Feel like it has been a while since I wrote a post. Work is crazy right now as I am the only HR person for our agency and we are going through early out and buyout incentives to get people to retire. I like being busy but it’s hard to even take time off from work right now. I did manage to take most of last week off and it was wonderful. Slept in everyday and spent a lot of time riding the horses.
Burgiss is going out of this world amazing. You should have seen him jumping tonight..lord oh lord is this horse something special. He jumps to the top of the standards but is so calm about it. He’s a serious horse for somebody looking for a great brain but the ability to do the upper levels. I just adore him and can’t believe he’s only 4yrs old! I’m behind on my video and pictures so I will try to get caught up here soon.
This weekend was jammed packed with all sorts of fun activities. On Saturday we headed off to see this famous local amish auction to benefit their school-house. Wow, talk about some people watching 🙂 Lots of local color! There were about 10 auctions going all around the farm with different items being auctioned. I liked visiting all the amish horses. Seriously..I’m the person standing there petting the horses. What is wrong with me????



I got sucked in by the dogs that were going to be auctioned off. We had to put our dog to sleep a few months ago and it seems empty around here. I do have many many many cats but without a dog the house is very quiet. Kurt loves dogs so I know we needed to get one but how do you pick. This girl had the cutest face.

Super cute!!

Kurt suggested we go look at the KCSPCA and the dogs at the auction would likely find a home and the SPCA dogs need a home and have shots/spay/neuter. We walked in and immediately fell in love with Stella. She is a mix breed and super nice. She is quite well-trained already and knows how to sit, lay, roll over, give paws and catch treats 🙂 She was a stray so I am sure she belonged to somebody and got lost or something. We are happy to have her.

Sunday we headed up to the Chesire Pony Club Paper Chase with Letterman and Junior. It was a chilly windy day but each time Letterman goes he is more relaxed. He stood nicely for me to tack him which made my life much easier! This is a huge chase that is well attended so they gave you times that you were to ride out at which made it easier to plan how early to get ready. We timed it perfectly so not much waiting around.

We had gotten started and there were some jumps into the woods and then a single path that led into the woods. We waited for a big group to jump in and then Kurt and I jumped and caught up to them. It was a narrow muddy path and the group in front had some young riders. Two groups rode up behind us and were loudly complaining about being too slow. They wanted us to pass the group in front of us but there was no place to pass. We came to a clearing where there were some jumps and the group was jumping out of the woods into the open field.
The people behind us ran up on our butts and then decided they would make their own path out of the woods and went tearing through the woods making a ton of noise and then galloped out in front of the people jumping the jumps. It was at this point that Kurt and I looked at our horses and were thankful for really good horses. Chaos was unfolding all around us and although our horses were a bit unnerved they didn’t panic. We let the group finish jumping and then asked permission to pass.
This was a great paper chase because there were plenty of jumps that ranged in size so that everybody could jump. The last chase had big solid jumps that were not great for greenies or those who wanted the less intimidating jumps. At this chase, Kurt was jumping everything and Letterman and I were right behind him. The footing was a bit mucky but our horses are super smart and didn’t put a foot wrong.
Letterman was having a blast and just was unfazed by all the horses all around and the scenery.


Junior is the best horse in the whole entire world 🙂

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy a brisk ride where you get to do a lot of trotting/cantering with some galloping and jumping mixed in. Kurt is totally confident riding my horse (now his horse) and enjoys challenging me to races 🙂 He must have told me 10x how much fun he was having and I felt blessed to have a husband who enjoys spending time with me out riding.
We totally galloped this hill

I was thankful for horses we weren’t too spooky because it was super windy and the dried corn was blowing freaking a lot of the horses out. Letterman kept his eye on it but had no problem leading or following.
We would catch up to other groups during the ride and hang out a bit before moving along again.

I had a pretty good laugh at the end of the chase. There was a line of logs in the wood which started with one about 2’3″ and then progressed. Kurt did the first one and totally didn’t see that the next one was much bigger until he got to it. Junior was locked on so they easily jumped a 3′ fence and Kurt was grinning from ear to ear. Letterman jumped in style behind Kurt and I was giggling knowing Kurt had no clue how big that was until he got right to it 🙂 Good way to get comfortable at the bigger heights.
As we rode along we were chatting about Junior and how much we appreciate him. I know Kurt has total confidence on him and he really trusts Junior. He asked me if we could do some more of these chases and declared them his favorite. It was at that moment that I realized I needed to buy the horse that I was sitting on 🙂
I have had a lot of horses come through my barn for CANTER over the years and I truly love them all. I have always owned 2-3 horses of my own so I was never in the spot to need a horse. I sold one horse and then last year my horse died unexpectedly and we were down to only one personal horse. I always have lovely horses to ride but to have a horse who truly enjoys trail riding, hunting, chasing and more is a special horse. I need something that I can go out and enjoy with my husband and not have to worry about how it will behave. It’s also a known fact that as soon as I get the horses going good they sell and then I don’t have anything to ride 🙂
Letterman is my favorite type of horse. Just a 16h short coupled bay that is athletic, smart, agile and kind. He’s brave without being stupid and forward without being fast. He’s a good jumper and good mover. I haven’t had any interest in him which surprises me because he has a lot of mileage. He is a 9yr but I love an older horse because they have seen it all and then some. He’s green but truly not green in terms of mileage. Very sound, good feet and hopefully will last a long time to come. I have bonded with him and think he has claimed me as his person and that really matters to me. I know he trusts me and that kind of bond is something special. I had been holding off buying a horse while we paid off debt. Junior is pretty expensive to maintain with joint supplements and injections but he deserves the best. I asked Kurt if I could buy Letterman and he gave me his blessing.
Thankfully, CANTER finds me to be a suitable adopter 🙂 I asked Allie if I could buy him and she was thrilled for me. All these years and I have resisted the temptation. I don’t need the most talented horse because I have no huge competition goals at this time. I’m still trying to save money so competing isn’t in the budget. I will probably do some local events and of course lots of hunting, chasing and trail rides. I am sure he will enjoy eventing but I now have the luxury of time on my hands.
I do have plenty of horses to ride but there is something about going out and having all these special experiences on your OWN horse. Now I can focus on finding Burgiss a competition home where he will kick some butt. Still thinking about the feeling he gives me over the jumps. Wow!
We also picked up this guy over the weekend. Sweeter than Fudge is a super cute 2yr that is sound just slow. His trainer donates a lot of horses to CANTER and I have loved every single one! He will get some time to just grow over the winter. He really is sweet and loves to cuddle.

Shaping up to be another busy week. Off to see when there are more paper chases.