Answers to the Equestrian Bucket List

Okay, as promised yesterday here are the answers to my Equestrian Bucket List!

1. Gallop along the beach. I have never done this but would love to! There is a beach in Maine that allows horses over the off season and I often daydream of riding there at some point.

2. Win a blue ribbon, even if it’s for the egg and spoon race! I have won a few blue ribbons at the local shows I used to attend and it is a wonderful feeling. I hope I get to repeat that feeling someday with Rosie.

3. Enjoy an evening of equestrian theater, from major touring productions such as Cavalia to local performance troupes. I was able to see Cavallo once when we were in Vegas and it was wonderful. I hope I get to see something like that again.

4. Try your hand at cattle work. Find out what it means when they say a horse is “cowy.” We did a small section on this in my riding lessons in college and it was a lot of fun. The horse I was riding really locked onto the steer and worked it a bit but then started crowhopping! Everyone laughed because this was a horse that was used almost exclusively for the beginners at the college. He had never done anything like that before! I would like to try a horse that had been trained on cows and knew what it was doing.

5. Jump! From crossrails to cross-country obstacles, experience the thrill of soaring over fences. I have done enough jumping to know that I don't really want to do anymore of it other than jumping over fallen trees on the trail. I think the highest I have ever jumped was about three feet.

6. Fall off and get right back on again. Conquering fear is empowering. Done it. Hope I can always do it.

7. See the majestic white Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School. I have seen them several times and will go to see them again if they land in my area.

8. Come to a sliding stop on a well-trained reining horse. This I would love to do! I have done some spins but never a sliding stop.

9. Take a lesson with your equestrian idol, _________ (you fill in the blank.) Hmm, this one is a thinker. I don't know who I would choose.

10. Nurse a horse through a crisis and back to full health. I have been a helper to a person doing this more than once and frankly it looks exhausting but rewarding.

11. Experience the smooth ride of a gaited horse. This I have done. I have had the pleasure of riding a Paso Fino, a Tennessee Walker and a Missouri Fox Trotter. The Walker was my favorite. I even considered getting a gaited horse before I purchased Rosie.

12. Watch the horses come through the Head of the Lake on cross-country day at the Rolex Three-Day Event. Maybe someday.

13. Have the courage to do the right thing for your horse, even when it’s not easy. I have done this and it isn't easy.

14. Attend the Kentucky Derby dressed to the nines—including hat! Can't wait to do this!

15. Tackle a trail accessible only by horseback and enjoy the view. Hmmm, not sure if I have done this or not.

16. Take your dream vacation on horseback. I think Lysh and I will have to do this someday together.

17. Master the sitting trot. I used to be able to, not sure if I still can.

18. Ride a fine-tuned horse in your discipline of choice, be it dressage schoolmaster or barrel champ. I would like to try one of any discipline except maybe saddle bronc. ;-)

19. Watch polo. Even better, try your hand at it! I haven't seen this and Midland even had a polo team but I could never pin down when they were playing.

20. Feed, muck, groom, ride. Repeat daily. Done this, can't wait to be able to do it again.

21. Wake up to a whinny every morning. Oh how I wish!

22. Fly down the track on a Thoroughbred. I haven't done this and I'm not sure if I would have the balls to actually do it.

23. Meet one of your favorite famous horses in person. I don't know if I have a favorite...

24. Ride bareback, bridleless ... or both! I have ridden bareback many a time and bridleless a few times when I probably shouldn't have.

25. Share a bond with your horse that’s deeper than words. Maybe someday

Now here are a few that are on my own personal list.

* Ride a horse in every state. So far I have Maine, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas.

* Ride Rosie at least once in every state in the lower 48. I hatched this scheme when we were in Colorado which seemed to be a more central location for making this work. I'm not sure if it will work now but I am still going to try and give it a go.

* Have good times with my daughter and horses when she gets a little bigger.

* Try horse camping.

* Keep my horses at home again.

Hmmm, that is all I can think of for now. I'm sure I will come up with 15 other things once I post this.

The best view in the world!