mimi

I still kind of miss it

/ Ashley Wingert / 2 Comments

Despite being out of it for 10 years now, there’s a part of me that still kind of misses the show arena.

Stepping onto the WestWorld show grounds today, there was an immediate sense of familiarity.

I went up to the annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show today to spend the day. I perused the vendor tents (found that orange rope I was looking for…and finally replaced my 10-year-old Terrains), spent some time in the barn of Al-Marah Arabians, and watched the classes that hold my interest: reining and dressage. And the advent of the Arabian Sporthorse division really intrigues me.

There’s a small part of my brain that starts whispering in my ear as I’m watching, “Imagine what you could do now…knowing what you know now.”

Insidious little devil.

Especially since showing at Scottsdale has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I’ve been attending that show — not every year, but a good many of them — since I got into horses, roughly 20 years ago. And I’ve decided that when I do have my own Arabian, I will show at Scottsdale. No commitment as to in what or when…but I will do it.

How to Start 2013

/ Ashley Wingert / 3 Comments
My morning: Wake up. Realize the forecasters were right and it did get below freezing overnight. Annual reminder of just how cold 29* really is. Realize that there is no way the pony will be happy to get out in this weather. Luxuriate around the house until noon time, the sun is bright, and it is over 50* out. Then go down to the barn.
A horse friend once shared one of her superstitions with me: “Whatever you do on New Year’s Day is what you’ll spend a lot of time doing the rest of the year.”

Read between the lines: Any excuse is a good one to saddle up and ride, right? For years, we had a tradition of riding on New Year’s Day, with a potluck gathering at the trailhead with friends afterwards.

Maybe it wasn’t the long-ride-and-expansive-spread of yore, but I did ride today.

And I’ve got the tights to prove it:

Full-seat tights. Great for bareback riding.
Not so great for staying clean.

I’ve been taking it pretty easy with the pony, sticking with just bareback for now in an attempt to ascertain whether or not my saddle is the cause of her mysterious, tripping-out-on-one-hind-leg incidents that have been occurring since late summer-ish. 

Always happy to get out, even if it’s a short ride.

And I came bearing the last of the seasonal treats: leftover peppermints from some of my holiday baking. Mimi loves peppermints. They’re probably her favorite treat ever. Just a crinkle of the plastic wrapper and she will mug you endlessly.
Peppermint kisses!!!

“More peppermints for the cute pony, please?”

I love this pony. It’s hard to believe she’s going to be 20 years old this year.

Herding me back out to the pasture.

Looking forward to a bright 2013 with some new and exciting adventures on the horizon!

Pony Luv!!!

*crickets*

/ Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

I know, I know. It’s that quiet around here of late.

I’d admit that I’m kind of a horrible, inconsistent blogger. But y’all knew that anyway.

I’ve been a combination of busy and not-busy. Busy with things like work, and the holidays. Not so busy with things like actually riding my horse.

And truth be told, I can only make endless circles in the arena sound exciting so many times. So this weekend, we took a walk around the neighborhood. I think the pony enjoys seeing me hoof it next to her sometimes versus toting my butt around all the time.

The neighbors across the street had a new addition to the front of their property: Goats!

The Pony Who Stares At Goats

Mimi would like a goat. Her best friend at one of the boarding stables was Trixie the pygmy goat. Trixie would, when she was allowed out of her pen, hang out in Mimi’s stall and shared the pony’s hay.

Four-legged weed whacker

Then we came back to the barn and ate grass next to the driveway for about .5 seconds. (It’s non-existent in the pasture right now, so I’m paranoid about her level of exposure to too much green stuff. )

Fortunately my work life is keeping me busy. There’s some days I scratch my head and wonder how in the world I got so lucky as to be one of those people who actually gets their dream job?! Seriously, I love what I do. I enjoy talking with people, especially hearing their stories about their horses.
Two weekends ago, I went up to the McDowell ride. My purpose there was two-fold: Friday, I was working, available as a Renegade representative for anyone who had questions or needed help. Saturday, I was volunteering as one of the in-timers, the same job I did at the ride last year.
It was so awesome to be a part of the endurance community again. My goal for this upcoming year is to attend all of the in-state rides that I can as a company rep. Until I’m actually competing again, this will serve as second-best, and it’s still keeping me involved and social.

Saturday morning ride start. 75s out on trail, waiting for the
50s to start checking in.
(One perk of not riding: I was up at 5:30 instead of the 3:30
wakeup I would have gotten had I been riding and had to
get ready.)

Color-coordinated. And cold.

The ride went really well, as far as I could tell. The weather was perfect. It was downright cold up until about 11 in the morning, at least for me sitting at the timing table. Around 2:00, the clouds blew out and it warmed up enough to where I was comfortable in a t-shirt…which meant I was sufficiently re-heated to be able to handle the oncoming cool evening.

The last of the 75s were in at 11, which was awesome. I barely had time to break out the hot water, ramen noodles, and cocoa.

Despite what the photo shows, it’s actually a
lovely matte cocoa color. I added the custom
Renegade orange racing stripes.

And my one impulse buy at the ride was actually useful: new helmet. I looked at my old one and realized it was about two years past its “best by” date (which is approximately 5 years past the date of manufacture). That’s not ideal…

Of all the things out there to purchase, this is one of the more justifiable ones. I’ve yet to test it out — it’s so pretty and I don’t want to mess it up! — but it’s the same as what I already have, the Tipperary Sportage 8500…just about 6 years newer and a different color.

the click

/ Ashley Wingert / 2 Comments

I felt it 16 years ago when I sat on Mimi for the first time.

The ‘click.’

That moment when you absolutely know that you and this horse are right for each other.

There’s no rhyme or reason to it, no rational explanation for it or anything you can do to make it happen. It either will or it won’t. I’ve ridden a number of horses that I’ve gotten along just fine with — but there was no special connection, no sense of mutual enjoyment. I was the rider, they were the horse. Either I know what I was doing enough to get them to perform, or they were well-trained enough to do the job, no matter who was on their back.

And then there’s been a handful of horses over the years that have given me that magic ‘click.’ Mimi, for one. Looking back, a rational person would claim our partnership never should have worked. A green 3-year-old with 60 days under saddle, and an 11-year-old who had ridden nothing but experienced lesson horses.

What happened instead was a first-ride experience that was nothing short of angels trumpeting a ‘Hallelujah’ chorus. Five minutes in the saddle, and we were cantering around an outdoor arena filled with dozens of other ponies and riders, weaving around those traveling slower than us. It was the first time I had ever been filled with such confidence on a horse.

1998-ish…this looks like my junior high-era; an afternoon
bumming around the barnyard after school.

16 years later, I still remember the feeling of that ride.

The feeling of that ride was what got me through the couple of years of young-horse-hell that followed the month-long honeymoon of First Pony ownership. That ride had showed us what we were capable of achieving.

2002 POA World Show, Spanish Fork, UT
Our last show; we got the last points needed
for her Supreme Champion Award.

I suppose I’m beyond spoiled, having gotten so lucky with my first horse. I don’t know how many people get their once-in-a-lifetime heart horse right from the start, but I did. And it’s set an extremely high bar for those that will follow.

But I’ve experienced that same click with several other horses over the years, so I know it is possible to achieve that same kind of relationship and level of connection. And my heart will always have room for more horses.

2006 Wickenburg Land of the Sun ride;
our 2nd LD ride.

But no one will ever take the place of my first, special Heart Horse.

This month marks 16 years together for me and Mimi. It’s been a whirlwind of highs and lows, and I wouldn’t trade our experiences together for anything. I’m proud of everything she has taught me — and still keeps teaching me.

So thank you, Mimi, for all of these years, and God willing, many more.