Walter (AKA Waldo)

No, Walter is not the name of a boy. Well, not a HUMAN boy! He's the tentative new addition to the Hardy Eventing clan as a 3-month Pony Club project horse!

I picked Walter up from Maryland yesterday after work, and dropped him off at the barn last night. He is 10 years young, very cute, and a nice-looking bay gelding, just about 15.2 hands. A little small, but easy to work with, so if all goes well for the next two weeks I may have something to ride for the winter while Wanda is in recovery!

We had our first ride this morning, and it was a little exciting. He has two big flaws that drop him a few points:
1. He is VERY behind the leg. To where I've worn huge spurs and still had to accept a less-than-working trot.
2. He has learned from his previous riders. He will throw in a tiny hop, then slam on the brakes because he expects the rider to stop him so they can "adjust". I can tell that he isn't BAD about it, because I've been on those, and they drop their heads during that brake slam so you take a somersault over their ears. I'm too old for that :) Ole Walter at least puts his head up when he slams on the brakes so you have something to stop your momentum!

I have him for 14 days, so we'll see in the next week how much of an improvement a program will be for him. I expect him to shape up quite a bit, and he shows some definite potential as an intermediate Pony Club horse.. the move-up from pony to horse. He's not for complete beginners, which I am still on the hunt for (hint), but I don't think he is that complicated. I'm going to jump him tomorrow, so we'll see what happens from there!!

Here's a little video of the ride:

...and the beginning of 2012!

2012 has taken a sprint of a start, and I can not believe we are already halfway through January!

This year I spent New Years Eve and the subsequent hours of 2011 into 2012 at a Dupont Circle apartment with my brother's closest friends, AKA "The Lawyers". Naturally, after 84-hour weeks and working lunches, the unwind process was nothing but amusing and "ridiculously fun". Decorated with lights and the champagne-a-flowing, we welcomed the New Year with a Skype session involving my brother and his girlfriend, all the way from Washington state. After the "Happy New Year" toast, we headed off in search of pizza, and passed out in the early hours of the morning (4am to be exact). Cheers for "auld lang syne".

So New Years is over (and all its glory), and it's time to hunker down for what is said to be the last year of humans on Earth. Hopefully not the case, but for unreasonable excuses we'll just go with it. After much (read:none) deliberation, I bought an April ticket to Hawaii and back, with the intention of my own unwinding in what would be the warmest and most awesome place personally imaginable. Bring on 2012!

But before that happens, team "Noob-a-Roo", consisting of two ridiculously good-looking "video-gamers", has entered the Charlottesville Half Marathon on April 7th. Consider it an item on the "last year on Earth" bucket list (just go with it). Training has been unfortunately painful, considering the brilliant choice to train for a half marathon during the 3 coldest months of the year, but steadily progressing. Now if only we had the drive to make it to those 7am, 19 degree group runs...

In other news, my Floridian cousin is eating for two these days, and mom and I had the opportunity to join her for a baby shower this past weekend. Little Frosthammer should come within the next 3 months, putting the second cousins number at 7 (more or less). Just another excuse to migrate towards warmer climates for a visit (like I needed one)!