What's Up Wednesday

 

So USUALLY I ride all the horses six days a week. But not last week, that's for sure. Last week they were on the every other day schedule. That's just how it happens sometimes. They had Wednesday off due to weather, then Friday for the vet, and then Sunday for more weather. Some weeks it's like that if you don't have an indoor, and you know what? They're all just fine. No worse for the wear. (Or lack of wear as the case may be.) So obviously, I don't have much riding wise to chat about. But it's horses, so that doesn't mean there's nothing to talk about! 

Autumn is autumning

Friday we had a scheduled vet appointment for fall shots and teeth. We haven't done teeth in awhile, though I get them checked every six months. Fortunately, they were all still in good shape and just needed a quick float. They all handled shots well too, so that was nice! The boys don't usually have much trouble, but before her weight loss Shiny always had a hard time with shots. It's interesting to see what she handles better now that she's lighter. I also had Lyme and EPM titers drawn. I don't put a lot of faith in the EPM titer after Rio (who's titer was always negative even when he couldn't stand up without a wall next to him...) but if it does show a high titer, that would mean something anyway. So doesn't hurt to check. I mean only the wallet anyway. 

Sunday I noticed that Shiny's paddock fence was starting to lean. I recognized that lean... And made a note to mention to my worker that we needed to replace at least two of those posts. (Spoiler alert: it was four.) They're still the old ones that were defective. I've been replacing them as they rot, so there are still a bunch of them around. Well... before I could make mention my helper sent me this photo:

Guess that couldn't wait. I blame all the rain we got Sunday and Monday. We got a ton, everything is still wet everywhere. Mother nature is all or nothing it seems like! The guy who installed my fence for me is in Florida right now, so I knew I couldn't call him for help. My worker who is capable of fixing this didn't have the time to do it. I've found that trying to dig holes is not something my knee approves of, so my options for getting this fixed in a timely manner appeared very slim. Fortunately, I had one more person to call, and he was able to get it repaired yesterday. Shiny was very relieved to have her paddock back. And the boys were relieved she was back down there. Neither of those two weenies would go to the far end of the ring when they were turned out without her down there. Even though that's where their hay was. For real! Weenies. I don't know what they would do without Shiny. I hope they appreciate her.

Eros has been particularly sassy of late. He always gets a little weird this time of year, and the elements aren't helping any. It's been cool and windy everyday, but at the same time, the flies are HORRENDOUS! Which is the stuff nightmares are made of for Eros. Add to that the lighter workload he's been having and he just doesn't really know how to handle his intrusive thoughts. I am wondering if he has Lyme again because that would explain his NQR-ness and this sudden extra spooky behavior. We'll find out soon enough. If it's not that I may hit him with some ulcer treatment and see if that helps. He's not like a psycho or anything, just a little extra. We'll figure it out I'm sure.

He has very strong ears.

Al's been... pretty good? I can't for the life of me get him MOVING, but he's using whatever parts of the ring I request. Not always super willingly, but he's doing it. And honestly that's a big step in the right direction. The back probably 1/3 of the ring is still a little too wet to work in, so he's getting a reprieve from full ring torture. Which probably is helpful for both of us if I'm being honest. Ha! I think I'm going to pack away some of the jump fill for the winter and set up a little course of trot poles and just a few single jumps for now. I think anyway. I'm not yet committed to such things. But I think having some poles with set distances might help me get him moving without him realizing it. And he's always better with a task to pay attention to. And pretty soon the ground will be too hard to jump anyway. 

Which brings me to my next topic. I can't remember if I've mentioned yet, but I think we're going to stay home this winter. The barn I went to last year doesn't have enough stalls for us, and there's really not many places nearby to even consider, let alone that have room for three horses. And I dunno. I could maybe use a little winter break this year. I have a bunch of projects to tackle in the house that I can't ever seem to find the time and/or energy for. And maybe a little break would be just the thing to reset Al and get Eros sound again. I figure I could ride Shiny in the snow, she's reliable. So she can get her exercise at least. We'll see. I can always change my mind later. Plus, you never really know what winter will be like. Some years it barely snows at all and stays mild. Of course that won't happen if I stay here... but we'll cross that bridge when we get it it. 

That's about it for this week. We don't have anything planned that's too exciting at the moment. And I'm really pretty content with that!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Hahaha! Have I got a good one for you guys. Today, for just a few minutes I lost Eros. As in, I didn't know where he was. And it was VERY perplexing. 

Let me set the stage for you. I had been in the barn for quite awhile, having already made up Shiny's hay bags, done a load of laundry, ridden Shiny, and then fed lunch hay. I was just heading out to the ring with Al when I look over at Eros' stall and I don't see him. I assume he's having a snooze, since sometimes he'll nap during the day. So I look in the stall cause I don't wanna miss out on an adorable snoozy Eros. And he's not there. Now mind you, the stall door is latched and the back door is shut. I think to myself, "did I see him in here today? I thought I did. Maybe I didn't? Wait no, I definitely did, I fed him lunch!" So I'm VERY confused. A 16.3 hand dad bod of a horse can't just vanish through closed doors. Doesn't make any sense. So as quickly as I can, I get Al back on the crossties and head to Eros' stall to investigate. I'm quite concerned thinking he's maybe cast himself under the water buckets or something, though surely I'd have still seen him... When I finally notice the teeniest bit of light coming through the back door. Aha! 

He was outside in the med paddock. My helper must not have latched his door so Eros just let himself out. Not a big deal, it's fully fenced out there, but boy was I confused! It was a breezy day so after he'd walked out the door blew closed again. I imagine he was as confused as I was. It's a good thing I'm here by myself, because for just a moment there I legit thought I was losing my mind. What's left of it anyway!

Thursday's Threads: English Cowgirl edition

 

We went from t-shirt weather to winter in like 2.5 seconds. It was in the upper 80's over the weekend and today's high was 57. Tonight's low? 35. Ugh. Had to dig out the heavies to put on at night check. Good thing I organized the shed this weekend and they were very easy to find! Anyway, you're not here to talk about the weather. Let's get to outfit day! Shiny was our model and here's what she had on:

She was zero percent interested in standing for photos today. Because there's still a fat pony in there and there are leaves on the ground that should be eaten. Or so she told me.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made

Had a brilliant idea today on how to make this outfit better... We'll have to see if it comes to fruition at some point. But let's just say it would involve this part of the outfit.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Hopeful Equestrian
Half Pad: Mattes

Look at that pretty saddle on my girl... I let her borrow Al's green half pad. Shiny put one of her own on her wishlist for Chanukah. We'll see if she gets one. I miss Hufglocken's incredibly good prices for these things. I haven't found anywhere comparable. So far Pink Equine has the best prices that I've found, but with import fees now.... who knows.

Boots: Celeris UK

I use these very minimally because I can't really clean them with the hair on hide on the outside. But I do love them!

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

It seems like every clothing company is making horsey clothes this year. Some better than others... But I'm here for it! (My wallet less so.) I thought this boot sweater would be fun with my cow print. 

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

I covered some extra inserts I had for this helmet with this cow print vinyl to go with my boots, and I think it's pretty fab. It's a little wrinkly and pretty clearly DIY but whatever. Good enough!

Sweater: Wild Skye

Saw this adorable sweater at Marshall's for $16 and figured it was a must have. Plus I had rewards money to spend there so really it was free! (Girl Math at its finest.)

Belt: Unbranded

I got this belt when I was in college. There was leather artisan with a pop up kiosk in the tiny local mall there and that's where I got this. It had a different buckle though. Not sure what happened to it. This one looks cute with it though!

Breeches: Equiline

It was very much too cold for these pants today. Should have worn the Dover ones. I didn't think I'd need heavy breeches just yet!

Boots: Celeris UK

I think I've finally concluded that these are my most favorite pair of boots I own. And that's saying a lot. I still have many pair! I fully intend when the day comes that these need to retire I will figure out a way to replace them. They are a must have for my closet.

Okay, that's it for today! What did you think of my English Cowgirl outfit?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Heh, all I can say is we have been consistently inconsistent of late. But you know what? That's okay! I did ride all six days last week, but Thursday which was Yom Kippur I only had time for two so Eros had an extra day off last week. This week is just silly with days off though. Today we got rained out and Friday they are getting fall sheets and their dentals so another day off. Needless to say, no jump schools this week. Still okay though, plenty of time to jump in the future. 

Eros is still feeling kinda meh. I gave him an especially easy weekend, mostly just tack walking. Tuesday he came out pretty stiff, but once warmed up he did feel better than last week. So hopefully we're moving in the right direction. I'm pulling Lyme titers when we get shots this week so I'm curious to see if that might be what we're dealing with again. I say this because what I'm feeling isn't his normal front end stuff, it's something behind that I can't really pinpoint. If the titer comes back low and he still feels off in another week I'll call our lameness vet. But for now, it's nothing too severe, so I'm doing a little wait and see. 

Al's had an interesting week. There were two neighbor free days in which Al used the entire ring and more or less rode like a normal horse. Well. A normal, very lazy and semi unresponsive to my leg kind of horse. But whatever, for now I'll take that! Then the other days old bang and clang was out there banging and clanging away. Those days we had to use less of the ring and Al wasn't as good. But he never made me feel like death was imminent, so I think that's a positive. Tuesday we had the neighbor doing his thing out there AND all kinds of crazy wind (even Shiny spooked on Tuesday!) so we rode on a circle. Which I'm choosing to focus on the positive here so despite only using a small section of the arena, we did actually get some work done. The canter was ridiculous, and I'm not sure it fully qualifies as a canter... but for now I'll count it. Even if it had like ten million beats to it and covered about three inches of ground per stride... It was definitely something different than trot. I dunno guys. I think that's just who this horse is. Some days are good and some are less good, and we just need to work around that I guess. He seems to be in a good mood though, and I think (hope) his tummy feels good. He's off the esomeprazole completely now, so I'm hoping he stays okay without it. Doc has me keeping him on the sucralfate for now. He's eating really well and looks to be comfortable. So overall a good week I think. He did earn a bitless Sunday Funday which mean he got to ride out in the backyard and have snackies. He's only gotten that privilege a few times, so it's a pretty big deal! I do think he's the type that would enjoy riding out, but first he has to realize that trees aren't terrifying. One thing at a time. 

Shiny's the only one that did a little jumping this week. She's been feeling pretty good though still definitely lazy. At least until yesterday when she was a lil spicy! The only thing I've found that truly startles her is when things fall. She hates that. Tuesday when we were walking at the start of our ride, there was a big gust of wind and it blew over the little cross rail I had set up into the combination. Of course it was right next to us when it happened and she did a little bolt. Her little bolt always makes me laugh because it doesn't unseat you and it's very short lived. And then it's like it never happened. She never holds onto being afraid of things. If there's something that startles her, she usually then marches right up to it to investigate. I just love how brave she is like that. The flight response is weak in this one. Thank goodness. I'm not sure I could handle a barn full of Als. I think she really likes her new saddle too. She's significantly less cranky when I tack her up. So I'm taking that as a sign she likes it. 

Not too much else happening over here really. I used the rain day today to clean and condition my saddles and put a nameplate on Shiny's new one. I had ordered an extra one maybe for Pammon's saddle? So I had it already which was very convenient. They sure do look pretty all together in the tack room:

It's funny to look at them from the back and see how differently shaped all my horses are.

Can you guess which saddle goes with which horse? 

We're about to have a forty degree temp drop tonight, so tomorrow should be... something. Glad the saddles will be extra grippy! You guys have any big plans for the weekend? We're just going to lay low after shots and the wild temperature change. Maybe we'll find some consistency next week though!

Truthful Tuesday

 

I've been trying to knock something off the project list each Monday this summer. Some weeks are more successful than others. But this past week I did have some success! I went through the tack shed (and the extra stall in the barn that's housing my stuff for sale) and weeded out some more things to move along. I also reorganized what I'm keeping which was a long overdue task. And my confession? I have way more bridles than I realized. Two of which are still in the bags they came in. In my defense, I bought those two on closeout and because they were my FAVORITE bridle at the time. (And mostly still honestly.) They are Joseph Sterling figure 8 bridles and they were being discontinued. I have no regrets. Probably some day I'll have a horse that goes in one and I can bust them out. 

My second confession is that I was also able to find a couple pairs of reins in the shed to replace the worn out rubber ones on two of my everyday bridles. I was proud of that one! See? I didn't spend any more money AND I fixed a problem. Nice work self. High Five!

And now for my shameless plug: I have LOTS of stable blankets in various weights available for sale. Mostly sizes 80/81 and 69-72. I have one heavy turnout available in 81 and one turnout sheet with fleece lining in 81. I also have a little bit of tack, some horse boots, a bunch of human boots (mostly size 6 US, 36 EU), lots of coolers and scrims in the same sizes as the blankets, and some various other things. If you're in need of anything above and/or are looking for something reach out! I'd love to move this stuff along. I didn't take photos of anything yet. I have a few people coming to shop my hoard over the next couple of weeks but I'll probably get stuff photographed and posted somewhere at some point in the nearish future. Will share that info if/when I get to it!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day!!! And it's a good thing I planned ahead and wore today's outfit earlier in the week because it was COLD today! Al is our model this week, and here's what he wore:

I know what you're thinking. Green AGAIN. But this isn't just green. It's green GLITTER! Way better.

Bridle: Ponyo

I love me a bridle that is just completely glitter. They're on sale for $25 if you also need a glitter bridle. But I have no idea what import costs will be now. No idea whatsoever. I think we've already covered how I lack an understanding there. Thankfully, I got these a few years ago, before all the import nonsense.

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes

Saddle Pad: Eskadron

My camera flat out refused to pick up the glitteriness in this pad. I tried video, I tried different angles, I tried videoing at different angles. NOTHING! So you'll just have to trust me that there is plenty of sparkle happening here.

Boots: Eskadron

So then I thought, maybe I'll take the boot photo inside and maybe that will show the sparkle. But alas. You can barely even tell they're green, let along glittery. But they are indeed both of those things.

That's what Al had on, and here what I was wearing for glitter day:

I did not realize how unflattering this top is on it's own. I first took a photo head on, but you could legit see my belly button. Not attractive. Next time I'll wear a cami under here.

Helmet: Equinavia

I don't wear this helmet much because it's a hair tight. I can ride one horse in it, but it starts to give me a headache after that. But I can't bring myself to get rid of it because it's GREEN and it has GLITTER. Two of my favorite things. And it's not expired yet! 

Shirt: Nine West

This tee shirt is also glittery throughout and is also poorly represented in this photo. But you can kinda tell if you look closely. 

Belt: No brand

I got this glittery belt strap awhile back from Amazon, and the buckle I attempted to spray paint with green glitter. But I did too many coats and it mostly chipped off. So now it's distressed glitter. It's called fashion.

Breeches: RJ Classics Harper

These are the pants with the unstitched pockets I was telling you guys about last week! They're so silly. I wore them to run an errand earlier that morning, and my car key wound up like mid thigh. Awkward! 

Boots: TuffRider Regal, embellished by me

I always forget how comfortable the Regal boots are. I try not to wear these too much because I don't have that much faith in the glitter holding up. But so far it really is doing well! I love how these came out.

That's it for today! Thoughts on the glitter? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

We're currently enjoying some easy rides around here for various reasons. Thursday we had a rain day, and then Friday our body worker came. So you know, stretchy rides for all! We seem to regularly take a little step back this time of year. I think it's the change of season. 

Despite our easy rides, we still have lots happening! We'll start with Eros because he's the only one with kind of meh news to report. I think I made a mistake with him last week when I got back from the wedding. I rode him in his bands the first day back and I think I made him a little sore behind. I should have eased him into things a little more softly. I don't think he's lame, but he is feeling a little nqr. We've just been doing light stretchy rides since. The body worker didn't find anything alarming, and his legs are all tight, so whatever it is I think is just a little tweak or soreness. He's not going to jump for another week or so though just in case. 

We are continuing our experimentation with Al. My vet has had me trying different nsaids to determine if his behavior is pain related. I had a good response with Naproxen but less good with Etodolac. When doc was here last he wanted to try Al on Gabapentin to see if we're having a nerve problem. I waited to start him on it though, because we were stepping down the Esopmerazole and I didn't want too many changes at once. Plus I was going away for that wedding and I didn't want to start a new med like that when I couldn't monitor him. 

The body worker was interested to hear how the experiment would go because she did note some sciatic pain when she worked on him this time. That was the push I needed to get moving with it though. We finally started it Friday evening and I didn't see much difference over the weekend, but I did see SOME difference. While he was still spooky on the long side by the neighbor, I was able to get some real work done in other parts of the ring. Sunday he had a moment where he really started to lose his potato. Like it was in my best interest to hop off he was escalating so rapidly. But after I hopped off, I just stood with him for a bit until he came back to planet earth, and then I was able to get on and ride on the less terrifying parts of the ring. So that's an improvement, albeit minor. 

Then Tuesday happened. All of the stars aligned for this ride. The neighbor wasn't home. It was warm out. And there was NO wind. All things that set Al up for a good day. I got on, and he just walked right over to the scary part of the ring. Like it hasn't been a thing for the last however many years. He just went around the ring like a normal horse. For the ENTIRE ride. Both directions, all three gaits. He wasn't particularly forward, which is a constant battle, but he was completely relaxed. I really feel like we need to find that relaxation and only then can we really work on fixing the forward button. So this seemed like a positive step. I was really excited to get on him today and see if it was a fluke. And honestly I'm not sure if it was or not. Today was the opposite of yesterday. Pretty windy, temps dropped 20 degrees, and the neighbor was LOUD today. Like throwing metal poles around, dropping stuff, driving around in circles with his lawn tractor. All of it. Of course, not until after I was on Al and ready to start working... So the first couple of walk laps before the neighbor started his bullshit, Al was just as good as yesterday. Walked all the way around the arena, both directions. Even the scary long side. Once the neighbor started in with his nonsense, I opted to stay on a circle closer to the barn. We're making such good strides, I'd hate to have a set back just because the neighbor sucks. I will say, that even though Al was definitely aware of the chaos over there, he wasn't wrecked by it. He was distracted, and I was not very successful in getting him to work, but he wasn't spooking and the dragon sounds were minimal. Now is this because he has nerve pain that the gaba is helping? Or is it because the gaba makes them quiet? I'm not sure. I shall discuss with doc once he's been on it a week and get his thoughts. Gabapentin isn't the answer long term as it's not show legal and not really something I want to keep him on, but it may help us get some answers. And maybe if he can learn to feel like this while on it, he'll be less likely to go back to his stuck in flight mode feelings? I dunno. All speculation at this point. But I am enjoying my horse feeling safe for the time being. 

Shiny has the most exciting news! I finally got her a saddle! I think anyway. I have it on trial for a few days. Funny story. I missed the boat on the one that was close to perfect for her. And I feared it would be a long while before I found another one. I had commented for a photo of a stamp on one that I saw on Marketplace and a saddle resaler messaged me asking what I was looking for. And lo and behold she actually had it. Like pretty much the EXACT specs I was looking for. Only problem was, it was listed on their website for $5000. Way out of budget. She asked if I wanted to make an offer, and I said to her honestly, I needed to be under $3000 and I didn't want to insult her. Well she came back and offered it to me at 3250. Which, that's pretty close to where I wanted to be. Plus they offer free shipping. That made it right around the same price as the one I missed out on. Dad was on board to let me finance it through him, so it arrived today! 

Seems like a nearly custom fit! There's no bridging at all, plenty of wither clearance (though that photo may not show that so well), nothing feels tight, and when I rode her in it, she felt great! I popped a handful of jumps just to see, and she jumped better than she has in a long time. 

I do think there's something out of the ordinary happening with the panels. It seems like they might have been converted to wool. There are slits that are definitely intentional and what looks like flocking in there. They are also much softer than my other Butet panels. But the fit is really good, and she seems happy, so I'm not sure it matters? I figure too, the tree is exactly the specs I needed for her per my Butet rep who saw her when we were working with Eros and his saddle. So worst case, I can always replace the panels to literally her exact specs if that seems to be necessary down the road. I'm going to ride in it a couple more times to make sure we love it, but I do think it's going to be a keeper. Fingers crossed, because I don't want to keep looking for a saddle.

In other news, I got to do some braiding over the weekend for a really cool show that I hope happens again next year so maybe I can go. There used to be a horse show every summer called Children's Services that took place at the Farmington Polo Club. It was a pretty well attended show back in the 80's and 90's but by the later 90's it wasn't doing as well. There was a show stable on the property as well at the time. But the owner eventually grew elderly and his kids moved on to other barns, so it was sold. The horse show had ended by then too. It's recently been resurrected as an event venue (weddings, etc) and they do have polo matches there in the summer. But it's not a show barn anymore and they haven't had horse shows. Until this past weekend that is! It wasn't a regular show, it was actually just a day of hunter derbies. From 2' up to 3'. So nothing super high level, but it looks the courses were beautiful and everyone who attended had a great time. I'd love to go next year. Maybe with Shiny for the 2'. Or maybe if the stars align with Al in the 3'. You just never know!

This adorable guy on the bottom won his derby. He has one low hanging ear which reminded me of Rio. And he was the sweetest little dude! I haven't braided him before, but he's now my favorite client. Don't tell the others.

It's been kind of an exciting week around here, despite our easier rides. I'm hopeful relaxed Al sticks around, Eros feels better asap, and Shiny continues to love her new saddle. Fingers crossed!