What's Up Wednesday

 

Geeze guys. October is the WORST. I honestly have no idea why people love fall so much. Sure the leaves are pretty, and pumpkins and apples are delicious and all that. But the horses! They're all nuts! Well. The geldings are. Shiny is fine. Because she's a reasonable mare. 

Today for example. I was actually really pumped to go ride these animals today. There was barely any wind (we've been living in a turbine I swear), it was warm, almost 70, and the sun was out. A perfect day for October! So I get on Al who is seemingly quite reasonable for tacking up and walking out to the ring. I get on. We walk about four steps, and suddenly he's petrified of EVERYTHING. That jump over there. The tree out that way. And that tree. AND THAT ONE! All of them! TERRIFYING. I try to push him forward, ask for bend. Ask him to move his haunches in and out. Nope. Nothing is getting his attention. Mind you, he's doing what I ask, but still spooking. Then he just about loses his marbles entirely, so I concede that maybe we need a little work on the lunge first. That helped. He had a couple big spooks on the line, and then went to work. So we did maybe ten minutes on the lunge and then I got back on. And he was only mildly better than he had been before the lunge. I finally settled on using just part of the ring and just kept him working for awhile. It was fine. But man. I'm tired of it. I'm zero percent afraid of his antics. At this point I'm just fed up with it. It's total nonsense. I mean not to him, he's full of anxiety for reasons I cannot deduce. It may be time that I admit this is a professional's horse and not the one for me. But also, I probably shouldn't make decisions like that in October when he's always terrible. But I am not enjoying him at all currently. It's a good thing he's pretty and talented. 

So then I got on Shiny and she was a perfect little angel. We even jumped a few fences which was lovely because I've barely jumped anything in months. I love this pony. She always shows up when she knows you need it. I love sharing her with her kiddo in the summer, but I'm glad to get to jump her around again myself. She may have her short comings (who doesn't?) but she's reliable, kind, and loads of fun. We dressed Shiny and Eros on Saturday for a little pre Halloween fun, and Shiny was so happy to wear bows and polos (on all four legs!) and get her picture taken. She ate it all up. Eros was equally enthused, and you'll see his photos tomorrow. I don't have great ones, I was relying on kiddos parents, and the quality was eaten when they transferred. But that's okay. Something is better than nothing!

See that horse in the woods?! TERRIFYING!

Once Shiny had restored my faith in my riding abilities, I got on Eros. Guys. Perfect Eros! He was a lunatic! As bas as Al almost. Which, made me feel a little less frustrated about Al because if Eros is acting like that, then for whatever reason there must be something they're picking up on that I'm not aware of. But man. I put Eros to work because he knows better. Though, even with him, I had to make the ring smaller to get his attention. And even then, I think I only had about 60% of it. Better than Al who only gave me about 25%. It was exhausting. I earned the big dessert I'm about to go inhale shortly. 

It's interesting though. I had kind of been dwelling on my riding and feeling like I hadn't been working hard enough lately. (Definitely worked hard today though!) But despite all the antics from the tall horses today I felt pretty strong in the saddle. And I never felt afraid. Annoyed, yes. Irritated. Frustrated. All of that. But never afraid, and never like I wasn't doing the right thing. So there's that at least. The rides might have been shit, but at least I did my part to the best of my ability. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, so I'm hoping for a redo and hopefully slightly more tired horses. 

On other news, I've been working hard this week getting us ready for our big move. I'm SO nervous about going to a new barn, especially with my horses behaving like feral beasts. But I'm also excited. We have some new blankets, so Monday I got them all tagged and packed up. Rita helped too.

I also got their grooming stuff packed, and our first week's set of pads and boots to ride with. The super cool new med box is just about packed up too. I just have some meds to pack, and the first week of supplements to make up, and then we'll be ready to roll! My plan is to do supplements tomorrow evening because my house looks really dark even when the lights are on, but the barn lights up nicely. So even though I haven't had a single trick or treater in 15 years, I'll be out in the barn and ready in case that changes! But also being productive because there's always so much to do. Ha. Anyway, I'd like to get the trailer packed up Thursday if I can, because Friday evening I have some plans that I'd like to be cleaned and showered for. So I won't have much time after I ride. And Saturday is moving day! 

I'll make two trips Saturday. The first one will be all the stuff and Eros, and I hope to leave between 8:30 and 9. If the new barn people are cool with it, I'd like to just drop everything off, go get the other two, and then unpack and get settled once all the horses are there. I have a friend meeting me to help load Eros, and then my (nice) neighbor will meet me to load the other two. I really should teach them to self load, but now's not the time!

I just really hope they all settle in well. I'm very much looking forward to being able to ride inside where it's not windy. Especially once the temps fall back to where they usually are this time of year. Maybe there will be some nice people and horses to ride with which I think would really help Al. He hates riding alone, which is our only option at home most of the time. I'm going to reach out to a trainer too, once we get the move done. So hopefully we'll have good things on the horizon! Fingers crossed.

What's Up Wednesday

 

Oh you guys! Last week was so lovely. SO LOVELY. It was warm all week, and on Saturday it was EIGHTY DEGREES OUT! Glorious. I loved it. Al loved it. Everyone loved it! Today? Today the high was 42. My horses are wearing blankets. BLANKETS. They aren't heavy ones, but still.

BLANKETS. Ugh. Gross. 

Anyway, back to last week. We got to do jumpies twice last week like normal riding people. It was great fun. Everyone was so good, especially on Saturday.

Well, I didn't say they were perfect... 

I FULLY embraced it, because I knew what was coming. So Saturday after jumpies, each horse got a scrubby tubby bubble bath. They looked beautiful and shiny and clean for approximately 10 hours. Because obviously it rained on Sunday. I rode at the other barn, but not at home. Instead we pulled manes and conditioned tails. At least we did productive things on the one millionth rain day of the season.

It also rained Monday. But Rita was able to get her walk in because it was more of a mist by late afternoon. She tried out her new rain jacket, and it was great. Rita approved!

Yesterday was Halloween. It was chilly but not as awful as today so everyone worked. Al spent more time on the lunge line than he did under saddle, but some days are like that. Especially Tuesdays after a two day vacation. His lunge line work was mostly at the trot, exploring different areas of the ring. He was all worked up about pretty much everything. It's not his fault. He hates the cold more than I do. And that's a lot. Everyone else was fine though. We were stuck on half the ring because of all the rain from the previous days. That far side gets squishy when there's too much water. 

I had planned to ride everyone again today. The weather was awful, low 40's, WIND, and some rain. But it wasn't really raining, just spitting a little, so my plan was to proceed as normal. I picked Shiny to go first though, because on days like today she's a good barometer for the how the rest will behave. If she's spicy, then the others will definitely be awful. If she's good, it's a 50/50 chance on the others behaving... Ha! Anyway, I got on Shiny and she was kind of a psycho. Well psycho for her anyway. She was really spooky, which is not at all like her. She kept contemplating bolting. It was silly. But it was also a good warning that perhaps the others should have a day on the lunge instead of under saddle. It was a good choice. Al wasn't terrible... but definitely SPOOKY and Eros was pretty wild. I think everyone's ready for an indoor option on bad weather days. (Okay, maybe not Al. He hates the indoor. But the rest of us are ready!) 

And speaking of that, tomorrow is moving day! Hopefully. As long as the trailer shows up as planned for my stepmom's horses. My plan is to definitely move Al tomorrow, and then Eros and Shiny will either move later in the day or Friday morning. We'll see how late the day gets. The other horses are supposed to leave between one and two in the afternoon. I would love to bring everyone at once, but with all my show stuff living in the trailer tack room, I don't have enough space for all three plus their stuff in one trip. Because they have a lot of stuff:

Tack (saddles not pictured) but not those trunks.
They're just acting as tables.

They each have a tub for indoor blankets,
a tub for turnout blankets, and a tub of locker stuff.
(Locker stuff is grooming items, wraps, boots, that sort of thing)
Also pictured are Shiny's kick pads. We don't need them at home.

I haven't packed feed and supplements yet, but that will be quick. Plus I have most of the day to do that anyway since we won't leave the house before 2 at the earliest. I figure I'll take Al and all the stuff the first trip. (Excluding feed and supplement things for the other two since they may stay one more night.) Then the other two. It's nice that the boarding barn is so close that it's not a big deal to make two trips. Though I suppose I could unpack some of the show things and get it all done at once too... Just seems like a lot of extra work. It's less than a ten minute drive and I don't think Shiny particularly enjoys being in the front stall. It's a little awkward. My trailer is a 2+1, but not quite because I had it made a little short. I didn't plan to actually have three horses to haul around when I ordered it. Anyway. I'm rambling. Big move starts tomorrow for the winter! 

In other news, the tall kids all wore cute Halloween outfits yesterday which I'll share tomorrow for Thursday's threads, though you may have already gotten a sneak peak if you follow me on Instagram. And Rita got dressed up as a taco:

We didn't actually do anything except take a photo though. Maybe next year we'll do something fun for Halloween. Though to be real, I had plenty of fun taking pictures with Rita. Because I am who I am, I donned a hot sauce costume with a spicy pepper headband.

Yes, I wore it for all of five minutes to take photos with my dog. I'm a total weirdo. But honestly, I'm pretty comfortable in my weirdness. Hopefully others enjoy it too... Hahaha!

Thursday's Threads: Autumn edition

 

Outfits will be a lot more tame once I move over to the boarding barn for the winter. So I figured I should go all out for this one. And guys... I really outdid myself here. DEFINITELY went too far. And I have zero regrets.

The photos with the horses really didn't come out very well. It was just too dark out. But that one with Eros is kind of amazing with the moon, isn't it? Let's start with their outfits today.

I know. We've done candy corn a few times now. But listen. I own all this candy corn crap so you'll probably see it again next year too! But also... I definitely added a lot to previous outfits.

Saddles: Butet for both

Pads: I can't remember who made these... sorry!

That pad on Shiny wound up being kind of a nightmare. First off, it didn't arrive when it was supposed to back when I bought it, so I ordered the one on Eros as well. It arrived immediately. Eventually, this one on Shiny did show up. But it's kind of small and dressage cut so it doesn't really fit any saddles. (The one I ordered was not dressage cut...) I figured I'd try it for Shiny and it was okay. Think I'll try and sell it though if anyone is interested.

Boots: Horze with duct tape embellishments

Finding duct tape that matched my saddle pad was one of the highlights of my life. Wait till you see what else I did with it...

Bridles: M. Toulouse

Browbands: homemade

Bonnets: Etsy

I was planning to sell these bridles because I didn't like them that much... but now I've decided to keep them for dress up. As for the browbands, I took the ones I hated from the La Cense sidepulls and wrapped them in candy corn ribbon. So I'm glad I found a purpose for them! And also why you'll be seeing candy corn for years to come. Gotta use this stuff! I made the horses take photos with the bonnets, but they both seemed pretty annoyed by them so I took them off to ride. Cute though, right?!

Okay my turn!

Hahahahaha! Told ya. I overdid it.

Helmet: One K MIPS

I can't bring myself to deface a helmet, so I left this one alone. I had time deciding which to wear. Finally, since none really matched I just went with the safest one.

Sweatshirt: Teepublic

Yeah. I fell victim to a targeted Facebook ad. It happens. I'm getting big time Shiny vibes from that pony, what can I say?

Belt: C4

Matches my duct tape. BOOM!

Breeches: Homemade (Okay home-embellished)

I took a cheapo pair of black pants and then went all 8 year old on them. So I found some printed vinyl that matched all my stuff. Cut it into knee patch shapes and used stretch fabric glue to stick them on. (Who wants to sew? Not me.) Then I glued on the candy corn patches and took the ribbon that was left over from the browbands to trim the back pockets. I figured they'd be toast by the time I finished riding both horses, but they're still completely in tact. We'll see how they make out in the washer and dryer though... figure that might be the end of them. If not? You'll see them again next year. Ha!

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

Sneakers: HJSHG

Um. Yeah. I definitely did also get the matching mask. But since I was home I didn't use it yet. Maybe when I ride Pammon on Halloween!

Boots: Tuffrider Regal

I did not intend to deface any boots for this outfit... But then I saw this pair of Regals that are pretty close to the end of their days anyway... So I did it. NO REGRETS my friends! Plus it's just duct tape. I can remove it. I think they're kind cute this way though. Maybe should have done the toe part thinner?

Accessories!

Crop: Another relic laying around the barn

Someone should probably revoke my duct tape privileges. But seriously! Look at that! Hahahaha! I love it. 

Phone case: Teepublic

What? It matched the hoodie! I needed it.

Arm Party!

Lefty:

I know you're surprised I don't have the apple watch band to match... Probably next year. For now, I 'm wearing these string bracelets from Etsy and that light up one from I'm not sure where. Admittedly, the light up one came off after photos. It was pretty annoying.

Righty:

Righty has on a stretch bracelet, the Fitbit, a fabric cuff that I made, and this adorable wire bangle I found on Etsy. 

And that's it! Not sure how I'll top this next year if I keep with the candy corn theme.... But I'm sure I'll come up with something.

What's Up Wednesday

 

I mentioned yesterday it was a quiet riding week. So we didn't have a schooling session or work particularly hard. But we did ride all six days (all three horses) so it wasn't a total slack fest. I had a busy Saturday too. It's funny, after being in corona lock down for so long, what constitutes busy is nothing like what busy used to be... 

There was a Covid exposure at my dogs' vet office, so they are closed for two weeks. But I needed refills on Artie's meds. Fortunately, my local office is part of a larger network, so I was able to pick up his meds at the vet hospital. It's a little farther away, but I was just glad to be able to get them! That was my first errand Saturday morning. I was up there at 8 am to get them and then get them into Artie. Next stop was to ride Pammon. I took him outside for the first time in awhile and he was exactly the same as inside. So I guess that's good? Next stop was for my flu shot. My town partnered with a local health service to provide a drive through flu shot clinic at the high school. They gave us appointments to keep lines to a minimum. I arrived just as a car ahead of me was finishing up. Very organized, quick, and easy! 

Then it was back home. I had to fix a fence rail that Shiny had kicked out a few weeks ago. I had to order screws hence the delay. That was easy enough:

Yeah the board has a chip in it, but it's cosmetic. I'm leaving it!

Next task was to build my Halloween "jump". I use quotes because it's more like a cavalletti than a jump. Whatevs, it's cute!

Mini Unicorns from Target

These guys came from Oriental Trading Company

Both horses were absolutely petrified when I brought them out to ride. But once I led them over to the unicorns and they watched me pet them, they both were over it pretty quickly. Eros has decided they are actually there for him to play with now. I keep finding them after his turnout in positions like this:

They seem to be fairly rugged so far at least. I did pop Shiny over it even though we didn't do a real jump school. I couldn't resist. But I wasn't as fair to her as I should have been (hindsight and all that...). I didn't jump anything first and just went right to this new one. She stopped at it the first time, but it was the strangest stop. I figured she could walk over it, so when she broke from trot, I just kept my leg on and asked her to keep going. But she kind of tripped on it and wound up like this:

Oops. She went right over on the second attempt though with no further issues. 

I think I just surprised her. She got shots on Wednesday and was for sure pretty sore in her neck the rest of the week. I'm guessing that didn't help either. Poor nugget.

My final thing to do Saturday was get my hair cut... not like a real cut though. No... I let my stepmom cut it. She has no formal training... but she cuts my dad's hair. And her dog's. So I figured why not. It came out just fine!

Before

After

And that really is about the extent of last week. Lol! Horses are back in their program this week, so hopefully we'll have more media soon. Did you all have a good week/weekend? Do anything fun? Get a hair cut?