What's Up Wednesday

 

When we last left off I was monitoring Al a little closely for a thick leg that he had. I'm pretty sure he must have just banged himself because it's back to normal now. Not palpating sore at all anymore. Phew. Of course, he had to do something new this week instead.

Puffy eyelid

He's very committed to finding ways to earn vacation days. Fortunately, after a quick text with the vet and a dose of Banamine it is nearly back to normal today. So hopefully tomorrow he'll be as good as new. 

This past week we actually had a full 6 days of rides (though Al was mostly walk/trot, and Friday I lunged him to see what he looked like). Shiny's kid came out twice too, and had great rides. While I always appreciate Shiny, and I know what a wonderful pony she is, seeing her build confidence back for her kiddo is something really special. Shiny may not be a six figure, fancy show pony but she is invaluable to me.

Our streak of getting all the rides in ended today though. We're getting a lot of smoke from the Canadian wildfires and it was very uncomfortable here. The morning wasn't bad while the horses were out, but by about noon it was pretty bad. I found it a little harder to breath and decided if I felt that, the horses would too

This is a photo of the sun at about 5pm

Video above was taken around 2pm. It was pretty eery out. I'm not sure tomorrow will be any better, but fingers crossed I'm wrong.

Today was productive though! The boys had their... boyhoods cleaned which was overdue. Everyone had a nice shower and some grass. And then I cleaned and conditioned all the saddles which... I can't remember when I did that last but it was much needed. They were getting slippery to ride in. I should be ashamed! 

befores on the left, afters on the right

They were so dirty. Much better now! I didn't have time for bridles though. Maybe tomorrow if we're smoked out again. 

Eros, before the smoke arrived anyway, has been taking one for the team as my main riding horse this week. I've ridden Shiny on the days her kiddo doesn't come, but since they usually jump together and Al was semi out of commission, that left Eros to be my main dude. And he sure did show up for it! There's definitely something to be said for the teenaged horses. 

Not too much else happening over here. So far so good with our new helper. She's a hard worker and pays attention to details which is refreshing! I'm hoping to have my mornings back to catch up on some work projects. I also have a lot of calls to make to get some things taken care of here at the farm. I have a tree that needs to come down, some fencing to get fixed, and I really need to get my truck running. Once the truck is functional then the Gator needs to go in because it's having some issues. It's amazing how much things can pile up. I have reached out to get the fence fixed but I've been ghosted, so I guess I need to find someone new for that. 

Anyway, that's it for this week! Hopefully the smoke clears out soon and we can be back to work by the weekend. Hope you're not in the smoke path too!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Today was day 19 of my 5 am wake ups. I'm actually getting used to it more or less. Working on the whole earlier bed time thing which definitely helps! The good news is that I have a new helper. It's not a perfect situation, as she has a lot of already scheduled things on her calendar. But it's definitely better than no help! I'm also now sure how long she plans to stay at the job... but again, better than no help! And she does a great job. So fingers crossed I'll get to sleep past 5:15 sometime in the near future. She is off tomorrow and I plan to work with her again Friday. Then hopefully Monday I'll get to have a real day off (other than feeding of course). 

Things are plugging along here. The horses had a few days off last week because we highs in the upper 90's with very high humidity.

That was Thursday through Saturday. Kind of a nice break for me though... I actually had time to shorten manes and wash tails. I was going to clean tack Friday, but then I didn't. Instead the horses got hosed off and some grass in the shade. 

I went over to my dad and stepmom's for July 4th. My younger brother and his girlfriend came down and my older brother, sister-in-law, and nieces all were there too. We had a delicious dinner and then the weather went a little wild. First a torrential rain storm blew through. Complete with emergency boats having to rescue people from the little island in front of the house. Everyone was fine thankfully. Then it cleared up long enough for people all up and down the beach to light off some fireworks. AND THEN Mother Nature had her own light show in the form of more torrential rain, thunder, and really intense lightning. My horses don't usually care much about distant fireworks (we are fortunate to not have people lighting them off around here close by). But when I got home they were all a little tense. Not freaking out, and the stalls didn't seem like they'd been worked up or anything. But they did seem a little more alert than usual at night check. My guess is the fireworks combined with the storm was a little much for them. 

The next morning though, both of Al's front legs were stocked up. I wasn't AS concerned as if only one had been, but I was a little worried. Shiny's kid was coming to ride though, and since they had three days off, I decided to get on him while she was riding since he likes having a buddy in the ring whenever possible. I mostly walked and did a little trot just to see what I could feel. Shiny's kid's dad hung out while we rode, and he's a really good farrier, so he watched Al for me. We concluded that he was just a hair off on the turns on the left front. But the good news was that after moving around all the swelling was gone. I'm just taking it easy with him this week and we'll see what we have next week. We've been tack walking and just a couple laps of trot to check in. The leg feels pretty good, but I do think there's just a tiny bit of swelling and he is just a teeny bit reactive when I palpate it. I'm really hoping he just banged it and this will resolve quickly. I did get a call in to my vet but he's away through next week. I don't think this is something to panic about though, so I'm happy to wait and see. He's not blowing up overnight and definitely not getting worse. I'll keep icing it and cross my fingers it's not a big deal. 

Eros and Shiny are feeling good though! After riding Sunday, everyone had Monday off. Which, it rained Sunday night through Monday, then again from about 11 am on Tuesday through midnight. So... we did ride Tuesday, but could only use half the ring. And it was VERY soggy. Still counts though! Today we had a beautiful day and both horses put in some really nice work. Shiny has been working on counter canter. It really gets her using her body without me having to beg. Eros has been excelling at lateral work and that does the same thing for him. After a few shoulder ins each way he lifts his core and carries himself so nicely! Shiny's kiddo comes tomorrow so we'll probably play over some little jumps. Al will stick to his mostly walk routine. But he is still doing some good work at the walk. Though he was having a bit of rough day today. Someone was doing tree work nearby in the morning and then my new landscaper was doing all kinds of landscaper things. He hates that stuff. I wasn't at all surprised he was a little weird. I expect him to be better tomorrow. Time will tell!

That's about it from here. Nothing terribly exciting but hopefully things are going to get a little more back to normal soon. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I think we covered the major "thing" that has been going on around here yesterday. It's been so busy around here that my rides have been kind of rushed the last couple of weeks. I'm very much looking forward to riding this afternoon because there is nothing else on my schedule for the rest of the day today. Thank goodness. Because in the last two weeks aside from dealing with all the worker stuff and caring for/riding horses I've also: 

-Attended a violin recital
-Attended a dance recital
-Went to 4 dinners out
-Interviewed two potential landscapers
-Scheduled shavings deliveries and manure bin pickup/empty
-Had 3 work meetings plus regular work hours
-Had the farrier out for our regular shoeing/trims

Needless to say, the days are long and the sleep time is short! We didn't do much jumping last week. I just didn't have the time or focus for it. That's okay though, I don't think the horses care that much. We did get one school in though in the last two weeks. They were all great. Eros didn't get the zoomies even once! Shiny and I jumped over the bigger of our "hurdle" jumps which we've never done together. (It's only 2'3" but I never wanted to on her.) And Al... well he didn't do anything extraordinary but he was a good boy!

I'm also battling with my barn swallows still. I swear, they let me THINK they've given up on the nesting and then just come back and start again when I think I'm in the clear. Most recently this one bird keeps trying to build a nest on a wire that hangs from my ceiling. (I had the barn wired for ceiling fans but then never installed them, so the wire is there in case I change my mind.) It's is impossible to nest on this wire because it is narrow and it's bendy, not firm like a tree branch. But thus persistent, yet no so smart, bird keeps on trying. And dropping all his nest making debris all over my floor. Driving me bananas! 

Shiny's kid just got back for the summer, so she came and rode yesterday. It was just a flat day, but I think that's a nice way to ease back in. She hopped on Eros too for a little bit. She had a fall from a tall horse she tried not too long ago and was feeling a little nervous about getting on a full size horse again. So Eros is the perfect dude to help her gain some confidence back. I feel really grateful to Shiny and Eros for being such solid citizens. It feels really special to have horses that can help with confidence. It's so important because we all know this sport can be anxiety inducing! 

Kind of a short update for two weeks, but I've been pretty consumed with all the old and new worker stuff. Which, I have to get back outside to help my new guy finish up today. This is the first stretch of time I've left him on his own out there, so we'll see how that went! I had a work meeting this morning, so I helped get the horses out and cleaned a stall then abandoned him out there. He does seem to be picking things up, so I'm confident he'll be under control when I get back outside. Fingers crossed!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We're just plugging right along over here! I still haven't had the chance to pull out my jump fill. But maybe this weekend or Monday. We've kind of been stuck on riding 5 days a week lately instead of 6 and this week was no different. But it was for a fun reason, so I'm not mad about it. We actually didn't get rained out any days this week, with our one and only rain event happening late at night. Just the way it should be, I need rain to keep the footing at it's best, and when it happens at night, it doesn't disrupt riding plans! I'm not sure if we'll get as lucky this week, but we shall see. Fingers crossed. 

This week, or skipped riding day was Sunday. Both of my nieces had voice recitals on Sunday, but of course they weren't in the same one. One was at 2 and one was at 5. So I did morning chores, went to the first one, then took out the stall windows finally, cleaned some bird poo, and finally went to the second one. Then more bird poo cleaning and fed dinner. Productive day, even if riding wasn't on the schedule. The girls both sounded fantastic too. I haven't heard them really sing before. I'm so impressed by them! I can't sing at all. The horses all look at me with disdain when I sing in the barn. 

We only got in one jump school this week. I had hoped for a second one on Saturday, but I made a terrible error Friday night and my body said light rides only Saturday. And it was persistent. I forgot to take my Omeprazole Friday night. (Yes, I know it's best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, but I have to take my thyroid meds the same way and that one is more important to get absorbed. So I take my Omeprazole at night before bed.) Anyway, my tummy was all disgruntled which made my whole body somewhat useless by the time I'd finished chores. So instead we had Sunday Funday on Saturday. The horses weren't sad. 

Of course that meant they had a very light ride followed by two days off... But ya know. Such is life sometimes. They were mostly fine yesterday when I got back on. Al was a little weird, but it was a windy day after all that break time, so I wasn't upset about it. We worked through most of the weird and got a ride in regardless. The other two were as lazy as always so clearly no harm done for them! 

But back to jumping, because that's the fun part anyway. We'll start with Al. The jumps are still small because that's where I'm at. Haha! While Al is definitely in a much better place since the changes we talked about last week. He still can have a weird day here and there. (Like yesterday!) He was a little weird for our jump day too. The neighbor has been working on something that involves what sounds to me like a staple or maybe nail gun so I think perhaps he'd been doing something weird when Al was turned out that morning. That stuff sticks with him. But despite the weird, we still managed to jump a few fences. Our former weekend helper was visiting when I was on him, so she was kind enough to grab some video. Unfortunately the sun was making it hard to see, so just this little jump came out. Better than nothing! He also jumped most of the other things in the ring, but we did skip the outside line by the neighbor that day. I call it an accommodation. We'll try again over there this week if we can.

Eros was so good for his school! He didn't turn the zoomies on until I made a mistake... I mean fair. It seems like he'll stay quiet until I mess up, and then he's like here, I'll do it myself. He probably knows better anyway. But here's what happened when I messed up. I was cantering across the diagonal to our little hurdle jump. And these geese came flying overhead honking away. I could tell his attention was on them and then MY attention was on them. And neither of us was focusing on the task at hand. So I got to the jump at a VERY long distance which he happily took, but I didn't trust and got left behind. I'm not a monster so I let the reins slip to avoid pulling on him too hard. 

Photo evidence. Still pulled on him though clearly.

After that he got a little excited. But we did finish on a nice note after trotting a few fences and then trying again. Next time I feel my attention slipping away, I will work harder to bring it back. Or make a circle. This is how we learn! 

That's better.

Shiny of course has been perfect for her jump schools. I've been using more counter canter in her warm up, and it's really helping to get her more adjustable when we jump. And also straighter. Counter canter is so useful!

She's definitely ready for the jumps to go back to her comfort zone which is still only 2'-2'3". She seems to perk up at the "bigger" ones and gets easier to ride when I point her at those. That height is still easy for the boys too, so if we get to jump twice this week, I'll probably put them up a little for the second one. 

That's about all I have to share today. Hope things are going well for you all and your horses! Are you getting time to ride and enjoy the weather? Any shows on the horizon for you?

What's Up Wednesday

 

We're plugging along over here! Last week we rode several days in a row which was LOVELY. But we have had a lot of rain and a few cold/windy days too. The trouble with all the rain is that the ground is really saturated from all the snow melt. That one long side of the ring that stayed frozen the longest is now too wet to use. But that's okay, we're just sticking to the quarter line on that side. 

But there are bigger problems in other areas. Monday I had to have the manure bin emptied (already). It was sooner than normal because when it was last emptied everything was so frozen they could only dump about half of it. (Still got billed full price though.) Anyway, they came Monday to do that. I was in the house and somehow didn't hear them out there. But when I went out to feed dinner this is what greeted me:

The photos do no justice to how deep these ruts actually are. This is "going to need a professional" sort of driveway problems. It's honestly exhausting. I'm never going to have money to show again with all the property stuff around here lately. The furnace, the snow plowing, the tree removal I need to schedule.... The list goes on and on. Oh the joys of home/farm ownership! 

Anyway, back to the horses. We're still working on our fitness, so rides are mostly walking with slowly increasing amounts of trot. We're starting to do more walking with proper shape now too. So lifting the belly, giving at the poll. Working on that topline! Al is very amenable to it, Eros has opinions and Shiny does it when she's decided she's ready. So they haven't changed who they are with the time off! Ha!

For the most part, we've had lovely and uneventful rides. I did have to abort with Al one day last week. It was a cold and windy day, which isn't Al's favorite. He struggles keeping his attention on me when the trees are blowing around and the birds are flittering around in the brush. But he was really trying! Of course, the neighbor decided after looking right at me while I got in, that it was the perfect time to pull out his gas powered blower and get to work on the leaves in his yard. On a windy day. Seems like a silly time to try and clean up leaves, but what do I know? Anyway, it was too much. Al didn't do anything wrong, but he let me know his quarter had run out for riding. Since I'm not especially strong at the moment, I chose to listen to him and I got off. But we did finish up with some ground work and he was very good for it. At first I felt hugely frustrated and disappointed. But then I stepped back and decided not have such big feelings about this. He really made a big effort which probably wouldn't have been the case last year. And the next day we had a wonderful ride! He's been much more forward so far this year which is SO nice! I hope it continues. In a forward trajectory. 

I have a funny Al story that I forgot to share last week. One Saturday not long ago the horses were all SASSY. Even Shiny. When Al was in the ring for his turnout, Shiny got a case of the zoomies and was running around screaming. (She does this like twice a year.) There was bucking. There was REARING! And you know what Al did? He came back to the gate and whinnied for me to come out. So I did, and he looked out at Shiny's field like, "Mom, something's wrong with Shiny." It was very cute. I love that he comes to get me when he thinks something is wrong. (Also Shiny was fine, just getting out her spring yayas.)

I had put the Back on Track cap on my Chanukah list this year. I used it first on Eros because he's been a little weird this spring. Kind of snorty and nervous. It seemed to make a huge difference for him. I've been riding Al in it too and I feel like he's less flighty with it too. Though it wasn't a magic fix for that day I talked about above. Still, nice to have a tool in the box for the spooky days! 

Eros gave me a little scare the other day. He was fine when I fed lunch but then he was just being kind of odd in his stall. Like really irritated. Not pawing or rolling, but he was attacking his ball and dumping his buckets. Both things he normally only does when he's bothered. Usually when he thinks his next meal is late. And then he laid down. Quietly, not rolling. But it wasn't a usual nap time for him. I touched base with the vet just for an opinion. And his was the same as mine: check temp and monitor. Important to note, there was plenty of manure, and I really wasn't suspecting colic so much. But maybe?

Long story shorter, he took a long nap and then was back to normal. No temp ever though I did monitor for a couple days. Phew. Dodged a bullet. I think he was just a little gassy maybe. Some of the new hay is pretty stalky too, which he finds unfavorable. So he might have just been mad that the hay wasn't to his liking. Wouldn't put that past him. 

He's been good for riding, though still very suspicious of the far end of the ring. When I turn him out, he won't even down there all the way until Shiny is turned out to protect him. Geldings are so silly. I don't think he's sad that with all the rain that end has been too soft to ride on. 

Remember that five minutes when it wasn't stupid cold out?

Shiny's been exactly the same as always. And that's what I love about her. She is the most comfortable being in herself that I've encountered. She should give a ted talk on loving yourself, advocating for yourself, and standing up for what you believe in. A real role model. Though she does choose violence more than is probably appropriate for general society. 

Which leads me to what might be a controversial topic. My Facebook algorithm showed me a post from someone saying that stalls that with solid walls where the horses can't see and interact with each other are a red flag. And all I could think was clearly you've never owned a mare... Shiny HATED that set up at the old boarding barn and that's in fact what resulted in not once but TWICE getting giant splinters in her hoof. Someone in the comments had a similar thought and the OP wrote back that it's because these horses failed to learn how to socialize and it's the result of being so solitary all the time. Which I dunno maybe? But I really think not every horse wants to be stared at all the time. Yesterday when I took Eros out to ride he stopped to visit with Shiny first. She was eating lunch and got so pissed that he looked at her she kicked the wall. Twice. Sorry Shiny. I mean, I agree that horses should be socialized. And I would love to turn mine out as a herd, but they're a bunch of dinguses that will wound each other immediately so I don't do it. You have to balance that risks and benefits. My horses are generally happy with their set up, but it's not right for everyone. And that's something that bugs me about social media. All these "experts" that think the best way on paper is the best for every horse. And it's just not. 

Anyway, I went off on a tangent there didn't I? I have some braiding stuff happening that's fun this week. My hunter braid tutorial just posted on TurnoutHQ! The full video is in three parts on the main site/app and there's a teaser version on our socials too. I'd love for you to check them out and feel free to ask questions. I'll be answering them all! Also in braiding news, I'm heading up to Uconn tonight for my annual braiding clinic. Should be fun!

I think that's about it from here for now. How are things going with you guys? Enjoying mud season? (Haha.)

What's Up Wednesday

 

Phew, it's been a week! Lots of little inconveniences this week. I had the Gator picked up last Tuesday because it hasn't been starting reliably when it's below freezing. I figured it probably needed a battery, mechanic though maybe glow plugs. Turns out we were both right. But the reason this was inconvenient was that they picked it up Tuesday and then didn't even have time to look at it. We are pretty dependent on the Gator here to bring the manure buckets to the dumpster and also for dragging the ring. With the cold, days we can actually successfully drag the ring are rare so for it to not be here was a little annoying. Especially since it wasn't being worked on. I can use my truck to get the manure buckets to the bin, but my drag doesn't hook up to my truck. So yeah, that was inconvenient. Thankfully, the Gator came back on Monday evening though, so we're back in business there!

Cute photo of Rita to balance out the whining

My next annoyance came on Sunday evening. I was wrapping up a 12 hour day in the barn, blowing the aisle as one does. I got about half way done and the blower started squealing and then smelled a bit like it wanted to catch on fire. Now obviously, yes I can sweep the aisle. But with the rubber pavers, you really need the blower to get the shavings and what not out of the cracks. I ordered a new blower (I use a corded one, so no fumes) and chose to get it from Lowe's because they said they could get it here for Tuesday the 9th. But alas, when shipping info came, it won't be here until this coming Monday. I've been doing a LOT of sweeping. My helper doesn't have the psychosis that I do, so I also have to sweep up after him, not just my own mess. Hopefully I'm going to have super toned arms for vacation! Sweeping the rubber floor is actually a solid workout. My apple watch always asks me if I'm running when I do it. 

Sunday stats

Oh and the biggest annoyance of the week? We had a really cold day last week, I think it was Friday? I wound up giving the horses the day off because the ground never really thawed and I had a very long to do list that was stressing me out. So I did my PT exercises in the morning, and then a little house cleaning before I took my shower. And it was cold. I had no hot water. I was not going down to my basement all damp and unclean, so turned the faucet as far as it would go on the hot side and managed a tepid shower. Then headed down to my creepy basement to see what the issue was. Fortunately it fired right up when I hit the restart button. But sheesh. Of all days to get a cold shower! It was in the teens outside! Brrr. 

Magic keep the ground unfrozen pellets

Inconveniences aside though, it really was a pretty nice week. The horses have been well behaved, and we're still riding regularly. I had put some mag down in the ring earlier last week, and it really does work to keep the ground unfrozen. Usually. It would work better if I could put it down and then drag the ring. But when I was able to get it down last week, I couldn't drag without the Gator. I should have put more down and dragged today, but I didn't have enough time. I had to be at a concert for one of my nieces this evening. And now it's raining and will hard freeze by the morning. Seriously, Mother Nature is being mad difficult this season! I'm happy to get rain rather than snow, but if it could just stay warm long enough after the rain for it to drain a little that would be really appreciated. 

I have to give Al some props as he's really been pretty consistent lately. We did have a couple days where he struggled a little last week, but I was always able to redirect him which a few months ago I couldn't. So I'm really happy with this new ability. And today he earned some big props. I wasn't able to do what I had HOPED to do today, but that's just how life goes sometimes. We had a warm day today in the 40's, so I was hoping to canter some of our little jumps with him. But alas. The wind was WHIPPING when I got on him, and The Red Hood next door was all banging and clanging and wandering around the entire ride. But you know what? Al was still really good today! We are starting to have more regular type rides versus having to do seventy five million transitions constantly. I didn't feel confident enough to try and canter the little jumps when we had two negative stimuli to deal with. But we did trot a bunch of them, and we got some quality work done at all three gaits on the flat. And he never once lost his shit. Did I lose his attention a few times? Yes. Did he need a few walk breaks to adjust his two brain cells? Sure did! But he also put in decent work, and was able to come back to me when he would get distracted. I really am seeing a change in him. And I hope I can do my part to keep this trajectory for us. 

Eros has decided he no longer appreciates rides under the lights. I mean, he'll do them, because he's Eros and he's a people pleaser. But he has feelings about it. The nice thing is, he goes very forward while he's having these feelings. The down side is that he wants to be hollow and wiggly... but still. It's FORWARD at least! One thing I've noticed while trying to figure out how to ride Al is that I'm much more cognizant of what my body is doing and which aids I'm applying when. And that's carrying over to my rides on Eros. Eros can be a heavy horse, and he wants you to do a lot of the work generally. I've been working on trying to get him softer and using my legs more than my hands to get his body doing what it should be. Some days go better than others since he's been a bit of a hand ride for a very long time... But today he really started to soften and bend his body both directions from my leg and seat while staying soft in my hand. I'm not sure if I'll be able to replicate that all the time, but it really felt like a breakthrough moment. Time will tell! 

Shiny is the same as always, which what more could you want? (I mean it would be nice if she would come out like a normal horse, but she is who she is.) I've been having to keep the rides a little short this week due to family obligations in the evenings, so by the time she's finally warmed up and willing to work, our ride is over. All good though. Today I let her pop around the little course and that seemed to make her happy. Made me happy too. Jumping is a little few and far between with cold weather and darkness. So it's nice when we can make it happen these days. 

That's about it from here. We're plugging away, doing our thing, and trying to stay warm! I really hope we keep our motivation through the winter. But if not, my house could really use some attention so it will be time well spent if I have to redirect. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Holiday time is so weird isn't it? Like what day is it even? Winter is not officially here yet, but it's really trying hard to show up already which has been messing with our productivity a little lately. Well that and all the holiday stuff. But you know? It's all good. I really love being able to attend all of my nieces concerts and plays and whatnot. And I love getting to spend holidays with my family. And if that means my horses work a little less, so what? We're not going to the Olympics. We're just trying to be the best versions of ourselves and that might sometimes mean taking it a little easy. 

That said, we haven't actually missed that many days. They had Thanksgiving off this week and also Sunday because it was pouring rain. But then I rode Monday, and gave them Tuesday off. Not because they needed another day, but I did. (Also, it poured buckets all day and the high was 35 degrees so you couldn't pay me to ride in that.) I gave my helper Thursday and Friday off. (Also, he was out sick Tuesday.) Days that I do the chores and ride everyone are usually between 10 and 12 hour long days. Which at my advancing age are long days to be moving around nonstop. So I really needed a day to get some things done that didn't involve horses. And also I think my body was grateful for a little rest. 

Here's Rita in her Thanksgiving outfit to break up this wall of text.

You'd be proud though. That day off was productive! I did my PT exercises, laundry, paid all the beginning of the month household bills, got my Covid shot, ran a few errands, scheduled Rita's rabies shot that she's coming due for, got the Gator scheduled (and picked up same day!) because it won't start when it's below 34 for some reason, knocked off about 2/3 of my holiday shopping, and of course fed the horses all of their meals (which includes weighing, bagging, and soaking Shiny's hay). Oh! And I scheduled a meeting with a snow plow guy so hopefully I can get that crossed off my list. He'll be by tomorrow morning. It was a solid day off. It always amazes me how many hours are in a day when you aren't grooming, riding, and cleaning up the barn. It's no wonder people who don't ride can do so many things. 

But you're not really here to talk about my adulting. Let's talk horses! We've been getting a lot of rain, which apparently we do need because we were in a drought much of the year. The trouble with rain this time of year though, is that the ground freezes so the water doesn't drain very quickly. Thus, during the day we have a lot of puddles and mud, and during the dark hours everything is rock hard. Makes for challenging riding conditions. But we've been working it out. The far end of the ring hasn't been rideable because it's just too wet. And the long side by Old Bang and Clang (aka the red hood, aka the awful neighbor), seems to mostly stay frozen because it doesn't get sun. Fortunately, the quarter line stays soft, so we do have a decent amount of space to ride. We're limited in what we can do somewhat with the space constraints. But we're doing what we can. And it's going just fine! Temps are supposed to really tank for Friday and Saturday, so I spent this morning spreading mag flakes on the front half of the ring. It wasn't enough to defrost the one long side, but I'll try adding some more and see if that helps. I didn't do a heavy coat of it. I didn't bother with the top half since it was so wet. Fingers crossed it keeps the ring usable for the weekend, but we shall see. I'd like to put the mag down and then drag, but alas... I need the gator to get home for that task. Hopefully it will be back tomorrow. 

Photo last week before the start of full mud season

Al's been pretty good! Sunday he was a little beside himself so I wasn't sad we didn't ride that day. But I think it was our resident hawk that was upsetting him. He really gets worked up when that thing is hunting on our property. But I personally appreciate the assistance with rodent control. (I just don't like when he eats the bunnies.) Despite him being a little weird Sunday, he was still a perfect angel to have his mane pulled which is more than I can say for his siblings. Overall we've been having pretty productive rides. I don't know why walking over obstacles seems to keep his head on straight, but whatever. I'll take it. We've had a positive side effect to all that walking over things besides his better attention keeping capabilities. He's actually using his hind end better in general. He no longer drags half of his shavings out with him when he leaves the stall. And I don't see any toe dragging when we're walking around the ring. So I guess we'll just have to keep walking over stuff forever and ever.

I'm also learning a lot about how I am also a big part of the problem. (Shocking, right?) Today for example. He was on the edge of staying present with me and getting a little worked up. For a moment, I felt myself getting tense and trying to muscle him into bending and paying attention to me. He doesn't interpret that in a helpful way. So instead of letting that spiral, I brought him back to the walk and asked him to move his haunches, then his shoulders, back and forth for a few strides. And we both went back to being relaxed and got back to work. He's just teaching me so much. I think having this winter slow down will be very good for us. Because at some point the footing won't be useful for anything more than walking, and so we'll have to find ways to keep our focus. I think once I learn to keep his attention and keep both of us from getting tense, we'll be in a much better place. And honestly, we're kind of getting some of that already. (Or finally... depending on how you look at it.) I do feel a change in him though, for the better. A few months ago, if he came out how he did today, I wouldn't have been able to get done anything productive. But today we did. And we ended on a good note, with both of us happy and neither of us exhausted. Even if it doesn't last, I'm enjoying these moments with him right now.

Princess Shiny is HIGHLY unmotivated these days. She thinks if we're not jumping for the foreseeable future there's no point in going forward. Or using herself properly. And if I really want those things I should work really hard. She also loves that we're using quarter sheets so she can pretend like she doesn't feel Mr. Tappy. Which.... I KNOW she feels him. Because I am who I am, I do worry that she may have some cold induced breathing difficulty. I don't see her struggling like last year when she went on the Ventipulmin for a bit, but it would explain her reluctance to work. On the other hand, Shiny is generally reluctant to work, so I'm not sure it's any different from the norm. It may just be that we're not riding as long (because I have limited day light/thawed footing hours) so we don't get to the point in the ride that she finally decides to go. I'll be keeping a close eye on her though, and if she does seem to have having a hard time I will get doc out asap. In the meantime, I'll be over here begging her to move her legs.

Photo from last Wednesday when it felt like spring
Today's high was 35

Eros on the other hand, is a tad sassy! Thank goodness we're using a small part of the ring or we might have some unplanned mounted zoomies.... Ha! I'm glad he's feeling good though. Plus it's Eros. He doesn't really do anything wrong. He feels pretty good lately too. I think that light week really did him some good. Every now and then I still feel a little something on a turn, but otherwise he's feeling back to his old self. Which is a relief. In general, our rides have been pretty light and easy, but I've been asking him for a little bit of pulling himself together and lifting his belly for short spurts. So far so good! 

That's about all I've got today. Do any of you walk your horses over obstacles? Is this a thing? I think it should be a thing.

What's Up Wednesday

 

What a busy week it was around here! Which unfortunately meant that riding was pretty abbreviated most days. I'm proud to say that I DID ride six days last week, but over the weekend I only rode two each day. I did the best I could, but I ran out of both energy and daylight each day. It happens sometimes. And honestly, the horses were fine with it. 

Eros had the easiest week of everyone. I decided after really not liking how he felt earlier last week that I would just tack walk him for a week and then see what we have. So yesterday was the first day I trotted him in a week. I think the break did him some good. He started out a little stiff, but once warmed up, he felt great! And then same result today, so that's promising. I'm going to keep the trotting and cantering to ten minutes for a little bit, along with 15-20 minutes of walking. And then I'll build up from there (weather permitting of course). I'm just glad he's feeling better!

Al's week was a little up and down. We had several lovely rides, but we also had a few that were tough for him. One of them was when someone on my road was having tree work done. Al really does not like the noises the industrial chippers make. He tried really hard to keep his head on straight that day, but it wound up having to be a walk only day. The nice part though was that he did do what I asked, and he never came completely undone. The other day he struggled was yesterday and I didn't blame him. What I've learned about Al is that he really appreciates routine. He dislikes not having his routine. As I talked about yesterday, the horses missed turnout yesterday. And Al was not a fan. Normally I would prioritize turnout over riding, but after the very light weekend, and knowing they would have Thursday off this week AND since I didn't ride Monday, I decided to prioritize riding this time. Which was fine with the other two, but not so much with Al. He just couldn't really settle. And then old bang clang (the red hooded neighbor) was also challenging us. At one point he was dragging two snow blowers across the entire yard. And then he just kept walking in and out of his garage. Which normally Al doesn't notice that so much, but that bright ass red hoodie he wears just was hard for Al to ignore. Especially when it was playing peekaboo the way it was. We managed to get a little bit of work done, but not much. But again, while he was terribly distracted, Al never came unhinged. And that's a big step for him. I had planned to lunge him today before I rode, but we got a lot of rain last night and I didn't really want him tearing around in the wet footing. So I just got on. And he was great! The universe provided us with no neighbor outside, minimal wind, and it was nearly 60 degrees out! The recipe for a good Al ride. We were stuck on half the ring due to the rain (the far side doesn't drain as well as the front half) but that's also kind of to Al's preference. He was so good today I let him canter some of the tiny "jumps" we have been using in our warm up to walk and trot over. He actually locked on to them and took me to them like he used to do. So proud of him! 

Something I've noticed about him recently is that his silly personality is coming back out. The first year I had him I described him as Buddy the Elf. Every day was the best day ever, and he just had to touch everything all the time. But over the last few years, that part of him had disappeared. He was still kind of weird and annoying, but the joyfulness wasn't apparent. Lately it's been coming out again, and I'm so relieved. Hopefully we're turning a corner. 

Shiny and I have been working on the forward button a lot this week. It seems to be a bit sticky which isn't a new problem. I think she's probably a little bored since we haven't jumped much lately. Maybe this weekend though! We'll see how the footing is. But overall she's been a good girl. When is she not? I'm really loving her new saddle. The balance is so much better, and I feel like I can use my leg much more effectively now. 

That's about it from here this week. I'm proud of myself for fitting in so many rides between chores, watching my younger niece in "Matilda" on Friday night, the older one in her drum and piano recital Saturday, then the younger one again in "Winnie the Pooh" on Sunday. Throw in an extra day of chores along with an eye dr appointment... And it's been busy! My worker has the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. My brother and sister in law are hosting, so tomorrow I'll do chores and turnout and then give the horses the day off so I can head over there for turkey dinner. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be all horses all the time. Can't think of a better way to spend a weekend! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Oh man, guys. Mother nature and I are in a fight! Why you ask? Well, first because she made my weekend more difficult than it already was timing wise. Saturday I needed to do chores, then go to my niece's recital, then come back and ride. I was on a fairly tight schedule to get to the recital in time. So what does mother nature do? She makes the morning 21 degrees. Which meant that the horses needed their heavy turnouts with the hoods. They take twice as long to put on as one of their lighter options. Of course, by the time I had to leave for the recital, it was well into the 40's which meant I couldn't leave the horses in their heavies while I was spectating. More time to change blankets. Sigh. Also it rained while the horses were out which meant I had to hang the feeders upside to dry and couldn't refill them until the morning.

That matters because Sunday I had to have chores done by 10 to make it to my other niece's play. Of course the sun doesn't come up until 6:30 so that makes it a bit of a rush to get things done. And it took extra time because thanks to mother nature I couldn't refill the hay feeders the day before. But fear not, I made it on time to both things!

But still, I had one more day to be annoyed with Mother Nature. Today my helper called out sick. Which, he NEVER calls out, so ya know, these things happen. But where it was tricky was that I had an eye dr appointment at 10:00. I didn't see the message he wasn't able to come in until 7:30 when I was just making my coffee (I really should check the phone earlier). I ran outside and fed the horses, and gave the stalls a quick poo pick, but I didn't have time to turn the horses and back in before I had to leave for my appointment. I got back around 11:30 and then had to mad rush to get things done before the RAIN STARTED. I didn't make it though. Shiny and I got rained on in our ride, and it was pitch dark out (and still raining) when I dumped the buckets on poo mountain at nearly 8pm... But at least it was warmish out. 

So anyway. That's my confession. I'm big mad at Mama Nature. And also kind of tired.

What's Up Wednesday

 

Things have been going just fine around here, even though it is definitely getting chilly out there! We had a few more intensely windy days last week, but we're having a wind reprieve at the moment which I am VERY grateful for. We've been riding pretty consistently which makes me very happy, but we've been on a five day a week schedule instead of six lately. Last week I mentioned taking a day off to go to Equine Affair. This week I took Saturday off from riding. I was a little late starting chores which made me late FINISHING chores. I had a couple of horses to braid that evening, and I just decided I didn't feel like rushing like a mad woman to get everyone worked and groomed before shoving food in my face and racing off to work. So instead, I let the horses stay out longer and then spent a little extra time doing some cleaning in the barn. And then I ate a relaxed dinner and hung out with my dog a bit before heading off to braid. It was lovely, and worth the missed saddle time. 

The braiding was actually kind of fun for me. The horse show the horses were heading to was a breast cancer benefit and wearing pink was encouraged. So I got to braid with pink yarn, added pink ribbon charms, and even little forelock crowns. So fun! 

I won't share the photos from the show because I don't know the kiddos on the horses and don't want to share photos of stranger kids without permission, but the little crowns were ADORABLE in the photos. Very cute.

Anyway, back to the stars of this blog. My new quarter sheets arrived last week, and it's possible they are magic. I'll share a photo tomorrow for Thursday's Threads, but they're from Catago and are the Fir-Tech material. It is supposed to be similar to Back on Track. Which you all know I drank the Kool Aid with those! I've been riding in them since they arrived and while I don't see any difference in how Shiny and Eros are going, Al seems much more relaxed since we've started using it. Like we're using almost the entire ring the last few days with very little to no drama. Of course it IS Al so it's possible we're just having some good days. He is randomly good sometimes. 

We've been kind of playing around our last several rides. I have all the jumps itty bitty so we walk over them in warm up. It gives him something to focus on other than the leaves moving on the trees, and seems to keep his mind busy. I've been using them in our trot work too once he's had a chance to move around some because sometimes he trots them like cavalletti and sometimes he jumps them. So I like him to be a little warmed up for that first. And instead of trying to canter round and round with only the sad little four beated canter he's been giving me, we've been doing short canter bursts. Like five or six strides worth. And I'm asking him for a BIG canter in those few strides. Well. it's relative. But it's a real canter with the proper number of beats. And then we go back to trot or walk and pop over one of our little "jumps" or make a circle or whatever. I like that he's responding with forward movement that has impulsion even if it's just for short bursts. We'll see if all this randomness leads to some "normal" work eventually. But for now, we're actually having fun together, and the things we are doing are more proper than they've been in months. So I'll take it. Even if it's still not "normal". Maybe it's OUR normal. We've always been weird, and I'm pretty okay with that.

Eros is definitely going to earn himself a visit from Doc. He's perfect as always, but I still think he's not right, and I can't pinpoint where I think it is. So it's time to call in the professional and see what's going on. We've been riding very lightly just to check in with his soundness. So lots of walking and just a little trot and canter. Normally I wouldn't canter with a horse that's obviously NQR but I have to with Eros because sometimes a little canter fixes him. Not currently though. He's not horribly unsound still, I just don't like what I'm feeling from him and it especially bothers me that it's been going for so long. I still think it could just be the Lyme sticking around but I think we need a vet's opinion. I'll call this week to get an appointment. 

And then there's Shiny. This mare just kills me. I've never known an animal that is so 100% sure of herself the way this pony is. So the other day, I had just gotten on her when the farrier arrived for Eros. He came out to the ring to let me know he was there, and I was just walking Shiny and was up at the far end of the ring. I tried to trot over to him, and Shiny would NOT. Like literally would not trot. I kicked, I smacked her with the whip, I spurred her! Nothing. She hadn't finished her walk warm up and until she had there would be no trotting. You have to laugh. I wish I had her confidence. I wonder if it's my fault since our warm up is the same every day... but I'm also not entirely sure which one of us dictated that to begin with... Once we get passed the warm up routine she's been great lately. We've been jumping the little course a couple times a week. I think she's insulted that the jumps are so small, but she can jump higher in the spring. It's winter break now. I did leave one at 2' so she doesn't get too mad at me. 

That about catches you all up on our adventures this week. Nothing too crazy, but things are mostly good. Friday, Saturday, Sunday are a little busy this week because my nieces have all kinds of things for me to attend. A play, a music recital, another play... So we'll see how much riding gets done. My guess is Eros might get some extra vacation days. Which isn't the worst thing for him at the moment. I just need to be careful he doesn't get too bored because he starts to eat the walls and dump his water buckets. (My horses are all a bunch of characters aren't they?!) 

Sorry for the lack of media this week. I'll try to pay more attention and get some photos for next week. Hope you all had a great week!