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I was really into poetry when I was younger. All the way from the Shel Silverstein days (still think those books are absolutely brilliant) on through high school when I remember checking out big volumes of all kinds of poetry from the school library. I’ve always clung to it a bit in everyday life, too, from my very first apartment where I had a framed poster of a Robert Frost poem (“The Road Not Taken”, of course), right up to current day, where I have the last two lines of my favorite poem tattooed on my arm.

So when Bel Joeor posted a Poetry Month blog hop for April, I knew I wanted in. She wrote:

April is National Poetry Month. Post a poem about a horse (or a barn, or a dog, or just one that brings you joy).

I figured I would post my favorite horse-related poem, and then my favorite non-horse one. Why not make it a twofer?

First: the horse-related one. I have always loved books, and when I was a kid I would beg for literally any horse book I came across, no matter where we were. My parents were always pretty supportive of the habit, so getting them to buy me a book was generally never that difficult. And I didn’t really care what the subject matter was – if it had horses in it, I wanted it. That went for regular novels, like the Thoroughbred series, as well as non-fiction instructional type books. I had everything from horse breed and color books, to jump building books, to grooming books, to equitation books, to horse care books. You name it, I probably got my grubby little hands on it at some point.

There was one book in particular about horse photography… I remember all the talk of aperture and exposure and blah blah blah. All of it went right over my head of course, I was maybe 10 or 11 and certainly did not own a camera or have any idea what the heck they were even talking about. That was the early 90’s, kids with cameras wasn’t a thing then. I really just wanted the book because it was chock full of gorgeous, glossy horse pictures, from cover to cover. I pored over that thing constantly, looking at all the different horses, to the point where I still remember some of the photo captions. But one thing that stood out to me in particular was a poem that was included with one particular black and white photo – the poem was called “The Ode to The Horse”, by Ronald Duncan.

For a kid who just purely loved horses, the poem struck a chord with me. It gave me the words to understand just why I did feel so drawn to horses. It summed up everything I loved and admired about them. I STILL to this day think back to certain lines of that poem all the time, and it always takes me right back to why I fell in love with horses in the first place. They’re such incredible animals, and our history as humankind really was written upon the back of a horse. It wows me every time.

As for my favorite non-horse poem, the tattoo spoiler probably gave it away:

Courage, perseverance, strength, free will. What’s not to like about Invictus? It’s said that Henley wrote the poem while in the hospital recovering from a leg amputation due to complications of tuberculosis. It’s a good reminder that no matter what happens to us, and no matter the circumstances, we still have control over our own thoughts and actions, and we can steer our ship however we choose. I actually have a copy of this poem in my tack trunk, and look at it sometimes at shows if I’m feeling nervous or worried or intimidated. After all, we’re the ones that get to decide whether or not we’re truly beaten.

What are your favorite poems – horse or non-horse related?

Last week on a work call our boss had us go around the room and everyone rated their anxiety/stress level on a scale of 1-10 so we could talk about it as a group. Most people were somewhere between a 6 and an 8. I’m like… uh… 3? Maybe?

Well… maybe it was a 7 when I was in Walmart on Friday morning and made the HORRIFIC DISCOVERY that they were completely cleaned out of Little Debbie’s. That was almost a national emergency. Luckily I have a good friend that sent me some, and the SO brought a box of Fudge Rounds with him when he came out on Saturday, so now I’m like… knee deep in Little Debbie’s. Crisis averted.

But really I’m not a particularly anxious person unless there’s no plan or no solution. No plan makes me really anxious. I’ve got maybe one point of anxiety from not knowing how long this will go on, and one point of anxiety from having to change around/postpone the tiny house purchase, and one point of anxiety from the uncertainty surround SO’s job. But I can’t control any of that, and there is a short term plan – stay home for a while – so… okay, I’m fine. It’s a rare and strange opportunity so may as well make the most of it, right? I’ve had no problem finding ways to keep myself entertained.

I finished pulling all the weeds up out of the arena.

I also spent a lot of time watching the babies run and play, because the temperature dropped like 30 degrees on Friday and naturally they celebrated with lots of galloping all weekend long

and some moves that made me think “ah yes, this is how I’ll fall off some day”.

They’re fun to watch, at least.

I had already listened to the Tiger King podcast, so I knew the story, but I finally watched the Netflix docuseries. Wow. Woooooooow. If that level of batshit doesn’t make you feel better about your life then I dunno what will.

Also… am I the only one who thinks that Doc Antle was BY FAR the creepiest, worst person on that show? He gave me the major heebie jeebies.

Oh, and speaking of drama, there was a big ol “colorgate” on facebook that devolved into over a thousand comments. Why? Because a palomino mare crossed with a chestnut stallion for an embryo transfer foal supposedly produced this:

Which is… genetically impossible. A red based horse plus a red based horse can’t produce a black based horse. Methinks someone made a mix up somewhere with the embryos or surrogates. But boy were the comments mega-entertaining. It’s kinda crazy how many people (including supposed big time breeders) have no clue how color genetics work. Yes you can get a chestnut from a gray and a bay. Yes you can get a palomino from a buckskin and a bay. Yes you can get a chestnut from two bays. No you cannot get a bay from two chestnuts. And definitely no you cannot get a bay or buckskin from a chestnut and a palomino, as this place is claiming. Dominant and recessive genes are a thing. Lots of people out there just seem to think that foals can come out any color at random? They don’t. It was good for hours of entertainment though, since apparently nobody has anything better to do right now than argue on the internet. Who needs Tiger King when you’ve got horse people and facebook?

The other real life drama/entertainment is that my farrier went *poof*. Completely MIA.  Tried to get ahold of him for 3 weeks via calling and texting, and some other clients were having the same problem. Never did hear anything back at all, and still haven’t. Henry had been missing a shoe and wearing his glitter boot (I really need to do a proper review of the glitter boot, I’ve sure used it enough by now) for 2.5 weeks, and the boys were both due to have their feet done. I was at my wit’s end. Luckily my vet has a farrier that he recommends a lot, and said farrier does horses at the boarding barn down the street every Thursday, so he was able to tack my two onto his schedule with no problem. So, the boys have a new farrier.

Otherwise it rained a lot this weekend, which meant I spent a lot of time cleaning stalls. It did fill up the pond though, its been quite a while since I’ve seen it so full, and boy you should hear all the frogs down there at night. It was also nice to get one last cool day in, because it looks like we’ll be back up to 90 by mid-week. I’m not ready for summer.

Hopefully now that Henry’s wearing 4 shoes again (knock on wood OMG STOP PULLING SHOES) and the arena is beautiful again and we’re getting a few days break from the rain, I’ll be able to ride a bit this week. I’m also working on Presto’s April vlog (I have not forgotten!) this week, and should probably do my taxes at some point. Ugh.

Happy Monday, guys. How are you hanging in there?

I have pretty much nothing to offer the world except lots and lots of pictures of baby horses, so I’m just gonna keep plowing y’all with these every Friday for a while. Baby horses make me happy, so hopefully they make you happy too.

We’ll start with Oakley, since she’s the youngest and this is her first official Foal Friday appearance.

And then of course we have Remi, who is already sold to an upper level eventer along with Presto’s half sibling that is due next month. Hopefully we will see great things from this dude in the future!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Y’all probably know that I have been a big supporter of Cambox pretty much since it first came out. I’ve been rocking my isi2 (the first generation model) since 2016 and have absolutely loved it. I really cherish my helmet camera videos, and every once in a while I do go back and watch them again. It’s fun to be able to relive those moments in a way that pictures can’t really capture. 

My favorite part about the Cambox, and what sets it apart from most of the other popular cameras, is the size. It’s very small and discreet, attaching just under the brim of the helmet… you can’t even see it unless you look closely. It’s also extremely lightweight (can’t feel it at all) and much safer than something that mounts on the exterior of your helmet. British Eventing banned those cameras because of concerns over how they can potentially affect the angle or trajectory of your head hitting the ground – part of why this brim-mount style of camera came about in the first place. I had worn a GoPro a few times before the Cambox, and they were definitely light years apart in ease of use, weight, and visibility. Winner: Cambox. No contest.

So when Cambox came out with the isi3, I was pretty excited. It had all the same awesome design features of my isi2, but with a few key improvements. Physically, the two main changes were little tabs on each side to help make removal easier, and the ability to change the angle of the camera without needing any tools. Both improvements showed that they’re definitely listening to user feedback. But the biggest perks of the isi3 are the capabilities that are built inside, particularly the WiFi and the improved video quality. The isi2 was 720p, whereas the isi3 is full HD 1080p (although you have the ability to switch it to 720p if you want). The main selling point for me, though, is definitely the WiFi. 

The isi2 was more basic. A button to turn it on/off/pause, a little slot for the tiny memory card, and a cable to charge it and to upload your videos to your computer. Any issues I’ve had with the use of that camera have tended to be centered around knowing just how charged it was. It had LED indicator lights that told you when the battery was low, but nothing precise like we’ve all become so accustomed to with our phones. Since the isi3 has it’s own WiFi, it also has it’s own app, with all kinds of information available right there at your fingertips. Which, naturally, I’m relatively obsessed with.

You can check the camera angle, check your battery life, switch modes depending on weather conditions, set the camera exposure, change the volume of the audio (what, no one wants to hear my heavy breathing?), take photos, see exactly how much space is left on your memory card, and upload your videos straight from your camera to your phone. Plus you can control the camera via the app to start/stop/pause recording, if you’d rather use that than the buttons on the camera itself. I LOVE having the app, it takes all the guesswork out of using the camera and offers a lot more video options. And it’s a big perk to be able to directly and wirelessly download the video straight to my phone rather than having to wait until I have access to a laptop and find the cable, particularly since I like to post my videos to social media. I also noticed that the vibrations (which along with the LED lights help you know whether you’re recording or not) are much more obvious and easy to feel/hear on the newer model. Two big huge thumbs up for all of the improvements in the isi3.

The isi3 runs about $100 more than the isi2, depending on which package you buy, but I have to say that for me it’s definitely worth it. All of the improved features address every single little complaint or issue I ever had with the isi2, while still keeping all the fantastic features that made me love it in the first place. Having the WiFi capability is huge, and adds a ton of ease of use.

It also comes in lots of fun colors too, because clearly they understand how important that is to eventers especially. I have a basic blue, but there’s also everything from the most discreet all-black to lime green to hot pink to red white and blue (okay there’s no navy or hunter green, we’ve found my one complaint). They also have a North American base in Colorado now (Cambox are made in France – in Nantes coincidentally, where Presto’s spirit human Mimi lives), which simplifies shipping and service for US customers. Mine shipped really quickly from Denver. You can use code 900FBPONY for a discount, and yes it will stack on top of any other deals or offers! I don’t get anything from it, I’m just such a big fan and a loud mouth that they were kind enough to create a code for my readers. 

I also noticed, for those of you who seem to perpetually have gift cards burning a hole in your pocket, that Riding Warehouse is carrying the isi3 now too! I loved my isi2, and I love my isi3 even more. Well done, Cambox.

Anyone tired of corona yet?

I am definitely glad that I didn’t have any grand dreams or aspirations for the year, show-wise. I picked a convenient time to lay low and focus on other things. Of course, if this whole apocalypse thing could have waited until after the SO had started his new job (oh good, his start date has been delayed and thus now he’s technically unemployed), and after we had already bought the tiny house and rented out our house in the city (my eye is twitching just thinking about the crash of 2008), that would have been ideal. But, at least it waited until after I wasn’t boarding anymore, and when I’m living out on the farm. Definitely mega grateful for that.

I still get to see the horses every day, no matter what. They still have to be fed and turned out, stalls still have to be cleaned, arenas still have to be dragged, water troughs still have to be scrubbed, etc etc. In that way, nothing has changed for me. And as I see friends that are no longer able to go out to their boarding barns to see their horses at all, I feel really lucky. Trying to imagine being stuck in my house in the city and unable to see my horses is enough to drive me bonkers just thinking about it. Who knows what kind of weird hobbies I would have taken up by now if that was the case. Origami, or meditation, or whittling… something like that probably.

But on the farm, life hasn’t really changed much. Except that I’m home more, which is honestly really nice. The care of the horses is a non-negotiable, obviously, a daily thing that isn’t optional and can’t stop. There’s still that elephant in the room though, the question I keep running through my mind. At what point is riding too risky?

Some countries and states have already cut off recreational sports entirely. Not because of the risk of spreading covid while participating, but because of the risk of injury which then puts you in the hospital. When the hospitals are already super strained, ending up there because you fell off a horse seems ridiculously asinine. Because of that, other people have already voluntarily chosen to stop riding.

I completely understand that decision, and I go back and forth with it myself. I sure don’t want to be the asshole using up precious resources because I was selfish and wanted to ride my horse. On the other hand… I won’t lie, I do want to ride my horse. My horse stays soundest when he’s ridden regularly, even just lightly. However, it’s not an out-and-out necessity, and I won’t pretend that it is.

So, while I haven’t stopped riding yet, I have done a few things to modify my regular behavior. 1) I’m not riding as much. 6 days a week has gone down to more like 4 days a week. 2) I’m keeping it simpler. No big jumps, or tricky courses, or road hacks, or long conditioning rides over terrain. I’ve only jumped a couple times, and only a handful of jumps, and with those I set up things that were more likely to cause a run-out (ie skinnies) than a crash – proven to reduce the risk of a fall. Mostly though I’m just doing short hacks or flatwork rides in the arena. Basically, I’m trying to reduce some of the risk. 3) I’m keeping an eye on our local cases and our local ER’s. Right now, our county has 6 cases, and the local ER’s and urgent cares are operating without issue.

Of course, the situation evolves rapidly, so I’m constantly re-evaluating. We’re in weird, new territory that none of us really know the best way to handle, so I think much of it depends on the individual situation and trying to make the best choices you can for yourself day by day. I know there will come a point where local cases start to spike, and I very well may have to shut it down and stop riding altogether. Granted, the closest I’ve come to really injuring myself lately was when I had to climb over the back fence to retrieve one of Presto’s fly boots, or when I whacked the shit out of my head on a stall door because I am a klutz. There’s no way to take all the risk away when I’m at the barn every day, so… I’m just trying to be smarter about it and keep an eye on the world at large, knowing that the situation is ever-evolving.

How is everyone else doing? Still riding, or not? Going to the barn, or not?