Well I have a hard road ahead of me....

I went to the doctor today had to get some bloodwork done, etc. I was sorely disappointed to find out that the scale I had first been using when I started all of this was obviously wrong. When I weighed at the doctor today it was a terrifying 233lbs. I know to you I'm just another fat girl complaining about my problems but it was mortifying.


So......I got home, did my Get Fit to Ride exercises....took a nap while waiting for my husband to get home, did errands with him, watched a tv show and then took my Husky for a brisk walk once it was getting darker/cooler for her. I really am trying to do everything I can to really beat the bulge. I am trying to eat right, eat smaller portions, and exercise. This should pay off because it is more than I have been doing in the past. So my small goal for the month is 10-15 pounds ya'll...Obviously I have a lot more weight to lose than I realized and though devastating, I have to buck up and take the challenge. Which I will do. Plain and simple. It MUST be done. I have no more excuses.

I found this nifty little weight loss tracker to be used in a blog, webpage or whatever you like. I got it at weight loss tracker.com. Click on my ticker and you can figure out how to get your own if interested. You can customize the background and slider, of course I chose a white fence and horsey slider. I figured it was more than appropriate.


Well goodnight all... finishing show with hubby & hitting the hay!!! By the way, check out this neat website at HorseChannel.com

It all starts with basic groundwork!

look at this beautiful andalusian stallion doing groundwork!

Another Great Video

What a beautiful Andalusian!!



I can't wait to have another horse oneday....

Going from Chubby to Healthy Before 30

July 31st Starting weight: 235lbs Actual weight loss: 2 lbs pooh! I lost 5 & gained 2 back!


August 31 Goal: 215

September 30 Goal: 200

October 31 Goal: 190

November 30 Goal: 180

December 31 Goal: 170
***My New Year's gift to myself, take a dressage lesson***

January 31 (2011) Goal: 160

By End of February Goal: 150

Garage Sales Are Hard Work!

Who would have guessed that tarps are not UV proof? I got sunburned sitting under one waiting on my garage salers to buy. Unbelieveable. Well, I made a good profit on stuff that was simply in bags to go to Goodwill. Very Pleased with the outcome I'll say. Now I feel confident going to goodwill this afternoon and giving a good donation. I kind of felt guilty just "getting rid" of a bunch of things. I kept my horsey equipment minus some dressage saddle pads and a close contact hunter saddle that I had sold earlier this morning. I have some buyers interested in some riding breeches and girths so I hope to sell them this week! I sold my dressage saddle last weekend and my all-purpose saddle the weekend before.


Well I'm hot and sweaty and a cold shower is sounding good about now.

History of the Westphalian Horse

The Westphalian, or Westfalen, is a warmblood horse bred in the Westphalia region of western Germany. The Westphalian is closely affiliated with the state-owned stud farm of Warendorf, which it shares with the Rhinelander. Since World War II, the Westphalian horse has been bred to the same standard as the other German warmbloods, and they are particularly famous as Olympic-level show jumpers and dressage horses. Next to the Hanoverian, the Westphalian studbook has the largest breeding population of any warmblood in Germany.

Westphalians are bred to the same standard as the other German warmbloods and in particular exchange a great deal of genetic material with the nearby Rhinelander and Hanoverian. The standard for all German riding horses calls for an appealing, long-lined, correct riding horse with bold, expansive, elastic gaits, suitable for all types of riding due to its temperament, character, and rideability. The Westphalian's type is less refined than that of a Thoroughbred, but less coarse than that of a "cold blood". Westphalians usually stand between 15.2 to 17.2 hands high at the withers and weigh between 1000 and 1300 lbs.

The Westphalian registry, or verband, does not discriminate on color or markings, however, colors other than black, bay, chestnut, and grey are rare. The best way to identify a Westphalian is by the brand on the left hip: a crowned shield containing the letter "W" which Westphalians receive when they are awarded their papers at a foal show.



The history of the Westphalian horse is linked with the State Stud of Warendorf, which was founded in 1826 to serve the North Rhine-Westphalian region. The stud was built under the Prussian Stud Administration, which was put together by King Frederick William I in 1713 to improve horse breeding efforts in the German-speaking region. Government-owned studs, identified as "State" or "Principal" studs depending on whether the facility keeps its own herd of mares, purchase stallions that fit the needs of the surrounding region. The stud fees of state-owned stallions are low, enabling local breeders to produce high-quality horses from heavy drafts to riding horses to ponies.

The first stallions to stand at Warendorf were from East Prussia, and so were similar to Trakehners of the time. These horses were riding horses with Thoroughbred blood, suitable for the courtiers to ride and use in cavalry. As the human population between the Rhine and Weser rivers grew, the demand shifted to a medium-heavy all-purpose farm horse to cope with the increase in agriculture. The noble East Prussian stallions were replaced with heavy warmbloods from Oldenburg and East Frisia.

The turn of the 20th century saw the heavy warmbloods outdone in the region by the more suitable Rhenish Cold Blood. These horses were better able to pull heavy plows and artillery, and so while they were principally bred around the Wickrath State Stud, warmblood sires at Warendorf were gradually replaced by cold bloods. The revolutions in automotive and agricultural technology that these heavy horses helped make possible made them obsolete in turn. In 1957 the Wickrath State Stud was dissolved as the heavy horses fell out of favor. The stock of warmblood horses was replenished with mares and stallions from nearby Hannover, on which the modern Westphalian is based.

The Federal Riding School was incorporated to the state stud in 1968. It is the site of the training and examination of nationally-licensed professional riders and instructors, and is also home to the German Equestrian Olympic Committee. Warendorf also hosts stallion performance tests annually.

The first studbook for horses in Westphalia was founded in 1888, and the following year the first evaluations of stallions and mares were carried out. These inspections became the defining characteristic of the Westphalian, as they had for other warmbloods. The breeders of the best fillies were awarded a prize or premium as an incentive to keep high-quality breeding stock in the region. Only the very best colts, the young male horses that most closely fit what the local breeders wanted in a horse, were allowed to become breeding stallions. The first performance tests were held in 1905. These performance tests meant that stallions had now to not only fit a conformational model to be used for breeding, but also had to prove their worth under saddle and in front of the plow.

World War II destroyed all the old pedigree records that had been kept so carefully. The next mare evaluation wasn't held until 1946, when a new breeding aim was implemented - a riding horse. Within 30 years, this new aim was coming to fruition: the 100-day test was implemented in 1982, and a Westphalian, Ahlerich, took gold in dressage at the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984.




While over the past decade, other registries have split their breeding stock into jumper-type and dressage-type, the Westphalian verband resists specialization. Instead, Westphalians are bred to be good movers with high rideability and jumping ability for a market of mostly amateurs who appreciate versatile, pleasant horses.

All things become memories eventually...

I was going through some items I brought out the other day. One box was filled with riding competition ribbons that my Mom had saved for me since I was 7. I didn't do a lot of showing, but at most shows, I placed. It may not have been first or even second, but I placed. Most of all I enjoyed it, and I'm sure it brought joy to my parents to see me enjoy it. I decided to hang them up in my "craft room/office" tonight. As I started hanging up each ribbon, I was thinking of the memories that went with that show, that horse, etc. Some relatives of mine are moving out of the country soon. They have sold their home and given away or sold their possessions, boxed up what they wanted to keep in storage and off they will go to a foreign country & foreign way of life. Their home, the property they lived on for the past 15 years, will become a memory. If you think about it, everything becomes just a memory over time.

Tonight was our first night to do NOTHING and relax that we have had in a while. We watched tv, laid on the couch. Did nothing. Very unproductive but required for resting purposes.

You know who you are: I hope you are finally able to get the rest that you've needed for a month as things finally calm down. I think you will enjoy your new adventure! I can't wait to join you sometime.

I will post another horse history and then go to bed. Goodnight all!