Liebster Award!

I was not expecting to be awarded this, as my follower base is teeny tiny! Big thanks to Hannah at The Longest Format for thinking of me!

HOW TO ACCEPT THE AWARD: The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued.  Here are the rules for accepting the award:

    Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.

    List 11 random facts about yourself.

    Answer the 11 questions given to you.

    Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.

    Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.

    Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

RANDOM FACTS:

1) I have a mild case of tryptophobia...also known as the fear of clusters of holes. It's ridiculous, but even typing out the description is making my heart rate go up.

2) I don't like condiments. Mayo, ketchup, relish, mustard...ew. No thanks. I eat my fries plain and really would prefer my burgers without anything but cheese. Ranch dressing, however, is good on almost everything!

3) I identify as pansexual -- basically, I like people, not what's in their pants. I tend to lean more towards women than men, but that's because I get along better with women. Also, boobies. Cannot go wrong with boobies.

4) If I won the lottery, I think I'd still work at Dover. Just for funsies.

5) I really hate repetitive noises. Like, I have to resist going into a homicidal rage over someone chewing too loudly. 

6) I LOVE to sing. Love. I am always singing in the car. I will sing in stores if I know the song. But I am Terrible, capital T. I probably shouldn't sing in public...but, um, oh well.

7) I've owned 5 cars since I bought my first one in 2009. I haven't owned one longer than 2 years, though I'm praying my current car goes longer than that. My favorite was my little Ford Ranger. I miss that truck!

8) I won a scholarship in high school from the Greater Boston PFLAG for an essay I wrote. I got to go to big fancy party in Boston and everything. I have a giant cardboard check floating around somewhere, too.

9) My horsey bucket list includes running a reining freestyle, galloping down the beach, riding a cutting horse, riding a Friesian, overcoming my intense fear of jumping, raising a foal, and riding in Ireland...just to name a few.

10) I have a low tolerance level for people who lack common sense. I also have a low tolerance level for people who can't at least attempt to figure something out for themselves. That probably makes me a bad person, but oh well.

11) I'm spooky. Inexplicably, over the top spooky. Loud noises do me in, usually, but if someone comes around a corner and I don't expect it, that can cause a pretty major spook. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be loud. My spooks can be anything from a slight shudder to shying sideways. I joke that it's because I've spent too much time around horses, but the various psychiatric professionals in my life claim it's an effect of PTSD that I'll probably never get rid of. Awesome.

11 QUESTIONS FOR ME:

1) Why did you choose your current horse sport or discipline?

It was actually my lovely aunt D who got me into gaited horses, many years ago. After she lost her warmblood gelding, she switched to a Rocky Mountain horse. I was intrigued (and a little jealous!) as I watched her glide down the trails in front of me. I started reading up on the various gaited breeds and was even more interested. It wasn't until a kind person at an organized trail ride let me hop on her Paso Fino that I knew I was in trouble. So, I knew that my first personal horse was going to be gaited...

and Image has a beautiful little rack :) I love to dabble in other disciplines, but my heart is on the trails. I don't think I really chose my discipline -- pretty sure it chose me!

2) What is your horse-related Big Goal, if any?

Ride my horse without him bucking. Seriously. That's all I want right now. Because if we're even able to get to that point by the end of the summer, I'll consider our first year together a huge success.

But, after all is said and done, I want a forward but sane trail horse who wants to go out and play...and isn't worrying about when the proverbial other shoe is going to fall!

3) Pick a horse-related thing about which you have changed your mind.  Why?

Horse slaughter. I was your typical "omg no save the pretty ponies!" type person for a very long time. Then, as I thought about it...if I was getting so upset over horse slaughter, shouldn't I be getting upset over cow, pig and chicken slaughter as well? Logic tells me that despite the fact that most of us view our horses as companion animals and partners...they're still livestock. Many people enjoy horse. So, good for them. I'm not going to ship my critter off to the slaughterhouse, but with such a huge overpopulation problem (because of bad breeders and bad owners), they have to go somewhere. I wish it were a more humane end, but at least they're not suffering, and they're contributing in some way. Circle of life. I understand why people get so upset over horse slaughter, but logically, it makes sense to have it, provided it can be properly regulated and the horses humanely slaughtered.

4) Favorite apocalypse?

Tough one. Zombies, I think...if you've got some common sense and adaptability, that can be survived.

5) Horses and riding as social outlet: pro, con, or it's complicated?

It's complicated. I love having horse friends, don't get me wrong. I spend all day with horse women at my job. But, horse people (and horse women, in particular) are kind of insane. We're all pushy, opinionated, somewhat controlling and most of us are carrying some kind of emotional baggage. Too much of that together can mean bad things. 

6) What's the oldest piece of tack you own?

Errr...probably my saddle. I believe it's a 2004 model Bob Marshall Sports Saddle. I adore it, as it was gifted to me (that is a whole separate post I need to make). It doesn't fit Image, but I'm keeping it because of the emotional value it holds in my life.

7) Is the glass half-empty or half-full, with what?

Half full of Mike's Winter Blackberry. Yummmmmm.

8) Time to colonize some other planet!  It's a one-way trip.  Do you go?

No...but only because there is no mention of whether or not horses would be able to go. Need my pony fix! I'm still not sure I'd go even if I could bring the critter. Too many variables for things to go catastrophically wrong.

9) What's the best horse-related time- and/or labor-saving trick you know?

I'm not sure I really have one...just being efficient and multitasking seems to do the trick. 

10) Recommend me a poem.

I don't read poetry (bad English major, bad!) so I will recommend a song instead: Once Upon Another Time, Sara Bareilles.

11) What's on your keychain?

Just a cute horse head carabiner clip that we got from Purina after their vendor demo last week at work.

11 QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1) Why did you start blogging?

2) If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?

3) You have just won the lottery. What is the absolute first thing you do once you find out?

4) How old were you when you saw your first horse?

5) What is your biggest horse related fear?

6) Do you participate in sports outside of the horse world?

7) What song would be played first on the soundtrack for your life?

8) Do you consider yourself a lucky person?

9) What is one thing you'd change about your current horse?

10) What kind of car do you drive? What kind of car do you WISH you drove?

11) Who is your go-to person when you need horse related advice?

11 BLOGS TAGGED:

I don't know that I actually follow 11 blogs, so I'm just going to go with the ones that I'm not sure I've seen tagged:

1. Tear Drop Winken

2. Lucy's Quest

3. My Life With Charlie

4. The Spyder Standard

and honestly, anyone else who wants to!