Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day! I brought out some of the blue stuff this week because maybe I'm a little behind laundry. But my quarter sheets are still green so I had to make it a blue AND green outfit. Which worked out nicely since it's still arctic here and definitely full chap weather. Which are also in the green/tan family. I really should stick to what I'm good at. Anyway... Let's see what Al and I wore today. But individually because I forgot to snap a mirror selfie. (I really am the worst in the winter.)

Here's what Al wore today:

This was post lunge because he was a nutball today. But he was honest about it and told me he needed a lunge. So still on the good boy list! Anyway, I point that out because it appears the quarter sheet has tilted a bit to the far side.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

His ear fuzz is so much lighter than the rest of him, and I think that's adorable. Also, I think he looks better with a wide noseband. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico
Baby Pad: Ogilvy
Quarter Sheet: Equine Wears

I'm not sure we're really pulling off the light blue pad with green quarter sheet... But you know what? Sometimes it's okay to not match. Like when it's stupid cold out. (Have I mentioned how cold it's been?) But also, my sweater does actually pull it all together. You'll see below!

Boots: Premier Equine

I was going to pull out the Eskadron boots like the ones I used last week but in navy, but these more accessible so they won out.

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

It is possible that I wore this sweater fairly recently for Thursday's Threads. And if that's the case, my apologies. But it was calling to me today so here it is again!

Helmet: One K Avance CCS with MIPS

Yeah that's a repeat photo. I keep meaning to bring my Samshield with the winter liner to the barn, but I also keep not remembering to do that. Maybe for next week when the highs are going to be in the teens. Before the wind chill. But also, I won't ride those days. Winter is so stupid.

Sweater: Vineyard Vines

I found this sweater at either Marshall's or TJ Maxx many years ago. It's a cashmere blend, so pretty warm! And I love that it made that light blue pad, navy boots, and green quarter sheet all come together. I need to have my mom re-block this sweater though. I hung it to dry at some point on the wrong hanger and now it sits up weird on my shoulders. 

Belt: Rebecca Ray

Another oldie! I love the Rebecca Ray belts. Actually I love all her stuff. And it's all hand made which here in the US so that's nice too!

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I'm gonna be honest. My legs were cold today. Even with the chaps over these. I think I'm getting soft.

Chaps: Journeyman

Boots: Celeris UK

Yes, that's last week's photo. But it's the same set up. Best thing I've done in a long time is resurrect these chaps. I think full chaps are really making a comeback. Definitely recommend if you're in a cold climate.

That's it for today! Any favorites? How's the weather by you? Seems it's been chilly pretty much everywhere lately. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Heh. There's really nothing up this week. It's still SO cold out. We had a one day reprieve where it got to almost 40... Is that even a reprieve? But otherwise it's been below freezing. And the WIND. It's doing so much winding. 0 out of 10. Do NOT recommend.

Of course that doesn't mean I haven't been riding. It's stayed above 20 (well the actual temps anyway, wind chills are a separate story) so we've been doing the thing. I haven't dragged any jumps out yet. I had thought maybe today, but the wind was terrifying in the indoor and I was like nahhhh. Tomorrow's another day. Or next week. Or whenever I feel like it. 

Since I don't have anything exciting to report on riding wise, let's chat about what the vet is coming for this week. We did injections not too long ago on everything that needed it (September/October somewhere in there) so I don't think we'll have any of that to do. But I have some things I want professional eyes on. Important to note, everyone feels (knock on wood) pretty sound, I just like to stay ahead of things ya know? 

First up is Al. As I've mentioned a lot lately, he's doing much better than he had been emotionally. And with him finally starting to offer up some nice work, he feels good too. But he still has had some trouble with his right stifle locking so I want to have a look at that. Our canter is a hot mess and I think the stifle is the main culprit. I also want to pick doc's brain about ulcers again. Al is in a much better place right now, he no longer feels electric, but I've noticed some odd behaviors popping up here and there. He's been off the misoprostol for about two weeks now, and I just want to make sure what I'm experiencing isn't the ulcers back already. Namely, I'm having a very hard time picking up the canter. Sometimes he flat out refuses. At one point during our ride today he halted and refused to move. I dunno if you all remember Ducky the stationary hony, but I had a moment of utter dread that it was the 2.0 version. But after a moment Al went back to work. Regardless, I want to make sure I'm not missing something. It was an odd moment for sure, not his usual MO. I'm not panicking about that just yet. It happened at the same time the wind really gusted outside and the indoor sounded like it might just launch into oblivion. So it IS possible he was just spooking. Hard to tell with Al. He's unique. Anyway, those are our main things to discuss. 

Eros for the most part feels pretty good. Especially with how cold it's been and his antics in the field. He pulled another shoe last week! A back one this time. He's coming due though so I think it was a little loose and it just was caught up in the mostly frozen grass. The foot was fine thankfully and the shoe was back on later the same day. (My farrier and his team are the absolute best!) Anyway, there are some little things I want to check in with Doc about. He's still very stiff through the right side of his neck. I'm wondering if maybe we should try a shockwave on him. I don't think we've done that for him yet. The other issue is that I'm still struggling to get him to lift his back. He feels very uphill with his front end, which is lovely, but then the back end is like trailing out behind us. I do think this is at least partially due to still using Al's too wide saddle. Eros' saddle should be back in a couple of weeks with the new panels on it. Fingers crossed that fixes this issue. 

And then there's Shiny! I'm not sure exactly what I think about her. It's taking a lot longer than it used to for her to warm up. But also, it's ridiculously freaking cold out. So maybe she gets a pass there? She's struggling a bit to stay round and on the bit. It's normal for her to want to bounce off the contact tracking left, but she's doing that to the right now too. It's been awhile since her last neck shockwave, so it could be as simple as that. I'm not positive that's the issue though because she's pretty supple through her neck on both sides. Seems more like the trouble is coming from trying to lift her back. But then again, that could be the hocks... She is definitely dragging her hind legs. Her feet are worn in a way that I've not seen on her before. So what I really am thinking with her is that it could be epm again. We treated about a year ago and saw a big difference in her, so we might just need to do another course. We'll see what Doc has to say on Friday. She's not lame, none of them are, I just think she could be feeling better than she is. 

So that's the plan for Friday afternoon! Figure out these weirdos and get them in tip top shape! I'm really excited to get back to some real work (once it's slightly less miserable outside) and ideally we'll do that with everyone feeling great. I usually wait to schedule this appointment closer to spring time, but inevitably it wounds up being much later than I really wanted. So I'm starting early this year in hopes that we'll be feeling ready and eager to do some fun things this spring and summer. Fingers crossed!

Truthful Tuesday

 

I read an article the other day that someone on my timeline had shared from The Chronicle of the Horse. It was about riding through fear. The author is a sports psychologist so her thoughts come from an educated place. She talks about how the old advice of just pushing through fear probably isn't the best approach. Instead, she recommends finding what you are comfortable doing and build from there. I found this advice validating because that's been my approach as an adult who mainly works on my own with my horses. Start where you're comfortable until it gets boring, then add on from there until you're back where you left off. It's a solid approach, but does require a lot of patience. But that's not my confession. 

My confession today is that I've been applying this approach to Al's work this winter. Not to myself. I'm not afraid of Al. But I am desperate to get him to a place where he's comfortable emotionally in his work. And riding indoors is not that place for him. Short of never riding indoors, I've been working hard this winter to help create a comfort zone for him while inside. I don't think I can ask him to push past his comfort zone if he doesn't have one ya know? So we've been riding in the center of the ring a bit away from the end doors that he's most anxious about. It makes the already small ring even smaller, but it is giving me a horse that's relaxed in his work. And he's actually doing work these days. Not perfect work. We still have our struggles. But I'm not just sitting up there waiting for the next explosion anymore. Each week, if things are going as they had been, I reintroduce something a little harder into our workday. At first it was just asking for more within the gaits. This past week I brought back lateral work. Mostly just at the walk. This week I'm hoping to add it in at the trot too. 

Just like with humans, it's been slow going, but the progress is really huge. So I'm staying the course. I'll add some jumps and things in too as jumping doesn't seem to be a stressor for him. That's solidly built into his comfort zone. Why? I have no idea. This horse's brain is... definitely unique. We probably won't get to really jumping again for a couple weeks though. We have the vet coming Friday for a check in and depending on how that goes we'll progress from there. 

So that's my confession. I'm using techniques I learned in college (my BA is in pysch) on my horse. Which is off label, yes. But they seem to be successful. Let's call it a case study. We can title it Applying the Human Approach to Overcoming Fear on Equines. Alternate title: Amateur Rider Attempts to Be Successful Without a Trainer.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! But I was a big dumb today and forgot to get individual photos of Shiny's outfit. So we'll do this all from our mirror selfie. I'm nothing if not resourceful! So here's what we wore today in the frigid tundra. (Real feel today never got above 8... thankfully indoors it was a bit better.)

She's just the cutest. Today Shiny wore her Pinnacle bridle with the Boy O'Boy brow band. Her saddle pad was the Eskadron one with the faux sheepskin built in underneath. Her boots were the matching Eskadron faux fleece lined ones in Pine Green. (Same color as the pad.) And her quarter sheet is the one I just received before my trip. It's from Equine Wears who is on Etsy. So far her quarter sheet is holding up well, but unfortunately, the boy's sheet is having some issues. It seems the trim wasn't sewn on well, and it's detaching in several places. I've reached out to the maker, but I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm hoping she'll come up with a solution for me, because these weren't inexpensive and I've only used it for the past week. 

Since most of my outfit is hidden in the mirror selfie above, I will share my own:

I have on two sweaters, the underneath one is from Asmar Equestrian and is a wool blend. The outer sweater is by Only Mine and is cashmere. Found it in a drawer with the tag still on... Oops. Getting some use now! My breeches are the same ones I wore last week, but I promise I did laundry and they were clean this morning! They're the Dover Wellesley. My socks are merino wool from Horze. (Almost forgot I had these, ten out of ten, highly recommend in the cold!)

My helmet is the One K Avance with Mips that I've been wearing the last few weeks. My jacket and vest are Old Navy, and I wore the full chaps which are by Journeyman with the petrol paddock boots from Celeris. 

And that's the abbreviated version of Thursday's Threads this week! So sorry for the lack of individual photos. I'm blaming the cold. I think my five brain cells have all frozen into a useless clump this week. Perhaps we'll do better next week!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Our re-entry back to real worker has been... not all that consistent. Ha! But it's January. So I'm zero percent stressed about it. We started off with all good intentions. My plan for the rest of last week was relatively easy rides as we ease back to things after their week of vacation. But I forgot that there was a gymnastic clinic on Sunday. We were welcome to try and ride during that, but it's a small ring, and I decided I didn't want to. I would have loved to do the clinic with Al but I don't think it's fair to throw that at him after having not really jumped in quite a while AND having had a week off. So we'll try for the next one. 

Anyway, we did ride Thursday through Saturday and everyone was really good. Not a one of them tried to murder me! What good horses. I was really curious to see what I'd have with Al particularly. He finished up his course of Misoprostol while I was away, and so I was interested to see if I would have the same horse I left or if the fire breathing dragon would return. Which, the dragon could appear regardless after a week off mid winter... So there were a lot of unknowns there. But you know what? He's been lovely. A little spooky here and there, but I can get his attention and he is giving me some nice work. Very proud of him!

Sunday, instead of riding, everyone had a mane pull and enjoyed their turnout time. Monday they had off per our normal schedule and then this week... This week is stupid. The actual high has been 22 degrees (F) and the wind! 30-40 mph winds. It's nuts. Fortunately, the indoor is you know, indoors, so the wind chill isn't a factor. But it's so noisy. Yesterday I legit thought the arena might just fly up into the air and jet off into orbit. It was terrifying. But again, the horses were all pretty good. Even after two days off. I dunno... Maybe someone swapped them with different horses while I was gone? 

We've just been flatting so far this week. I don't see any point in jumping when it's this stupid cold. Hopefully by the weekend it will be a little more mild. We have been working on some lateral work though, and getting all the parts moving nicely again. Eros has a weird bump on his hind leg Tuesday with some heat just exactly where the bump was. I think he must have stepped on himself. He felt sound when I rode him lightly, and I iced it after. Today there was no sign at all of the bump nor the heat. So I'm going to assume that it was no big deal. 

The new barn stays pretty comfortable even in this cold weather. I haven't put the thermometer in the ring so I'm not sure the temp in there, but feet and hands have remained unfrozen for our rides, so it can't be that bad in there. The barn itself seems to stay between 35 and 40 so long as the doors stay closed. I do love that I get to choose how I want to blanket my own horses at this barn. Took me a little bit to get it just right (they were a little chilly a couple of times) but I think I've got it down now. At the old winter barn, they didn't let us decide what to dress the horses in (hated that!) and my barn is temperature controlled to 45 degrees in the winter. So it's been a long time since I've had to really think about these things. I'm not completely happy with my heavy weight blankets so I'm still on the hunt for the perfect ones. Maybe next year I'll find them. 

As for myself, I think I've gotten my layering system down pretty solidly. I can't explain why, but I am never comfortable with multiple pants layers. I also don't like most winter breeches. But I've been wearing a slightly heavier sock (the Noble outfitters ones that are patterned on the leg, but the foot is more like a heavy athletic sock) and the Dover Wellesley breeches. But my top layers are the important part. I always wear a cami under all my shirts, so I have that on still, then a merino base layer. On top of that for 30-40 degrees I like a wool or wool blend sweater. But when it's below 30? I bust out the cashmere. I have a small pile of old cashmere that I've accumulated since probably college. I used to save them for wearing to work or for non horse things, but many of them are getting a little past their prime so those are barn sweaters now. And I have to tell you, nothing is warmer than cashmere. Plus, as an added bonus, they aren't bulky. So I never feel like Randy from a Christmas Story when he can't put his arms down. Nothing worse than that! On top of the sweater I add a puffy vest and jacket. My favorites are from Columbia, but I also have sets from Eddie Bauer and Old Navy. They all do a nice job of keeping me warm. I also vary my riding garments slightly depending on just how cold it is. If I'm wearing wool, I'll probably also have on the sheepskin paddock boots and matching sheepskin lined half chaps. But if I'm in the cashmere? Then it's the same paddock boots with the full chaps instead. I am SO GLAD I resurrected those! The final piece of the puzzle for the incredibly cold days is the winter liner inside my Samshield helmet. It has fuzzy ear flaps. I haven't used that yet this year, but I do think I used it some last winter. 

What are your favorite layers for stupid cold riding days? At what point do you decide it's too cold to ride? I used to say 15 degrees, but now that I'm old, I opt out if it's below 20. 

Truthful Tuesday

 

My sister-in-law does a cookie swap every year, and the last few years she's been having it after the holidays. I think it's genius because trying to fit in one more thing during December can be a lot, especially when you also have to bake for it. This year she held it on the Friday after we got back from vacation. I was originally thinking I might just get some cookies from the bakery since I was zero percent in the headspace to bake having just gotten home. I had no ingredients for baking because I recently cleaned out the pantry and threw everything out figuring I'd be replacing the baking stuff soon enough. (Spoiler alert: I did not, in fact, replace any of it.) But then, when I was picking up my pup from my mom on Wednesday she asked if I wanted a fresh roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough. PERFECT! Yes Mom, Yes I do want that. So I took that home along with some confectioners sugar so I could make icing for the cookies. I had food coloring. It was the only thing I didn't toss just about. But you know what I forgot? (This is confession number one today.) I forgot to ask her for some flour so I could do the cut out cookies. I realized this once I was ready to make them. Okay, change of plans! I'll just do regular sugar cookies. Easy fix.

But you can't ice regular sugar cookies. That's not delicious. You need frosting. So I asked Google for some ideas of what I could make with what I had in the house. And thankfully I found a four ingredient recipe for Maple Buttercream. (Which is delicious by the way!) EXCELLENT!

I did have to substitute one ingredient. It called for maple extract along with maple syrup. I had PLENTY of maple syrup since I never run out of the good stuff from my brother's farm. But maple extract was not in my spice drawer. I did have vanilla extract though, and that worked just fine. But now, here's confession number two. I keep one stick of butter in the fridge generally and the rest are in the freezer. But the recipe called for two sticks. It had to be softened but NOT melted, so the microwave wasn't an option. So what's one to do to rapidly soften frozen butter without melting it? (This is confession number 2). 

I put it on the heat register and just turned it every so often. Totally did the trick! And yes I know my floors look rough. They're 265 years old, so they are what they are. That's not dirt, it's just many, many years of life happening on them. 

Anyway, the cookies were delicious, even if they were from ready made dough. I forgot to snap a picture of them frosted, but here are some of them just before:

I don't know what we did before Google for such emergencies, but I'm sure I glad I live in a time where I don't have to worry about that!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! After some fun holiday outfits we had to have a more classic look this week. It was Eros' turn to model this week. Here's what we had on:

Back to our favorite color scheme. Just like coming back from a vacation, green and tan also feels like home for me.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Brow Band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

I love this bridle on him. Both he and Shiny look lovely in this lighter color bridle. I got the darker one for Al. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby Pad: Ogilvy

Ogilvy had a nice Black Friday sale that I took advantage of for a gift for my stepmom. But I'm horribly irresponsible so I also treated myself to a few new pads. I got two turquoise ones with silver trim to match my new boots and then I also got two of these hunter green with gold trim. The metallic trim I'm pretty sure is new this year and I was excited to see it in person. I might like to do a couple with brown trim and gold piping in the future. 

Wraps: Eskadron

We've been using the climatex polos more than we've been using these lately, but I'm behind on laundry so I pulled them back out. I do like these also, especially in winter. I feel like the added layers may be hot in the summer time, but this time of year I don't worry so much. 

So that's what E was wearing, and here's what I had on:

Nothing too flashy, but kept me warm and comfortable all day long!

Helmet: One K Avance CCS with Mips

Yeah, sorry. I forgot a new helmet photo today. But I wore this one. The "usual" of late.

Sweater: Old Navy

I got this sweater and a tan one that's the same at Old Navy I think last winter? Maybe the one before. I wear them frequently so I'm certain you've seen them a bunch by now. They're perfect for the barn, and even though they aren't wool, they are pretty warm. I don't think they'll hold up for years and years, but so far they're doing okay!

Belt: Zazzle

Last year at holiday time I put the farm logo on some wintery backgrounds and used them for wrapping paper because I'm ridiculous. But I also used those images for this belt! This side is green with snowflakes for Christmas wrapping, and the other side is a ligher blue with snowflakes meant to be for Chanukah. Silly but fun!

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I really love the Dover Wellesley breeches for the winter. They're a heavier weight than TS but not too thick. I'm weird about thick pants. Hate them. Not a fan of most winter lined breeches. So I recently found myself checking out the Dover site to see if they had new colors. They did not. In fact, it seems they may be done with this style, which is really disappointing. I better take good care of my collection of them. 

Boots and Half Chaps: Celeris UK

I also forgot a boot photo. Sorry again. I'm in that weird out of sorts just got back from vacation space, and let's just appreciate that I knew it was outfit day at all! Lol. Anyway... I wore the sheepskin lined half chaps and boots today. The color is Petrol which some people consider to be blue, but I think these lean more green and I love them.

And that's it for today! Any favorites? Also, I'm a couple weeks behind on blog reading, but plan to catch up this weekend and Monday. Hope you're all doing well and I promise to be caught up soon!