So Amanda at The $900 Facebook Pony wrote a post a couple of weeks ago summing up her 2018 in pictures that fall into different categories. I love this idea so much! She encouraged others to join in, so here's my post!
To start off with though, I wasn't planning on doing a year-end post since I've only had this blog for three months, so this is a little thrown together. Also, I was either riding by myself or riding in the cow field with Hailey or one of her sisters, so there are not a ton of exciting pictures from this year, but I found the best.
Because I picked out the best pictures I have from this year, my categories are more tailored towards the pictures I picked than Amanda's categories. This is partly because I didn't have many that fit the categories -- I haven't shown this year, bought anything even remotely exciting, or generally had too much of an exciting year with the horses. I also put them in chronological order, so follow along my 2018 with my favorite pictures!
New Experience
This year I used a hair dryer on a horse for the first time. It beat trying to dry Trinity with towels so I could ride/put her rain sheet back on her. She wasn't phased by it at all by it too which was great!.
Favorite Funny Picture of Your Horse
This day the weather wasn't all that great and the farm was covered in ice. The farrier was coming out that day, so instead of us all having to slide our way into the barn I told him to meet me in the indoor arena. My mom and I got there plenty early to get the ponies and even had time to let them run around the arena for a bit. They were wet and rolled, so they got a little dirty. HA! I love the spot in the middle of Boo's back that is clean while the rest of him turned BROWN!! Trinity wasn't as bad because she had a brown rain sheet on.
Favorite Memory from My Old Barn
This picture was taken after a very special lesson Boo and I had. Basically he demonstrated that he really does love jumping as much as I think he does. I don't want to get into it too much because I'm trying to get that story published. I'll let you know if it does!
Favorite Horse Ridden Aside from Your Own
I know I rode Levi for a few minutes this year, but, sorry Levi, this will always have to go to Ellie Mae. I love this old girl so much! I'll write a whole post about her one day, but for now just know that I love this girl as much as I love Gizmo, and there have been so many times I ride her and think, "okay, that's probably my last time on her," and eventually I get another ride! She's a beginner lesson horse at my old barn, so I think this might actually be my last ride on her, but I am always hoping for a surprise ride! This also wasn't the best of rides. It was the first and only time I saw a Bald Eagle at this farm as we went up the hill which was cool, but she doesn't like going out on the trail by herself and since I was bareback I didn't want to fight too much. Also, her back is a lot bonier than Boo's and Trinity's though! OUCH!
Arena: Old Barn
I have no idea if this is actually my favorite picture of me riding Trinity from this year in the arena...but we'll go with it. I mean, it was a good ride, nothing special, but good. She can be so much fun to ride when she's not stiff. I know we did some pole bending this year, and I have videos of some of our runs, but I filmed them by setting my phone down so I probably couldn't get a good screen grab. Anyways, I enjoy a good ride on Trinity.
Funny Picture from Trails
Oh, Boo Boo! This is a little ditch running across the trail that never used to be there before. I had to get off to lead him over it. He jumped it every time. He was fine stepping over a bigger ditch, but not this small one. Silly boy!
First Trail Ride at the New Barn
I was so excited to go exploring at the new barn with Hailey! Trinity took me out first, and we found one of the cows' waters! I have never had my horse drink while I was on them before. It was cute. There were other times when we let the horses have a drink and it looked like the horses might try and step into the water and Boo dunked his head about halfway down -- I then had to clean his bridle.
Favorite Memory from My New Barn
This was pretty sweet. I went out to get my ponies, and I couldn't get the halter on Trinity, but I knew she would follow if I led Boo away, then they started walking ahead of me in the mud, so I let them both loose and they made their way to the gate for me. I love them! (Okay, so they knew they were going to get fed and that's probably why they made their way to the gate...but still cute!)
MULES
These are two of the three mules at the new barn, Trinity seemed to bond with them when I had Boo out rather than the other horses. I thought it was cute! I like this picture because their big ears are flat. They are so much bigger than her too! We think their names are Kenny and Glen, and I felt the black one was more of a Glen, so the blonde is Kenny, at least according to us. Glen was sold, but Kenny is so sweet! I really love him. I never meet mules before.
COWS
"SHE'S SO FLUFFY!" - what I said when we first saw that long-haired blonde! Lots of cow pictures from this summer, but I think I love this one the best. I was trying to take a selfie with Fluffy and some of the others, and I actually don't love how any of the selfies came out. This was really fun and we had a lot of fun with the cows this day. Fluffy went off in one direction as a strong, independent cow because no one followed her. One of the cows got curious about Trinity and was getting close, but I turned around too excitedly and scared her away.
Three Besties
I don't know why, but I love their colorings together! I'm so happy Hailey and I have Boo and Levi back together -- they went from being our lesson horses to our first horses.
Arena: New Barn
This was a great day! Hailey and I were actually able to ride in the arena a bit, and I set my phone up and took a 23 minute video while we jumped the boys! Levi hadn't jumped for a long time, and Boo and I had been able to do a little bit at the new barn before this. This day was so much more fun because I was riding my boy with my best friend on her boy doing what we love the most, jumping!
Favorite "Between the Ears" Picture
I just wrote a post about this, but I had so much fun ponying Trinity that this has to be here!
These pictures do not sum up the year in total, but they are pictures I have that I really like and capture a moment from 2018 that I loved. It hasn't been the most exciting of years, but I guess maybe it wasn't as dull as I thought after captioning all of these photos. I plan on doing this again next year.
Thanks, Amanda, for the idea and allowing others to use it! Your blog is something I found this year and really enjoy reading!