Thursday, November 7, 2013

What Makes it Good

I've been mulling over this post for a little while, but haven't been able to sit down and write it out until now. Recently, She Moved to Texas did a post, then Sprinkler Bandit followed it with her own, on what makes a good blog.

Personally, I know there's many different reasons I follow a blog which range all over the place, all of the ones listed by She Moved to Texas and Sprinkler Bandit are valid and things that I often look for in a blog. Most blogs I follow don't have all of the pieces of what make a "good" blog perhaps, but I still enjoy reading them immensely. What I'm interested in though is: What do you like about my blog? What keeps you coming back to read, why did you follow me in the first place and what are your favorite things that I do?

As I'm nearing 100 followers, a milestone I wasn't really sure I'd ever achieve, especially when viewing my blog through a more objective lens and thinking about all the reasons I wouldn't follow my blog if I was not the writer of it, I'm kind of amazed I have so many readers and I feel so lucky that all of you think I'm interesting enough to read, even if it's just in a "she's kind of a train wreck sometimes and I just want to watch it happen" sort of way!

So I'd love your input! ETA: I know you're lurking there... I just checked and this post has 18 views and 5 comments! Meaning lots of you readers aren't commenting! I want to know, so do it ;)

In other news, I finally made it out to ride. I knew I wouldn't be able to ride Monday so I planned to go before work on Tuesday. But because I had so much homework I stayed at home and did that instead, so I was going to ride for sure on Wednesday. But I still had so much homework that there was no way I'd be able to ride and get things turned in on time... By today I was in a mood: I'M GOING TO RIDE WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE HOMEWORK, IF I FAIL BECAUSE OF IT, SO BE IT!!!

Yeah, I was a little desperate. But, I don't really want to fail, so I allowed myself one hour of pony time.

This is what I found... Coated in mud with wind braids to boot.


It was wonderful. I wanted to lunge Jetta and ride Misty, but time-wise it only worked out to ride Misty. My neighbor told me that she'd put a sign on the arena if she ever didn't want me to ride in there because it was too wet or for whatever other reasons, so when I went up today I didn't think anything of it but started riding around. I figured she'd put a sign on "my" gate that I come through from my barn, but there wasn't one. As I rode, I started noticing that the cones I though were randomly dispersed seemed to actually be marking wet spots she didn't want the horses going through? Then I noticed that the gate on the other side that I didn't come through had red tape wrapped around it...

Jetta behaved herself while we rode


I wasn't sure if that meant riding was okay or not so I went back to my pasture just in case and rode around there. I thought it would be too slick to do much work, but it seemed just fine for Misty (with Jetta it would probably be too slick, but Misty is much more careful!). We did some flat work in the bottom "riding area" and then we galloped! Well, Misty's style of galloping, which is much slower. Still working on the whole "go fast" thing, but it was fun nonetheless. I tried videoing both the galloping on Misty and the galloping and other antics of Jetta. At one point we galloped up the hill toward the barn and stopped just in time to see Jetta take off from the other side of the pasture at full speed, leap the creek/ditch and come galloping up to us. I thought I caught it on video, which would have been awesome, but someone didn't press the right buttons... Cough cough, it could have been me.

Hardworking ponies get apples

It was a much needed ride and hopefully I will get to go again Friday!

9 comments:

  1. Hmm, I don't remember how I came across your blog, but I liked it when I started reading it. For one, it can be informative. You know a lot about tack, and you are willing to answer people's questions, which I think is very nice of you :) Also, I have an OTTB and I love to read about Jetta and compare/contrast the two and their learning abilities and setbacks (it's good to read that I'm not the only one who has a horse that takes two steps back on occasion!). And this blog and its comments are always positive! I love that!!! People can be so cruel online, it's refreshing to have this little horsey area where people are nice!!! :) Keep up the good work :)

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  2. To be honest, you do a lot of things I would love to be able to do. I love your trail riding adventures. Your horses are all beautiful, and you take wonderful pictures! Other than that I don't really have a reason for following you haha :)

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  3. Most likely I found your blog by seeing you comment on someone else's blog (more popular than mine) blog. That's how I found everything at the beginning.

    I enjoy reading because...

    - You write well.
    - I want to steal Misty.
    - You do a lot of different things with your horses, so I get to live vicariously through your adventures.
    - You don't write too long of paragraphs.
    - Your have pictures to accompany your text.
    - I want to steal Misty.

    So basically... can I have Misty? ;)

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    1. Haha, you and Karley might have to fight it out for who gets Misty ;)

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  4. When I first came to your blog to look around, the first thing I noticed was that you have a TB(well...of course). I'm a big fan of TBs, so I decided to follow. Another reason I decided to follow was that I wanted to make horsey friends(I don't have many that aren't online) and I enjoy reading other people's adventures with horses as I don't have one of my own(I can just pretend I'm riding Misty and Jetta, right? :)). The third thing I loved was that you are studying to become a vet. I want to do that, too, so we have something in common. :) After following, I enjoyed your reading about your varying activities with horses, so I kept coming back.

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  5. I love reading your blog because you do so many different things. So many bloggers are focused on EVENTING or HUNTER/JUMPER or DRESSAGE. I love reading about all of the fun things you do.

    Plus, it's nice to read about both mares, since they're so different!

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  6. I found your blog through another blog, which I found through another blog..and so on and so forth. I very rarely comment but almost always read. Mostly due to time. Today I have time, so today I comment.
    I enjoy your blog because it varies from day to day. You seem to be real and honest about who you are as a horse woman, and to me that is important. Mostly I just love reading why other people love their ponies like I do. :-)

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  7. Hi! I just came across your blog recently, probably from a blogroll on another blog. I like reading blogs that describe life as the everyday horse owner, and I like hearing about different experiences with horsekeeping and horse health. I also admire anyone who can keep up with work/school, riding, horse care, and blogging!

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  8. I love your blog because of the interactions we've had in comments. I feel like you're very easy to connect to. Even though we haven't met, I feel like I know you. I appreciate your supportive comments on my blog, and the fact that you're easy to approach and chat with :)

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