Truthful Tuesday

Today's confession? I have no idea how to set jumps and/or trot poles for a large pony. I *think* she's expected to have an 11' stride? I have no idea. I only set one line in the ring. It's a four. Ish. I set it a little short and figured that would be right... If nothing else, it will an exercise in adjustability. Right? Sure.

As for trot poles... I figured I'd ask one of the most knowledgeable bloggers I know:

So we'll have to see how those work out I guess... Ha! Poor Shiny. The other thing I had trouble with? Just setting the course in general. First, I didn't even start with a plan. I just set stuff up as I went along. Never the best way to go about things, but whatever. The real trouble though, is that all of my jumps are meant to be set at 3' and higher. So I had a bunch of rails and fill left over since Shiny is only jumping around 2' right now. I also need to replace standards and get a few more flower boxes. But that's an expense for next year. I think I'm going to stick with the Burlingham jumps from now on. Are they as sturdy as wood? Nope. But since I do all my own course setting, I really do appreciate them being lightweight. Plus the plastic is way less offended when I leave them out all winter and never bother painting them. Pros and cons... gotta weigh 'em!

My other confession? Scared the crap out of myself the other night.... I didn't realize my belt was glow in the dark, and I went into the bathroom where I had lazily left it out and nearly died.

But also, that belt is way more fun now.

Anything you need to confess today? Or have any funny course setting stories?

Thursday's Threads

Outfit Day! We've been in a heat wave this week which here in CT just means it has to hit 90 degrees. They're saying we should stay in the 80's today though. I'm not complaining, I love summer! The humidity has been a little rough though. 

This was Tuesday morning. Today we're down to 51%. Much better!

Anyway, point is, summer clothes are in full effect. So here's what I'm wearing today:

That's right, I'm busting out Cheese balls shirt! Long overdue.

Shirt: I dunno who makes this...

I got this shirt as a Blogger Secret Santa gift from Amanda at 900 Facebook Pony and it's absolutely one of my most favorite things. Ever.  I mean. Look at it! Cheese balls! On a shirt! Also, I have a little cheese balls story. You all remember my excitement when they brought back Cheez Balls right? That first limited rung was exactly as I remembered and SO DELICIOUS! Well, they did decide to keep them in production, but the ones being made now are NOT the same recipe. It's terribly disappointing as the current ones are not very good. Not cool Planters. Not cool.

Belt: (not) Hermes

I got this belt strap from Ebay and it's lovely. Very soft, and I like the ostrich look to the leather. The buckle also came from Ebay and is most likely not even a little authentic. But I like it, and I feel like it classes up my Cheese Balls outfit slightly.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

These are gray, old school velcro bottoms. I got them on sale awhile ago. 

Arm Party!!!

Lefty:

In keeping with the orange theme, I wore the orange rubber band on the Apple watch and also the orange band for the Fitbit.

Righty:

Righty also went orange with this Hermes bracelet. I love that these clasps are interchangeable so I can wear them with the actual Hermes straps like this one, or I can use some of my own leather. So versatile! 

And that's it for today! Any favorites? I bet it's the shirt. It's amazing. What are you wearing today?

What's Up Wednesday

The equine kids and I have been having all kinds of fun now that we're all back under saddle. Doc wants to keep Eros in super light work for awhile, so we're still trotting four long sides and walking ten minutes. I'm not really sure when we add more... doc just said to keep going with that for now. Which is fine with me, I'll take what I can get! 

Pammon is up to as much trotting as we'd like (we usually do 15 minutes) and three laps each direction of the gigantic outdoor at the canter. Which... is actually a lot of canter. Especially given we are not yet cleared for any kind of circles or lateral work. Just round and round we go. He's been great, though is still under the influence of meds to keep him calm. He just has so much energy, we have to be careful with that leg still. 

Shiny has been doing really well. We had a lesson on Friday, and she jumped over some scary fill as well as through a line. It was set as a four to four for horses, but I held her for the five to five since the fences were small and she's a pony. I don't want her running for the horse strides. Maybe when she's more experienced, but for now, I prefer the add. We have a A LOT of work to do, but it's been really fun to get her jumping. I'm sad I have no media though.

She was exhausted Saturday after her lesson the day before. Plus the night turnout seems to keep her especially quiet. So on Sunday, I decided to give her an easy day. We tacked up and walked around the big field, and then another boarder joined us for a short trail ride. I hadn't had her on the trails before, and she was completely perfect. 

I really love this pony. Definitely one of my best questionable decisions to date.

I've gotten the stalls set up at home, and just need to throw some shavings down. I'm planning to bring Shiny and Eros home Sunday and I am SO EXCITED to have horses at home again!

Though I will kind of miss the giant ring and access to trails at the boarding barn. Pammon is staying there for now though, so I probably could ship Shiny over sometimes to play. 

Eros and Pammon are still on small paddock day turnout, and they may miss each other too.

Took the truck out for a ride this weekend and promptly got stuck behind a car fire for 45 minutes. Always the way, right?

Hey, at least I know it's running! And hopefully it's ready to haul the kids home. I'll get it fueled and hooked up on Saturday and then Sunday once the horses are home, I can get the rest of the show stuff packed in there. Just checking things off the to do list! Love that feeling.

I also made some Chex mix this weekend and proceeded to eat all of it in like three days. Delicious. Guess I'll have to make more this weekend.

In quarantine news, CT is slowly opening things up but I really haven't gone or done anything. I'll let everyone else be the guinea pigs. BUT I did go to my dad's for Father's Day. We had hot dogs and burgers outside and my brother and his family were there also. It was nice to see everyone. We're all being very safe, so hopefully no negative consequences to gathering together! Fingers crossed.

The barn mates went to their first horse show on Sunday and said it went well. It was hot wearing masks, but they said it felt safe and was really nice to get back out there. I'll probably wait until next year. Shiny has a lot of work to do before showing anyway. 

That's about it from here! How was your week/weekend? Are things open and are you doing them? Or laying low still?

Truthful Tuesday

I have a couple confessions today, but none are particularly horse related. First up:

I apparently hate sunscreen? Like why would I think it's smart to wear a tank top to the barn on a weekend morning and not wear some kind of sun protection? Why? I have no idea. But um. Ouch. I will guarantee to you that I will not remember this next time either.

Second:

My age is showing big time. Hair salons have recently reopened here, but I'm not feeling ready for that. Or I really wasn't until I snapped this pic of my braid and was like whoa. I really am 40. I'm still not planning to schedule a hair appointment just yet, though my sister in law knows someone that will come to my house and cut it outside. Not sure if she can dye outside... but I think it could work if I put a longer hose on the wash stall spigot.... that could reach to the driveway. Or maybe I'll just let it go and see what I look like with gray hair? No. Not doing that.

Oh bonus confession! Whilst shopping the interwebs for the best deal on double end snaps, I discovered that there is a company that apparently only sells on Amazon that makes GREEN ones! BUT, they're like $7 each which is ridiculous because I'd need like 30 of them. I have not bought them, much as I want to, but I feel like I probably will at some point in a moment of weakness. I want them for the horse show buckets and stall guards. My question is, why am I like this?? That's the most wasteful purchase ever. Regular old snaps that are like a dollar and change work superbly. And yet, I can't stop thinking about green snaps. There really is something wrong with me.

Do you have anything you need to confess today? 

Thursday's Threads

Outfit day again! The days are just flying by. Summer always seems to do that, doesn't it? Anyway, I'm wearing riding clothes to work again. Ugh, I'm going to miss that when we go back to the office!

I went with a Covid/grunge hybrid theme today. I think we're at the point where we can joke a little bit. I mean, it's for sure not funny, but you gotta keep your sense of humor.

Shirt: Some targeted ad from Facebook

Most of you are probably too young to know who Kurt Cobain was... He was a musical genius who killed himself in the early 90's. It was tragic. But he and his band Nirvana had a song called Smells like Teen Spirit and one of the lines in the song was "I feel stupid and contagious".  Someone put that on a shirt and I bought it. Appropriate for the times no?

Belt: Levi

Nirvana was a big part of the grunge era. The style was flannel shirts, ripped jeans, and a fair amount of metal. So this belt seems appropriate. Plus, I definitely got it in the 90's. I bought it one summer when I was showing in VT at the Levi's outlet up there.

Breeches: Tredstep

Tredstep breeches have nothing to do with grunge. But they're black, so they fit right in for today's outfit.

Socks: Dreamers & Schemers

I bought these FU Covid socks along with the matching mask. If you're going to suffer through a pandemic, you may as well be matchy about it. Anyway, these aren't grunge era either, but they go along with being contagious.

Arm Party!

Lefty:

Spikes were more 80's punk, but they did carry over and get adopted by the grunge era. So I went with spikes for lefty.

Righty:

These flatter pyramid studs were more in line with the grunge era. You would see these studs on the belts of grunge wearers frequently. They also made their way into skater style later in the decade.

I hope you enjoyed your history lesson today! Any favorites? What are you wearing?

What's Up Wednesday

The weeks are all kind of the same now a days aren't they? I'm not complaining, I like routine. But we did one exciting thing this week... Shiny had her first lesson since December! We didn't do the whole thing since she hasn't jumped in so long, but we did the flat section and then hopped over a handful of crossrails. She was perfect! As of late, I've abandoned working on getting her round and lifting her back. We've solely been trying to get the forward buttons working. She's much happier, and has been listening a lot better to the go aids. (After she's warmed up that is... she still comes out and give me a lovely western pleasure jog.) Obviously, I don't plan to let her go around with her head in the clouds forever, but I think she needed to build up some strength first. 

But back to the lesson... I rode with a really nice lady that's just started riding again after a long hiatus and one of the younger kids that boards at the barn. They both jump around 2'3" and are doing what I'd call early intermediate level flat work. So we did have to do some posting trot without stirrups (so much harder on a pony!) and we even tried some baby leg yielding. Shiny was great moving right to left, but not as good left to right. This surprises me none as she loves to pop her left shoulder and fall that way. (We have a lot to work on.) And then we moved on to jumping! The first one Shiny backed off a tiny bit and then popped up high over, but after that she was perfectly level about the whole thing. It was so tempting to do more, but I don't want to push things. We're in no hurry and can take our time for sure. So that was lots of fun.

Truthful Tuesday

You guys, I've really been slacking in the house again. Now that all three horses get ridden, it's taking all my energy away from being productive at home. But you know what? I don't even mind. So worth it to be back in the saddle!

But since I'm not getting as much done re organizing and decorating the house, my online shopping has subsided at least. So that's a positive. Plus, I think I've purchased just about everything on the internet at this point...

Anyway, my real confession today is that I've been absolutely terrible about cleaning my house. I ran the vacuum around last night and cleaned the bathroom, but like... everything else is dusty and dirty. It's so bad. I just hate spending so much time cleaning. Ugh. How do you all motivate to get that stuff done? Clearly, I need some suggestions.

My goal for this weekend is to finish up organizing all my barn crap so the barn will be neat and ready for Eros and Shiny when they come home. Fingers crossed I get that done!

Thursday's Threads

We've been having some beautiful weather around here, but today is supposed to get stormy. So back to long sleeves for a day!

It's cool outside, but I'm being cheap and not turning on the a/c so my house is not cool. Hence my lack of socks. I promise to put some on before I go to the barn!

Top: Dover

I really enjoy equestrian themed prints. So I grabbed this base layer shirt from Dover when it was on sale. It's heavier than a sun shirt, so definitely best suited for spring and fall. Or cool days like today.

Belt: Mane Jane

I honestly can't decide what color this shirt is. I might be gray? Maybe kind of olive? Or just brown? It's like all three. So I decided to match my belt to the brown stirrup leathers in the print. Though this Mane Jane strap is a bit darker brown. Close enough. 

Breeches: B Vertigo

These are pretty old, but they are one of my favorite pairs of breeches. They're very lightweight and super stretchy. They also have glue on them... (You can see it just above my knee here.) Don't craft in your favorite breeches my friends.

Arm Party!

Lefty:

Lefty is donning this leather stirrup bracelet. I've had it for YEARS and I'm pretty sure i got it from Etsy. 

Righty:

Righty is wearing the fitbit in it's brown band along with this fun wrap bracelet from Ralph Lauren- a great Ebay score! The strap doesn't fit me right though, and I keep forgetting to do something about that.

I'm still riding exclusively in a pair of Regals and my One K Rose Gold Avance helmet. Once the horses are home I promise to vary my footwear and helmets again!

Any favorites from today? Do you have any particular riding apparel that you're in love with?

What's up Wednesday

My two full sized boys had their check in with the vet on Friday, and it went great for both! I'll start with Eros. Doc was happy with how he jogged and had me hop on to see how he looked under saddle. 

The very best view... even when blurry

He's definitely stiff in the back end from lack of work (probably will need his hocks and maybe stifles done at some point) but the injured leg looks good! Doc wants us starting VERY slowly and taking it really easy so as not to upset the progress we've made. We're doing a 10 minute walk under saddle and he can trot 2 long sides of the indoor each direction. We'll keep up with this for two weeks, and then check back in on how to add to what we've started. You guys. It feels so good to be back on him. The best part is that Eros is such a chill dude, I haven't had to give him any sedative at all. I even did our walking outside on Saturday. Such a gem.

He may have put on some quarantine lbs...

Pammon got good news too! Doc is thrilled with how he looks, and allowed us to add canter back into his routine. He's currently doing 15 minutes of trotting and 5 minutes of cantering. I generally do a 5 minute walk to warm him up, trot 5 each direction. Then canter 2.5 minutes, trot 2.5, then repeat in the opposite direction. Finishing up with 5 more minutes of walk. Unlike his brother, Pammon still gets a little help from modern medicine to keep his feet on the ground. But he is getting less than before, so that's a start. For some reason, I can't remember to take a between the ears photo on him. Maybe this weekend!

Shiny is doing just fine. I've decided to hold off on trying to put her together and get her lifting her back until she's stronger and more fit. She seems to trip less if I let her have her head right now, and truthfully, we really need to focus more on forward and listening before we get back to collection and all that. We are hopefully going to hop over a few crossrails this weekend too! Time to get back to doing things for that girl!

I feel like I'm settling in pretty well to quarantine summer schedule, though it's all about to change soon. They started on the fence yesterday which means Eros and Shiny will be coming home in July! Woohoo! The bad news is that I think they'll be bringing us back to the office in July also. Booo. I'm going to see if there's any way I can work at least a few days a week from here. It's just so much more convenient for me not to be commuting. I think I'll probably ride Pammon at the boarding barn before work (once the others are home) and then do my two here after work. We'll see. Gotta figure that out based on what happens with work I guess. 

In eating news, I've been enjoying Taco Tuesday deliveries each week from a chef friend of mine and my Sunday lobster roll dinner is a thing again. I made brownies this weekend which were delicious too.

So much for all that weight I lost... Lol. Whatever, all worth it!

Truthful Tuesday

I was on a real roll during full quarantine getting stuff done in the house. Like really did a lot! But since I've started riding again, I haven't been nearly as successful nor motivated to get things done. This weekend the beautiful weather, did not help my lack of motivation. I did get a couple loads of laundry done, and made a TINY bit of progress in the shoe closet. But that was it. My goal was to finish the shoe closet (and switching the booties downstairs with summer shoes). I did not reach that goal. Not even a little. But it's not like I really wear shoes anymore anyway.

But you guys! I did get something accomplished that I've been putting off FOREVER! Remember the enormous bag of wraps I had sitting unrolled since October? I finally got them rolled!

There were 61 of them. Which I don't understand, because I always wrap legs in pairs. Wonder what happened to the 62nd one?

Have you all been keeping motivated? 

Thursday's Threads

I'm feeling a bit uninspired today, so I let my outfit portray that:

It's super summery out there today, and I can't wait to get away from my desk and out to play with ponies! Come one 5 o'clock! Also, I really am not looking forward to going to back to the office eventually and not wearing riding clothes all day. Maybe I'll just wear them to work and see if anyone says anything?

Tee shirt: Smartass and Sass

I wish this was true though. Anyone else?

Belt: Noble Outfitters

I ordered some of my new buckets from Dover and got this belt for free with a promotion they were running. It just happens to match my shirt exactly!

Breeches: Romfh

I like the Romfh breeches. Theyr'e comfy and light weight. Nice for the summer! And this robin's egg color is really fun too.

Socks: Ovation

For really warm and/or humid days I find the Dreamers and Schemers socks a little too hot. So I went with some Ovation socks today. 

Arm party!

Lefty:

This is really what lefty dons most days. My Loriece bracelet and apple watch.

Righty:

Told you I was uninspired today. Right just has the fitbit on. Sorry I'm boring today. It just happens sometimes.

So that's it for today! Any favorites? What are you wearing?