We Are Flying Solo

February 10, 2014

I'm A Real Boy, Er, Farmmmm!

By eventer79 February 10, 2014 11 comments

But first, don't forget to vote for us and my completely ridiculous face in the Carolina International contest we are losing, LOL! The prize is a coveted horse trial entry that I long to be able to do. Thank you for all who have given their support, y'all rock!!

Now, to the topic at hand:

It is, ladies and gentlemen, real indeed. I give thee...

Flying Solo Farm at dusk

Where I do not live. Nor do my horses. But hey, it's a process! We started from here:

Almost exactly the same vantage point last August

Things that do live there:

A feed shed!

A wonderful fellow Adult Rider has a farm nearby and the shed had been laying disassembled in her pasture, so she generously offered it to me and even brought her husband over to help put it back together! Three cheers for no feed tubs in the laundry room!!

Finished fencelines

East side of main pasture opposite house

I have a couple gates to build, a battery for my fence charger to buy, and a few more buckets of dirt to move. Oh yeah, and maybe put some gravel down in front of the house. The grader still has some work to do and the factory still has to send a few parts and repairs for the house, but it's passed final inspection.

If the atmosphere will just cooperate, in about two weeks, my boys will be able to watch this:

Sunset from the run-in site.

Help Us Win A Horse Trial Entry With One Click!

By eventer79 February 08, 2014 5 comments

By the way: VOLUNTEER!

It's that simple!

I hadn't much hope for competing this year; I've sunk every breath and penny into getting the farm ready for the boys and there's nothing left unless Carolina Horse Park starts accepting hay string as currency. But then...

As some are aware, this year, CHP's traditional spring upper level HT, Southern Pines II, will become an FEI event, the Carolina International CIC***. Fingers crossed, this will be great for our beloved park, bringing in all kinds of great resources. Hugh Lochore has come up from Chattahoochee Hills and is working with our wonderful Marc Donovan to create amazing new courses. I hope they don't mind me posting their fantastic new logo -- I'm spreading the word!

Solo always made sure Solo looked good!

And there is a contest. Not only a contest, but a contest using a skill our friends know I EXCEL at: making ridiculous faces while riding! And the prize...an entry to one of my favourite horse trials, a chance for Encore and I to have a run after all, which any of you who have read here for any time know how much that means to me. You can imagine my squeal of surprise and delight when we made the finals (of course, Solo is so sexy, he deserves it; dang, he looks good, I am GETTING that Solo back).

So take a minute, lend us your click and I will thank you a million times!! You can find the Finalists album on Carolina International's Facebook page. All you need to do is "like" the picture of Solo and I, we are currently photo #12, with Solo looking sexy and me looking, well, ridiculous. This is our entry photo for those who may not recognize Mr. Shiny on sight.

Note: if you voted for us prior to Friday at 7 pm, they reset the votes, so please vote again!

The Auger Returns: A One-Act Play

By eventer79 February 05, 2014 3 comments

Setting: A mild day in a North Carolina field. Two people are going about the business of setting a 6 x 6 and a 4 x 4 post as anchors for Flying Solo Farm's shed dividers. However, the tractor currently has the frame drag attached, so it must be traded out for the auger, which sits in the lovely, but unnecessary hole it made in November.

ACB: He even matches the tractor!

Eventer79: Hey, honey, I'm just going to go dump the drag and fetch the auger, I'll be back in a little bit, ok?

Awesome Crew B (hereafter ACB): Ummmm, ok.....

Eventer79 exits stage left. Eventer79 re-enters stage left 45 seconds later.

Eventer79: Yeah, that is a really stupid idea. This is going to take two people, will you come with me? [note that the auger had been placed in a temporary storage location on a slope and is heavy as shit]

ACB: Sure, I wondered how you were going to pull that off.

Eventer79 and ACB exit stage left with tractor and unhook drag before proceeding down the hill. Enter auger stage right.

Eventer79: Lalalala, I'll just back up to it and we'll hook it right up, because we left it set up that way last time!

Auger: heh heh heh heh.....

ACB: Ummmm, hey, the top bar is blocked by the PTO housing?

Just keep backing, just keep backing...

Eventer79: Oh yeah, duh. I already forgot that you have to take off the top arm of the 3-point hitch first and that bar goes there.

ACB: Ah, that's right, ok, we're good now, just roll back a little. [connects uphill 3-pt arm]

Auger: Now watch this...

ACB: W.T.F. [despite much struggling, kicking, and pondering, we cannot get the downhill arm to line up with the pin]

Enter Amazing Neighbour stage right. Proceed with hammering and head-scratching. Eventer79 is glad that she did not attempt this alone or else she might have needed a sleeping bag.

Auger: You shall never defeat me...

All Characters: WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING? WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE STUPID, AUGER? WE HAVE OVER 80 YEARS OF COLLECTIVE TRACTOR EXPERTISE HERE, WHAT IS YOUR FREAKING PROBLEM?

Auger: ROFLMAO

Neighbour: Let's just disconnect the uphill one and then do the downhill one first. Then the uphill one will be easy.

Eventer79: Oh. Well. Yes, this is why I like having you around, you always have better ideas!

Auger: Dammit...

Seat with a view. Well, pre-shed.

Cheers erupt, the throttle is increased and the triumphant team of Eventer79 and ACB roll up the hill with waves of thanks to Amazing Neighbour.

Auger: Oh, you think you're great now, huh?

Eventer79: Something feels funny. Like something is catching.

Auger: BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!

ACB: What the..the PTO came off. But it was on there really well! Sigh. We'll just hold it till we get to the shed.

The returning party arrives at the shed and with the application of much grease, proceeds to firmly reattach PTO and double check that everything is secure. Hole locations are flagged, measurements re-measured, and it's go-time.

Eventer79: You better drill a bloody hole this time, you recalcitrant beast, after all that!!

Auger: Grumble...

The hitch is lowered, PTO engaged, clutch lifted, and...

VICTORY!

Auger: Fine. Whatevs. I know where you live...

After much leaping and dancing for joy, the second hole is drilled, posts set and leveled, concrete poured, and holes tamped down. Hope remains, then, for holes where you actually want them! Lesson: do not store your implements on a slope if you want to hook them up by yourself. Noted.

We have very serious groundhogs in NC.

2013 Adult Rider Of The Year?!

By eventer79 January 27, 2014 12 comments

Yes, somehow, somewhere, my circle of awesome fellow USEA Area II Adult Riders have named dorky little me as the 2013 recipient of our Adult Rider of the Year award!

As is obvious to anyone who knows me, this is not an award for riding in lots of events, LOL. I can't remember the last time I got to sit ON one of my horses...

It is generally a surprise award, given out at our annual ARII AR (har har!) meeting. These meetings include forums, great educational talks and of course, an awards luncheon (poor girl usually sits in the hall and eats a sandwich because the lunch is very expensive). I wasn't able to make it up this year, as it is usually in northern VA and I'm not flush with diesel money right now, so our group coordinator called me in advance to inform me of the award and ask for a few pictures.

After I was done being shocked and honoured (ok, maybe I'm still not done), my brain was tired and it went, "OOOO, PLAY WITH HORSIE PICTURES!" So, since I need to make sure everyone knows how dorky I am, I made a little collage and included the fabulous logo made for us by Kate over at Polar Square Designs.

Hey, I'm even wearing my ARII AR shirt!

What I didn't know was that our coordinator was going to read my rambling thank you email OUT LOUD at the luncheon. Where the keynote presenters were Evention's Dom and Jimmie Schramm (that's why I wanted to go to the meeting so I could meet those talented horse consumption impressionsits!!). Dang, I should have included a really ridiculous face picture!

But, again, thank you so much, I really do enjoy every chance I get to participate! And don't forget to read the wonderful story of our Horse of the Year, Santos, an exemplary horse of soul and generosity.