About Me

I haven't really said much about me as a person, mostly because I'm a chicken and fear the crazies that lurk the web. But what the heck, page views are page views and comments can be deleted. So here we go. My name is Janell Hatchett. I'm 25 years old, 5'8", and at 260 lbs I am a "fluffy" equestrian. I live in Utah.

I grew up horseless and around 21 I was having a quarter-life crisis and decided that I was going to start taking riding lessons. I found a stable that would allow my to work in exchange for lessons. I cleaned stalls and rode for a short time. I was eager to learn just about anything anyone would teach me. I watch the trainer work the show horses and fell in love with English Pleasure/Saddle Seat!

I ended up leasing a purebred Arab mare called "Girla".

On My Meind "Girla" and me

Girla didn't like being ridden at all however she was a fantastic driving horse. So I learned how to drive and have loved driving ever since and encourage people to try driving whenever it might come up in a conversation.

Girla in Harness

Her owner decided that she needed to make babies instead of hauling me around which meant I was on the prowl for a driving horse. Fame pretty much landed in my lap like a gift from God. He was 15 hh, 17 years old, clubbed footed on his right front, hairy as a grizzly, a little underwieght, but oh so perfect. It was love at first sight.

Rockin to Fame a couple of days after he came from Oregon

I was told when I got him that he was a driving only horse and that he'd be too tough for me to ride. I ignored this advice and rode him in secret between driving days. I got caught eventually and was able to convince my trainer to let me ride him in lessons.

This is a video of us at a very informal schooling show.

I was also able to take Fame to my first real show as a participant instead of merely a groom. We won 1st, he has the only horse in the class. Due to financial and personal reasons my showing ambitions had to be place on hold. Fame retired and he and I enjoyed riding and driving just for fun for a time. Eventually he ended up in a lease with a therapeutic riding stable. I had looked at the facility, the horses where all healthy and friendly. And the gal that ran the program had been a former owner of Fame. It seemed perfect.

Too perfect I guess. Their best guess in that Fame got into fertilizer. His liver failed and he died. That was 2010. It took me almost 2 years to get back into riding and driving.

Now I have the enormous pleasure of leasing and working with Inferno. He is also perfect.

The Inferno LOA- current love of my life.

I also teach riding lessons to beginners and I really enjoy it. At this point the only thing I want to be is a horse trainer and find great frustration in trudging through my day job. Unfortunately I haven't developed the skills to make a living at it, but I'm working toward that end and will make it there someday.

Aside from my horse life I'm and call center bum who does customer care and tech support, and takes collage courses off and on. I enjoy reading, art, musical theater and science fiction.

A Guilty Pleasure

I must admit that I haven't got excited about a Television season premiere since Star Trek: Voyager ended in 2001. I as such a Trekkie child. I was 8 in 1995 when the show made it's debut and I had found love. I wanted to be Captian Janeway when I grew up. For 7 years I'd park myself in front of the TV at 8 PM every Wednesday night to watch the adventures of my favorite Starship crew as the made their way through the wilds of the delta quadrant! And I would sorrow greatly every time the that particular television station would air the Utah Jazz games over my beloved show.

I certainly have gotten into other shows since but none that are currently airing. I am generally found of Science Fiction, Vampire Anime, and Old School shows like Hogan's Heros, MacGyver and Quantum Leap, which is why this new addiction of mine seems a little strange.

I love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!

Season three begins on November 10th and I am way more excited than I should be. My Little Pony? Really? Now I did have the plastic ponies and a kid and did enjoy catching the old version of the show on Saturday mornings. But I was five and still girly enough to enjoy the color pink! What is it about this show that draws me to it even after my  rainbow, sparkle, magic, unicorn, princess days are over.

I have no idea.

What I do know is that I've been crazy enough to draw my self as a pony.

And my sister and her best friend as ponies!

I even drew my old horse as a pony!

I'd even draw you an your horses as ponies(for $5)! It's a sickness and I've got it bad.

Bad Equitation In Art

Jacques-Louis David, 1800, Oil-on-Canvas. Caption added by yours truly.

Once a person starts teaching riding lessons looking and horse related art and movies with horse work becomes something of a trial. There was a time when I was young that I could watch horse movies and look at pretty horse pictures with wide-eye enthusiasm. Since I have had to begin teaching students to ride and have become a student of equitation myself find it more difficult to find the same wonderment in these former diversions. Perhaps it's the fact that my critical eye has been trained due to having to provided continuous feedback on people's riding. Perhaps I'm just older and more jaded. In any case my increase of knowledge pleases me, but at the same time I am sad that I have to put in a conscious effort to enjoy movies and art that I loved as a child. 

In any case I might make "Bad Equitation/Horsemanship In ______" a regular feature. Instead of picking on people on YouTube or Craigslist I will stick to art, movies, and media primarily. 

I can't wait to dive into Warhorse.