#queer equestrian

[of-canes-and-manes]

001: Back in the Saddle Again

After years of severe chronic illness, last week I got back on a horse for the first time in over a decade. I found riding to be more doable than I was expecting; it wasn’t easy by any meaning of the word, but it also wasn’t impossible, and even though those seven minutes in the saddle pushed my body to the limit, I would have been able to ride more later in the day if I had had a long enough break.

A brief history of my health before I get too ahead of myself:

I’ve been chronically ill since late 2016, when I started working and began needing to sleep upwards of 16 to 18 hours a day to feel rested at all. Over the years I progressively got worse, until summer of 2019 when I had to call out of work more than I could go in and I was either in bed, in the bathroom, or at work. When covid hit in 2020, I went from being able to leave bed for work to only being able to leave bed for the bathroom and the occasional doctor’s appointment, but due to the pandemic, even my appointments stopped before I had any sort of diagnosis besides fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

In November 2020 I had a near-death experience that resulted in getting my first ever blood transfusion; then I moved back home to my parents’ farm at the beginning of 2021. At the time it was an admission of defeat, but with the help of my parents, my health has slowly improved over the last two and a half years that I’ve spent on the farm, to the point where not only am I spending all day almost every day anywhere but my bed, I’ve able to leave the house upwards of three times a week and drive myself the majority of those times to boot.

As I’ve improved, I’ve experimented with doing more activity both physical and mental. For the first two years, physical activity was next to impossible and mental activity was all I could handle on a regular basis. Then I was blessed enough to get the first of two gender-affirming surgeries in December 2022, and since then I’ve been finding that while I’m now more physically capable, my mental energy has become unreliable.

While it’s of course a bit of a pain to be unable to read or write consistently, I’ve enjoyed the increased ability to bake, do canning, and get back to playing a musical instrument. This past spring I even planted a garden of pumpkins while learning to find adaptations for the various activities I have an interest in, and next year I’m hoping to plant more than just pumpkins!

I’ve spent the last eight months slowly but surely building up my physical activity to the point where when I had my second surgery in June, I was able to get back to my life with relative ease by mid-July. At this point in time, as long as I’m sitting down I can do whatever I’d like to, within reason, and if I need to walk somewhere, as long as I have my cane and take breaks every five to ten minutes, I can get where I need to go.

And how does this all come back to getting back in the saddle?

I had grown up going to a local stable with my siblings while our mom took lessons and cleaned stalls. My sisters and I were always more into riding than my brothers were, and once I hit puberty I stopped riding altogether as it, like most of my childhood passions, was too much for my dysphoria. Eventually, my sisters also stopped riding, though my mom continued on for years until she and my dad could afford to build a barn behind our house and bring her horses home. Since then, she’s slowly stopped riding as often as my dad’s health declined and our farm grew to include chickens, goats, and geese, but the horses have stayed a part of the daily chores all the while.

After stumbling across the International Gay Rodeo Association (a story for another time), and after realising that I am significantly more physically capable if I just have the right accommodations, I decided it was time to try riding again, just to see if I could do it. My mom was game to help me saddle up, so all we had to do was wait for the weather to cooperate.

I was able to borrow my mom’s tack and her old helmet, and with the help of an overturned bucket, I was up on top of the gentle giant Tiny Tim, a half-draft who gets along with everyone and everything. It’s been a while since he was last ridden; as such he was just as out of shape as I was, and I managed to last longer in our ride than he did!

We walked around the edge of the arena, first in one direction, then the other. My mom made a point to ask who was leading, me or Tim, and unfortunately my answer was a resounding “Tim is!” Then she asked us to do a serpentine across the arena, and I had such difficulty with that that she had to come out to walk with us. By then Tim was ready to be done and I was ready for a break, so I dismounted and led him back to the barn.

All in all, those seven minutes were some of the most wonderful I’ve had in a long time. Going forward, I hope to ride at least once a week for however long I can, and my only goal is to be able to go on trail rides in the future, no matter how long it takes.

May you have a peaceful day.

#of-canes-and-manes #queer equestrian #text post #first post #new blog

[ashes2caches]

#196 #rule #196 campfire #r196 #queer #trans #horse #equestrian #mlp #meme #the four horsemen #good omens

[roancowgirl]

Howdy y’all! I made a discord server for queer folks in the western equine/rodeo industry to hang out.

It’s friendly to all queer folks, and allies interested in the queer side of the western industry. The link can be found below. Stop by and hang out, we’d love to have you!

We have a section that’s still a work in progress for queer associations such as gay rodeo, along with a calendar of upcoming events that these associations put on. If you know of any queer organizations or events, such as rodeos, trail rides, barrel races, etc that you think could be added to the list, please dm me!

For those unfamiliar with queer folks in western spaces, here’s some articles. We’ve always been here and there’s space for us in the industry

Me and my gf at the gay rodeo in texas earlier this year

#equestrian #horses #western #lgbt equestrian #lgbtpeople #lgbt #lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbtq community #lgbt pride #queer #queer community #queer pride #rodeo #texas gay rodeo association #gay cowboy #gay rodeo #international gay rodeo association #TGRA #igra #horsblr #horseblr #horse #butch #gay cowgirl #cowgirl #cowboy #yeehaw #trans #gay

[the-cricket-chirps]

Andy Warhol

Ferrous

September 1975

#andy warhol #pop artist #pop art #american artist #american art #american painting #american painter #queer art #queer artist #queer art history #queer painter #aesthetic #beautiful #horses #beautiful horse #beautiful animals #horseback riding #equestrian #modern art #art history #aesthetictumblr #tumblraesthetic #tumblrpic #tumblrpictures #tumblr art #tumblrstyle #artists on tumblr

[garlicbreadslice]

Nobody sees the vision I see. It’s all gay cowboys this, gay cowboys that. Nobody recognizes the potential!!! in lesbian equestrians!!!!

Fanfics about lesbian showjumpers. Fanfics about lesbian dressage riders. Do you se it?? Do you see the vision????

#this is about #Dorlene #in particular #but honestly this goes for all fandoms #like the young royals fandom #I’m not super a part of it so idk how popular Sara and Felice are as a pair #but COME ON #horse riding. lesbians. #it would be amazing #anyways #queer equestrians #!!!!

[theoffingmag]

I have always been part rider, part horse. Ready to bolt, a sucker for a sugar cube, and I like to be groomed. I like to sit between someone’s legs while they pull a brush through my hair from scalp to split ends, untangling the snarls along the way. The pleasure so full-bodied I lose my equestrian posture.

— Flint, "Horse Crazy"

#insight #essay #writing #horse #equestrian #queer writers #flint #the offing

[wantmeifyouwantme]

in an oc mood i'm making picrews of them incase anyone cares 🤩

Skye and Dana (Skye with the green braids, Dana with the purple hair) (dana's uniform is the wrong colour but shhhh) (link) (Skye - they/she) (Dana - she/they/he)

SERAPHINE MY BELOVED <<<33333 (link) (she/her/they) (basically grew up with Skye) (does vaulting)

Nurah my queen !!! (link) (she/her) (barrel racing girlie)

Fin !!!!!! king !!!!!! worst taste in dudes ever tho (he/they/any) (showjumping)

TESSA !!!!!!! aro queenie <3333 !!! loves 70's fashion !!! (link) (showjumping)

Lavender !!!! my aroace queen of my heart !!! seraphine's cousin (dressage)

Skye !!! enbboss !! (basically grew up with Seraphine) (cross country)

DANA !!!! (a bit pale here lol) (the scholarship kid ??) (on the dressage team with Lavender) (dressage)

#im making a webtoon abt them probably ??? #found family/ equestrian/ queer friend group/ a bit of romance but mostly platonic friend stuff / i would say it's pretty diverse ??? #WinburyEqAc

[nothwell]

Thanks to Tessa for this short-but-sweet review of Throw His Heart Over!

~

I love them, your honor

~

Throw His Heart Over is the second book in the Aubrey & Lindsey series, a gay Victorian romance available wherever fine books are found!

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop dot org • Kobo • Overdrive • Smashwords

#romance #equestrian #historical romance #equestrian romance #victorian #gay romance #mm romance #mlm romance #queer romance #sebastian nothwell #throw his heart over #aubrey & lindsey #kind words

[hallowed-flesh]

trying to find a community for queer equestrians. not having a lot of luck

#queer #horses #queer horses #equestrians

[ryanxdarling]

#horses #horsesofinstagram #texas #shotbydarling #xplicitbeauty #winterstexas #westtexas #westtexasphotographer #texasphotographer #texaslife #queer #queerartist #texasartist #equinefineartphotography #equestrian #equinephotographersnetwork (at Winters, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnaGYGHu1Jo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#horses #horsesofinstagram #texas #shotbydarling #xplicitbeauty #winterstexas #westtexas #westtexasphotographer #texasphotographer #texaslife #queer #queerartist #texasartist #equinefineartphotography #equestrian #equinephotographersnetwork

[theequeerstrian]

Was anyone gonna tell me Edward Gal, arguably one of the biggest names in the world of international dressage, was in a gay long-term relationship with his teammate Hans Peter Minderhoud or was I just supposed to learn that from the commentators of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games myself.

#gay #queer #equestrian #dressage #equeerstrians #Tokyo 2020 #olympics #I just #HHHHHHH I just love seeing us out there

[of-canes-and-manes]

003: Cleaning Saddles Ten Minutes at a Time

Now that I’ve been riding consistently for a few weeks, it became time to properly clean and condition the tack I’ve been borrowing from my mom.

Her tack, a beautiful Circle Y all-purpose Western saddle and a Western bridle sized to fit our half-draft Tim, had been sitting in the barn for ages, gathering dust and only getting used a handful of times a year. With how little she’s been able to ride and how much she works, my mom just wasn’t able to take care of her tack at all over the years. Luckily I have a fondness for cleaning and working with leather, and I had the spare time and energy to take on this monumental task.

I set up the saddle stand on the back porch, put on the next episode of the Gunsmoke radio program, dug out the leather cleaning soap, and got to work, taking breaks to rest every ten minutes or so. My mom had warned me that if done properly, cleaning a saddle should take hours. It sure did take hours, but a good half of that time was spent resting, and I loved every minute of it.

By the time I finished scrubbing out every nook and cranny, I had spent more time actively cleaning that saddle than I usually spend driving to, attending, and driving home from doctor appointments. In the interest of preserving my energy, I opted to let the saddle dry overnight and come back the following day to condition it. That seemed to do the trick, and I then spent the week working conditioner into the leather on a daily basis until it was time to ride again.

I applied the same routine to cleaning Tim’s bridle; I deep cleaned it the first day, then conditioned it once daily over the following days. The bridle wasn’t nearly as dusty or dry as the saddle had been, but it still benefited greatly from the TLC it received. And even my hands benefited from the daily conditioning routine: I get dry and cracked skin on my hands year-round, though it’s usually better in the summer, and after a week of working on the tack my hands were softer than they’ve been in years!

Now that the saddle and bridle have been finished, I’ll only need to worry about conditioning them once or twice a month, and I won’t need to do another deep clean until they get dirty again. In the meantime, my mom requested that I clean her other saddle too, another Circle Y that she’s been borrowing from her former trainer. I agreed without any hesitation at all.

First I had to find it, and when I did, there was a clear quarter inch of dust covering the whole thing. It took me a good thirty minutes of dry brushing over the course of two days to get it dust-free enough to start cleaning.

But once I got to the cleaning, this saddle wasn’t so bad; I used an oil soap instead of the cake soap I had used before, and with a little elbow grease I was able to clean it up in a matter of hours, even with breaks. I also chose to split the cleaning into multiple days, where I cleaned the whole saddle on the first day, then scrubbed out the nooks and crannies the next. That decision saved me a lot of energy, for sure! Then I did the same daily conditioning routine as before, and though it still needs a good bit more work, it’s really cleaning up nicely.

This level of deep cleaning wouldn’t have been possible only a few months ago, and I’m awful grateful to have been able to do it. If it weren’t for those frequent breaks I took, I might not have gotten through the work at all. I’ve spent the last few months learning how to pace more effectively and to take breaks before I need them, and that seems to have made all the difference. Five to ten minutes of work at a time may not seem long enough to accomplish anything, but it sure does add up quickly!

I’ve got some photos of the first saddle and the bridle all cleaned at the bottom of this post. It didn’t occur to me to take before pictures until I got to the second saddle, so unfortunately the only before and after comparison I have is of that second saddle.

the first saddle and Tim's bridle

a before and after of the second saddle

May you have a peaceful day.

#of-canes-and-manes #queer equestrian #equestrian #actually disabled #text post

[roancowgirl]

Hey y’all I’ve posted my discord server before but wanted to post it again now that the server is fully up and running. After years in the western industry I realized there’s no dedicated online space for folks in this industry and want to try to change that.

Queer Cowfolks is a space for anyone in the LGBTQIA2S+ community with an interest in the western horse world. Whether it’s riding, ranching, rodeo or just an appreciator of the lifestyle and culture- all are welcome to join regardless of experience or where you’re from.

Along with creating a safe space for folks to hang out, we also have channels for information on events and nonprofit organizations to help folks find a safe community in their area. There’s a master list for equine related organizations welcoming to LGBtQ+ folks as well as two event channels. One channel is for upcoming equine events such as gay rodeos, barrel races, trail rides, etc. The other is for fundraising events that benefit the organizations listed, such as: drag shows, softball games, bake sales, etc.

You can join via this invite link, if it’s not working please dm me so I can fix it. Join and come hang, we’d love to have you!

https://discord.gg/NDRkWFYj

#equestrian #horses #western #lgbt #gay rodeo #igra #lgbtq #rodeo #gay #reining #calf roping #cowgirl aesthetic #cowboy aesthetic #queer cowboys #lesbian #trans #bisexual #cowfolk #queer #queer community #transmasc #transfem #transgender #trans pride #bi cowfolks #gay cowgirls #gay cowboy #queer pride #horsblr #two spirit

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hello to the almost same jacket for Eddie!!! Aisha and Anirudh really are the A team today - giving us all the goods!!! Aisha is doing gods work making sure we all understand that wardrobe really do think of everything and that colour and fit is very carefully chosen - Thank you queen!

the cuffs are different, so it isn’t the same jacket (also the fabric is a bit different - its hard to tell from the IG live still, but it isn’t herringbone weave like the 6x05 one is) but its close enough to draw a few parallels 🤓😎

first things first though - No watch Eddie 👀👀👀👀👀

Right jackets - fun things!! the khaki olive drab green is a very Eddie colour, but the fact we have a jacket cut in aa very similar style to the one form 6x05 is very interesting. the scene we see the 6x05 one in is very focused on Eddie being with Hen and Karen and them displaying their love and pride in one another. Obviously the scene is very much centred on hen moving on from firefighting (setting up 6x06 and her changing her mind) but the Eddie part of that scene is centred on the joyful expression of Queer love and him witnessing it. 

One of the key things about this colour way on Eddie when he’s wearing it as a jacket is that it is both his comfort blanket and an indicator of his mental health. Eddie has only really started wearing these olive drab jackets in season 5 - the one exception being 3x12 when he goes to apologise to Ana for overreacting about Chris!

as a result we invariably see Eddie in the olive drab colour jackets when he’s either struggling mentally  - 5x10 quitting the 118, 5x11 not going to the bar or at the Equestrian centre in 5x14 - or when he’s not necessarily struggling mentally per say, but something in the scene is important for Eddies storyline in connection with his mental health - such as in the scene from 6x05. The difference in them to be found is in the fit - the silhouette - the ones from season 5 are all much more loose fitting - oversized, and help make him look either ill (Equestrian centre jacket I’m looking at you!!) or like he’s trying to protect himself in some way. this makes total sense when you combine the choice of olive drab as a colour and Eddies military background!

So I am going to go out on a bit of a limb (as I have zero script context to work with here which always makes costume speculating a bit more difficult) and say that this new but slightly different jacket will be bringing us something in the same ball park as that one from 6x05 - especially if we are getting a firefam leaving at the end of the day or arriving in the morning scene from this - or something similar (because they wouldn’t be in the firehouse if that wasn’t the case!!) because it is better fitted than the season 5 ones, but its still olive drab. This being for either 6x17 or 6x18 is pretty important - Love is in the air, or pay it forward - really plays into that idea of something in a scene being important for Eddies journey in connection with his mental health - if its some form of coming out arc for him then I will be partying hard over the fact that the wardrobe team have subtly been showing us the way through Eddies olive drab jackets!!!

Then of course there is the fact that Buck is back in light blue - for the millionth time in season 6!!! If you’ve been reading my other costume metas from season 6 you will know I’ve been fascinated by the use of Blue on Buck in this season (metas can be found on my pinned post if you want a read!), especially pale blues and I’m very 👀👀 over the fact he’s still in pale blue at the end of the season! Also the white high tops are still there and they mean Buck moving forward on his journey - so combined with the pale blue - I’m very very excited!!!

#kym costume meta #kym costume thoughts #911 costumes #911 costume meta #911 spoilers #buddie costumes #Eddie diaz #evan buckley #911 on fox #911fox #Eddies green jackets! #Buck in blue

[walkingcontradiction42]

Got tagged by the wonderful @kenobismullet. Thank you so much <3

1. Are you named after anyone?

Legal name no. Otherwise that gay scientist from pacific rim lol.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Um shortly before Christmas I think. Gender dysphoria is a bitch.

3. Do you have kids?

No

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Oh a lot. I used to do swimming, football, then equestrian vaulting when I was older for quite some time. Then badminton for several years. Now I just do jogging.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Hair (need to judge if someone is queer)

7. What's your eye color?

Blue

8. Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

Happy endings, because I am a mentally instable person

9. Any talents?

Um I can write decently?

10. Where were you born?

Arguably the ugliest city in Germany

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing, listening to music, playing music, concerts/festivals and quite a lot of watching movies and stuff in between

12. Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have two budgies. Prettiest guys alive.

13. How tall are you?

Not tall enough

14. Favourite subject in school?

Physics and Math

15. Dream job?

It would be great now if I said the thing I study right? Hahaha…. But yeah, um, something creative I think? Writing or filmmaking or theatre or something.

No pressure tags: @crave-mp3 @swallow-wind @faggotwalkwithme @x-ladydisdain-x

#tagged

[twisted-moose]

Reasons I have blocked and/or unfollowed someone (and why it is ok and good to block and/or unfollow people)

-They post a lot in a tag I browse and I dont want to see their content

-fandom takes I disagree with

-being rude to other people for no reason

-constantly doomposting/posting terrible news & world issues in spaces I use to decompress and relax

-starting fights and beef for no reason

-being a terfy weirdo

-threatening to harm people or telling people to harm themselves """"as a joke""""

-political radicalization/violent rhetoric

-"bring back bullying"

-braindead queer discourse/infighting

-being simply annoying/not liking someone

-being under 18

-bad vibes

-braindead shipping discourse

-no longer interested in what they rb/draw

-disagreement on animal husbandry (weird one ik but equestrians are always fighting & I just want to look at pictures of horses)

-braindead artist discourse

-negative all the time.

-guilt tripping/demanding people take action on a political issue. "If you scroll past this you are evil etc"

-posts a lot about a kink I personally dislike

Managing your online space and mental health is extremely important. Blocking, unfollowing, and setting boundaries does not make you bad or evil. Consuming negativity makes you more negative. When you become negative you interact negatively with others. Cut it off at the source, you can control what you expose yourself to. You can remain informed on important topics and also maintain boundaries on social media.

This includes me. If I no longer post what you like or you just dont have interest or whatever- please just unfollow or block. Dont stress about it... do your thing, I will do mine. We can all be chill. Idc if we are even friends or moots or whatever, its not personal.

#rambling #also just cos I unfollow or block doesnt mean I hate that person #its like letting an unwanted spider outside #putting folks I dont wanna see in a cup and letting them go do their thing in a bush