Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day again! I know we've been a little boring lately. But fear not, Valentine's day is coming! In the meantime, we're a little boring again today. Eros is our model though, and he looks as handsome as ever! Here's what we wore for today:

Thanks to the mirror for our fab photo. And also for somehow making my leg look long and lean rather than stubby as they actually are in real life. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

He wore his D bit this week for outfit day because we did some "jumping" yesterday over that little raised cavalletti you can see in the corner of this photo. 

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Mattes

Exciting news here friends! Eros' saddle should arrive back to us THIS WEEKEND fully re-paneled and ready to make his back happy again. Hopefully that means this is the last Thursday's Threads in which Eros will be using his brother's saddle. We are all very excited.

Wraps: Eskadron

Forgive all the dirt on there... The ring here has Travel-Lite footing which is lovely, but it's wax and sticks to everything. Comes off in the wash easily but I don't wash these every ride, so they're a little dirty. 

That's what Eros was wearing this week, and here's what I had on:

I also wore a vest from Columbia in a cognac color which you saw in the first photo. They make my favorite outer wear, but it's hit and miss if they have any good colors in a given season. 

Helmet: One K Avance CCS with MIPS

Yep, still wearing this guy with the same color set up. I actually had to go in my emails and see how long I've had this one as it seems like it's been a really long time. Fortunately, it still has a good year or so left before I need to replace it. 

Sweater: THML

I forget if I got this from 2nd Round Equestrian or Chagrin Saddlery, but I think they both carried it. It's from last year, and I'm so glad I got it! I wear it all the time, and I just think it's adorable. 

Belt: Zazzle

I've done a real number on the buckle part of this belt, but otherwise it's holding up nicely! I love these belts and really hope Zazzle brings them back at some point. They've been out of stock for awhile now.

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

These have a cute leopard piping and I'm really sad that Dover isn't doing cute piping on these pants anymore. Or even cute colors. How boring. 

Half Chaps and Boots: Celeris UK

It got above freezing a couple times this week so I traded the full chaps for my sheepskin lined half chaps. The mirror photo isn't showing the colors very well, that light part is rose gold. I'm a fan of these. Definitely recommend sheepskin lining if you live where it gets cold. Which is pretty much everywhere these days.

That's it for this week! Any favorites? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I know it's cliche to say that this is the longest month ever, but seriously, HOW is it still January? I still have very little to talk about because, you know, it's still January. I have great intentions to start lessons and things sometime soon, but since it's STILL JANUARY I don't have the extra funds at the moment. Plus the horses are out of shape so I intend to get them legged up and starting to pop over some jumps again in the coming weeks. Hopefully once they're ready my bank account will also be prepared. Haha. One can hope.

The horses are all actually doing pretty well. Al isn't cantering like a bunny anymore which is great. The canter itself is still pretty awful, but I think there's improvement and I'll take that. Rome wasn't built in a day, and surely Al cannot be rebuilt in a day either. I had some memories pop up on FB recently that reminded me that Al's total undoing happened about a year ago now. So it's been a long road in getting him back to good, and while we're still far from reaching that goal, I think we've made a lot of progress. Not just Al, but I've learned A LOT in the past year about being a horseman. About listening to my horses. About setting aside timelines and plans to actually get my horse comfortable, happy, and wanting to do the job I've offered him. It was a hard lesson, and I'm definitely a work in progress. But I really hope I'm a better rider and horse owner now than I was a year ago. 

The Robaxin has defiitely kicked in for Eros the last few days. He's starting to move through his back again, and I don't feel like his hind end is out behind us in a whole other zip code anymore. So that's a huge improvement! The only down side is that I now I can feel all the other parts that could probably use some work sooner than later too. Namely that right front that is forever a challenge. But they're also all quite do for shoes, so I'm hoping some of what I'm feeling there will improve when he gets his feet done. He's very sensitive to his feet being long with that one wonky tendon. Hopefully our farrier will be out soon. He splits his time between CT, FL, and KY so sometimes he can't get here as early as I'd like. It's worth the wait though, as we really love our farrier. In more exciting news I got notice that his saddle is done and should be on its way back to me very soon! Yay!!!

Shiny is moving better too. I'm still seeing her breathing from her abdomen, but I'm not seeing the bottom of her ribs when she does it, so I think that's a good sign. She's more willing to come forward (after a bit of a discussion earlier today) and she's not holding her breath while she canters anymore either. I popped her over some raised cavalletti today and she felt SO MUCH better than the last time we did that. She rode right up to it and jumped across rather than trantering on the way there and then just heaving herself UP then over. Not sure if it's the Toltrazuril that's helping or the time away from jumping, but whatever it is, I'll take it! We'll do some more little stuff later in the week or the weekend and then maybe next week I'll actually set up a little course. We'll see how things are going and what the weather decides to do. It was pretend "warm" today. 43 degrees for the high, but it came with 40mph wind gusts so ya know... Typical January stuff.

That's the update from here! Nothing too exciting, but all is good over here. Just plugging away, hoping to be ready to do fun things come summer! 

Truthful Tuesday

 

I don't really have a confession today. I'm a little out of sorts given the state of the government. And I don't really wanna talk about it. So I guess my confession is that I'm limiting the amount of dread I take in each day (via new outlets, social media, etc) and trying to allow certain chunks of time just for good things like horses, dogs, and delicious snacks. It's called balance. Also, I realize that it's a luxury to be able to afford these chunks of limited dread time, and that is not lost on me. 

So this week, I'll open up confession day to you guys. Anything you need to get off your chest? Let's talk about it in the comments! (For real. Send comments. Distractions are not only welcomed, but needed.)

Thursday's Threads

 

I planned ahead in case we didn't get to ride today due to arctic temps. We did ride today (kind of, very lightly) but I'm sticking with the outfit from Monday because it was perfect for the cold weather. I don't normally ride on Mondays but since I knew Tuesday and Wednesday would be non riding days, I made an exception. We opted for Sunday Funday type rides since it was fake Sunday for us this week. Shiny wanted to be our model and who am I to argue with a mare? Here's what we had on:

Why yes, it was ridiculously cold on Monday! But not below 20. So we carried on.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

This bridle is looking even better now that it has a fresh coat of oil on it!

Bareback Pad: Brockamp
Baby Pad: Wilkers

Girth: Mattes
Quarter Sheet: Equine Wears

This bareback pad is definitely one of my favorite things. Sometimes it really is worth spending a little money on something you'll use and enjoy for many years. My only trouble with it is that my quarter sheets are designed for a long girth with the billets higher up, so I had to get a little creative to use it with the bareback pad. Thankfully, I have these billet straps that are removable that came with our Eskadron glitter pads. I almost threw them out because I don't use them on saddle pads. Glad I didn't! They are perfect for this need. 

Boots: Premier Equine

We were using navy pads last week so we had navy boots still for this ride. They did not match our outfit. Hey, it happens!

Here's what I wore:

The colors say spring, the weights say winter!

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

I really need a new helmet photo. Or better still to swap this one out for a different one for a few weeks.

Sweater: Handmade by my momma

Shirt: Akini

You guys might not know this since I haven't worn anything by her in awhile, but my mom is a really talented knitter. When I was in high school she even owned her own yarn store. She recently became a test knitter for a lady that writes patterns and this sweater is one of those test knits. It's all wool and super warm. I really love it! The shape is very much on trend this year, and it's SO WARM! Perfect for this winter. The shirt underneath is merino and one that I found at TJ Maxx several years ago. (I layered a puffy vest and puffy jacket over top while I was at the barn.)

Belt: Mane Jane

I was very excited to discover that this Mane Jane belt is a very similar shade to the sweater.

Breeches: Romfh Arctic Fleece

My mom actually got me these breeches either last year or the year before, I forget which, for Chanukah. I don't normally wear winter pants as I generally dislike how they feel. But I asked her for these in case I went nutty and decided to show in the winter. I haven't worn them until now because I was saving them for shows, but the cold weather makes you do crazy things! Like wear warm pants. Guys, I LOVE these. I immediately went online to see if I could find another pair or two at a good price. They are still readily available (ten out of ten, highly recommend!) but they are still super full price. You can find the full seat version on sale for a great deal, but they are silicone seat and those mark my saddle. So I did not yet get any more. Maybe next year. They are cut the same as the Sarafina so if you like those and need warm pants, you'll probably love these too.

Socks: Lettia

A few years back Lettia did a collab with Thelwell and they made a bunch of stuff with Thelwell prints on them. When I was a tiny kiddo I used to ride these two ponies with my now best friend in this older lady's backyard. She ran the answering service for my dad's company when it was just starting in a spare room in our house. And when companies used answering services. Anyway, that older lady introduced my now bff and I to the Thelwell comics and I've loved them ever since. So there was no question that I would get some Thelwell socks when they came out! I have baby pads too, but they're blue not purple so we didn't use them this week. 

Chaps: Journeyman

Paddock Boots: Celeris UK

I know. I need a new chap photo too. But this is an accurate representation! What I'd really like is to have warm enough weather to wear some fun boots. But alas... it will be chap weather for awhile. Thankfully I still love these very much. I do think I'll have to get some repairs done on them at some point. Some of the stitching holding the legs to the belt is coming undone. But that's really not bad considering how old they are.

So that's what Shiny and I were wearing earlier in the week! Any favorites? I sure had a lot of stories this week... thanks for sticking it out till the end!

What's Up Wednesday

 

This weather is nuts isn't it? It SNOWED in FLORIDA. That ain't right. Glad I'm not there. Not that's it any better here. We saw single digits the last couple of mornings with feels likes below zero. Gross. The horses are all snuggled up in layers and hoods. It's nice to be at a barn where I can choose how to dress my horses on days and nights like these! They were able to go out yesterday afternoon when it got up to the mid teens and there wasn't any wind. But today was colder and breezier so we opted for hand walks instead. We did get plenty of riding in up until yesterday though, and everyone is just plugging along, doing the flat work things. Once the weather breaks a little I'm hoping to get back to jumping a couple of times a week. But until then, we'll do what we feel like. Because it's January in New England.

Since I don't have anything exciting to write about as far as riding goes, let's talk about our vet visit on Friday!

Al went first. I told Doc I was concerned about the right stifle and described to him about how it had been locking up again. But all of his flexions were perfect. He was still cantering a bit like a bunny though. I said to doc that I was thinking EPM again and he agreed that's likely what we're seeing since the flexions were all perfect. He didn't have the meds on the truck though, so I'm just waiting for those to arrive. If the meds don't fix the bunny canter we may investigate his hips a bit more. Doc was happy with how he looks though overall, so it was a good appointment for Al.

Shiny went second.  I've had some concerns about how she's breathing and she's really dragging her hind end. As for the breathing, she's not flaring her nostrils or anything super scary like that. But I have noticed her breathing from her belly which is not the norm for her. And also, she is sometimes holding her breath in canter, which explains why I can't get her moving. Doc listened to her lungs and didn't hear anything which is great news. But put her on some Ventipulmin for a couple weeks to see if that resolves the abdominal breathing. Her flexions were all good also, so that didn't explain the hind leg dragging. Last winter we treated her for EPM as well and it improved her performance in more ways than I expected. So she is also getting another round of meds to see if that helps the hind end problem. Doc and I both suspect that it will. Fingers crossed.

Eros was the last to go and he was kind of the worst off of the bunch. But that's not really surprising. He has that chronically unsound right front which showed itself when Doc was out. But as is the norm for Eros, it did get better and better the longer we rode. I know it frustrates Doc that we can't just fix that, but it is what it is. He's 16 this year, and that leg has a tendon that's attached backwards. It's not a shocker that it bothers him some when it's so cold out. Eros also presented rather back sore which I already was aware of and am blaming on the fact that we're still using Al's saddle. His is supposed to be on the way here next week... but I haven't heard anything in awhile so who really knows. Doc put him on some Robaxin to try and loosen up the back. He feels that if I can really get Eros to work correctly with his hind end under him and his back lifted, then the ill fitting saddle shouldn't be such an issue. Which... yes I agree. But Eros is REALLY persistent that he couldn't possibly. So I'm letting him take it a little easy while the Robaxin kicks in, and once this arctic weather passes he'll be spending a few rides per week in the equiband. Poor Eros. He's also going to need his hocks done again in the spring, but we want to address the back first. His hocks weren't done all that long ago, so I'd like to not do them just yet if we don't really have to. 

Overall it was a good visit. I wasn't surprised by any of it which is always nice! And if not for the Ventipulmin, it would have been a pretty inexpensive visit! Oh and the EPM meds which I haven't gotten the bill for yet... Also that. Lol. Horses. Keeping humans poor since forever. 

We're supposed to be warming up here starting tomorrow... But it remains to be seen what that really means. I'm hoping to ride tomorrow, but I'm not sure if it will get above 20 before late afternoon. So we'll have to see. Rumor has it that we'll be in the mid to upper 30's by the weekend though! And it's pretty depressing that I'm excited for that. But I AM! 

How's the weather by you? Frozen tundra? We got some snow last week, but just a few inches. And it's been so frigid none of it has melted yet. The horses seem to like it though, so yay for them I guess. Anyway, that's it from here. Maybe we'll have some more exciting things to talk about next week!

Truthful Tuesday

 

It's stupid cold here, so I rode yesterday and gave the horses today off. (They'll get tomorrow too.) But I decided to be very productive and clean all of my tack that's at the boarding barn currently. That's two saddles, six bridles, a martingale and two sets of draw reins.The saddles got cleaned and a healthy coating of conditioner. Everything else got cleaned and some oil. Very productive. But that's not my confession. My confession is that whilst engaged in said tack cleaning, I managed to spill an entire bucket of water all over the tack room floor. 

Our tack room has saddle racks and bridle hooks in the center of the room for tack cleaning. The room also triples as our lounge and viewing room for the indoor. So it's a lovely heated space. Perfect for cleaning tack. But boy did I feel like the worst boarder ever when I managed to dump all that water all over the floor. Thankfully no one was really there to see and I had it dried up quickly. Still though... leave it to clumsy ol' me to make such a mess!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day! I brought out some of the blue stuff this week because maybe I'm a little behind laundry. But my quarter sheets are still green so I had to make it a blue AND green outfit. Which worked out nicely since it's still arctic here and definitely full chap weather. Which are also in the green/tan family. I really should stick to what I'm good at. Anyway... Let's see what Al and I wore today. But individually because I forgot to snap a mirror selfie. (I really am the worst in the winter.)

Here's what Al wore today:

This was post lunge because he was a nutball today. But he was honest about it and told me he needed a lunge. So still on the good boy list! Anyway, I point that out because it appears the quarter sheet has tilted a bit to the far side.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

His ear fuzz is so much lighter than the rest of him, and I think that's adorable. Also, I think he looks better with a wide noseband. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico
Baby Pad: Ogilvy
Quarter Sheet: Equine Wears

I'm not sure we're really pulling off the light blue pad with green quarter sheet... But you know what? Sometimes it's okay to not match. Like when it's stupid cold out. (Have I mentioned how cold it's been?) But also, my sweater does actually pull it all together. You'll see below!

Boots: Premier Equine

I was going to pull out the Eskadron boots like the ones I used last week but in navy, but these more accessible so they won out.

That's what Al wore today, and here's what I had on:

It is possible that I wore this sweater fairly recently for Thursday's Threads. And if that's the case, my apologies. But it was calling to me today so here it is again!

Helmet: One K Avance CCS with MIPS

Yeah that's a repeat photo. I keep meaning to bring my Samshield with the winter liner to the barn, but I also keep not remembering to do that. Maybe for next week when the highs are going to be in the teens. Before the wind chill. But also, I won't ride those days. Winter is so stupid.

Sweater: Vineyard Vines

I found this sweater at either Marshall's or TJ Maxx many years ago. It's a cashmere blend, so pretty warm! And I love that it made that light blue pad, navy boots, and green quarter sheet all come together. I need to have my mom re-block this sweater though. I hung it to dry at some point on the wrong hanger and now it sits up weird on my shoulders. 

Belt: Rebecca Ray

Another oldie! I love the Rebecca Ray belts. Actually I love all her stuff. And it's all hand made which here in the US so that's nice too!

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I'm gonna be honest. My legs were cold today. Even with the chaps over these. I think I'm getting soft.

Chaps: Journeyman

Boots: Celeris UK

Yes, that's last week's photo. But it's the same set up. Best thing I've done in a long time is resurrect these chaps. I think full chaps are really making a comeback. Definitely recommend if you're in a cold climate.

That's it for today! Any favorites? How's the weather by you? Seems it's been chilly pretty much everywhere lately. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Heh. There's really nothing up this week. It's still SO cold out. We had a one day reprieve where it got to almost 40... Is that even a reprieve? But otherwise it's been below freezing. And the WIND. It's doing so much winding. 0 out of 10. Do NOT recommend.

Of course that doesn't mean I haven't been riding. It's stayed above 20 (well the actual temps anyway, wind chills are a separate story) so we've been doing the thing. I haven't dragged any jumps out yet. I had thought maybe today, but the wind was terrifying in the indoor and I was like nahhhh. Tomorrow's another day. Or next week. Or whenever I feel like it. 

Since I don't have anything exciting to report on riding wise, let's chat about what the vet is coming for this week. We did injections not too long ago on everything that needed it (September/October somewhere in there) so I don't think we'll have any of that to do. But I have some things I want professional eyes on. Important to note, everyone feels (knock on wood) pretty sound, I just like to stay ahead of things ya know? 

First up is Al. As I've mentioned a lot lately, he's doing much better than he had been emotionally. And with him finally starting to offer up some nice work, he feels good too. But he still has had some trouble with his right stifle locking so I want to have a look at that. Our canter is a hot mess and I think the stifle is the main culprit. I also want to pick doc's brain about ulcers again. Al is in a much better place right now, he no longer feels electric, but I've noticed some odd behaviors popping up here and there. He's been off the misoprostol for about two weeks now, and I just want to make sure what I'm experiencing isn't the ulcers back already. Namely, I'm having a very hard time picking up the canter. Sometimes he flat out refuses. At one point during our ride today he halted and refused to move. I dunno if you all remember Ducky the stationary hony, but I had a moment of utter dread that it was the 2.0 version. But after a moment Al went back to work. Regardless, I want to make sure I'm not missing something. It was an odd moment for sure, not his usual MO. I'm not panicking about that just yet. It happened at the same time the wind really gusted outside and the indoor sounded like it might just launch into oblivion. So it IS possible he was just spooking. Hard to tell with Al. He's unique. Anyway, those are our main things to discuss. 

Eros for the most part feels pretty good. Especially with how cold it's been and his antics in the field. He pulled another shoe last week! A back one this time. He's coming due though so I think it was a little loose and it just was caught up in the mostly frozen grass. The foot was fine thankfully and the shoe was back on later the same day. (My farrier and his team are the absolute best!) Anyway, there are some little things I want to check in with Doc about. He's still very stiff through the right side of his neck. I'm wondering if maybe we should try a shockwave on him. I don't think we've done that for him yet. The other issue is that I'm still struggling to get him to lift his back. He feels very uphill with his front end, which is lovely, but then the back end is like trailing out behind us. I do think this is at least partially due to still using Al's too wide saddle. Eros' saddle should be back in a couple of weeks with the new panels on it. Fingers crossed that fixes this issue. 

And then there's Shiny! I'm not sure exactly what I think about her. It's taking a lot longer than it used to for her to warm up. But also, it's ridiculously freaking cold out. So maybe she gets a pass there? She's struggling a bit to stay round and on the bit. It's normal for her to want to bounce off the contact tracking left, but she's doing that to the right now too. It's been awhile since her last neck shockwave, so it could be as simple as that. I'm not positive that's the issue though because she's pretty supple through her neck on both sides. Seems more like the trouble is coming from trying to lift her back. But then again, that could be the hocks... She is definitely dragging her hind legs. Her feet are worn in a way that I've not seen on her before. So what I really am thinking with her is that it could be epm again. We treated about a year ago and saw a big difference in her, so we might just need to do another course. We'll see what Doc has to say on Friday. She's not lame, none of them are, I just think she could be feeling better than she is. 

So that's the plan for Friday afternoon! Figure out these weirdos and get them in tip top shape! I'm really excited to get back to some real work (once it's slightly less miserable outside) and ideally we'll do that with everyone feeling great. I usually wait to schedule this appointment closer to spring time, but inevitably it wounds up being much later than I really wanted. So I'm starting early this year in hopes that we'll be feeling ready and eager to do some fun things this spring and summer. Fingers crossed!

Truthful Tuesday

 

I read an article the other day that someone on my timeline had shared from The Chronicle of the Horse. It was about riding through fear. The author is a sports psychologist so her thoughts come from an educated place. She talks about how the old advice of just pushing through fear probably isn't the best approach. Instead, she recommends finding what you are comfortable doing and build from there. I found this advice validating because that's been my approach as an adult who mainly works on my own with my horses. Start where you're comfortable until it gets boring, then add on from there until you're back where you left off. It's a solid approach, but does require a lot of patience. But that's not my confession. 

My confession today is that I've been applying this approach to Al's work this winter. Not to myself. I'm not afraid of Al. But I am desperate to get him to a place where he's comfortable emotionally in his work. And riding indoors is not that place for him. Short of never riding indoors, I've been working hard this winter to help create a comfort zone for him while inside. I don't think I can ask him to push past his comfort zone if he doesn't have one ya know? So we've been riding in the center of the ring a bit away from the end doors that he's most anxious about. It makes the already small ring even smaller, but it is giving me a horse that's relaxed in his work. And he's actually doing work these days. Not perfect work. We still have our struggles. But I'm not just sitting up there waiting for the next explosion anymore. Each week, if things are going as they had been, I reintroduce something a little harder into our workday. At first it was just asking for more within the gaits. This past week I brought back lateral work. Mostly just at the walk. This week I'm hoping to add it in at the trot too. 

Just like with humans, it's been slow going, but the progress is really huge. So I'm staying the course. I'll add some jumps and things in too as jumping doesn't seem to be a stressor for him. That's solidly built into his comfort zone. Why? I have no idea. This horse's brain is... definitely unique. We probably won't get to really jumping again for a couple weeks though. We have the vet coming Friday for a check in and depending on how that goes we'll progress from there. 

So that's my confession. I'm using techniques I learned in college (my BA is in pysch) on my horse. Which is off label, yes. But they seem to be successful. Let's call it a case study. We can title it Applying the Human Approach to Overcoming Fear on Equines. Alternate title: Amateur Rider Attempts to Be Successful Without a Trainer.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! But I was a big dumb today and forgot to get individual photos of Shiny's outfit. So we'll do this all from our mirror selfie. I'm nothing if not resourceful! So here's what we wore today in the frigid tundra. (Real feel today never got above 8... thankfully indoors it was a bit better.)

She's just the cutest. Today Shiny wore her Pinnacle bridle with the Boy O'Boy brow band. Her saddle pad was the Eskadron one with the faux sheepskin built in underneath. Her boots were the matching Eskadron faux fleece lined ones in Pine Green. (Same color as the pad.) And her quarter sheet is the one I just received before my trip. It's from Equine Wears who is on Etsy. So far her quarter sheet is holding up well, but unfortunately, the boy's sheet is having some issues. It seems the trim wasn't sewn on well, and it's detaching in several places. I've reached out to the maker, but I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm hoping she'll come up with a solution for me, because these weren't inexpensive and I've only used it for the past week. 

Since most of my outfit is hidden in the mirror selfie above, I will share my own:

I have on two sweaters, the underneath one is from Asmar Equestrian and is a wool blend. The outer sweater is by Only Mine and is cashmere. Found it in a drawer with the tag still on... Oops. Getting some use now! My breeches are the same ones I wore last week, but I promise I did laundry and they were clean this morning! They're the Dover Wellesley. My socks are merino wool from Horze. (Almost forgot I had these, ten out of ten, highly recommend in the cold!)

My helmet is the One K Avance with Mips that I've been wearing the last few weeks. My jacket and vest are Old Navy, and I wore the full chaps which are by Journeyman with the petrol paddock boots from Celeris. 

And that's the abbreviated version of Thursday's Threads this week! So sorry for the lack of individual photos. I'm blaming the cold. I think my five brain cells have all frozen into a useless clump this week. Perhaps we'll do better next week!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Our re-entry back to real worker has been... not all that consistent. Ha! But it's January. So I'm zero percent stressed about it. We started off with all good intentions. My plan for the rest of last week was relatively easy rides as we ease back to things after their week of vacation. But I forgot that there was a gymnastic clinic on Sunday. We were welcome to try and ride during that, but it's a small ring, and I decided I didn't want to. I would have loved to do the clinic with Al but I don't think it's fair to throw that at him after having not really jumped in quite a while AND having had a week off. So we'll try for the next one. 

Anyway, we did ride Thursday through Saturday and everyone was really good. Not a one of them tried to murder me! What good horses. I was really curious to see what I'd have with Al particularly. He finished up his course of Misoprostol while I was away, and so I was interested to see if I would have the same horse I left or if the fire breathing dragon would return. Which, the dragon could appear regardless after a week off mid winter... So there were a lot of unknowns there. But you know what? He's been lovely. A little spooky here and there, but I can get his attention and he is giving me some nice work. Very proud of him!

Sunday, instead of riding, everyone had a mane pull and enjoyed their turnout time. Monday they had off per our normal schedule and then this week... This week is stupid. The actual high has been 22 degrees (F) and the wind! 30-40 mph winds. It's nuts. Fortunately, the indoor is you know, indoors, so the wind chill isn't a factor. But it's so noisy. Yesterday I legit thought the arena might just fly up into the air and jet off into orbit. It was terrifying. But again, the horses were all pretty good. Even after two days off. I dunno... Maybe someone swapped them with different horses while I was gone? 

We've just been flatting so far this week. I don't see any point in jumping when it's this stupid cold. Hopefully by the weekend it will be a little more mild. We have been working on some lateral work though, and getting all the parts moving nicely again. Eros has a weird bump on his hind leg Tuesday with some heat just exactly where the bump was. I think he must have stepped on himself. He felt sound when I rode him lightly, and I iced it after. Today there was no sign at all of the bump nor the heat. So I'm going to assume that it was no big deal. 

The new barn stays pretty comfortable even in this cold weather. I haven't put the thermometer in the ring so I'm not sure the temp in there, but feet and hands have remained unfrozen for our rides, so it can't be that bad in there. The barn itself seems to stay between 35 and 40 so long as the doors stay closed. I do love that I get to choose how I want to blanket my own horses at this barn. Took me a little bit to get it just right (they were a little chilly a couple of times) but I think I've got it down now. At the old winter barn, they didn't let us decide what to dress the horses in (hated that!) and my barn is temperature controlled to 45 degrees in the winter. So it's been a long time since I've had to really think about these things. I'm not completely happy with my heavy weight blankets so I'm still on the hunt for the perfect ones. Maybe next year I'll find them. 

As for myself, I think I've gotten my layering system down pretty solidly. I can't explain why, but I am never comfortable with multiple pants layers. I also don't like most winter breeches. But I've been wearing a slightly heavier sock (the Noble outfitters ones that are patterned on the leg, but the foot is more like a heavy athletic sock) and the Dover Wellesley breeches. But my top layers are the important part. I always wear a cami under all my shirts, so I have that on still, then a merino base layer. On top of that for 30-40 degrees I like a wool or wool blend sweater. But when it's below 30? I bust out the cashmere. I have a small pile of old cashmere that I've accumulated since probably college. I used to save them for wearing to work or for non horse things, but many of them are getting a little past their prime so those are barn sweaters now. And I have to tell you, nothing is warmer than cashmere. Plus, as an added bonus, they aren't bulky. So I never feel like Randy from a Christmas Story when he can't put his arms down. Nothing worse than that! On top of the sweater I add a puffy vest and jacket. My favorites are from Columbia, but I also have sets from Eddie Bauer and Old Navy. They all do a nice job of keeping me warm. I also vary my riding garments slightly depending on just how cold it is. If I'm wearing wool, I'll probably also have on the sheepskin paddock boots and matching sheepskin lined half chaps. But if I'm in the cashmere? Then it's the same paddock boots with the full chaps instead. I am SO GLAD I resurrected those! The final piece of the puzzle for the incredibly cold days is the winter liner inside my Samshield helmet. It has fuzzy ear flaps. I haven't used that yet this year, but I do think I used it some last winter. 

What are your favorite layers for stupid cold riding days? At what point do you decide it's too cold to ride? I used to say 15 degrees, but now that I'm old, I opt out if it's below 20.