Getting More Independent

Hey ya'll.
So today was awesome. I got to ride on my own! By that, I mean nobody was watching me, and no one was telling me what to do. It was wonderful.
My trainer let me take her pony Lyric (Who is on the "My Horse" page) out on my own. It was so much fun.
I've never been able to ride outside of a lesson before! And today, I had the opportunity. I loved it. I felt so independent and confident and... It was amazing. I felt like this gif:

Even though it wasn't quite that dramatic. lol.
Another horse gif that's awesome in every way:

He he he...

Any-who, I'm going again tomorrow, and I'm going to ask if I can canter her, because I didn't today. I just went for a peaceful trail ride.
If you're taking riding lessons, ask your trainer if you can go out on a ride on your own. It's loads of fun! Personally, I've found I'm much more comfortable in the saddle when I'm not being watched.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this post! It means a lot to me. Horses are a big part of my life, and I want to share my experiences! Right now this blog has 4 followers, and I'm super grateful for all of you. Thank you!!! ;)

Upcoming posts:
"Breeches Collection"
"So you want a horse?"

15 Facts About Tuesday!

What's up?
Today I have a fun post planned. I'm going to give you... 15 facts about Tuesday!

#1. I did not name Tuesday. Her original owners gave her her full name, Ruby Tuesday. I couldn't change it, because she was already registered under it. The obvious thing to call her would be Ruby, right? Well, yes. But I have a dog named Ruby, so it just seemed weird. After trying stuff like RT and just random nicknames, I finally settled on Tuesday. And that is why she ended up named after a day of the week! I'll refer to her as Ruby occasionally, but not often. And people around the barn that don't really know me well still call her Ruby. But that's okay. I just have my own little nickname for her, even though you could say her "barn name" is Ruby.

#2. Tuesday is 14.2 hands tall. That's about 4 feet 8 inches. She's not very big, but I'm not so tall either.

#3. She has the longest, prettiest tail. I love it so much! I'm not trying to brag, but a lot of horses tails are hard to keep nice, and Tuesday's is just soooo goergous! It's just one thing I really like about her. ;)

#4. Tuesday is 8 years old. I have no idea when her birthday is... I know that's bad, but I just never found out! I'm sure I could find it in her papers somewhere though...

#5. I have had her for about 5 months. It does not feel like it's been that long though! I got her late May, and gosh... Time flys!

#6. She loves to jump. You can just tell! I haven't jumped her yet, but my trainer has and Tuesday just... She loves jumping. I can't wait until we can jump together. ^-^

#7. Tuesday's breed is a quarter horse.

#8. Her favorite treat is carrots, I think. She seems to really like carrots, although honestly, she'll eat anything. I haven't tried a ton of different treats for her, but she likes apples, and the little oatmeal treat things...

#9. She makes a face when she eats a treat. She doesn't do this when she eats her hay or her grain, but when she eats treats she makes the most ridiculous face. I mean really... Look at this!

#10. She loves her neck to be brushed. Tuesday loves you to brush, scratch, and pet her all over her neck, especially where her mane starts.

#11. Tuesday doesn't care about whips. Honestly, it's a teensy bit annoying because you could hit her again and again with the crop and she just does not care. It takes a lot to get her attention.

#12. She is shoed. There's really no other reason then just that she's always had them... I don't know. She has shoes on all 4 hooves.

#13. Tuesday's original owners didn't do much with her. I think she was in a few little hunter-jumper shows, but not much. Apparently another girl had her, and she just didn't care about her... She liked
cheerleading and gave up her horse. THAT I will never, ever understand. I'm an awful rider, I can't really do much on her yet, but I wouldn't think for a second about selling Tuesday.

#14. Tuesday likes her ears brushed. I have a really soft small brush that she just adores getting on her ears.

#15. Wow, it's getting harder to think of facts! I guess I'll go with... Tuesday's trot is very nice to sit. It's really smooth, and it's one thing that encourages me to ride her. Sitting Lyric's trot is like getting put in a blender, it's so choppy compared to Tuesday's!

Oh! That was #15! I guess I'm finished! Well, guess that's all for today! Tomorrow I'm going to the barn to try some new halters on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited! One's a pretty leather halter that I'm excited for, and one is a simpler green. Would you like pictures of her trying them on? There's a small chance I'll ride tomorrow evening, but it's unlikely. Been really busy lately! Anyway, thanks a lot for reading this post. And please, spread the word of my blog to any other equestrians you know! I'm not looking for a huge number of followers, but I'm hoping for a few horse-loving readers! Please comment, maybe any unanswered questions you had about Tuesday? Which fact did you think was the most interesting? What would you like to see in my next post? Comment please!!

New Pages!

Hey!
A week or two ago, I added some pages! They are "About Me" and "About My Horse". Please go take a look, and comment!!! Thanks!

Edit: I just realized I've already posted about the pages... But nobody really looked at them. If you've already seen my pages, sorry to bother you!!!

The Oddball Sport

You know what really bothers me?
People that don't understand horses. I'm not saying I don't get that some people just haven't had the opportunity to be around horses, that's fine. I'm talking about people who just plain out act dumb. Like, I understand people don't know that much about horses, but gosh, sometimes they are so rude about it! Stuff like this really gets on my nerves:

"Oh my gosh, you have a HORSE?!" : I doubt you are as astonished as you are acting. If you are, just... Calm down.

"Oh umm... Cool. Do you play an actual, you know, sport?" : This usually comes after someone asks if I play a sport, and I respond, "I ride horses." If you tell me this I am going to go crazy on you. Not physically of course, I'm not stupid, but I will snap at you like no tomorrow.

When people act like I'm so unathletic : Even my closest friends do this, they treat me like I'm a couch potato just because I'm not a volleyball fanatic.

"Do you race?" : This one does have some practical excuses, but honestly, it bugs me anyway. Maybe you have never met a real equestrian before, but anyway, CHILDREN ARE NOT JOCKEYS. Quit asking this unless you want me to go insane.

When I say I have a horse and I get this, "Can you ride it?" : No... No. Of course not. It just stand in a stall and I feed it. Well of course I can ride!

Now I'll dump a bunch of equestrian-power, (similar to girl-power) stuff on you. Mainly pictures off Pinterest.

So, next time you want to say that horseback riding isn't a sport, is easy, that we do nothing, think again. And if you do any of the annoying things I said, try not to anymore, K? ;) Try and help me, help me change things. Riding shouldn't be the oddball sport.

P.S: This post is not meant in any way to offend non-equestrians. If you find this rude or anything like that, please explain why, and I'll change it or take it down. But I promise, any offensive content was unintentional, and I'm sorry if I bothered you in any way. I can get a little snippy about this sometimes, so, my apologies.

New Pages

Hey guys!
Go check out my new pages! They are "About me" and "About My Horse". Find them in the sidebar!
~Tenley

Evening At The Stables

Hi!
Today I went to the barn to spend some time with Tuesday without riding her. It was quite nice! My brother came too, and he took some pictures!

First is just me brushing Tuesday. She looks really calm here, and I look weird. :P I'm looking at her face I guess... I really don't know. Just pretend I'm not there!

This one's a funny scene! My brother was like, "Here, let me take a picture of you." and Tuesday decided to be weird and make a face. XD This is a really funny accidental photo. It's not the most glamorous but hey, it's cute. Does your horse ever make this face?

To top my wonderful evening at the barn off, I took Tuesday out to graze a little. She always loves that, and I love it too. It's a great feeling to just stand there, leaning against her soft side, under the shade of the tree. The sun was also beginning to set, so that added to the prettiness of the beautiful afternoon.

Being at the barn was the highlight of my day. I love to go and just be around the horses, and while I love to ride as well, that is a really fun thing to do. I'm so grateful for Tuesday, she's my dream horse. Did you like the pictures?

Equestrian TMI Tag

Hey! 

So this is the Equestrian TMI Tag. I found this tag in a YouTube video from MyLifeInTheSaddle. Edit: It is NOT from that channel! In fact, the YouTube channel, "MyLifeInTheSaddle" does not exist! I have no clue why I put that. I do not know the name of the channel I got this tag from. It sounds like fun! It just gives you some fun info about me, my horse, and my riding! Here are the questions! :

1. Last outfit worn while riding?

School tee-shirt, and khaki full seat riding pants, which help me get a better grip with my seat. And of course my Ariat paddock boots and half-chaps.

2. Horse you had a strong bond with?

I'm beginning to bond with my horse, Tuesday.

3. Ever had a terrible fall?

Sort of. I've never been injured (seriously anyway, I've twisted my ankle and stuff...), but one of the first times I was riding Tuesday, she got a little out of control, caught me off guard, started galloping, I flew over her neck, hit a wall, landed on the ground, and then she trampled me. I was really scared and VERY shaken. I wasn't hurt though, which was very lucky. I was extremely nervous around Tuesday for long after that.

4. How tall is your horse?

14.2 hands

5. How old is your horse? 

8 years old.

6. Any markings?

She has a blaze/star on her forehead and 2 white socks. 

(Sorry I don't really know all the specific marking terms, I may have got them incorrect.)

7. Favorite horse color?

Chestnuts, Dapple Greys, and Bays.

8. Favorite color combo?

Hmm... Chestnut+Teal, Grey+Pink

9. Favorite discipline?

Hunter-Jumper. Jumping is so fun! 

10. Who do you look up to in riding?

My mom and dad, as my mom rode horses and my dad grew up in a family that raised racehorses, as well as my instructor, and all the other girls that ride at my barn.

11. Quality you look for in a horse?

Calmness and intelligence. 

12. Favorite thing to do with horses?

Jump!!! I loooove jumping! I also just like cantering, nothing fancy, just cantering around. Not super fast, but a canter.

13. Favorite horse quote?

15. Favorite breed of horse?

Quarter horses, Appaloosas, Thoroughbreds, Arabians... I love them all! They're all unique and wonderful! 

16. English or Western?

I've never tried Western, so I don't know!

17. Bareback or saddle?

I've never ridden bareback either! It'd be fun, but I need more experience before I try that! 

18. How long does it take you to tack up?

With grooming included: 20-30 min.

Without grooming: 10-20 min. 

(I know, I'm really slow.)

19. First horse you rode?

An old Appaloosa mare named Dally.

20. Fears when riding?

Losing control. Making a big mistake. Embarrassing myself. Mainly losing control.

21. Last horse ridden?

Lyric, a dartmoor pony I ride for lessons.

22. Horse's fave treat?

Tuesday loves carrots. :)

23. Favorite thing your horse does?

I love that when Tuesday is in the paddock, and I go to get her, she trots up to the gate. <3

24. Who should do this next?

Everyone!! ;D 

Thanks for reading this guys! It was super fun to do and I encourage ALL OF YOU to do it! Riding tomorrow, hoping to get some pictures and videos of me jumping!!!