1. What is your earliest, clearest horse memory?
To my horse crazy four or five year old eyes - he was the most beautiful, shining white steed I'd ever seen. In reality, Comet was a lame, sway-backed, elf-shoe-hoofed, randy old pony stallion, who my grandmother was deathly afraid would "jump on me" if she let me near him. Nonetheless, first chance I got, I climbed through that rusty barbed wire fence. Sweet success! Obviously the ass whoopin' that followed did nothing to curb my enthusiasm.
Sadly no pics of Comet exist - borrowed this one from the interwebs
2. Describe the perfect summer day.
Probably one that happens somewhere else. 85 degrees with 90% humidity is what we have to look forward to until mid to late September. Autumn and winter are the preferable seasons here.
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| It's not all bad... |
3. Are you reading anything right now? Tell me about it!
Just finished Arundhati Roy's
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness quickly followed by her earlier work
The God of Small Things, which won the Booker prize. Roy's writing simply sparkles and the plot lines carry you away.
4. Do you follow a celebrity (horsey or not) that fascinates you?
I'm in awe of Charlotte DuJardin. Witnessing her gold medal winning rides in the London and Rio Olympics inspired me beyond words.
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| Apparently Charlotte and Valegro do jump once in a while |
5. What is your single largest horse dream or goal?
I'd really like to nail one tempis. That is basically a pipe dream until I can get off this godforsaken island for regular instruction ever again. In the meantime, I'm focusing on being the best horsewoman I can be. This has more to do with caring for my horse these days, than riding him, which makes me very sad, but is the wisest course until my house building project is completed, as I'm the only income earner. I take that back - the chickens are paying for themselves. Basically Val needs a job.
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| Besides being a hair model... |
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| or king of all naps |
6. If you were at Starbucks right now, what would you order?
Nothing. I've recently learned how to cold brew coffee and I'm never going back.
7. What is your biggest equine pet peeve?
People who treat horses like machines... like they are disposable. Like you can just trade them in on a newer model. They're living, breathing individuals, not a means to an end. It is a privilege to ride them.
8. With everything going on politically and in the media, do you follow it religiously? Tune it out? Something in between?
For mental health reasons, I've had to decrease my news intake drastically since last November. When I do catch up, it's through NPR and BBC.
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| and occasionally Twitter |
9. If you had to show your horse to a song, what would you choose?
Should I ever get so lucky as to choreograph a freestyle, I'd probably chose jazz. Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell... either that or reggae.
10. What are you most looking forward to this summer?
I'm waiting for the day I sign a construction loan and get in line with my builder. Hopefully that will happen in the next few months. Rapidly realizing that building a house on my own in an area with sky high real estate values is a pie in the sky endeavor. Wish me luck!
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| This is the house plan I've chosen - minus fancy deck rails and porch screens |
