep emotional dark hole, the loss of Soon, the ongoing family drama....all which drained me of any energy I needed to actually get myself active again and working out.  I barely rode, I didn't play hockey.  I didn't even have the energy to cook for myself.  That whole year I ate like trash.

Back in December I finally got serious about getting my fitness back on track.  I started working with one of my colleagues, who helped get me on a sustainable program in the gym and introduced me to Keto diet.  I had a physical fitness test last week and I knew back in Nov/Dec that I needed to get my shit together immediately.  So my gym buddy helped set up a program for me and having a workout partner was what I needed to hold me accountable and motivate me.  Eventually I was doing two-a-days, running a couple miles in the morning and doing a gym workout (chest/back/shoulders/arms/legs) in the afternoon.

Despite being such a total lard earlier this year, I knocked out a 94.2 on my PT test (I usually score 95's so that was about on point) and despite being  a couple seconds slower on the run portion, I was very happy with that.  More importantly, that crap is out of the way and now I can start pushing myself harder in the gym without worrying about hurting myself before the annual PT test.  I'm excited to go harder and farther and faster, and to see even more results in the next three months.  Keto's been working for me as well, it was great to kick the sugar habit (I still have my cheat days and love chocolate) and I feel better when I'm on it.  I feel a lot better about myself and I am eager to see how much more progress I can achieve in the future.

I'm back to my barefoot running routine (yes, I'm one of those crazy people that runs around with absolutely no shoes on...trust me it's the only way I can run for miles without crippling myself), running between 3-5 miles at a time, and spending the afternoons in the gym working targeted areas.  My clothes are finally fitting better, and I have hope my breeches and boots will fit when I return and it's time to get back in the saddle. 

I also took up golf (got myself my own set of Cleveland clubs!!) and am sticking with the violin as well.  These two things give me something else to do and focus on, and are substituting as best they can for the horses.  I still need the horses though, and these last three months might crawl by.  I'm hoping though by staying busy, focusing on the fitness stuff and the other activities here that make me happy, that I'll get through it and before long I'll be on that long plane ride to Kentucky.

March 2019 Sig Update! Oh...and I'M MOVING TO KENTUCKY!!!

It's been more than six months since my last proper Sig update, so here it is!

Child is doing awesome.  He's been living outside all winter and doing well.  The last several videos I've received from Ashley have really, really gotten me excited about how Sig is coming along, and excited for the future with him.  He'll be five years old in a couple of weeks and I think his four year old year with Ashley was a very productive one.  He's learned so much and moves like a totally different horse.  He's much steadier in the contact, seems much more balanced and stronger, and he's still got that great natural rhythm over fences.

It's important to remember that he's still only four years old (well....soon to be five!) and right now it's just the basics.  When I bought him he was so backed off the contact he didn't know how to truly go forward.  Too much focus on "headset" and not enough focus on just forward from behind and straight. The few months we had together in Maryland were mostly hacking on a long rein and moving forward into the contact, and some light ring work focusing on the same.  Ashley and her team took the next step in his foundation work and I'm now seeing some really lovely results.

Here's a video from yesterday with Kalena, the assistant trainer, aboard.  I like this as I'm seeing more and more freedom through his shoulder and it seems like he's really starting to work from behind more.  While he still needs to learn to properly stretch and take the contact down (no slack in the rein), which he's not doing yet in this video, he's learned the concept of moving freely forward, which makes me very happy to see!

From here with more time and training I think he's going to be really lovely.  It makes me feel good seeing his progress.  Looking at him a year and a half ago as a three year old and knowing there was something in there, but not really sure what, and now seeing it start to come out is validation.  It's just hard when all you're doing is hacking for months on end to know for sure whether the potential athlete you think you saw is really in there.  I've always known he had the best personality, a great work ethic, was really smart and sweet, but athletically I was still unsure.  I just knew he needed time to grow and get strong, to relearn everything about moving and contact, and I needed time to chill after losing Soon.  But his development over the last nine months is showing me there's a really, really cool horse waiting for me back in Kentucky and I cannot wait to get home!

Oh, and on that note...

I'M MOVING TO LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY!

I got assigned to the ROTC detachment at the University of Kentucky!  For anyone who's actually been reading this blog for awhile (probably fat chance since there's like...seven of you), you might recall this post in which I outline my life plan.  That was almost two years ago.  And after a lot of work, a lot of convincing, and 365 days abroad in exchange for the chance to do it....it came true!!

Go after your dreams friends, and apologize for nothing.

I spent nearly two years putting this plan together, it required lots of different people and agencies to all concur, and I am so totally grateful for the opportunity.  I am inspired to work with and educate young cadets about becoming Air Force officers, and I think it is a role I will embrace and really enjoy.  So professionally I think it is a great move, a bit of a detour from my previous professional track, but still useful and a good opportunity.  Personally, of course, this is wonderful.  It puts me in Kentucky for about three years, and during that time I can decide if I want to remain in Lexington (and separate from the Air Force) or stay active duty and go on to a full 20-year USAF career.  We'll see.  Right now I'd say I'm about 50/50.

I'm not just excited about the horses and riding/training/showing opportunities, I have many reasons to look forward to living in the Lexington area.  I'm eager to continue my violin training with UK professors/students and joining a local amateur orchestra.  I'm looking forward to exploring a Masters degree through UK in their Arts Administration field, should I decide to take that path.  I'm excited about playing hockey and becoming part of the Lexington hockey community.  I'm excited about buying my first house! 

I'm just excited about Lexington.  As of today, I have only three more months left before I land at Lexington's airport and begin my Kentucky story.  I'll enjoy the remaining time here in Okinawa, but I cannot wait to get to the Bluegrass and be with Kentucky's greatest son.

Sig and I in Kentucky, December 2017

Half a World Away

I neglected to post this back when it was put up on The Chronicle of the Horse, but here was my blog from last fall about my time here in Okinawa:

Amateurs Like Us:  Half A World Away

Contemplating our tomorrows

So...sitting here on a Sunday night on a long holiday weekend watching the Capital Challenge stuff on demand (THANK YOU, USEF).  Normally I'd be sitting there at the PGEC watching Capital Challenge classes in person, but this year I'm 7,000 miles away wishing I was there eating my greasy horse show burger and watching the hunters in the coliseum.

Oh, well.

I am watching a lot of horse show stuff online lately, and the more I do, the more I think about what might have been with Soon.  More importantly though, and now (thankfully) more often, I think about what can be with Sig.  Perhaps someday we'll find ourselves at Capital Challenge too.  That'd be pretty cool.

I'm flipping between the adult amateur jumper classes and the A/O hunters, and I can see us playing in both rings.  I would love to spend more time in the jumper ring, having spent so much of my life in the hunters already.  But Sig has the chops to be a good hunter, at some level, so we'll see what he likes and what he's good at as he grows up. 

Dude has the metronome to match the knees

I think being a super hunter-y jumper can be a good thing.  Still harping on the jumper thing because I really loved the more casual, experienced-based and fun mindset I had about it last year...and maybe the clothing just a little bit.

I LIKE THE MATCHY-MATCHY OKAY

But more than anything I am just excited.  I'm excited because I think Sig and I have a really fun future ahead of us.  Not just from a showing perspective (I'm looking forward to having maybe 2 big A/AA rated shows on our calendar a year with some sprinkling of local options throughout the season), but from an all around fun point of view.  I spent today looking at Sig's old sale photos and videos that Carleigh had posted last year.  Having been away for awhile now, and before that having a pretty light  winter/spring with Sig, I had almost forgotten how easy going and game he is. 

Dressage?  He can learn it and one day he's going to be good at it.  Canter through water and jump strange (baby) XC obstacles?  Non-issue.  Go around like he's got a metronome in his brain while jumping out of his skin?  Of course.  Hack out alone?  Hell yes! 

...which is perfect, because I wish to do all those things.

I'm going to have a lot of fun with this horse.  I already have, but there is so, so much more in store.  He's a baby and has his whole career ahead of him, and I'm the one that gets to go along for the ride.  It's impossible to not be giddy like a school girl over that fact.  Like a giddy school girl singing Frozen songs.

"Do you wanna be a show horse?  You don't have to be a show horse..."

Kentucky's son is doing well.  He went to the Kentucky Horse Park the other week to school, and Ashley found out he still is terrified of Saddlebreds.  He's clearly needing more mileage, but some more field trips will cure that.  He's back out living outside 24/7 for the time being to save his mommy some money.  If he has to come in for the worst of the winter that's fine, but it's nice knowing he's living out again, he always seemed to enjoy that the most.

Reliving the greatest moment in my career

Soon and I with George H. Morris

 One year ago today was the day George Morris asked to buy my horse.  

Soon and I were participating in the 2017 George H. Morris clinic at Beverly Equestrian (The Plains, VA).  On the second day of the clinic, George hopped on Soonie to demo the grid jumping, and Bubba was an absolute star.  GHM is known for his love of a good Thoroughbred, and he loved Soon so much he kept jumping back and forth through the grid, again and again, and when he eventually pulled up, he kept asking me what his price was.  I am sure it was completely in jest, a charming way for George to express that he liked the horse.  Even if that's true, just the fact that he had enjoyed his ride on Soon was enough for me to remember that moment for a lifetime.

I had spent 27 years as a horseman and rider, starting as a little kid.  Growing up I idolized George Morris, Joe Fargis, Michael Matz, Leslie Burr Howard, so many other great American jumper riders.  This clinic and that incredible horse inspired me to ride with Joe Fargis, Linda Zang, Stephen Bradley.  All world class horsemen ...legends, even ... in their own right and training regularly with any one of them I would have thought an impossible accomplishment before last year.  But we did it.  And there I was on 13 September 2017, on my little Thoroughbred who I had retrained off the track myself, and he had impressed the most famous horseman in the world.

I was so incredibly proud of Soon, and still am.  I knew well before then that he was special, and I didn't need anyone else to think that.  But now not only did someone validate it for me, but it was George Morris.  Talk about an actual dream come true. 

I miss Soon.  It will not get easier the next couple of months.  But looking back, I still feel the overwhelming pride and sheer joy I felt in that moment, watching George ride around on Soon, praising him the whole way.  I can still feel the sting of the long-held smile on my face from George's compliments of Soonie, from his comments later about stealing him away.  I can still feel what it was like to give Soon the biggest hug after the session was over, so full of joy and pride that I cried into his neck.

Yeah...that had to be one of the greatest memories I will ever have with a horse.  The cool thing though?  I look back on every quiet hack, every sunset we watched out over the farm, and think of them just as fondly.  

With all the memories of the work that into that GHM clinic, and all the videos of old indoors/Olympics/etc horse shows I can find, I feel compelled to celebrate with some of our favorite action shots from last year:

Upperville Colt & Horse Show, 2017

Piedmont Jumper Classic, 2017

 Brother...you were the absolute coolest.  I miss you.  

But to end this blog on a very happy note, check out Boy Wonder back in Kentucky:

I just received that yesterday.  I have no desire whatsoever to get back in the hunter ring full time, but I think it's becoming pretty clear Siggy needs to do some hunter derbies.  His hunter potential is just disgusting in like the best way.  A good reason to dust off my tails!

...and then afterward we can go back to being the most well dressed/color coordinated, metronome/huntery 1.0m jumpers ever.

I like this plan.

New Show Name for Sig!

It only took me the better part of 10 months, but I think I've finally decided on a show name for Sig:

SIBELIUS MB

"Say whaaaaat?"

Jean Sibelius is a romantic/early modern-era classical composer.  MB stands for Mt Brilliant, the historic farm in Lexington, Kentucky that bred and raised Sig.

I had been going back/forth on keeping his current name Lucky Strike, given to him by his breeder, but not backed up with any kind of paperwork.  He has no papers at all.  Lucky Strike, being a little too commonly used for my taste, and me not being in anyway interested in cigarettes, was never super appealing to me.  I did register him with USEF under "MB Lucky Strike," but never really felt satisfied with it.  So I tossed around some ideas, mainly nautical/maritime themed.  Seemed like I could find something that would be good, possibly even tying to his sire's name, Northern Afleet.

And I found tons of options.  Damn good, classy, clever ones....a couple that absolutely related to his sire's name.  And none of them really "fit" Siggers.

Since I picked up the violin last spring, and have immersed myself in classical music, rediscovering old favorites and discovering works I had never had the pleasure of experiencing before (or was too immature to appreciate before), I toyed with using that as inspiration for Sig's new name.  And the idea felt right to me.

So I wrote down every violin-related or music-related term that I thought might be a great nod to my rediscovered passion.  Finally I landed on Sibelius.  I think it just looks and sounds right for Sig.

I think he looks like a Sibelius

Here is one of my favorite violinists, James Ehnes, performing Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D Minor with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony:

Thoughts on SafeSport

The complaining I have seen online about the SafeSport requirement is pathetic.

Excuses about spending an hour on an online training course, or not having kids or not being at a barn with kids, or not competing that much, or pushing back because Big Brother government is telling us what to do, or this training being useless and not helping anyone...they are all lame ass, lazy excuses that all total up to "It's not my problem." 

It is your problem. It's my problem too.

Look any victim in the eye and tell them it's not your problem. Perhaps if more people knew what to look for, or knew how to voice a concern, or if society was more open about talking and supportive of reporting abuses, that victim wouldn't be a victim. If this training helps just one person, it's worth it.

All sports with a national governing body in the US are required to implement this program.  So USEF isn't just making this up to further burden us poor, overworked, amateurs.  Personally, I'm still trying to figure out why members are always complaining about the burdens and regulations and blah blah blah...I don't think it's that complicated to pay a fee, abide by the rules, and take one stinking training course.  But maybe I just didn't sign up for the complicated version of USEF, who knows.

There is a very real meaning behind this requirement, and it wouldn't exist if some Very Bad People hadn't taken advantage of children while third party witnesses looked the other way.

No, the training isn't perfect and is a bit of a CYA move, but it's a start in the right direction, and is the easiest way to make an immediate, measurable impact across a large spectrum. I can make a joke about the amount of useless computer based training I have to take in the military, but the reality is that this training isn't useless or pointless.  It is just one training course and then you can go on your way.  Gasp...the annual refresher course is only 30 minutes.  I think you can scrounge up 30 minutes once a year to complete the refresher too. 

They're not asking you to invade Columbia, folks.

If you can bitch about it on Facebook or the COTH forums, you clearly have the time to knock it out. No internet at home? Visit your local library or Starbucks and do it on your phone.

Oh, you're offended at having to take the training because you feel it doesn't apply to you? That's fine....then don't compete. You have a choice. No one is forcing us to spend $2K at a USEF competition with our luxury show pets.

I just don't have the patience for people who want to yell and scream about how unfair this is.  Some are acting absolutely absurd. 

I think in the long line of accomplishments in the sport, speaking out and offering a voice in this discussion might be one of Anne's more important achievements.

On Stranger Tides

Seems like every time I go to sit down and write, that's when I lose the inspiration.

No surprise then I've started and dropped this update a couple times now.

Also no surprise that, to be quite frank, there has hardly been reason for me to write.  A year ago I was flying high, enjoying the journey of a lifetime, and as I come up on some major milestones in that journey in the coming months, it just makes me sad.

But to cut to the chase, so much has changed in the last year, even in the last few months since my last blog entry.  Sig and I enjoyed a quiet spring, did a lot of hacking, very little ring work, and mostly he chilled and got to grow up a little.  I didn't spend a lot of time riding due to work being crazy, and getting ready for my pending military move.  Where did I end up going?

Japan.

 

...Okinawa, to be specific.  I arrived in the middle of June.  It was a whirlwind spring, I had a lot of life-sorting and packing to do, hence Sig's light work schedule.  I dropped Siggers off with my trainer friend, Ashley, at her farm in Kentucky (just down the road from Mt. Brilliant where he grew up!) back in May.  Because the relationship is so new I wondered whether it would be easy to drive away...I finally stopped crying uncontrollably somewhere after I cleared the Lexington city limits.

Just before I started the long drive home without him...

He's doing great out there.  He's getting ridden now four days a week, getting a real foundation in flatwork and gridwork to start his career off right.  Ashley does a lot of hacking with him as well since he loves that and it's great for his brain.  She is a wonderful, soft rider who has a very similar approach to training as I do, so I could not think of a better person for him to go to.  He's currently doing night turnout, but he has the option of living out 24/7, so it's a great situation for him.  Here are some progress videos:






He will spend the year with Ashley, and I will spend the year here on Okinawa.  All in all, not a bad place to spend the year (yes...these are all my own photos of the neighborhood where I live!):

My work is my primary focus while I'm here, but I also have a couple of hobbies and areas of self-improvement I want to focus on.  I want to spend more time reading books, preferably on my quiet beach and away from technology and distractions.  I want to get fit again; I lost all my fitness and gained nearly 20 lbs since Soon's illness, subsequent death, and some unfortunate family issues that followed shortly thereafter.  I want to lose that weight and get fit so I can get back in the saddle and not miss a beat.

I also decided to start learning the violin.  This was a lifelong "dream" of mine, something I always wanted to do, but I guess until recently never allowed it to be more than just a thought.  I bought a violin two years ago at the encouragement of a colleague, but the poor thing sat in a corner, neglected, until I got my orders to Okinawa.  I started weekly lessons with a local professional in a last-ditch attempt to learn whatever I could in those two months before I left.

Bae and I in the airport waiting on our flight overseas

I found an incredible teacher here on Okinawa, and I lesson with her weekly.  It is my hope to learn as much as possible in this year, where I do not have any other major hobbies or distractions.  This is a great opportunity for me to dedicate myself to this instrument, so that I can have a solid foundation for the future.  I hope to continue regular lessons when I get back to the States, hopefully play in a local (community) orchestra, perhaps even some chamber music someday when I'm good enough.

I used to be a musician; I studied classical piano for 10 years.  I played both the piano and clarinet (concert bands and wind ensembles) from my seventh birthday through my senior year in college.  Studying music is a lot like serious training in the horse world.  It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and incredible amount of humility, and passion.  It's been nice to revisit my musical training and get back in touch with a part of myself I had long ignored.

And it's keeping me happy (or, as happy as it can).  It's almost as important as riding is, but of course it cannot quite fill that void.  I had major withdrawals this past week.  Was super sad about not being around horses, was missing Sig, was mourning Soon, was completely unsure how to get through the next 10 months without horses.

Sig also needs a new saddle by the sounds of it, so that is a large expense I had not budgeted for yet.  It will likely cost me my planned adventure to New Zealand this winter.   I had really wanted to go and spend a week or two in NZ.  It was the lifetime adventure, complete with horseback treks.  Now I seriously doubt I can afford any of that.

There are some (limited) riding options on Okinawa.  I do not know if I will end up riding here or not, but one of the barns is open to having me come out and hop on horses if we can make the timing work, so just knowing it's an option makes me feel more at ease.  Also, getting outside, away from the computer, getting moving, and getting some work done with the violin have helped put me in a better mood.

This is a year of finding myself, hitting the reboot button and finding out who I am now without my great partner, without some of the support systems I had in place before.  Hopefully this makes me a stronger person.  A better person.  A better partner for Sig.

We'll see.