1) choose five words to describe your horse?
I've have two horses so I'll do this for each...
Ursula: Soft, fuzzy, lovable, humongous, wobbly
Rags: lanky, unconventional, toothless, comical, performer
2) choose five words to describe yourself?
Introverted, curly, empathetic, artsy, A-type
3) do you think bareback riding is bad for the horse's back?
No, not usually. The purpose of a saddle is to distribute a rider's weight more evenly over the horse's back, and to help the rider balance. It is meant to provide comfort to both horse and rider. However, bareback riding when the rider has a soft and balanced seat should not hurt the horse. If the rider is unbalanced and hard on the horses back, this might hurt the horse. A rough, unbalanced seat is less likely to hurt the horse if there is a saddle involved (though it still could).
4) what is your most embarrassing horse related moment?
I was in the warm up arena at a show, taking Rags over a practice course of jumps. The course was fine until the last fence. It was less than graceful. Rags almost refused but decided to deer-jump this 4' fence at the last second. We landed badly off the last fence and I fell. I wasn't hurt but there were a lot of people watching and my riding instructor was laughing at our ridiculous form.
5) what is the stupidest thing you have done with or around horses?
I decided to mount my grandfather's OTTB bareback and bridleless.. and helmetless... before she had been retrained for pleasure. She took off full speed and as soon as she took a turn I fell off. Again, I wasn't hurt but it was really stupid of me and I could have been hurt.
6) Is your trainer male or female? Female
7) has there ever been a horse that you were/are afraid of ? My Appaloosa filly, Nellie, went through a phase where she was rearing and striking. That made me a little nervous.
8) what kind of music do you listen to (random) alternative rock, punk rock, musicals and soundtracks, classical (particularly baroque era, anything featuring a string orchestra or chamber group, or anything by Vivaldi or Dvorak)
9) do you consider yourself beginner,?novice,intermediate or advanced rider? Most would call me advanced, but I don't like to use those labels. Though I have considerable experience, there is still a vast amount of knowledge and experience I don't have.
10) what is something that your horse did once that made you really mad? Ursula has never done anything to make me mad. Rags has done many things to make me mad, including bite me (in the butt), destroy a brand new blanket in less than 24 hours, pee in the barn aisle and splash it all over my shoes and all over himself (he's done this more than once), get very dirty the night before a show, even though I left him in a clean stall with leg wraps, hood and a sheet that evening (he seriously gets poo stuffed in the eye holes of his sheet because he uses his poo as a pillow at night), and buck my fiance off. But despite all of his deviant behavior, I love him most!