I'm Baaack!

I know I've said that a few times before, but I think this time I mean it!

I am going to try to take things in a new direction though, which probably means you'll get a lot of my soap box gripes here soon. I've decided to blog about my experiences as an up and coming professional in the equine industry. That was sort of an underlying theme before, but I've (almost) officially renounced my amateur status and declared professional.

There are a number of reasons why. Some of which I can't discuss publicly because the wicked witch of the west that caused the decision may find out about this and stop paying me money. That would be bad. Very bad.

Anyways, for the last few weeks I've been getting things in order so that I can begin advertising my facility and hopefully acquire a few clients. I designed my own logo and business card (hooray for not being TOTALLY technologically illiterate!) and two nights ago I created an ad to run in the local equine monthly magazine. One thing I've learned so far that is a real hindrance, it takes money to make money. That causes a lot of problems. So I'm still working at the eventing barn as the figurehead manager, but I'm secretly hoping that I get some clients pretty quickly so that I can just work at my own place full time.

This is just a quickie "get you up to speed" entry. I need to get some pictures and whatnot of everything, because late this winter I acquired another sale horse project, fresh off Charlestown Racetrack:) She's turning into a real doll, so I'm super excited to get her going. She's a coming 7 year old 17.1hh redheaded mare, which sounds like a total beast, but she's a real sweetheart. I hope she makes a quick turnaround, but that all depends on how big she can jump. She has a shoulder the size of Maryland itself, so I'm hoping she might be at least a Low A/O prospect, not that I could compete her in it anymore...

If this weekend is nice, it'll be one of photo and video updates!

Lastly, I've reserved stalls for the April Culpeper show in roughly two weeks. I'm taking Bella and Bailey, mostly just to get out there and do something fun. Bailey really needs to get off the farm, and Bella is just fun:) Patrick was originally supposed to go with Amanda, but her and her mother decided that it wasn't worth the hassle of getting him there, much to my dismay. I really need to get him out doing something and get him SOLD! I thought about bringing him on his own, but it doesn't make sense for me to pay that kind of money to show him at something of that size. So instead, I'm going to campaign him in the local county circuit and see how he does. Oh, another change...he's now a hunter. So I've been practicing my 'hunter perch' again, and finding it significantly more difficult now that I know how to ride correctly. There really is a skill there that no one in the hunter/eq ring actually teaches. I think you have to ride the jumpers to learn how to ride the hunters correctly.

I think that's backwards from Mr. Morris' original intentions for the hunter ring...*cough cough* But then again, I've never liked him or his philosophies and I'm disgusted that college's base their equitation programs off of his cacamamey bullshit. That's a soap box right there. Sorry.

Anyways, look forward to hearing from me a little more frequently than never!

How IS everyone???