Goal Updates-January 12th

Hey!  It's been about a little over a week since I announced my goals for 2013.  Here's a quick update to how things are progressing:

Weight Loss:

• Lost 1.2 pounds since starting on January 4th.  
• Motivation level = pretty high
• Keys to success = tracking diet on My Fitness Pal, eating before 7pm each night, no soda after 7pm each night (yikes!).  So far, so good.  
• Next week = keep tracking, drink more water.

Guitar:

• I'm saving up money to buy a used guitar so I can begin lessons.  Lots of people have given me recommendations for an instructor, so I'm pumped to get started as soon as I can!

Smokey Update:

• Of course, when I was ready to do some ground work, Smokey injured himself and was lame.  No problem, he got a few days off and is on the mend.
• We've lunged the last 2 days because the weather because the rain has made the rings a giant swamp.  He's been...distracted lately.  I don't know why, but I'm not too anxious to get on him until he gets more focused.  I'm not sure if this is just the weather, the construction stuff at the farm, or what his deal is.  Anyways, today's lunging was in the pouring rain, and you can see he was none to thrilled about that.

• We did enter a clinic for February 16th.  It's the Mounted Police Civilian Sensory Clinic, and I have wanted to do this for a long time with him.  They use training methods simillar to when working with their horses.  Pretty cool, huh?  Here is the website if you want to see what sort of things they do:  http://friendslexingtonmountedpolice.org/civilian_sensory_clinic.html
• I just heard today that my friend Rosemary and her horse, Patrick, will be going with us to the clinic.  Double YAY!!!  It's always good to do clinics with a friend, especially ones that have pretty calm horses.  I'm sure Patrick will be a star!  Lots of others will join us for spectating too.  I have a feeling there will be plenty of photographic moments.  

That's all for now!  I see everyone getting their 2013 show season schedules ready, and I'm getting excited to see what accomplishments all my friends will make this year.  Have a good week!!  Love, Kristen & Smokey

My 2013 Resolutions

Here they are, my 2013 New Year's Resolutions.  Get excited, people!!  First of all,  resolution means firm determination, resolving to do something, or a course of action determined or decided upon.  My determination has been half-hearted at best in 2012, and the year seemed to be a huge mess in general (I'm certain many will agree with me).  So, this year, I want to resolve to be resolved!!!  Fight for what I want, not be afraid to take chances and step outside of my comfort zone, and achieve.

Ready?  Go!

Lose 50 pounds-Oh, here it goes, the stupid weight loss goal.  Everyone has one.  I have calculated that to be about 1.5 lbs average per week.  That's pretty achievable, and I'm going to hold you all to keeping me motivated.  After all, I have a wedding to stand up for in August (love you Krista!).  But that's not the only reason I'm doing it.  Everything seemed to go down the drain after my broken arm, and it's time to, pardon my expression, get my shit together!!!

Learn to play the guitar-Don't worry, I'm not quitting my job to start a rock band or go on the road.  I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar or piano (thanks to my Sara Bareilles obsession, along with many others).  It is more likely that I can financially handle the purchase of a guitar versus piano, and plus, it's much more portable.  I'm excited to get started with lessons!

Ride Better, Jump, and Finish 2013 by completing a recognized Beginner Novice Horse Trial-In 2012, I watched all of you riding and having fun while volunteering for lots of horse trials (since I was side-lined).  Since my fall and broken arm, my riding has been very guarded and cautious, and most of us can relate after a traumatic fall.  I am certain that Smokey and I can improve our confidence together, and become a stronger team together.  It's time to stop putting those goals on the back burner, stop making excuses, and get out there and ride!!

Happy New Year's Everyone!!  I hope you are making resolutions and will keep me motivated to achieve mine!!  Cheers to a super fabulous 2013...and 2012?  Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!!

Excuses, Excuses...

Hey everyone!
As you might have noticed, I didn't do my 25 days of Justin Timberlake.  Two main reasons.  One, it's difficult to find the SNL skits online, and a lot of the ones I did want to include were nowhere to be found.  And two, I was completely preoccupied and too busy to blog!!  Amber and I were in California for the AAEP Convention in the beginning of December, and almost immediately upon my return, I was sick.  And that lasted for about 2 weeks...or more....I'm actually not sure I'm 100% over it just yet.  When I found the energy to do anything, I was trying to get my house decorated and put together before the Holidays.

Excuses, excuses...yes, I know.

I'm anxious to announce my goals for 2013, and I'll devote an entire blog post to those goals.  Yes, lots has to do with the Grey Pony, and many are things that I have wanted to do for many many years.  I figured you guys out there will hold me accountable, and I'm counting on that!!

Until then, enjoy the rest of the year!!  Hope Santa was good to you!!

Considering how 2012 went, I figured the best investment for me was a new helmet!!    Best gift ever!!

Wrigley apparently was very good this year :)

25 Days of...

And I will get to the rest of that story in a minute.  First of all, has it really been since August since I have blogged last???  I think I was experiencing a super blogger BURNOUT!!    Well, here are the cliff notes version of what has happened since August:
-The whole chiropractor thing didn't work out.  Our schedules just didn't mesh.  So, on a whim, I called in a vet that does acupuncture, Dr. Chris Cahill.  He came out the same day I called him and did several areas on his back and hips.  Then, Michele came out and massaged him and he was hysterical!  Stretching and lovin' every minute of it!

-I got an iPhone!!  I love Instagram :)  That is important news.  That was in September, just so you know what month we are now in.
-Smokey has felt FABULOUS since all the acupuncture treatments and his massage.  No back problems whatsoever.  Do the happy dance!
-I decided to enter a show.  We did the Thoroughbred Horse Show Association Show at the KY Horse Park.  We did all 3 intro tests, including C (and that means a little bit of canter).  He didn't get the left lead right away, but did a flying change and all was good.  The experience was...enlightening.  The Paso Fino Nationals were going on at the Horse Park at the same time.  Needless to say, my horse was quite "distracted".  But, it was a beautiful day!!

-After the show, I was looking at the pictures that Krista was so gracious to take during the show and I found that my Dressage saddle was putting my leg in front of me!!  AHHHGGHH!!  Horrified.  Thus begins the search for a new saddle...to be continued.
-Mom and Dad came for a visit!!  Smokey was his normal self:  a complete ham.  He constantly kept us laughing all weekend with his antics.

-I have sat in 6-8 different Dressage saddles trying to find one that fits both me and Smokey.  It's amazing what happens when your lower leg is in the correct position.  We haven't had any major issues/arguments over the left lead with a saddle that fits us both properly.  Amazing that a little thing like that could have been easily fixed a long time ago.  Granted, we are a long way from being perfect, but this is a start!

Okay, now to my 25 Days of....wait for it.....Justin Timberlake!!!  I decided to share one of my favorite videos of JT doing his comedy thing on Saturday Night Live.  Mostly because I believe that everyone needs to experience the hilarity.  So, I'm starting a day early, but I can't wait.  So, here is the official 1st video:

http://mediatram.com/rutube/justin-timberlake-snl-give-it-on-up-2-homelessville-832608

And remember, Christmas isn't about Santa kicking a cup of soup in the croutons!!

My Taylor Swift Moment

So, most of you all know that Taylor Swift is notorious for writing songs about her breakups.  This is my blog version of a Taylor Swift song, so bare with me.  Usually I'm just blogging about Smokey and his shenanigans (since this is a blog about him), but I thought I would get a few things off my chest and out into the world. 

Since my divorce was final in 2011, I spent a fair amount of time getting myself back together.  Last winter, I decided it was time to get back on the proverbial horse and started to think about dating again.  Seeing that I work from home and my trips into the social scene in Lexington consisted of an all female populated barn and the grocery store (usually after the barn), I figured out that online dating sites might be a good idea to broaden my social life.  Thus starts the arduous task of filling out a profile and then search was on!

I went on a couple dates, talked to a couple guys, but nothing really peaked my interest.  Until recently.  I met this guy a few weeks ago and I thought we really hit it off.  He was smart, could hold a conversation, interesting to talk to, honest with his answers, funny, and laughed at my stupid jokes.  I was instantly intrigued and excited!!  We talked and texted all through the next few weeks, and I enjoyed getting to know him more and more.  YES, it seemed to me that my faith in the opposite sex may be able to be restored after all!!

Sidebar:  Dating is a ever fluid entity, constantly changing and adjusting to the parties involved.  I get that those of us on dating sites are all out to find the most compatible person for us, and that means we are sometimes talking to more than one person at a time.  No big deal, you never know when you might meet that person you are looking for.

The guy I met was talking to a couple different woman, and I was fully aware of this.  He was never deceptive about his status with me or the others involved.  The problem came into play when one of the women wanted to be in a relationship with him.  Meaning, no dating other people.  Now he had to make a decision, and it basically came down to her or me.  My competitive side wanted to say "bring it on, chick, I'll win this battle", but (thank goodness) my common sense said "woahwoahwoah! wait just a minute!".  I wasn't ready to be in a competition for a guy I barely knew, let alone be in a relationship with him!  How in the world did I end up in this type of situation!!  One day, I'm having a great time with him and then all of the sudden I'm being judged like a head of lettuce in the produce section of the grocery store!?!?!  My common sense pulled through for me and I told him that I was pulling myself from the dating options.  After all, what would have happened if he didn't pick me?  I would feel like crap about myself all over a guy I wasn't sure I even wanted to be with!  Stupid.

He responded that he would respect my decision and that I was a beautiful, intelligent, witty, funny person, blah blah blah.  Really?  Okay, number one, I didn't need you to tell me all of that because I already knew it.  And two, if you see all of that in me and still think that you need to "shop around", what exactly are you looking for in a woman?  You know what, Mr. Know It All?  You barely knew me.  Just think about how much more I could have been to you if you had stuck around?  You didn't even get to see half of the things I could be to you. 

There is a guy on this dating site that I am on that has chosen to rant about women only wanting to date jerks and how he wasn't getting any dates from this site because women only wanted to date broke, no good, free-loaders.  Well, what about guys who don't want to date witty, smart, beautiful women?  Maybe they need to be honest and write "I'm looking for woman who is stupid, ugly, boring, and uninteresting". 

I leave with you Taylor's most recent break up song.  Like.....ever.  Preach on, girlfriend!

When it rains, it pours

It seems that my big grey pony has run into a string of bad luck.  Before you start feeling bad for him, let me first say that most if it is self-inflicted in some way or another. 

First, his back is still hurting.  Michele came out to give him a massage, but that didn't seem to help one bit.  I lunged him the next day, and he seemed okay, but when I rode the following day he was not okay at all.  Probably gave me one of his biggest bucks ever (and I stayed on).  His trot work was so-so and his canter work was backwards:  taking the right lead to the left and visa versa.  The biggest thing I noticed was him grinding his teeth, which is usually an indicator that he is not comfortable, nervous, or in pain.  I finally decided that something was very wrong with him somewhere and that more action needed to be taken.  Now, the problem is that there are a few chiropractors around the area but some of them are impossible to get an appointment with.  My friend at the barn, Rachel, suggested someone that she uses out of Louisville, so I decided to try him out. 

While waiting to hear back from the therapist/chiropractor, Smokey decided to up the ante a bit.  I turned him out this past Wednesday and not 10 minutes later he is bleeding from a wound on his left shoulder!  He was playing with a horse in the field, and I guess he ran into a wire somewhere on the fence.  There was a lot of blood but once we rinsed it off to find the source of the injury, it really wasn't that big of a wound.  It was, however, a puncture wound and those are pretty difficult to deal with considering that part of the wire or whatever might still be in the wound.  So, to be on the safe side, I called Dr. Cook from Woodford Equine just to make sure everything was okay.  It turned out to be pretty deep but he gave me a regimen to follow for the next few days that included flushing with betadine/saline, hot toweling to increase circulation to the area, bute, and a couple days of stall rest.

Today, the puncture hole is healing up.

The wound is healing nicely, the most important thing is to make sure it doesn't get infected.  So far, so good.  However, the swelling is slowly moving down his leg. 

Can you tell which side is swollen?

He's pretty sore and walking gingerly right now.  Considering the fact that he was driving me crazy being in the stall all day and night, I decided that he could go out now.  It's probably good for him to walk around on it and move that leg.  He was pretty pathetic today, and I know he's in a lot of pain. 

It HURTSSSSSSS!!!

I do feel sorry for the Smokey, but honestly, it was his own fault!  We had a long talk this week about money....and how I am not made of money....and how money doesn't grow on trees....and how I had to put off the chiropractor appointment until this was healed....and how I wish he would just be a little more careful....and how I wasn't having any fun right now!! 

Anyways...that is the update from Smokey and me.  Once we get every part of him worked out, I will let you know.  Right now, I'm planning for our first horse trials to be in 2020.  Seriously. 

Smokey Being Naughty!!

HELLLO!!  I know what you are thinking-2 entries in 2 days?!?!  You have never been so lucky!!

As I mentioned previously, my Smokey has been extremely accident prone lately.  Ok, let's try irritating to other horses so much so that they decide to let him know how they feel about him and his antics.  Due to his soreness, I decided to pull him from the little schooling show I was so looking forward to today.  But, I decided to give him a bath regardless yesterday and took the following photos for proof.

Exhibit A:  On his face, who knows about this one?

Exhibit B:  Bite mark on right flank area

Exhibit C:  Another bite mark

Exhibit D:  Bite on left shoulder

Exhibit E and F (a little one):  Right hip

Exhibit G:  Right front leg

All of those things will heal within days, but it's his back that is still very sensitive.  It looks like he will be having a visit from his friend, Michele, for some massage work.  He's been on muscle relaxers all weekend and doesn't seem to be improving.  Then, it's back to work and back on track!

He is so pretty when he's clean....he GLOWS!!!  Haha!

Have a great week everyone.  The Olympics start Friday, so get super excited!!!