What's Up Wednesday

 

We're just plugging right along over here! I still haven't had the chance to pull out my jump fill. But maybe this weekend or Monday. We've kind of been stuck on riding 5 days a week lately instead of 6 and this week was no different. But it was for a fun reason, so I'm not mad about it. We actually didn't get rained out any days this week, with our one and only rain event happening late at night. Just the way it should be, I need rain to keep the footing at it's best, and when it happens at night, it doesn't disrupt riding plans! I'm not sure if we'll get as lucky this week, but we shall see. Fingers crossed. 

This week, or skipped riding day was Sunday. Both of my nieces had voice recitals on Sunday, but of course they weren't in the same one. One was at 2 and one was at 5. So I did morning chores, went to the first one, then took out the stall windows finally, cleaned some bird poo, and finally went to the second one. Then more bird poo cleaning and fed dinner. Productive day, even if riding wasn't on the schedule. The girls both sounded fantastic too. I haven't heard them really sing before. I'm so impressed by them! I can't sing at all. The horses all look at me with disdain when I sing in the barn. 

We only got in one jump school this week. I had hoped for a second one on Saturday, but I made a terrible error Friday night and my body said light rides only Saturday. And it was persistent. I forgot to take my Omeprazole Friday night. (Yes, I know it's best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, but I have to take my thyroid meds the same way and that one is more important to get absorbed. So I take my Omeprazole at night before bed.) Anyway, my tummy was all disgruntled which made my whole body somewhat useless by the time I'd finished chores. So instead we had Sunday Funday on Saturday. The horses weren't sad. 

Of course that meant they had a very light ride followed by two days off... But ya know. Such is life sometimes. They were mostly fine yesterday when I got back on. Al was a little weird, but it was a windy day after all that break time, so I wasn't upset about it. We worked through most of the weird and got a ride in regardless. The other two were as lazy as always so clearly no harm done for them! 

But back to jumping, because that's the fun part anyway. We'll start with Al. The jumps are still small because that's where I'm at. Haha! While Al is definitely in a much better place since the changes we talked about last week. He still can have a weird day here and there. (Like yesterday!) He was a little weird for our jump day too. The neighbor has been working on something that involves what sounds to me like a staple or maybe nail gun so I think perhaps he'd been doing something weird when Al was turned out that morning. That stuff sticks with him. But despite the weird, we still managed to jump a few fences. Our former weekend helper was visiting when I was on him, so she was kind enough to grab some video. Unfortunately the sun was making it hard to see, so just this little jump came out. Better than nothing! He also jumped most of the other things in the ring, but we did skip the outside line by the neighbor that day. I call it an accommodation. We'll try again over there this week if we can.

Eros was so good for his school! He didn't turn the zoomies on until I made a mistake... I mean fair. It seems like he'll stay quiet until I mess up, and then he's like here, I'll do it myself. He probably knows better anyway. But here's what happened when I messed up. I was cantering across the diagonal to our little hurdle jump. And these geese came flying overhead honking away. I could tell his attention was on them and then MY attention was on them. And neither of us was focusing on the task at hand. So I got to the jump at a VERY long distance which he happily took, but I didn't trust and got left behind. I'm not a monster so I let the reins slip to avoid pulling on him too hard. 

Photo evidence. Still pulled on him though clearly.

After that he got a little excited. But we did finish on a nice note after trotting a few fences and then trying again. Next time I feel my attention slipping away, I will work harder to bring it back. Or make a circle. This is how we learn! 

That's better.

Shiny of course has been perfect for her jump schools. I've been using more counter canter in her warm up, and it's really helping to get her more adjustable when we jump. And also straighter. Counter canter is so useful!

She's definitely ready for the jumps to go back to her comfort zone which is still only 2'-2'3". She seems to perk up at the "bigger" ones and gets easier to ride when I point her at those. That height is still easy for the boys too, so if we get to jump twice this week, I'll probably put them up a little for the second one. 

That's about all I have to share today. Hope things are going well for you all and your horses! Are you getting time to ride and enjoy the weather? Any shows on the horizon for you?

Truthful Tuesday

 

So I've been trying to be better about going to the grocery store myself rather than choosing delivery because it's cheaper to do it myself. I don't have to leave me a tip! But things have just been so busy here, I ordered my groceries this week. I chose the latest two hour window I could, and hoped it would come at the later end of the window. Of course it didn't though. It arrived right at the start. I was still riding, and didn't want to go in the house and get Rita all excited only to leave her again. So I put the perishables in a drink cooler I have in the barn with a couple ice boots. Which I thought was pretty responsible! Totally did the trick of keeping things nice and cold. Except I didn't realize that I missed a whole package of smoked salmon that was hiding under the lettuce. $13 right in the trash because I'm definitely not eating fish that's been sitting out for two hours in the summer. 

It was especially disappointing though because I had also ordered a rotisserie chicken which was the base for all the meals I had planned for the next several days and they were out of those. So I got a whole load of groceries (mostly vegetables) and absolutely no protein. Sigh. Guess I'll have to make that trip to the store after all. I did have tuna fish though, so tonight I made tuna macaroni which was a pretty solid meal for a last minute change. 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! We kept it simple this week and stayed with our farm colors theme. Eros is our model, and here's what he's wearing:

This is such a weird angled photo! His neck looks scrawny somehow (it is not in real life!) and my saddle looks comically small for some reason. 

Bridle: Pinnacle

Brow band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

I love this color bridle on him. It matches him perfectly!

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby Pad: Ogilvy

I love this shade of brown from Ogilvy. But I am hoping they release a really rich dark brown someday. 

Eros didn't have boots or wraps on this day since we were just flatting. So here's what I am wearing this week:

I had to have a little fun with an otherwise very tame outfit. Right?

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

My helmet is dusty. It's shocking to me how we can get so much rain around here and still have dust! Anyway, I'm so happy I found this fun front shield when I was at Equine Affair last fall. I love a little sparkle. 

Shirt: FitEq

I'm still a little sad this company is no longer around. The shirts are a little nicer than the ones I get from Amazon and I loved the little horseshoe on the chest.

Belt: Levi's

I've had this belt in black since college and I wear it all the time. I recently happened upon this brown one in Poshmark and snapped it right up! 

Breeches: RJ Classics

These are the Harper model with the defective pockets. I still really like the breeches though, even if the pockets no longer have bottoms to them... Haha, just don't put anything in there!

Boots: Celeris UK

These will forever and always be my favorite boots. I call them the Hunt Seat Cowgirl. 

That's it for today! A little plain, a little fun. Perfect for who I am as a person! Haha!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We finally had a somewhat more normal week last week. We got to ride every day except Saturday which was pretty good! Saturday was miserable here. It was one of those days that got colder as the day wore on. It ranged from 47 to 43, there was rain off and on all day, and the wind was gusting over 40mph. I heard a tree fall down a couple of houses over while I was dumping poo buckets. 

At first I thought it was one of my neighbor's trash heaps treasure piles falling over, so I was a little disappointed to see it was just a tree. But anyway...that's how windy it was. The horses were quite happy to not go back out in the elements after turnout. And I spent the day tackling the bird poop in the barn. That's a never ending task.

But Sunday! Sunday was lovely! Despite having Saturday off I opted for a Sunday Funday anyway. I had to take a few hour break in then middle of the day to retrieve my dad from the airport, so shorter rides seemed like the best plan. Everyone had a light ride in the snackamore and then some grass in the backyard. I love days like that. No pressure. Simply enjoying my horses. I love doing work in the saddle and achieving goals and all that. But sometimes it's really nice to just relax and have some fun. 

I haven't had my non horsey Monday in awhile, and this week was kind of the same. The horses were scheduled for their second round of shots and a dental check/possible float. So I was a little bummed I scheduled that because I haven't gotten anything done in the house in weeks. It's dirty, the laundry pile is huge... Adulting, ya know? But I got lucky! Teeth were all in good shape, so the appointment was super quick. I had plenty of time to catch up on the laundry (4 loads!), vacuum the downstairs, walk the dog, and do my PT. Didn't make it to the grocery store but I'll get there eventually. 

I could tell on Tuesday that everyone was feeling a little blah from their shots. I knew because I had to run into town to vote for our school budget which made me a little late getting lunch for them, and no one was yelling at me. So we enjoyed a Sunday Funday on a Tuesday.

While we have had a few easy days around here, we also have been getting back to some jumping. The fences are still teeny since things have been a little inconsistent, but you gotta start somewhere!

I haven't pulled the Pivo out yet, so enjoy these screen shots from a poorly placed phone. Someday I'll get my act together there... I also want to get the fill back out for the jumps, but just haven't had the free time to get that done. Maybe next week! 

Shiny's been so excited about getting back to jumping. I think she's feeling good after her maintenance. We've been working on some harder flat work, especially counter canter. I've touched on it with her here and there, but never really spent much time on it. I love introducing new things to her because she really engages and wants to figure out the right answer. Especially something that's difficult like counter canter. She figured it out pretty quickly and I had a much more balanced pony after we worked on that. I always forget how helpful counter canter can be for their balance and straightness. Definitely will be doing more of it with all of them. Eros is a pro at it, but Al really has a hard time with it. Probably because he's so behind the leg. Isn't that the root of all issues??

Eros has been in full on torpedo mode when we jump lately... I don't think anything is wrong, I think he's just a little excited. Probably he needs to get some zoomies out in turnout, but I want him to do that on his own volition rather than encouraging it. Hopefully he does that soon. In the meantime, I'll just be getting run off with on the regular. I should probably stop giggling every time so he doesn't know how funny it is...

Okay guys, I'm terrified to put this out there because every time I do it comes to a quick end... But Al is a changed man. He had several things change at once so I'm not positive what brought this result. First, after his vet visit, we took him off the pentox he was getting for his weird foot. Second, he had his neck injected. Neither of these things produced an immediate result. About a week later, I accidentally ran out of this Chinese herb he and Eros get per my vet's recommendation. It's called Body Sore and is meant to help with inflammation. It was when I ran out of this that the change happened in Al. So the most likely explanation is the injections, but who knows for sure. With the timing I can't help but think it could have been the herb. Or the pentox... Anyway.  Here's what's different. He's more focused. He still notices the birds and the neighbor and all the things he's always noticed, but he's not overreacting about them. He's just... riding around the ring. Almost like a normal horse. I have a six stride line of tiny cross rails on the rail closest to the neighbor, and he just goes right over them. Like it's never been an issue over there. I mean not completely. He might still stare out there. But he's not tense. It's been a full week of rides with the same outcome. I'm not sure if it will last. In the past it never does. But maybe this time? We shall see. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it very much. I hope so hard it lasts forever. 

So now that I've said that, forget you read it, and no one tell Al. I don't want to jinx anything. I do feel super guilty that it may be that he had terrible neck pain for the last several years. Or that I was giving him something that made him want to jump out of his skin. But that's what so hard about horses. They can't tell you with words and it's just a lot of guessing until you find "the thing". And obviously, I might not have found it. It could be a temporary thing. Oof. Horses. Wish us luck.

Truthful Tuesday

 

Okay so this one's funny. Sunday morning I was up around 5:15 to have my coffee before doing chores. I sent Rita out to do her business and I went to make coffee when I heard her barking. Rita hardly ever barks so I ran out to see what was wrong. 

Well. I see something at the deer fence on the edge of the yard. It's white and roundish, but I don't have my contacts in so I can't quite tell what it is. Maybe someone's very large chicken wandered over here? I'm not sure. Could it be some strange wild animal? Maybe. I call Rita back in and she comes like a good girl. Then I head out with my phone to zoom in and take a photo. 

Guys. It was just a balloon. And I'm obviously more blind than I realized! Hahaha!

Thursday's Threads

 

No theme today, but it's still a very fun outfit! Shiny is our model this week, so let's jump right in with her outfit!

Look how nicely she stood up for her photo this week! I can never get her to stand square up front. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Browband: Dark Jewel Designs

We kept it simple for the bridle this week. Though she does have spikes on her browband. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Le Mieux
Baby Pad: Lettia

Just rediscovered these baby pads in my shed and realized how perfectly they work with today's boots. A great discovery! Also that half pad is very much too big for this saddle. 

Boots: AnatomEq

These boots from AnatomEq are really lovely. They are all mesh for breathability which is what AnatomEq is known for. They also wash up really nicely. 

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

FUN BOOTS! I know, I haven't worn these yet this year!

Helmet: Samshield

I'm loving my glossy helmet. Yay for closeout sales!

Shirt: FitEq

I feel like with all the color on these boots, a nice black tee was perfect!

Belt: Sandy Duftler

I stumbled across this ages ago on Facebook marketplace and it's still one of my favorite finds. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I snagged these from HR Apparel on Instagram. She's my go-to for discount TS. They are the old fabric, and were brand new with the tags still on! The pink matches the piping on my boots nearly exactly!

Boots: Celeris UK

I know lime green croc isn't for everyone. But it ABSOLUTELY is for me. I just love how these came out. And I am constantly surprised at how many different outfits I can make for them with clothes I already own. 

That's it for today! Tell me what you've been waiting to see. Or if there's a color I should do soon. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I don't really have much to report on this week. I spent nearly all of my awake hours in the barn, which I think we can all agree is not a bad way to spend your time! Unfortunately, the weather was not great this weekend. Friday was nice though! I gave the horses some extra time outside and then we rode afterwards. Everyone popped over a few tiny jumps. We're still keeping things low, nothing over 2' just yet. But we're plugging along. 

Friday's Stats. Many steps taken

Saturday and Sunday were both rainouts. I probably could have ridden Saturday, it wasn't raining especially hard, but I just couldn't bring myself to create more work for the already very full weekend. And by that I mean, having to clean and condition rained on tack. Which... I really need to do that anyway. But I didn't want it to have to be immediate. Sunday was gross though. Not a riding day at all. I used both days for some extra cleaning in the barn. I wiped down the back walls in the occupied stalls, which immediately made the whole place seem cleaner looking. I also dusted off the little ledges over the back doors which clearly hadn't had that happen since when I had the horses off property the winter before this past one. Gross. Sunday I cleaned up all the new bird poo around the barn, and spent some extra time grooming the horses once they dried off from turnout. 

Monday started off rainy, but cleared up to a nice day. Normally I give the horses Mondays off, but since my worker was off for the holiday and they already had two days off I rode them all. The rides were abbreviated because I was so tired from four 13 hour days in a row in the barn, and also because we only could use half the ring. The other half was a little too wet. 

Shiny's new pet snapper turtle

My original plan when I knew I had such a long weekend in the barn was to take Tuesday as my "day off" from the barn. (By that I mean I don't ride and don't clean up after my helper. But I still of course make hay bags, soak hay, and do all the feedings/night check.) Since Mother Nature was so miserable all weekend though, I decided to not take my day off. Which was probably a mistake because my body is wrecked from lack of sleep. But whatever body, we've got stuff to do! 

Everyone had a decent ride Tuesday. I figured since we rode Monday we could do some jumpies on Tuesday! Or well, I hoped. Al was first, and he was really being a good boy. We were able to use the whole ring (I mean sort of, I have jumps set on the scary side rail, so he gets to stay on the quarter line by default.) He's still really sticky off the leg, and I'm quite sure I work significantly harder than he does. But he was listening and not spooking. So I'll take that. We trotted over a couple jumps then took a walk break. Unfortunately, that was when the neighbor decided to start up his very loud lawn tractor with the little trailer attached and bang his way along the property line to his shed that's next to the back corner of my ring. Once there, he was just throwing stuff around banging and clanging like the menace he is. So I let Al be done. He'd been a good boy, and that would have been an unfair ask to try to jump him with all that noise that he can't see the source of. 

a very relaxed boy before the banging and clanging started

I'm not going to lie, it's really frustrating to constantly have my rides on him interrupted like this. I swear he does it on purpose as he's always his most disruptive when I'm on Al. He can be inside his garage all day making almost no noise, and as soon as I'm Al, he comes out and is banging away on something. I've tried mixing up the order I ride them so I'm on Al at different times of the day, and it doesn't matter. It's no wonder I can't get anywhere with this horse. 

Thankfully I have less reactive horses to ride to keep my from spiraling too far. Eros was really funny Tuesday. He started out super lazy. Even the first few jumps I was kind of kicking him out of the turns to get there. But then he woke up and Torpedo Eros made an appearance. I really shouldn't be so amused by him doing that, it's terrible behavior. But it's also so funny because he's just a good dude. Even when he's naughty. 

Nope. Don't wish to go out there. Al told me it's not safe. 

It was so late by the time I got on Shiny old bang and clang was done for the day. So that was nice, but she doesn't actually care anyway. She had the most fun jumping around. It's always funny to me how much she lights up once I point her at some jumps. Not in the torpedo way like Eros, but in a bouncy rideable way. Wish I could get her to motivate like that on the flat!

I need to remember to charge up the Pivo and start getting some video again so we can have more fun media. Plus it's nice to see what the horses look like vs what they feel like. I'm having a bit of space issue though, so I'm not sure where to store all of said media I'd like to get. I currently have the 2 TB plan both with Google and with iCloud. But both are nearly full. The next upgrade is significantly more money. What doe you all do for storage? 

I don't think we'll have anything terribly exciting going on over here over the next week/weekend. I need to be a little quick in the barn on Thursday, but Wednesday and Friday we should be able to get solid works in. And the weekend too. All weather permitting of course. But should be good! Fingers crossed.

Next week they'll get the rest of their shots and have their teeth checked. Of course the vet is coming Monday because I was SO looking forward to getting a day off... Sigh. My house is so dirty and the laundry pile is just silly. But it will still be that way the following week. What can you do? It's a good thing I live by myself, so it's just my mess/dirt. 

Hope you all had a great weekend! Hopefully drier where you are than it was here!