Cob Jockey: Blog Hop: Alberta Equest 2020 Best and Worst

January 4, 2021

Blog Hop: Alberta Equest 2020 Best and Worst

What's the best thing that happened to you in 2020?

Fun fact, I've flown into San Jose so many times I instinctively know at what point in the approach path I need to look out the window (and what side of the plane to sit on - left) to see Kate's barn from the air (pictured: not Kate's barn)

Personal: Not traveling so much. I had 65 flights and 50 nights in a hotel room in 2019, and was staring down an entire month of being gone M-F in March when COVID abruptly cancelled it all. I desperately miss being on an airplane and seeing my coworkers and customers (I've been a full-time WFH employee for going on 6 years now, so I really never see anyone unless I'm traveling!), but I also think we've learned we can function without so much in-person stuff. I don't think my travel will ever get back to the levels it was at in The Before Times.

Horsey: Deciding to send Connor off for full training with a GP Dressage rider.

What's the worst thing that happened to you in 2020?

Socially distanced funerals (my brother and his girlfriend in the foreground are in a bubble) suck

Personal: Losing both of my grandpas (not to COVID) and having to deal with the anxiety that goes along with COVID-time funerals with relatives who are a mixed bag on taking it seriously.

Horsey: My home trainer ending her program. I miss seeing her, I don't see her as much now since our schedules are different, and the barn is trickier to navigate with three different people doing the job she once did by herself.

What's your biggest purchase in 2020?

Purchased four days before March 11th, aka The Day Shit Got Real

Personal: My new truck, without which I definitely could not have done all these trips to Cincinnati this year. It's amazing how much easier newer trucks make towing, even though this one has a smaller engine than my old one.

Horsey: Does full-training count? If it has to be an object, my CWD Dressage saddle (which predictably now needs replaced because my horse has hulked out like a body builder. Thank your favorite deity that I didn't drop $7k on a brand new Patrick last year!)

What was your biggest accomplishment in 2020?

I miss speaking to nerds

Personal: Lots of work stuff. I got promoted, got accepted into two prestigious programs, and yeah, survived this year with my mental health intact, which counts for a lot.

Horsey: Where do I start! Riding a f***** simple change, learning what collection actually feels like, discovering the relationship between my core and my arms. Nobody gave me a trophy for any of that (yet) but I still feel like I won the lottery.

What do you feel COVID robbed you of in 2020?

So many blog friends. So much alcohol. Heyyyyyy not-quite-sober SprinklerBandits 😂

Personal: Normal funerals for my grandpas. Many naps on airplanes.

Horsey: Not-Rolex tailgating, and seeing so many of you all in person!

Were you subject to any COVID impulse buys in 2020?

Personal: Lots and lots of liquor. For my new cocktail making hobby. That legitimized my quarantine alcoholism. Right?

Horsey: If a non-glitter person ending up with not one, not two, but THREE glitter saddle pads (one was a gift okay) doesn't count as a COVID-related impulse buy, I don't know what would.