There's a LOT of talk about social license to operate when it comes to equestrian sports. Mostly prompted by the behavior of the upper echelons of our sport we have both seen in video form and been told of by multiple witnesses. Others, Matt and Cecily Brown and Amanda Chance, have summed things up much more eloquently, so I'm not going to go on at length. But the current events have caused me to reflect. Are these organizations that I want to support with a not insignificant part of my income? Do these organizations truly stand for what I believe when it comes to horse and human welfare? Have my own decisions and actions been shaped in a less than horse friendly way due to the pressure of competition?
Second, HITS ended up costing about double what a USEA event costs. For one warm up day and four classes. Eek. And while this was likely knowable information, the sneaky way of just adding and dropping classes online and then settling up at the end of the show caught me a bit off guard with that dollar amount. Now that we have the property, I'm especially cognizant that every dollar spent on shows is a dollar not put towards the property. And see above about my thoughts about the governing bodies and supporting them. These days what I'm wanting more than anything is to look out my window and see Butterball chilling in a field (property update post also something that is kinda sorta in the works).
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| Showing off his freshly clipped ears |
The final piece of the feeling of relief: HITS didn't go as well as I had hoped. As Emma wisely shared, "every experience is just more data". But the data I got from HITS doesn't really make me want to toss a lot more money at a rated show again. Especially not since this is the winter season in Ocala and there are jumper schooling shows every Tuesday and Wednesday with legit courses in lovely arenas for $40 per round. And Butterball is (mostly) the same at shows as he is at home, so we can practice the things we need to practice in a lesson setting (lesson recaps need to be written too, especially since I've got lots of media).
As far as concrete things, my 2026 resolution, the first one I've made in a while, is to be mindful and present in everything I do. Since this is primarily a horse blog, what is my identity with horses? If I want to be mindful in my interactions with my horse and my long term goals and plans, that means focusing on what is best for him** regardless of external and internal pressures.
**there is a degree of acceptance here that trailering and even riding are inherently unnatural behaviors and likely things that he would not choose himself if asked. He is a piglet pony, answer would probably be getting petted/groomed/scritched and eating treats in a field with his friends with an occasional mosey out into the neighborhood to visit the cows and mini mule. But also he lives a cushy, spoiled life where his 4 F's (friends, forage, freedom, and function) are met, so accepting hauling places and working is a trade off for that. But I'd like to make it as "Butterball friendly" as possible.
I keep rolling around what my BFF equine vet friend told me when I shared about his bit clanking damaging his roots. She said that equine professionals like his dentist don't like to tell people they can't ride their horse for a while, but since he was my forever pony and his welfare is my primary concern, if I couldn't find something that he couldn't clank I shouldn't put a bit in his mouth for several months. That lesson, that idea of patience for his long term health, stuck with me.
While we seem to have gotten the bit thing sorted (and I need to write about that too), that was a wake up call to the choices I've made that affect Butterball's health. So next up is his feet. To go out and compete and do all the things we did in 2025, he needed shoes. But what if I'm willing to step back, try out hoof boots, and give him time to adapt. Could he be barefoot with the aid of hoof boots? Is that best for his long term health? Ben's hoof trimmer still does two horses at Ms. GY's, so I asked her if she could add on Butterball. She readily agreed. January 12th begins that experiment. I realize that I may be looking back in May or June at a failed experiment. But unless he ends up so body sore other things hurt, then what do we have to lose?
As long as he isn't too sore in the arena, I plan to continue lessons, both dressage and jumping, and hacking out, with hoof boots, throughout his transition. I know we'll need to back the jumps down in height while doing this, but that's fine.
He's also getting scoped for ulcers at some point in the next 1-2 months so we can make sure that the plan we've been using for gut health is working. He's never acted particularly ulcery, but we all know how that goes: the ones you suspect will be crazy ulcery scope just fine and those who seem A-okay comfort, weight, and spookiness wise have significant ulcers. I'll also be pulling and submitting another insulin level to make sure he's still at healthy levels with the spike that occurs in January. This is especially pertinent after his acupuncture vet mentioned his overall light muscling with some pockets of fat and suggested testing him again.
So mindfulness. In everything I do. I'm off social media but back on the internet. Long form blog posts actually mesh way better with focus and actual attention as compared to social media. Which these days amounts to scrolling past a few pictures from a few of my IRL friends interspersed with ads, AI written provocative posts, and "suggested posts". Being off social media should also motivate real connections - reach out to a friend to get together or even text the pictures that would have been posted. I'm far from the only one who feels that way: What you pay attention to -- expands
In addition to mindfulness, I am working on my strength, flexibility, and imbalances to be the best partner I can be for Butterball. I am also working on my own sugar addiction. Seriously, addiction in the appropriate word, the first few days without sugar I felt like a complete addict, staring in the pantry and trying to backwards rationalize the hershey kisses that are there. This interview goes into how to brainwash yourself. The take away is that you must make your goals visual so the lower part of your brain understands and that discipline wanes, so to change your habits, to change yourself, you have to change your identity.
