Truthful Tuesday

 

Had a couple of random thoughts to share today for Truthful Tuesday... First is an equine related thought. Or maybe a bit of a rant, but I promise it's not terribly controversial. I belong to a few different Facebook groups that are horsey. And you always see people on there looking for advice on this or that. Great places to get insight for sure. (Though obviously, a fair amount of that info is... from the internet.) Anyway...

A frequent complaint I see from people is that their riding boots (or sometimes even their rubber rain boots) aren't holding up as long as they'd expect "for what they cost". They then go on to talk about how they've been wearing those boots daily for four years and can't figure out why they are falling apart. My favorite is when they go on to say well, yeah, I clean stalls and bathe my horse in them, but they should hold up to that! Lol. This kills me. Dude, they're leather boots. If you're traipsing through poo and getting them soaking wet and full of soapy bubbles that you probably don't rinse off, of course they're going to break down and rot! And four years?! Any boots I wear every single day and do chores in die after a year. Doesn't matter how much I pay (or don't). Want to know why boots lasted longer in the old days? Because there were more repair shops around. People had their boots FIXED on the regular. It's harder these days to find boot repair shops. It's often easier to just replace the boots. I remember when I was growing up (which was apparently a really long time ago, though it doesn't so much feel that way to me) having my boots resoled and restitched pretty much yearly. And sometimes stretched to fit my growing calves. (My feet stopped growing in the fifth grade, and I don't think my legs grew much taller after that either, just wider.) And the boots didn't have as many moving parts either. They didn't have zippers. We pulled them on! And bruised our friends' asses trying to get them off at the end of the day too. Anyone remember that? Pulling off your friends' boots? Or are you all too young? It was certainly a spectacle. Anyway, that's my rant for today. 

My other "deep" thought is really quite silly but occurred to me while my mind was wandering earlier. I find people in the UK use the word "post" in reference to sending something through the mail. And their mail service is called Royal Mail. But here in the US we say we are mailing an item. (Or shipping, we use that word a lot too.) But our mail service is called the US Postal Service. So shouldn't we be saying post, and our UK friends should be saying mail? Sorry. This is how my brain works. Anyone else ever noticed this?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! It's pretty chilly today, but seasonally so. The misery comes in tomorrow. I'm still pretty well layered today though.

Am I wearing two sweaters? Yes. Yes I am. And also added both a vest and a coat for riding today. How many days till spring? Also, yes. This is how I look in the morning. Mornings aren't my favorite.

Helmet: Samshield

Yep, still wearing this. And you best believe that I will be putting the winter liner in for tomorrow's rides. 

Sweaters: Asmar Equestrian

When I was on vacation a few weeks back it was very difficult to ignore all the after Christmas sales flooding my inbox. I may or may not have purchased a bunch of sweaters from Asmar. They aren't wool, but are still pretty warm. Cotton/cashmere blend... mostly cotton. I like that the sweaters come in matching colors so they layer really nicely. They're marked down to around $50 (some a little more, some a little less) and I think are a nice deal if you're in the market.

Belt: Tory Burch

It's shockingly tricky to match greens. But this belt is a pretty solid match today's sweaters. I like the Tory belts, they're similar to the Mane Janes (also similar to Hermes if you're fancy like that).

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

You guys all know by now that I'm a big fan of these breeches for the colder days. I think tomorrow I'll be busting out the corduroys, but these worked pretty well for today.

Boots: Celeris UK

Wore these again today, but yes, tomorrow I shall be busting out the furry boots. It is time.

Shiny is our model today, and her outfit... doesn't exactly match today. We can't be winners every week! Anyway, here's what she had on:

Bridle: Camelot RCS Gold

I should have used the spike browband bridle today. But I gotta tell you, it's nothing short of miraculous that I am on her in time for our 8:30 lesson. There was zero chance I would remember to grab the other bridle. And really... it kind of works with the rest of the mismatched outfit. (You'll see.)

Boots: Eskadron

I really like Eskadron brushing boots. These are such a pretty shade of green. I actually bought two pairs for everyone since they're limited edition. Figured this way I can keep a set in the trailer for schooling if and when we get to some away shows. Plus we'll have a back up for when inevitably these wear out.

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Premier Equine

Quarter Sheet: Horze

Told you. We did not match very well today. I don't have the green quarter sheets at the barn this year. So we had to stick with navy for the back half. I think she was happy for the butt warmer. It was only 20 degrees in the indoor for our lesson. Ugh. Also, in case anyone is wondering, she wasn't quite herself this morning. I think she's a bit sore/stiff from her little stumble yesterday. So we opted to just do a flat lesson today and kept it light and easy for her. I'm sure she'll be feeling better in a day or two. Plus it's going to be a very light (if any) work weekend anyway due to the cold. 

So that's it for today! I'm not sure yet what we're wearing next week, but I'm thinking it might be back to blues. Time will tell!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Guys, winter is so boring. And like not in a bad way necessarily, but I have almost nothing to share on here lately. Not to mention no media what-so-ever. But I do have some good news!

In true horses are ridiculous fashion, Al got a clean bill of health from the vet on Friday. In fact, I was told he was the soundest horse doc had seen all day. Which wasn't really saying much as the others were pretty acutely unsound... but I'll take that regardless. The dermatitis on his left leg is finally cleared up (that took FOREVER) and whatever he had done to make his so unsound the last couple of weeks has resolved itself as well. Doc put him on a Chinese herb called Body Sore to see if that might help with this on again off again roller coaster we've been on. He's felt quite good so far this week, though he's somewhat lost his mind. I'm not allowing him free lunges for a bit, and well... he needs one. I'm going to try to lunge him a little on a line next week. I'd prefer he carry on like an idiot with a larger space than on a circle, but also, he can't be left to his own devises like that right now. So that's where we are. Hopefully once he's fully back to work and gets back to jumping his little brain cells will start to regenerate. In the meantime, send some good juju to the spinning horse deities please.

Eros is perfect as always. I was especially proud of him in the flat lesson yesterday. We worked quite hard (both of us, we had no stirrups for the majority of the lesson and also I would like some extra credit as the rest of the class is teenagers!) for about 40 minutes before getting a break. For Eros, at the 40 minute mark (which is well past his preferred 23 minutes of work) he usually checks out if we take a break and then start up again. That's normally when he tries to just pull me right out of the saddle. Which is hilarious by the way, and occasionally somewhat successful when I've been without stirrups for that long. Anyway, he did try that halfheartedly but then went right back to work. I was very proud of him. And last week we had one of our best jump lessons in a very long time. And that's saying a lot as he's been quite good lately. We shall see what tomorrow brings. It's getting VERY cold here and that doesn't always bode well. Fortunately the cold snap should be a short one. I'm hearing something about -30's (F) with the windchill on Saturday. But back to the 40's for Sunday. Should be a fun weekend. (Sarcasm.)

Shiny's been doing great too. We've been working very hard, and that really seems to be useful with her. Her work ethic seems to vary directly proportional to how hard I ask her to work. Which is good, I suppose. Better than her shutting down when I ask for more. We had a great lesson last week. It ended up being a private and we spent a little extra time on the flat work. It was great, and she really tried hard to get her body bending BOTH directions. She was great over fences too. One of my friends and fellow boarders has a laser that she let me treat Shiny with. It's a neck wrap, but can be used all up and down her whole body. We treated Shine on Saturday afternoon. I rode her bareback Sunday and she felt pretty good, but I was really impressed Tuesday when she felt amazing under tack. Today however... She fell down again. That hasn't happened in forever. She managed to right herself eventually, so it wasn't a total wipeout, and I managed to stay on. Also good. Hopefully she won't be feeling too sore tomorrow. We are scheduled to lesson, but if she's not feeling it, we'll take a rest day. She felt fine after the stumble, so I'm expecting her to be okay. Might be time to inject that neck again. But she's feeling so great, I'm just not sure. Might have just been the footing. She has a hard time with the fancy good footing at the barn. We're just a little too backyard for that nice stuff I guess! Ha! 

That's about it from here. Enjoy a photo of Rita asking when we're going to bed since I have zero horse photos to share this week.

How are things with all of you?!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that I have a couple of craft projects that I started during the pandemic and never finished. They're both sitting out in the living room staring at me. And yet, I haven't felt much motivation to work on them. 

One is a needlepoint belt that I just a little less than half completed. the trouble with this one is that it's mostly all one color. It has my logo and farm name on it, and other than that, the rest is just background. So it's kind of boring to work on. I did finally stitch a few rows the other night, and I'm going to make an effort to work on it more. Once I get this one done, I want to send it and a few others that are completed to get finished into belts. I found someone who does them for a really reasonable price and now I'm itchy to get them done! But like... not so itchy that I've gotten the last one finished. Ha. 

The other is one of those paint with jewel things. It's like paint by number but with rhinestones instead of paint. I had one printed up with of some of my favorite horse photos. I was really into working on it at first, but eventually I lost interest and it's just sitting on my coffee table looking sad and unfinished. I really want to get it done, if for no other reason but to get my coffee table cleared off! 

Since it's winter here in New England, everything is gray and gloomy and the cold weather is apparently coming in this weekend. So no better time than to work on some crafts, right? Hopefully I will do just that.

What about you? Have any partial projects you need to get finished?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And yes. I nearly forgot again. It was a busy day, what can I say? Anyway, here's what I wore this week:

Green! My favorite! Navy is a lovely color and all, but I prefer a nice hunter or forest green personally. 

Helmet: Samshield

Still enjoying the sparkly helmet. Look how nicely it matches with Al! (Who is our model today by the way.) 

Sweater: PS of Sweden

I'm pretty sure you've seen this before. I've had this one for a few years, and it's a favorite for sure.

Belt: The Sugar Lady

I wore Rio's belt with this outfit because I've been missing him a little extra lately. I really love how thi belt came out. It's so special to me.

Breeches: Ariat

These are old too. I have some fun new breeches I can't wait to share on the blog, but they're definitely more of a summer weight so you'll have to be patient for those to come out. In the meantime, enjoy these oldies!

Boots: Celeris UK

Yes, sorry. I have reused last week's photo. Same boots though, so whatever.

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

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Look at that handsome kid! I haven't decided yet if I prefer this thinner noseband, or the wider type on him. I'm leaning toward wider, but this bridle is lovely so we'll use it either way.

Saddle: Butet

Baby Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Le Mieux

I really like the Le Mieux ProSorb half pad because it is designed to fit with a higher wither. That said, I prefer it for Eros. Al here has almost no wither, and this pad makes my saddle feel a little unstable on him. It looks nice though... If that matters. Ha!

Boots: Waldhausen

So. I wanted to love these boots. I really did. I LOVE the color. I like the fluffy part. I really like almost everything about them. Except that they are really tall. I got cob size because generally that's what my horses wear. And they fit pretty well around the leg, but they are so tall, that they end up slipping down when we ride. Not because I don't have them tight enough, but because when they bend their knees the boots are forced down. I'm going to try washing them to see if they'll soften up a little. Maybe if they're less stiff, they'll give more with the leg and stay put better. But if that doesn't fix them, I'll probably sell them to someone with a horse with long legs. (Al's legs are pretty long, and they worked best for him. Eros has pretty short canon bones, and they really weren't working great for him.)

And that's it for today! Any favorites? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Another short update this week. There's just not a lot happening around here right now! Not a bad thing, just makes for a boring blog post. 

We'll start with Al since he's the most interesting these days. He's definitely much improved over where he was, but still isn't right behind. I'm really very confident it's not an abscess at this point as he's happy to have it flat now. I think whatever is wrong is up higher, maybe stifle? Maybe something in his butt? Not sure exactly. Vet comes Friday finally so hopefully I'll get some answers. I did get on Al today so I could feel what I was seeing. And it feels worse than it looks. Which I had an inkling would be the case. He's really not terrible, but for sure isn't quite right. Looking forward to hopefully getting some answers Friday.

Eros is doing great. I think he's maybe coming due for hocks but I haven't decided yet if that's true. I think we just need to get back to working on the hind end a little more. We've certainly been a little lazy in that department. I'm going to give a few more weeks and see where we are then. 

In our lesson last week, he was almost too quiet. I didn't quite know how to ride him! He was great though, once I got him in front of my leg. Went right around, and was even adjustable in the lines. Some kind of winter miracle! We jump again tomorrow, so fingers crossed he's the same quiet boy this time too.

And then there's little Shiny pants. I made the decision last week after she nearly bucked me off in my lesson, that I need to be a little more assertive with her. I tend to err on the side of caution and always assume that when she's being difficult it's because something is bothering her. And generally, I think that's the correct approach to horses. But back to that lesson... 
So she's been difficult about picking up canter for awhile now. It's something that seems to happen every winter and occasionally in the summer as well. In our lesson last week, she was angrily kicking out when I asked for it, and at one point even bucked fairly hard when I insisted. But eventually she would pick it up and the canter itself felt fine. Once in the canter, she was mostly agreeable like it wasn't actually hard for her. Anyway, we were jumping a course of small jumps (MAYBE 2' if I'm being generous) and after the diagonal vertical she stumbled kind of hard, but in the process of righting herself she let out a HUGE buck. Like her feet were above her head huge. Who knew she could even do that? Anyway, after that happened, she was amazing. Moved forward off my leg, jumped great, zero complaints from her. I'm not sure if that buck fixed whatever had been bothering her, or if the stumble made her realize it was in her best interest to carry herself properly rather than fighting me on her forehand. Whatever the reason, she was great the rest of the lesson. 
The next day though, she was trying to be snarky again about picking up the canter. This time, I let her complain but refused to give up on asking. After a couple of arguments she started cantering nicely without complaint. She still isn't as prompt as I'd like her, but as long as she's moving forward and keeping her feet out of the air, I'll take it for right now. I've been really making her work when we ride ever since. Lots of lengthening and shortening. Revisiting the lateral work that we had shelved for awhile. That sort of thing. And each day she's gotten more willing. The last two rides she hasn't kicked out at all, not even for the first canter depart. In conclusion, I think sometimes with horses (and maybe especially ponies) it really is an attitude problem and not a physical problem. Is it always? Probably not. But sometimes it is, and I need to get better at figuring out which problem we're having.

That's all that's new with the horses. Hopefully I'll have a report on Al next week and a plan to move forward. Doggos are holding their own for now. P is looking pretty old, but she's still hanging in there. I had a really busy Sunday which involved getting all three horses done before 10 AM, a baby shower, and then picking up my dad and stepmom from the airport. When all that was done, I had to go back to the barn to wrap up Al's dermatitis foot. (It's NEARLY all gone!) I decided to take Rita back with me since she's been begging to go for a ride in the car. She had so much fun at the barn, she slept the whole car ride home and then most of the evening. So please enjoy these two cute photos of her to finish off this post.

Truthful... Wednesday?

 

Heh.... Bet you can guess what I'm gonna confess....

I FORGOT TO WRITE A TRUTHFUL TUESDAY POST THIS WEEK!

Oops. So uh... yeah. That'll do for this week. Did you miss me?! Lol!