1. How old were you when you first started riding?
Really tiny. I went to camps from the time I was around 6 I think. I first got lessons when I was nine.

2. First horse ridden:
Rosy the pony. She's still alive now (like 35?), in fact I'm gonna go see her tomorrow.

3. First horse trotted on:
Either Jenny or Benny. I remember it at Ironwood. I remember trotting on Jenny but I must have practiced on Benny first. Benny is still alive and kicking, dunno about Jenny.

4. First horse cantered on:
Ginger the cranky donkey. it was accidental.

5. First Horse fallen off of:
Rocky the little pony at Pferdesportzentrum. I went and saw him before I left. He was a cutie.

6. Most recent horse fallen off of:
Bessie. I was bareback in the ring and her back as all slippery and she swerved which threw me off balance and I corrected her but then she suddenly swerved again and I went plop.

7. First horse you trotted over poles with:
Bepina, probably.

8. First horse jumped with:
Fancy. She's still at Ironwood.

9. First horse who ran away with you:
Trafalgar. He was a stunt stallion in Morocco. He'd been in Gladiator and Cleopatra and cool stuff like that. He was actually extremely reliable... once we got to a certain point on the beach the guide started galloping and Farty just followed. He just followed the guide. So he wasn't really running away I guess but I was like 10 and technically not in control...
Actually thinking about it now it was probably Blondie, this pony at a farm where you could rent horses for trail rides. and his legs were short and I didn't really no how to ride. so he fell far behind then had to gallop to catch up and I was just clinging on for dear life.

10. First horse that scared the crap out of you:
Bepina. She damn well KNEW I was scared and took advantage of me. But then one day I just went "NO MORE BOSSING BITCH" and she was perfect. LOTS of attitude, but awesome. I love herrrrr. <3333 She's still a Pferdesportzentrum. I wanna go see her this summer. Her back is so swayed it's like a built in western saddleberries.

11. First horse shown?
BESSIEBABE.

12. First horse to win a class with:
Caramel, an appaloosa at Ironwood, I think... but that wasn'tally a show... so then BESSIE. <3 Except we just won corny gymkhanas. She's sex like that.

13. Do you/have you taken lessons:
Yeah. I stopped lessons a couple years ago though because I'd learned as much as I was going to from that teacher. I started lessons up again here. Very different from swiss riding...

14. First horse you ever rode bareback:
Rosy had a saddlepad on when I first rode her, so that means probably Ginger the donkey.

15. First horse trail ridden with:
Like actually riding by myself... Brandy at Ironwood.

16. Current Barn name:
Stevens Creek Farm and Ironwood Stables.
But you don't know how much I wanna say 'the farm'.

17. Do you ride English or western?
A little of both.

18. First Horse to place at a show with:
I've never placed.

19. Ever been to horse camp?
YEAH. Funfun.

20. Ever been to a riding clinic?
No.

21. Ridden sidesaddle?
nah

22. First horse leased:
Never leased.

23. first horse owned:
Nonez.

24. Highest ribbon in a show-
Just the ribbon for participating in Möhlin. I was disqualified though.

25. Ever been to an 'A' rated show?
What's that?

26. Ever competed in pony games/relay races?
Yeah! Funfun.

27. Ever fallen off at a show:
No.

28. Do you ride Hunter/Jumpers?
Hunter is dumb. I like jumping though.

29. Have you ever barrel raced?
I really want too! Bessie would be an awesome barrel racer.

30. Ever done pole bending?
Nah.

31. Favorite gait:
Tölt. Best thing in the wooorrrld.

32. Ever cantered bareback?
Yes. Not so nice on Bessie but I love her anyway.

33. Have you ever done dressage?
Ewno. Boring.

34. Have you ever evented?
I've helped out my trainer at events but no.

35. Have you ever mucked a stall?
Yep. I used to do that at the zoo a lot.

36. Ever been bucked off?
Yeah, once.

37. Ever been on a horse that reared?
Yep. Bessie and Funi would both rear on command. Bessie's were way better though, higher and smoother, without the retarded leg-thrash. So much fun. <3

38. Horses or ponies?
Both.

39. Do you wear a helmet?
Yeah. I'm so cool. It's actually a gangster helmet. Blingy silver.

40. What's the highest you've jumped:
Probably about 120 cm?

41. Have you ever ridden at night?
YES OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH. At the farm there was only an outdoor ring and in winter I still had lessons, and it would get dark out so we'd turn on the floodlights. And then when we turned them off and had to ride home in the dark...funnn. Then when we started borrowing the hippotherapy centre's indoor ring and I had to ride home in the blizzard past all the allotments. Sometimes our trail rides went late too, but definitely the best EVER was when me and Vigdis had our sunrise ride. Left at 6:00 and rode around and did a loping trail while the sun came up. So much funnn.

42. Do you watch horsey television shows?
I didn't know they had horsy tv shows...

43. Have you ever been seriously hurt/injured from a fall?
No, not really... once Ricky (rest in peace baby boy. ;_; ) got trapped in the gate and bucked me off and I landed straight on my head... I'm surprised I didn't break my neck. My helmet broke though and I had a teeny tiny concussion, but not serious.

44. Have you ever ridden without anything (no saddle, bridle, halter etc)?
Yes, on Bessiebabe. <3

45. Do you ride in an arena or ring?
What's the difference? I like trails most.

46. Have you ever been trampled by a horse?
No, thankfully.

47. Have you ever been bitten?
Yes. So many times.

48. Ever had your foot stepped on by a horse?
Ohyeah. xD Once Bessie stood on my finger. Not foot, ONE finger. With iron shoes on. Leaning her whole weight down...
Actually it wasn't that bad, but because I was trapped on the ground, it wasn't like I could shove my weight against her and get her off. I was kinda there for a minute or so.

49. Do you clean your tack regularly?
Not really, only when it gets grungy.

50. Ever played ride-a-buck?
No... I know what it is though.

51. Show name:
For my horsy? Bessie. It sounds sexy in the ring, trust me. "Cah-roh-leen KEERK-VUD mit Bessy!"

52. Barn Name:
Bessie

53. Any nicknames?
Mrs. Packard, Bessbess, Sebbie, Besser, Bessiebabe, Bitch, Grumpy, Snot, Bully

54. Breed:
Everything. Bessie's the kinda horse who was probably the by-product of a colt getting loose the night before he was meant to be gelded because he was so ugly...

55. Goes english or western:
Both. She's fly.

56. Sex?
100% girl. She likes to show it by going into season in the blink of an eye, peeing everywhere and being a slut by backing into things and cuddling: you think it's cute until you realise what she's doing.

57. Age:
Oldlady. 18. Damn, she's 18... when I graduate she'll be 20... omg.... I WANT BESSO.

58. Primary Discipline?
Everything.

59. Show experience:
Done stuff here and there.

60. Good on the trail?
Brill.

61. Did you train this horse yourself?
A big part.

62. Vices:
Bucking if she's in a bad mood and you ask her to speed up, but only while working in the ring. She hates the ring. On the trail she's fine. It's really just a hop though, easy to sit. Rearing when you don't want her to, not rearing when you want her to (her old owners taught her to rear and since she's so sensitive she sometimes rears at just a little pressure on the bit when she's standing still. so sometimes if you ask her to back up you get a rear), head tossing, pole-licking, kicking with her front legs, lazyness, cinchy. I LOVE THIS HORSE. <3

63. Spooky?
You could drop a bomb next door and she wouldn't blink. Despite her crankyness, she is the most trustworthy horse I know.

64. Is your horse able to be ridden bareback
I can ride her bareback and in a halter with just one lead rope, on the trails and working hard in the ring. <3 Best damn horse EVER.

65. Does your horse come when you call?
No. She's not cheap like that. She thinks it's dumb. xD She'll come if I go into the field and go within 25 meters of her, and I'm carying a halter. Otherwise no.

66. Is your horse good with children and other horses?:
She hates kids. But she puts up with them. She hates other horses, but puts up with them.

67. Is your horse worked regularly:
HAHAHA. I was the only person who worked her regularly. Now I'm gone her owner is doing parelli (and I know can be a good program but it DOES depend on the horse and Bessie is NOT the kind of horse that will respond to it. ever) and seeing this trainer who believes in giving horses equal rights to us saying it will strengthen the horse/owner bond. Now that could work for some horses. But never in a million years with Bessie. It involves the horses choosing for themself. For example, Erika will go up to Bessie in the field with the parelli halter (which Bessie hates because she's sensitive and doesn't need such a strong halter, and it rubs bald patches on her head) and if Bessie doesn't show any interest in it, she can stay in the field. The idea is to let her choose when she wants to work. Sometimes Erika offers the saddle to Bessie. If she walks off (and she ALWAYS will. She hates saddles) then she doesn't have to work that day. I mean really, if you were having a good time with your buddies (well, as close to a good time as she can have) and someone came and said "you wanna stay here and chill or should we go do something you hate?" what would you say?
So as a result, I'm guessing Bessie is like 1000 kg by now and really mean.
But it doesn't mean she'll be energetic. Bessie worked twice a day acts the same as Bessie worked twice a year.

68. Ever a lesson horse?
Unfortunately. It ruined her.

69. Does your horse like treats?
Yes. FEED HER.

70. Do you take lessons on your horse?
Nah. She wasn't learning anything new and neither was I.

71. Is your horse easy to work around?
for me. She likes testing new people. But we understand eachother, so it's good.

72. Has your horse ever escaped from it's stall?
Yeah. She has a huge stall with an outdoor pen that she shares with 4 other mares and I think once they all got out... Bessie was too lazy to do anything with her freedom though. x3

74. Is your horse hard to worm?
Nah, but she hates it.

75. Is your horse good for the farrier / vet?
Yeah.

76. Have you ever won a class with your horse?
Nope. Bessie is a winner in my heart but nowhere else. <3

77. Have you ever had a moment where you feel really connected to your horse?
I used to all the time. I really, really miss her. Like it hurts... I know she doesn't miss me at all though. xD

78. Does your horse like hay?
Yeah.

79. Does your horse have special feed or supplement?
Last I heard she was anemic so she was taking iron pills...

80. Does your horse often have a very messy stall?
the bottom layer, yeah. Her stall was cleaned out like maybe once every 2-3 months. we just added clean hay on top until the step from the concrete into the straw was like 30 cm high, hehe. the top layer was usually clean but the bottom was sorta pee-soaked fermenting stuff.

81. Does your horse use any special boots?
nopie. she's the easiest-maintenance horse I know.

82. Do you use a whip and spurs?
I used spurs while I was still taking lessons. On the trail she didn't need anything. she liked trails. (and I've just realised I'm writing in the past tense... ;___; how sad's that?)

83. Does your horse like to run?
xD No way.

84. How many times a week do you ride your horse?
I used to go 3-4 times a week while I was there... now not at all. ;_;

85. Does your horse have markings?
SUPER SEXY ONES. She has two socks on her back legs, and the sexiest blaze ever. It was crazyyyyy. It was like a puzzle. Lookiieeee: [link]
But here it's more detailed: [link]

86. Do you braid your horse for shows?
No. She's prettier with no plaits. I did it once for the Brevet. Didn't go well, her mane's too long.

87. What color is your horse's halter?
Erika uses a parelli one which is black. The one I used (and kept for the memories) is tan, with a white and tan stripy lead rope. Goes well with her palomino.

88. Does your horse follow you?
Yes. I don't need a lead rope. Sometimes she gets cranky and turns back to the farm or gate though.

89. Can your horse backup?
Yeah.

90. Is your horse's trot easier to sit to or post to?
definitely post. She's lumpy.

91. Have you ever dressed your horse up for Halloween?
Switzerland doesn't have halloween.

93. Has your horse ever produced offspring?
I heard she did have a foal once... it's my goal to track him/her down. <3

94. Do you and your horse have "colors"?
No. We're too cool.

95. What is your horse's favorite treat?
She likes apples, carrots, grass, and lab blocks from happy horse. But she'll eat almost anything unless she doesn't like it...

96. Do you normally lunge your horse before riding?
Nope. Waste of time. It'll just tire her out and at her lazyness, she needs all the energy she can get if we're going in the ring.

97. Has your horse ever given a pony ride?
yes. Did not like it.

98. How many people owned this horse before you?
A LOT. Poor girl went through like four owners in five years.
She was born in Argentina. -1
Then was shipped to Germany for meat, but rescued. -2
Then bought as a lesson horse. -3
Sold to Maren. -4
Then Sue. -5
Then Erika. -6 owners total, that I know about. It could be more.

99. Does your horse get dirty easily?
No.

100. What's your favorite horsey memory?
So many.
When I cantered on Ginger the donkey, riding Benny in the show at Ironwood, Teddy the pony, winning on Caramel against a bunch of teenagers, all my lessons on Bepinapony, when I went and said goodnight for the last time to Rickie in the field, fussing and telling him to be good in his new home. Got told a week later that he hadn't actually been sold, but put down. Cantering on Funi, doing really small jumps on Bessie for the first time that I was SO proud of, my fall on the bank with Bessie, the Funi-Diego race, the first time I ever joined up with Bessie, all by myself, not knowing what I was doing except from like the paragraph I'd read about it, Sammi's show with Bessie, my first ever, the sunrise ride, when Jessie was born, riding Carainne at Laura's farm, galloping down the beach in Morocco, Catalgene and Desiree, the ponies in Brittany, playing Octopus bareback, with 30 horses and ponies crammed in an arena, cantering around. Brownie and Whitie, the two ponies just across the border, Kiffis, riding to Leymen on Bess, the dusty loping trail, galloping Lynn up the hill, when Laura and Vigdis came to Sammi's, riding almost every day last summer, all the times i thought I taught Bessie something and then realising she taught me...