A day late because our power went out just as I was sitting down to start on this yesterday morning. It has been a good year with a lot of really low points. I felt like I was cursed this endurance season and never did find a good note to end on. Still, Mike and I moved in the right direction with our lives, and I accomplished a lot along the way. I don't feel the same, "OMG is it over yet?" that I've felt the last two years, and I am excited to see what 2016 brings. Here is my annual month-by-month recap. Feel free to ignore. I do this for my own records.
January
We were already deep in the throes of winter when 2015 rolled in. We rang in the new year with Dev and C, Bryce and Eryca, and company. My lessons had slowed down due to constant ice and snow. I was still teaching on Pandora. She had her good moments and her bad moments.
We went to Monster Jam with Andrew and Amy.
There were only two horses in the back yard... Oreo and Tookie.
February
The month started off on an exciting note. After waiting my entire life to have horses in my back yard, I brought Ozzy and JR home to the apartment. It was the best decision I could have made. Now, nearly a year later, I am super happy with their presence here. I take comfort in night checks and daily feedings, and I love being able to glance out the window any time I want to see them. I even rode JR bareback in the snow.
Mike and I celebrated one year in our first apartment together. This place really feels like home and we're going to be hard pressed to leave here whenever that time comes.
Mike and I spent much of our time cooking, playing/snuggling with the dogs, and doing puzzles as we hid from the frightful weather outside. We were definitely grateful for the big truck, which was still running well at the time. (After spending a few nights in Home Depot's parking lot last week, she is currently taking up residence at the shop until further notice.)
The big downside in February was my mom's health scare. The day after Valentine's Day, she collapsed at work with crippling abdominal pain. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent life saving surgery for perforated ulcers. It was terrifying. My mom has since made a great recovery, which is a relief.
March
Snow, snow, and more snow. The never ending winter went on. Mike spent a lot of time plowing and I went along for the ride whenever I could.
At least the snow made for some photogenic moments with the horses.
The dogs continued to hide.
On March 6th, Dev and C were heading home from a night at Bryce's house, when a car full of Coast Guard Cadets lost control while coming the other way. The two cars collided head on, ending in two fatalities. Mike and I woke up on the 7th to find out that our friends had been air lifted to two separate hospitals. We sprang into action. Bryce and Eryca went to one hospital. Mike and I went to the other. The next several weeks consisted of us juggling hospitals and just trying to help in any way we could. The year was not off to a good start.
In the mean time, we went to Bluestone for hay, and I saw that my boxer buddy, Kole, was going down hill fast. I took some last photos of him for Brenda, and hoped it wouldn't be the last time I saw him.
Work life continued at the clinic. Despite repeated efforts to hire help, I wound up being the only staff member for the entire year.
Somewhere in the course of everything, I got a new mount to play with. My friend, Wendy, got a new horse, Sterling, and offered to share him with me. We did some conditioning rides at Allaire. I also ate dirt off the little gray gelding when he spooked at nothing and stopped short. I tumbled off over his head and landed gracelessly on the frozen ground. Knock on wood because the year isn't over yet, but it was my only fall for the year.
I finished off the month by entering Rabbit Run on Sterling. We started the endurance season off strong with a Top Ten finish, despite a rough time at the starting line.
That day, Sandy brought JR down to ride camp for me. She and I rode the Bunny Hop trails together the next day as a conditioning ride for her mare, Mickey. JR was a great sport about the entire weekend. He camped like a pro, trail rode perfectly, and acted as an excellent babysitter. It turns out this would be our last real ride, and I'm glad his career ended on such a memorable note. Even Mike rode him that weekend!
April
Finally, spring started to make an appearance. The foxes came out of hiding and spent time shedding in our sand pile.
The dogs also came out of hibernation.
My shaggy horses slowly started to shed. Ozzy was still pretty ragged when I took pictures of him in the polos one of my clients made him.
Bad luck continued to surround everyone I know, and my grandfather passed away, leaving me with one remaining grandparent.
I went back to working with Booger, and made Mike build me a teeter totter, which I tested on JR first.
I continued to work with Wink, who was still at his old barn!
My endurance season continued in full force as I completed No Frills, the first jewel of the OD Triple Crown, on Steel. Dodie and I shared many laughs and stunning views as we rode 55 of the toughest miles I've seen so far. Steel and I did nearly fall off the side of the mountain, but we landed right side up so it was fine!
May
The month started off exactly the way the rest of the year had been going. My boss at the clinic ended up in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism one morning while I was signing in cats. Yikes! She too wound up being ok long term, but it wasn't making me feel any less unlucky.
I rode my third horse for the season and finished 50 miles at Biltmore on Magic. I did do some primal scream therapy on the last loop, but had a fantastic ride over all. I was feeling good about my ride season, and foolishly started to make goals for the rest of the year.
Back home, Booger was making awesome progress in training. I even sat on her bareback one night and she was perfect. My friend, Tor, also came to ride her and she behaved beautifully. She was starting to become a real horse.
Wink also continued to make excellent progress and proved that he had a knack for jumping more than just the occasional obstacle.
A horse from my past reappeared when one of the girls at the barn adopted I'm Still Thinking aka Shrek aka Gambit from SRF. She signed up for lessons with me and I was more than happy to add another standardbred to my roster.
Sadly, Kole did pass away, and I was glad I took the photos I did when I got them.
I met Jupiter, the four year old buckskin saddlebred gelding, and after a brief evaluation, he went into full training with me for a few months. He was a big baby, and I took an immediate liking to him. He ended up being my most noteworthy training case for the year and I flooded social media with pictures of this handsome guy.
The horses started to look more like horses and I took advantage for some photos. Ozzy seems especially happy with the extra attention he gets at home.
I took some other photos as well, and continued to re-find the joy in photography thanks to my "new" camera.
In the mean time, Dancer started his show career with his new owner. He wound up going on to kick ass in his division and qualified for the regional championships in Harrisburg at the end of the season. I shared updates on his progress as I got them, and felt good knowing that we'd found the perfect match for him.
June
Another old face reappeared when CP's owner contacted me with some new leasers who wanted lessons on the feisty chestnut. I was delighted to be reunited with my favorite pony, and thrilled to see how well he's doing three years later.
I took photos of the nightly deer as they came around.
I trail rode Booger and started free jumping her. As it turns out, she's a phenomenal jumper.
Jupiter was also well on his way to being a riding horse. We started trotting and cantering under saddle and got really used to both the indoor and the outdoor.
I went to Old Dominion where my Triple Crown goals were shattered. Steel and I had an amazing first and second loop, but she pulled a shoe and came up lame on the way into the hold. She looked better after having a new shoe tacked on, but her hoof was in pretty rough shape. I didn't want to hurt her so I rider optioned, my first AERC pull on a catch ride, and the start of a terrible streak of bad luck. Still, I was grateful for the opportunity to ride such epic trail in such good company.
We worked on letting Julio off leash at home with the help of a drag line. I'm proud to report that he now does pretty well during supervised play and is starting to learn the rules!
More artsy fartsy photos came when I stalked some ducks at work and when there was a particularly epic sunset at home.
July
The biggest news for July was that Mike got a new car! He sold the truck he's had since high school and picked up a Rav4, which has been perfect for our active and outdoorsy lifestyle! We've loved having the new car, and it has gotten me thinking about my own vehicle...
Booger turned five and I got her a fancy browband for her birthday. By then, she was really becoming my little buddy. I was also doing a lot more bareback riding with her.
I did some Barbie Horse Time with Wink.
Jupiter and Gambit continued to do well in training. Jupiter learned to park out and Gambit got introduced to barrels and poles. He also started to look the part of a western horse.
I also met, evaluated, and started training Sienna, a little gaited mare who had been pulled literally off the meat truck. She reminded me a bit of JR in both looks and personality and proved to be a willing, cooperative client.
I took more artsy photos and Mike and I continued to tame the deer in the yard.
The unending bad luck continued. My friend Kelly in Virginia got into a head on collision too. The people in the other car died and she spent days in a medically induced coma while she underwent multiple surgeries for her broken limbs and pelvis. She nearly lost her leg, but is now expected to make a full recovery over time.
Thankfully, we were able to get away for a while when Andrew and Amy invited us up to their lake house in New York. We spent a much needed weekend relaxing, drinking, swimming, and eating delicious food. We also played the most intense game of Go Fish ever.
August
August started off with one of my favorite rides, Ride Between the Rivers, and my bad luck continued. I rode a fantastic 50 miles with Liz only to be pulled at the finish when Magic started thumping. He had bolted pretty badly at the start and hadn't settled until many miles in, so I attributed his metabolic issues to his antics. It was bad luck, but it was out of my hands. Still, it was worth it for the good times, moonshine, excellent company, food, and epic ride photos.
Everyone was pretty tuckered out after that one.
Sienna did well in training.
In a rare moment of free time, Mike got a chance to ride Oreo.
Our own horses seemed to be enjoying the warm weather, and retirement treated them well.
That month's bad news started off as some vague almost-lameness in Booger's hind end. The problem grew more prominent and severe as time went on. Before I knew it, we'd ended up at the hospital for a full work up. Several hours and thousands of dollars later, we all agreed that the young mare had some sort of neurological deficit, though we never got a formal diagnosis. With a heavy heart, I accepted that my days working with this talented, pretty, and super smart mare were over already. With Booger being just five years old and just starting to show a work ethic, it was hard news to swallow.
I did get some gorgeous photos of her and her mom before I said my goodbyes.
I did get the opportunity to ride one of my other favorite mares when Lynn went away and left me to ride Pearly in her absence. I never get sick of that facility!
I finished off the month with another ride and another pull at Iron Mountain in Virginia. This time, I managed to climb off of Magic before he succeeded at bolting. We only rode the LD and had a perfect last loop after Beth and Spirit got pulled, but he was still thumping at the finish. It turns out Dr. Bob had made some changes to his electrolytes, and undoing those changes seems to have fixed the big guy's problems. Still, it was my third pull in a row and I felt like I was never going to complete again.
September
This month's catastrophe involved being exposed to a rabid cat at work, which involved multiple hospital visits for prophylactic treatment. Stellar.
I started working with my landlord's stallion, Tookie, and made fast progress. I honestly need to get back into that!
We had more spectacular skies at home.
We also took up snorkeling, an old hobby of Mike's that was new and fantastic to me. We spent hours at the reservoir exploring the under water world.
I went up to Hector Half Hundred in NY to try my luck with a different horse. After years of drooling over him, I finally got to ride and compete Wendy's Fleuron. We had a great 55 miles despite freezing temperatures and steady rain, only to get pulled at the finish for a muscle cramp due to the elements. Ugh! I wanted to scream, but spending some time with Skip and Angela was good for my soul. In fact, Angela has to be one of the best people I met all year and I can't wait to see more of her in the future.
I came home and assessed JR for soundness. He's still not able to hold up to any kind of work, but it was pretty funny to watch Ozzy try to lunge with him in the process!
So instead of riding my horses, I just walked my dogs all over the Sourlands. I even found a leash/harness combination that helps take the hassle out of walking them both together.
We got another mini vacation when we went away to the lake house for an extended weekend. We jet skied, drank sangria, played poker, and saw the sights.
October
Fall rolled in and Mike and I started hiking. We hit the Gorge and Merrill Creek and I snapped thousands of photos.
The days got shorter and sunsets gave way to moonrises.
The colors changes and I photographed the horses against them.
Jupiter graduated and went on to training at a full saddleseat barn, where he continues to do well.
I wrapped up the endurance season not by riding as I had hoped, but by crewing for Kally and Indy in the 100 at the National Championships in Virginia. We had a long, but good weekend and Kally completed in style in the wee hours of the morning.
Unfortunately. Julio gave us a scare when we came home, and we wound up at the emergency vet for a food bloat. He too ended up being just fine, but it was really starting to feel like we'd had some medical thing every single month of the year.
Lessons also started to wind down for the winter, and I decided to pick up not one, but two OTTB sale projects. Scout and Brooklyn came home at the end of October.
November
For a moment, it looked like winter might be upon us, but the temperatures went up and this year has been almost tropical.
Wink moved to a new barn, but I got lucky enough to keep him on as a client.
I photographed my sale horses, then restarted them under saddle.
Amazingly, Scout sold almost immediately and I was down to just one, which is good because I've been doing a lot with him.
I knocked an item off my bucket list by riding a fjord with some friends. He was every bit as magical as I had hoped.
Mike and I wrapped November up in a flurry of activity. We had two back to back weddings with Thanksgiving in the middle, but before we knew it, the month was over.
December
And now it's December and the year is just about up. I'm still taking puppy photos for the rescue and blogging for Team Unruly. I have a horse of my own to ride again, and I'm excited about that. I took Brooklyn trail riding and started jumping him. Just yesterday Christine came out and jumped him 3'3". He's doing great and I can't wait to see where he goes next!
Christmas was spent with my family and we'll see Mike's mom tomorrow. The holidays were quiet this year and I feel like I don't know where the year went. Then Mike and I drove around the back roads where the old money is and took pictures of Mike Tyson's old mansion. New Year's is a week away and we don't even have plans yet.
I'm looking forward to the future with Brooklyn and to selling him, hopefully this coming year. I am excited for a new ride season and I hope it goes better than the last one. It's amazing the things that happen in a year, and I'm wondering what I'l be posting 12 months from now...