What's Up Wednesday

 

Turns out, my week isn't quite as exhausting as I had expected so that was a nice change. My part time helper realized that taking a week off meant she wouldn't get paid and decided to come to work after all. So at least I have a couple mornings to get things done around here. The weather continues to shorten our riding week, but what can you do? It's also effecting getting the fence finished. 

One rotten post, one not rotten post, and Al

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I hired my lawn mower guy to replace the rest of the rotten fence posts here. But what I wasn't informed of when I hired him was that he could only work on this project on the weekends. And also that he doesn't seem to have much experience with this type of work despite saying he did... And we've had a LOT of rainy weekends. So this project has been ongoing pretty much all summer. It's disruptive because I can't turn out in whichever area they are working, so there's been a lot of shuffling. They've also spent a LOT of time redoing things that they aren't doing correctly because he didn't believe me that using a string is important... But anyway. The fence will hopefully be done this coming weekend so long as the weather cooperates. Say a little something to mother nature on my behalf please!

The horses worked five out of six days last week which was pretty good. Eros and Shiny were ridden all of the days, but Al had a couple of lunge line days. Sometimes I can get more done with him from the ground than I can in the tack, so I think we might go back to incorporating some lunging into our weekly schedule. 

Sunset photo to break up text

The neighbor continues to be extremely challenging. Literally every time I'm on Al he does something awful. It really is starting to feel targeted. Since I'm still struggling to find a worker, combined with the troublesome neighbor, I am contemplating reaching out to a local trainer that I like a lot to see about joining her program with Al. She generally has a wait list, so it wouldn't be immediate. But it might be a good solution to my struggles over here. It would lighten the workload here, and I would be able to get not only lessons, but hopefully also training rides with Al. It's still just in the thinking about it stage. So we'll see what I end up deciding. It also kind of depends on how my test goes at the end of the month. I will need to get him in a program for sure if the test doesn't go well as he doesn't need to sit around. The other two can handle vacation time better. 

Big Dee's had a sale on the giant jolly balls so I finally decided to get one. I used our rain day Sunday to get it blown up in its cover and then I introduced the boys to it in turnout on Tuesday. They both had mixed feelings.

I think Eros played with it more than Al did which surprised me. I thought Al would have a ball with it (literally), but maybe he just needs to figure it out. I'll put it out again tomorrow and see what happens. I don't think Shiny would have much interest in it, but I'll have to see what she thinks one of these days too. 

That's about it from here. Nothing too exciting, but things are plugging along okay for now! 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Phew! Another week gone by. We are still in that somewhat inconsistent schedule in the saddle around here, but I did at least sit on my horses most of the days last week. I didn't have a ton of time. My helper is only working three days a week, and I had a few things I had to get to in the evenings so it just didn't leave a lot of time per horse for riding. And also they were back working on the fence Saturday. Sunday was a rain out. But you know? You can only do the best you can with what you have to work with. So that is what we are doing. The best you can do is all you can do, amiright?

The horses are fine though. A little under muscled. A little less fit than I'd like. But they're fine. We haven't jumped and probably won't until next week sometime. We have a crazy weather system heading this way for the weekend that I think will mean several days off for the horses followed by a very wet ring. But that might be good for getting a few things done that I haven't had time for. Last Sunday when we were rained out I cleaned all the bird poo off the barn floor and washed all the stall fronts. 

I have to tell you guys, even though it's a little exhausting, ever since I got caught up with keeping the stall walls clean, especially where they eat and drink, we have so few flies in the barn. I mean of course there ARE flies, but not like in years past. So definitely worth it. Now if only I could cure the biting gnat problem. I usually have so many dragon flies that the gnats aren't terrible, but this year not so much. It's the only reason I'm looking forward to a frost! 

We have officially entered the time of year when the horses just keep breaking stuff. I've replaced more fence rails this week than I have all summer! I've also had to reattach the hasp on Al's door, and Eros keeps pushing his door over the little stopper. They're itchy. I'm itchy. We need the gnats and mosquitos to go! 

I don't really have too much to share otherwise. We're just plugging along, trying to get all the things done before winter. I have a few calls in for quotes to get some trees taken down, but no one gets back to you. I feel like it's very hard to get things done these days. Even this fence project. It's been going on for months and should have taken a few days. I guess it's a lesson in patience and delaying gratification. 

I have someone coming to interview Friday to work here in the mornings. Sounds like she wants and needs the job so fingers crossed please! Hopefully it will work out and for the long term. She lives only about 15 minutes away so that would be convenient for her as well. 

Hope you're all doing great! 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Phew! It's been busy the last two weeks! Sorry for my absence but the sleep deprivation was real! As you may recall, I had two full weekends of braiding and also my helper was off, so that meant wearing an extra hat and nine days on my own in the barn. And you know, what better way to cap off a busy time than to throw in fence repair that first weekend? 

So I've been trying to get the rest of my fence posts replaced for awhile now, and finally the person I hired had dates he could do it. Which happened to be that Saturday and Sunday of my first braiding weekend. AND THEN he asked if they could work on the yard clean up that same weekend. Sure why not? Of course, this was a little disruptive because it meant having one less turnout area. But what can you do? 

The first day he started late, so I was able to get Shiny out for a few hours before she had to come in, so that wans't too big of a change for us. But the second day they said they were starting early. But it seems, early to non horse people is not the same thing as early to horse people. So I didn't put Shiny out in her paddock and instead rotated her into the ring turnout. Turns out though, she could have had a couple of hours after all since they didn't start until close to 9. I was told the whole project would take two days, but since they're hours are not the same as mine... They haven't even finished Shiny's paddock yet. Which still leaves the ring and the med paddock. Sigh. At least it's started! 

I don't think this person is as experienced with fencing as I was lead to believe. He is doing some things really well, especially filling the holes around the posts. In the past, once it rains I end up with craters around the posts that need more fill, but they're actually tamping them down and filling with extra dirt as they go so that hasn't happened. But they don't seem to be aware of using the string method to keep the rails straight. So we will need to go over that when they come back to finish. (He was on vacation this past week so we're on pause.) I'm trying not to be annoying about it though, it needs doing, and it's not something I'm able to do myself. So patience it is! 

And of course, the yard clean up was also not without it's hiccups. At the very end of the day on Sunday around 6pm, one of the guys cut the power cord that feeds my pool. So then I had to get an electrician out Monday to fix that. I just want to point out that all this is going on while I'm trying to do barn chores  and ride during the days, and braiding all night. Thursday night to Friday I got a total of 2 hours sleep (thankfully I DID have my helper for Friday) and the next two nights I got 3 hours of sleep. To say I was overstimulated that entire weekend is an understatement! But it all got done! Well almost. Saturday they all got ridden, but Sunday I only wound up doing Eros. With all the interruptions all day from the clean up crew in the yard, it was after 4 when I got done with him, and I just waved the white flag. 

First weekend's braids:

Monday everyone had their usual day off, but I did the morning chores. I honestly don't remember what the rest of the day involved. Just house chores I think. Tuesday was Sophie's kid's last day here. She went back to Florida to start school on Wednesday. We miss her already! But they had a really fun ride Tuesday and I got the other two ridden also. Wednesday was more chores and riding. Thursday was going to be another very full braiding night. I had the same amount as the Thursday before, but this time they were split between two farms so more commuting time. I opted to just do chores and not ride Thursday so I could fit in a nap before I started braiding. Everything went fine in all locations. I got done around 4:00 and was asleep by 4:30. Admittedly, I started chores a little late Friday morning. I think it was close to 8 am when I fed breakfast. Thank goodness my horses are pretty patient. I was DRAGGING through the day and again opted not to ride in favor of fitting in a nap before braiding time. It's shocking how much longer chores take when you're running on less than 3 hours of sleep. But chores got done, horses had extra time in turnout, and then all my client horses got braided that night. Wash, rinse, repeat for Saturday. Thankfully, Saturday night I just had to braid in one location. I was home early, around 2 am and got four hours of sleep before starting chores in the morning! By this point I was only semi coherent, so opted again to not ride. This week was a wash anyway, might as well just start fresh on Tuesday, right? 

All of weekend #2's braids except for one tail I forgot to snap a photo of

Monday I did very little. I slept for 7 and a half hours which was like the longest night's sleep ever! Then I sat around and did some THQ work. Some laundry. Fed horses. Ran two errands. That was about it. Pretty much a total sloth day. GLORIOUS! Just what I needed! 

I finally got to ride all my horses again yesterday. They were all pretty good, especially after a five day vacation. Al had one big spook, but otherwise kept a lid on things, which again for all that time off was pretty good! Eros felt a little stiff, but he always does better in work. So that wasn't surprising. He got sounder and sounder as we went along. And Shiny felt just fine!

I'm not sure how many I'll get ridden today. I dropped Rita off at the vets this morning to get her broken tooth removed and have a dental. So I'm not sure what time I need to pick her up yet, they're going to call. And then we have family dinner tonight. So I may only end up getting one or two done. Is what it is! 

And that about catches you all up! Nothing too exciting around here, just chores and braids for the most part. Hopefully more fun to come though!

What's Up Wednesday

 

All that's up here really is all the rain! We haven't accomplished much of anything in the riding department. But you know what? It's okay. The horses are fine, albeit a little less fit that I'd prefer. Same for me. I've definitely put on some weight this summer which is hard. But it's life right? Hopefully the weather will calm down and we'll have a few good months of riding before winter returns. 

Unrelated photo of last night's little visitor

Things will be a little chaotic starting next Thursday as I have my two busy braiding weekends for our two local finals. And my helper is off that whole week in between because of a prior commitment. My plan is to just not ride much on the braiding days. I'll make it work! I don't think it will be as crazy as years past anyway, as the closer of the two finals moved to a much further away location. So I just have my two long time clients. The first week is just one of them, and the second weekend I should have both. I think it will be okay. And since I don't have to pay for help AND I'll be making some braiding money, I should be able to get the rest of the blankets I wanted for the horses this winter. Hopefully. 

As for the horses, everyone is good! Al is feeling a lot better since his vet work. Yesterday, Shiny's kid rode Eros while I was on Al. We were going to start introducing her to lateral work which Eros is the perfect teacher for that stuff since it's so easy for him. Al loved riding with Eros, it seemed to really make him feel comfortable. So comfortable that he actually very easily walked, trotted, and cantered around the entire ring without any bracing by the scary side. Miracle. Of course, that all got ruined as we were finishing up our rides. 

See that little dead stick of a tree from the middle to the right side of this photo? 
That's the tree I'm referencing in the next paragraph

With all the wet weather, there have been a lot of downed trees in my area. And I hadn't realized it, but one of the little dead trees between my neighbor and me uprooted itself. It mostly fell sideways, so it's not in anyone's way, and with all the leaves still out, you can't even really see it. But some of it must have caught up on something on the neighbor's side. So he decided the only time he could possibly mess with that was while I was riding. Not only that, but while someone else was riding here too. A minor no less. I swear. This guy is the most inconsiderate jerk I've encountered. So we were in the middle talking about what kiddo would try in a moment on Eros, when the trees started moving. Scared both horses. I said alright, I guess we better get off. Honestly. This dude was tinkering away in his garage all day. Came out just at that moment to mess with the tree. Then once we were back inside he retreated back to his garage. Tell me that's not intentional. He's the type that "punishes" people for their "mistakes". So since that tree grows on my side of the property line, I needed to be punished for it falling. (Mind you, he's the one that killed it. He over pruned all the trees so they would fall away from his yard if they fell. And then they all died.) Putting other people in danger seems a bit much to me though. Ugh. I wish that guy would move away. Hopefully Al isn't too scarred. That horse has the longest memory. Also please cross your fingers that he isn't planning to do it again today. That would be the last of me ever riding Al down that long side. 

Al ears here, seen at the "safe" side of the ring

That's really about all the excitement from here. I've scheduled my fence repair for also one of the braiding weekends. But I figure that's good because I won't be riding much then anyway. I can't wait to get that done because seeing these rotten posts is really stressing me out. I have a long list of things we're tackling over here. First being the fence. Then I need to get the truck AND the gator in for some maintenance (though not at the same time). Oh and also my trailer is beyone overdue for service. So that will be my focus once braid-a-palooza is over. Once all of that is taken care of... maybe then I'll have the bandwidth to do something fun and exciting with the horses.

I may need to wait until spring for these things, but I am feeling like it's time to do something other than plop around my backyard with these horses. I'm toying with the idea of some dressage lessons and maybe schooling shows with Eros. And I'd like to see if I can get that trainer that came out last year back for some lessons with Al. And maybe Shiny should do some unrated little jumper shows. I can't seem to get my ducks in a row at the moment to get any of this rolling. I think because I'm still trying to find my routine with the new helper. And all of these maintenance things that are needing my attention. I guess I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the things that required my focus. But I like that I'm feeling ready for more horsey fun. Step in the right direction! 

Anyway, that's just me trying to organize my life... Lol. Hope you're all having fun with your horses and not getting to waterlogged or overheated this summer! Do you also have a long list of maintenance derailing your horsey fun? Adulting! Am I right?!

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. 

Thursday's Threads

 

We did our outfit day photos yesterday because we knew today would be non riding. It was 98 degrees here today but my thermometer in the sun read 103. It was pretty humid too. Yesterday was hot but not quite as bad. So we did very light rides and enjoyed backyard snacks. Our outfit reflects such things. Ha! Also, I imagine you're expecting a really fun 4th of July outfit today, but I'm going to disappoint you. I'm just not feeling the 'Merica pride this year for so many reasons. Which is sad because I was excited to celebrate 250 years. Anyway, Eros is our model today! His photos are indoors are so not the best quality but when we ride bareback I have to get on in the barn using the arm of my bench. What can I say? He's tall and I'm not!

So... I had to take this photo from above because little Eros was airing out and I didn't think that was appropriate here. Also, I fixed that mane today. Look at it! He looks ready for the western show pen. 

Bridle: Pinnacle

Browband: Dark Jewel Designs

I switched from my La Cense side pulls to these from Pinnacle a couple years ago, and I really am so happy with these! It's not the nicest leather of all time, but we're not showing in a side pull so who cares?

Bareback Pad: Brockamp
Baby Pad: Ogilvy

Girth: Mattes

Yes, I know that girth doesn't fit him. I don't ride him bareback all that often so he shares this with Shiny. Someday I'll get him his own.

That's what he had on! No boots needed for a pitter patter around. So it's my turn! Here's what I had on:

The best way to turn a boring outfit fun is to add cow boots. 

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

I wrapped some plain black inserts with cow print vinyl to match my boots. Up close it's a little wrinkly, but from afar it looks just fine!

Shirt:MathCat

This one was a little heavier than I should have worn yesterday... but I survived! I do like these shirts a lot but the material is a little heavier than the Luyaa ones.

Belt: Tory Burch

I've had this for ages. It's fun and metallic, but still kind of a neutral. 

Breeches:RJ Classics

I like the RJ breeches. They are comfortable and not too heavy weight. But the material does get pilled. Not a big deal for schooling pants, but they aren't SUPER cheap, so I do wish they held up a little better.

Boots: Celeris UK

I just love these so much. They're fun. They're comfy. Perfect!

And that's it for today! Hope you're all staying cool under this heat dome!

What's Up Wednesday

 

You all got the big update yesterday so I don't have too much to share today. I've been riding but it's a lot of easy rides. We haven't jumped or really done anything all that challenging. The horses have been great so I guess that's not a bad approach. Al has even had several rides in his side pull which I never really thought would be a thing with him. 

Best part of wearing a side pull bridle

The heat wave that's been oppressing people all over the country arrives here tomorrow. Which honestly, I'm not sad about. I'll do morning chores both days of course. But we aren't going to ride with highs expected of 98 and 99 and "feels like" temps over 100. I plan tomorrow after chores to do some extra chores in the barn and also pull Al and Eros' manes. Maybe clean their sheaths too. Shiny's mane isn't too bad since I did it when she was sedated for her hock injections. Friday after chores I plan to clean tack finally. My saddles are so desperate for conditioner that they're actually getting slippery. I should be ashamed of that. But I'm not. Can't do all of the things all of the time. But all of the things will get done in time. So yeah. That's my plan for the rest of the week. Saturday will still be hot, but I think we'll be able to plod around a little. Maybe some mounted backyard snackies. We shall see. 

Shiny is always here for the snackies.

In other news, Sunday morning when I was deep in my spiral, Al was out in the ring and it was nearly time to come in. I just wanted to finish making up Shiny's hay nets for the day. Well he comes by the door and whinnies at me which he does when something is worrying him. And then he got a case of the zoomies. I figured maybe the deer flies were coming after him, but when I came out and asked what was wrong, he looked over toward my house and snorted. So I looked over there, and a literal BAD OMEN was sitting on the roof of my bedroom. 

Not just sitting, but airing out his wings. Is this the turkey vulture version of man spreading? I think yes. Al wasn't having any part of this bird. I started walking toward the house and it flew away. Someone told me they usually hang around where something is dead because they don't like to kill their own food. And I kinda wondered if it was me it thought had died. Cause you know. Sunday was a DAY. I thought for sure that would have had Al set off for at least the rest of the day, if not longer. But it didn't! Once it flew away Al was over it. But I did have to hose him off because he was all lathered from running. Horses are silly.

Hopefully next week we will have interesting things to talk about! No promises though... Haha. What have you all been up to? Has the heat wave hit your area yet?

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!