What's Up Wednesday

 

I always forget how busy summertime is. But I do enjoy it! Last week we got our hay delivery finally. My hay guy had a hard time finding a window to cut hay with all the rain this year, but he finally got it done, and it's the nicest hay he's had for me in a long while. The horses love it. And I love having a full hay barn! 

Friday I had the vet out to check on Al's leg. Of course by Friday it looked nearly normal. But still, better safe than sorry. I had a friend stop by for a visit the day before and I trotted him some for her. We both thought he might be a hair off so doc had me ride to evaluate. The great news is that the leg is perfectly fine, he likely just banged it on something. And he's quite sound all around which is also wonderful news. But finally doc was able to see how Al just isn't using himself well in general. He's not engaging the back end and is overall very sticky. This is something I've been dealing with for the last couple of years, it's not new. But we mostly blamed it on the ulcers and/or the spookiness. Doc had me jump him over a few small things to see if jumping might entice him to work a little harder. It did not. Which did not surprise me in the least. Whilst I was untacking, doc went over Al's various tests we've done over the past few months and I could see the wheels turning. He decided to run some tests of insulin and fat levels to see if there's something metabolic going on. He also decided we should try him on a course of naproxen (and yes, not ideal given the ulcer situation, but he thinks worth trying while he's being treated still). He truly seems to believe the behavior problems are pain related, which I don't ever wish pain on any animal, but if we can pinpoint where the issue is, we might get my whole horse fixed up. Emotionally AND physically. Wouldn't that be nice?! Plus, if we can find the pain source, that might also stop the ulcer cycle. I hate to get my hopes up again because my hopes are very fragile at this point. But still. I don't learn. And my hopes are hoping. 

We started the naproxen that evening which was Friday. Saturday I didn't notice much difference in his behavior. Sunday though, he seemed a little quieter. A little less stressed. Monday was his day off. And then Tuesday? He was pretty good. We were able to ride around the entire ring with minimal spooks. And toward the end of the ride he was actually seeking out the contact and lifting his belly. He gave me a few moments of trot that I haven't felt in YEARS on him. But I wasn't ready yet to be too hopeful. 

Look at this relaxed horse walking on the buckle by the scary trees!

But today? Today I'm allowing my hopes to hope a little bit. He came out relaxed. Walked around both directions with minimal dragon breathing. Walked, trotted, and cantered around the entire ring. Still too slow. Still not overly engaged. He still broke heading toward the scary side a few times. But not every time. And then we jumped some fences. 

I didn't have a good canter, and we chipped a lot. But he didn't spook. And the last jump he actually took me too. Of course it was pretty hot and humid today. So that might have played a part. But we've had plenty of hot humid days that he was still a head case. It might be premature, but I do think the naproxen is making a difference. Now I realize he can't live on it. And we have to figure out what exactly is causing his pain. I think it's good news that a little bit of pain reliever is clearly making a difference. If it was something particularly terrible I don't think that would make this big of a change. And of course, sometimes he is a good boy, so this could be a coincidence. But for just a moment, I want to believe that we've finally found a hint as to how to help this horse. The plan for now is to keep him on the naproxen another week to make sure this is real. His scope appointment is next Friday so we can start formulating a plan then. Cross some fingers for us that we're finally heading in a helpful direction. And also that whatever is this problem is something we can fix. 

Obviously Al was kind of my focus the last few days, but that doesn't mean the other two haven't been plugging along doing their things. We focused on flatwork through Saturday, and then enjoyed Sunday Funday. Bareback rides for Shiny and Eros! And then Eros enjoyed some grass while I sat on him.

Shiny isn't allowed grass, but we went for a nice stroll around the yard. We love Sunday Fundays.

And yes, sometimes I get off in the barn. 
I would fail Pony Club

Hopefully some day Al can participate. He did enjoy a hand graze though. 

Shiny and Eros both had a little jump school today too. (Jumpies for everyone!). Eros started out really nice and soft, then the torpedo showed up, but he finished up nicely. So I'll call that a success.

Shiny though? She was a SLUG. I'm assuming it's because it was hot, but it may be that she was mad I rode her last. I realize horses don't have these kinds of feelings... but I swear this pony has a lot of thoughts and feelings. I wasn't thrilled with how she went, but we kept it fairly short anyway. She did finish better than she started, so that's all that really matters at the end of the day. Plus, even when she's a slug she's adorable.

I'm hoping to get another lesson scheduled for the weekend or next week. And that's about it from here! Do you guys have any big plans for the weekend?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Heh, I was realizing today how bad I am at being inconvenienced. Like, it really irks me. So much so that I had to laugh at myself, because honestly self, get over it! My new favorite thing to wish on people that I'm disappointed in is inconvenience. I don't wish anyone harm ever. But inconvenience? Oh yes. I wish that on all the terrible people I've encountered over the years. 

What got me going today you ask? So I had scheduled a pick up of donations with the Vietnam Veterans. They take all of your closet clean outs, house wares, that sort of thing. I've been slowly going through my closets and had a bunch of bags taking over my home that needed to go. You schedule your pick up day, leave everything outside and they pick it up between 8 and 5 on that day. Normally I'll put everything out the evening before, but last night it rained, so I got up a little extra early to put it all out this morning. It was 14 bags of stuff. No small task! But five o'clock rolls around and everything is still there. Well apparently they had to reschedule me, but didn't find it necessary to let me know. So then I had to drag everything back inside. They're not coming back until Friday. Annoying! Now is this really a big deal? Nope. But boy was I perturbed about it. I think mostly because I hate waking up earlier than I have to. I love sleep. Anyway, I got over it. 

But then I was irked all over again not too much later. I had decided earlier in the day to get some groceries delivered because I knew by the time I finished in the barn I wouldn't want to go, and I was out of food. I ordered a bunch of veggies and a rotisserie chicken to make a delicious and healthy salad for dinner. Well my groceries arrived and they were out of chicken. And they didn't send any ripe avocados only green ones. I ordered 2 of each. That makes for a terrible salad. Fortunately I also got some lox so I had a delicious bagel with lox and tomato instead. 

And tomorrow I hope to be a better person and not get so cranky about small inconveniences. But I'll probably still wish them on my enemies.

Thursday's Threads: An incomplete edition

 

Outfit Day! And once again, I've failed you guys. I wasn't planning anything too crazy for this week because I had an appointment in the morning that I could show up for in breeches, but maybe not looking completely ridiculous. And then I had a friend drop by for a visit and got completely distracted. I did remember photos of my outfit, but I did NOT take any horse photos. So I have no horse outfit to share this week. Sorry about that. If I can get a few more things done, I should have something fun for next week though. Anyway, here's what I had on this week:

Pink and green is one of my favorite color combos. 

Helmet: Samshield

Heh, this helmet has faded so much it now matches the trim on my pink boots. 

Shirt: Luyaa

I still love these Amazon shirts for riding in. And that's not sweat on my chest there, it's the all the water that dumped on my when I tried to sponge off Al's face. Horsing is so glamorous.

Belt: Tory Burch

You guys have seen this one plenty. It's one of my favorites!

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

Perimenopause is wild you guys. I've gained some weight, noticeably, but for some reason I've dropped a pant size. It's very confusing. I guess it all just pushed up to my belly from my butt?

Boots: Celeris UK

I think these were the first really wild boots I ordered. I love them; they are super comfy and the pink is ridiculous. In all the best ways.

And that's probably the shortest Thursday's Threads of all time! I will do better next week. PROMISE! I've been making some new sets for outfit days, and I'm hoping to finish them up on Monday. And then I'll have a few weeks of silly outfits to share.

What's Up Wednesday

 

I always forget how busy summer gets. But boy does it! Let's just jump right in on the last week, shall we?

Thursday we FINALLY got a visit from our body worker. We haven't seen her since October so it was long over due. Obviously the horses all were in need of some adjustments, but given the length of time between visits, nothing was all that bad. So that was nice. And it was so great to see our body worker too. I think we all missed her! We were her first stop of the day, so they all had light stretchy rides afterwards. 

Friday our farrier came which was also overdue, but not to the extent of the body work. Ha! Obviously. They all had nothing exciting to report on, but I did tell my farrier about Al's request through the animal communicator. I wasn't going to tell him... but then I did. And you know what? My farrier, who is a large manly man type dude, says, "Oh yeah? What did he ask about? I love animal communiators!" You just never know with people... Anyway, I told him Al said that one foot of his still bothers him sometimes and he'd be open to trying other shoes (Al's words, not mine). So farrier asked me what he wanted to try, but unfortunately Al hadn't specified. Farrier said to ask when I all again. Ha! Kills me. Who would have thought he'd be into animal communicating? 

After pedicures, Shiny got to have a ride with her favorite kid finally! And even better kid's mom came too which was great. (Kid's mom is my former trainer if you recall.) She's doing well and is back in the saddle, so MAYBE if the stars align she'll be able to help me and Al at some point. It won't be this summer as she's heading back to Florida next week, but that's okay. I'm contemplating spending a few months in Florida this winter rather than six months at a boarding barn up here. And if I can figure out how to make that happen, then we'd board with her and try to get back on track. I don't REALLY think this will happen, but it's not impossible. We'll have to see how things play out. 

Anyway, Shiny was thrilled to have her kiddo back and had a fun ride with jumpies. I was so delayed riding the boys that they both ended up having pretty quick flat rides because I was supposed to be at my dad's for fourth of July burgers. I was still stupid late, but whatever. Got it all done! 

Saturday Al and I had my second lesson with our new trainer. And I gotta tell you guys, this horse is on his best behavior when trainer is here. Which is nice because I get a reprieve from the drama, but also kind of annoying because we only semi get to work on our problems. It was a nice lesson though. We still kept it to flatwork, but this time we incorporated lots and lots of trot poles and a few canter poles. It was a good lesson! The other two just flatted again, but they're putting in some great work lately. Working on those top lines!

And then Sunday. Womp, womp. Al had a HUGE leg. The same one that blew up the weekend before, but in a different part of the leg. This one looked scary. So I just iced him and hand grazed him that day. 

Monday he had off but I iced it anyway and it still looked unpleasant. So I called and got him on Doc's schedule. I know better than to mess around with fat legs. After that time when Pammon was completely sound on a torn check, I no longer trust soundness in these situations. The other two enjoyed Sunday Funday (as did I)!

By Tuesday the leg was less horrific looking, but still not normal, so I am still wanting Doc to see it. Just to be sure. We've been tack walking the last two days, though I did trot him some today just to see what I could feel if anything. He felt fine to the left, but maybe just a hair short tracking right. I plan to stick with tack walking and maybe a little test trot tomorrow but we might get rained out. Hard to say, the weather people have been terribly inaccurate lately so we'll have to just wait and see. Doc comes Friday. Fingers crossed this is nothing guys. 

Shiny and Eros both did great flat rides yesterday. Bellies up, polls giving. Eros had his bands on. It was sweaty and productive! Today we got to see Shiny's kid and OG trainer again. We all had fun and Al appreciated having a friend in the ring with him. And by friend I mean OG trainer, because Shiny is mean to him. Haha! Kiddo did a great job with Shiny. It's really fun to watch them go around together. We also got hay this morning which thank goodness! I was down to three bales. My hay guy had a hard time finding a window to bale this spring because of all the rain. He actually brought me a pickup truck full of hay a few weeks ago to hold us over. But the this new stuff looks SO good. Best we've gotten in awhile I think. I almost don't want to use up the three bales we have and just jump into the new stuff... But I'm not wasteful. I'll wait. It's only one more day... maybe two. Also cross your fingers it doesn't mold. The humidity has been something else! It's been baled for three weeks so should be fine. But my hay guy said to keep an eye out because there's a chance it could happen. Oof. 

I don't have any lessons on the agenda for this weekend since I'm not sure what's going on with Al and his stupid leg. I did order another bit for him to try though I think he's liking the new one. Hard to really know when we're just walking. He tends to like a thicker mouthpiece and the copper roller bit is pretty thin. So I found a cherry roller bit that's fat and the single joint he likes. I'll be interested to see what he thinks when it gets here. It's coming from California so might be a little while. 

That's it from here! We've had a lot of visits lately, and I'm officially BROKE after paying the body worker, the hay guy, and my property taxes. Adulting is expensive. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a few quiet days coming up with the horses. I'd like to jump Eros either Friday or Saturday this week, but otherwise it will be lots of flatwork for all (assuming the vet visit goes okay). Any big plans for the weekend? 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Sometimes I do silly, irresponsible things with money. I try not to. Especially now because it's much tighter than a few years ago. Though this week I definitely bought something ridiculous and useless. But it brought me more joy that I can even verbalize. Want to know what it is?? Do you??? Yes you do. Ok here it is:

Do you see it?? No? How about here:

Heehee.... I bought Rita some aviators. She hates them, but I think she'll learn to love them. And I'm gonna tell you, there is nothing funnier than a chihuahua wearing shades. NOTHING!

Also I got them at 5 Below and they were a whopping $3. So don't judge my irresponsibility TOO hard.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And this one is real. As in it's nothing special and I don't even fully match. Because sometimes you just wear what's quickest to grab and the most comfortable. And I realize you're probably expecting a fourth of July outfit, but honestly, I'm just not feeling celebrating this country too hard this year. Maybe next year. Al wanted to model today since he missed his chance last week. Here's what he was wearing:

He's just the cutest thing. And so long as his photos still make me smile, I still believe there's hope for us! 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

You may notice a different bit than he usually wears. (Or you may not because really who pays that close attention?) After our first lesson with our new trainer he suggested trying a full cheek. Which I was on board for since he actually shows in one. But I didn't want to change the mouthpiece because he seems to really like what we've been using. So I ordered the same mouthpiece but in the full cheek version. When it arrived I noticed the cheeks were... well they're weird. They're really short, and they don't have a little ball on the end like most to secure the keepers. So the keepers have to sit lower on the cheep piece to stay on. And it's weird. But for now it's fine. I was reading Leah's blog about the roller bits she was trying for Pyro and I had a hmmmm moment. I've noticed that Al exhibits some behaviors that are very similar to what some humans do called stimming. It's more or less a behavior that someone may do for comfort, like rocking back and forth, flapping hands, or touching finger tips. Al sometimes sucks on the crossties. Or when we're riding he will chomp on the bit, but not in a way that's resistant to the contact. In fact, when he's chomping on the bit, it's the rare time when he's actually got his focus on me. If I can get him to chomp, I know our ride will be lovely. Or at least the moments while he will keep chomping... I KNOW this sounds wrong. But you'll just have to trust me on this. And yes, good thing he's not a dressage horse. So anyway, the reason for my rambling, I think he might like a copper roller to play with. Like a fidget spinner for horses! Of course, the only roller bits I have are the ones that are three piece with a roller in the center. But Al doesn't like a three piece mouth. I ordered one of the ones with a single joint which should be here early next week. Can't wait to try it out! Fingers crossed I've had an epiphany. (Thanks Leah!) And if not, at least those bits are inexpensive! Lol. Okay back to our outfits.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy
Half Pad: Mattes

Just a simple set up this week. My saddle looks so light in this photo! I think it needs oil. 

Boots: Anky

I think these might be my favorite every day front boots. It's a bummer they were a seasonal color, but hopefully they'll last forever. So far so good!

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

Barn colors-ish. And my boots don't match my outfit. And I'm not sad about it.

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

It's surprising how dry and dusty things got after all the rain we've been getting. Hence my dirty helmet. But we had a very quick storm blow through a little bit ago, so hopefully no dust tomorrow!

Top: FitEq

I'm bummed this brand went out of business, I was hoping they'd make more colors of these tops. They're really comfy and quick drying.

Belt: Zazzle

The buckle is a little beat up, but I still love this belt so much. They STILL don't have these in stock at Zazzle which makes me sad. I hope they aren't gone forever. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I'm pretty sure this color is Dark Teal. I actually paid retail for these a couple of years ago because I loved the color so much. I rarely do such crazy things! But it was worth it I think for these. 

Boots: Celeris UK

I haven't ordered custom boots in many years at this point, but this pair of demo's happened to be exactly my measurements so I couldn't say no to them. I've had them since last summer, and I'm pretty sure I've shared them before a few times. They're a navy color so I don't wear them a ton what with my boycott of all things blue there for awhile... But they're lovely boots and so comfy and I will definitely be wearing them more. 

And that's it for today! Sorry it wasn't an exciting outfit, but they can't all be crazy!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We didn't get up to too much last week because we had some oppressive heat and humidity. Thankfully the worst of it was Monday and Tuesday. They usually get Monday off anyway, but this week I also gave them Tuesday off. Wednesday was still pretty rough, but I got on and tack walked everyone. We also did a lap of trot each way. Just to make sure the parts were all in working order. 

But Thursday? Thursday it was time to get back to work! Of course, because of my terrible timing, the neighbor on the other side of the bad dude next door was having tree work done. They were kind of enough to give me a heads up, but like an hour before they started. So not long enough to avoid it. It took them four days to get it all done over there, so life was a little challenging at the farm. Shiny could care less, Eros had feelings but dealt with them (because he's perfect), and Al... well we already know about Al's inability to handle tree work. 

Shiny and Eros got their work done well enough despite the noises. But Al was less successful. I wound up just lunging him Thursday and doing lots and lots of transitions. He's an interesting horse because he can be fully unhinged, and yet the small part of his brain that is listening to me is on it. Like he was all over the place with his attention, definitely not focused on me, but he was right there for every transition I asked for. Yet in between there was plenty of spooking. Such an odd horse. 

I wound up not jumping anyone last week. We just plugged along with flatwork. It's what they all need more of anyway right? Unfortunately when I pulled Al out on Friday to ride he had some swelling in his left front that worried me a little. It was minor, but over the tendon, and I just felt like I should be careful with it. So we tack walked through the weekend and iced it. By Monday it looked completely fine, and after working on Tuesday it still was totally fine. So he must have just hit himself or something. Probably while he was coming undone over the trees. Glad he's fine, that's a big relief! But honestly, this horse needs to get to work. Enough tack walking! But also, enough with the entire neighborhood doing tree work amiright?!

The tree guys finished up on Monday, so Tuesday we really did get back work this week. EVERYONE did. Eros did a workout with his Equibands. He was not thrilled, but he worked hard, and did great. Shiny actually went forward and lifted her little belly. It was great. I was so happy with both of them!

And then there's this one:

He's real cute though, yes? That's his saving grace. Man, he was terrible yesterday. Fully unhinged. But I just kept trying. As patiently as I could. It was a terrible ride. I couldn't successfully use the whole ring. I'm not sure I successfully used much of any of the ring. But we kept at it. Lots of transitions and circles. Did we avoid the terrifying side? Sure did! Because honestly he was spooking everywhere at everything, and I needed to try and do what I could in the least scary areas. Sometimes you choose your battles. I didn't really expect him to come out and be good after several days of scary tree noises and even more days of just tack walking. So I was emotionally prepared for the bad ride. Somewhat. I still wanted to cry in frustration the entire ride, but any good horse woman knows, you can cry and canter at the same time! I mean, I didn't cry... But man it was close. I barely cantered either, but we DID. At least a little bit. I was again perplexed by his ability to perform lovely transitions while simultaneously only giving me 15% of his attention. 

I didn't have a ton of time today but I was determined to get a jump school in with whoever chose to cooperate for that. Thankfully, they sort of all did. I started with Shiny because she can do the most at the moment and she's a real confidence builder for me. (The real MVP!) Of course she started out being lazy as she does. I swear she loves to make me pick a fight with her. I finally did as she goaded me into and gave her a good whack with mr tappy. She had thoughts, but then finally decided to engage herself and gallop forward.

The feelings.

She's so easy to ride when she's going forward. Like you can't really find a bad distance if you have a good canter. But convincing her to canter like that takes some cajoling! She was great though. I really appreciate her. 

I did Al second. I might have preferred to do Eros in that spot, but I knew I'd be rushing at the end of the day, and I could do some of the end of day stuff while Eros was icing, so it made more sense to do him last. I took apart the ducky jump and made a line of trot poles for Al in its place. I had them raised because he really does need to do more of that for his hitchy patella. I figured we could meet them during our pre ride hand walk. He acted like he'd never seen such a thing in his life. (He has. Many, many times.) I think the issue was with where they were and not what they were. Anyway, he did follow me through them, but hulk smashed his way through each time requiring multiple resets. And a few stepped on ducks. Thankfully the ducks bounced right back. Anyway, eventually I decided to just keep the poles on the ground for today. I'm all for minimizing danger. 

Once on, he did his dragon panic breathing the first times through but eventually walked through them nicely. Trying to get him to trot through them was... a slow and steady process. He also had to poop which wasn't helping matters. Finally he actually did poop and then things got easier. Somewhat. We're still having massive drama about the one side of ring. But he wasn't as unhinged about the rest of it today, so I'll call that a win. I even gathered up my lady balls and aimed him at some tiny jumps. I'm not going to lie, I picked the ones not aimed directly at the death side. Minimizing risk! That's my jam. Anyway, he wasn't great, but he tried. And that's really all I want from him. He did nearly get me off at one point.

That was a close one!

I must have grabbed his face because he did this little rear.
NAUGHTY!

But then we carried on and finished our ride.

I honestly don't think I'm getting anywhere with this horse. But I also think if I can just be a little braver we can still do the things I want to do, even if he is unhinged. I wish they had a brave shot. I could really use one of those. We're having another lesson on Saturday so maybe with someone on the ground things will come together a little more. I'm just going to take Dory's advice and just keep swimming!

Saving Eros for last was actually the best plan because there's no surprises. He might torpedo after the jumps, but he's not going to try and drop me. He won't stop at the jumps. He just does the thing. Sometimes too fast, or he pulls hard, or whatever. But he's pretty perfect otherwise. Safe. Reliable. FUN! And he did most all of that today. Haha! I love him so much.

The little ears...

pinging over this lil' oxer

practically perfect in every way

With a wee little torpedo at the end for good measure
Haha! Silly boy.

We have lots coming up the rest of the week and weekend. Tomorrow the body worker is finally coming! We haven't seen her since November, so we're LONG overdo for that. Friday Shiny's kiddo is coming to ride. We're VERY excited for that. And at some point the farrier is hopefully coming because we're at six weeks which is about a week too long for these hoof growers. And Saturday is Al's lesson. Lots to look forward to! 

Do you all have any big fun plans for the weekend?