2019 Highlights

To close out 2019, here’s a little journey down memory lane of what we talked about together over the course of the year!

January

Clipped Francis is adorable my goodness

I decided that 2019 wasn’t my year to set goals, but to enjoy the partnership Frankie and I have built. I talked about our focus on making the smaller jumps count, got back in the saddle after rehabbing from a small injury, celebrated my blogiversary, and was grateful for training rides even in the off season. We closed out the month by giving into peer pressure to plan a return to WEC and discussed the finances of showing and qualifying at the higher levels.

February

Such a treat to learn from this big lady

I bid a tearful farewell to my trusty Jeep and made the decision to pursue my MBA. Frankie had a minor heel grab that led to some adorable hand walks, and he got to recover while I spent a week in Ohio with a lovely mare!

March

Legging back up meant a much beleaguered Francisco

I got more into detail about the rides I got at WEC and how different Belle was from Francis, did a day-in-the-life post that made me tired just looking at it, and started legging Frankie back up. I mused on why I love the jumper ring so much, talked about how I prioritize horse expenses, and got REAL sappy about three full years with my Best Boy.

April

SWEET. SWEET. ANGEL. BOY.

Frankie and I showed together for the first time since the previous summer! (And obviously he was perfect). We had to re-tool our show season when Upperville changed their prize list, but I also got to apply my student mindset to training with great results. I shared my favorite exercises to do with Francis, got to share my wedding photos with y’all, and did a fun Q&A via Instagram.

May

The sweetest derby horse to ever exist

Francis took care of me during a busy time and really pushed home just how broke he is these days. We also made it to a show where we did the eq and our first USHJA National Hunter Derby!!! He was seriously too precious for words.

June

Sincerely the happiest eq pony to ever be born

Things were slow and lazy as the summer kicked off and I had to balance my schedule. There was a fun 25-question blog hop we jumped on, and we had a BLAST continuing our eq/derby outings at Loudoun Benefit. Francis continued to shine in the new rings.

July

I somewhat conquered my fear of riding outside the ring

I shared my infinite wisdom on how to achieve perfect balance (psych lol) and Frankie felt great about his work. It was a crazy month of travel and school and work and all that life brought so the blog was quiet, but Francis was a wonderful constant.

August

Low key a real-life brontosaurus

I shared what I’d been up to outside the barn and made some show plans. I did a monster breakdown of the different ways we’ve approached our training over the years, answered twelve tough questions in a blog hop, and filled up our fall with exciting outings.

September

Beastly boy had infectious confidence stepping back into the jumper ring

Frankie laughed at our calendar by somehow maiming himself, but thankfully mended quickly and without complication. Poor guy then had an awful day (seriously wasn’t his month!) and I explained why I’m ok with being a mean mom (wow, this REALLY was a rough time for Francis). I made a plan to get us both back into fighting shape and replaced my helmet with a HUGE upgrade. We stepped back into the jumper ring and Frankie could not have been more professional – he even won us our first division tricolor.

October

Honestly how I felt most of October

I talked about how I approach our warmup at shows and gushed about my perfectly fancy un-fancy horse. School was kicking my butt at this point so the blog took a backseat but we had adventures that I covered the following month!

November

Love. Bug.

I begged your pardon for some downtime and announced Ocala 2020(!!!). I FINALLY got around to recapping our Olympic clinic (which was kinda eh) and our last show of the season (which was lovely and wonderful and OBVI perfection – with another tricolor to boot). I realized I have no idea how old my horse is – nor do I care – and took him for granted.

December

Santa’s cutest reindeer!

I recapped our 2019 show season (seems funny to include a recap in a recap) and went absolutely flying in a lesson where Frankie jumped out of his skin. We got to participate in Secret Santa and Frankie felt festive. We closed out with a look back on the last decade!

It was a year full of changes and growth, full of fun adventures, and full of wonderful sweet times with my family and friends and favorite horse on the planet. Cheers to a fantastic 2019, and cheers to an even better 2020!

 

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