Truthful Tuesday

 

Okay, yeah. I have regrets. The regrets have regrets. There is regret all over here. 

I apparently didn't really grasp just how much snow anything over a foot is. It's a lot. I think we got around 15". Give or take. It started Sunday morning around 8am and didn't stop until sometime overnight last night. It's miserable. There's not enough room to put it all, and I have no idea how I'm going to get a clear path down the back driveway to get my hay delivery nor the dumpster picked up to empty. No idea. 

I have the plow people coming back today to take another stab at it. Hopefully they'll be more rested and ready to tackle it again. This is how they left it:

I'm not knocking them. Those guys were on like hour 30, They did what they could in the moment. But leaving several inches of snow on that crest isn't gonna work for semi trucks. 

So anyway. Everything hurts from all the shoveling I did and I'm full of regrets. FULL OF THEM. Still enjoying the heated barn though. We will be bouncing between single digits and low low 20's for the foreseeable future. (Oh and we may get slammed with more snow on Sunday again.) 

That's it. That's today's confession. The snow has broken my spirit but I still love my heated barn. 

Thursday's Threads: Non Riding Edition

 

Outfit Day! Unfortunately, no riding here this week, but I still have an outfit to share. We'll call it a grooming outfit since that's what we did today. Today was a little reprieve before the crazy weather comes, so I was able to get the horses out for a graze. Here's what they wore for that:

Blanket: Kentucky Horsewear
Halter and Lead: Two Horse Tack

We just enjoyed ten minutes each of the grass. I'm not sure how high the sugar content is when we're freeze-thawing all over the place. No one fought that hard about coming in though, so I think they were just happy for the opportunity. Tomorrow will be colder, but not bad, and after that the arctic temps arrive. Then the snow. Then more very cold. Should be something.

So that's what the horses wore for grazing today. And here's what I had on:

What an odd angle on this photo. I'm not sure if my body looks large or my head looks tiny. Maybe both? This is why I should always wear a hat!

Sweater: Vigoss

My mom got me this adorable sweater for Chanukah and I love it so much! It's cropped but not like show any skin cropped. Which is the appropriate length for middle age.

Belt: PonyLocks

This is Jampy's belt and I thought it matched perfectly with today's outfit. I should have taken a photo from the front though, because you can't see that it has a horseshoe buckle!

Jeans: Kensie

Kensie is one of my favorite jeans brands. They aren't expensive, but they fit so well. Like way better than most fancy options. I snagged this pair at Marshalls last summer.

Boots: Ariat

These are the same (VERY) old paddock boots you saw a few weeks ago. They're starting to show their age a bit, which I estimate to be around 15 years. Possibly older. But they haven't gotten regular use until the last year or so. I've been doing chores in them all winter so I have a feeling this might be their last winter. They've served me well though, and certainly don't owe me anything! I think I paid $25 for them a million years ago at the Beval sale. (Man, I miss that sale!)

That's it for today! Kind of a boring day with just street clothes and stable blankets, but what can I say? It's real life! 

What's Up Wednesday

 

We had a nice warm up last week and I actually got to sit on my horses like three days in a row! Then the snow returned. But that's to be expected it IS winter after all. Currently it's 9 degrees outside without the wind chill this morning. So needless to say, nothing is melting out there. Supposed to get into the 30's later though. So that's good news. 

This weekend is bringing more single digit temps and there's a possibility of a foot of snow Sunday into Monday. Not my ideal weekend. But you can't change the weather! The timing is a little unfortunate because I am just a few weeks out from needing my manure bin emptied and a new load of hay delivered. It would have been nice to have the driveway clear for both of those things. What can you do though? Not much. Have the tow company on standby I guess? Wouldn't be the first time I had to have someone winched out of there.

But back to last week. January thaw was LOVELY. I rode my horses. They got shoes on the warmest day so I could have the barn doors open and it wasn't so stinky. Sometimes the weather aligns with your needs! (Rarely. But it happens!) 

Since we're not riding much, we've been doing a lot of grooming. Everyone is shedding which they may regret come the weekend and next week. But it is a welcome sign that spring will come. 

I'm trying to come up with some enrichment exercises I can do with Al in the barn. Anyone have any ideas? I know he'll get bored, more so than Shiny and Eros. Shiny is perfectly happy to hang around and eat. Eros is too for the most part, but he can get bored sometimes. So maybe both boys need something to keep their brains more busy. Maybe I'll get some treat balls or something. Ideas welcome!

I guess that's about it from here. I don't have much else going on. If any of you know any anti snow dances, send those my way! I'm hoping this big storm stays south. Fingers crossed! 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Remember when I was all like oh yes we can definitely do walk rides in the snow all winter. It will be just fine! Hahahaha! So cute. Love that for me.

What I hadn't considered is that it's really only fresh snow that's safe to ride in. Once it's been on the ground awhile it gets hard and icy. Which isn't okay to ride in at all. It's not particularly pleasant to hand walk in either. We've been fortunate so far in that the snow hasn't been hanging around too long. We'll get some and within a week it's all gone. I'm hoping that pattern continues so we can at least get some intermittent riding in. It looks like we'll have the next two weeks with very little melting (next week has highs in the low teens) so vacation time for the ponies. Which leads to my real confession today:

I'm actually happy to not feel like I have to ride in this miserably cold weather. 

Not to sound ungrateful, but when we've had long stretches of highs only in the 20's (or colder) and I was boarding, there were a fair amount of days that I really wished I could just skip riding. But when you're in those kinds of barns where you're labeled lazy for not riding everyday, it's hard to justify. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of dollars you're spending for access to that indoor. And so I'd muster up all my gumption and get to it. (When it was safe of course. I didn't ride if it was in the teens, no one did,) But this year? The footing isn't safe so I have a real reason to not do it. 

Now there are consequences of course. The horses have already lost their top lines. My scale said something to me that was... unacceptable. But that's all stuff that we can fix. The horses will get strong again come spring. And maybe (fingers crossed) they'll be feeling sounder (looking at you Eros) too. I've noticed Al's patella slipping out a lot more, so that's not ideal for him. But again, come spring we'll get his hind end strengthened back up. And he's probably due for some maintenance too. I've gotten my slightly larger rear back on the treadmill. I can't run because of the knee, but I'm getting a good walk in on an incline for a minimum 30 minutes a day. I've found reading helps the time pass quickly on there. That's a bonus to only being able to walk. You can read on the treadmill at that speed. Two birds one stone since I haven't been reading much lately. 

So anyway. That's today confession. I'm not sad about having a little break from riding.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And I have a fun one, though Shiny's outfit is a recent repeat. What can I say? It's winter. We'll start with Shiny since she's cuter.

That's right! It's neon again! I mean, now that I have the boots, I'm busting out all the neon!

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Okay, so the bridle isn't neon. I need to make a new neon browband. I have one that I made from Biothane, but it's not my yellow and pink. I need a green and pink one to go with the boots.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Hangry Mare

I think Hangry Mare is out of business which is too bad, because she makes beautiful pads. I actually scored this one from Facebook Marketplace awhile back. Great find!

Boots: AnatomEq

I should also get some fun neon fabric for boot tabs... until then though, these mesh boots from AnatomEq are wonderful. 

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

All the neon, all the time. #80sbaby

Helmet: One K Avance CCS with MIPS

My helmet is not neon. But it has bling so that counts.

Sweater: John + Jenn

I honestly don't remember where this sweater came from. I've had it awhile, but haven't given it enough attention. But I will now! 

Belt: Sandy Duftler

I found this I think on Facebook too. Imagine my delight when I found a NEON Duftler spur belt for a great price. Utter glee my friends.

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I toned it down a little with the pants today. I COULD have gone all out and done some bright pink but these breeches are warmer. So they won out.

Boots: Celeris UK

I just love looking at them. They are the most ridiculous in all the best ways, and I LOVE them. Plus I can't properly explain to you all how comfortable these were straight from the box. 

That's it for this week! What do you think? Have I made neon classy? CAN neon be classy? Remains to be seen, but I'm doing my part!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We've been enjoying a January thaw for the past several days and it's been pretty glorious. It took a little longer than I'd hoped for the ring to melt enough to be usable, but it did happen finally! Though the one long side is still a sheet of ice. We just avoid that section. Which is perfectly fine with Al since it's the side by the neighbor. 

My worker scheduled out Friday, so I had an extra chore day this weekend. I really didn't mind too much since I need to get some exercise on these days when I can't ride! Though the morning was still very cold, and the walk to Shiny's paddock was a little terrifying for an old woman with a knee injury... But we made it! I spread a bunch of salt down afterwards so it wasn't so bad the rest of the weekend. And now it's all clear. Hopefully it stays that way for a bit. 

We didn't really do much fun over the weekend other than some hand walks and hand grazing. But I did hop on Shiny on Sunday for a little toodle. It was getting late so I only had enough daylight to sit on one of them. Plus the wind and had kicked up, and I didn't want it to be a whole thing so that's why I chose her. She's the least likely to try and murder me after a long weekend. Lol! Obviously she was an angel. 

Monday we enjoyed our day off, and I played a little hookie and went to do some sale shopping. I like to check out the after holidays clearance sections, and also there is a store closing nearby that I wanted to check out their discounts. I was well behaved though! Got a pair of sweatpants/joggers for $6 at Kohls which wound up being free because I had some Kohl's cash. And then at the store closing I found a pair of cute jeans also for $6. Can't beat that! 

Everything else was fine at home or so I thought. Came home and fed dinner, took the trash out. You know the usual stuff. But then at night check things got weird. I walked into the barn and everyone greeted me, as they do. Shiny is the first stall I encounter as I walk to get the hay at the end of the barn, and she's facing the back window but has her head turned looking at me. I notice her reflection is much more apparent than normal in her window. Then I look closer. Her reflection is not reflecting her... OMG. It was Eros. Outside in the walkout. How did he get there?! Thankfully he did not break his door down or anything crazy. But annoyingly, my worker once again forgot to latch the outside door. Thank goodness Eros didn't realize this while I was out, nor AFTER night check. Or the heat would have been heating the great outdoors all night. Sheesh. I had gotten lax about double checking all the door latches because well... I dunno. I just assume that doors get latched. But I know what happens when one assumes. So now I've been checking all doors when I head out late morning. I guess I should do that regardless. But it is a little frustrating. These are safety issues, ya know? I've got the new checklist just about ready to print and I have a clipboard coming for it too. Hopefully that will help these issues. 

And yes, it was also unlatched yesterday when I checked. I sent a text with a photo and "these things are important" message to my worker. And the response? "Okay." Sigh. 

In less annoying news, I got to ride ALL THREE horses yesterday! As I mentioned earlier, some of the ring is still ice covered, but there's more than enough room to get a little bit done. They've had a few weeks off now, so I just did a some circles of trot each way and about 15 minutes of walk. It was nice to get on. I think today I may lunge Al and ride the other two. He was a little edgy yesterday, and I think he'll get more productive work done on the lunge line than with me on him. We should get one more day to ride before everything freezes over again, so I could hopefully ride him again tomorrow. I want to drag the ring too... But I think what I need to do is spread mag on it first, then drag. Which will be a little bit of a time consuming project. My current plan so as not to miss out on riding time, is to mag it on Friday when it's really cold again and I won't be riding that day. It *MIGHT* get above freezing in the afternoon that day, so if it does, I could drag same day, and if not, I can drag the next day to mix it in. We shall see how it all pans out! It would be nice to get the mag mixed in though so we can keep riding on the colder days. I've noticed the days are getting longer, which will help with timing for these kinds of chores. 

That's about all that's going on over here. I had forgotten how different winter is at home versus boarding. We just don't have as much to chat about since the horses aren't really in work. That's okay though. Plenty of time for exciting blog fodder come spring! 

Anything exciting happening with you guys? Did you get to enjoy a January thaw too?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that I've been struggling with productivity lately. I know that's something that I deal with every winter because I'm very much solar powered and it's very much dark out more than it's light this time of year. But I have several projects I wanted to tackle while the horses are having some down time this winter due to weather and I haven't been all that successful. (To be fair, they've really only been having down time since Christmas and I was away for a week.)
I'm one to stew on things though, and I've been trying to see if there's a reason I've been so unproductive other than just being lazy. And in fact there is! With the holidays and illness my barn worker has been out a lot. I think he only worked maybe two full weeks in the last six... So that means a lot more work for my aging body. And then I got to thinking that I must be somewhat deficient in some way if taking care of three horses is leaving me so wrecked. But then I stewed some more and realized that it's not just that. I'm a spinster. I live here alone. Manage the barn alone. Manage my home alone. All the things are my responsibility. And that can get a little exhausting sometimes. 
So what do I do about that? A few things. First, appreciate that it's the down time and try to stop beating myself up about not doing more with the horses right now. They're fine. Happy even! (Though also unfit and losing top line rapidly...) Next, make a list of what I want to get done in the next few months. Then break those things up into small chunks. Little attainable tasks to be accomplished each week. 
We shall see how it goes. Though this week I'm hoping to do some riding, so that all might have to wait until next week when it freezes back over up here.

Do you have similar struggles this time of year? I imagine it's more common for the northern folk where it's darker longer and also much colder. Any tips or tricks to combat it?

Thursday's Threads

 

I put breeches on today just in case the ring thawed out enough to ride... But alas. Not quite yet. It was in the 40's today and there was sun so we're getting there! Anyway, I have a partial riding outfit to share today. The horses went out for grass for a few minutes each and it was warm enough to just have 100 grams on. Shiny is our model for this outfit today:

Halter: Valley Vet
Blanket: Imperial Riding

If I had turned the other way you'd still see plenty of snow, but from this angle, it almost looks like spring!

Shiny was THRILLED to get to eat five minutes of grass. I'm really careful with her grass intake. She's never actually been diagnosed insulin resistant, but since her hay rations are soaked, she's not used to much sugar in general. No need to overload the system. 

Here's what I wore today:

Most of this outfit is approaching vintage status. But one part is brand new!

Sweater: Democracy

This is the new item. Nordstrom Rack and Facebook teamed up to influence me with a targeted ad and clearly it was successful. So it's all one piece, what looks like a puffy vest in a lovely olive shade with oatmeal colored knit arms that are a wool blend. I especially liked the little vent in the back so it won't be tight when I ride in it. I honestly have no regrets about buying this. It's like someone made it with me in mind. 

Belt Strap: Unbranded

Belt Buckle: Vintage Gucci

I snagged this buckle from Ebay many, many years ago and it was old before I got it. I just love it, despite there being a chip in the enamel. 

Breeches: Ariat Olympia

I was searching my breeches piles for the right pants to match the sweater, when I realized I had a pair that matches pretty much exactly. These are so old, they don't even make this model anymore! I like them a lot though, and am glad to still have them. Especially now that I have this sweater!

Socks: Ovation
Paddock Boots: Ariat

These socks are weirdly tall. Like so tall I usually fold them over. Today I just let them be bunchy since I wasn't putting boots over them. And these paddock boots? I forget which model they are, but they're kids and they're thinsulate lined. I bought them probably... I dunno... 15 years ago? Maybe more? I got them one year at the Beval sale for some silly price like $20. They're still hanging in!

That's it for today! Not all that exciting, but I do like to share some of my ancient stuff now and then. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

We last left off on New Year's Eve when I was happily in my bed by 9 pm waiting for the ball to drop. The next day my family hosted my dad's good friend and his family for a boat ride down the intracoastal. We passed by Dad's house which was fun to see from the water because it's had some renovations since I saw it last. 

And then on Friday I got to ride again! I had gone to visit with Shiny's kiddo and her mom (my trainer from years past) earlier in the week, and trainer had said if I had time to come back I could ride. I'm not one to turn down rides, especially on really nice horses! So Friday morning I headed south again and got to ride Frankie:

Looks like we jumped! But that's actually just a pole on the ground

Frankie is a cool dude. I'm not sure how tall he is, probably around 17 hands... but he's equally wide as he is tall. So I looked like a little person up there. Ha! He was really good for our ride, and then Shiny's kiddo took me for a Florida trail ride. Down in Wellington where the barns are, the roads are dirt, so you can ride pretty much all over. They call it trail riding, but really it's just riding on the roads. Definitely not out in the woods! But it was fun, and Frankie was a good brave boy. He's a hunter, so was a little more my speed than Faith and Verona the jumper mares. 

It's really validating for me to get to ride these horses who are so different from each other, and also different from my three. When you only ride your own horses, it's easy to develop a lot of bad habits that your horse just figures out or knows to ignore. But riding other horses will point them right out to you. I'm happy to report that none of them complained too much about me, and responded as I'd hoped to my aids. So while I'm definitely rusty and out of shape, I still for the most part can ride a horse. Thank goodness!

After riding we went for family mani/pedis as one does on vacation. And that was a wrap on vacation. Or should have been anyway. We were supposed to have breakfast and then head to the airport on Saturday for an early afternoon departure. Unfortunately, the best laid plans, never seem to pan out. We wound up VERY delayed, and didn't end up leaving for the airport until 4pm. The only reason it was annoying was that we didn't have any idea when it was going to happen so we couldn't really make much use of the extra day. But that's okay. Even doing nothing is lovely in warm weather. So why the delay you ask? The airport temporarily misplaced our plane. I can't make this stuff up. The airport had much more traffic than they're used to and somehow failed to make note of where they had parked us. But all's well that ends well, they eventually found it. And no one told my father, so that's for the best too. Haha. Oy. 

Anyway, we were finally in the air around 7ish. I got to my mom's house to retrieve Rita about 10 something. Came home to snuggle the horses and do night check, and was in bed about midnight. Long day! And then up at 6 for chores. 

So much for the restful vacation right? The life of a horse girl. Oh and also, along with chores, mother nature gave us more snow that no one expected. The good thing about that was it hid the mess outside. The bad thing is now that it's all melting I'm aware of the mess outside... Not knocking any of my helpers while I was gone, but no one cleans up and takes care of your place like you do. That's just a fact. Anyway, with all the snow Sunday morning, and then cold temps on Monday, the horses are still enjoying their extended vacations. Sunday once I finished chores (which was a bit late since I was trying to get reorganized and re-settled), I groomed each of the horses. Shiny and Eros enjoyed it. Al hates grooming. 

Monday I had planned to not be horsey because I needed to unpack and do laundry. I hadn't gotten around to unpacking holiday gifts from our family Chanukah party either, so it was a full day. I was kind of hoping to ride Tuesday as we're having a warrm up this week, but the ring is a sloppy mess at the moment. Mostly slush, but still some ice underneath. So instead, I spent Tuesday doing more cleaning in the barn. I had done a make it better job Sunday, but Tuesday I went a little deeper. My regular weekday worker has cleaning stall fronts, dusting, and cobwebbing on his chore list, but I gotta be honest, he hasn't been doing much of any of that. When I got back, the stall fronts had slobber stuck all over them (why? I have no idea, not common here). I hadn't gotten to that on Sunday, and was hoping my helper would Monday but alas, still gross on Tuesday. So I wiped down the stall fronts and bars. Then proceeded to spend three hours getting the floor clean. Which was all for naught because after he did chores today it was like I had never done a thing. Sigh. Oh and he left Eros' stall unlatched again. I'm so frustrated with these things. But I have a plan! I'm going to give him an end of day checklist. And require he check each thing off each day before he goes. May or may not be successful, but it's worth a shot. I don't know if I sound like an ass hole, but I've talked to him about the open door latches so many times, I don't know what else to do. That's a real safety issue.

Looked beautiful for the overnight hours!

Today was almost 40 which is an absolute heat wave. The ring is still defrosting, but I have high hopes that it might be useable after the weekend. We went for very slow and careful hand walks in the ring today which was nothing exciting, but I think the horses enjoyed doing something other than turnout and hanging out in their stalls. They all seem to like eating slush too, which I find adorable.

It's supposed to stay in the 40's and we're going to get a lot of rain Friday through the weekend. Cold on Monday, but then back to the 40's. So while I think we probably won't get to actually ride this week nor coming weekend, I'm thinking there's a chance next week. Fingers crossed! 

I'm still mostly happy with my choice to stay home this winter, but I'd be lying if I didn't say there were moments of regret. Like having to do so much extra work before leaving for vacation. Or so much extra work upon returning from said vacation. And the fact that my horses have had so much time off now... But truthfully, I think a little break is good for them. None of them are out of their minds. A little bored maybe, but not behaving poorly. (Other than grooming for Al... but that's nothing new.) And with the bitter cold temps we had in December, it was nice having a warm barn. Definitely appreciated that! And I think there's something to be said for staying more or less in the same routine that they're used to here at home. Even if the riding part isn't happening, they're going out at the same time every day, having only one person make their meals, and it's so nice and quiet here. (Except for when the neighbor is noisy, but you know what I mean.) 

I'm hoping to get some riding in during the January thaw, and then do expect some more downtime in February probably. And then March comes and we should be getting back on track! Hopefully anyway. If not, then April! Whatever. Spring will come. It always does!