A Horsey Questionnaire

1. Dish face or Roman nose? Why? Roman nose. Because I am a sucker for a chiseled baroque head.
2. Mares or geldings? Why? Mares! Because I like some attitude in my life.
3. Do you think warmbloods are over-rated? No.
4. Describe your dream horse. Google the bullfighting horse Merlin (viewer discretion is advised). That’s my dream horse. 10/10 mover, 10/10 build, 10/10 color, 10/10 personality.
5. What kind of bit do you use and why? Simple D-ring snaffle for schooling and broken Pelham because I was trained to ride with double reins and Ben really works well off a plain snaffle most of the time except when he gets squirrely, then I need the curb chain to remind him to listen to me.
6. Stock horses or sport horses? Stock horse (love sport horses but Andalusians and Lusitanos do not fall into that category).
7. Favorite horse color? Bay. Then chestnut. That is all.
8. Least favorite horse color? Uhhhhh…anything bred for color not conformation. Even if it’s bay or chestnut.
9. Dressage or Jumping? Dressage.
10. Favorite stock horse breed? Andalusian/Lusitano are evenly matched.
11. Favorite Hot-blooded breed? See #10.
12. Favorite cold-blooded breed? Has to be Clydesdales only because those Budweiser Clydes choke me up every Super Bowl.
13. Dapple grey or Flea-bitten grey? Dapple.
14. Most expensive piece of tack you own? Saddle.
15. When did you start riding? 8 years old.
16. Leather or nylon halters? Nylon, because I color code everything.
17. Apples or Carrots? No preference. I’ve taught Ben to take small bites of either item so we usually share.
18. Chestnut or bay? Bay.
19. Palomino or Buckskin? Neither? I mean, my sister has a sweet, old, bitchy AQHA palomino that I love so maybe palomino?
20. Lazy horse or hot horse? Neither are fun but at least I can get something done on a hot horse.
21. Have you ever been trail riding? All the time.
22. Have you ever had to put down a horse that you loved? Yes.
23. How many saddle pads do you have? More than I am aware of.
24. How many bridles do you have? 2.
25. Favorite saddle brand? I have no opinion.
26. Beige or White Breeches? White. That’s what a dressage rider should say…right?
27. Least favorite discipline? I don’t have a least favorite. I ride dressage and classical. Any other style doesn’t really interest me.
28. Do you own a horse? Yes.
29. Do you collect Breyer horses? No, but I have 6 or 7.
30. Favorite color of saddle pad? Black.
31. Private barn or Boarding stable? I can’t really say. I keep my horses on my own property.
32. Opinion on spoiled riders? They’re so lucky.
33. Have you ever ridden tackless? Yes. Not recently though.
34. Have you ever stood up on a horse? No. I have terrible luck so I prefer to not take my chances.
35. Overo, Tobiano, or Tovero? None! Maybe overo…those are the ones with the nice clean patches, right?
36. Favorite face markings(s)? Blaze. I love the pink noses and popped bubblegum lips!
37. Why you started riding? I was horribly misguided by Rainbow Brite as a child and my parents never corrected my horse crazy behavior.
38. Does anyone in your family ride? My whole family tried to ride for a while. Now it’s just my sister and I.
39. Have you ever owned a horse? Uh…#28?
40. Something you want to improve on? Being an equestrian as a whole? Yeah. I want to improve on that.
41. A bad habit you have? I lean forward.
42. A bad habit your horse has? Ben doesn’t listen to his rider. Aria paws. Valeria bites.
43. How high have you jumped? I like to keep my horse’s feet on the ground but we have popped over hay bales and logs…so maybe 1.5ft?
44. Have you ever had a dressage lesson? Many.
45. What really makes your horse spook? Last spook was earlier this year when a motorcycle approached from the east, a person was throwing garbage away to the west, there was a huge weird tractor thing to the south and some alpacas beamed in from the sky to the north. He lost his mind. In general he’s a very nervous horse.
46. Trail riding or ring work? Trail, but not lazy walking trails. Working trails. All gaits, all schooling movements.
47. Indoor or Outdoor arena? Ask me when it’s raining. J
48. Colorful or plain saddle pads? Plain.
49. Do you like horses with blue eyes? Sometimes.
50. Have you ever gotten into a fight with your trainer? Yes, and I no longer train with them. It’s not a good head space to be in. I don’t recommend it.
51. Light bay or dark bay horses? Dark or mahogany bay!
52. What is your equestrian dream? I would really love to put on a classical riding exhibition.
53. Long mane or Pulled mane? Long. If you pull an Andalusian’s mane you are a monster. Not really but…sort of.
54. Opinion on fake tails? I am in love with crummy Appaloosa tails so I really don’t see the point of fake tails.
55. Least favorite thing about your barn? Location. It’s an hour and 45 minutes from me.
56. Favorite thing about your barn? Aria is currently there and I love my trainers.
57. Have you ever ridden a stallion? Why? Are they special? I have, but this question could just as easily say ‘mare’ or ‘gelding’ because stallions aren’t any different and shouldn’t be treated like they are.
58. Socks or no socks on a horse? No socks on bays. Socks on chestnuts.
59. Favorite horse names? People names! There are some names that make me cringe but whatever makes the owner and horse happy is what counts.
60. If you could ride any horse in the world, which one would it be? Why? Merlin. Just watch his videos on YouTube. Fair warning, he is probably fighting a bull in those videos. Viewer discretion is advised.