It's Monday Again!

How did THAT happen?  Seems like we just had a Monday a few days ago.  Wait.  What?  You mean we DID have a Monday a few days ago?  Well, darn!  Isn't one enough?  Of course, whenever someone says we should just do away with Mondays I tell them it wouldn't work because then Tuesday would become the new Monday and it would be the same thing.  Oh well.  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was okay.  Took a bunch of clothes to Goodwill that were either too big or I didn't like how they fit.  I can be pretty picky about my clothes.  If they're too low-cut, out they go.  One shirt got donated because it tended to "creep" to one side which caused the sleeve on the opposite side to ride up and that was uncomfortable.  I'm not, like, super duper modest or anything like that, but I do like to make sure everything is covered (even if there isn't much to cover) and if it can't be "hidden" behind one of those panel thingies you snap into the straps of a bra, then I don't keep it.  Sunday my mom and I went to breakfast at Denny's then did our usual grocery shopping.

  I got to see some of the Rolex Kentucky 3 Day Event and would like to congratulate Andrew Nicholson and his horse Quimbo for winning the whole enchilada.

  I think a lot of people were betting on William Fox-Pitt to win, but he decided to pull up during the cross-country portion and didn't finish and his combined scores from Dressage and Show Jumping weren't enough for a win, but he did get 2nd place.  It was interesting to watch the Cross-Country on my iPad Mini Saturday.  Equestrian events don't get a whole lot of coverage in Arizona and when it does it's usually Show Jumping.  Some of the jumps in Cross-Country were a bit...intense

by carly dolan

by carly dolan

I thought the finale was going to be live on NBC at 1pm Arizona time Sunday, but when I decided to check the USEF Network I quickly discovered that wasn't the case so by the time NBC showed their portion, I already knew who won.  I was disappointed in that.  Not to mention NBC's coverage sucked.  The first 20 minutes or so were re-caps from the Dressage and Cross-Country phases and they had way too many commercials.  They ended up only showing maybe 4 or 5 riders.  Very disappointing.  But now that I know my iPad is capable of live streaming from the USEF Network, I can watch it there.  They show the events in their entirety.  Watching the events at the Kentucky Horse Park, however, makes me want to go to Breyerfest next year even more.  Not just for the plastic ponehs, but just to be at the Kentucky Horse Park and being surrounded by everything horse.

Horses have been a big part of my life since I was at least 4, if not earlier.  But when I was 4 I remember getting to ride my first horse.  My mom's cousin put me on a Palomino pony and led me around a little bit.  It was the greatest thing in the world.  There are no photos of that.  Surprisingly, there's only 2 photos of me on a horse, despite how many times I've ridden.  I'll share the other photo later, but this photo is from the last time I went riding...in 1999 for my birthday.  My friend booked us a 4 hour ride into the Superstition Mountains.  It was awesome!  The picture quality is horrible because it's a picture of a picture.

My horse's name was Larry and I believe he was a Thoroughbred, but it was so long ago, I don't remember.  The ride was awesome and I didn't want it to end, especially considering it would be my last time.  I didn't know it at the time.  In Arizona we pretty much have riding "seasons".  Because it gets so hot during the summer, you don't have much opportunity to ride during the summer unless you have your own horse and you go early in the morning.  Well, at the end of each season for the last several years I've made the promise to myself that by "next season" I will be riding again.  It's my own fault I'm not able to do it right now and I know what I need to do, but I seem unable to do it.  Sigh.  But I won't give up.  One day...soon... I will ride again!