Truthful Tuesday: The one in which I repeat my mistakes

 

Guys. There is something wrong with me. I've done it AGAIN. What is it you ask? I let the truck batteries die again. I kept meaning to drive it. Really. But the thing is, I don't really leave my property all that regularly except for family dinner on Wednesdays and occasionally for some errands. Mostly things that don't lend themselves to good truck parking. So I take the car. Plus you know, better gas mileage and all that. But I realized if I ever want to take the horses someplace, or godforbid have an emergency, I do need to make sure the truck is in working order. So I thought I'd hop in there and take it for a little ride. Ha! Hahahahahaha... Jokes on me. He was dead as a doornail. Zero attempt to turn on. Fortunately, one of my dad's employees is here in the apartment for the summer and he had a battery charger. So Jorge is back up and running, at least for now. And though I repeatedly say it ever year... (perhaps this year I'll mean it) I do plan to take it for a spin a few times a week moving forward. Hopefully. Maybe. Perhaps you guys could remind me...

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day! Today I'm unveiling half of a new outfit. Shiny is our model and her outfit is new. Mine has been on here before, but not for a few years, so it might seem fresh and new. We'll start with what Shiny had on:

I was pretty impressed I got her to stand mostly square in front, but clearly I didn't look at the rest of her... Haha! A conformation pony she will never be. But I love her anyway. I think she's perfect.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made by me

Can you see what's on her browband?? It's today's theme! GARFIELD! He seems to be having some kind of moment. Hot Topic had a whole line of clothing with him on it during the winter. And no I didn't buy any of it. But I kinda wanted to. Ha. I'm the weirdest human. 

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy embellished by me
Half Pad: Le Mieux

I used the same ribbon for the saddle pad trim as on the browband. It's so cute!

Boots: Premier Equine, embellished by me

I don't know why she looks frighteningly over at the knee in this photo. She's not at all in real life. She must have been about to move when I snapped this. Should have cropped it more... Anyway, I was happy to find fabric with Odie on it too for the boots. I love Odie even Garfield tortures him endlessly, or maybe because of that.

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

I kind of picked the wrong week for this outfit because the humidity is just silly and this cotton tee was pretty much just a sweat sponge. But anyway... it started out looking cute!

Helmet: Samshield

I used some risky behavior and wore my expired Samshield for this ride. It's been bedazzled by a friend of mine and it has very few actual rides on it. So I'm using it on occasion. Hopefully I won't regret that choice. 

Tee: I'm not sure on the brand of this

I built my portion of this outfit many years back, so I can't remember where this shirt is from. But it's adorable! 

Belt: Buckle Down

I have a few belts from this brand, and I just love the seat belt clasps on them. So fun! I got my first one which wasn't the same brand but had the same buckle back when I was in high school from DeLia's. And I still have it!

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

With a shirt as bright and yellow as this one, black pants seemed like the only correct answer.

Boots and half chaps: HKM

It took me a little bit to figure out what to wear on my feet. All of my black boots with the exception of my show boots, have broken zippers and are un wearable. But then I remembered I had these half chaps and paddock boots. The stitching on the swagger tabs and the fronts of the boots kind of reminds me of the black coloring on Garfield, so I thought they were perfect!

That's it for today! What do you think about Garfield? Cute right? Any guesses what we'll have next? I'm not actually sure yet, but I have a few options.

What's Up Wednesday

 

I always forget how busy summertime is. But I do enjoy it! Last week we got our hay delivery finally. My hay guy had a hard time finding a window to cut hay with all the rain this year, but he finally got it done, and it's the nicest hay he's had for me in a long while. The horses love it. And I love having a full hay barn! 

Friday I had the vet out to check on Al's leg. Of course by Friday it looked nearly normal. But still, better safe than sorry. I had a friend stop by for a visit the day before and I trotted him some for her. We both thought he might be a hair off so doc had me ride to evaluate. The great news is that the leg is perfectly fine, he likely just banged it on something. And he's quite sound all around which is also wonderful news. But finally doc was able to see how Al just isn't using himself well in general. He's not engaging the back end and is overall very sticky. This is something I've been dealing with for the last couple of years, it's not new. But we mostly blamed it on the ulcers and/or the spookiness. Doc had me jump him over a few small things to see if jumping might entice him to work a little harder. It did not. Which did not surprise me in the least. Whilst I was untacking, doc went over Al's various tests we've done over the past few months and I could see the wheels turning. He decided to run some tests of insulin and fat levels to see if there's something metabolic going on. He also decided we should try him on a course of naproxen (and yes, not ideal given the ulcer situation, but he thinks worth trying while he's being treated still). He truly seems to believe the behavior problems are pain related, which I don't ever wish pain on any animal, but if we can pinpoint where the issue is, we might get my whole horse fixed up. Emotionally AND physically. Wouldn't that be nice?! Plus, if we can find the pain source, that might also stop the ulcer cycle. I hate to get my hopes up again because my hopes are very fragile at this point. But still. I don't learn. And my hopes are hoping. 

We started the naproxen that evening which was Friday. Saturday I didn't notice much difference in his behavior. Sunday though, he seemed a little quieter. A little less stressed. Monday was his day off. And then Tuesday? He was pretty good. We were able to ride around the entire ring with minimal spooks. And toward the end of the ride he was actually seeking out the contact and lifting his belly. He gave me a few moments of trot that I haven't felt in YEARS on him. But I wasn't ready yet to be too hopeful. 

Look at this relaxed horse walking on the buckle by the scary trees!

But today? Today I'm allowing my hopes to hope a little bit. He came out relaxed. Walked around both directions with minimal dragon breathing. Walked, trotted, and cantered around the entire ring. Still too slow. Still not overly engaged. He still broke heading toward the scary side a few times. But not every time. And then we jumped some fences. 

I didn't have a good canter, and we chipped a lot. But he didn't spook. And the last jump he actually took me too. Of course it was pretty hot and humid today. So that might have played a part. But we've had plenty of hot humid days that he was still a head case. It might be premature, but I do think the naproxen is making a difference. Now I realize he can't live on it. And we have to figure out what exactly is causing his pain. I think it's good news that a little bit of pain reliever is clearly making a difference. If it was something particularly terrible I don't think that would make this big of a change. And of course, sometimes he is a good boy, so this could be a coincidence. But for just a moment, I want to believe that we've finally found a hint as to how to help this horse. The plan for now is to keep him on the naproxen another week to make sure this is real. His scope appointment is next Friday so we can start formulating a plan then. Cross some fingers for us that we're finally heading in a helpful direction. And also that whatever is this problem is something we can fix. 

Obviously Al was kind of my focus the last few days, but that doesn't mean the other two haven't been plugging along doing their things. We focused on flatwork through Saturday, and then enjoyed Sunday Funday. Bareback rides for Shiny and Eros! And then Eros enjoyed some grass while I sat on him.

Shiny isn't allowed grass, but we went for a nice stroll around the yard. We love Sunday Fundays.

And yes, sometimes I get off in the barn. 
I would fail Pony Club

Hopefully some day Al can participate. He did enjoy a hand graze though. 

Shiny and Eros both had a little jump school today too. (Jumpies for everyone!). Eros started out really nice and soft, then the torpedo showed up, but he finished up nicely. So I'll call that a success.

Shiny though? She was a SLUG. I'm assuming it's because it was hot, but it may be that she was mad I rode her last. I realize horses don't have these kinds of feelings... but I swear this pony has a lot of thoughts and feelings. I wasn't thrilled with how she went, but we kept it fairly short anyway. She did finish better than she started, so that's all that really matters at the end of the day. Plus, even when she's a slug she's adorable.

I'm hoping to get another lesson scheduled for the weekend or next week. And that's about it from here! Do you guys have any big plans for the weekend?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Heh, I was realizing today how bad I am at being inconvenienced. Like, it really irks me. So much so that I had to laugh at myself, because honestly self, get over it! My new favorite thing to wish on people that I'm disappointed in is inconvenience. I don't wish anyone harm ever. But inconvenience? Oh yes. I wish that on all the terrible people I've encountered over the years. 

What got me going today you ask? So I had scheduled a pick up of donations with the Vietnam Veterans. They take all of your closet clean outs, house wares, that sort of thing. I've been slowly going through my closets and had a bunch of bags taking over my home that needed to go. You schedule your pick up day, leave everything outside and they pick it up between 8 and 5 on that day. Normally I'll put everything out the evening before, but last night it rained, so I got up a little extra early to put it all out this morning. It was 14 bags of stuff. No small task! But five o'clock rolls around and everything is still there. Well apparently they had to reschedule me, but didn't find it necessary to let me know. So then I had to drag everything back inside. They're not coming back until Friday. Annoying! Now is this really a big deal? Nope. But boy was I perturbed about it. I think mostly because I hate waking up earlier than I have to. I love sleep. Anyway, I got over it. 

But then I was irked all over again not too much later. I had decided earlier in the day to get some groceries delivered because I knew by the time I finished in the barn I wouldn't want to go, and I was out of food. I ordered a bunch of veggies and a rotisserie chicken to make a delicious and healthy salad for dinner. Well my groceries arrived and they were out of chicken. And they didn't send any ripe avocados only green ones. I ordered 2 of each. That makes for a terrible salad. Fortunately I also got some lox so I had a delicious bagel with lox and tomato instead. 

And tomorrow I hope to be a better person and not get so cranky about small inconveniences. But I'll probably still wish them on my enemies.

Thursday's Threads: An incomplete edition

 

Outfit Day! And once again, I've failed you guys. I wasn't planning anything too crazy for this week because I had an appointment in the morning that I could show up for in breeches, but maybe not looking completely ridiculous. And then I had a friend drop by for a visit and got completely distracted. I did remember photos of my outfit, but I did NOT take any horse photos. So I have no horse outfit to share this week. Sorry about that. If I can get a few more things done, I should have something fun for next week though. Anyway, here's what I had on this week:

Pink and green is one of my favorite color combos. 

Helmet: Samshield

Heh, this helmet has faded so much it now matches the trim on my pink boots. 

Shirt: Luyaa

I still love these Amazon shirts for riding in. And that's not sweat on my chest there, it's the all the water that dumped on my when I tried to sponge off Al's face. Horsing is so glamorous.

Belt: Tory Burch

You guys have seen this one plenty. It's one of my favorites!

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

Perimenopause is wild you guys. I've gained some weight, noticeably, but for some reason I've dropped a pant size. It's very confusing. I guess it all just pushed up to my belly from my butt?

Boots: Celeris UK

I think these were the first really wild boots I ordered. I love them; they are super comfy and the pink is ridiculous. In all the best ways.

And that's probably the shortest Thursday's Threads of all time! I will do better next week. PROMISE! I've been making some new sets for outfit days, and I'm hoping to finish them up on Monday. And then I'll have a few weeks of silly outfits to share.

What's Up Wednesday

 

I always forget how busy summer gets. But boy does it! Let's just jump right in on the last week, shall we?

Thursday we FINALLY got a visit from our body worker. We haven't seen her since October so it was long over due. Obviously the horses all were in need of some adjustments, but given the length of time between visits, nothing was all that bad. So that was nice. And it was so great to see our body worker too. I think we all missed her! We were her first stop of the day, so they all had light stretchy rides afterwards. 

Friday our farrier came which was also overdue, but not to the extent of the body work. Ha! Obviously. They all had nothing exciting to report on, but I did tell my farrier about Al's request through the animal communicator. I wasn't going to tell him... but then I did. And you know what? My farrier, who is a large manly man type dude, says, "Oh yeah? What did he ask about? I love animal communiators!" You just never know with people... Anyway, I told him Al said that one foot of his still bothers him sometimes and he'd be open to trying other shoes (Al's words, not mine). So farrier asked me what he wanted to try, but unfortunately Al hadn't specified. Farrier said to ask when I all again. Ha! Kills me. Who would have thought he'd be into animal communicating? 

After pedicures, Shiny got to have a ride with her favorite kid finally! And even better kid's mom came too which was great. (Kid's mom is my former trainer if you recall.) She's doing well and is back in the saddle, so MAYBE if the stars align she'll be able to help me and Al at some point. It won't be this summer as she's heading back to Florida next week, but that's okay. I'm contemplating spending a few months in Florida this winter rather than six months at a boarding barn up here. And if I can figure out how to make that happen, then we'd board with her and try to get back on track. I don't REALLY think this will happen, but it's not impossible. We'll have to see how things play out. 

Anyway, Shiny was thrilled to have her kiddo back and had a fun ride with jumpies. I was so delayed riding the boys that they both ended up having pretty quick flat rides because I was supposed to be at my dad's for fourth of July burgers. I was still stupid late, but whatever. Got it all done! 

Saturday Al and I had my second lesson with our new trainer. And I gotta tell you guys, this horse is on his best behavior when trainer is here. Which is nice because I get a reprieve from the drama, but also kind of annoying because we only semi get to work on our problems. It was a nice lesson though. We still kept it to flatwork, but this time we incorporated lots and lots of trot poles and a few canter poles. It was a good lesson! The other two just flatted again, but they're putting in some great work lately. Working on those top lines!

And then Sunday. Womp, womp. Al had a HUGE leg. The same one that blew up the weekend before, but in a different part of the leg. This one looked scary. So I just iced him and hand grazed him that day. 

Monday he had off but I iced it anyway and it still looked unpleasant. So I called and got him on Doc's schedule. I know better than to mess around with fat legs. After that time when Pammon was completely sound on a torn check, I no longer trust soundness in these situations. The other two enjoyed Sunday Funday (as did I)!

By Tuesday the leg was less horrific looking, but still not normal, so I am still wanting Doc to see it. Just to be sure. We've been tack walking the last two days, though I did trot him some today just to see what I could feel if anything. He felt fine to the left, but maybe just a hair short tracking right. I plan to stick with tack walking and maybe a little test trot tomorrow but we might get rained out. Hard to say, the weather people have been terribly inaccurate lately so we'll have to just wait and see. Doc comes Friday. Fingers crossed this is nothing guys. 

Shiny and Eros both did great flat rides yesterday. Bellies up, polls giving. Eros had his bands on. It was sweaty and productive! Today we got to see Shiny's kid and OG trainer again. We all had fun and Al appreciated having a friend in the ring with him. And by friend I mean OG trainer, because Shiny is mean to him. Haha! Kiddo did a great job with Shiny. It's really fun to watch them go around together. We also got hay this morning which thank goodness! I was down to three bales. My hay guy had a hard time finding a window to bale this spring because of all the rain. He actually brought me a pickup truck full of hay a few weeks ago to hold us over. But the this new stuff looks SO good. Best we've gotten in awhile I think. I almost don't want to use up the three bales we have and just jump into the new stuff... But I'm not wasteful. I'll wait. It's only one more day... maybe two. Also cross your fingers it doesn't mold. The humidity has been something else! It's been baled for three weeks so should be fine. But my hay guy said to keep an eye out because there's a chance it could happen. Oof. 

I don't have any lessons on the agenda for this weekend since I'm not sure what's going on with Al and his stupid leg. I did order another bit for him to try though I think he's liking the new one. Hard to really know when we're just walking. He tends to like a thicker mouthpiece and the copper roller bit is pretty thin. So I found a cherry roller bit that's fat and the single joint he likes. I'll be interested to see what he thinks when it gets here. It's coming from California so might be a little while. 

That's it from here! We've had a lot of visits lately, and I'm officially BROKE after paying the body worker, the hay guy, and my property taxes. Adulting is expensive. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a few quiet days coming up with the horses. I'd like to jump Eros either Friday or Saturday this week, but otherwise it will be lots of flatwork for all (assuming the vet visit goes okay). Any big plans for the weekend? 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Sometimes I do silly, irresponsible things with money. I try not to. Especially now because it's much tighter than a few years ago. Though this week I definitely bought something ridiculous and useless. But it brought me more joy that I can even verbalize. Want to know what it is?? Do you??? Yes you do. Ok here it is:

Do you see it?? No? How about here:

Heehee.... I bought Rita some aviators. She hates them, but I think she'll learn to love them. And I'm gonna tell you, there is nothing funnier than a chihuahua wearing shades. NOTHING!

Also I got them at 5 Below and they were a whopping $3. So don't judge my irresponsibility TOO hard.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And this one is real. As in it's nothing special and I don't even fully match. Because sometimes you just wear what's quickest to grab and the most comfortable. And I realize you're probably expecting a fourth of July outfit, but honestly, I'm just not feeling celebrating this country too hard this year. Maybe next year. Al wanted to model today since he missed his chance last week. Here's what he was wearing:

He's just the cutest thing. And so long as his photos still make me smile, I still believe there's hope for us! 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

You may notice a different bit than he usually wears. (Or you may not because really who pays that close attention?) After our first lesson with our new trainer he suggested trying a full cheek. Which I was on board for since he actually shows in one. But I didn't want to change the mouthpiece because he seems to really like what we've been using. So I ordered the same mouthpiece but in the full cheek version. When it arrived I noticed the cheeks were... well they're weird. They're really short, and they don't have a little ball on the end like most to secure the keepers. So the keepers have to sit lower on the cheep piece to stay on. And it's weird. But for now it's fine. I was reading Leah's blog about the roller bits she was trying for Pyro and I had a hmmmm moment. I've noticed that Al exhibits some behaviors that are very similar to what some humans do called stimming. It's more or less a behavior that someone may do for comfort, like rocking back and forth, flapping hands, or touching finger tips. Al sometimes sucks on the crossties. Or when we're riding he will chomp on the bit, but not in a way that's resistant to the contact. In fact, when he's chomping on the bit, it's the rare time when he's actually got his focus on me. If I can get him to chomp, I know our ride will be lovely. Or at least the moments while he will keep chomping... I KNOW this sounds wrong. But you'll just have to trust me on this. And yes, good thing he's not a dressage horse. So anyway, the reason for my rambling, I think he might like a copper roller to play with. Like a fidget spinner for horses! Of course, the only roller bits I have are the ones that are three piece with a roller in the center. But Al doesn't like a three piece mouth. I ordered one of the ones with a single joint which should be here early next week. Can't wait to try it out! Fingers crossed I've had an epiphany. (Thanks Leah!) And if not, at least those bits are inexpensive! Lol. Okay back to our outfits.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Mattes

Just a simple set up this week. My saddle looks so light in this photo! I think it needs oil. 

Boots: Anky

I think these might be my favorite every day front boots. It's a bummer they were a seasonal color, but hopefully they'll last forever. So far so good!

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

Barn colors-ish. And my boots don't match my outfit. And I'm not sad about it.

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

It's surprising how dry and dusty things got after all the rain we've been getting. Hence my dirty helmet. But we had a very quick storm blow through a little bit ago, so hopefully no dust tomorrow!

Top: FitEq

I'm bummed this brand went out of business, I was hoping they'd make more colors of these tops. They're really comfy and quick drying.

Belt: Zazzle

The buckle is a little beat up, but I still love this belt so much. They STILL don't have these in stock at Zazzle which makes me sad. I hope they aren't gone forever. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I'm pretty sure this color is Dark Teal. I actually paid retail for these a couple of years ago because I loved the color so much. I rarely do such crazy things! But it was worth it I think for these. 

Boots: Celeris UK

I haven't ordered custom boots in many years at this point, but this pair of demo's happened to be exactly my measurements so I couldn't say no to them. I've had them since last summer, and I'm pretty sure I've shared them before a few times. They're a navy color so I don't wear them a ton what with my boycott of all things blue there for awhile... But they're lovely boots and so comfy and I will definitely be wearing them more. 

And that's it for today! Sorry it wasn't an exciting outfit, but they can't all be crazy!