What's Up Wednesday

This is a really light media post... sorry friends. But I'll try not to get too wordy!
It's getting dark so early and quickly now, that my Wednesday rides on Eddie are going to have to end soon. Last week, I changed at work and headed straight there. Eddie's mom had him all tacked up and ready to go for me, and it still was dark before we could get to jump anything. Boo. I think we're going to try tonight for one last weeknight ride, but with the clocks changing, this will definitely be it.
Thursday I finally had my second lesson on Eros. I was honestly a little nervous since the first time jumping didn't go exceptionally well for us. Last time I had him in a happy mouth two-ring, but this time I just used a happy mouth "D". He doesn't seem to like metal bits very much, but that's ok with me. I have an assortment of happy mouth bits.
Anyway, this time went a lot better. He's been a little resistant to get round and use his back with me on the flat, and we didn't totally solve that, but we made some progress. And then we moved on to jumping. Trainer J started slowly since that's sort of what I need right now. We just cantered a figure 8 over a couple of small jumps. Funny, when I just let him canter the distances seem to work out just fine. He even is accepting of my wanting to adjust when I'm not all up in his face all the time. Imagine that? Riding correctly doesn't piss off my horse? So weird. We moved on from the figure eight to jumping some small courses. We weren't perfect by any means, and the jumps stayed pretty tiny, but I think there's hope for us!
Friday I had a day off from riding. Normally, I would go do Eros, but the barn was hosting a haunted hay ride, and it was pretty intense! Thus, the ring closed at 6:30 before the chaos started. After grooming the boys at home though, I headed over there to take a ride on the hay wagon. You guys, it was great! My fellow barn rats over there did a great job. I was supposed to be a part of it on Saturday night, but it wound up getting rained out.
Speaking of rainy Saturdays... I didn't get to ride Eddie since it POURED all day long. I did ride Eros though, and he was actually kind of fresh! First time for everything I suppose. He wasn't bad at all, just a little looky at random things.
Also, I had to get dog food, and when I got to the store, I was handed a puppy.

They were having an adoption event and had this little dude, two of his siblings, and a couple of older dogs. I'm not sure if they all got homes or not, but it sure was fun to snuggle this pup for a bit! (No, I didn't take him home!)
You already know how I spent Saturday night if you read Truthful Tuesday. Thai food and pug snuggles was perfect!
Sunday was back to the normal busy. I started with Eros in the morning. He was over his "wild" fit from the day before and was his usual perfect self. Next I did my boys. They both had a little hand walk outside finally, and also had nice curries.

Some angles Rio looks gross skinny, and others he looks like this. So odd.

Jampy is starting to fill back out again finally.

We were waiting with Eddie for the ring to dry out as much as possible, so I headed there at 3:30. It was a little too wet and muddy to jump, so we had another flat ride. But it was productive at least.
The rest of the evening was spent adulting, mostly doing laundry and straightening up the house. Boring.
So far this week has been pretty normal. I tried to walk Jampy outside after work Monday, but he wasn't having it. So inside walkies it was. Rio was perfect. He's not afraid of shadows or the dark. Though he was a bit sassy! He kept getting behind me and shaking his head like he was about to start trouble. He didn't of course, but it was pretty cute to see him feeling good.
Last night I stopped home after work to feed the boys and get changed, and then went to ride Eros. I wound up being there awhile because when I got on a jumping lesson was happening. The indoor is a nice size and all, but it's pretty impossible to try and ride around someone jumping a course. So Eros and I hung out and watched, then continued our ride when the lesson was over. He's such a patient dude!
I had planned to just give the boys at home a nice brushing in their stalls last night, but when I went to pick Jamp's feet I noticed this:

Yep, that's an enormous swollen lump in the high suspensory area. I know what you're thinking... How? He's basically on stall rest! But some marks on the wall suggest maybe he got cast. I decided to take him out and see him walk just in case he like broke it or something. But he walked mostly fine on it, so I don't think it's anything too serious. He has a vet appointment Friday anyway, so I'll have it checked out then. I slapped an ice boot on it while I took care of Rio, and then got him all wrapped up for the night. I'll see what it looks like at lunch today.
In other exciting news, I'm actually getting a generator installed finally! After enough storms with no water or heat for days, enough was enough. This bad boy will run the entire farm and will turn itself on and off on its own. I'm hopeful that once I have it, I will never need it. But Mother Nature is pretty angry lately, so I'm sure it will come in handy.
But you know how things can't just go smoothly right? Here's how this generator thing is going. I got home at lunch time last Tuesday to find a stranger with a russian accent wandering around my driveway. Um... "Hi?" Then he told me he was working on the site work for the generator and I was like ohhhh, ok, well no one told me you were coming. But that's fine. He was looking for an outlet, so I found him one and all was fine. But isn't it customary to let a homeowner know you'd be doing work?
Anyway, I go back to work, all is fine. Then my friend who rents the apartment calls me as I'm driving home and is all what happened to your car port?! And I'm like uh? It was fine at lunch! Well I get home and there's a trench dug from the house to the guest house, through my carport. Also totally fine, but like tell me you're digging up my yard? Also, I spent almost a grand having that carport redone about a year and a half ago (after my car got stuck in it). So I'm not thrilled I'm probably going to have to do that again... But whatever, worth it for power in a black out, right? Sure.
Things are going fine other wise, until Friday. Friday I get home from work, and they've left the gate open. I find that SUPER annoying, because it's a horse farm, and my property is right up against a very busy state road. And I can't close the gate from the driveway side because of the trench still in front of it. (Yep, so if my horse got loose, and went out that open gate, he'd have fallen in a trench. Thank goodness no one got loose!)
Alright, whatever, I went and threw the boys hay, and then went around to close the gate. Know what  I found? My basement hatch wide open, the door into my basement wide open, and all the lights on down there. So who knows what kind of wildlife was down there, or if I'd been robbed blind while I was gone. I was PISSED to say the least. What worker in his right mind, thinks it's perfectly fine to leave a house wide open with all the lights on?! What if I wasn't coming home that night? Or the rain had started early? Needless to say he got an earful. That hasn't happened again, although the gate was left open again last night. I really can't wait for this to just be finished.
And that's what's up this Wednesday! Other than the aggravation from the electricians and a little too much rain, it was a decent week. I'm looking forward to another lesson Thursday and a semi quiet weekend ahead I think. How was your last week/weekend? Do anything fun?

Truthful Tuesday: The one where I'm antisocial

It's been awhile since I've been part of a big barn with lots of people and barn activities. My trainer just has a small business with a handful of her own sale horses and I was her only full time client. So now that Eros is at a big boarding barn (I think there's around 60 stalls there) there's all kinds of social things that go along with that.
One of the boarders had a party Saturday night. She said something like 200 people were expected, and everyone at the barn was invited. She's someone I've known a long time actually (her dad used to be my dentist!) so I was planning to head over in the evening.
But Saturday was cold and rainy. After spending the day doing horsey things, I really wasn't super interested in hanging out outside under a tent with 200 people I probably don't know. Then again, I DID say I'd stop by. So I got my lazy self up, took a shower, put on cute (warm) clothes, and decided to drive over. Only there was absolutely no place to park! I circled around a couple times trying to find a spot to leave my car, but finally was like, ehhhhh I didn't really want to go anyway. So I didn't. I stopped by town and got takeout Thai food, and spent the night hanging with the pups and doing laundry.
So today's confession is that I drove to a party and promptly left in favor of hanging with my dogs. And honestly, I don't think it was a bad choice.

Thursday's Threads

I've been kind of mixed up on what day it is all week, and as result, I forgot to take riding outfit photos yesterday... So you're going to get dirty laundry, flat Stacie photos instead... Might as well start there I guess!

I'm like, way skinnier this way....

Top: Eddie Bauer

This is that fun fleece that's actually knit instead of fuzzy. I bought this along with a matching packable down jacket and vest. I wore the jacket yesterday too! They're all a couple years old now, but I honestly still am happy with them. Love the teal color!

Belt: C4

I LOVE Thelwell's ponies. I have most, or possibly all, of the books. When I discovered that C4 had Thelwell belts, I immediately got this one. I have a couple others now too. They're just so cute! And this one goes great with the pink breeches.

Breeches: Smartpak

Yeah... I bought the breast cancer awareness breeches from Smartpak this month. I used to have a pink pair of Tailord Sportsmans that I loved, but alas, they stopped fitting ages ago and went off to a new home. So obviously when I got the email about these, I was like, "yep."

Socks: KJ's Creations by Dreamers and Schemers

Can't have too many unicorn socks. #fact

I wore my Regal boots and black One K helmet with this outfit. I was going to wear my awesome pink helmet, but I haven't decided if I'm brave enough to actually wear that in public... I'm sure I will though.

And here's what I'm sporting at work today:

I say all the time how I'm not a red person, but that I like buffalo plaid... Well it seems that I also am ok with red roses.

Sweater: Philosophy

This was on the clearance rack at Marshall's awhile back. I passed over it a few times, and kept thinking about it, so I went back and got it. I have zero regrets, it's a fun sweater!

Belt: Express

I actually got this belt from Express when I was in college. You can kind of tell since I have to wear it on the very last hole now... I was so excited when florals came back because I knew this belt was still in my collection.

Jeans: True Religion

I've had these FOREVER, and you've seen them a bunch. They're a really dark wash with black undertones. They fit perfectly. Top ten on the favorite list for sure.

Shoes: Lucky Brand

I bought these little booties at the end of last year for super cheap. And I'm glad I did since now I have a sweater to match! I've always found Lucky Brand shoes to be a nice quality and very comfy. These are no exception.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is wearing a little rhinestone coil bracelet, that I think came from Express long ago. The pretty snaffle bracelet I found on Poshmark.

Righty:

Righty is wearing a coupld of friendship bracelets from Ettika and a bangle from Kate Spade. I could have sworn I had a red rose bracelet, but alas, I could not find it today. Maybe next time!

So that's it for today! Sorry for the lame attempt at a riding outfit. I'll do better next week! Any favorites from today? What are you wearing?

What's Up Wednesday

I always forget how busy October is until it's October again. And this one is especially busy with my new equine friends! But worth it for sure.
I did get to ride Eddie last Wednesday even though I was all by my lonesome. And let me tell you, the sun sets FAST right about now. I got there straight from work (my poor boys have a late dinner on Wednesdays now) so right about 5:30 ish. Got him tacked up, and threw him on a lunge line for a minute just to make sure he wasn't going to be wild. His mom was away, so he hadn't done anything since Sunday when I rode him last. He was fine as he usually is, and I hopped right on. I swear I trotted around the ring a few times, cantered a bit, and it was already dark out. We got a bit of flat work done anyway, but it wasn't a long ride. My step mom rode Eros that night, so I went home to groom the boys after riding Eddie.
Thursday and Friday both were the usual... go home after work and feed the boys, then to the barn to ride Eros, then back home to groom and hand walk. I was already tired by the weekend, but no rest for the weary! I had a 5K to run Saturday morning! And of course it was raining when I got up. Ugh.
I run this 5K every year, and it's definitely one of my favorites. They used to do costume awards but they seem to have done away with that. I dressed in theme anyway though (it's a Halloween themed race). I'll share my outfit more next week for the Halloween version of Thursday's Threads. But here's a partial shot of me with my sister-in-law who ran the race also:

like that creepy hand reaching up from nowhere? That's my niece Ellie! Haha!

Anyway, back to the race for a minute... So this race is 1 mile out on the road, then 1 mile of trail running, and then another road mile to get back to the finish. If you recall, I haven't been running really at all. So obviously I had no expectations for a good time. But I felt pretty good to be honest! I was able to keep up a slow and steady running pace for the entire first half or so. I did take a little walk break in the woods when the trail was heading up a very steep and narrow hill. Then I was able to run all the way back out to the road. But there was a LOT of uphill back to the finish, and I regretfully had to walk quite a bit on the way back. It was my slowest 5K to date, but that record would fall on Sunday... Lol. I'm not really broken up about it. I haven't trained at all, and the conditions weren't favorable. I've decided to let myself enjoy running and focus less on time since it's really not something I'm especially good at anyway. Life's to short to not have fun!
After running, I stopped home to let the pups out and get changed. Then it was off to Eddie's house! The horses have switched from night turnout to days over there, so he was out in his field when I arrived. He's in the smallest field because he likes to practice his jumping skills occasionally, and it's the only one you can see all of from the house and barn. If he was in one of the bigger fields and jumped out, it might be hours before you knew he was missing! His field meets up with the parking area though, and he came right over and greeted me when I arrived.

Hi Friend!

He's really a sweet guy, and I think he's been missing his mom while she's away. I brought him in and got him tacked up, and again tossed him on the lunge line. Though it was pointless. I couldn't even get him to canter. When I did get on though, he spooked. Haha! Figures. Not a big deal or anything, I just thought it was silly since he'd JUST been on the lunge line refusing to move.

 My legs were a little tired from the race and we were by ourselves again, so we just had a nice flat. He was a little lazy, but I'll take that over wild any day!
After I got Eddie all cooled out and back in his field it was off to see Eros. He was outside when I got there too, but he found his way in before I had to figure out where he was. Thankfully. There are a lot of paddocks there!
I really couldn't decide where I wanted to ride. It was getting pretty windy but it wasn't that cold yet. I finally decided to just stay indoors.

But then the sun came out so I thought maybe I'd go out when I was done just for a walk. We had a nice flat, nothing crazy, since my legs pretty much weren't speaking to me anymore by that point. And then we did enjoy the outside views for a little stroll.

Eventually I found my way home and walked both the boys. In the daylight! What a treat! Rio had some grass too.

After that, I had to run some errands and get some gifts picked up for various things (a new baby, a first b-day, and a thank you.) FINALLY, Saturday was over and I got to snuggle my pugs for a couple hours before bedtime.

Ok, well they snuggled and I rolled some wraps. And by some I mean an hours worth.
And then it was Sunday! I had way too many things planned for Sunday, but then most of them kind of fell by the wayside. I got up and wrapped all of the gifts from Saturday's shopping excursion. And then it was time to head to my second 5K of the weekend.

Ugh, you guys, it was 40 degrees with wind gusts up to 40 mph. This run is held at a local state park which happens to run along the water. So cold. So windy.
This race benefits The Cove which is a support program for children who have lost a parent or sibling. My younger brother lost his mom to cancer when he was 14 and he attended The Cove. It was wonderful for him, so my family is a big sponsor at this race. I try to run it every year, whether or not I'm prepared. This year, my dad came out for the start also so he could thank the organizers. It was nice to have him there! He didn't stay for the finish (can't blame him, I didn't really want to either).
My knee was a little upset with me from the day before, so I figured this race would be around the same time as Saturday's. I bumped into an old friend who was running with her daughter in a stroller, and we decided to start out together. The first half was lovely, we were slow, around an 11 minute mile, but it was steady and we kept plugging along with no walking breaks. Unfortunately, when you hit the turnaround, you got smacked in the face with a steady, and HARD, headwind. At a few points I felt like if I stopped it would blow me over. It was ridiculous! I wound up needing to walk some because it felt like I was just running in place. My friend was struggling with the stroller too, because the wind was pushing it back at her. So we decided not to care about time AT ALL and just plugged away as best we could. There was a lot of walking and a little very slow running. We clocked in at 39 minutes and change. Which is pretty terrible, but honestly, we were just happy to get to that finish!

I had planned to get a quick ride in on Eddie after the race, but with the wind whipping the way it was, I wasn't sure I wanted to ride all alone. So I checked in with his mom, and she was in agreement. Instead I grabbed a nice hot shower. Much needed!
Then it was off to an outdoor first birthday at a different state park. I wasn't thrilled to be out in the cold for two hours, but the sun was shining and it wasn't actually too bad out. First birthdays are always adorable anyway. Plus there were s'mores.
I got home around 4:30 and had just enough time to groom the boys really quickly before I had to meet up with my family for dinner. Is it just me, or are weekends crazy?
Monday was a Monday.  I went to work and walked the boys after that. The boarding barn is doing a haunted hay ride this coming weekend, so we had a meeting about that Monday evening. I really hope it doesn't rain Saturday like they say. I'm supposed to be tied to a tree by a couple of witches.
Tuesday I rode Eros after work, and groomed the boys late night. THEN I had to move my trailer because my neighbor is apparently having trees trimmed today. Who doesn't want to hook up their trailer at 10pm in the rain? Sheesh. I suppose at least he told me rather than letting branches fall on it.
I guess that's what's up this Wednesday. This weekend should be less nutty since I have no races to run. How was your week/weekend? Do anything fun? Lessons, horse shows, road races? Tell me about it in the comments!

Truthful Tuesday

I mentioned last week about getting a whole, brand new wardrobe for Eros. It was good timing because the barn blankets all come from Smartpak and they were offering free embroidery at the time. So I followed the links the trainer sent me and ordered all the blankets and sheets. Or so I thought.
I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention because somehow, I ordered two heavy stable blankets and zero heavy turnout blankets. Um... oops? Although, I guess if I had to make that error, it's better (and cheaper) to have a back up stable blanket than turnout. This way, I can launder one while he still has one to wear. Since I had our last name embroidered on everything, I can't return either of them.
I felt so badly though. It wasn't my own money I was throwing away like that, it was my dad's. I fessed up though... Kind of had to, since I still had to order a turnout. He didn't mind, luckily!

The stable blanket that the barn likes is the Amigo. I like how they do things with that brand. They have this one blanket, that you can get in three different weights. So they would all match! (Barn only required the heavy, they like Baker sheets (UGH, I hate them) and I guess they go right to the heavy when it gets cold and then add a sheet under when it's super cold. But I digress... My point is, I wish the Amigo came in green so I could do those at my barn. I would love to have all matching stuff in different weights. I had Beval's blankets for my horses at home. They came exactly in my barn colors and were available in pony and horse sizes. At the time when I first brought every one home I had a medium pony and three full sized horses. So I was super excited to be able to clothe them all in the same outfits. Unfortunately, Beval stopped making the blankets in my colors. And now, ten years later, stuff is needing to get replaced. Custom blankets are so expensive I don't want to go that route. Fortunately, my stuff has another season or so left in it... hopefully. The stable stuff anyway, as you saw last week, I've started replacing turnouts.

Have you ever ordered the wrong thing and not been able to return it? I felt like such a goon when I realized my error.
Do you think matching horse clothes is completely ridiculous? But also, kind of nice at the same time?

Thursday's Threads

Sorry, not sorry... but it's all green everything again here on the blog. I can't really help it. It's autumn! Tis the season! Let's start with the pony riding outfit.

Ha... Even the hay cover at Eddie's barn is green. And yes, it's also jacket season. Gross. I miss summer already.

Helmet: Charles Owen

Greenie. I heart him.

Top: Mittoshop
Jacket: KJ's Creations

I found this sweater on Zulily a bit ago, and while it's green, tan, and black, it's close enough to my barn colors right? Plus it's perfect with my custom barn jacket from KJ's Creations!

Belt: Noble Outfitters

Well... this belt is obviously too narrow for these breeches, but I'm in LOVE with it! Noble Outfitters must be stalking me or something to make this belt... How perfect right?!

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I still love side zips. I can't be the only one because they still make them... Right?

Boots: Regals
Spurs: Evo Equine
Straps: Stacie Originals

Now that I'm starting to have some strength back and I've getting to know Eddie and Eros a bit more, I'm hoping to start breaking in all the fun boots! So just maybe one of these days Thursday's Threads will have some fun boots again.

That's what I wore to ride last night, and here's what I'm wearing at work today:

The lighting is bad, but it's more green and tan. Obviously.

Top: PS of Sweden

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Pretty much all a horse brand needs to do to get me to buy their stuff is make it in hunter green. I don't even think twice. I just add to cart, and the next thing I know, it's in my closet/tack room. This is a nice sweater. It's fairly light weight, and has all these cute details on it. I love the color combo and the fit is nice. I'm kind of a smedium right now, and I went with the medium in this. Hopefully it won't shrink much.  My only complaint is that the cable detail is only on the front and sleeves. I prefer when the back of my sweater matches the front... but it's green so I got over that pretty quickly.

Belt: PS of Sweden

I have mixed feelings about these stretchy belts that everyone is loving right now. They're not really my favorite. But when I ordered the sweater, I also ordered the matching quarter sheet, and was just a little shy of free shipping. So I got the belt. It's nice. For a stretchy belt.

Pants: Level 99

You guys have seen these a ton of times before. They look khaki, but they actually have a hint of metallic gold running through them. I can't get that to show up in photos though. It really is that subtle.

Shoes: No brand

I got these fun boots on ebay from some sketchy Chinese seller. They're actually made of leather, and are the darkest green. I love the wing tip details, and they're actually pretty comfy.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

You may recognize that Hermes clasp and be thinking, "this chick is ridiculous, how many of those bracelets did she buy?!" But fear not. I bought the one bracelet, and I've been making straps to use with it in different colors. I haven't quite gotten one to match my watch band yet, but I'm working on that! This chocolate color is pretty though. The other little bracelet I put together too. It's not a great photo, but that one is green.

Righty:

Righty is wearing my green Hermes bracelet along with this cute nameplate bracelet with a twist. Instead of horse names on them, they have little motivational sayings. I picked "Get Over It" because I need that reminder when I accidentally make Eddie trot in front of an oxer... I think the rhinestone rivets are a fun touch too.

That's it for today! All green everything! Maybe next week I'll wear a different color. Any favorites from today?

What's Up Wednesday

Another busy week! Fall is apparently a VERY busy time. I always seem to forget that. Throw in some new horses to ride, and it's practically chaotic. But hey, who needs to sleep anyway?
The weekend started off with some excitement. I got home from work to this scene at the end of my road:

A young driver rear ended a motorcycle. Sheesh. Fortunately, everyone was ok.
Oh, and we closed up the pool Friday too. Bye summer.

 I had made plans with my sister-in-law for Friday evening, long before I had all these horses to ride. So it was a semi pony free evening. I fed the boys and wrapped Rio before heading over there. Thankfully, it was an early night because I was running a leg of the Hartford Marathon Relay in the morning.
You guys. You know what's worse than running when you haven't trained? Having to wait two hours to run. You know what's worse than that? That wait being outside in the rain in forty degrees. Fortunately, I made friends with another runner who shared his poncho with me.

I was fortunate to have the shortest leg at only 2.9 miles. It actually wasn't terrible after the first half. I struggled in the beginning with the cold air and my asthma. But once my innards warmed up, it was fun. I took a couple little walk breaks at the water stops. If I had done any training at all, I would have been able to skip those, but since I hadn't, they were required.

smiles cause it's over.

Our team finished 103 out of 190 teams, so about the middle of the pack. Other than the miserable weather, it was a lot of fun!

And the swag bag included an ice pack, so that makes it worth it right? Plus bling at the end. Love me some swag.

There is no rest for the weary crippled, out of shape runner though. From the race, I got home, changed my clothes, and headed off to ride Eros. We stayed inside since it was so soggy and gross out. Eddie's mom got to see him go too, because she was there with one of her boarders inquiring about a winter stall.
After a lovely ride on Eros, I headed straight to Eddie's house. He was a little sassy from the weather change, so we let him have a little play time on the lunge line first. Not sure my tired legs could have held on to any antics! He was perfect after the lunge though. We stuck to flat work, really working on getting him more responsive to my leg, and carrying himself a bit more. It was a lovely, but sadly media-less ride. Kind of the theme of my riding weekend. Sorry friends!
Next it was back to the house to take care of the bay boys. They both enjoyed a nice walk outside, and Rio had a little grass.

At this point, it was dark out, and I was so tired I didn't want to do ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. But alas, I had to run a few errands. I may or may not have grabbed Five Guys for dinner while I was out. (YUM.)
And then I pretty much died.

The pugs were concerned I might actually die I think.
Sunday I was sans barn helper in the morning, so I was up bright and early (but not as early as Saturday, thank goodness!) to take care of the boys. It was effing freezing you guys:

Ok, I mean, not actually freezing, but really quite close. And three days before this it was 85. Stupid. Anyway, the boys enjoyed their turnouts and I listened to a movie on Netflix while I did chores. It was quite a lovely morning really other than cold, and being somewhat crippled from the run on Saturday.

After chores, it was Eddie time! I honestly prefer to do him first because he takes a LOT more of my strength and energy. He requires a lot of leg, but also, he has this AMAZING trot, full of suspension. One needs some pretty serious leg and core muscles to not be a sack of potatoes up there.
I had an interesting ride on him that morning. He warmed up really well, and the first few jumps I popped over came right out of stride. It was so perfect I didn't know who was riding him. But then, as per usual I started to get in my own way a little. He was fantastic anyway. I'm really enjoying him. He lets me make mistakes without ever holding them against me. He just keeps coming back to try again.
After my jump school on Ed, I went over to the boarding barn to ride Eros. I got to finally ride him out in the gigantic outdoor ring. He was lovely out there. That horse really seems to be the same horse every day. Once in awhile he might be a little looky at stuff if he's "fresh", but he doesn't actually do anything more than that. I feel pretty lucky to have found him. He ADORES my step mom, and never does anything other than be perfect for her.

The ring seriously is enormous. I think it might even be bigger than my trainer's ring in Florida. And next to the ring is a really big pond. Eros actually has a water view from his stall. It's ridiculous!

grumpy ears, but look at the view!

Know what else you can see from his stall? This:

This adorable baby and her mama live across from Eros at night. (They're out during the day.) I know. I can't with that cuteness either.
After Eros time, it was back home to tend to the bay boys again. Both had nice groomies and walks, and Rio had a little more grass. I got inside before it was dark for once, so that was nice! Spent the rest of the evening adulting and cleaning up the house. (Yuck.)
Monday after work was reserved just for my boys. Eros' barn is closed on Mondays and it was pouring rain, so no Eddie either. Usually his mom rides on Monday anyway. Rio and Jampy each had really good curries and that was about it due to rain. Then it was off to the grocery store. Ugh. Adulting is really taking away from my free time!
Last night I rode Eros after work. He was less than enthused...

But was very good as always. I'm starting to play around with him on the flat more, and he seems to have a lot of buttons installed. He can move his front and hind ends independently, and has a nice extended trot. I think I can get more out of that when he gets a little more fit. The only place I'm really having trouble is that when I get him really on the contact, if I let go or soften at all, he'll root right down to the ground. Which makes it hard to soften. We're going to start regular lessons next week though, so I'm looking forward to figuring that out.
That's about it from here! This week is a little quieter as Eddie's mom is away. I'll still ride him, but we'll mostly just be flatting unless someone else is around there.
How was your week/weekend? Do anything fun? Lessons, horse shows, road race... anything?