Survey

I have not done a survey like since I was about 18!

1. Do you have a horse (or do your ride one)? color, breed, etc – 5yo arab warmblood bay mare called Allie.


2. How long have you been riding? – 18 years.

3. Synthetic or leather reins?- Leather. Synthetic suck!

4. English or Western? why? – English. Western riding is not that big in Australia, and I was taught english anyway. Plus, the few times I HAVE sat in a western saddle on a horse I hated it - felt like I was sitting with a giant box between my legs and the stirrups are too friggen long. Ick. I don't mind stock saddles for trail rides though.

5. Favorite breed? - I have had a welsh arab cross, an OTTB and now arab warmblood. I don't really have a favorite breed per se, but I love welsh ponies for their heart and courage. TB's I love for their general athleticism and arabs for their looks, endurance ability and their sweetness. I'm not a fan of the look of quarter horses, but I haven't met one that had a bad personality, they have all been easy going and obedient.

6. Favorite color? - chestnut I think. My Becks always had a lovely coat and they keep their shine well. And in the sun, you can't beat a ranga horse!!

7. Rubber or leather boots? I wear leather jodphur boots with either leather gaiters or chaps.

8. Pony or Horse? - Horse (but I secretly wish I was small enough to ride ponies!)

9. Show, games or trail? – I'm yet to show. I took my first pony to a couple of interschool gymkhanas but that's it so far. Loved games on him, but trail riding is super fun. Love it, going through water, finding logs to jump over, it is what owning and riding horses is all about. :)

10. Sunscreen or bug spray? – Weird question. Both if needed.

11. Nylon, rope or leather halter? – Nylon for tying, rope for ground work. Never wasted the money on a leather one.

12. Saddle or bareback? - I spent most of my youth riding bareback. I had a heavy stock saddle and had to walk or bike 5k's to where I kept my horse so after a couple of trips back and forth with the saddle I stopped bothering! Becks had a huge wither and bareback was uncomfortable and Allie had me off the first time I rode bareback!! But we had a bareback schooling session the other night and she was amazing.

13. Mares or Geldings? ... Stallions? - Geldings, I've never been a mare person. HOWEVER Allie is the most gelding like mare I have ever known!

14. What type of saddle do you use? – I have a KN Overture Victoriana dressage saddle. It's an Austrian saddle and it is AMAZING. I love it - a nice deep seat but I can still get up out of it, big leg rolls but they aren't restrictive. Most other saddles make my legs ache when I ride for more than an hour and a half (I have to get off and walk) but this saddle does not!!

15. Something silly about your horse’s personality? – Where do I start?! She is such a ditzy mare, but one thing she does is when she leaps into a transition (like walk to trot) she often puts in a little squeal for.no.reason. Too cute!

16. Jumping or barrels? - my little welshie cross Pom loved both, and he rocked at both. Point and shoot type of jumper, anything you had the courage to jump he was game and if you were not brave enough, just close your eyes and he would get you to the other side safely! He also won 1st place ribbons in barrels at the gymkhanas we went to. Becks was not good at turning little circles (the one and only time i fell off him was because he turned too quick and fell over bless him) and Allie would trip over her own feet, so jumping.

17. Favorite gait? Why? - Nothing beats the thrill of a gallop. I miss galloping (Allie doesn't know she can!) and can't wait to have another flog up a hill. So I love jumping and galloping, so this is why I want to event!

18. Favorite horse movie? – Spirit, Stallion of the Cimmarron! My sister and I know all the words to that movie (even though I was too old to like it when it first came out) and I have the sound track on my iPod.

19. Favorite horse websites? Love horse blogs! I used to be an avid forum contributer but my favorite forum was sold and closed down and my other fav has been ruined by hundreds of thousands of spam posts. :( I'm yet to get into any other forums.

18. What color saddle pad, halter, etc.? – Navy blue!

19. Do you like natural horseman ship? – I hate the commercial aspect of it and how some people never get on their horses because they get stuck in the 'pre flight check' stage, as their horse doesn't 'want' to get ridden. Sorry, my horse is bloody expensive to keep, I take good care of her and she has a job to do i.e. Be ridden. BUT I use quite a few different natural horsemanship techniques with my general handling and riding. Most of it does work, just take what works for you from each style. Don't subscribe to one way as the only way!

20. Biggest achievement with horses (so far!)? – Being able to afford the buggers!

21. Appaloosa, paint or both? As long as the horse is fairly well confirmed I don't care about loud colouring BUT a paint is generally prettier.

22. Weirdest thing you've ever done with a horse? – Ridden (on numerous occasions) in McDonalds drive through AND I once rode my pony inside the shopping centre. I was the town menace.

23. Ever ridden on a beach? - No, but we are taking the horses away to the beach in November with some friends. :)

24. Ever gone camping with your horse? - not yet!!

25. How old were you when you first fell off? - I would say 12 or 13.

26. Trail ride alone or with a buddy? – I used to love riding by myself, the one on one time with my horse. But I normally ride with my sister now because I think riding alone is too dangerous on our young inexperienced mares.

27. Helmet (i hope) or not? - ALWAYS helmet, now that I'm an adult and know exactly what can happen if you don't wear one.

28. On a scale from 1-20. How much do you love horses? 20. I am still that little horse crazy girl. My mind goes like this all day: horses, hooves, Andrew, horses, Allie, work, hooves, hooves, Gracie, puppy dogs, kitty cat, hooves, Andrew, Allie aaaaand repeat.

29. Ever been really scared on a horse? Of course! Pom used to bolt on a regular basis, Becks never really scared me though, he was a total sweetheart. Allie has a rearing... thing, and I think being brave on a horse is all bluff anyway.