Great...I need to find my big kid pants!

Our AWESOME new Sponsor Banner from Wits End Eventing,
they are breeding your next event horse!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a bit of a worrier.  I am fully convinced that novice is now more like training level, training more like prelim, etc. etc. So, naturally, when I go take the babies to their first novice I tend to get a little light headed and forget that breathing is indeed required. I am always fine when I get going, but taking a horse from the ground up is a bit nerve wrecking the first time at new levels.  You know they are capable, obviously (!!), or else you wouldn't have them there; but going from tripping over the first cross rail to bouncing around their first cross country can be a bit worrisome.  Are they good enough? Did you do  a good job? Are they confident? Are they happy? Is your helmet on? Is your air vest going to inflate? Can you turn left? Actually, can you turn right too?! Can you stop? (stopping at fences does not count). This, pretty much, is my checklist; plus, Do I have my neck strap!???!!!?!
So next weekend my checklist will be in overdrive!  Irish and Maddie are doing their first preliminary HT.  While I did not bring Maddie along, I still love having her and think the sky is her limit.  I expect her to have a fabulous outing and come back happier (but hopefully not any more cheeky about her abilities!). Irish is my little energizer bunny.  I am so happy, excited, nervous and proud of her- she has more heart and try in her than most horses will ever dream of and you cannot train that, replace that, or buy that (unless you want to spend about six figures...and no I am not including the cents!).  She's so much fun and I have very high hopes for her, so hopefully next weekend will be the start of many fun things for her! And hopefully, the start of my overdrive checklist doing back into first gear!

Our first sponsor, we are so excited!

Most exciting is that HI Eventing just got a great new sponsor! Natural Horse Organics has amazing products and they are green! These products are amazing for your horse, healthy for you to use, and easy on the environment.  No harsh chemicals, no need for gloves and constant hand washing to rid yourself of nasty goo! These are wonderful, economic products that you cannot beat! Check them out at http://naturalhorseorganics.com/.

Royal Report aka Harry! (Baby Harry!)

We also have a fabulously flashy little addition here! Royal Report, or Harry, was born Sept. 9; he is out of a half sister to the lovely horse Sloopy, Report to Sloopy) by Royal Alyance (Wits End Eventing's lovely jumping grey stallion).  We are so excited about this very cute, very prissy little red headed boy! Watch out 2020!

Also we can't forget our newest addition! Lord Willing, Will, is a half brother to Tess- he was rescued from the slaughter house in early September and is now here to get fat and learn to be an event horse!!! He is SO sweet and is quite lovely, all be it a bit boney as well!

Here are some videos for entertainment purposes only!
I will check back after I have two new wonderful prelim horses!
Hillary

Huge THANK YOU to Dale Hinman for taking the videos and "A" Classen for being the master You Tuber!

Irish jumps big: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V49i6EpUbdA&feature=relmfu
Africa jumps super:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_OZsW2X5_A&feature=relmfu
Clif and I get reuinted for the day:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlcIvazb9V8&feature=relmfu
Doby's Fab SJ from Augus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omygy1KCwKs

Both of these two are for sale and are FANTASTIC!!!!! Don't miss out!
Nic's 25.5 from Full Gallop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w73DtXhSnU&list=UU64ZZkHK9YGpc4RpBpOyKeg&index=1&feature=plcp
Nic:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9yyBj2_dFs&feature=context-gfa
Copperfield:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jffg6LfA_VY&feature=relmfu

Just giving you time to breathe....or travel the world.



Poor Nicky needed a rest after all his hard work!

I have been a bad blogger! I have been better with updating the facebook, so check that out for more regular, quick updates @ Hillary Irwin Eventing.  I also joined Twitter and...if I EVER figure out how to work it, I will update there as well!

So now to the good stuff:
The horses are absolutely wonderful.  I cannot say enough about how happy I am with them all.  Irish is being awesome, go figure.  She is now doing some more serious dressage work, and as usual, she has handled it with total grace and class- sitting her trot is actual fun! HA! Her jumping is getting stronger and more correct each time. There is not really ever much to complain about with her and I haven't come up with anything yet! (She plans to keep it that way because she has discovered a new love of peaches!)
Nic has been perfect, as only Baby Nic can be! He is just the best horse to have around- I am so, so, so very sad to be selling him, but he is just lovely and unfortunately, my most saleable horse! I adore him and will make sure that he is going to live like royalty wherever he goes. He is too special not to.  Next up for Nic will be Full Gallop next weekend. 
Doby has gone from a bit of an "awkward" duckling shall we say, to quite the little swan.  He is absolutely amazing to ride, he is going to be something seriously special- especially when he stops having red headed moments of "WHAT! WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SCREAMING VOICES IN MY HEAD!". I am quite excited to have him and my hopes for him keep getting higher everyday that I ride him...no pressure little dobs, no pressure.  :)


Doby loves red and green jumps!

Africa has also grown up tons.  She is a sassy little Irish lady, who sometimes prefers the sassy over the lady part! She is getting much stronger on the flat, and cause of that is jumping quite well.  She is hands down the bravest horse I have ever ridden, so as long as I can channel that she is going to start making a big name for herself! She has a big future ahead of her, that is for sure.
Maddie is also back for the fall season.  She had a good showing at River Glenn.  The thing with this horse is that she has yet to try...ever, and she is a total knockout on the flat without effort and an incredibly good jumper.  When the effort starts to come through I think I might need some sticky glue for my dressage saddle and a seat belt for my jump saddle- I also think it would be great to have those devices as standard options on all saddles!
Also, we have a new little man hanging out around.  Kilbeggan is Clif's little cousin (or cuz' as the young kids like to say) and Bellamy Road's 3/4 Sibling.  He is seriously stunning and I could not be more excited to see what he can do! I have put a link to his big arrival below.
Enough about the horses, here is the good stuff!



Nic in his dancing shoes!

Here are the results since I last updated everyone! (at least I hope this is all of them!):
VA HT- Irish 9th in the Training, Nicky 2nd out of 17 in the Novice (at his very first recognized show!), Africa 11th or so in the Novice, Maddie 1st in the Training (out 16 at our first show together!)
Champagne Run HT- Irish 2nd in the Training on her dressage score of 36; Nic 1st in his very first novice on a 27.5!! Go Baby Nic!
Hillcrest CT-Doby 1st at his first novice CT on a 33!
CHP HT Juny- Doby 4th at his first event in the Beginner Novice
CHP HT July- Doby did his first novice, Irish went to do some dressage tests.  She was SUPER, scoring a 31 and getting called a lovely mare! She was just so excited that she asked me to frame her test and hang it in her stall, I told her that's what Grandmothers are for!
River Glenn HT- Maddie 2nd on a 31.5 in the training, Nicky 7th on his dressage of 37 in the novice, Africa 5th in the novice on his dressage score of 32.5 (Go Africa!), and Doby 5th in the Novice with a dressage score of 33 and an unfortunate green rail in the 2 stride.


Doby is showing off his bouncy feet!

Here is your YouTube overload; and the answer is no, I have never put this many videos on anything. Ever.

Doby's Big Novice SJ Debut!

Irish's Super SJ at Champagne Run HT (Training)

Baby Nic's 27.5 on his 1st Recognized Novice!

Nic's Winning SJ Ride at Champagne Run HT (Novice)

Kilbeggen's Big Arrival!

Nic loves his XC!

Complicated Is The Spice of Life!

It would appear that it is in fact the spice of life.  Well at least my life, despite the fact that there is nothing I detest more than complicated.  Very funny, world, verrrrrrrry funny.

So many things have happened since I could last type with two hands...that has been about 8 weeks for those of you marking off the days on your calender like I was.  While I do now have two hands to type with, they are still really not very useful as far as anything else goes.  Zipping up a jacket is actually quite difficult one handed, go ahead try, I'll wait.  Try shaving with only two fingers on one hand, and no there was no way I was not going to shave for 8 weeks before you even ask that question. Even better try taking care of 10 horses, 8 of which are in full work, and riding all of them....I have mastered one handed polo'ing, saddling, and blanketing.  None of those things I ever wish to do again...well after I heal. 
I initially hurt my hand in February when I was XC schooling a horse for a friend and my hand just slammed into her neck...the horse people, not the human. I went to the doctor, they said it's not broken.  Ok. I go to Pinetop three weeks later, hit my hand again on little Nic's neck when he couldn't decide which foot he wanted to put forward, so he just put both! Back to the doctor...looks like I tore ligaments.  Four weeks later...cast comes off and my hand hurts worse than before.  Back to a specialist (getting fancy, I know), looks like: 1- Torn ligament 2- Torn Tendon 3- Bones separated in the back of my hand 4- Thumb is broken through the joint (Did I mention during this little catastrophe that I also manged to fall and get carried a ways by a lunge line?-- breaking my thumb).  So now, all my hand questions have been answered, but my hand is still not healed....obviously, since each visit to the doctor results in a longer list of ailments.  I am still riding, haven't stopped riding, and will continue to ride until someone really lets me have it that it is a terrible idea--all my horses are so well behaved, I see no harm!

The fun news is that Tess is pregnant, Aly is the baby daddy! She wants to be  A BABY MAMA! YAYYY BABY MAMA'S!  I am already coming up with names, I'm so excited to be a grandmama!

Clif is also back in light flat work, which I find quite fun.  It only took 8 years, but has completely figured out his job and what exactly I expect from him, which he will gladly do for about 20 minutes until he is bored, good thing is light flat work only lasts 20 minutes!  He will start full flat work in May and hopefully start playing around jumping in June.  At some point I guess I have to give him to my mother...but I'll wait as long as possible for that...she did break her ankle after all, wouldn't want her rushing back to riding! I'm so thoughtful... I know.

Little Doby is turning into a real horse.  He is now jumping, putting his little head down and hacking all alone! So Cute!!! He is seriously a beautiful horse.  He will do his first shows in the next month.  I am trying to find him the perfect home, he needs to be someone's child.  He is 1/2 horse, 1/2 lap dog.  If you gave him a bed I have no doubt he would sleep in it and make it every morning before going back out to his pasture. He trys SO hard to make you happy, and he would like everyone to know that cookies do not hurt, in fact, they heal!!

Africa is also going quite well.  Still building lots of muscle, but she has figured out her job in general and is starting to think dressage rings might not kill after all.  She is going to have a very fun future ahead of her, I am very excited to be able to ride her! Check out www.witsendeventing.com for more info about their great breeding program.

Little Nic is great.  He is really starting to come into his own.  He actually loves to work, loves to do a fancy trot and jump big!  He thinks he is pretty cool, if he were a person he would be a Ralph Lauren model.  They seem to always have the most classically good looking people! Go Nic, maybe Ralph will give you some extra bucks for shopping, which I will gladly talk off your hands.

Baby Irish is no longer a baby!  That said, her name is not changing.  She went to KHP two weeks ago where she was just completely beside herself all weekend that she was actually at a show! She loved it!  She loved the atmosphere and the competition. She was very consistent and obedient in her test, just a bit tense so she was in 5th on a 33 out of about 23 or so horses.  I was very happy with her score, especially since I know there was at least 5 or 6 more points there with a bit of relaxation! Show jumping was highly entertaining, she went like a little dirt bike through all the turns and just kept going forward, which was the goal.  She jumped a very solid clear round.  If she wasn't so young I'd says she is ready to go prelim! Which in reality, she will be soon; but me being me, she will have to wait until at least the fall!  XC was, once again, quite awesome.  She storms around like an old pro; I let her actually gallop a bit and she finished way under the time, which I was happy with seeing as I was still in a cast and had a broken thumb!  Irish is convinced she is the best thing since sliced bread, and unfortunately, I do not do a whole lot to tell her otherwise.  Irish will do the training at VA HT, possibly something in June, Champagne Run HT in July and from there I will pick and choose another training or two to get her very solid before her big prelim debut sometime later this fall! Very exciting! Her ego barely fits through the barn as it is so I will leave that bit of info out of our conversations until she is getting ready to go into SJ at her prelim. I highly doubt she is going to notice a difference on XC, she'll just think someone got a personality and made the courses more fun!

Overall, everything is going well. In May we will be at the CHP Unrec. HT, Hillcrest Farm CT/Derbycross event, Fenridge Unrec. HT and Virginia HT---think my head will spin?! It will be quite fun I think, everyone here will officially be an event horse by the end of the  month! There are lots of horses here, lots of things going on, and lots of lessons being taught! It is nice to have such great people around all the time, I'm so lucky! 
Hope all is well-
Hillary

I Think I Still Live in NC....

BUT IT'S HOT! It's like.... liiiike totally hot in March! Maybe I got my previous wish of global climate reorganization! That Genie had better come back- I've got 2 more wishes!!!!!!

It is actually quite nice to get all the horses sweating in March- it makes their coats so shiny and they love to not wear their rugs every day all day!  They think their negotiating tactics of ripping blankets have worked...clearly they are delusional- if it's 80 outside you don't have to wear a blanket ya ding bats! One day they will learn...one day....but, I am not holding my breath.

Africa!

It has been so nice the last few weeks having a bit of a quiet schedule- I needed a break, I have not stopped since the 2nd weekend in January and it was nice to be around the farm on the weekend.  My poor Mom also managed to break her ankle- so it is a good thing I have been home I suppose.  She has been cripple hobbling around, she went to the barn the other day and cold hosed Clif's knee that was the size of my face (The horse really should learn some more evasive defensive tactics by the age of 11!).  She somehow also managed to get him from the wash stall to his stall; I am not sure which I more terrified of, the fact that my mother will lead a horse on crutches with a freshly broken ankle or the fact that Clif could possibly be dying because he let someone on crutches lead him around.  Maybe 2012 really is the end of the world.
All the horses are really growing up. Aly and Africa are jumping real courses and doing real grid work; they are big kids now! They both love to jump- they were bred to jump, so it's all natural to them I suppose!  They will both be going out in May to really get their careers started, until then, it will be all about getting their education more well rounded.  I'm sure they are ecstatic about the opportunity. Who wouldn't be?!

Irish and Nic went to Pinetop this past weekend; they were both amazing.  I probably have never been so proud of both my horses- they could not have tried harder. Irish got a 29 in the Open Training, which I was so happy with! She jumped great in the SJ, even managed to save her mother once, leaving all the rails up in a very large SJ course (the TRAINING OLYMPICS :).  The most fun was that she was a total machine on XC- she did not put a foot wrong and I could not have asked for anything to be better.  She was just a blast to ride all weekend and finished 6th! Nic was also perfect, he doesn't know there is an option!  He got a 32 on the flat because he was adorable and tried so hard! He did have one fence down in the SJ, his body and half strides do not mix at the moment! He, like Irish, has already started to love getting all decked out in green and red to go blast around XC. Nic was great and finished 3rd at his first recognized show!  I have very high hopes for these two little monsters!



Shandy!

Unfortunately, I am now sporting an awesome blue cast.  I will be in it for next 2 to 3 weeks, and a brace will follow for a good while! Everyone will have to pardon the late/short blogs! It is painstaking to  "hunt and peck" type!

Hope all is well!
 H

Full February Brings March Madness!

Baby Nic learning to canter!

February has been busy!  Everyone has officially gone to high school and done their first show! How exciting!!  On Feb. 11th Nic had his very first big kid lesson off the farm with Bonnie Mosser.  He thought that was great fun! He got to jump his first real course with all the questions, he isn't sure what the question was, he was just happy to get a pat on the other side of every jump.  He is just far too adorable for his own good!

One day that trot is going to be quite fun going down the center line!

The following week nearly everyone went to Hillcrest Farm for their first ever outing; or in Irish's case, her first training of the year.  Aly, Nic and Africa did the beginner novice. Irish was absolutely super the entire time- she won the flat where she tried quite hard and was incredibly obedient and accurate in her test.  Her show jumping was quite good- we just had that "can't miss" kind of day- and as we all know, that doesn't happen often to anyone so enjoy it while you can!  The most fun, was that she was a little dirt bike on XC, she thought it was great fun and seemed to build up confidence during the entire round, she even had a giant LEAP off the drop into the water. She was quite fun to ride all day and did end up winning her division on her dressage score.

Show Jumping is Show Off time for Nic!

Nic also had a super first outing, I could not be happier with him.  He just loves to do anything you ask, as long as it does not require too much energy :).  He was 2nd on the flat with a 34- there is SO much muscle to be built that it's nice to know he can score quite well while not yet having that muscle to really do anything with his body.  He was super for his show jumping and seemed to really get more and more into the XC the further around he went!  Nic ended up winning his BN division- such a fun feeling to have the horse you bought for $1 win his first event ever!


Baby Nic says I LOVE JUMPING!

Aly, the little grey jumping stallion machine, also had a great first outing.  He had a minor baby testosterone moment in the dressage, but still ended up with a 9 and 3rd after his dressage!  He was so much better and more ridable than the previous weekend in the dressage ring, that I could have cared less about our little "moment".  His show jumping was wonderful; you would never know he was just learning anything about jumping, he is such a natural!!!  The same goes for his XC round, he was a bit green (surprise at this first show, eh?!) at the beginning, but then settled into a rhythm and seemed to have a great time the entire time to end up 3rd in his BN division!
Africa also showed her true colors and showed everyone that she really does love jumping more than dressage!  She is quite a fancy little horse when she relaxes, she had several lovely moments in her test and overall, I was happy with how she went.  There is a lot for us to improve upon for the next time, but isn't that always the case?!  She had a great time with both jumping phases- she really thinks its all quite boring!  Little does she know....it is boring because I think she should learn more before it gets more interesting!  She and I disagree about the educational process.....at the moment I'm winning....I have no doubt that she will try to change that!


Just last weekend Irish and Nic headed to Jumping Branch Horse Trials in Aiken to get their feet wet.  Irish went to do the training and Nic to do  the Beginner Novice.  Irish was, once again, absolutely super.  She was 2nd out of 12 on the flat on a 35- I could not be more happy with her.  She, as usual, tried so hard to do what she was asked and I really tried hard too dang it!  I am working quite hard to ride her better and better to help her gain more correct muscle and a bigger step. The show jumping was actually a bit on the tough side to my surprise.  I did have a mini gulp when I went cantering around the ring!  In true Irish fashion, the more I wonder if she can do it, the more she tells me that I am in fact dumb and she can do far much than "just do it".  She jumped a super clean round.  She did the same for the XC, she blasted around like an old pro- the bigger the jumps the better she jumped; that is probably my favorite feeling in the world!  She finished on her dressage score to end up 2nd.  A blue ribbon and a red ribbon on back to back weekends- Go baby Irish- apparently my peppermint bribery has been successful.
Nic was had a good weekend as well.  He was quite tired from the previous weekend so his dressage needed a bit more energy.  He had a great time jumping- he decided that was quite fun, he loves XC.  I've decided he only loves XC because he is just so glad it is slower than the race track!  He did have a baby stop at the water- obviously, I'm really not all that concerned!  He is learning quickly and I am very happy with how we went and how much better he felt than the previous weekend.

Clif's happy ears!!

Most exciting is that I have now ridden the big, muddy, fat, grumpy, dramatic mess of a favorite horse in the world.......Clif ......people....you should know this by now!  He was soooo excited that his ears were up the entire time and he didn't even try to buck me off!  Well.....the first day.  He is now back to being incredibly happy and is up to his old tricks.  He seems to not have caught on to the fact that every time he gets hurt I am riding better by the time he gets ridden again.  Fortunate for me I think, unfortunate for him because he has yet to spend his time off plotting and figuring out a better way to get me off- silly boys, they never plan ahead! 
I hope everyone has is enjoy the great non winter like weather and the beginning of show season!
Best to everyone!
Hillary

Ready, Set, Insanity!

I hope everyone has been keeping busy outside with this non-winter like weather we are having at the moment! I am all about the 60 in January and the 64 in February, it's like a little chunk of Florida moved north! I'm all about global climate reorganization. I happen to like the mountains covered in snow, I just want to see them from 2 miles away where it is 70 degrees! And yes, I do want my cake and to eat it too!
The last few weeks have been a bit intense.  All the babies headed out for their first XC schools- which you would never have known from the way they acted! They loved it!  Ramble went to Full Gallop the first week of February as well.  He was super on the flat, tried very hard in the SJ, and had a great XC round- he is a little stallion xc machine, batteries not included!  Cookies are his re-energizer.
Last Saturday all the babies- Irish, Nic, Aly, and Africa- went to TTC for their first show!  Aly and Africa did the combined test, they scored a 31 and 29 on the flat and jumped super.  Not a bad way to start out their little careers I'd say!  Nic and Irish just went along to do a jumper show class; both of them were quite good as well; Nic is still trying to do some weight lifting so he can actually carry that big ol' body of his around! We need to get him a personal trainer- oh wait, I think that's supposed to be me! Cut off shirts don't look good on me though. Bummer.
Most recently, Irish went to Full Gallop last week to do the novice.  She was actually quite good- we had an unfortunate shoe pulling in front of a fence that didn't work out so well for jumping the fence the first time....but she was super every where else- I am trying very hard to ride her like I would want her to go if she ends up going advanced.  No reason to have to retrain them later---so Irish leaps into the water.... jump or no jump! 
This week Aly, Africa, and Nic are all heading to their very first event on Saturday at Hillcrest Farm.  They are just so excited, they are squealing! Squeals of excitement ....anger....one in the same I'd say.  Irish is also bumming a ride so she can go do the training.  It will be a great place for everyone to do their first real events/real events back.  Irish is looking forward to being the experienced one of the bunch! She will probably tell all the babies to do bad things so that 1- she gets more treats, 2- people tell her how great she is compared to everyone else, and 3-so she can watch me nearly falling off out the trailer door when she has finished her day (Hillary is for entertainment purposes only1)! 
While all these fun, happy things have been happening there has been a major upset to my plans and my daily routine.  Tess has managed to break herself yet again! It really is quite impressive, we should be the world record holders at this point.  So, in true redneck fashion, Tess will become barefoot and pregnant real soon ya'll, real soon.  She is actually quite sad not to be getting the attention- however, her stall rest seems to have made up for her lack of normal attention, so she is quite happy to sit there with a full hay net and clean stall all day and night!  She sleeps more than any horse I have ever seen- she will have shavings in her ears, up her nose, and covering her ENTIRE body several times each day...I"m waiting for the snoring to start!
I will update everyone after the big debut this weekend, and after Irish and Nic head to Jumping Branch Farm for another unrecognized event the following weekend. Busy times for all of us here, except for Tess....little does she know what is to come....
Hope all is well.
Hillary

Resolution......Fail.

Like the majority of people I attempted to make some New Year resolutions.  I said, "I will try to eat healthier"; unfortunately, I put the word try in there.  My thought process goes like this: "Hillary, eat better, you are going to hate sitting trot if you bounce any more"...when eating lunch..."I can't find anything healthy....Oh well, I tried!".  I might or might not be very good at finding the loop holes in my resolutions.   I do need to eat healthier; if I eat better then I feel better (not that my healthy is a normal person's healthy, but you get the idea).  I LOVE prime rib, bagels, pasta, cheeseburgers, pizza, ginger ale, fruit juice, chocolate oranges, nerds and garlic mash potatoes! If I could cut all those out I would quite literally die-- I would have nothing to eat and that would be so sad.  So I am trying to slowly learn to like things like lettuce, tomatoes (not ever going to happen), and spinach. Vomit.
Other than my epic failure of keeping my New Year's resolution, I have been working on sitting a bit straighter, using my "weight" aids better, keeping my body slower when jumping, and making my horses really use their hind ends all the time.  At the moment everyone is living in a grid; if they are on their best behavior they do a line in different striding each time- even the babies, they have to learn sometimes, guess it should be now!  Everyone is heading out the first week of February for their first shows of the season- that week is going to be INSANE! Tess will head to Full Gallop I Feb.1, Irish/Nic/Africa/Aly will head to TTC Feb.4, I am teaching a clinic Feb.5 and Tess will head back to Full Gallop II Feb.8.  Anyone betting on when I collapse? I'm betting Wednesday at 5 pm.  Luckily, I am escaping for 2 days the next week with some friends- it will be my first actual day off since my Christmas vaca! So Exciting!!!!!
This week I saw a facebook status that said "life's hard, get a helmet".  After I stopped laughing, I went on reading, but kept thinking about that quote.  SO TRUE.  It does you no good complain- somebody has it worse, always, so just give it up (because in reality if you have a horse your life cannot truly be that bad!).  Things never go as planned and sometimes they do just smack you right on the head as they are crumbling around you.  When you think you have it all figured it out your wrong, and no matter what it usually turns out just the way it was supposed to.
I also recently saw something that Will Smith said- "even if your in the right lane, if you don't move, your going to get run over".  I have decided that I love these quotes (along with "if you don't have time to do it right the first time, when do you have time?")- I have put on my helmet and am going in a lane, I might not be speeding on the Audubon, but damn it I'm driving--your supposed to enjoy the process right?!
So as this season really starts to take off I'm going to make like Nemo and just keep swimming.  My horses will get better and stronger everyday; I will get better everyday, and attempt to eat healthier...maybe; I will make an effort to have more in my life (genuine laughter=happiness=healthiness), people are incredibly unique and is good to keep yourself surrounded by them, you can learn so much; the more you know the less you know, so start working harder (at least in my experience; maybe I should wear one earplug so info can only go in one ear but not out the other!!)! These are the things that I am going to center myself around for the year, with the ultimate goal at the end of the year being: My horses are better and I am better. This is as serious as I get and I thought writing it down would force me to really work on it!
I hope everyone has found something to work towards this year whether it is to curry your horse more often, keep your thumbs up, see better distances, actually clean your car....or your house, or just in general live life a little more like a "normal" person :), so I wish everyone Good Luck with those resolutions...and remember your greens!
Hillary