Truthful Tuesday

 

Hahaha.... Guess what. I broke the rules again. And again I did it on purpose. But this time, I changed my expectations. And you know what? It was a lovely ride! Imagine that. 

Let me elaborate. Today, similarly to last Tuesday, winter has returned. We got a lot of rain overnight last night, so the outdoor ring was too wet for riding. Also, it was low forties with wind gusts to 40 mph, so riding outside was just zero percent appealing. Okay, maybe like 2% appealing. 

Here is where I faced a decision. Do I lunge inside so as to not break the rule I deemed so important last week? Or do I try again without it and see what happens? I decided to try again. But rather than expecting to have a "normal horse" type ride, I instead planned to just get on and see how things go. Start out at the walk like normal on a loose rein. Then pick up the reins and start asking for some shape and more forward. If all goes well, move on to the trot. Again on a loose rein, then adding a little more pressure via asking for shape and more forward. Wash, rinse, repeat, until satisfied. And it was a nice ride! Canter proved to be a little messy, but the trot work, especially at the end of the ride, was SO great. Forward, with impulsion, while still relaxed. It was lovely. And the biggest difference I think was my expectations. I went into this ride thinking we might just walk today. (The wind was really rattling the end doors and whistling around the entire indoor.) Really just going slowly and breaking things down into tiny steps forward seemed to help keep him relaxed and with an ear on me. I don't know if that will be the case every time we have to do something Al doesn't like. But I hope it continues to work for him. 

This horse has been a real lesson in patience for me. Also a good reminder to be a thinking rider. I can't rely on my instincts with him. Instead I have to be thinking ahead and constantly having a conversation with him. Not like actual chatting aloud, but rather always using my aids to keep the communication sort of turned on. And by that I mean seat and leg. Not hand so much. I can feel him get tense as soon as I start using too much hand. Gives him the angst! He really holds me accountable and reminds me when I start making mistakes or falling back on old habits. 

So my confession today is that I broke the rules, on purpose, two weeks in a row, and I learned something completely different each time. So here's to breaking rules and keeping the conversation flowing!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! I swear it feels like it was just outfit day like yesterday. But fear not, I have a fresh 'fit for you guys. Al was supposed to model this week, but I forgot to take photos of him, so Shiny is standing in for him this week. Here's what she had on:

Yes, we're still wearing green. But it's fresh clean green stuff! 

Bridle: Pinnacle

Brow Band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

Don't let that beautiful blue sky fool you. It was ridiculously cold out there today. And the WIND! Sheesh. Spring, you could try a little bit harder. 

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Premier Equine

I haven't used these pads in awhile, but I still really like them. Part of me wishes they'd introduce some new colors, but also I'm broke, so I hope they don't do that soon. Premier Equine makes really nice things though. I love their blankets and am constantly hoping they'll expand the options they offer in green. I may or may not have emailed them requesting such a thing...

Boots: Anky

I know you've all seen these tons. They're definitely one of my favorites. They aren't available anymore so I hope they last!

That's what Shiny is wearing today and here's what I had on:

Why, yes, I was matching the saddle pad nearly exactly. Thanks for noticing!

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

I'm still wearing this helmet. I'll probably be wearing it until we move home at the end of April. But you never know! Maybe I'll try surprise us. Also, Eros wasn't modeling this week, but he wanted to be included. So here he is.

Sweater: PS of Sweden

I got this AGES ago and wear it all the time. It's a lovely sweater. I also have it in navy. I believe the base layer is from smartwool, but I'm not positive on brand for that one. The vest you see in the helmet photo is from Old Navy last year. 

Belt: Tory Burch

I've had this one awhile too. I love the shade of green!

Breeches: Vestrum

I bought these specifically to wear for Halloween outfits, but I've actually worn them a lot more often than I expected to. I really like them. I also grabbed a ridiculously cheap pair of yellow ones that are the same model. If you're ever thinking about Vestrum breeches, these are the Syracuse model and they run big, I am generally a 28 in TS and somewhere in between a 42 and 44 in Equiline, but these are a 42 and are roomy. 

Boots: Horka

Heh... so I just searched my emails to see when I bought these boots, and I've had them for NINE years. That's pretty impressive. I don't wear them all that regularly I guess, but I wear them a bunch and they're actually in pretty good shape for how old they are. They're meant to look distressed, so don't judge that appearance negatively! Not bad for $250 boots.

That's it for today! Any favorites? What's the longest you've ever had a pair of boots?

What's Up Wednesday

 

This week was pretty quiet. The weather wasn't nearly as spectacular as those early fake spring days we had the week before. Thankfully, it hasn't been terrible. Just not quite as nice. Such is spring though. You take the great days with the less great ones. I am ready for more warmth, less wind, and dryer days though!

We'll go backwards with the horses this week just to mix things up a little. And if you hadn't noticed, that means we'll start with Shiny. Most of the time I start with Al partially because he's the most interesting but also because his name comes first in the alphabet. And now you know something more about me... I tend to do things alphabetically. 

Shiny has put a little weight back on, which I wanted because she had started losing her top line a bit ago. After consulting with both vets we weaned her Thryo-L down from 1.5 scoops twice a day to 3/4 twice a day. I stepped it down a couple weeks at a time, but I think I need to bump her back to 1 scoop. I think that might be our sweet spot. She's still highly unmotivated and I think she's putting weight on a little too easily. She's feeling quite good soundness wise if and when I can get her to come forward. I kind of lost my patience with her today though, and really got after her. And then she felt pretty amazing. Really supple through her neck and shoulders both directions. Her trot was BOUNCY! Like my core is gonna be sore tomorrow after what she gave me, which felt pretty amazing. So I'm not so sure there's anything actually wrong with her other than a work ethic issue. I hate having to be mean to her, but I swear she enjoys it a little. My pretty little masochist... Hopefully I won't have to keep being so assertive. It's not my nature. But I will do what needs doing to get work like that out of her! We popped over a few little cross rails today too. Hopefully we'll jump again over the weekend when we're expecting some more actual spring weather. 

All of a sudden Eros is starting to feel a lot better. I think it's probably at least somewhat the warmer weather. But also, I think working out in the outdoor with the grade to it and the slightly deeper footing has really put some muscle on him. That and working in the equiband once a week. We've been using both bands now and I can't believe the difference in how he engages his hind end. I still am fighting the saddle, but at least the horse feels fantastic. I let him jump a little today too, and he was significantly better than the last time, but the torpedo did still make an appearance. Hey, he is who he is, ya know? I'm just glad he's having fun. I've noticed the torpedo doesn't really happen on the uphills, just the down hills when he likes a nice victory gallop on landing. I really need to stop laughing when he does it so he doesn't think it's acceptable. But it's REALLY funny. I can't wait for him to get in shape and jump some little courses again. Hopefully he'll get back to the 2'6" but for now we're having fun over itty bitty cross rails. Baby steps. 

And then there's Al! Things are still going mostly well, but having to spend two rides in the indoor has left him just a little less great than the last couple of weeks. I get it, he hates the indoor. But sometimes we have to do things we don't like! That's just life. A lesson that is hard for Al to really grasp. We'll get there though. Some day. 

Fortunately, today we were back outside. And he was significantly better than he was yesterday. I let him have a lunge before we rode, and he appreciated it. He wasn't too spicy but did let out one good buck which I could tell made him feel so much better. Our ride was only so-so and we didn't get around to jumping today. I was pretty disappointed in our ride because I didn't get to do any of what I had planned. I actually got to the barn a little earlier than normal because I wanted to get him worked before it got busy. But then they were dragging the outdoor so by the time I actually got on, it was getting busier. First they were switching turnouts which doesn't really bother Al normally, but he was wanting to watch horses walking back and forth more than he was wanting to work. When that was finally done, they had to hay all the horses they just put out. Once that was done, someone else walked out to bring one of the horses back in. That horse hates being without her pony friend so she proceeded to scream her head off from inside the barn. And then another boarder pulled in with her trailer and spent awhile trying to back it into where she wanted to park it right next to the ring. At which point I just gave up. And honestly, I don't think it was Al that was all that distracted by everything. I mean he WAS, but if we're being honest with ourselves here, I think it was probably me not being able to get my focus where it needed to be to draw Al's back to me. I think a couple of things were in play here. First and mostly that I wasn't focused. But also, I think he was tired from his lunge and he was using the distractions as an excuse to not work very hard. And as a fellow lazy person, I can follow that logic of his. Now that I've had time to simmer on the ride, I think I can do a better job next time and not just give up. To be fair, I was on him a full half hour, and we did all the things in both directions. We just never really found a real rhythm nor got any real work accomplished. Sometimes that's okay though. He also never spooked. A couple stop and stares, but we're getting better at working through those. I still think we're on the right path. Even if we've had a couple less than perfect rides. That's horses. We shall see what tomorrow brings!

And that's really about it from here. Nothing too exciting happening over here at the moment. They all get their feet done tomorrow which is a bit over due, so hopefully I'll have even happier horses by tomorrow afternoon. 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that I keep having to relearn the same lesson with Al. And that lesson is that we stick to the normal routine. Al likes rules, and I must follow them. 

A month or so ago I planned to lunge him in the indoor one day rather than ride because I had non horsey plans in the morning and wanted to shorten up the horse day some. Normally, even when I lunge him, we take a hand walk lap each direction of the ring before we get to the work part of the day. But on this day I skipped that step because another horse was lunging at the other end, and I figured it would be fine. It was not fine. He tore out onto the circle going the wrong direction. (I had the lunge line attached to start left, and he went right.) This isn't normal Al behavior because he's very well trained about lunging in normal circumstances. He knows to walk out on the circle and keep walking until told otherwise. And he definitely understands which side the line is on. (Once I accidentally tried to send him the wrong way and he wouldn't go.) So I reeled him back in, did the hand walk, and then he was an angel. You'd think I'd have internalized this lesson, but today has proven to me that I have not. 

Today's forgotten rule is a little different than that one. But it's something we've consistently done all winter. My horses generally have easy rides on Sundays (Sunday Funday!) and then Monday is their day off from riding. So for Al, we lunge on Tuesday before riding. I know there are varying opinions on lunging. Some being that horses should be working on the lunge line and it's not for playing on. But I don't subscribe to that belief. I have no problem with horses having a play on the lunge line so long as they are polite and don't try to pull away from me. Also, dangerous behavior is not allowed. A buck? Yep, have at it. A little gallop? Sure, within reason, on a BIG circle. But I expect a response when I say whoa. Anyway, back to today. I prefer not to lunge horses too frequently. I don't think being on a lunge circle is great for their legs if it's getting done a lot. So today, we were stuck indoors again because it rained all day yesterday and the outdoor was too squishy. I figure we should be able to get back out tomorrow and he would rather have a good play on the line out there than in the indoor. So I didn't lunge him today. It was a windy day outside which meant the indoor was rattling and making weird noises. And while the barn was quiet when I got on, during the ride a bunch of people showed up. He really hates indoor rings, and especially hates when there's sounds he can't see the source of. So you can imagine how the ride was going.

He wasn't terrible, but he did spook more than once which hasn't happened in a few weeks. The difference between now and a few weeks ago (pre-ulcer treatment changes) is that he went back to work nicely after spooking. He also was really forward and felt pretty fantastic in the moments when he wasn't being a distracted squirrel. So while it wasn't a great ride, I'm taking responsibility for it. I think he was just a little fresh and stuck in a place he doesn't like. And I broke the rules by not lunging him first. 

The real question is, will I learn the lesson this time? To not break the rules? I really hope so. I mean, if I know the steps to setting Al and me up for success, why would I keep skipping them? And yes, I know some people may say, but Stacie, you can't hand walk the show ring before you ride. I know this. I don't think it will be necessary. We always walk in hand at the horse show before getting to where the lunging area is. I think the need there is to get his mind on me and getting his body to relax before asking him to work. I could be wrong here, and time will tell on that. But that's what I'm thinking. 

Do any of you have some hard and fast rules for setting up for success? Do you ever try to skip them and remember why they are rules and not suggestions? 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! I took photos yesterday because it was so nice out. Today involved a few more layers and lots of clouds. Eros is our model this week, and here's what he had on:

I'm no sure what was so interesting off the left, but he would NOT look at me for this photo. Looks pretty cute anyway, even if it's a pretty awkward pose.

Bridle: Jospeh Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

And then when I wanted him to look left, he looked right. But it worked out. 

Saddle: Butet

Saddle Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Mattes

Good thing I stocked up on Ogilvy pads before all these ridiculous tariffs started... 

Wraps: Eskadron

I'm still loving these wraps for Eros. I hope they make new colors soon. But also I hope they don't since they are not inexpensive.

That's what Eros was wearing this week, and here's what I had on:

Sticking with the usual color scheme... Though the sweater is more teal than forest, so that's kind of a change! 

Helmet: One K

Those white spots on the helmet are from Al's pre-ride U-Shield. He gets to licking his lips when I give it to him and I end of wearing a decent amount... The things we do for our horses! 

Sweater: Ariat

This sweater is roughly 100 years old at this point, but I love it for spring. It's not too heavy, but warm enough to block the wind. 

Belt: Zazzle

You guys know I love these belts. Can you blame me? Look how cute they look on there!

Breeches: Equiline

It didn't come out well in the photo, but the branding on these is a metallic rose gold, along with the zippers and the trim on the pockets on the back. So cute!

Boots: Celeris UK

Here they are again! I just love these boots so much. I'll swap them out soon because the furry leather isn't durable for everyday use. But a week or two here and there is just fine. 

That's it for this week! Anything you guys want to see for next week? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Guys! It was legit spring here today. It was in the low 60's, the sun was out, and it wasn't windy! This may never happen again. It must be celebrated! 

I don't have a ton to report on this week really. We're just plugging away, working on our fitness. The transition outside made our lack of fitness VERY apparent these past couple of weeks. I've mentioned that the footing is a bit deeper outside, but also the ring has quite a grade to it. You can really feel the horses working when it's time to climb the hills. It's good for them though. They'll be in great shape in another week or two. They're already doing better out there. 

Al has jumped out there a bunch of times now. And today he was SO great! The biggest jump was 2'6", and the rest were all tiny, but the point is, he just went around doing what I asked when I asked. It was LOVELY. I would have put a few more jumps up a little bit, but there was a dressage lesson starting and I didn't want to be disruptive. It's really nice to end a ride on Al wanting to do more though. For the longest time I really couldn't wait to get done with our rides. This is a big change, and I really REALLY hope we stay on this path. It's making me excited to think about showing. And I'm remembering why this horse is so special. Because I really was starting to question that for a long time. 

Also, look at this:

Al was on the crossties while his stall was getting cleaned, and this adorable little horse was using Al's butt as a pillow. Al just let him. That's who he is. Any attention from another horse is good attention to Al. Today I caught them in a similar situation, but the gray horse just kept biting Al's butt. And Al stood there and let him. He's such a weirdo. An endearing weirdo. 

Shiny is doing well too! I forget if I mentioned she'd started coughing a little bit when we started with her one ration of dry hay per day. I haven't heard her cough in a few days now, so I'm hoping whatever that was she's worked through. She didn't have any nasal discharge, nor fever. It was a dry cough. I very much think it was some kind of allergy. Aside from that, she's been good to ride as that's who she is. But still SO LAZY. I really have to be pretty mean to her to get her moving. Which I don't love. I've been ending her rides each day with a walk out on the property and that's definitely her favorite part of the day. Today she tried to drag me out onto one of the trails, but the footing was a little too soft so I had to say no for today. We'll explore that another time though. It's really fun having access to all these places to ride AND having a mount that enjoys it too. Maybe this will be the year I actually take her on some of the trails near my house. (The parking lots are so tiny though... Have I mentioned I hate turning my trailer around in tight spaces?) 

I jumped her over a few fences outside today too, and though it took a bit for her to get excited about it, she finished off really nicely. I'm so grateful to have this pony. She's just game for absolutely anything. 

Eros... hahaha. I love him. He's perfect in almost every way. So today, I thought, I'll let him play over the little cross rails in the ring too. It's a beautiful day, and he's feeling good. Hahaha... He started out so nicely over the first two. We trotted those. And then I cantered the smaller one away from the barn. All good. But then I turned back to the other X heading toward the barn. He turned those turbo boosters up to full throttle! It's naughty, yes. But there's no mean spirit involved from him, he's just having SO MUCH FUN! I let him have his little victory gallop on the straightaway, but did have to shut it down before the turn since he's a delicate flower. And then we finished up by just trotting the two little jumps a few more times before doing some more flatwork. He was AMPED! And it was pretty fun. I like a sassy Eros every once in awhile. 

Our saddle rep reached out to check in on how the saddle is doing now that it's more broken in. And I said I still am fighting with it. She had me get some new video and a few different photos to send to her. She said if she has anything in stock that could be better she'll let me try that and is willing to switch it out if I like it. Which, I think is pretty great customer service! Of course, it's not if she doesn't have something better... but we'll cross that road when we get to it. The photo above is one of the ones I sent and I think you can see pretty clearly how this saddle has me sitting too far back. Almost like it's not in the right place on the horse. Very odd. I haven't encountered this before. Hopefully we'll be able to get this worked out soon so we can have some more comfortable work together. 

And that's about it really. Nothing super exciting, but this spring like weather has been glorious which just gets me really excited for all things horse!

Truthful Tuesday

 

I got hit with a real case of nostalgia recently. I made a trip up to the mall I used to frequent as a kid and teen recently because I wanted to stock up on some cheap tee shirts and maybe jeans at Forever 21 before they went out of business. It's been well known for awhile around here that this mall is not well. But I didn't realize how empty it truly was until I went up there. There are hardly any stores still open. There's still a pretzel place but some generic one, not Aunty Anne's. There's an Ann Taylor, a Victoria's Secret, a prom dress store, and honestly, that's about it. Might have been a sneaker place too. A lot of the stores that closed still have their fronts up since no one is planning to come. It was so sad. This used to be the place to shop back in the day. I remember when it first opened in fact. 

When I was a kid/teen occasionally my mom would let me take a mental health day from school, usually on a Monday (barn closed day) after a particularly long weekend of horse showing. And after catching up on some sleep we would head up to the mall for a little shopping and dinner. It was always so much fun to spend time with my mom like that (without my older brother tagging along)! 

It is called The Crystal Mall because of this giant crystal chandelier in the center over a stairwell. The chandelier is still there and you can't miss it because you have to take the stairs. The escalators are no longer running. Imagine that?? The anchor stores are all closed. Even the food court is deserted. There were just two restaurants still open Panda Express and a Japanese option. I had planned to get Taco Bell because the website still shows it being there. Definitely disappointed! Settled for eating at home instead since I was in and out of there pretty quickly. Not any place else to shop other than the one store I had planned to go to. 

I also recently got news that the barn I rode at as a junior is sold to developers. It was nearly bought by a friend of mine, but unfortunately that didn't play out. Such a loss for the area. This place hosts shows all year long. It's always my first choice to attend because it's close, generally well run, and it feels comfortable to me since I grew up there. Even Al has shown there and we've only shown twice. We need more good boarding options in this area, not less. I had really hoped someone would go in there and make the place over. But alas. It will likely end up condos. I've heard they are running their April show one more time this year, so I'm hoping one of my horses will be ready to go for one last hurrah. We shall see. 

I have so many memories at that place. Good and bad, as you accumulate both over many years. But all of my equine firsts happened there. From my very first lesson, to my first horse, my first loss of a horse, my first horse show, my first year end award, the list goes on and on. I also experienced a barn fire while there which was truly devastating. I've written about it here. Lots to reflect on for sure. End of an era.

So between these two scenarios, I'm feeling OLD, a little sentimental, and a lot of nostalgia. But all good things eventually come to an end so that new and hopefully better things can be born. So today's confession is that going to a mall made me a little emotional. And that's definitely weird.