What's Up Wednesday

 

Another kind of boring week on the lesson front as I didn't have any. Al's still waiting on the farrier before we move forward with our workload. So he's just flatting lightly for now. Seems to be on the right track though, so that's positive! He's been relatively sane most days which is also a positive since he hasn't had a free lunge in weeks. And we all know Al really appreciates his free lunges. I'm sure he'll be a psycho tomorrow since I'm praising him now... But maybe not. He IS eight now after all. That's like full on grown up. 

I'm just kidding. Al will never be a grown up and I'm not sad about that. He's so full of fun, I hope he stays that way forever. But like... the spooking could simmer down.

Shiny's kiddo is going back to Florida soon, so they're getting in as many rides as they can before she leaves. They've been doing so great together, it's really fun to watch. But they did have a parting of ways last week. They didn't get down the line quite as well as they thought. Kiddo asked for the long one which Shiny actually obliged, but despite ASKING for the long one, kiddo didn't really believe in it, got left behind and then just popped off as Shiny landed. Oops. No tears were shed though, and she got right back on and tried again, like a true horse kid! So proud of both of them for not letting a little mistake rattle them. Shiny is a little naughty when she drops her kid though. It happened once last year, and then this time this year, and both times she's run away bucking. Like she's careful to make sure she's far away from her deposit before bucking... but still. She bucks! Naughty! Easy to catch though. So that's good. 

Eros has been his usual mostly perfect self. He's been a little lazy about really using himself, so we're working on that this week. I didn't end up jumping him last week because the weather hasn't cooperated with my schedule. But we did a lesson today, kind of... He was feeling himself today! He seemed quiet when I was warming up, but pretty spooky. Which didn't bode well for the jumping part... and well. He was pretty silly. He wasn't terrible AT the jumps, but was landing VERY bold. Which was fine. Despite being wild, he did let me reel him in and would consider my input at the jumps. So I'll call that an improvement over years past when he was feeling this sort of way. I'm not sure why he was so up today. Yesterday they were all cool as can be. Relaxed, not spooky. ALL OF THEM. Today? Everyone spooked. Even Shiny. Something in the air I guess. We had a very weird weather day, and I think that gets to them. But who knows? Horses, right?! We'll try again on Saturday... Until then we're going to get some work done on the flat, and maybe have a little free lunge. He also enjoys those from time to time. 

I mentioned last week on Thursday's Threads that we had spirit week last week at the boarding barn. If you've been around awhile, you know that I love a good theme. And spirit week is my time to shine! I wave that freak flag high and proud! So I feel the need to share all of my outfits with you guys! (Don't worry, it was only Tues through Fri.) 

Tuesday: Tacky Tourist

I rode Cuba for Tacky Tourist Tuesday and she was a very willing participant. My shirt, saddle pad, and her polos all had palm leaves on them. The bonnet had flamingos. And her fanny pack was a watermelon but it also had a koozy sleeve attached. It would be so perfect for trail riding!

Wednesday: Barn Day

I had Cuba again Wednesday and she liked dressing in the barn colors and logo too. But I think she liked Tacky Tourist day better. 

Thursday: Throw Back Day 

You guys already saw this one... but I really think you can't see it enough. That pink side pony is my favorite part. And Slim is so handsome too. 

Friday: Color Wars!

I'm not sure if you could tell, my team was yellow. I had Quebec for yellow day, which he's a SUPER fun ride. But he wasn't really into dressing up. Hence his half braided mane. I had planned jumper knots with big yellow pompoms. But then Quebec was like NOOOOO so I didn't get that done. He didn't seem to mind the yellow tail extensions though, so high for five for those! The yellow helmet mohawk was my favorite part of this outfit. I feel like maybe helmet hair accessories should be a regular thing. Nothing says fun like a side pony or a mohawk. 

In addition to all this fun, I actually had a lot of braiding work this weekend. Like a lot. 

By Sunday night my watch had logged this:

Nothing says finals weekend like a 23 hour day! Thankfully, I didn't have as much work as last year this time. That was insane. But over the three nights I did 14 manes and 12 tails. And THAT will pay for half my load of hay I need to order. So yay for that! 

Night 1:

Night 2:

Night 3:

The nights were long, not so much because of the amount of horses as there weren't that many, but none of them were at the show. So I had to travel to four different barns to get them all done. Thankfully they were all pretty close. 

My town's annul fair was this weekend too, and I hate to miss it! Even if two favorite food stands were gone. (Boo.) So after finishing my last mane Sunday, I headed straight to the fair! First stop was to look at the bunnies because I LOVE bunnies. I've never had one. But I think they are so cute. Then I walked through the cow barn because they're also adorable. Finally I ordered myself some food. I went with a grilled cheese. It was stuffed with bacon and tator tots. 10/10 highly recommend. Sat and watched the horse pulls while I ate that. Then got some ice cream and watched the horses for awhile longer. 

Eventually I had to head out to go ride my own horses. But not before getting a giant bag of kettle corn. Man, I love fair food! When Sunday finally ended, I slept for 12 hours and took Monday as a garbage day. Rita and I went for a walk, the horses got fed as normal, and otherwise I did absolutely nothing productive.

That was my week! Hope you all had a good one. 

What's Up Wednesday

I nearly forgot to write What's Up Wednesday today! Thankfully, I remembered. I'm sure you'd all be super sad to miss all the craziness that was last week.  Let me just start out by saying, I'm SO GLAD local finals are done. I'm not sure I could survive another weekend of not sleeping enough.
I took Friday off from work last week. Originally, I was going to take a half day because I had Yankee tickets for the evening game (Star Wars Night!!!). But then I was asked to braid a horse in the morning, and I decided to just take the whole day. Who wants to get up extra early to braid before work, suffer through a half day, get done later than you were supposed to, and then rush around getting the horses and dogs set up for the pet sitters? Not me! Plus, by skipping work, I had time to ride Badger before leaving for NY.
So, I started braiding around 8:

Jack was a good boy, so I had mane and tail done by 9. (He went on to win his class at finals!) Perfect timing to get to Badger!

He's due for shoes on that questionable foot so it was another walk trot weekend for us. He was a good boy though. I rushed out of there, and got home with enough time to ride Jampy (quickly).

Rio got the day off so I could grab a shower before heading to the train station. He didn't mind at all. Since it was Star Wars Night AND a Friday, the stadium was sold out. This adorable little kid, along with Darth Vader threw out the first pitch:

It was a great game, and it went into extra innings. Which normally I'd be super happy about, but I had to be up at 6 to braid again in the morning. They ended up losing 2-1 at 11 PM. I got home a little after 2 and went right to bed. (Spoiler alert: I'm legit still tired.)
The horse I had to braid Saturday morning was a bit of a nudge, so he took a little longer than I wanted. And it really wasn't my best work. Hard to braid a moving target. But I got him done, and was only a little late to ride Badger.

Despite my questionable braiding job, this guy finished second in his class!
Had another nice, light hack on Badger, followed by riding Rio and Jampy at home. Light hacks for everyone, cause I was barely awake.

I had plans to meet up with my mom after feeding the boys to go to the local fair, so I knew I had to follow the one golden rule of busy weekends: DON'T SIT DOWN TILL IT'S BEDTIME! Once I was done in the barn, I grabbed a shower but still had time to kill. The pugs were pretty happy because I gave them that free time. We played in the yard for awhile until the bugs got bad.

Somehow, it still wasn't time to feed and mom hadn't arrived yet, so I broke the rule and took a 15 minute power nap. Much needed.
My town's fair is really tiny, but I managed to have a great time with my mom. I ate ALL the things, cause that's what fairs are for. And then I found my new horse and proceeded to spend a lot of money to win him.
Everyone, I'd like you to meet Corny:

He's settled in nicely. Doesn't eat much at all, never poops, and enjoys hanging out on the couch.

I honestly have no idea what to do with him. But I'm pretty happy to have him around. Between Corny and the almost life-sized cut out of Rio, this house is starting to really seem a little off. This might be why I'm single...
Also at the fair was an artist making things out of glass. He made figurines and necklaces. I was going to buy a pretty pink heart necklace (they were all $10, so inexpensive!) but then I realized you could make requests. I asked for a green horse (obviously) and then added a horse shoe to my order. You guys, these pendants are gorgeous! And $10?! The horse is incredible.

I'm kind of afraid to wear the horse because I don't want to break it. But I'm told it has a lifetime guarantee so if I ruin it, he'll fix or replace it. Though he was quick to point out he meant his lifetime, not mine. Lol. Artists got jokes!
After stuffing my face with fried oreos, it was time to head home and crash. My poor body was pretty happy to not move even an inch for a solid 7 hours (finally).
Sunday was pretty quiet. I rode all three horses. Jampy had a little school. I was excited to watch the video because he really finished up great. I felt like his last few jumps he really used himself. Unfortunately, my phone stopped recording after five minutes. Boo. So this is the best I could get:

Trainer is a little funny about feeding the horses weird stuff, so Badger missed out... But Rio and Jampy enjoyed some candy apples from the fair.

I finished the evening off with a lobster roll at the lake. It was one of the last live music nights. This coming weekend they're having a band Saturday, but I don't think I'll make it over. And MAYBE they'll have something the weekend after, but then the Snack Shack closes down for the season. I'm so sad. I'm not ready for summer to end. Nor for my weekly lobster rolls to stop. I'm glad I've been making an effort to go though. I've met a lot of the neighbors who I hadn't in the 10 years I've lived here. Guess I'm finally becoming a townie!
This week has been really busy at work, and I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. I gave the horses Monday off, so after yoga, I stopped for groceries and just relaxed a bit. Tuesday was rainy, so I flatted Jamp, but gave Rio a second day off. Tonight everyone flatted again. Hopefully Jampy will jump a little tomorrow if it doesn't rain.
Also, I have to fangirl a bit here... Tucker Tweed shared one of my photos on Instagram!

If only photo shares came with free hand bags... Amiright?!

Well, that's what's up this Wednesday! What's up with you? Did you get lots of sleep this weekend? If you did, can you tell me all about it? I really miss sleeping.