1. I let Willow be used for lessons and a small amount is deducted from my board every month. Though this isn’t a sound choice for every horse, it works very well for Willow. I talked to my vet when I was a bit discouraged and he assured me that it is one of the best things that I can do for my horse as it challenges her both physically (working under a different rider uses different muscles) and mentally (she has to figure out a new person). She isn’t working that hard in the course of a week but a few lessons during the month do add up.

2. I have a very nice woman who loves riding Willow hacking her out a few days a week who pays on a per ride basis. Again nothing too taxing and Willow gets to make another amateur rider exceedingly happy. I think all three of us are quite happy with this arrangement. 

3. I work at the barn on weekends to help pay for my board. I have learned so much while doing this – fence repair, first aid, stable management. But it can get old never having a break – especially when the weather has been horrible for the past 4 weeks. This is a job that is much more fun during the summer!

4. I polish boots! I really like to polish boots and shortly, I will post an article with details on what I do to make boots shine. My trainer, Andrea, has me polish several times during the season and deducts it directly from my lesson bill.

5. I hope to work this year at the GMHA Junior Horsemanship Clinic as a barn manager. I did this last year and loved what it did for my riding. It’s a great way for me to travel with my horse, get a different set of eyes instructing me, school over a great XC course and spend lots of time riding in a “show” environment – riding in a dressage ring, jumping stadium fences, etc. And I get paid!

After temperatures were down well below zero, Andrea, Susie and I spent one Saturday afternoon with pencilling plans for our season. If nothing more, it helped to get me a bit more excited about riding in the cold!

Our first event of the year will be GMHA in Woodstock, Vermont. Notice the countdown clock! We’ll have to see what happens. The last few years that I’ve tried to make plans have ended with stall rest or wallet rest. Let’s see what happens this year…

I didn’t advance as far as I had thought I would since then. The summer of 2009, I wasn’t able to compete due to a suspensory injury that Willow suffered following a mare-kicking fight. Luckily, her injury was relatively minor for “what could have happened” but we did end up spending the summer doing a lot of walking.  That’s when my friend/instructor Mary Brust and I invented the “All Walk Dressage Test”.

Starting a blog is like that. You work to get it set up then you stall, unwilling to take those first few steps.

What I loved most about camp was getting to know so many like-minded people – adults who are interested in getting the most out of their relationship with their horse. For some that translated into competition, for others it was just a way to get out and do stuff.

The camp is not inexpensive but for what you get it is a good value. I was able to attend with a wonderful Christmas bonus from my boss.