2025 in Poetic Review

By Patty Wilber

I kept plenty busy this whole past year!
Nineteen horses have come to be trained and live here.
There was camping and hunting and lessons and shows.
I cannot believe how fast the time goes!

January
I bought a new trailer because I “needed” two.
It was actually used, but it did look brand new.
The brown one was worn down; it had a good run.
The new one replaced it and is a fine one.

The three-horse trailer that replaced my old brown one. I can cram four horses in there if the two in the back slot like each other and are not too large (like Penny and Cometa).

February
I had a good challenge with the cutest Midori.
She said bits were quite evil, thanks, end of story.
I resorted to bribing with sweet molasses.
That was more enticing than bribing with grasses (which I didn’t do; I just threw it in here because it rhymed.)

Midori with a bridle on!

March
The LP gene in Appaloosas can cause coat color to fade.
LT’s tail went from black to a much lighter shade (at 15).
I also went jeeping instead of a horse show.
But opportunities come and you just gotta go.

: LT, March, 2014

: LT, March, 2025

: Jeep and kayaking trip with Amber

April
I rode with Mary Ann S. and we were both into purple.
The purple looked fine and we didn’t hirple.*
I also wrote two more blogs on that LP gene in horses
They form a series of sciency discourses!
*”Hirple” means “limp” or “hobble” in Scotland, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Me and MaryAnn. We are very purple!

May
LP was not done with me yet in May.
Vaccine efficacy was another sciency blog day.
I flooded my tack room when getting pics for a post!
I just stopped for a moment, but the tack room was toast!

Don’t stop to take pictures!

June
Heidi and Lucy showed in youth boxing and cowhorse, open
They won the boxing, then came back to open and won again!
They did a great job! It was exciting to see!
Then I came home and went south for a small camping spree (in the White Mountains).

Open and Limited Open ran concurrently, so she won those at Appaloosa Nationals; and she won Youth boxing at the Appaloosa Youth World! (Nationals and Youth World run together also)

July
Hadleigh and Heidi got county fair buckles!
Family flew in for the 4th–many chuckles!
We visited Minnesota where we zapped some deer flies.
I wrote an ode to LT, who can pack, cow, and slide.

: Hadleigh and her buckle!

: My necee Avery

: Jim skiing faster than the deer flies!

August
We got drenched on a pack-in ’cause our rain gear was old!
When water runs into your crotch, it can feel kinda cold!
But the biggest news in August, by far,
was retirement the 8th; it did not leave a scar!

We got a little wet.

September
Patty S. and Zima braved the State Fair horse show with me and Gette.
It was a success with her first buckle yet!
My spadefoot pond was a rousing success.
Lots of rain kept the mud around it a mess!

Patty Shuert with a lotta blue!

October
Hunt camp was gorgeous and also quite wet.
Penny almost left camp, and I had a big fret.
Our hunters didn’t harvest, but we still had fun.
And the last show of my season was finally done!

: The one evening it was dry, we had a camp fire.

: Riding among the aspen.

: P-squared at the last show!

November
I got some new colt starts that were very unstarted.
One scared himself, when, yes, he quite farted.
But one thing about colt starts when you are sixty-four–
Take your time, build them up, and stay off of the floor.
(so far so good, though one went home with a foot abscess)

Yes, Clemente scared himself even though he wasn’t one of the greenest ones.

December
It’s been weirdly warm for most of the month,
Except the one weekend I went out on a hunt.
We then left the mainland to go to Hawaii.
My dad feeling better sure brings me great glee!