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!!!

Things Equestrian's Say While Riding

Just a list of funny things I usually will say to my horse while I'm riding:

• "Good grief!"
• "Slow down already!"
• "You're not a race horse!"
• "Could you go any slower?"
• "Come on!"
• "And...Canter! Or walk... Okay that's fine too."
• "Nooooooo!"
• "Why can't you wait to poop? This is not a good time to do that."
• "Whoops."
• "Oops."
• "Sorry, my bad."
• "Come on!." 
• "Oops."

Okay, some of them are pretty riciculous, but truthfully I say all of those. Constantly. Especially "Oops!" And "Good grief, slow down! You're not a race horse!" He he he. For any riders out there; do you ever find yourself saying some of these things?

My Last Lesson

Hey!

So on my last post I was freaked out because I had a riding lesson and I hadn't ridden in quite a while. I shouldn't have worried because it went GREAT!

That gif really doesn't fit but whatever, it's cute.

I rode Lyric, a little 20 year old dartmoor pony who I love. 

She's so sweet and old and cute and awwww yaaaaaay!

Lyric isn't at the place I normally ride at anymore, she's at my instructor's place where she gives lessons sometimes. I like it better there, I think, it's much more laid back and there's no huge indoor arenas to intimidate me, lol. Her "arena" is a little round clearing, which is actually pretty nice because all the trees provide plenty of shade.

I didn't do much really, just some practice changing direction across a circle, sitting trot, and working on getting a faster, more working trot. I didn't even canter! I wish I would've. I'm looking forward to getting back to jumping. I have another lesson Monday and I'm super excited! Soon I'll be doing 3 lessons a week, and hopefully I'll get to go see Tuesday a lot too. 

I'm not sure if I said this before, but I'm taking a break from riding Tuesday because I need to re-gain some confidence and work at a higher level on Lyric. I'm just not quite ready to ride Tuesday, but hopefully, with some work on Lyric, I'll be able to soon!

AHHH!

Hey guys...
I have a lesson in 10 minutes and it's going to be my first ride in almost 3 months. I'm SO nervous!!! What if I forgot everything? What if my heels won't go down? What if I do EVERYTHING wrong? What if it's a group lesson and I make a fool of myself? Soooooooo many things could go wrong...
~Tenley