Horsey Questionnaire Meme

A Good Horse has invited us to play a game by answering a questionnaire she saw posted by Grey Horse Matters. Below are the questions with my answers.

To play, take the questions and post your answers on your blog. Leave a comment here so we'll know you are playing.

50 Fun Questions

1. How old were you when you first started riding? Around 9 years old when my sister started taking me to a rental stable.

2. First horse ridden: A rental horse.

3. First horse trotted on: A rental horse.

4. First horse cantered on: Probably one of those rental horses.

5. First horse fallen off of: Gosh, I don't remember; there have been so many. :-) It must have been my first pony Clyde.

6. Most recent horse fallen off of: Woodhollow, my TB, but that was over 25 years ago. I'll be riding more now, so stay tuned...

7. Most terrifying fall: As a kid, I fell off a Kansas farm horse I was riding bareback out in the pasture. It's the only time I've had the wind knocked out of me and I felt like I was going to die.

8. First horse jumped with: Wati in Indonesia

9. First horse who ran away with you: One of those rental horses.

10. First horse that scared the crap out of you: That rental horse again. I was just a kid and I screamed and started to cry because I didn't know what to do. Someone yelled "Pull back on the reins" and that worked.

11. First horse shown: Cinnamon, in a western pleasure walk/trot class when I was about 12.

12. First horse to win a class with: Woodhollow

13. Do you/have you taken lessons: Yes, and I'll keep taking them.

14. First horse you ever rode bareback: My pony Clyde. My dad wouldn't buy me a saddle until I could stay on him bareback. He was afraid I'd get my foot caught in a stirrup and get dragged. I think he watched too many Westerns on tv.

15. First horse trail ridden with: You know the answer....yep, the rental horse.

16. Current Barn Name: We don't have a name. It's just "the barn".

17. Do you ride English or Western: Both. Started Western, switched to English, now back to Western and hoping to pick up English again.

18. First horse to place at a show with: Woodhollow

19. Ever been to horse camp: Yes! In Oklahoma as a kid. Loved it! It was a blast and I learned a lot.

20. Ever been to a riding clinic: No, but I'm going to one next month and another in May.

21. Ridden sidesaddle: No, but it looks beautiful. I have, however, stupidly sat on my TB sidesaddle (in my English saddle). Only once though, because someone in the ring crashed into a jump and the sound spooked my TB and I went off back first.

22. First horse leased: Wati in Indonesia

23. Last horse leased: Wati

24. Highest ribbon in a show: 1st place & 3rd in a Championship class

25. Ever been to an “A” rated show?: Yes

26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races: No

27. Ever fallen off at a show: Yes, when I launched off my horse and landed in the middle of a double combination. It was my fault; I got ahead of my horse and he was not forgiving so he chose to let me take the jump without him.

28. Do you ride Hunters/Jumpers: Not any more and don't plan to.

29. Have you ever barrel raced: No

30. Have you ever done pole bending: No

31. Favorite gait: Er...walking...at the moment. I like a nice forward, relaxed walk.

32. Ever cantered bareback: Yes, when I was a kid I rode bareback a lot.

33. Have you ever done dressage: Not really. Took a few lesson many years ago. I would like to learn the basics for the benefit of my horses and myself.

34. Have you ever evented: No

35. Have you ever mucked a stall: Lots of times.

36. Ever been bucked off: Yep, a time or two. Last time was on my TB who never bucked except one time after I'd owned him for 8 years. He just got squirrely after not being ridden for awhile and it was one of those twisty bucks and I came right off.

37. Ever been on a horse that reared: Yes, when I was a kid. I remember wrapping my arms around the horse's neck to stay on.

38. Horses or ponies: Both! I have a horse and a pony now; a draft pony that can carry an adult.

39. Do you wear a helmet: Always! I never did when I was younger. Safety wasn't promoted as much when I was a kid. But now I'm wiser and want to preserve my brain cells as long as possible.

40. What’s the highest you’ve jumped: 3'6"

41. Have you ever ridden at night: Only in a lighted arena.

42. Do you watch horsey television shows: Yes, RFD-Tv shows and "Mr. Ed" on DVD. I love Mr. Ed.

43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall: Thankfully, no.

44. Most falls in one lesson: Several times jumping in a new saddle. I kept slipping right out of the thing. My trainer recommended a different one and that made a huge difference.

45. Do you ride in an arena/ring: Yes, but looking forward to getting out on the trails this summer.

46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse: No, that would be awful.

47. Have you ever been bitten: I've received a lot of nips over the years, but the worst horse bite came from a mare named Pretty Girl. I didn't find her so pretty after that. She grabbed me hard just below my throat. The bruise lasted for weeks. But my most painful bite came from a Hamster.

48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse: Makes my toes ache to think about it. Ask a horse if they've ever stepped on a human foot and they'll say, "What? I never felt anything under my foot."

49. Favorite riding moment: The day I took my TB out on the trails around Folsom Lake in California. It was so nice, we kept going and going and going. I finally turned around and on the way back I met my trainer on horseback. He'd come looking for us because we had been gone so long. It was just a beautiful ride and I didn't want to stop.

50. Most fun horse you’ve ridden: I'd have to say my pony Clyde because everything about Clyde was fun. The trail rides, riding with friends, taking the horses swimming in a pond, the rides to the store to get candy, and the rides to Taco Bell for lunch. Crazy, fun kid stuff.

Now it's your turn!