What's Up Wednesday

 

It's been busy around here. I've had several of my twice yearly appointments over the last few weeks, and true to 2026 form, I now have to go to MORE appointments. Annoying. There's a wee question on my mammogram that I need to get biopsied. I'm choosing to believe it's nothing until proven otherwise because that's how I stay sane (ish). That test won't be until the end of October so that's a long time to spiral. Hence why I'm choosing not to. I also need to get my carpal tunnel checked out. It's not been bad lately, but now that I'm back to do choring more days per week (and it's colder out), I'm having some troubles again. Not sure when that will be yet, they're supposed to call me. Of course, I have very few days that I have help to go to these appointments... so that's stressful. But I'll figure it out! Cause that's what we do, right?

Anyway, enough about me, let's talk about my seemingly semi-retired horses shall we? We were able to ride every day last week, but most of the rides were pretty short. The weekend was another story! We had a bit storm that thankfully was kind to my farm. It rained for three straight days pretty much. And the winds were pretty intense. To prepare and keep the barn in good shape, I cleaned and put the windows up for the stalls. 

I put the horses out both days, but Saturday it was kind of limited turnout. I put the boys out in the walkouts behind their respective stalls and let Shiny go in the ring. (She's the smartest, if she sensed a tree falling she'd get herself out of dodge. I'm not sure the boys would.) 

I knew they wouldn't want to be out too long as it was supposed to get more and more windy and the rain was supposed to get heavier as the day went on. So I didn't rotate anyone, and just got the chores done as fast as I could. They seemed happy to come in and I kept them stuffed with hay. For these three, that's all they need really. 

Sunday actually wound up being better than expected. It still rained all morning, but there was a break in the action in the afternoon so I was able to graze them all. 

I only snapped pics of Al though. He was being so brave! He dragged me over to the side yard to graze which was interesting because he's never EVER wanted to go over there. He saw the cars go by and was happy as a clam over there. Very proud of him. 

Monday it was raining AGAIN. The entire day. Which would have been a day off anyway, so no harm there. But Rita was pretty sad we didn't get our walk in. Not that sad, because she hates rain. But still disappointed I'm sure. 

Tuesday was annoying. I originally had a dr appointment scheduled for a couple weeks ago, but I had to reschedule because their phlebotomist quit the evening before I was supposed to get bloodwork and I wouldn't have been able to get it done in time for my appointment. When I rescheduled the appointment, I did not yet know that my worker would need to immediately cut her hours from five days to three. She's no longer working on Tuesdays. But I didn't want to reschedule my appointment again. So I got up, fed the horses, showered, gave them more hay, then went to my appointment. Chores got done after that. By the time I was done with all that it was almost 4pm. I opted to just ride Al since he's the one I don't want having a million days off in a row. (We were at three after Monday as it was.) Considering all the time off, we had an okay ride, but we did very much stay on a fairly small circle. The neighbor has been quite busy next door doing who knows what. Which is not terribly helpful after all those weather days.

Today I had my follow up mammogram in the morning, but thankfully DID have help in the barn. So when I got back I was able to just start riding and I got everyone done! Well... mostly anyway. Eros and Shiny had nice full rides. Despite Bang and Clang next door. I shit you not, he was climbing on a ladder and putting some kind of sealant or stain or something on the roof of his shed. RIGHT next to the ring. That was for Shiny's ride. I forget what he was doing for Eros' but it wasn't that bad. I saved Al for last in hopes he would be done with his list of things to do over there. But alas. It only got worse. I got on Al, and walked for a few minutes. When the neighbor decided that was the exact moment he needed to rake the tree line between us. Al had already told me before I even got on that he wasn't into it today. But I insisted and promised him if we had to just walk that's what we would do. So we walked for awhile, did some standing and staring while the raking was going on, and finally did a little trotting toward the end of the ride. It was a nice trot, forward and with proper contact. So who am I to argue with that? I didn't bother cantering because I had zero faith that Bang and Clang was done torturing us for the day. Sometimes you take the win and call it a day. I wasn't sad about it, and neither was Al.

So that's about the long and the short of it over here. Life keeps lifing! Thank goodness for horses!

Not much sunshine here lately, but we did get a sunset rainbow!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Ugh. Guys. I'm sorry. I feel like all I write about is being overwhelmed. And I don't even have a full time job. I shouldn't be so overwhelmed! But here we are. I think being on prednisone is amplifying my angst. 

The latest source of stress is that my current helper who is very good at the job, just informed me that she needs to cut back to two days a week. Which doesn't really provide me what I need so I can do my part time job, take care of my house and barn, and still work my horses appropriately. I'm already not working my horses appropriately. Maybe I have too many horses. Maybe I'm just getting too old to do all the things. But I don't want to give all this up. I love my barn and my horses. I just need help. And it's so hard to find! Back on the hunt I guess. I think I'd be less worked up if my stupid old lady body would cooperate. I mean really. I'm trying to do all the things, but also having carpal tunnel. tennis elbow, a bruised tailbone (thanks Eros), messed up knee, and ALL THE ITCHING. (I'm not sure the prednisone is working.) 

Anyway. That's what I'm up to this evening. Well that, and when I go out to do night check I also have to go out to the back of the property and spray a wasps nest. All in a days work! But this is What's Up Wednesday and not What's Up Wednesday Night. So let's look back at the week!

I brought Pivo out last Wednesday because I miss having media, and I wanted to see my horses go. It worked really well which was a relief, so hopefully I'll start using it more. I haven't really jumped since the day I busted my butt because well... my butt hurts! So I just have a few screen shots from Pivo that day. I also didn't record Shiny because it was threatening to rain by the time it was her turn. But here are a couple screen shots of E and Al:

One of them is more willing to engage than the other... Just kidding, the Al photo was just during warm up. We didn't really get much accomplished last week. Wednesday was a good riding day. Thursday was fine, but I had a hay delivery which is kind of distracting to ride with. 

Then Friday I was a bit rushed because I had to go to Rosh Hashana services. Saturday was similarly disorganized. I thought the fence people were coming, but then they didn't. Chores took a little longer because I had to clean up from our hay delivery (before the rain the next day) and I had to be at a family dinner at 6:30. So I wound up just hand grazing everyone. There's only so many hours in a day. Sunday was an absolute deluge of rain, so I did chores and groomed the horses. I also made a couple of videos for TurnoutHQ. One was a training braid tutorial and the other how to hang a fake tail.

This week I should be able to ride everyday. Today was short because of family dinner at 6, but everyone had a decent ride. Well. Al was terrible, but the other two had good rides. Al is generally terrible when I am feeling rushed and I know this. I should probably just lunge him on the days I don't have a lot of time. I don't know why that lesson doesn't stick with me ever. Tomorrow will also be a little tight because I have my annual mammogram in the evening. (They have such weird scheduling, but it's convenient for me!) Friday though, Friday I have ALL day. My worker was already scheduled off, so I'll have chores then riding. Which lately, chores seem to zap all my energy and the rides are then short. But I'm going to try and be a better person and just push through that and get something done with the horses. Fence guys WILL be here Saturday, so those rides will be distracted. And Sunday it's looking like more rain. 

For the moment, going forward, I'm hoping my helper will stay on for Mondays and Wednesdays so I can have my Monday off and then have help for our Wednesday morning staff meeting. I'm also going to bring up my lack of energy to my doctor at my next appointment which is the end of the month to see if there's a reason for it that we can fix or if I'm just incredibly lazy. If there's something I can do to have more energy, it might be fine to have help only a couple days a week. But as is now, it's not going to be sustainable. Especially as it gets colder and more of my body starts complaining again. 

Anyway. Sorry to be such a debbie downer. Thanks for sticking with me even if I am an Eeyore. Hopefully I'll figure things out and start having fun things to talk about again soon. 

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

 

We finally had a somewhat more normal week last week. We got to ride every day except Saturday which was pretty good! Saturday was miserable here. It was one of those days that got colder as the day wore on. It ranged from 47 to 43, there was rain off and on all day, and the wind was gusting over 40mph. I heard a tree fall down a couple of houses over while I was dumping poo buckets. 

At first I thought it was one of my neighbor's trash heaps treasure piles falling over, so I was a little disappointed to see it was just a tree. But anyway...that's how windy it was. The horses were quite happy to not go back out in the elements after turnout. And I spent the day tackling the bird poop in the barn. That's a never ending task.

But Sunday! Sunday was lovely! Despite having Saturday off I opted for a Sunday Funday anyway. I had to take a few hour break in then middle of the day to retrieve my dad from the airport, so shorter rides seemed like the best plan. Everyone had a light ride in the snackamore and then some grass in the backyard. I love days like that. No pressure. Simply enjoying my horses. I love doing work in the saddle and achieving goals and all that. But sometimes it's really nice to just relax and have some fun. 

I haven't had my non horsey Monday in awhile, and this week was kind of the same. The horses were scheduled for their second round of shots and a dental check/possible float. So I was a little bummed I scheduled that because I haven't gotten anything done in the house in weeks. It's dirty, the laundry pile is huge... Adulting, ya know? But I got lucky! Teeth were all in good shape, so the appointment was super quick. I had plenty of time to catch up on the laundry (4 loads!), vacuum the downstairs, walk the dog, and do my PT. Didn't make it to the grocery store but I'll get there eventually. 

I could tell on Tuesday that everyone was feeling a little blah from their shots. I knew because I had to run into town to vote for our school budget which made me a little late getting lunch for them, and no one was yelling at me. So we enjoyed a Sunday Funday on a Tuesday.

While we have had a few easy days around here, we also have been getting back to some jumping. The fences are still teeny since things have been a little inconsistent, but you gotta start somewhere!

I haven't pulled the Pivo out yet, so enjoy these screen shots from a poorly placed phone. Someday I'll get my act together there... I also want to get the fill back out for the jumps, but just haven't had the free time to get that done. Maybe next week! 

Shiny's been so excited about getting back to jumping. I think she's feeling good after her maintenance. We've been working on some harder flat work, especially counter canter. I've touched on it with her here and there, but never really spent much time on it. I love introducing new things to her because she really engages and wants to figure out the right answer. Especially something that's difficult like counter canter. She figured it out pretty quickly and I had a much more balanced pony after we worked on that. I always forget how helpful counter canter can be for their balance and straightness. Definitely will be doing more of it with all of them. Eros is a pro at it, but Al really has a hard time with it. Probably because he's so behind the leg. Isn't that the root of all issues??

Eros has been in full on torpedo mode when we jump lately... I don't think anything is wrong, I think he's just a little excited. Probably he needs to get some zoomies out in turnout, but I want him to do that on his own volition rather than encouraging it. Hopefully he does that soon. In the meantime, I'll just be getting run off with on the regular. I should probably stop giggling every time so he doesn't know how funny it is...

Okay guys, I'm terrified to put this out there because every time I do it comes to a quick end... But Al is a changed man. He had several things change at once so I'm not positive what brought this result. First, after his vet visit, we took him off the pentox he was getting for his weird foot. Second, he had his neck injected. Neither of these things produced an immediate result. About a week later, I accidentally ran out of this Chinese herb he and Eros get per my vet's recommendation. It's called Body Sore and is meant to help with inflammation. It was when I ran out of this that the change happened in Al. So the most likely explanation is the injections, but who knows for sure. With the timing I can't help but think it could have been the herb. Or the pentox... Anyway.  Here's what's different. He's more focused. He still notices the birds and the neighbor and all the things he's always noticed, but he's not overreacting about them. He's just... riding around the ring. Almost like a normal horse. I have a six stride line of tiny cross rails on the rail closest to the neighbor, and he just goes right over them. Like it's never been an issue over there. I mean not completely. He might still stare out there. But he's not tense. It's been a full week of rides with the same outcome. I'm not sure if it will last. In the past it never does. But maybe this time? We shall see. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it very much. I hope so hard it lasts forever. 

So now that I've said that, forget you read it, and no one tell Al. I don't want to jinx anything. I do feel super guilty that it may be that he had terrible neck pain for the last several years. Or that I was giving him something that made him want to jump out of his skin. But that's what so hard about horses. They can't tell you with words and it's just a lot of guessing until you find "the thing". And obviously, I might not have found it. It could be a temporary thing. Oof. Horses. Wish us luck.

What's Up Wednesday

 

So.... I gotta stop talking about good things because that always seems to ruin them. My potential backup barn worker plan fell through right after I told you all about that. She was concerned about having to climb up into the dumpster to dump the buckets. Fair concern. But bummer for me. I have put off my conversation with current worker because in case he decides to walk, I really need the help this week and next. The result of NOT having the conversation though, is that so far both days this week I came into Eros' door being like this:

Honestly. How do you just not latch the door? Monday I found an empty muck bucket in Shiny's stall. Just sitting there by the door. I don't get it. Definitely need to find someone new pretty quickly. I wish I could do it all myself. Lots of other people do. But the days I do chores and ride all the horses, those are 12-13 hour days. And I know I can't do that seven days a week. My body won't let me. I know lots of people do, but I guess I'm just not as tough as those people. Or maybe they are just much younger than me! Ha! Probably that one. 

Anyway, things are going well with the horses. When we did our first round of shots I did a follow up EPM titer on Al and a Lyme on Eros. Both came back very low which translates to negative and that's great news. I didn't do anything for Shiny because her numbers have been great. Though she now has a bunch of tick bites, so I'll probably pull a Lyme at some point on her. 

Al and I had a few tough days which I mentioned last week. And it did continue another ride before he got back to being more settled again. The last not so good ride though, I think he was honestly just a bit fresh rather than being unsettled. Because I was able to get a little tough with him and he respected that and decided to get to work. What's so tough about him is trying to decipher when he's being sassy and when he's unsettled. If he's sassy you can really ride him, and put some pressure on, but when he's unsettled you cannot or he spirals. But the behaviors can be very similar so it's tricky to know for sure how to work with him on a given day. We had a really nice ride yesterday in which he was actually forward thinking, and did all the things asked with very minimal Al drama. I did opt out of riding him Sunday though. The wind was silly, jumps were all blown over. Neighbor was out there with all kinds of machinery. Instead we did some work in hand and then had a nice graze. I think it was the right call for him that day. Just letting him know he can stay focused on a bad day without adding in riding I think was good for him. I'll just keep testing theories until I figure this horse out! 

Eros is feeling pretty good these days! I can tell he's getting stronger, he's more flexible too. At least on the warmer days. We have our spring maintenance scheduled for the next week, and I'm sure he will benefit from that too. I jumped him around over our little 18" jumps a couple times last week and he was soft and lovely. And yesterday he offered up some pretty impressive extended trot in each direction. I'm going to keep taking things nice and slow with him, but knock on wood, he's coming out of winter very nicely this year! Maybe that time off was really beneficial for him. 

I think Shiny is the most looking forward to her spring maintenance. As long as I take my time warming her up she's actually giving me great work. But if I try to rush any part of it? So many opinions. That's what I love about this pony. She's adamant about the rules (her rules) and makes sure I follow them to a T. I'm pretty happy with her overall though. I'm excited to see how she feels once she has her vet appointment next Friday. 

This week will be pretty light riding wise for the horses. We're getting rain this afternoon, and I have tickets to & Juliet tonight so they're getting a day off. I plan to spend the afternoon working on cleaning in the barn to try and get a little ahead on that. Tomorrow will be a regular day and Friday I should have time to ride everyone, but a little abbreviated because I have to be at the Synagogue at 7. And I imagine I should be showered for that... Lol! They'll have Saturday off too because I'll be attending my niece's Bat Mitzvah! Services in the morning, then the big party after! I hired our horse sitter to do the morning chores and lunch which was the best decision for everyone. That way the horses get their full turnout time and I don't have to get up at 4am to get done in time. I'll be home in time to feed dinner. Then Sunday I'll have lots of clean up to do I'm sure. But that's okay. I'll have the whole day to do it. Hopefully, anyway. I need to see if my mom is okay with celebrating Mother's Day another day. (May is really silly with so many things going on!) Assuming mom is on board, I do plan to ride Sunday. 

Next week will be normal until Friday when the vet comes. But that timing should work out well because they'll have a rest day Saturday from the injections. I'm driving down to New Jersey for a Bar Mitzvah that day, so the day off works out perfectly time wise. I'll do stalls and hand walks in the morning, feed lunch, and get on the road by 12:30ish. Bar Mitzvah stuff from 4:30-10 (maybe I'll leave a little earlier) and then home by 1:30am. I have my former weekend helper feeding dinner for me, and then I was smart and hired the horse sitter again for Sunday chores so I can get some sleep. With the timing of the vet appointment, I probably could have just fed and then gone back to sleep since the horses will still be off from riding Sunday. But I hired her before I made the vet appointment and I don't want to cancel on her. She's a college student so I know the extra funds are a big help. It will be nice to have an easy day anyway after a very long day Saturday. Things should get back to normal after that weekend thank goodness! 

That's about it from here. How are your horses doing so far this spring? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

It's funny how you go from winter with very little to do (other than shoveling snow) to spring and all the things appear on the schedule. All or nothing right? But it's nice to be busy. And remember I have friends outside of the internet. Ha! 

We left off last week with our first round of spring shots and coggins tests. Everyone handled them great this year, with no noticeable stiffness. Eros had a tiny little bump at the injection site, but otherwise everyone seemed unbothered. I still gave them a light few rides for the couple following days. No one wants to work crazy hard after shots! Which also worked out nicely for me because I scheduled a hair appointment for the following morning which had me starting a little later than usual with riding. 

I had braiding jobs Friday and Saturday, but they were easy, just one mane each night. Most braiders aren't interested in a one horse job, but I actually kind of like it. A little extra spending money and still back home for bed by 11:30. Win-win!

I forgot to take a photo of my Friday horse. This guy from Saturday wound up with 42 braids, despite how much thinning he had from blanket season.

Sunday we brought back Sunday Funday. I rode both boys with saddles, but they did both get to use their snackamores and have snackies after. Al had a tough day, and I wasn't feeling the most trustful of him with no martingale on so made some accommodations and just used part of the ring. We kept it primarily to walk and trot (though we did a little bit of canter). He managed to keep the lid on for the most part and earned himself some grass post ride. He was very confused initially when I walked him out to the field. He wasn't sure if I'd lost my mind and was trying to trail ride on an already questionable brain day, but after a moment of stop and stare and some snorting, he figured out that he was being allowed to graze with me on him. He settled in nicely once he knew that was the actual expectation of him. The other two understand fully what the snackamore rides mean and were very happy to be there for it. 

Monday we all had a nice day off, and I got started on cleaning the aisle walls. It was on the list of things my helper has decided not to do anymore and despite my reminding him, it remains undone. So I guess it's another task for my free day. 

That's how dirty the water was after just two stall fronts.

I've been trying all week to have a chat with him again, but yesterday he had his whole family here with him (so that's not the right time to have a this is your last chance kind of chat), and then today he was gone before 10am when my work meeting ended. I don't really know if he came in extra early to get done so early or not, but we'll add that to the list of things to chat about. The good news is that I have someone I already know interested in taking over the job, so if things don't turn around I have a plan B. I met with her today and not only is she very interested and willing to do all the cleaning, but she's also willing to wait it out and give current helper a last chance to redeem himself. She lives right in town, has had her own boarding barn, and later a smaller backyard place, and has worked for other amateurs like me. So she's well versed in all the things. I didn't think of it in the moment, but I bet she could help me with Al too as she used to be a trainer. She gave up that life to raise her kids but they're grown now. So that's potentially good news for my mental health. 

The horses were great yesterday, even Al! But today was a tough one for him. It took like ten minutes to get him to stand at the mounting block which is his big tell that he's struggling. But eventually he let me get on, and we had a mostly walk ride on a circle. In his defense, the state tree cutters were out again (done by the time I started riding) right out in front of the house. He really hates chainsaws, we've talked about that before. And it just kind of stuck with him for the day. Some days are better than others. Hopefully tomorrow is a brand new day for him. Normally I might feel frustrated that he's has bad days so close together after a good stretch of wonderful behavior. But both days that he struggled there was chainsawing happening very close by. Clearly a trigger for him for some reason. Eventually they'll run out of trees to cut down around here. Right? RIGHT?!

Eros and Shiny popped over some of our tiny jumps today, and were so great! Eros never torpedoed. Not once! Even when I was jumping the little end jump and saw a terrible chip coming. That's usually when he'll get mad at me and take the bit. But this time when I used my slow down whoa (which is different from my halt whoa) he actually broke to trot and gave me a beautiful trot jump. Not exactly what I wanted, but he did it so nicely and landed soft. I decided to pretend it was an equitation test and carried on. And Shiny, who has the opposite problem from Eros in that she doesn't like to listen to my leg, was taking me so nicely to every fence! I'm not sure if I'm doing something differently, or they just feel refreshed from their winter vacation, but I'm enjoying it!

I think we'll have a bit of a stretch of short rides and a few extra days off over the next several weeks. I have a bunch of things to attend for my nieces (one is having her Bat Mitzvah next weekend!) and a few other things that will take up some of my riding time. But all good things! The horses will also get their second round of shots in there somewhere and then their maintenance appointment is on the 15th. Which that is perfect timing because on the 16th I was invited to a Bar Mitzvah for the son of one of my very best college friends. She was the first friend I met in college, but she lives in New Jersey so we never see each other. I'm so excited to go! I'm day tripping for it. It starts at 4:30 so I can do the barn early, feed lunch before I go, and be back in time for a late night check. My former weekend helper is going to feed dinner for me. And since I had those braiding jobs, I asked my horse sitter friend if she wanted to do Sunday mornings chores. Money well spent since I'll probably get home around 1:30 am. 

This Friday evening I get to visit with my winter barn friends, so I'm excited for that too. (The most recent one, obviously, not that other one.) It still amazes me the difference between a healthy environment and a toxic one. Because this occasion that I'm going for is a goodbye party for one of the workers who found a new job. They are celebrating him even though he's leaving. And inviting FORMER boarders to celebrate with them! I mean, at the other place if people want a new job the door might hit them in the ass on the way out and all the nasty comments come flying at them on the way too. And former boarders? Not welcome on the property. Even though they didn't have space for me last winter, I'm so glad I had a chance to be at the welcoming barn. I made such good friends and it helped me remember that not all barn families make you feel stupid and worthless.

Rita also makes me feel valuable and appreciated. 

And the last bit of happy for today:

My amaryllis bloomed this week! Just in time for my birthday tomorrow! I have another one that might also bloom, but not for another month or two. I love these plants because both were gifts, and despite my inability to keep plants alive, they just kind of take care of themselves as long as I water them a few times a week. 

That's it from here! Tomorrow's schedule includes possibly talking to my helper (though I don't really want to start out my birthday that way. I might wait till Friday), riding horses, and then off to elementary school for my younger nieces spring chorus concert. Big day!

Hope you're all having a great week and getting to spend time with your horses!

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

 

The weather has been all over the place up here in New England. But I did manage to ride more days than not the past week, so that's been wonderful. The horses had Friday off. And this is kind of a funny story why. I was kind of humming and hawing on if I wanted to ride or not that day. It was cold. Like never got to 40 and it was damp and overcast so it felt colder. And then I got a text that they were coming to take a look at the driveway that got torn up last week. And in a shocking event that never happens they were able to come back same day and get to work. I figured I didn't need to ride while there was heavy machinery here so I just didn't. But I was very grateful for the excuse, because I really was having a hard time motivating. 

The driveway isn't done getting fixed yet, but it is at least safe again. So I'll take that. 

I also wound up not riding Saturday because the high was 36. But I did spend a good long time dragging the ring and getting the footing just right. And it was LOVELY to ride on it all freshly dragged on Sunday! My helper usually drags once during the week, but he likes to see how fast he can do it which leaves speed bumps and sometimes even ruts if he picks up a rock. Not to mention all the jumps he hits... I may take this particular task off his plate going forward. Anyway, it was nice to spend the time really getting it just right. 

We've had some really nice days this week which has been much needed though. It's been windy, but more like gusty rather that sustained winds. I'll be honest though, I wasn't sure Monday or yesterday if I'd get on Al. Monday because the neighbor... And yesterday because despite my kicking my worker out in the afternoon, no sooner had he left that the state showed up on the road to do tree work. I know I've mentioned before Al gets very bothered by chainsaw noise. Like he can hear it miles away and will stare very bothered out his stall window until it stops. So with it so close by... I thought our day might be ruined. In the past, he'd still be bothered even when it stopped, but I got lucky yesterday. Since I was late getting started, I didn't get on him until 4, and the trucks had already finished for the day. After a little ground work, I climbed on and had a wonderful ride on him. The neighbor even came out and started doing who knows what outside (I swear, he waits until he sees the dark horse come out) and Al just did his job. Both days actually. Which isn't to say he give me all of his attention the entire ride. He doesn't. It IS Al after all. But he's making a good effort, and I'll take what I can get. I really think the Back on Track cap is helping, but maybe that's just me drinking the Kool Aid. Regardless, it's been nice!

Things are going well with all of them in terms of getting back to work. We're trotting ten minutes now, so probably this weekend we'll start adding in canter too. I'm probably taking things too slowly, but they're all getting older and I think slower is always better. I think my body appreciates it too. I mean they're doing ten minutes of trot, but that means I'm doing 30. Ya know? 

Today there's a chance we get rained out, but I'm going to try and get as many ridden as I can. I also have to be done on the earlier side for Passover dinner, so I we'll see what gets done. They're going to have tomorrow off. Temps are tanking again and it may also rain some more. So a good rest day for them. I think we've been doing five days a week pretty consistently the last three or so weeks, so the extra day off tomorrow fits into that. Friday and Saturday, though cooler should be decent riding days. Sunday might be another rain out. But it's spring, and that's just how it goes. I'm taking my Monday regardless of what happens! 

But also, I'm trying to get less worked up about the horses' schedules. Ideally I want to ride six days a week, but if that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. The horses are fine. They don't gain or lose all their fitness in a day or two. Lots of horses get ridden three or four days a week and still do great. We're not training for the upper levels. We're just trying to have fun and be the best versions of ourselves we can be. And that includes not feeling stressed about things that don't actually matter that much. 

I am still, however, having big feelings about my own availability. I went on and on yesterday about feeling annoyed by my schedule being disrupted. Adding fuel to that fire, my mom had scheduled Passover dinner with my brother's family without ever talking to me about it. So they all decided it would be tonight at 5pm. No one ever told me until I asked if we were doing it. Guys. My mom is 20 minutes from me, and my horses get fed at 5. Or later. Never before. Which my family should know since I bring that up every time we schedule something. Guess I'll just be late. 

Then I just got a text that they are stopping by to go over what else I want done with the driveway today. Like really? How about, are you free? Can we meet today? I do not have time for that today. But no response, so I guess we'll just see what happens. It's just so frustrating. Like no one considers me. Which is maybe a selfish thought, but I'm just tired I guess of being at everyone's whim but my own. 

On the plus side, at least I don't have to figure out dinner tonight, right? Sigh. Anyway, I'm off to try and get these horses ridden and fed before our Seder. Guess who's gonna smell like a barn at the dinner I'm late for?? I guess that will make us even. Their penance for not considering me is that they have to smell me. Heehee.