What's Up Wednesday

 

Finally we did it! We rode all six days this week! Thank you Mother Nature for allowing this finally. We've made it to our full 30ish minute rides, so slowly we'll start adding in more intensity to them. And we may even add in some baby jumps this week. Maybe even today! We shall see. My new approach to jump days is to choose them on the fly. I can't anticipate what the neighbor will be doing so I have to work around that, and I need to learn to be flexible with these things. 

I got a short clip of the types of sounds that happen next door when you least expect them, for anyone who thinks I exaggerate. Imagine jumping and having this happen?? 

Anyway, neighbor aside, it's been pretty nice around here with some unseasonably warm weather. Let's be honest, we deserve this after the winter. It's amazing how wind is so much more tolerable when it's in the upper 70's vs the upper 40's. So much better. Still scary if you ask Al, but not quite as bad. 

The horses will get their first set of spring shots next week, and then the second set a couple weeks after that. And we are on the list to be scheduled for mid-end of May with our sports med vet to get our maintenance tended to. I think Shiny especially will appreciate that. I wanted to get a little bit if fitness on them before that appointment which we are well on the way. 

We had our first post ride rinse off yesterday, but haven't done full baths yet. Still, the geldings' coats look so good this spring. Hopefully that means we're doing something right over here.

They are so shiny, and these photos are pre rinse off day too! They aren't wet! Shiny isn't quite there yet with her coat. She still has a LOT of shedding to do, but she's working on it. Yellow hair everywhere at the moment. Last year I wound up clipping her in spring, but we'll see what happens this year. I'd rather not... But will if need be. I think she's shedding better than last year. Fingers crossed!

In other exciting news (not really), my feed store was low on shavings the last several weeks and was only allowing ten bags at a time. Super annoying, because that's like just about a week or so worth. But finally last week they got their full shipment and I was able to get my full order. Yay! It's the small things right? 

I don't have too much to really report on with the horses. They've been pretty good. Al had one day that was a lot this past week, but there was a lot of stimuli going on which I know is hard for him. He has a stimuli threshold, and that day far exceeded it. But we also had a few really nice rides. And yesterday we had what I would consider a normal ride. Which is rare for him, so I was thrilled! I don't have any expectation that it will be regularly repeatable, but I will definitely celebrate that it happened. We stayed on the quarter line on the one side of the ring, but otherwise used the full ring. He stayed connected, and managed to canter full laps around the ring each way. Pretty rare for him. Was he still behind the leg more often than not? Oh yes. For sure. But ya know, I'll take that over nuttiness any day. Why was he so good that day you ask? Neighbor wasn't home and it was 78 degrees. If only I could get that combo more often!

I caught him having a little snooze during turnout on Sunday which was adorable. I mean sure I first panicked that he was dying because I don't usually see him nap out there... But he was fine, and thus it was very cute.

We've started some short time hand grazing, which they are all thrilled about. Last fall doc assured me that it was okay for Shiny to have a little bit of grass, so even she's been allowed. And all of this also means that Sunday Funday is back! I opted to keep my saddle on this week since we did full rides first. And Al I wasn't ready for the snackamore yet, so he had a hand graze. But still. It's a start! We were all excited for a little Sunday Funday.

That's really about it from here. A productive but quiet week, and that's what I like to have! How are things your way? Is spring doing nice spring things or bad spring things?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Phew. What a week so far. And it's only Wednesday! When we last left off, we had gotten 22" of fresh snow and my thermostat in the barn died. Fortunately, that was replaced the same day. And then things were humming along okay! We had a beautiful day on Saturday. It was nearly 50 degrees out which felt like summer almost. I even had the barn doors cracked open for most of the afternoon. On both ends! Fresh air flowing all the way through!

Glorious! Truly!

Of course Sunday brought snow and cold again because Mother Nature is hateful. Thankfully it didn't really accumulate. Just a coating. But I did miss the warmth from the day before. Temps tanked again that night down into the low teens. Miserable. 

We didn't get above freezing again until yesterday when it just spit sleet all day. Which was when the barn furnace decided to stop working. Unrelated to the thermostat issue from last week. But really? Can I just get a week or two without some expensive repair? Please? Pretty please? Anyone out there listening? 

Anyway, they came out to look at it in the afternoon, and the good news is that it just needs a part, not a full replacement. Bad news is the part won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully they will be out Friday to fix it. It isn't supposed to get colder than low 30's until then, so hopefully the pipes won't freeze before the repair happens. (Also it's March, could we just stay above freezing from here on out?) 

Last night when I went out for night check I thought it was above freezing, but once I stepped foot on my driveway I learned the hard way that it was not. Fortunately the brunt of my fall was in a snow bank rather than directly on the frozen driveway. Wet is better than bruised, right?

Also, on Monday I got a text that they're bringing me a hay delivery on Sunday. Which seemed good because the ice should be melted by then. But then I get a text last night that said "tomorrow should be warm, he's leaving at 7." (His wife does the communication.) I texted back, you mean Sunday right? No answer. At 7 this morning she says no today! Oof. Meanwhile, every highway in my state has a closure due to accidents everywhere from the ice coating on everything. I let her know, to no response. So I sent a text to hay guy directly and he replies, "okay." So I have no idea what that means. He's not here yet, so I'm guessing he waited a bit to leave. Hopefully my helper was able to get the hay barn ready on almost no notice because I had a work meeting this morning and couldn't do it myself. 

I know it's not a big deal, but I really like to have a schedule. I like plans and order. This whole change of plans every single day is driving me bananas. I have been trying for two days to go pick up my prescription and finally this morning just switched it to delivery because CLEARLY, I'm not meant to leave this property ever again. I dunno guys. This winter has cost a fortune both financially and emotionally. Might be time to reevaluate farm ownership. 

On the bright side, Saturday brought a lot of melting and I can see the ground in a lot of places! Not the ring.

But almost everywhere else. So there is hope that someday I will ride again. The forecast shows 50's for Sunday and Monday! Which if that happens, we could maybe have enough space in the ring to start tack walking. Wouldn't that be wonderful! I figure we'll start tack walking before we get to real work. This much time off needs to be treated like a rehab rather than an immediate return to work. Tack walk for a few weeks, add in a few minutes of trot each week. And then eventually we'll be working. That's the plan. Of course you all see how my plans tend to play out... so we'll just play it by ear. 

I hope things are less annoying for all of you! If you're in a snowy area are you melting yet? Is riding on the horizon for you? And if you're not in a snowy area, are you doing fun things with your horses? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I feel like I fell into a snowstorm vortex and I don't remember anything before it happened. But that's not really true. We actually had some nice days last week and weekend. It was comfortably cold, anywhere from high 30's to low 40's for several days in a row. It was enough to give you the false sense that spring was coming. Ha. HAHA. LIES from mother nature.

Look at all that bare ground!

I was almost thinking I'd get to ride in a few more weeks. Not so much now! In fact this morning it was snowing again. We got another couple inches. So silly. 

Thankfully the horses got out today. My helper was able to get here, but I met him out there to get started this morning because I left him with only full muck buckets. Least I could do was pitch in for the start. I have a team meeting Wednesday's though so I had to abandon him once the horses were out and the buckets were ready to be refilled. So glad to have some help today! 

I was a little worried the horses might make some bad life choices after being stuck in for so many days, but they're not a highly motivated bunch, and I think the difficulty of just walking through all this snow was enough to take that edge right off them. Once they've made themselves some paths I'm sure antics will ensue. From the boys anyway.

There is a chance we'll get hit again next week, but I'm in denial about that. I spent much of last weekend cleaning up anything outside that shouldn't be there, like any thawed out poop that had previously been too frozen to pick up. Or random hay that the horses had dropped that was finally thawed. I figured if I could reduce the number of surprises under the fresh snow, future me would be appreciative. I hope she's remembers past me for the consideration. 

We haven't been up to too much, but Al helped me make a couple braiding tutorials for TurnoutHQ. He has the best mane in my herd for hunter braids, so that's why I chose him. His behavior however... not ideal for hunter braids. Honestly, not ideal for any braids. Ever. He's a lot. All the time.

Yes he did bite my foot at the end there

But anyway, we did a hunter braid tutorial and then also a braid removal tutorial. It took FOREVER. But we got it done, and I think the finished product is decent. Not perfect, but all things considered, good enough. I'm not sure when they'll get posted THQ, probably next week. But if you're interested in jumper braids, head over to TurnoutHQ and check out Shiny's tutorial! It's posted in three parts, so be sure to see them all! You can find them here. We love comments too, so let me know what you think while you're there!

That's really about it from here. I have a little more shoveling I need to do here. My car isn't quite freed, and the trash cans are still buried. Plus the gates could use some more clearing before this stuff melts and refreezes them in place. Oh and the propane tank needs a path too. You would think all this extra physical labor would help with some of this winter weight... but alas. It has not. Must be age weight and not winter weight. Oof. Whatever. I'd rather chubby and well fed than hungry all the time. AMIRIGHT?!

Hope you're all having better weather than we are!

What's Up Wednesday

 

It was a quiet week around here (obviously since winter....) but quiet in a nice way. We've been having temps in the mid 30's all the way up to about 40 which has been LOVELY. Honestly. 30 degrees feels so... acceptable after the bitter cold we've had this winter. We even had a whole weekend with no precipitation. Glorious. Of course today we have rain, snow and rain on Friday, and then a big snow storm potentially Sunday into Monday. Sigh. I'm holding on to how nice it was the past week. Lots of melting has happened, which makes me dream about riding horses again sometime soon. I can't wait! I think the horses are getting a little bored too. Well. The geldings. Shiny is perfectly content to hang around and have snacks. (I can relate.) 

All we've really been up to is lots of currying. The horses are shedding like crazy. And we've gotten manes cleaned up. I'm going to be doing a series of braiding videos on TurnoutHQ so I needed to get the models prepped. I forgot to take photos of Al's before and after, but did get Shiny and Eros.

We also took silly photos for Valentine's day:

Listen, we're BORED okay? Eh, I'd have done it regardless. I am who I am. 

Friday I filmed the first or our braiding videos. This one is for jumper plaits. I figured I'd start with one that's pretty quick and make sure my vision aligns with what the bosses are looking for. Shiny was the model because her mane is not great for showing off hunter braids. But looks adorable with plaits.

Her neck is so fuzzy it's not the sleekest job around, but it's the best I can do with winter floof. I think she looks adorable, fluff and all. 

I did have one sad on Saturday though. I broke my favorite pitchfork.

Easily replaceable, but still. RIP friend.

I did finally remember to order a jump starter so now I can get my truck running without anyone else's help. (Thanks Emma for the Lokithor suggestion!) It also is an air compressor so I can check and fill all the tires around here. Of course I refuse to do any of those things things until it's dry out. Next week! I never de-snowed the truck, so I'm waiting for nature to take care of that... Almost there! 

That's really about it from here. What's happening your way?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Negative temps is what's up over here. Sheesh. Winter is really wintering this year. I was SO relieved that the latest storm went north this time and didn't clobber us with another nor'easter just yet. That was giving me a real panic when I heard about its potential. So let's see... what have we been up to?

This seems unsafe

Last Wednesday night I actually left the house and went out in public! I went to see Suffs which was FABULOUS. Highly recommend if it's touring in your area. It gelt particularly poignant given the current political climate. 

As for the horses? We're just doing the best we can over here. They really aren't doing much of anything other than turnout and grooming, but none of them seem particularly bothered by the lack of enrichment. Which is a relief! 

A few things I was stressing out about was getting my manure bin emptied and my hay delivery with all the snow and ice everywhere. For both things, a relatively large truck needs to back down a narrow driveway that pitches down hill. Prime conditions for a truck to get stuck, especially once it's deposited its load. To further complicate things, I can't really take a hay delivery until I've pretty much entirely used up what I have because the full load fills my hay barn completely. I am fortunate to have one of the greatest hay suppliers though. I had reached out that I had about a month left a few weeks ago. So when he got an order from my neighbor, he offered to drop me off 50 bales while he was in the area to get me through the worst of winter. 

This was a perfect solution! So that happened on Saturday, and I'm happy to report he did not get stuck. Which was wonderful because my dumpster guy was being a real weenie about the driveway. He was so sure he'd get stuck. But since I had proof that my hay guy with the exact same size and type of truck didn't get stuck, it was easier to convince him to give it a go on Monday. And he also was able to get in and out with no issue. The only trouble there was that the bottom half of the bin was frozen solid so he was only able to empty the top half. Better than nothing though. It will also get me through the rest of winter, so the next time they need to come we should have a clear driveway again. Remains to be seen if I get billed the full amount for the empty... I can see both sides of the coin. He did the same amount of work, but I used up only half the space at the dump site. I mean, I'll pay whatever the bill is. But it would be nice if they discounted it a little since I'll need to have it done sooner than usual. 

I'm feeling much less anxious about the rest of winter now that those things have been attended to. Which doesn't mean I don't hope it's over really soon. Early spring would be lovely! (Eff what the ground hog says, what does actually know?) 

The weekend was brutal. When I went out to feed Saturday morning the actual temp was -8 which I've already told you yesterday. I've just never seen that number on my thermometer before! It's crazy! Fortunately, it warmed all the way up to 17 that day which felt pretty nice. Sunday at least never went to negative degrees so it was a better day. Plus I already told you about my non stop dance party. Great day all around.

We've actually made it just over freezing the last couple of days and will again through Friday. But then it all comes crashing down. They're expecting wind chill temps in the negative 20's for Saturday morning. Like.. really? I just ordered myself some fleece lined jeans and more wool socks. I'll probably do what I did last Saturday and wait to turn the horses out until we get above zero for the actual temps. When it's that bad out, I've been layering their heavy turnouts over top of their heavy stables, and they seem content that way. It's 900 grams of fill total... which seems like a lot. But Al and Shiny had a fun romp just before I brought them in last weekend and neither was sweaty. So I think it's a solid set up for this insanity for them. They're all shedding like crazy, so they aren't especially hairy. 

That's about it from here. We're just doing our thing over here, trying to stay warm and sane. So far we're doing okay on both. Let's see how long we can hold on for!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We've been enjoying a January thaw for the past several days and it's been pretty glorious. It took a little longer than I'd hoped for the ring to melt enough to be usable, but it did happen finally! Though the one long side is still a sheet of ice. We just avoid that section. Which is perfectly fine with Al since it's the side by the neighbor. 

My worker scheduled out Friday, so I had an extra chore day this weekend. I really didn't mind too much since I need to get some exercise on these days when I can't ride! Though the morning was still very cold, and the walk to Shiny's paddock was a little terrifying for an old woman with a knee injury... But we made it! I spread a bunch of salt down afterwards so it wasn't so bad the rest of the weekend. And now it's all clear. Hopefully it stays that way for a bit. 

We didn't really do much fun over the weekend other than some hand walks and hand grazing. But I did hop on Shiny on Sunday for a little toodle. It was getting late so I only had enough daylight to sit on one of them. Plus the wind and had kicked up, and I didn't want it to be a whole thing so that's why I chose her. She's the least likely to try and murder me after a long weekend. Lol! Obviously she was an angel. 

Monday we enjoyed our day off, and I played a little hookie and went to do some sale shopping. I like to check out the after holidays clearance sections, and also there is a store closing nearby that I wanted to check out their discounts. I was well behaved though! Got a pair of sweatpants/joggers for $6 at Kohls which wound up being free because I had some Kohl's cash. And then at the store closing I found a pair of cute jeans also for $6. Can't beat that! 

Everything else was fine at home or so I thought. Came home and fed dinner, took the trash out. You know the usual stuff. But then at night check things got weird. I walked into the barn and everyone greeted me, as they do. Shiny is the first stall I encounter as I walk to get the hay at the end of the barn, and she's facing the back window but has her head turned looking at me. I notice her reflection is much more apparent than normal in her window. Then I look closer. Her reflection is not reflecting her... OMG. It was Eros. Outside in the walkout. How did he get there?! Thankfully he did not break his door down or anything crazy. But annoyingly, my worker once again forgot to latch the outside door. Thank goodness Eros didn't realize this while I was out, nor AFTER night check. Or the heat would have been heating the great outdoors all night. Sheesh. I had gotten lax about double checking all the door latches because well... I dunno. I just assume that doors get latched. But I know what happens when one assumes. So now I've been checking all doors when I head out late morning. I guess I should do that regardless. But it is a little frustrating. These are safety issues, ya know? I've got the new checklist just about ready to print and I have a clipboard coming for it too. Hopefully that will help these issues. 

And yes, it was also unlatched yesterday when I checked. I sent a text with a photo and "these things are important" message to my worker. And the response? "Okay." Sigh. 

In less annoying news, I got to ride ALL THREE horses yesterday! As I mentioned earlier, some of the ring is still ice covered, but there's more than enough room to get a little bit done. They've had a few weeks off now, so I just did a some circles of trot each way and about 15 minutes of walk. It was nice to get on. I think today I may lunge Al and ride the other two. He was a little edgy yesterday, and I think he'll get more productive work done on the lunge line than with me on him. We should get one more day to ride before everything freezes over again, so I could hopefully ride him again tomorrow. I want to drag the ring too... But I think what I need to do is spread mag on it first, then drag. Which will be a little bit of a time consuming project. My current plan so as not to miss out on riding time, is to mag it on Friday when it's really cold again and I won't be riding that day. It *MIGHT* get above freezing in the afternoon that day, so if it does, I could drag same day, and if not, I can drag the next day to mix it in. We shall see how it all pans out! It would be nice to get the mag mixed in though so we can keep riding on the colder days. I've noticed the days are getting longer, which will help with timing for these kinds of chores. 

That's about all that's going on over here. I had forgotten how different winter is at home versus boarding. We just don't have as much to chat about since the horses aren't really in work. That's okay though. Plenty of time for exciting blog fodder come spring! 

Anything exciting happening with you guys? Did you get to enjoy a January thaw too?

What's Up Wednesday: Vacation Edition

 

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all have a fun New Year's Eve and make safe choices tonight. They don't need to be good choices, just safe ones!

The vacation vortex is real, and boy is it confusing! I can't believe just a week ago I was at home freezing my bum off doing nothing but horse chores, prepping for vacation, and appearing cheerful and awake at various holiday events. But it was just last week. 

Christmas day I spent in the barn like normal. Did chores in the morning and I was really hoping to ride. The ring was defrosted and the weather man said it would be less windy than it was on Wednesday. (The wind Wed. was insane, with gusts higher than 40 mph.) But as it turned out, it wasn't really less windy. I did get on Shiny, determined to try to ride. But the jumps started blowing over while I was on her, and even she was a little spooky. So I opted just to ride her and took the boys for hand walks instead. They were perfectly happy with that!

I made sure to get the barn in perfect condition, so at least I knew it looked perfect when I left for vacation as it definitely will not be when I return. Which is not a reflection on my helper and horse sitter. They do a great job. But no one is going to take care of your things the way you do, ya know? Plus they've just been getting abused with bad winter weather. I left Friday, and that night 10 inches of snow fell. I was an anxious mess not being home for that. But from what I've been told, everything was fine. I'll report back when I see what the place looks like when I get home this weekend... Lol. Oy.

We arrived later than we should have Friday. There's a lot of air traffic into Florida this week, and because of a certain orange leader, less planes are allowed in this air space. We had to fly into an airport farther away than we normally do for that reason. And we were delayed four hours. But we made it! And we had a surprise waiting for us! My stepmom lost her dog not too long ago, and while it wasn't planned, she found a new puppy just before we arrived. So we get to the boat, and this face greets us:

I present to you: Buddy Finn Seidman
My new puppy brother

 Saturday we didn't do much. Got settled in, took a little tour of the community here where we are staying so we remembered where everything is, and ate a lot of food. They have a one night only carnival here that's pretty insane. It's just for members of the community and you pay a flat fee for all you can eat, ride, and play. And the food is provided by both food trucks and the restaurant here which is pretty upscale. So it's the best fair food you can imagine. I was full for two days after. 

This trip is fun because both my brothers are here; the older one with his family and my younger one with his girlfriend. We're kind of spread out for sleeping arrangements since there are so many of us. I'm staying with my younger bro and his GF at the condo which is a one minute walk from the boat where my older brother and his fam are staying. Dad and stepmom are staying at their house. But we all congregate for meals and certain adventures. 

My little brother talked my dad into a side excursion to the other coast for an overnight. My older brother and I opted to stay put but everyone else went, leaving me with a free day and a half to do whatever I wanted. I had hoped to head south to Wellington for the day to see all my friends, but most of them weren't back yet from holiday travel. Instead I did a little shopping and spent some time at the pool. It was lovely! And still was also fed more than enough food. 

Tuesday is where it gets fun from a horsey perspective. My dad has some investment horses, two of which are down in Wellington getting ready for show season. Dad arranged for me to have a lesson on Faith, so I got to do that on Tuesday. 

I wasn't sure it would be my ride because I'm not usually a mare person for one thing, but also she's a pretty spicy jumper. I have seen videos of her and she always looked like a little rocket ship. But turns out, she doesn't really ride that way. She is sensitive, but a really good listener. She doesn't bid at the jumps, and she doesn't land and take over either. I think if you really fired the turbo boosters you'd have a lot of horse, but I also think she'd come back to you if you asked. 

I didn't realize how terribly out of shape I am, but jumping her was took a lot more strength than I had apparently... I mean it went fine, and was SO FUN! But I was getting jumped a little loose and I'm definitely sore today! Totally worth it though. It was nice to know that even though I'm weak and definitely rusty, I'm still semi capable! It was really fun to ride something with her own motor and that paid attention to the job at hand. The only thing I had to think about was what we were doing. Not if the leaves moving or if someone was walking around outside the ring. She didn't care about any of that stuff. 

Just casually getting launched out of the saddle here... 
As one does.

Then the trainer was like okay we'll get Verona ready next, you can ride another one right? SURE! (But guys I was so pooped!) Verona is the big jumper. Faith, the first one, has experience to the 1.3M and I think that's about her max. But Verona is expected to be a real 1.6M Grand Prix horse. And she is definitely the hotter one. She's not so good in the mouth, and all she wants to do is get moving! The trainer had me serpentining through the ring at a trot with a walk transition at the change direction point, then back to trot. And it definitely took a few times through to realize just how little leg I needed. Then we cantered, and it was actually adjustable, but there was for sure a lot of power in there. I wasn't planning to jump her, because my legs were spent, but I generally cave to peer pressure and we popped over a couple cross rails. She was a hard ride for me, because she was taking a good look at the jump, but if I legged too much in response to that, I had too much horse. Fortunately, someone wanted to come try a pony right away (Florida is so weird guys) so I got to be done with just those exciting cross rails. I liked Verona, she's definitely a quality big jumper, but also definitely more horse than I like to ride. Faith though? I'm a big fan of that one. If only I could collect horses.... And had more help. Ha. If any of you know anyone looking for a jumper, send them my way! She needs her own human,

Today I went back down to Wellington to visit my trainer and Shiny's kid. And also another friend of mine. The family all dispersed in different directions so I had the whole day to play. My trainer has another rider helping her do some riding, and he had a puppy too! Puppies everywhere! This one is a CORGI!

Not much cuter than a corgi puppy

Shiny's kid has a new lease for the winter, and it's a large pony! He's so cute, and ridiculously scopey. She was jumping him around at 3'6" and it was so easy for him. Even if the distance wasn't perfect, he just popped right over with no shenanigans or opinions. I'm excited for this pair, he's exactly what she should have to learn on. I'm hoping to go back down to see them again Friday and my trainer said I could ride her horses, so that would be super fun. She mostly has hunters right now but she prefers jumpers, so she's happy to hand them off. Ha! I love a hunter. 

I also got to visit with a good friend, and watched her have a lesson. She's been with this trainer for a few years now, but I haven't been out to their barn. Her new trainer is LOVELY. She's stern, but never mean. Even if someone makes a big mistake or worse, repeatedly makes the same one, she never insulted anyone. She didn't even get mad. She actually asked the rider why that was happening, like maybe there was a good reason that she couldn't see from where she was standing. And then she just explained what wasn't working and how to fix it. It as very refreshing to see. My friend and her horse are doing so great, and I'm so happy for them! 

I'm here until Saturday, which I'm really enjoying such a long trip. But I miss my horses and Rita, and can't wait to see them soon! The cold weather I'm less enthused to get back to. That and having to deep clean the barn aisle. I know that's going to be a thing. But all good. Definitely very lucky to have an aisle to clean! 

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday and enjoy New Year's Eve!

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

 

I think I messed up a little for poor Al this week. Nothing major, but maybe some bad timing on my part. I mentioned yesterday about changing up the course on Monday. Seemed like a good plan, because I wanted space for lunging and more options to hopefully expand Al's "safe space" circle. I like the new course. It's just a very simple hunter course with no oxers because who cares about oxers when it's going to be winter? I did make sure a couple of jumps could easily be converted to trotting poles, meaning they're just standards and rails with no fill, planks, nor gates. And should I get to feeling fancy there are a couple options for bending lines too. Perfect. 

But what I didn't consider was that this week is also the first week of the time change AND a full moon. Not just a full moon, a SUPERMOON. On top of all that, the wind won't quit. And poor Al is having a hard time. He's trying to be a good boy. Really he is. But that's a lot to throw at a sensitive boy all at once. I should have waited another week to change the jumps. His safe space is all different and he hates it. Poor dude. I did ride him today; we stayed on a circle up here at this end of the ring. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't good either. He did try hard though, I could tell he was doing his best. And I give him credit for that. I did almost eat dirt once. At the walk. Because of a squirrel. But I held on and he was polite enough to not finish me off. So small win, yes? Haha. Should be less windy tomorrow. Maybe that will help our cause. 

He's such an open book, you can easily tell that he's not feeling settled just by how he interacts with me. He's a little clingy, watching everything I do in the barn. He even wanted me to come out and play with him in turnout which was adorable, and we had lots of fun. He followed me over a cross rail, helped me set up some trot poles, and then repeatedly knocked over the little end jump while I was trying to put it back together. That last one was more fun for him than it was for me. But it did give me a giggle. I think tomorrow we'll spend some time hanging out in the ring before I get on and see if that helps. 

In Shiny news, she got de-furred on Thursday. It was a rain day and I had told myself that the next rain day I had to clip the pony. And I actually listened to me! Doesn't always happen. I make up a lot of rules, and sometimes I don't want to follow them all. But I did this time. I left her legs and head furry. I was originally going to do everything, but honestly, come winter, I don't mind the parts outside the blanket having some furry insulation. I'll have to clip her again in the spring I'm sure (hopefully not before that!) and I'll take everything off then. 

I was too lazy to bathe her beforehand, so she's pretty line-y but whatever. It's winter. And also, I'm getting a little faster at clipping! Proud of me for that. I previously held the titles for both slowest stall cleaner on earth AND slowest clipper on earth, and I think maybe I've lost the clipper title. Hopefully.

It's amazing to me how much hair one little pony can have attached to her. Each of these photos is from one side of her. (She got to have a potty and water break halfway through.) Not including legs nor head even. It's a lot of hair! 

She's been good for work this week too. For sure the most consistent anyway. We popped over a few fences one day last week. No real plan, and I don't think even did a full course. Just bopped around over some singles and called it a day. I kind of love having no direction this time of year. We might get some storms tonight but as long as the ring isn't too wet I'm hoping to jump around the new course with her tomorrow. She's the only one really capable of jumping the actual course at the moment, so I'm feeling extra grateful for her this week. She's really hanging on to that MVP award this year! 

Eros is holding his own in the MVP running though. He had his first moonlit ride last night (I'm not sure if it's his first ever, but I think it might be) and I was shocked at how good he was for it. He's often spooky this time of year especially at the end of the ring, but in the dark he wasn't at all. Maybe because of his questionable vision? Maybe he couldn't see anything to spook at it in the dark? I dunno. No complaints from me though! Also we do have lights on the barn side of the ring, so it's not quite as dark as that photo seems. I'm not that crazy! 

He's still feeling decent to ride, not quite 100% yet, but better than he was a couple weeks ago. We're still taking it easy with shorter rides, and mostly stretchy work. So no new course for him any time soon. But it's just precautionary. I think he's fine, but why test it? 

In other news, I got a little blanket rack for Rita's winter clothes. And yes, she has matching clothes with the horses:

Cute right? I set it up in the entryway next to my own smelly barn coat rack.

And lastly, Al somehow got himself stuck in the hay feeder over the weekend. He does enjoy pawing, and I think he took it too far this time. Chaos feet on that one.

He did indeed break it, but I cut that section off the rest of the way, and it's still working fine. Maybe even easier for me to drag around from the hay barn to the ring and back. So perhaps he improved it? 

Lastly, I'm contemplating taking Sunday off from riding (it's supposed to rain anyway) and head up to Equine Affair to spend some money I don't really have. I have a couple of silly things I'd like to hunt for. I got some new hoof picks last week at a tent sale that I really like and would like to grab a few more for the trailer. But I'm a weirdo and want specific colors and no place online lets you pick colors. (Man, I hate that!) So I thought I could probably find them up there. I also have a whole pile of Dreamers and Schemers spare socks that I'd like to try and find matches for. (They sell socks as a pair plus a spare, and I like to try and get matching spares to make real pairs, ya know?) The other thing I want to look for is the Back on Track Haze cooler. I think I want them for the horses to marinate in after turnout and before we ride this winter. They're 200 grams of fill, so nice and cozy (warmer than the mesh sheet anyway). But I really want to touch one first and see if they're soft and lovely or stiff and icky. Plus, I know they're polyester, but I want to make sure they're not fleece. We don't want all the static! My barn has heat, so it gets pretty staticky in there if we use the wrong materials. It's expensive enough that I'd rather see and touch it before buying. Do any of you have that one? Thoughts if you do?

Alright, that's all I've got for this week. Any of you heading to Equine Affair this weekend? I think most of you are pretty far away, but hey, you never know!