This is a true statement.  One of the main reasons why I'm spending less time on social media.  It's good to get things out of my head on this blog.  The pent-up thoughts are just recipes for explosions.  I think a lot of psychiatrists would probably agree with that.  This place is my release.

 

Another Reserve Champion, this time a big warmblood resin Lohnegrin.  Not sure who owns this him now, and I also don't know who took the picture at this show.

A better (brighter) outdoor photo of him that I snapped before shipping him back to his first owner.

Painting

My painting has greatly improved since 2017 as well.  I do a mixed media now, using whatever I have in my arsenal in order to achieve the right effect.  It usually starts with an acrylic base coat, followed by pastel blocking, and finishing off with final detailing and body shading in oils.  I'll admit that I take absolutely FOREVER to do any paint jobs now, but the results are generally worth the wait for the owners.  Most of my models do pretty well at live shows.

A mustang that I painted in 2023 doing very well for its owner.  He's taken Reserve Champion at a midwest show.  Photo courtesy of Nikita Shoepflin.

 

Ira's awards in 2022.  He earned the very first belt buckle I've ever gotten, (a pewter 500 mile that is shown in the second photo).  We worked our butts off to get it!  He's an amazing horse, but can be a real handful at times.  He's great when he gets seriously down to work.  

I'm hoping to do a bit more with him this year, maybe some open shows or western dressage.    

The standings when we finished in October.  It was some really tough competition for a while between us and the second place entrant.  We kept leapfrogging back and forth and trying to overtake each other with mileage.  Ira and I ended up getting it!  Yay!   

   

2025

Gearing up again for the new endurance season in 2025.  

For the past few years I've been concentrating more on logging long distance miles through online challenges, due to the rising fuel costs and not being able to afford to travel to many places.  Last year I did successfully make it down to the AERC Nationals in LaPine, and it was a blast.  I was entered in the open category, and it was the absolute best ride ever!  The Oregon outback and Ft. Rock is really an amazing place.  Max and Darlene put on a heck of a good ride.

So, I think this year I'll renew my membership in the PtHA.  I'd love to get more points for Ox and compete in the open endurance category again.  The Distance Horse Nationals are going to be held in Idaho this year, so that will be a good goal for us to achieve in getting there.  We'll see if we can accomplish it!

2024 AATR buckle -750 miles

2023 AATR buckle - 500 miles

Crossing the finish line last year in LaPine.  What a fun ride that was!

Oregon outback.  Ft. Rock is in the background.

Intake photo.  I don't think that I stopped smiling the whole time I was there!

Website

Ah ha!  I found the link to my Wix website again, now I just need to figure out how to link it to this blog again and update it.  When I click on the "Our Horses" button to the right, it automatically goes to the main Wix home site. Hopefully I can figure out how to change that.  I'll post the link below so I can easily find it again.  

In other news, I really need to get off facebook for a while.  People are driving me absolutely insane.  It was such a happier experience when I just posted on here.  I look back at most of my older posts on my blog and think about how joyful and happy most of them were.  Seems like it was more simpler times before everything got muddled.  Feeling burned out and hating human beings in general on facebook.  I need to get some passion back, so hopefully coming back on here and getting my thoughts out without any input or rebuttals will help.  I need to figure out how to get happy again, and it seems like this blog is more therapeutic for that.

HOME | mayfield-akhal-tekes  

Also, it looks like the Wix website for my horses is gone.  Just clicked on it and have no idea where it went.  There are Facebook albums of most of my horses, but I've kept them on private mode.        

Ramblings

It's been a while since I last posted.  Too long.  2017 was a while ago.  I'm sitting here having a shit day.  It made me realize that I probably should get back to talking on here more often instead of on a social media platform like Facebook.  The problem boils down to me being an antisocial person pretending to be social on there. Blogging is therapeutic, and I realize that it helps to bring my blood pressure down and get the thoughts out of my head without much interaction or feedback.  This is more of what I need to be mentally healthy.  

I miss my friend Tom.  He passed away in 2022.  It's on days like today that I desperately want to talk to him.  We rode horses together a lot, and we could talk about anything - and I do mean anything.  I wish he was here now, we would end up getting lost in a conversation for hours.  I would listen to him and he would listen to me.  We didn't always agree on things, but it didn't matter because those times were simply amazing.  Deep thoughts.  Hours would fly by like it didn't matter.  I'm crying while writing this, because I realize that losing him was like losing a beloved family member.  It seriously hurts like hell.  We were helpful to one another, and I feel like I could use that kind of help today. I can't stop crying.

On another note, my dad's birthday is coming up on the 11th of this month.  He's 72 and starting to get some cognitive issues developing.  It makes me fearful for the future.  I only have three family members left, and so many have passed.  After they're gone, I'll be the last of the Mohicans of my tribe.  It will be a very lonely place.  I hope I can handle it when the day comes.

It feels good to get these thoughts out.  Sorry if it's dark, just the place where I'm at the moment.