Way too much going on

It's already been established that I am a slacker of a blogger, so we'll gloss over that fact and move on.

I took my nursing board examination a few weeks ago, and passed (obviously). Tomorrow is my first interview for a real-life RN job.

A cake from work! Berri thought it was delicious

Berta sold, as I said last entry, and she left the farm last week. I still can't really write about it. I need to do it justice. I will say that she is very happy, and I couldn't be more relieved.

I showed at IHSA Zone 1.5 Regionals on Saturday and placed first in the Alumni division. I got myself some nice swag, as well as a ticket to Semi-Finals in Syracuse in two weeks. I'm kicking my own butt at work in preparation for this -- trying to ride at least once a day without stirrups -- I'll let you know how that works out.

This horse was named Roberta, no joke

I started watching Downton Abbey and I am obsessed. Seriously. The story is amazing, the setting is beautiful, and the costumes are to die for.

This dress will be mine

I played the Citadel DLC portion of Mass Effect 3. Sad that the series is now over, but it ended on a phenomenal note. I'll try not to spoil any of it, but it was perfect and funny and everything I ever wanted from ME3. 

Berri has been doing wonderfully under saddle. She participated in a lunging clinic with Jen Ford last week, and was a superstar. Our canter still needs a lot of work (as in, bucking and letting all four feet leave the ground is probably not acceptable in the dressage ring), but we're getting there!

Another long-winded update

I slacked off again. It's so hard to keep a blog updated while you're busy being wildly successful.

Or something like that.

So let's go in chronological order, starting with last Wednesday.

Wednesday morning I got the news that Berta (the horse I had been leasing/working with for the past two years) sold. She'll be going to a Morgan breeding farm up in Maine. I'm happy that she's going to a really great place, but I'm going to miss her a lot. I'll write more about all of this some time in the future.

 Berta and I after our first blue ribbon together

Thursday was Valentine's Day (or VD-Day as my mother likes to call it). I couldn't find any cards that I liked, so I unleashed my creative powers and drew one! Nothing says Valentine's like a zombie-themed card.

The inside says "I do love you for your brain!"

Oscar surprised me by showing up at my house with roses and a really sweet card. Major points.

Over the weekend I had two IHSA shows. Saturday was at Mt Holyoke, where I placed 3rd in my class (eh). Sunday's show was hosted by UMass, and I placed 1st, which qualified me for Regionals. WOO! 

What was really nice about Sunday was that I rode the same horse as I had ridden for the first show of the season. I placed dead last then, because my horse was a tough ride (did not and still does not steer) and I completely fell apart and freaked out. This time, I was prepared and I rocked the class. After the class, the judge said to me: "You had a great ride. The only thing I want you to work on is to keep your chin up and look like you're having fun out there!"

Things that also happened over the weekend: I received a Valentine's card from Chandler, tried a buffalo burger, yelled at a bunch of buffalo, and got Oscar hooked on The Newsroom. Not bad.

Probably should have explained this first...

So you're probably wondering why this blog is named "The Naked Pony". It's not just because it's a fun title, it's also the name of my horse clipping/grooming business.

See, I figured I wasn't busy enough, so I started up a business of my own this year. It's a completely legit business. It even has a Facebook page.

 

This is one of my customers, Bamma. Isn't he cute?

This is Berta, again. She's the original naked pony.

The business is so far turning out to be pretty neat. I love traveling to different barns (especially the really nice ones -- I'm looking at you, Fairfield county) and meeting all sorts of new people and horses. Let's face it. Horse people are crazy. But they are a LOT of fun.

Hello world

As one of my (okay, my only) New Year's resolutions, I decided to start keeping a daily horse training/riding journal. A sort of way to keep track of everything I'm working on this year at the barn.

Once I started writing, I realized I had so much to say and so little room to write it (I have one of those tiny little journals that sits on my nightstand), so I toyed with the idea of branching out in to the interwebs. The blogosphere. The bloggerwebs?

So here are the basics.

I'm a graduate nurse and a horse trainer. If that doesn't make too much sense, don't worry. Neither does the rest of my life. I'm trying to get it all in order.

I've always wanted to work with horses, but was told (multiple times, mind you) that I would never be able to make a living riding horses. So I went into nursing school. In my last year, I got a job as a riding instructor/exercise rider. Go figure.

Now I've graduated, and I'm going to be sitting for my state boards/licensure exam soon. Fingers crossed I'll pass that, and be able to work as a real-life RN soon. I've already started applying to jobs at a number of different hospitals, because:
1. I like working in the acute care setting, so that's a win
2. I need to make serious money and get my own horse house
3. Hello, do you realize how expensive horses houses are??

Oh, who am I kidding. I want a pony of my own!

This is Berta, the horse I currently lease. I call her mine, even though she technically isn't. Yet.