Thursday's Threads: Thanksgiving Edition

 

Nothing I love more than a good theme! Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that children terrify me, I would have made a fabulous kindergarten teacher. I have a partially new Thanksgiving outfit this year and Eros is our model. Here's what he was wearing:

He's so photogenic. Even with a too long mane and a dreary day. And also, do you guys notice how trim he looks? He certainly isn't a big fan of diets, but he's really looking pretty good. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow Band: Home made by me

This part of the outfit is not new. We've used it every year for the last many. But it's adorable! I made the brow band from a dog leash. 

Saddle: Butet

Half Pad: Mattes

Baby Pad: Ogilvy (embellished by me)

The last many years we've been using the turkey pad and boot set that I had made, but I don't love the pads. So I decided to put together something new this year, and this is that! I thought this ribbon was super cute. 

Polos: Centaur, embellished by me

But honestly, this ribbon was even cuter! It says Gobble Til You Wobble (which you'll see that phrase again shortly) and then the other wrap says It's Turkey Time. So cute!

Okay, that's what E was wearing, and here's what I had on:

My outfit is not new. But it's a solid Thanksgiving effort. 

Helmet: One K

I went with the brown one for today's outfit. To match the Turkey. I would have loved to use the orange rails, but this helmet doesn't have the color change system.

Hoodie: Unsure of brand

You've all seen this at some point over the years. I've had it forever and ever. I was very excited when I found that ribbon that said the said the same thing!

Belt: Home made by me

This is the same ribbon that's on the boots. Obviously I had to use it on my interchangeable belt too!

Breeches: Vestrum

The Halloween breeches double very nicely as Thanksgiving breeches too. 

Boots: Horka

I thought these were perfectly appropriate for this outfit, but I also wore them because we got so much rain and everything was muddy. These are my muddy day boots.

That's it for today! What do you think of our new Thanksgiving set? I hope all of you that celebrate had a wonderful Thanksgiving today! I definitely did, and made time to reflect on all the things I'm thankful for while I did chores this morning. Among the many things I'm grateful for is all of you guys. I really enjoy interacting with all of you and following along on your adventures with your horses. Happy Thanksgiving!

What's Up Wednesday

 

What a busy week it was around here! Which unfortunately meant that riding was pretty abbreviated most days. I'm proud to say that I DID ride six days last week, but over the weekend I only rode two each day. I did the best I could, but I ran out of both energy and daylight each day. It happens sometimes. And honestly, the horses were fine with it. 

Eros had the easiest week of everyone. I decided after really not liking how he felt earlier last week that I would just tack walk him for a week and then see what we have. So yesterday was the first day I trotted him in a week. I think the break did him some good. He started out a little stiff, but once warmed up, he felt great! And then same result today, so that's promising. I'm going to keep the trotting and cantering to ten minutes for a little bit, along with 15-20 minutes of walking. And then I'll build up from there (weather permitting of course). I'm just glad he's feeling better!

Al's week was a little up and down. We had several lovely rides, but we also had a few that were tough for him. One of them was when someone on my road was having tree work done. Al really does not like the noises the industrial chippers make. He tried really hard to keep his head on straight that day, but it wound up having to be a walk only day. The nice part though was that he did do what I asked, and he never came completely undone. The other day he struggled was yesterday and I didn't blame him. What I've learned about Al is that he really appreciates routine. He dislikes not having his routine. As I talked about yesterday, the horses missed turnout yesterday. And Al was not a fan. Normally I would prioritize turnout over riding, but after the very light weekend, and knowing they would have Thursday off this week AND since I didn't ride Monday, I decided to prioritize riding this time. Which was fine with the other two, but not so much with Al. He just couldn't really settle. And then old bang clang (the red hooded neighbor) was also challenging us. At one point he was dragging two snow blowers across the entire yard. And then he just kept walking in and out of his garage. Which normally Al doesn't notice that so much, but that bright ass red hoodie he wears just was hard for Al to ignore. Especially when it was playing peekaboo the way it was. We managed to get a little bit of work done, but not much. But again, while he was terribly distracted, Al never came unhinged. And that's a big step for him. I had planned to lunge him today before I rode, but we got a lot of rain last night and I didn't really want him tearing around in the wet footing. So I just got on. And he was great! The universe provided us with no neighbor outside, minimal wind, and it was nearly 60 degrees out! The recipe for a good Al ride. We were stuck on half the ring due to the rain (the far side doesn't drain as well as the front half) but that's also kind of to Al's preference. He was so good today I let him canter some of the tiny "jumps" we have been using in our warm up to walk and trot over. He actually locked on to them and took me to them like he used to do. So proud of him! 

Something I've noticed about him recently is that his silly personality is coming back out. The first year I had him I described him as Buddy the Elf. Every day was the best day ever, and he just had to touch everything all the time. But over the last few years, that part of him had disappeared. He was still kind of weird and annoying, but the joyfulness wasn't apparent. Lately it's been coming out again, and I'm so relieved. Hopefully we're turning a corner. 

Shiny and I have been working on the forward button a lot this week. It seems to be a bit sticky which isn't a new problem. I think she's probably a little bored since we haven't jumped much lately. Maybe this weekend though! We'll see how the footing is. But overall she's been a good girl. When is she not? I'm really loving her new saddle. The balance is so much better, and I feel like I can use my leg much more effectively now. 

That's about it from here this week. I'm proud of myself for fitting in so many rides between chores, watching my younger niece in "Matilda" on Friday night, the older one in her drum and piano recital Saturday, then the younger one again in "Winnie the Pooh" on Sunday. Throw in an extra day of chores along with an eye dr appointment... And it's been busy! My worker has the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. My brother and sister in law are hosting, so tomorrow I'll do chores and turnout and then give the horses the day off so I can head over there for turkey dinner. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be all horses all the time. Can't think of a better way to spend a weekend! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Oh man, guys. Mother nature and I are in a fight! Why you ask? Well, first because she made my weekend more difficult than it already was timing wise. Saturday I needed to do chores, then go to my niece's recital, then come back and ride. I was on a fairly tight schedule to get to the recital in time. So what does mother nature do? She makes the morning 21 degrees. Which meant that the horses needed their heavy turnouts with the hoods. They take twice as long to put on as one of their lighter options. Of course, by the time I had to leave for the recital, it was well into the 40's which meant I couldn't leave the horses in their heavies while I was spectating. More time to change blankets. Sigh. Also it rained while the horses were out which meant I had to hang the feeders upside to dry and couldn't refill them until the morning.

That matters because Sunday I had to have chores done by 10 to make it to my other niece's play. Of course the sun doesn't come up until 6:30 so that makes it a bit of a rush to get things done. And it took extra time because thanks to mother nature I couldn't refill the hay feeders the day before. But fear not, I made it on time to both things!

But still, I had one more day to be annoyed with Mother Nature. Today my helper called out sick. Which, he NEVER calls out, so ya know, these things happen. But where it was tricky was that I had an eye dr appointment at 10:00. I didn't see the message he wasn't able to come in until 7:30 when I was just making my coffee (I really should check the phone earlier). I ran outside and fed the horses, and gave the stalls a quick poo pick, but I didn't have time to turn the horses and back in before I had to leave for my appointment. I got back around 11:30 and then had to mad rush to get things done before the RAIN STARTED. I didn't make it though. Shiny and I got rained on in our ride, and it was pitch dark out (and still raining) when I dumped the buckets on poo mountain at nearly 8pm... But at least it was warmish out. 

So anyway. That's my confession. I'm big mad at Mama Nature. And also kind of tired.

Thursday's Threads

 

Okay, well if you've been on Instagram in the last two days you might be expecting something exciting today, but you're not getting that this week. Not yet! I had no idea those would be here already. They weren't supposed to be ready until the end of next month. I saw that Celeris received them yesterday, and then they shipped OVERNIGHT and arrived today. From UK. Unreal. Okay, okay, I'll give you a sneak peek. 

A low quality screen shot sneak peek is all you get! Ha! Sorry. I'll have them on for outfit day soon. But not next week. Stay tuned! 

For now, let's see what Shiny and I wore this week. We've had highs in the mid 40's so we're fairly bundled up these days. But it's still comfortable out for riding, especially when the wind is light. Here's what Shiny is wearing this week:

She's just the cutest nugget. 

Bridle: Pinnacle

Brow Band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

I really like her in a wide noseband like this one. Breaks up her rather large head a little better than the thinner ones do. 

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy

Half Pad: Stephens

Quarter Sheet: Catago

This is Shiny's new magic quarter sheet from Contago. I like how these have a pretty long drop so it covers their full bum but it's also set back enough that my leg makes contact with the horse. They don't notice spurs sometimes if the quarter sheet is in the way. I got her a cob size, but I think she might have been okay in a pony too. I'd rather it a little big than too small though, so I'm content with this one. 

Boots: Anky

I actually meant to pick out some fuzzy boots when I was getting our outfit from the shed this week, but I wasn't really paying attention and just grabbed these. It's probably because they're my favorites. 

That's what Shiny had on this week, and here's what I was wearing:

Yes layers. Tis the season for layers! During the day just a vest is all I need, but for end of day chores I usually have to add a jacket on top. Tonight when I was finishing up all the weather apps claimed it was 35 degrees at my house, but my thermometer said 28. Probably still warmer up on the hill where the weather station is. (Fun fact, the weather station that the apps and news channels get their info from for my town is just up the road, about a quarter mile, at the airport so it's usually pretty spot on for me.)

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

Had to wear the helmet with my new blingy front shield this week! 

Vest and Sweater: Old Navy

Nothing new here. You saw both of these quite a bit last winter, and I suspect you will again this year as they're staples for me. I love the shade of green on the vest especially. I went back and tried to get a second one (and also a second matching jacket) but they were sold out. I figured since they're Old Navy they aren't going to last a full lifetime, but I guess I'll have to try and make them last forever! 

Belt: Tory Burch

Another favorite! Tory Burch often has really pretty green things available. Good thing the only outlet I know if is far far away in Florida! 

Breches: Dover Wellesley

You saw these often last year too. At some point, probably after the holidays, I need to head north to my nearest Dover and see what they have for breeches. I don't like that every brand is going to tech fabric, because as nice as it is in summer, tech fabric is NOT warm enough for winter. I need some more substantial fabric pants! I'm not a tights person, and it seems like the majority of winter breeches are either tights, or breeches made out of tights material. Neither of which is what I'm looking for. Though I did just get a pair of Horze winter breeches that are the material I normally don't like and they were very comfortable to ride in. So maybe I have to be willing to alter my opinions on winter breeches.

Paddock Boots and Half Chaps: Celeris

I broke the snap on these last year but forgot about it so I haven't fixed it. So just pretend you don't see that tab hanging up there. These are both sheepskin lined making them super cozy for the colder days! I figure these will work on the non windy cold days, and the full chaps for the windy ones. Should have me covered (literally) for winter! 

And that's it for today! Any favorite items? Is it getting cold where you are? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Things have been going just fine around here, even though it is definitely getting chilly out there! We had a few more intensely windy days last week, but we're having a wind reprieve at the moment which I am VERY grateful for. We've been riding pretty consistently which makes me very happy, but we've been on a five day a week schedule instead of six lately. Last week I mentioned taking a day off to go to Equine Affair. This week I took Saturday off from riding. I was a little late starting chores which made me late FINISHING chores. I had a couple of horses to braid that evening, and I just decided I didn't feel like rushing like a mad woman to get everyone worked and groomed before shoving food in my face and racing off to work. So instead, I let the horses stay out longer and then spent a little extra time doing some cleaning in the barn. And then I ate a relaxed dinner and hung out with my dog a bit before heading off to braid. It was lovely, and worth the missed saddle time. 

The braiding was actually kind of fun for me. The horse show the horses were heading to was a breast cancer benefit and wearing pink was encouraged. So I got to braid with pink yarn, added pink ribbon charms, and even little forelock crowns. So fun! 

I won't share the photos from the show because I don't know the kiddos on the horses and don't want to share photos of stranger kids without permission, but the little crowns were ADORABLE in the photos. Very cute.

Anyway, back to the stars of this blog. My new quarter sheets arrived last week, and it's possible they are magic. I'll share a photo tomorrow for Thursday's Threads, but they're from Catago and are the Fir-Tech material. It is supposed to be similar to Back on Track. Which you all know I drank the Kool Aid with those! I've been riding in them since they arrived and while I don't see any difference in how Shiny and Eros are going, Al seems much more relaxed since we've started using it. Like we're using almost the entire ring the last few days with very little to no drama. Of course it IS Al so it's possible we're just having some good days. He is randomly good sometimes. 

We've been kind of playing around our last several rides. I have all the jumps itty bitty so we walk over them in warm up. It gives him something to focus on other than the leaves moving on the trees, and seems to keep his mind busy. I've been using them in our trot work too once he's had a chance to move around some because sometimes he trots them like cavalletti and sometimes he jumps them. So I like him to be a little warmed up for that first. And instead of trying to canter round and round with only the sad little four beated canter he's been giving me, we've been doing short canter bursts. Like five or six strides worth. And I'm asking him for a BIG canter in those few strides. Well. it's relative. But it's a real canter with the proper number of beats. And then we go back to trot or walk and pop over one of our little "jumps" or make a circle or whatever. I like that he's responding with forward movement that has impulsion even if it's just for short bursts. We'll see if all this randomness leads to some "normal" work eventually. But for now, we're actually having fun together, and the things we are doing are more proper than they've been in months. So I'll take it. Even if it's still not "normal". Maybe it's OUR normal. We've always been weird, and I'm pretty okay with that.

Eros is definitely going to earn himself a visit from Doc. He's perfect as always, but I still think he's not right, and I can't pinpoint where I think it is. So it's time to call in the professional and see what's going on. We've been riding very lightly just to check in with his soundness. So lots of walking and just a little trot and canter. Normally I wouldn't canter with a horse that's obviously NQR but I have to with Eros because sometimes a little canter fixes him. Not currently though. He's not horribly unsound still, I just don't like what I'm feeling from him and it especially bothers me that it's been going for so long. I still think it could just be the Lyme sticking around but I think we need a vet's opinion. I'll call this week to get an appointment. 

And then there's Shiny. This mare just kills me. I've never known an animal that is so 100% sure of herself the way this pony is. So the other day, I had just gotten on her when the farrier arrived for Eros. He came out to the ring to let me know he was there, and I was just walking Shiny and was up at the far end of the ring. I tried to trot over to him, and Shiny would NOT. Like literally would not trot. I kicked, I smacked her with the whip, I spurred her! Nothing. She hadn't finished her walk warm up and until she had there would be no trotting. You have to laugh. I wish I had her confidence. I wonder if it's my fault since our warm up is the same every day... but I'm also not entirely sure which one of us dictated that to begin with... Once we get passed the warm up routine she's been great lately. We've been jumping the little course a couple times a week. I think she's insulted that the jumps are so small, but she can jump higher in the spring. It's winter break now. I did leave one at 2' so she doesn't get too mad at me. 

That about catches you all up on our adventures this week. Nothing too crazy, but things are mostly good. Friday, Saturday, Sunday are a little busy this week because my nieces have all kinds of things for me to attend. A play, a music recital, another play... So we'll see how much riding gets done. My guess is Eros might get some extra vacation days. Which isn't the worst thing for him at the moment. I just need to be careful he doesn't get too bored because he starts to eat the walls and dump his water buckets. (My horses are all a bunch of characters aren't they?!) 

Sorry for the lack of media this week. I'll try to pay more attention and get some photos for next week. Hope you all had a great week!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Oh man. This is a good one. Remember last week when I was like Eros felt really good for a few days and then not good again? Yeah. there was a good reason for that. And I should have noticed it much sooner than I did. He twisted his shoe! Not a lot, just a tiny bit. Enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to do any damage thankfully. But my confession is that it took my like three days to realize it. I noticed a little chip in his hoof right away, but didn't think much of it. I should have realized right away the shoe was shifted. But I didn't. 

Eros always has his front shoes set back a bit, so it's normal to be kind of under his toe to some extent. But he should have roughly the same amount of shoe peeping out on either side of his heels. And he clearly does not in the photos. Fortunately, once I did notice, my farrier was out the next day to fix it for us. He's feeling much better now that his shoe is on straight again. Sheesh. I can't believe I missed that! 

So that's today's confession. I'm an unobservant horse mom who owes her perfect boy an extra few cookies.

Thursday's Threads: Soup Season Edition

 

Outfit Day! No one even ventured a guess last week about which boots I wanted to bring back. But I brought them back anyway! I'm making you wait till after Al shares his outfit though. We are solidly in soup season now with all the cold windy weather, so it was only appropriate to dress in an Andy Warhol inspired theme. 

He was too busy being an equine periscope to model properly. So I guess we better get to the closeups. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow Band: Homemade

You can tell he's having feelings because he's making the parrot mouth face. He's done that since I got him. He does NOT have an actual parrot mouth. It sure does make accentuate his roman nose though. Weirdo. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico
Baby Pad: Ogilvy, embellished by me

I know it's hard to see. So fear not, I took a closeup:

Soup cans! Hee hee. I love this print, especially for fall when I'm eating soup on the regular. 

Boots: DSB, embellished by me

I found fabric too. But the fabric wasn't licensed so instead of Campbell's it says Cookies, and all the flavors are cookie flavors instead of soup. But close enough. 

That's what Al had on this week, and here's what I was wearing:

I've been building this outfit for years. I had gotten my portion many years ago, but never got around to building the horse version until this summer. And this sweatshirt is huge. I don't think it fit when I originally got it either. But it's perfect for this time of year because I can layer away underneath it.

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

Okay, so I went with the gray because that's like the silver top of the can. Get it? Ha! I'm such a weirdo.

Sweatshirt: Unknown brand

I got this so long ago, I have no idea where I got it. Probably Etsy. Maybe Amazon. Who can remember.

Belt: Knot Clothing & Belt Company

I thought this was extra adorable with the little grilled cheese sandwich on it. 

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I really wasn't sure what pants to wear so I went with these. I suppose grey would have worked too. 

Socks: Dreamers & Schemers

These don't have the soup can on them, but it does have bowls of soup AND more grilled cheese sandwiches. So they're definitely on point.

Boots: Imperial Riding

At last! The part I'm most excited about! The BOOTS! And yes, you are seeing them right, they are mirror finish silver. Possibly the most ridiculous boots I own. And I LOVE them. I don't wear them a ton because I want them to live forever. And I haven't had them on here in AGES. You might be asking what they have to do with soup, but I used the same thought process as the helmet. It's the bottom of the can! Silver! 

So.... what do you want to see next week?