Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day already! But I gotta tell you, I massively failed this week. Our outfits were pretty great, but two things happened. First, I had a wardrobe malfunction when my boots broke this morning. And I think that led to the second thing in which I did not remember to take outfit photos of any of the horses. Which I mean... I had THREE opportunities to remember. And I did not. I did remember when I was all done riding though. So I can show you what Al wore mine Al wearing the items... Lol. Oops. So anyway... enjoy today's semi fail of an outfit. We'll obviously start with me today. Here's what I wore:

So last Friday when I went to get my hair done, I had on a sweater that said Weekend on it. (Super cute.) And it reminded me that during the pandemic I thought it would be funny to wear days of the week sweaters since we never knew what day it was anymore. (It was indeed funny.) So I decided that starting the next day I would wear my days of the week sweaters every day and see if anyone noticed. Tomorrow is the last day of my experiment. I've had a couple people notice. It was cold over the weekend though, so there were a few days the sweaters remained under outerwear layers. So not so obvious on those days. Anyway, it's been fun and also kind of nice to not have to really figure out my outfit everyday. 

Helmet: Samshield
Yep, still wearing this one. I'm going to miss it when it retires next year!

Sweater: Amazon... I think. Maybe Ebay
There's no tag in this sweater, so I have no idea who made it. I got it awhile back as mentioned earlier. For some reason, the Thursday one is smaller than the others, so I wound up wearing it tucked in. 

Belt: I also cannot remember this maker

This used to be my show belt. And may be again. We shall see. I forget where it came from because I've had it probably 15 years at this point. It's custom embossed with my initials and the buckle is an actual shoe for a mini horse. Very cute.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman
Funny thing about these pants. I really wanted this color (it's called saddle), but as we all know, I can be frugal. Big Dee's had them on crazy closeout at a great price, but they didn't have my usual size. So I ordered the size smaller and hoped for the best. Honestly, they fit fine. I don't feel like they're too small when I'm wearing them at all. None of the seems appear to be bulging when I shove myself in there. But what's funny is that they very much DO NOT flatter my shape. Which is funny because I think the size up looks very nice. Just goes to show that wearing your actual size will make you look slimmer even if it's a bigger size. 

Boots and Half Chaps: Celeris UK
So this outfit was meant to go with my DeNiro boots since they are black and my sweater is black. And they did in fact look nice together for the few minutes I had them on at the same time. Unfortunately, the zipper split this morning on those boots. So I had to wear these. Which, I love these. Don't get me wrong. But they are sheepskin lined (boots and half chaps) and it was almost 70 degrees today. My feet were WARM! But I'm very glad I had these at the barn, or I'd have had a very annoying boot day in the saddle. Also, if I mention wanting DeNiro boots again, please shut me down. Take my credit card. Whatever it takes. Don't let me do it!

Anyway. That's what I wore today. And here are things Al was donning, sans Al. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Dark Jewel Designs
I'm really a big fan of these bridles. Have been for a long time. Highly recommend. 

Saddle: Butet (You can't see it I know.) 
Saddle Pad: Mattes
Al's saddle is the top one. He used that pretty black Mattes pad. I got that one from Hufglocken from their stock before they stopped selling Mattes. This is the first time I've used it, and I'm not sure why, but it doesn't quite fit like the rest of mine. It keeps sliding back under the saddle too. I'll probably just let it be Shiny's from here on out. 

Boots: Anatomeq 
These are lovely boots if you're looking for some. They are very light weight, but the strikepad is nice and sturdy. They're also mesh so they're breathable. Really like them, and they are on sale right now. (Not an add, I'm not getting anything for raving about them. I just really do like them.) 

And that's it for today! Sorry for the lack of horse. Anything you liked from today? 


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

What's Up Wednesday

 

It was a pretty quiet week/weekend over here and I don't have an awful lot to report on. Which is not a bad thing at all! The weather is finally starting to feel like spring, though that does of course bring a lot of rain with it. But that's okay. I'll take the rain if it includes warmth! The wind though... that I could do without. With all the rain, the ground is very soft, and another section of my fence blew over. Fortunately my barn helper has finished up most of the winter barn cleaning so he's been working on getting that put back together. I'm just glad it happened now before the horses get home! 

The horses were all pretty good this week. Al was a little anxious when the winds were really whipping outside. But I can't blame him for that. He continues to feel better and better, and I kind of wish I had started the EPM meds sooner. But I can't change that now, and I'm just glad he's clearly feeling a lot better. 

I'm SO happy to be riding Eros again. Even if we are just trotting 8 long sides right now, it just feels so amazing to be back on him. He's the best dude. He gets a recheck on Friday and fingers crossed we'll get to add a little to his workload. He DOES need to... ahem... work on his dad bod some. I put his sheet on today instead of his blanket, and the straps were pretty snug around his belly. And they're as long as they go. Awkward.

I'm still not feeling a difference in Shiny on the meds. But I've heard anecdotally that it can take two weeks. So I'm waiting to solidify my opinion for a bit. She's been sassy! Not all in a bad way (though the kicking out when I ask for canter is getting old). She's been very excited about jumping and occasionally lands and bucks when things get particularly exciting. I probably should stop laughing when she does that and start shutting it down a little sooner... I mean, it's not good if she tries that with her kid this summer... But it's pretty hilarious. And I never feel like I'll come off or anything. But I suppose it could escalate. She doesn't seem to be doing it as a pain response, she genuinely seems to be enjoying herself. 

That's about all that happening with the horses. In non horse news, I finally got a hair cut and color on Friday! It's been.... A long time since I've gotten my hair attended to, and my age was REALLY showing. And by that I mean, I'm shockingly gray at this point. But NOT ANYMORE! Ha! I'm loving the cut and the color. 

I have a wedding to go to the weekend after next, so I'm pretty excited to have nice hair when I go! 

And that's really it from here this week. How have you all been? Is the weather playing nice where you are?

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Truthful Tuesday

 


Today's confession? I might be turning into an elderly person. Not chronologically just yet, but I ate dinner at 5:30 today which seems awfully like the early bird special. I don't think I've had a 5:30 dinner outside of a holiday or whatever, since I was like 8 years old. (Sometime before I started having horses. Obviously.) 

So WHY did I eat so early you ask? Well... I was craving a burger and didn't want to make it myself. So I figured I'd just grab one on my way home from the barn. So I did and ate it while I drove home. Because I have no willpower to wait. It was delicious. And also filling as I'm still satiated all these hours later! (It's almost 9 pm now.) 

What about you all? Do you eat dinner early? 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And in celebration of Eros wearing tack again, he's going to be our model today. (Obviously.) While we have switched back to many navy outfits, Eros here is wearing a hunter/navy combo. Because that's how we roll. 

Admittedly, not his best angle. I hadn't realized quite how... well fed he was looking until I put the girth on. Really seems to accentuate his dad bod. Something to work on now that's he back to work. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow band: Dark Jewel Designs
His side eye lately has been something. I think he's a little fresh, and the only way he really shows it is via his eyeballs. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby pad: Ogilvy

I really do love the Ogilvy baby pads. They just sit so nicely, don't bunch, and don't slide back. Big fan!

Wraps: Eskadron
I decided it might not be a bad idea to give E a little extra support as he starts back to work. So we're trying out the Eskadron Climatex liners with their elastic bandages over top. So far, I really like them. And hopefully Eros does too. 

That's what Eros wore for this week, and here's what I had on:

It's starting to warm up around here, so I got to wear this outfit without extra layers on top! Very exciting. 

Helmet: Samshield
I had to recycle this photo because I again forgot to take a fresh pic. It's still dusty though, so the representation is accurate. 

Sweater: PS of Sweden
This is an oldie. You've all seen it a bunch. But I still like it and wear it often. 

Belt: Tory Burch
This belt is the perfect shade of green.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman
This shade is called Black and Blue and honestly, I think that's a terrible name for a riding pants color. I mean honestly, like we aren't black and blue all on our own?

Boots: DeNiro
Ok, yes, I also recycled this photo. What can I say? I won't complain about the boots again this week. Instead, I will find something nice to say about them. I think they are really pretty, and they have finally gotten comfortable on the back of my heel. 

That's it for today! Wasn't it nice to have Eros back as a model this week? 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

What's Up Wednesday


Lots to cover this week! I'll just jump right in with what I'm most excited about... 

It just took me an hour to get this photo inserted.
I had to do it on my phone. I prefer to blog from
my computer. Do better Blogger.

I get to start trotting long sides with Eros! Since we never found a glaring issue on any of the imaging we performed, there was nothing to visibly recheck, but rather doc watched Eros trot some long sides and felt comfortable starting with that for two weeks. So for the next couple weeks Eros and I will be walking for thirty minutes and incorporating 4 lengths of the ring at trot each direction. No trotting through corners yet. If all goes well, he'll get rechecked in two weeks and we'll progress from there. It is very possible that he could come up unsound again since we are speculating at what was wrong. So I'm cautiously optimistic. But so far things are going well. He's been an angel, I haven't even had to use any ace. Which, I dunno about you guys, but rehabbing a horse that has had four months off in the middle of winter with no ace is a pretty rare thing to me. He's such a good dude. 

The very best view

Okay, that's the last photo I'm sharing today. Blogger is a mess. Sorry for the coming wall of text. And my apologies. 

Next on the vet visit list was Shiny. I thought for certain we'd be doing some injections, but we didn't. Doc watched her go and did several flexions. He was actually pretty satisfied with her flexions, but was concerned with something else. Early on in the ride she tripped behind pretty significantly twice and in front a few times too. She's always been a bit of a tripper in front (remember that time we full on fell down..) but normally she is pretty solid in the hind end. That coupled with some of her recent behaviors led him to think she may have epm. So we're treating her with Toltazuril for the next month. I'm not yet sure if I've seen a difference. She's very much still kicking out at the canter, but she does seem to be tripping a little less. So time will tell. It doesn't work overnight. He also said if there's no change to the behaviors we can check for ulcers and there are a couple of other things we can look at too, but for now, we're starting here. The kicking out isn't a new behavior for her, and as of yet it was not indicative of ulcers, which is why we aren't starting there. But definitely haven't ruled it out yet. 
She had great lessons this week though. And was especially fun on Saturday. We spent a little extra time on the flat which really got her loosened up and when it was time to jump she was super willing and ridable. She seemed to be having as much fun as I was which is always the goal. 

So Al was not on the list to see Doc, but when he brought up EPM for Shiny I asked about a few things I was concerned about with Al that I felt could also be indicative of a similar affliction. First is the obvious one in which Al lost his mind in December. Very much an EPM symptom although also, a little bit of who Al can be as a horse sometimes. But that was concern #1. Next, I've had three instances in lessons where Al jumped something and tripped on landing. He can be an occasional tripper, but it's never happened when jumping until a few weeks ago. Though for all of those instances he was also pretty behind my leg, so there are for sure alternate possible reasons for the tripping. Still, I considered that concern #2. And lastly, I've noticed lately that instead of actually bending when asked, he would tilt his poll in the direction I wanted him to bend. So like, pointed his ears that way but didn't actually bend his neck, and his nose would be slightly pointed in the opposite direction. It's very subtle, but it's something I noticed Rio doing not long before his EPM crisis. So we also decided to start Al on a course of meds. I really should have become a pharmacist. These horses are getting very expensive. Thank goodness Toltazuril isn't quite as expensive as Marquis was. 

In Al's case, I am actually seeing a difference already. As of Sunday, (meds started on Friday) he hasn't tilted his head at all. When I ask him to bend he does it properly. His emotional state hasn't fully changed, he was pretty spooky on Tuesday, but his work ethic seems to have improved. The last two days, when I put my leg on, he actually responds to it. He's much more willing to bring himself together and put in some real work too. It's too early to say for sure it's the meds, but I do think they're doing something for him. I should have tried this sooner. It was in the back of my mind, but I did think at first I was just being paranoid. I mean, the trauma from what Rio went through is still very much a part of me, and I was thinking I might be projecting. Especially because Al is a very similar horse to Rio. But when I told Doc about all of the little things he was very much on the same page. Those little things add up and if you do nothing, you could end up with what Rio went through. We do not want that!

Outside of meds, Al had a pretty good lesson on Thursday. He jumped nearly all the jumps in the ring (we purposely skipped one that was particularly close to the dragon's lair) and had a mostly good attitude for it all. Saturday he was less good. We were by ourselves which isn't ideal for Al in the indoor. He likes a buddy for security. Also, he had just started the meds the day before and who knows how that affects them ya know? He was just very distracted the whole ride. He never actually did anything wrong. But he was VERY behind my leg, and just not at all interested in focusing on the tasks at hand. He half heartedly did everything so I wouldn't call it a bad ride. I'm labeling it as satisfactory. We lesson again tomorrow, so we'll see what we have. 

That's what's happening over here. Keeping the pharmacy and our vet in business and plugging along! How are things with you guys and your horses? 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is more of a pet peeve that I have than a confession... But I suppose you could say my obsessive feelings about this could be something I should be confessing. Anyway. Here's my thing that I can't deal with. Wraps that aren't rolled tightly. (Bandages and/or polos I mean, not like the pillows, though I also roll those up pretty tight.) I'm talking about wraps that are waiting to be used, not wraps on the horse. Though I am also pretty particular about that as well. But for today's conversation, I'm referring to the ones fresh out of the laundry (or recently removed from a horse but ready to go one more time). It drives me bonkers when people roll wraps and they aren't tight. Do you know how much more difficult it is to properly wrap a horse with a poorly rolled wrap?? It takes considerably more time and if the person wrapping the horse isn't especially proficient at it, your definitely opening yourself up more easily to a bandage bow. Yeah I said that. 

At the boarding barn, we can throw our dirty horse laundry in the hamper and it will get washed and dried for us. (Great feature, not many barns I've been at do boarder laundry.) I wash most of my stuff at home because I have control issues, but I wash the horses' standing wraps in the barn laundry just because it's easier. So frequently, someone else rolls them up for me and puts them on the boarder shelf for me to retrieve. It's really great. Honestly. BUT. (There's always a but.) I actually would be just as happy if they folded them up instead. It would be faster for whoever is doing laundry. Because 99% of the time I unroll and re-roll my wraps from the shelf anyway. Because they'll be downright squishy. SQUISHY! You cannot wrap a horse well with a squishy wrap. Can't be done. 

When I was a little kiddo with my second lease horse my trainer Ann taught me how to roll wraps. (And actually wrap the horse too.) My first horse didn't wear wraps hence I didn't learn until the second one. I was I think 9 or 10. I vividly remember her making me re-roll a wrap about a million times until I finally got it tight enough. Literally every time I do laundry and roll wraps I think of her and this lesson. I'm not especially good at very many things, especially when it comes to horses, but I can roll a wrap and wrap a leg with the best of them. And I have Ann to thank for that. (Ann and the many, many tendon injuries I've rehabbed over the years.)

My other preference with rolling wraps is the velcro. I always thought this was just one of those things that only I was crazy about, but then one of my friends mentioned it today while talking to some of the kids about wraps and I was like WHAT?! You think that too??? Here's our preference: When starting to roll a wrap up before use, I like to fold the wrap over so that the velcro isn't stuck to itself but rather just laying atop itself if that makes sense. That way, when you've finished the wrap, the velcro just rolls right around and you don't have to change the pressure on your wrap whilst attempting to unstick the velcro. Lots of people attach the velcro to itself when rolling, so then when you're finishing the wrap on the horse's leg, you end up having to pull it harder to get the velcro detached. Inefficient. And again, if your wrap isn't rolled tightly to start with, and then you're having to pull that velcro apart... I'm just seeing bowed tendons happening all over the place. 

So what say you? Are you as insane about wraps as I am? No? Just me? Okay then. Lol!

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Thursday's Threads

 


Outfit Day! And it's not green! We switched back to blue. Shiny is our model today so we'll start with what she wore. 

She looks good in every color I swear. What a nugget.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Brow Band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks
Her previous bridle that donned this brow band was the Camelot one. At some point last year I started phasing those out and sold most of them. I switched the boys over before Shiny because I sold both of those first. I kept using hers until we moved home when I finally got around to getting her one of these Pinnacle bridles for the blue brow band. This one seems to run a little small though. The noseband fits well, but the cheek pieces are only on the second hole. They do line up with her eye nicely though, so obviously it will get the job done. For the price of these, you can't expect perfection. 

Boots: Eskadron

I know, these LOOK just like the boots we've been using the last few weeks. But those are green, and these are navy. So they are different! I really like these boots for winter. They're a little too hot for summer, but perfect for the rest of the year.

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Mattes
I'm still pretty sad you can't get these pads from Hufglocken anymore at super duper sale prices. But I still love the pads. 10/10 highly recommend.

That's what Shiny had on, and here's what I wore:

It was pretty warm out yesterday when I took outfit pics so I got to wear less layers than we're used to! I still wore a vest over top, but didn't also need a coat. So that was nice! Today was back to 30's though. Yuck.

Helmet: Samshield
I really need to clean this thing off. It's quite dusty at the moment. I can't get over how purple it is now! Reminiscent of the old velvet helmets that faded over the years. I kinda like it.

Sweater: Ariat
I've always loved these Ariat sweaters. They are a wool blend so are warm but light weight. Unfortunately, I think this one is getting toward the end of its life span. It's really losing its shape suddenly and the bottom hem is all lumpy. No holes yet though, so I'll probably keep wearing it to the barn. Good enough for horsing around in!

Belt: Unsure of brand
I've been enjoying wearing all my retro stuff lately, so I pulled this belt out to put back in rotation. These were super popular in the late 90's and early 00's. I got this one the summer after my freshman year of college, which would have been '99 for those keeping track of my advanced age. It's still in perfect shape and it's completely adjustable so will fit forever.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman
Nothing too exciting about these. Just a gray pair of TS. I still find TS to be my best fitting breeches. 

Boots: DeNiro
You guys haven't seen these in awhile! It's been too cold to wear them, but yesterday was lovely so I busted them out. I gotta say, I don't love these boots. I was always pretty happy with my De Niro boots, but this pair... not as much. They're wearing out on the inside, and now one of the zippers is starting to stick. They were a really good deal, so no regrets. But I think I should stick with Celeris and maybe Romitelli for future boots. 

That's it for today! Any favorites? How's the weather where you are?