- Dish face or Roman nose? Why? Roman nose. Because I am a sucker for a chiseled baroque head.
- Mares or geldings? Why? Mares! Because I like some attitude in my life.
- Do you think warmbloods are over-rated? No.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stock horses or sport horses? Stock horse (love sport horses but Andalusians and Lusitanos do not fall into that category).
- Favorite horse color? Bay. Then chestnut. That is all.
- Least favorite horse color? Uhhhhh…anything bred for color not conformation. Even if it’s bay or chestnut.
- Dressage or Jumping? Dressage.
- Favorite stock horse breed? Andalusian/Lusitano are evenly matched.
- Favorite Hot-blooded breed? See #10.
- Favorite cold-blooded breed? Has to be Clydesdales only because those Budweiser Clydes choke me up every Super Bowl.
- Dapple grey or Flea-bitten grey? Dapple.
- Most expensive piece of tack you own? Saddle.
- When did you start riding? 8 years old.
- Leather or nylon halters? Nylon, because I color code everything.
- Apples or Carrots? No preference. I’ve taught Ben to take small bites of either item so we usually share.
- Chestnut or bay? Bay.
- Palomino or Buckskin? Neither? I mean, my sister has a sweet, old, bitchy AQHA palomino that I love so maybe palomino?
- Lazy horse or hot horse? Neither are fun but at least I can get something done on a hot horse.
- Have you ever been trail riding? All the time.
- Have you ever had to put down a horse that you loved? Yes.
- How many saddle pads do you have? More than I am aware of.
- How many bridles do you have? 2.
- Favorite saddle brand? I have no opinion.
- Beige or White Breeches? White. That’s what a dressage rider should say…right?
- Least favorite discipline? I don’t have a least favorite. I ride dressage and classical. Any other style doesn’t really interest me.
- Do you own a horse? Yes.
- Do you collect Breyer horses? No, but I have 6 or 7.
- Favorite color of saddle pad? Black.
- Private barn or Boarding stable? I can’t really say. I keep my horses on my own property.
- Opinion on spoiled riders? They’re so lucky.
- Have you ever ridden tackless? Yes. Not recently though.
- Have you ever stood up on a horse? No. I have terrible luck so I prefer to not take my chances.
- Overo, Tobiano, or Tovero? None! Maybe overo…those are the ones with the nice clean patches, right?
- Favorite face markings(s)? Blaze. I love the pink noses and popped bubblegum lips!
- Why you started riding? I was horribly misguided by Rainbow Brite as a child and my parents never corrected my horse crazy behavior.
- Does anyone in your family ride? My whole family tried to ride for a while. Now it’s just my sister and I.
- Have you ever owned a horse? Uh…#28?
- Something you want to improve on? Being an equestrian as a whole? Yeah. I want to improve on that.
- A bad habit you have? I lean forward.
- A bad habit your horse has? Ben doesn’t listen to his rider. Aria paws. Valeria bites.
- 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?
- Have you ever had a dressage lesson? Many.
- 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.
- Trail riding or ring work? Trail, but not lazy walking trails. Working trails. All gaits, all schooling movements.
- Indoor or Outdoor arena? Ask me when it’s raining. J
- Colorful or plain saddle pads? Plain.
- Do you like horses with blue eyes? Sometimes.
- 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.
- Light bay or dark bay horses? Dark or mahogany bay!
- What is your equestrian dream? I would really love to put on a classical riding exhibition.
- Long mane or Pulled mane? Long. If you pull an Andalusian’s mane you are a monster. Not really but…sort of.
- Opinion on fake tails? I am in love with crummy Appaloosa tails so I really don’t see the point of fake tails.
- Least favorite thing about your barn? Location. It’s an hour and 45 minutes from me.
- Favorite thing about your barn? Aria is currently there and I love my trainers.
- 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.
- Socks or no socks on a horse? No socks on bays. Socks on chestnuts.
- Favorite horse names? People names! There are some names that make me cringe but whatever makes the owner and horse happy is what counts.
- 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.