What's Up Wednesday

 

Things are moving along over here. Thankfully fall calmed itself down and it's been warmer out so the horses weren't too sassy this past week. My rib is still pretty sore, so we've been doing a lot of trot work and not so much canter. Not a bad thing. 

I did jump Shiny this week, and I actually noticed a change in her. It's not been uncommon for her to break to trot on course, especially off a short turn. But this week, she actually listened when I closed my leg. And she's starting to carry herself better in general. Exciting when you can see these changes! 

This is a teeny tiny crossrail, but it's one of my favorite screen grabs. I just love her expression in this one.

I did shorten the out of the combination for this week's school and found something interesting there too. She has a terrible left drift (which I'm aware of, and we're working on it) and I think that's why we weren't making the distance very well before. She's literally cantering diagonally through there. Makes the distance a lot longer! But not having to worry about making it out, I was able to try and focus more on holding her straight, and letting her figure things out more. 

No, that is not in fact the center...

Part of me is DYING to put the jumps up a little. She really is just cantering over 2' at this point. 

This is Shiny, cantering over this 2' fence.

But I want her to be strong and ridable before I make things too much harder. Maybe this week we'll put the out up a hole... we'll see!

Below are two video clips of the same little course. One from Pivo Silver and one from Pivo Red. We made mistakes, but who doesn't? I just think she's the cutest nugget and I'm having so much fun with her!

Eros is doing Eros things. He's mostly perfect, but I did catch this hilarious spook the other day:

He does make a lovely Giraffe. And I'm impressed that there's only one foot on the ground. So agile he is! But the rest of the ride he was still perfect.

No real updates on Pammon. We're doing the thing, and he still feels blah to me. But we've stayed up right this week, so that's a win.

I actually got to do some braiding this week! Haven't done much this year so it was nice to have the opportunity. The horse was a very sweet boy, stood like a gentleman the whole time. He was also very tall. Had to be about 17.2 at least.

And in other hair news, I tried out the espresso brown color from Overtone. 

I really wanted to cover my grays before we do photos at the end of October, and figured I wouldn't want purple hair for that... I did this early in case I hated it. But I actually really like it. Looks natural. My grays are still much lighter than the rest of my hair, but they're brown. Looks like i have highlights! So that's kinda fun.

I look super creepy here... but my hair looks nice!

That's about it from here. Did you all have a good week/weekend? Doing anything fun and exciting?

Truthful Tuesday

 

So my non horsey confession is that I'm having a little bit of anxiety... My state has moved to phase 3 of our reopening. Which confuses me some as our positivity rate has been going up. We've been staying under 1% for most of the summer, but now that school has started we're just over that. Not a terribly alarming number, but still, I would think lightening up restrictions might help that number climb to something that is alarming. That's not really what give me angst though. I obviously can still avoid anything that makes me uncomfortable. What I'm anxious about is the thought that I might have to go back to the office. You guys. I DO NOT want to go back. I'm not sure how I'll get all the horses done everyday with the added commute. I haven't really had three to do on the daily while also driving to the office. Plus, I work on the second floor where the windows don't open. I don't want to share recycled air with all of my coworkers. Many of them have kids in school. The others are younger and I know do a lot of going out to "restaurants" (bars are still closed, but restaurants with bars are open). So yeah. I don't know wanna go back. My original contract had a clause in there that I could work remotely but I'm not sure if that's carried over. They haven't actually mentioned anything yet... I'm just having preemptive anxiety about it. What can I say? I am who I am.

But you're not really here to listen to my non horsey woes. You're here for horse stuff. So I have a horsey confession too.... You know that old adage about the shoemakers kids? How they always have no shoes or threadbare ones? Well. Same applies to braiders's horses. Shiny and Eros had been looking absolutely feral. Look at these manes!

It was bad. But these two are both kind of terrible about having their manes pulled. Which makes me not want to do it. So I don't. But that's not really the answer. Plus we're getting some photos taken next month and they can't be looking feral for that!

Shiny's isn't terribly thick, so I can get away with just shortening it. But Eros' really needs to be thinned. He has enough mane for three horses.

I got one of those de-matting rakes Amanda had mentioned trying to see if that might work for him. I hate to make Mr. Perfect unhappy by pulling if I can find an alternative method. At the same time, I do hope to show him some day and I'll be the poor sucker that has to braid him. So thinning really needs to happen. I think the rake really did a decent job! I'll probably still need to pull a little before braiding him, but since that's not any time in the near future, I think it's good enough for now. I tried something a little different in the process... Instead of raking his mane on the right side, I flipped it over and worked on it from the left. I figured if i messed up and thinned too much, it would wind up underneath and not be so obvious. The plan didn't really work... There is a section in the middle where I wound up with a few short spots. Oops. Next time I'll probably just rake from the correct side. It was a good thought though. One of my braider friends had told me with a mane like Eros' she pulls from both sides, which is what made me try that. But I guess it doesn't work as well with the rake. Anyway here are his afters:

I braided it over too, so hopefully it will lay flat for our photos in a few weeks. In the first photo you can see the oops spot pretty well in the middle. 

I used the rake on the top part of Shiny's mane and then did a combo of upright scissors and clipper blade for the rest.

It might still be a little too long, but definitely better than it was! Both horses were very tolerant of the rake. So I'll definitely keep that tool in the tack box.

Anything you guys need to confess? Do you stay on top of your horses mane or do they have feral looking periods too?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day already! This week has flown right by... I had an exciting realization that a pair of boots that I LOVE but never wore because they were too tight actually fit me now. So I was super excited to share them this week. So, here's what I wore to ride yesterday:

I know, green again... but really this week is more brown themed with green accents. Totally different.

Helmet: One K Defender

I haven't worn this helmet in FOREVER. No time like the present to bust it out! It has snakeskin for the center panel.

Top: Unsure of brand

I stumbled across this hoodie awhile back on Poshmark. How perfect is it?! Exactly my barn colors and covered in horses? I HAD to have it.

Belt: Pony Locks

Jampy's belt was clearly the best choice for this outfit. Being that it's chocolate brown with just a thin layer of green padding for trim.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I'm such a sucker for a tan patch...

Boots: Mountain Horse Serengetti

You guys. I am SO excited to finally be fitting in these boots. I love them. They're green and brown, and SO comfortable. Plus, the height is perfect too. Like they were made for me! I've been staring at them for about a year and a half now. Almost sold them so many times. So glad I held on to them. For some reason, Mountain horse doesn't make wide calf boots in my shoe size. I wear a six. They don't make wide calf until size 7. Makes no sense, but it's limited my buying from them. I took a chance on the regular with these just because I loved them so much. FINALLY I can wear them! Woohoo!

Arm Party!!!

Lefty:

These are mostly repeats from last week. I'm really loving this bit bracelet I made... I hope that's not to vain. But it's super cute and comfortable to wear. The middle one I made a long while ago. It has a brown braided leather in the center then gold and green on either side. Pretty perfect match to the sweatshirt. And I've been wearing the green rubber band for a bit now. Love the shade of green!

Righty:

Righty is donning this wrap bracelet with the running horse (matches the ones on the shirt!) along with the fitbit. This wrap is a new design for me, but I think I like it! Might have to make a green one too. 

That's what I wore, but the horses have outfits to share too! I forgot to take full photos (sorry) but here's everything individually:

Saddles: Butet for both!

Pads: Eous baby pad with a horze half pad for Eros, FSS pad for Shiny

It's interesting... these saddles are actually basically the same model. Both are the deep seat (Butet calls it a C). Eros' has a 2 flap and Shiny has a 1. But the difference in length between the two flaps is a lot. They don't make a size in between that I know of, but the 2 is too long for me and the 1 is too short. I wanted a short flap for the pony, so no complaints. I'm just not sure what I would do if I decided my real saddle will be a Butet. It's possible the flap size increases some with the seat size maybe... Shiny's is a 17 and Eros' is a 17.5. I guess this is why you have a rep out if you plan to buy new.

Boots: HKM for Eros and Eskadron for Shiny

I've had the HKM boots forever, but Shiny's are newish (I've had them awhile but haven't used them until now),

Bridles: Both are wearing the QHP Bridle with browbands from Dark Jewel Designs

And that's it! Any favorites? 

What's Up Wednesday

 Kind of a slow week over here. It's getting dark earlier and earlier so my weekday rides are all flatwork. BORING. Ha. But necessary of course. I have to give big props to the Shiny pony. She's the same horse in the dark with the lights on as she is in the daylight. I haven't yet ridden Eros in the dark... but I'm not really looking forward to it. Lol. He'll be fine I'm sure, just tense and distracted. It's got cold here out of nowhere. Highs in the 50's for a few days, and we've had 30's overnight a couple times even. So I feel better about splurging on new blankets. Plus, they look fab on the kids.

My home office has been super chilly, so my coworker and I have been working with a heated blanket. Best purchase ever btw.

Anyway... On to horse news! We'll start with Pammon. 

Saturday morning, I went out to ride him and was having a nice enough ride. He, as usual, was very busy looking out the windows of the indoor to see what was happening outside. Normal for him. He lacks focus. So we did our loose rein trot for awhile and then moved on to a little loose rein canter. Came back to trot and started putting his body together. Things were fine. I asked for canter with a little shape. So far so good. We come through a turn, and he's looking out into the lounge area. And then he trips. He tries for several "strides" to recover but can't and down we both go. Ugh. We were both mostly fine, though I have a pretty sore rib area. Not sure if from being tossed onto his neck, or if it's how I fell. He feels about the same as before though, so I think he's fine. I am wondering why my horses keep falling down in that indoor though. In this instance, it was probably at least partially due to being aced. But still. Horses should stay upright!

It was a bummer that happened in the morning though. I had planned to jump Shiny Saturday, but my stabby rib told me maybe I should postpone. So no fun media from me this week either. Boo! Shiny and Eros were both very good all weekend though. Much appreciated. 

In the past, I think I'd have tried to jump anyway. But in my old age (I am 40 now guys) I'm learning that sometimes it's better to let things heal instead of making them worse. It's annoying. But in the long run, probably the right call.

Instead of working super hard, we had snacks and bareback rides on Sunday... (Okay, I rode Eros and Pammon with a saddle. Shiny had a bareback ride.)

The only other exciting thing this weekend was probably only exciting to me... But I'll share anyway, since it's my blog. I've been casually looking for a table for my kitchen. I never thought I wanted one, but I set up a folding table in there a couple years ago at holiday time to wrap presents and then never took it down. So I realized, maybe I did want one. And maybe something nicer than a plastic folding table. My house was built in 1759 but has had many upgrades since then (obviously). All along though, all of us owners of this house have tried to keep the old timey feel. I added pretty modern furniture because I love the juxtaposition. While I kept my kitchen cabinets wood colored to stay with the old feel, I do have a really fun green granite counter. So I was thinking for the table, I wanted something wood, but not heavy looking. Kind of old and modern all at once. I found several tables I loved. I was looking at a lot with a raw edge. But they were stupid expensive which wasn't what I wanted. (I prefer to spend my money on horses and boots, clearly.) Finally, I found... a wooden folding table! Best of all worlds if you ask me. If I change my mind about it, I can store it easily and use it as needed. I decided to do a small bench on one side and two chairs on the other. And I found chairs that are upholstered in almost the exact green of my counters. Imagine that?! Despite expected delivery dates in October, everything arrived this weekend. So here's the finished product:

The woods are all a little different, but I think close enough. Also, excuse the messy looking pantry in the background... I'm thinking about putting a sliding barn door over there but haven't done it yet. It has no door at the moment, but I think it would be nice to close it off. Or have the option at least.

So that's it! How was your week/weekend? Everyone stay upright? I recommend that. The older I get, the more it hurts when my horses fall down.

Truthful Tuesday

 

I don't really have a confession today, but I have a couple random things that sort of work for the theme. First is dose of luck that hit me this weekend. So Sunday, I got back to my barn after riding Pammon. I went to use the bathroom before I started riding the other two. Well, as I leaned over to drop my breeches, one of my earrings fell out! Not just any old earring, but I always wear these diamond studs that my mom gave me for my 18th birthday. My dad had given them to her, so they're kind of an heirloom. I never take them out.  So why was it lucky that it fell out? Well because I SAW it happen! Also it fell on the floor and not in the toilet, so that's also lucky... But I couldn't find the back for it anywhere. Not a big deal, I can replace that easily enough. But the story doesn't end there! 
I had a bunch of things to do Sunday besides riding. Like digging out winter blankets (it's effing cold here guys) and rolling a bunch of clean wraps. So by the time I made it inside to shower, it was around 7:30 PM. So I'm stripping down to shower, and I see in the mirror something stuck to my boob. (No idea why I didn't feel it...) I assumed it was hay at first glance (it's usually hay) but then I realize, it was the earring back! But HOW did it get in there? I had on a tight sports bra to hold my aching ribs together (more on that tomorrow) and a giant hoodie sweatshirt. So I have no idea how I got so lucky that the thing wound up in there. But it did! So lucky day for me!

My other anecdote comes from the barn's goat. His name is Merlin. He is enormously fat and was raised by the barn dogs. He has no idea he's a goat. You should see him with the barn owners new little rescue puppy. Hilarious. So the thing about Merlin... He's pretty smart. I know animals aren't supposed to be able to reason. But I swear this goat can to some extent. He knows how to open doors. So he sometimes lets himself into the tack rooms or the feed room (or the lounge...). But just being able to open doors isn't what makes him smart. What's smart, is after he enters a room he's not supposed to be in, he closes the door! Now, I realize he shouldn't be able to reason that closing the door will make him less conspicuous... but he does it EVERY time! I kinda think he knows.

Alright, that's all I've got for today. Any of you have smart goats? Or find jewelry in your bra?

Thursday's Threads

 

Happy outfit day friends! I took a break from all things sparkly this week and went with the old standby... Green!

You really can't ever go wrong with green. Especially now that fall is approaching.

Helmet: Charles Owen

I'm sad to realize that greenie here is going to be approaching expiration soon. I have one year left though! Hopefully by then one of the MIPS helmets will be available in hunter green! 

Shirt: Ariat

I loved this hunt print so much when it came out that I actually paid retail for it. I know. I never do that. I still love it though, so I'd say #worthit.

Belt: Tory Burch

Love this gold bet! It's a not a bright gold... more like a metallic beige. Goes with everything!

Breeches: Ariat

You all have seen these many times at this point. They're still one of my favorite pairs of breeches. The colors are PERFECT! I should have bought two pair...

Boots: La Mundial

I haven't worn these in FOREVER! I'm still a little bitter at what awful service this company has so I kind of look at them and go nah... But they should get worn. They are perfectly nice boots. I don't recommend the company to anyone unless you enjoy aggravation. But the boots themselves are nice. HOWEVER, if you want boots that aren't black or brown, I'd say shop elsewhere. They didn't dye these all the way through, it's just the top layer that's green. So if you scratch them at all, or they start to get worn, the color disappears. As seen below:

So yeah. Stick with Celeris or Fama-4-All for your vibrant boots. 

Arm Party!!!

Lefty:

I've done some crafting recently, and made a few new bracelets. This D bit bracelet is one of them. I love how it came out, and was even more excited when I found this rubber apple watch band that matches my green leather perfectly!

Righty:

Righty is donning another bracelet I made. Three pony faces to represent my little herd! And I went with the brown band for the Fitbit.

And that's it for today! Any favorites?