In which I want to start a "blog hop", so who wants to play the game too?

It's a quiet time of year.  The weather is awful.  

The trails are muddy.  It gets dark about an hour after sunrise.

We haven't had a blog hop here at Haiku Farm since 2014.  Let's have a new one!

Here's the directions:

• Answer the questions (below) on your own blog, and leave a link to that post in the comments here.
• In your post, invite readers to answer the questions on THEIR blogs, and link those blogs to yours AND to here.
• Let's see how far this can travel!
• Pictures!  Let's see lots of pictures of people and horses!

*  Introduce yourself!

*  Introduce your horse(s)!

*  What's your favorite horse sport?  Do you cross train in other activities?

*  Who else in your family rides?

*  What's your proudest equestrian accomplishment?

*  What was your lowest moment as a horse owner/rider?

*  What's the most important small thing you ever learned in a lesson?

*  Do you have any riding rituals or superstitions?

*  What are your short term goals for yourself/your horse?

*  Long term goals?

*  If time and money were no object, what is your dream equestrian vacation?

*  What kind of horse activities were you doing 10 years ago?

*  What kind of horse activities do you think you'll be doing 10 years from now?

*  What is the quirk about your horse that you like most?

*  Introduce yourself!  

Aarene, Swampland dweller, book writer person, librarian, Dragon rider

*  Introduce your horse!

Fiddle, 2002 Standardbred, USTA registered "Naked Willow,"  mostly called The Dragon, sometimes called "D*mmit, Dragon,"  more often called "good GIRL, Dragon!"  Formerly known as "Hellbitch."

The fire breathing Dragon

*  What's your favorite horse sport?   Do you cross train in other activities?

Endurance!

Renegade Rendezvous 2015

I am a reluctant dressage rider in winter (Fiddle LOVES dressage, I enjoy the challenge but have no interest in showing).  We also build trails together,

and sometimes we play games.

Standardbred Game Day, Langely BC  This game is an egg-stomp.  We took 1st place.

*  Who else in your family rides?

Jim used to ride, when his bones were younger.

Jim and Blaze at the Oregon Dunes ride, 2002

The kids took lessons, but are not interested in pursuing the horsey life.

Lisa and Guy at Fish Creek, 2010

*  What's your proudest equestrian accomplishment?

2015 Endurance Standardbred Award.  We did a LOT of rides to get that one.  It was fun, but not easy!

*  What was your lowest moment as a horse owner/rider?

Realizing, 2 years after Fiddle was spayed, that a lot of her "bad temper" issues were pain related.

No caption needed, really.

 The spay surgery removed the pain.  If I had seen it sooner, I might have spared her that.  :-(  

*  What's the most important small thing you ever learned in a lesson?

RELEASE HER WHEN SHE GETS IT RIGHT!  That maybe isn't a small thing, as it took me a very long time to get proficient!  And, um, I still need to practice.

*  Do you have any riding rituals or superstitions?

I check the rear trailer door at least twice before starting the truck.  Sometimes I check it again when I've driven a mile (or less).

*  What are your short term goals for yourself/your horse?
Get back on the endurance trail again.  We took 2016 off following a stifle injury last January--still riding, but no competitions.

Take more lessons. My schedule doesn't make this easy, but it's important.  Bad weather helps--I'm not as interested in riding trails when we need a snorkel and swim fins (or a sn*wmachine)  to reach the trailhead.

It's coming.  Bahhh.

*  Long term goals?
Decade Team.  We've got five years thus far.  Five more of competitions of at least one 50-miler per year.  Fortunately, the ten years don't have to be consecutive, so our year off isn't a huge setback.

*  If time and money were no object, what is your dream equestrian vacation?
Wouldn't I love to ride in Mongolia?  Or maybe visit lytha in Germany and borrow a Traber (German Standardbred) for a ride?  Or visit the trotting races in Scandinavia?  Also: Egypt.

*  What kind of horse activities were you doing 10 years ago?
I was "horseless" for almost exactly 3 weeks in 2006.  My senior Standardbred mare was put down the first week of December, and Fiddle was delivered to me right after Xmas.  So for three weeks I messed around with Hana and the Toad a bit, and cried a lot.  It was pretty awful.

Story and me, 2006

*  What kind of horse activities do you think you'll be doing 10 years from now?
Fiddle will be 24 years old, and hopefully still putting me through some paces.  I will probably have an apprentice Standardbred by then, to haul me down the trails and around the arena.  Maybe a short horse this time?  I can hope.

I'd like to try polo someday.  And this medieval gaming thing is pretty fun.  But I don't think I'll ever be a Dressage Queen!

*  What is the quirk about your horse that you like most?
She watches out for me.  When I was awaiting surgery (and riding under the influence) my riding partners often observed that she would actively boost me back into the center of the saddle if I started to lean or list.  She did it again today in a lesson, when I was concentrating so hard on something that she thought I was going to fall off, so she "fixed" herself under me.

Good mare!

Okay, blog hoppers!  Copy the list of questions and answer them on your own blog--be sure to link back here so readers can find you.

READY -- SET  -- GO!

UPDATE:

We have some participants!

Neversummer at the "Rescuing Rusty" blog: http://www.pumpkinvinefarms.com/?p=1523

Cathy at Cascade Gold Akel Tekes: http://www.cgakhaltekes.org/?p=1257

Laura at Riding Journey: http://rarejourney-laura.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-hop.html?m=1

Elizabeth at Clover Ledge:  http://standardbredexcellence.blogspot.com/

Gina at DutchRunFarm: http://dutchrunfarm.blogspot.com/

Dom at Madcap Escapades:  http://harnessphoto.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html

Patricia at Racknabout Stables: http://racknaboutstable.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-hop-racknabout-stable.html

Laurie at Mountain Music Paints:  https://mountaintrailmusic.blogspot.com/2016/12/in-which-blog-hop-restarts-my-writing.html

Sarah at Ambershades: https://ambershade.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html

Gail at Fit2Continue: http://fit2continue.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html 

Liz Stout: http://liz-stout.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-photo-heavy-blog-hop.html 

Kaity at Repurposed Saddlebred: http://leothesaddlebred.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html 

Saiph at Wait for the Jump: http://waitingforthejump.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html  

Sara at the Roaming Rider: http://agemofahorse.blogspot.com/2016/12/haiku-farm-blog-hop.html?m=0 

Grace at Horseback Artist: http://horsebackartist.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-hop-haiku-farm.html