What's Up Wednesday

 

You know how some weeks feel like nothing happened, but others feel like a whole lifetime happened in seven days? It was one of those lifetime weeks for sure. 

So Wednesday, the horses got shod/trimmed, then I rode them all, and somehow got finished in time for my niece's school chorus/band concert. Al was a nitwit but I didn't have time to argue about it, and thankfully it didn't carry over to the next day. Thursday was a nice normal day with just horses to ride and no other random commitments. (I could use a few more of these days!) I did have some extra barn tasks to do that haven't been getting done and I needed to have finished before the vet came. So I was still out there very late doing that. You know what they say. If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself! So I did. 

Not the thing I was referring to...
But always something that needs fixing around here.

Friday wound up going really well. I was the first appointment for my vet (he comes from a few hours away though, so it was around 11 AM). It was perfect because he came just after the horses were back in from turnout so they weren't shorted any outside time. Doc was pretty happy with how everyone came out of winter. They all needed some maintenance, but nothing crazy. He was particularly happy with Eros' front end which was better than he's been in awhile. 

I'm really interested to see how Al feels after his visit. He was pretty stuck in his neck so we addressed that and also his stifles. I'm curious to see if when those things feel better maybe his emotions will too. One can hope right? Eros had his hocks and stifles done. He was a little back sore, but we're thinking it's secondary to what we decided to inject. For Shiny we opted for just hocks and then a shockwave on her neck. I'm going to ride everyone for a few weeks to a month and then see if we need to address anything else. Since the vet was out so early, I actually got done a little early which was lovely! I had a very long day ahead for Saturday so it was much appreciated. The timing of this vet appointment was so perfect because the horses all would have the weekend off, allowing me to feel less guilt not being able to ride Saturday anyway. 

Speaking of Saturday... THAT was a long day. I got up at 5 to get the barn done. The horses weren't allowed turnout that day, which was actually really helpful to get me out the door on time. I had a Bar Mitzvah to attend in NewJersey at 4:30. I managed to get stalls done, buckets scrubbed, and everyone hand walked for 15 minutes each before 11. Which gave me enough time to shower, do hair and makeup, and feed lunch before I left. 

When you're dressed half fancy but need to feed horses... 
I promise I wore nice shoes to the party.

In fact, I got on the road a half hour ahead of schedule! Which thank goodness. Because the 3 hour 40 minute estimated time turned into 4 hours 15 minutes. I made it there with just enough time to use the ladies room before things got started. PHEW!

The Bar Mitzvah boy did a great job, and the party was tons of fun. I got to see a very good friend that I haven't seen in person in probably 15 years. Much too long! And I of course got to see the mom of the Bar Mitzvah boy who was my very first friend in college. I haven't seen her in 12 years either. The party wrapped up at 10pm, and I was back on the road! The return trip was only about 3 hours, so that was nice. Got me home just a little after 1AM. I still had to do night check and soak hay for Shiny for the morning. But I was snuggled in my bed by 2 am. And so grateful that I had the horse sitter coming to feed in the morning! 21 hour days are harder at 46 than they were when I was 20! That is for sure. (In case you're worried, I had our former weekend helper stop in to feed dinner and let Rita out on Saturday.)

Sunday the horses were still enjoying some time off from their vet work, but they were allowed turnout. I pitched in with the morning chores once I got my tired bum out of bed, and then spent the day giving everyone a good grooming and some hand grazing too. It was actually a really nice day. The horses were happy and relaxed which in turn made me that way too!

Monday was their last vacation day. I spent the morning cleaning the house and walking the dog. Then the afternoon was dedicated to dragging the ring and changing the jump course. I wanted to pull all the fill back out too, but I ran out of time for that. I got done right at dinner time for the horses, so I fed them, then went in to feed myself and Rita before settling down in front of the lap top to do some work for my paying job. 

I almost never see her napping. But caught her this time!

Tuesday was back to normal! It randomly was summer out, mid to high 80's all day, so they had short rides. We're not used to that heat just yet! But they wouldn't have had hard rides regardless for the first day back. Everyone was good. Al was, of course, a little skeptical about life because the jumps were in new places, but he kept his poo together for the most part. The other two just seemed a little disappointed that they hadn't in fact retired like they thought. 

Then it was off to another concert that my niece was a part of. These kids have a lot of performances! They are both very talented though, and I love that I get to see them do what they enjoy so regularly. 

My worker has a four day weekend this weekend, so I'll be super busy in the barn the next several days. Next week looks to be less hectic though, so I am looking forward to that! Hopefully get these horses back to jumping! And get the fill out too!

Hope you all had a great week/weekend!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Lolz... Okay so this one needs a little stage setting. Last week, I washed my hands in the barn bathroom shortly after arriving in there that day. But the sink wasn't draining. Ruh-roh. So I flushed the toilet next to it to see how big this issue might be. The toilet had no troubles. Okay, good. So I figured I must reach into that little drain hole and see what the problem was. Turns out there was a tissue or tp in there. I pulled it out and all was well. Easy fix. 

Just to be sure that doesn't happen again, I sent a text to my worker and just said "please make sure you don't leave tissues or toilet paper in the sink, it clogs the drain." He wrote back very adamant that it wasn't him. But no one else has been here so it was either him, or a member of his family that he likes to bring along to work. But whatever, I'm not worked up about it, just don't want it to happen again. 

So Sunday, I had hired my barn sitter to do chores for me because I was getting home at 2 am that morning and decided I could treat myself to that. After she had gone, at some point I used the bathroom. I always close the lid and keep it closed. Later in the day, I go back in there to wash my hands and the seat is up. Now I'm starting to think I'm losing my mind. Maybe my worker was right? Maybe some stranger is coming in and using my bathroom? I was really perplexed by this as I had been either in the barn or outside grazing horses all day and hadn't heard anyone. 

Guys. It took me a solid hour to remember that I had pulled a tick off Shiny and lifted the lid to put it in the toilet. It was me the whole time. Hahahaha. I'm old. 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! We kept it a little boring this week because I didn't have the energy to get creative. It happens! But it's a nice enough outfit all the same. Eros was our model this week. We did photos on Tuesday when the weather was nice, because we knew today was going to be very wet. (And it is!) Anyway, here's what Eros is wearing this week:

Since it was a flat day we didn't have any wraps on. I've been mostly just booting for jump days this spring and the horses seem just fine with this. Also, I really need to fix their manes. He looks like a feral horse. Lastly, I struggle with getting him to the proper weight. I think he looks pretty good here, but he's a little ribby. Put weight on, and boom: Dad Bod. Can't win.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Brow Band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

It's a little hard to see in this photo, but I'm really impressed with the Boy O'Boy browbands. I've had these I think seven years now, and they still look brand new. He's also wearing a the Catago poll wrap. It seems to relax him. I mean, clearly. He's asleep in this photo!

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby Pad:Ogilvy

I like him in tan. It suits him nicely, compliments his red hair. 

And here's what I wore Tuesday:

Same color scheme! We do enjoy our matchy farm colors. 

Helmet: One K

This is the brown one I have. It's not a MIPS because they don't make a brown MIPS helmet which I find truly annoying. 

Shirt: MathCat

I am a big fan of these shirts from Amazon. They're a nice weight for the spring and fall. 

Belt: Ponylocks

I picked Jampie's belt for today's outfit. I haven't worn it in a bit! 

Breeches: RJ Classics

I think RJ's green is my favorite shade. 

Boots: Horka

I regularly forget I have these, but they are SO comfy. I really should wear them more often. The only negative is that they are a teeny bit too loose in the leg, so when I'm working very hard (ahem... on AL especially) they kind of slide down and bunch up on the ankle. But that's really a training problem, not a boot problem. 

That's it for today! Any favorites?

What's Up Wednesday

 

I feel like I've lived a lifetime since last Wednesday. Holy moly. It was a little bit of a light riding week over here. Wednesday we were rained out, but I spent the day catching up on some of the things that have been neglected in the barn. 

Boy these walls were nasty! We did get to ride Thursday and Friday though Friday was pretty rushed because I had Aunty duties to attend to. Saturday was my niece's Bat Mitzvah so I was non horsey pretty much all day. I got up a little early and got the horses fed and out so my horse sitter had one less thing to do. Then it was off for services and then the big party! I should have gotten a solid logistics schedule on said party though. I think it would be over by 5ish since it started at 1, but they first fed us at 5! I hadn't premade the horses' meals, nor planned to have someone go and feed. So I had to leave the party a bit early to take care of the horses. Evidently it went until 8pm! What a rager! I missed dessert, but did stay through dinner which was delicious. 

Sunday was normal. I got the morning chores done, rode Shiny and Eros (Al had a lunge), and everyone enjoyed some grassy snackies. I REALLY needed my Monday off to get some things done for my TurnoutHQ job and a bunch of chores around the house too. 

Yesterday, the horses were all pretty great, which was a relief after several days of light or no riding. We actually had sunshine which has been very rare around here. It's gone again, and won't be back until Saturday unfortunately. But we enjoyed it while it was here. 

I've been really happy with how Eros feels lately, and this is before maintenance! He starts out slow and a little blah, but by the end of the ride, he's traveling so uphill and connected. I actually toyed with the idea of taking some dressage lessons on him. Not that I want to go to the dark side. I don't think I have the attention span for dressage. But I do think it's something he would be very good at it. 
Shiny is feeling pretty good too. She takes awhile to get warmed up, but once she does, she's a lot more supple through her body than in the past. The gas pedal is still pretty sticky, but I think that will improve once she gets her hocks attended to. 

And Al... Al has had a few more not so great days than I'd like, but I also had to step back and see if my expectations have changed for him. I don't know that he's suddenly behaving poorly, or if he's been so good so far this year that now I'm expecting more from him. We did have a half decent ride yesterday, but he was pretty behind the leg which is just frustrating. Then again, he was ridden for three days so he should get a little consideration there. I'm not worried. I still think we're in a better place than last year this time. 

This is another ridiculous week schedule wise. They are getting trims and shoes today and have their maintenance appointment on Friday. It also looks like we're getting rained out tomorrow. As for me, I have a concert for one of my niece's tonight and a Bar Mitzah in New Jersey on Saturday. It doesn't start until 4:30 so I can do chores before I go, but the horses will have the day off. Which works out perfectly because they will have it off anyway after getting their maintenance. Sunday I have the horse sitter doing chores, because I won't get home until well after midnight. Self care, my friends! I figure I'll be up before she's done though, so I can pitch in but don't have to be up at 5:30. Solid plan. 

I'm very much looking forward to a less busy week next week! What are you all up to? Have you gotten to any shows or lessons? Has it been as rainy by you as it has been here? Or are you hogging all the sunshine? Send some this way please!

Truthful Tuesday

 

So the other day I was filling up Shiny's hay bucket to soak her hay, much like this:

But I was also scrolling the phone whilst filling. And I was thinking, this is taking a really long time. And when I looked up, I wasn't filling the bucket at all, I was watering the grass behind it... Ha.
So, uh... You know. Pay attention to what you're doing and maybe put the phone down sometimes. 

Anyone else do something silly like that recently?

Thursday's Threads: May the 4th Edition

 

May 4th fell on a Monday this year, but that didn't stop Shiny and I from wearing our best Star Wars outfit for this week's Thursday's Threads! Here's what Shiny had on:

I've always loved the robots in Stars Wars (the droids if you will) so obviously Shiny is sporting her finest R2D2 outfit. 

Bridle: Punk Ponies
Bonnet: Etsy

We haven't used our holo bridles in AGES! In fact, that last time Shiny wore hers was before she switched to her leather bit. So that's several years. Time to bust them out again, clearly! This bonnet is a little big on her because it's horse size. I'm pretty sure I got this set before I Shiny came here. 

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

I cannot for the life of me remember who the seller was I bought this set from. But I know she was on Etsy. It might have been Hopeful Equestrian, but I'm not confident on that. 

Shiny didn't wear boots this day, so I don't have anything to share here. So I guess it's my turn!

I dressed like space. 

Helmet: Samshield

Shiny helmet is a must for a Star Wars outfit on Shiny pony. Obviously.

Tee: Star Wars

 

I loved this opening scroll shirt when I saw it on Zulily a million years ago. Had to have it!

Belt: Buckle Down

Buckle Down makes the most fun belts! Fun fact, my brother was (is) a huge Star Wars fan. We even named our family dog Leah after Princess Leah.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I would have preferred black breeches for this outfit (these are charcoal) but sadly my black TS went to breeches heaven over the weekend. I should replace them before I can't... I do have a few other pairs of black breeches but none were the weight I wanted for this day. 

Boots: Imperial Riding

Yes, I forgot to snap the top popper. Oops. Don't be distracted by such things, instead, enjoy how ridiculous these mirror boots are! I love these, and should definitely wear them more often!

That's it for today! What did you think? Did we pull off Star Wars Day? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

So.... I gotta stop talking about good things because that always seems to ruin them. My potential backup barn worker plan fell through right after I told you all about that. She was concerned about having to climb up into the dumpster to dump the buckets. Fair concern. But bummer for me. I have put off my conversation with current worker because in case he decides to walk, I really need the help this week and next. The result of NOT having the conversation though, is that so far both days this week I came into Eros' door being like this:

Honestly. How do you just not latch the door? Monday I found an empty muck bucket in Shiny's stall. Just sitting there by the door. I don't get it. Definitely need to find someone new pretty quickly. I wish I could do it all myself. Lots of other people do. But the days I do chores and ride all the horses, those are 12-13 hour days. And I know I can't do that seven days a week. My body won't let me. I know lots of people do, but I guess I'm just not as tough as those people. Or maybe they are just much younger than me! Ha! Probably that one. 

Anyway, things are going well with the horses. When we did our first round of shots I did a follow up EPM titer on Al and a Lyme on Eros. Both came back very low which translates to negative and that's great news. I didn't do anything for Shiny because her numbers have been great. Though she now has a bunch of tick bites, so I'll probably pull a Lyme at some point on her. 

Al and I had a few tough days which I mentioned last week. And it did continue another ride before he got back to being more settled again. The last not so good ride though, I think he was honestly just a bit fresh rather than being unsettled. Because I was able to get a little tough with him and he respected that and decided to get to work. What's so tough about him is trying to decipher when he's being sassy and when he's unsettled. If he's sassy you can really ride him, and put some pressure on, but when he's unsettled you cannot or he spirals. But the behaviors can be very similar so it's tricky to know for sure how to work with him on a given day. We had a really nice ride yesterday in which he was actually forward thinking, and did all the things asked with very minimal Al drama. I did opt out of riding him Sunday though. The wind was silly, jumps were all blown over. Neighbor was out there with all kinds of machinery. Instead we did some work in hand and then had a nice graze. I think it was the right call for him that day. Just letting him know he can stay focused on a bad day without adding in riding I think was good for him. I'll just keep testing theories until I figure this horse out! 

Eros is feeling pretty good these days! I can tell he's getting stronger, he's more flexible too. At least on the warmer days. We have our spring maintenance scheduled for the next week, and I'm sure he will benefit from that too. I jumped him around over our little 18" jumps a couple times last week and he was soft and lovely. And yesterday he offered up some pretty impressive extended trot in each direction. I'm going to keep taking things nice and slow with him, but knock on wood, he's coming out of winter very nicely this year! Maybe that time off was really beneficial for him. 

I think Shiny is the most looking forward to her spring maintenance. As long as I take my time warming her up she's actually giving me great work. But if I try to rush any part of it? So many opinions. That's what I love about this pony. She's adamant about the rules (her rules) and makes sure I follow them to a T. I'm pretty happy with her overall though. I'm excited to see how she feels once she has her vet appointment next Friday. 

This week will be pretty light riding wise for the horses. We're getting rain this afternoon, and I have tickets to & Juliet tonight so they're getting a day off. I plan to spend the afternoon working on cleaning in the barn to try and get a little ahead on that. Tomorrow will be a regular day and Friday I should have time to ride everyone, but a little abbreviated because I have to be at the Synagogue at 7. And I imagine I should be showered for that... Lol! They'll have Saturday off too because I'll be attending my niece's Bat Mitzvah! Services in the morning, then the big party after! I hired our horse sitter to do the morning chores and lunch which was the best decision for everyone. That way the horses get their full turnout time and I don't have to get up at 4am to get done in time. I'll be home in time to feed dinner. Then Sunday I'll have lots of clean up to do I'm sure. But that's okay. I'll have the whole day to do it. Hopefully, anyway. I need to see if my mom is okay with celebrating Mother's Day another day. (May is really silly with so many things going on!) Assuming mom is on board, I do plan to ride Sunday. 

Next week will be normal until Friday when the vet comes. But that timing should work out well because they'll have a rest day Saturday from the injections. I'm driving down to New Jersey for a Bar Mitzvah that day, so the day off works out perfectly time wise. I'll do stalls and hand walks in the morning, feed lunch, and get on the road by 12:30ish. Bar Mitzvah stuff from 4:30-10 (maybe I'll leave a little earlier) and then home by 1:30am. I have my former weekend helper feeding dinner for me, and then I was smart and hired the horse sitter again for Sunday chores so I can get some sleep. With the timing of the vet appointment, I probably could have just fed and then gone back to sleep since the horses will still be off from riding Sunday. But I hired her before I made the vet appointment and I don't want to cancel on her. She's a college student so I know the extra funds are a big help. It will be nice to have an easy day anyway after a very long day Saturday. Things should get back to normal after that weekend thank goodness! 

That's about it from here. How are your horses doing so far this spring?