What's Up Wednesday

It was another fun horsey filled week! Friday was one of those non stop days, but it was mostly fun. I had the morning off from work to do the barn chores and turnouts. It was one of those perfect mornings. Sun was out, it wasn't too hot. The horses were all content in their turnouts. It was a shame to ruin it by going to work... But alas, that's how I afford to feed them. Stupid adulting.
My job sponsored a night out for us lowly employees on Friday night, so the horses had the evening off, and I got to see some minor league baseball!

We were seated in the picnic area which includes a buffet dinner (but ballpark food, nothing fancy). The seats are kind of far away, but it was nice to be able to walk around easily, especially for the people who brought their littles. Our local team is named the Yard Goats. There are two mascots, but we got to see the blue one:

ok, maybe I just creeped on the blue one... I do not know those people in the photo...

And they actually have a couple real goats that hang out at the stadium during games.

They had fireworks after the game, which were totally lame... but it's a nice effort. It was a fun night!
Saturday was all ponies all day. I started out with Eros. We had to ride indoors as they were finishing up re-doing the footing outside. It was fine though, there were only a few of us in there and there was a  breeze through the open doors. He was a good boy as per usual.
I headed home from there to tend the rest of the herd. But first I let my pups out, and then my neighbor's because she was out for the day. How adorable is this pack?!

All the smooshy faces!!!

Then it was horse time! I did Pammon first. We had a nice flat, and then wandered out to the yard for some grass snacks. Pammon wears a martingale though, and so snacking tacked up has been a hassle. I did come up with a solution though!

That's right. I braided his martingale into his mane. Totally did the job.
We followed snacks up with a shower and fan time.

 Shiny had a similar day, also finishing up her ride with snacks in the yard.

Then she had a shower and took some selfies with me. She's the cutest.

Rio skipped the riding part and went right to snacking.

He's the most handsome. Ever. Try to argue.
It was dinner time for everyone at this point, so the tall kids were fed, and I ran out to pick up some Thai for dinner. (Solid choice!) I spent the rest of the evening with the short kids binge watching season four of the OC. I had forgotten how awful the last season was. I remember now. They did redeem themselves with the last episode though.
Sunday morning was a little exciting. I've said it a million times (but you know how those things go...) that the stall doors need to be closed if horses are in the walkout behind said stall. Well. Weekend helper had Pammon out in his walkout behind his stall, but she was still working on cleaning it. The door to the walkout was latched (from the outside, where Pammon was) but the stall door into the aisle was open.  Helper was in the aisle when Pammon let himself in and promptly back out via the aisle door. Right out into the yard! I was especially worried because part of my fence on the side of the property came down in a storm a bit ago. I haven't gotten it fixed it yet, and I was CERTAIN he was going to run into the road. Thankfully he didn't, and we were able to catch him relatively quickly. It wasn't easy though... Horse is naughty!

After all that I was ready to get to Eros' barn. Our trunk had arrived finally!

Eros and Fefe have accumulated enough stuff that our lockers weren't cutting it for storage anymore. Plus if I ever show Eros with this barn, I'll need a trunk anyway. So dad generously got one for my stepmom and I to share. I'm excited to get all of Eros' and Fefe's stuff moved over there.

I finally forced myself to fix Eros' mane that morning too. It had really gotten out of hand. It was more than halfway down his neck. He looked like a wild mustang. But now, he looks MUCH better.

And then finally I got him ridden. The outdoor ring was all put back together, and the new footing was lovely to ride on. Nice and fluffy again! No lessons the last few weekends with Eros since everyone has been in VT. And I'm away this coming weekend. But hopefully we'll get back to business after that.

I headed straight home once Eros was tucked in to get moving at home. I wanted to jump both horses a little bit. I started with Pammon, and while he was a perfect angel, I was less stellar on Sunday. Everything was fine, nothing horrible happened, but we just never found a nice flow. Some days are just like that I think.

The ride was similar with Shiny, but in her case, I asked a lot more questions than the other times we have jumped. I put out some jump fill for her to pop over, but just on its own, without standards. I didn't really think that would pose an issue, but she actually did try to bulge past it a couple of times. I found a few places that she's very green also. Namely, she has no idea how to handle the deep distance. Or how to adjust to make it less deep. That's not at all surprising though as she's still working on moving forward with contact while flatting. She has lots to learn, but she's super game and really fun to work with.

Once the jumping kids were tucked back in their stalls, Rio got to spend some time outside enjoying some grass. I still can't get over how shiny and great he looks this year.

That's all him! He's not wet in either of those photos! What a stud.

I've been trying to give the horses Mondays off, but since they just had a vacation day Friday, and I'll be away Friday through Sunday this weekend, I decided to ride Monday. Pammon had a nice flat, and Shiny got off stupid easy with a bareback plop around. Tuesday, I went to pull Pammon out, hoping to jump a few fences, only to find this happening with his shoe:

I have no idea where the missing nail went, but do note that one remaining one isn't doing much! I sent that photo to my farrier and he said to keep him in and they'd fix it today. So Pammon had a shower (it was hot and humid that day and he was sweating just hanging in his stall) and the day off. Shiny had a good ride though! She worked her tail off, starting to practice going forward with contact. It's not easy! But she's getting it. Slowly.
That's about it from here! I shall leave you with this adorable photo of Shiny having a snooze. (I haven't ever caught her down before!)

OH! One other fun thing that I probably should have put in yesterday's post. I had ordered grooming halters a few weeks ago for the kids, and they just arrived this past weekend. They're so cute!

Ok, that's really it this time. How was your week/weekend? Take any lessons? Have a jump school? Buy anything fun?

What's up Wednesday

Phew, time is flying! Wednesday already? Summertime is my favorite time of the year, but it sure is busy. Not that I'm complaining, I love having fun stuff to do and horses to ride. And I love the warm sunny weather.
I scheduled an extra lesson on Eros last week because there aren't any trainers at the barn the next two weekends. They're all up in VT at the show. So Thursday after work I headed over there for a lesson. It was probably one of the best I've had with him lately. Maybe things are starting to click?

We worked on some more hunter style courses instead of lots of bending lines and roll backs. While I do think all horses should be able to do those things, it's also nice to work on what we would actually be doing if and when we get to a horse show. Eros definitely needs to get stronger behind, I think I need to work harder smarter about getting him back on his hind end when we flat. He's fine when the jumps are 2'6" but he's really unloading himself when the fences are 3'. It's ugly and hard to stay with! I know he has enough scope for the 3' so I think it's likely a strength issue. That aside though, he was really good despite it being a little rainy and late.

Friday after work was back to my four legged kids at home. They both just flatted since they had the day off on Thursday. Nothing too exciting from those rides to share! (Never a bad thing!)

I had 4 manes and two tails to braid Friday night, but the customer asked to have one of them done in the morning before they left at 6:15. There was no way time-wise to do some and then go back if I wanted to sleep at all, so instead I just started late and braided through the night. I got done at 5:30 which was perfect, as they were just arriving to feed. Hopefully breakfast kept the horse occupied so he didn't rub.

It was a long night. I climbed into my bed at 6 am and slept until 9. You guys. I am WAY too old for these all nighters! Anyway, I dragged myself out of bed and went and ran some errands. My car's emissions were due, so that was my first stop. Then coffee. Then off to ride Eros. He was kind of funny Saturday. I had new reins I was using, and they were so slippery I felt like I couldn't get anything done properly. And he was oddly kind of forward and sassy. It was a weird ride, but not bad really. Needless to say, those reins are going in the trash.

Next I headed home to ride my other two and take care of Rio. I planned to start with Shiny, but when I pulled her out, she had a fat hind leg. I couldn't find any cuts or anything, and her tendons didn't palpate sore, so I'm guessing she just bumped her leg on something. I wanted to ice it, but when I was putting the ice boot on, she kicked out at me. I smacked her, which wasn't all that smart since I hadn't fastened all the straps yet... So she jumped forward and the boot slipped down. She proceeded to panic. stomp my wooden brush box to kindling, and break the cross ties. Fortunately, once the cross ties broke she gave up her antics and I stuck her in the wash stall. I figured she could stand there and calm down while I cleaned up the mess. And then I cold hosed instead of icing. We followed that up with a hand walk and some grazing. Finally I wrapped her up behind and tucked her back into her stall.

Next was Pammon! He was perfect for our ride and I was grateful given how tired I was! We just flatted and worked on things like my dreadful sitting trot.
Pammon enjoyed some grass after our ride too, and then it was Rio's turn for attention. He had a nice grooming and some grass.

I had a ton of stuff to do in the house (how does one person make such a mess?!) but I knew I likely wouldn't do any of it given my three hours of sleep. And I had really wanted to stop by the carnival in my hometown. So after I fed the horses and the pups, I headed over there for a few minutes. The carnival is a fundraiser for the fire department there in town which is all volunteer run. After the fire at my childhood barn when I was 14, I try to always come and support the carnival. It's the least I can do.
It was already dark when I arrived, which makes it look way more fun.

I wanted to play a couple games and eat some crappy food. So I did just that! I won a unicorn at the dart game and stuffed balloon dog at whack-a-mole. Then I ate some fried oreos and left. I don't think I was there even a  half hour. Ha! Efficient!

There were five... but I didn't snap a pic until after I stuffed some in my face.

And then I went home and fell asleep on the floor with the pups... I woke up at 4 am and went to bed. I really need to stop doing that!

Sunday morning I had another lesson with Eros. This one went great too, which is kind of mind blowing. I'm a little bummed I won't get to jump again for two weeks with him now that things are coming together. But that's pretty much the story of my life isn't it? Lol. It was pretty hot, and Eros was letting me know that while he was drying off from his after-lesson bath.

I skipped the farmer's market and just went straight home. I rode Pammon first. He was fantastic! I hadn't planned to jump, but decided to because I was feeling pretty good about things after my Eros lesson. Pammon was perfect! Everything was coming up out of stride, and he was landing softly and seemed like he was having fun. If I had more energy I would have gotten off and put the fences up some, but I didn't. Maybe this week!

Shiny's leg was still puffy, so I gave her another day off. We hand walked and cold hosed, and had some grass. Perhaps she did it on purpose to get out of working during the 95 degree weather?

Since it was so hot, I brushed Rio off quickly and then gave him a rinse before heading out for snacks. I think he was grateful!

I decided after taking care of all the horses that I had to skip the lake and do my adulting in the house. So I did some laundry and straightened up and that was the end of the weekend.

Monday was only half boring though! I worked in the morning, and then went to the Bronx in the afternoon to watch some baseball! I LOVE going to Yankee stadium, and Monday was a blast. It was hot when we got there, but by the time the game started the sun was low and it was the perfect temperature out.

And I got nachos in a helmet so that's pretty much all a girl needs right?

On top of a super fun evening at the ball park, mother nature treated us all to this view as the sun went down:

The Yankees were leading going into the last inning, but they managed to blow it and lose. So that was a bummer. But I still had a great time. It was another late night though. I got home after 1. Tucked in the ponies and then crashed for the night.

Kinda like this... but in my bed this time.

 Tuesday morning came FAST. But I made it to work more or less the same time as usual (which really isn't what you'd call "on time". I'm a terrible employee when it comes to punctuality in the morning...) I was hoping to ride both horses after work since Shiny's leg was looking better when I checked it Monday and also Tuesday at lunch time. But when I got home from work she had a big gash in it. I honestly don't know what's going on when I'm not home, but whatever it is, she keeps hurting the same leg! So I scrubbed the cut, cold hosed her, and wrapped it back up. It was very sore, so I didn't think riding was the right thing for it. What's another day or two off?
Pammon was perfect as always, though a bit lazy. It was still close to 90 when I rode him last night and humidity has been creeping up. Today the high is 91 with 70% humidity so I think it will be another easy ride. There are storms coming though, so it may be a day off... time will tell!
And that's about it for last week! How was your week? Do anything horsey? Lessons or horse shows? Tell me about it in the comments!

What's Up Wednesday

Phew! Wednesdays have turned into a crazy work day. I may have to become a responsible blogger and start drafting my weekly catch ups on Tuesday nights!
This was a fun week! While I still haven't made my big running comeback (it's coming I swear!) I've still been plenty busy with horse showing, work, and the short kids. And maybe some fun too!

Short Kids:
Not too much new with the littles. They're mostly just living the life, eating stuff they shouldn't, and being generally adorable.

Tall Kids:

The Duck is currently in the midst of a testing phase. So you will not see photos of him enjoying grassy snacks. Naughty honies don't get snacks. I suspect he'll be back to his new acts-like-a-real-horse self in no time. He does after all, think from his belly. Here he is wishing he was on the other side of the fence:

Rio is doing great! His foot has no squishy spots left, and now we're just waiting for it grow back down. I don't think it will be long. That horse grows hoof (and hair for that matter) like nothing I've ever seen.

Jampy went to a horse show this weekend at Westbrook. I was curious to see how he would behave as we were showing in the indoor ring. We haven't been in one of those in over a year... He actually was fantastic!
My flat class went first. He was a good boy, but we were a little too slow (hey, I'll take quiet any day!) and finished up in second out of three riders.
 Next I had two fence classes. The first was quite nice. He rode softly and did everything I requested. We were second again, this time out of four. The next class was so-so. There was a vertical set across the short side of the ring, up at the far end. That was our first jump, off the right lead. We then had to turn left to get to the two stride on the diagonal.

That hard part went ok, but it was pretty tricky! Just getting to the first jump was awkward. The in gate was down before jump 6, so you had to kind of circle around the first jump to get to it. Jamp got a little strong after jump four because he thought he was going straight to the oxer out of the line, but he came back to me quickly. I didn't keep enough leg out of the turn to the last line past the in gate, so he nearly trotted on me. But he didn't. Good boy. We were second again. Red ribbon kind of day!

My last class was the Connecticut Adult Medal. This one goes toward qualifying for next year, so it's nice to get going early with that. The course was almost identical to the one I just showed you, but at the end you finished over the single on the far side of the ring. We had a lovely course finally! The canter was smooth and mostly stayed the same. I didn't get too picky at Jamp's mouth and managed to find some nice distances right out of stride. I was confident going back in for the flat phase. The judge kept the flat short and sweet, and we won! Woohoo! Nice way to end the day.

Other:

I mentioned last week that I was leaving work early to go see the Yankees play for my last time this year. I love going to Yankee Stadium. Mostly for the baseball but also for the eating of bad food. And the giveaways can be pretty neat too!

My coworker, his wife, and I attend this same giveaway game every year for the last 7 years. It's sponsored by MetLife and the giveaways are Peanuts themed.

See Snoopy over by home plate?

The first three years the item was a stuffed animal Snoopy doll. He wore the home jersey, the warm up shirt, and the away jersey through the years. When they ran out of new outfits for him, they switched to bobble-heads. This year it was Schroeder, and he's the catcher.

I've been keeping my collection at work. Here's everyone together:

Clearly, we need to keep attending this game so I can have the whole team! I didn't take pictures of my ice cream because it was super hot and it was melting everywhere. But here are some of the other terrible foods I enjoyed (they were all delicious!):

Ribbon Fries... basically potato chips. SO GOOD!

We all shared this bucket of chicken fingers and french fries. Mmmm fried everything!

Speaking of eating... We celebrated Rosh Hashana this week which is the Jewish New Year. My mom made a delicious dinner for all of us. I was trying to be a good family member and not have my phone at the table so I didn't get any photos of the celebration. But you'll have to trust me, it was tasty! I did grab some photos of old pictures my mom has in the house of me and my old horses Bud and Cosmo. I don't have copies of them, so I figured that was a good way to get some:

Ah to be young again. Bud and I are on the left circa 1993 (I would have been 13) and the right picture is of Cosmo and Me in 1999. This was the summer after my freshman year of college making me 19.

So that's what's up with me this Wednesday! What's up with you? Do anything fun this week? Clog your arteries like I did?