What's Up Wednesday

 

This past week was pretty non horsey too since most of it was spent in Florida still. But I still have things to report on, so let's do that!

First up, is Al. Al had a lot of fun today enjoying the sunshine and completely weird 60 degrees. (In January. In CT.)

He has zero regrets about this. Zero. Whilst I did not enjoy the filth, I could tell he really enjoyed the process. So I'll let him have that joy. 

He got to see the vet while I was away because if you recall, he's been a little off left hind. He wasn't terribly off for the first part of the exam, doc said maybe a .5 out of 5. MAYBE a 1 on the turns. But after flexing he was like a 2. So clearly something was bugging him. He blocked sound at the foot, so we proceeded with some x-rays to be sure there's nothing going on in there. Films looked good. So we kind of still think the problem is that dermatitis we've been fighting with. Al is zero percent stoic when it comes to having a booboo on his legs. So I feel pretty confident that's still the problem. Doc was also not happy with how compressed that left heel still is, but that's not something we can fix overnight either. My farrier thought it would drop on its own a few shoeing cycles after his gelding. Which the right one did, but the left did not. So we also thought, maybe after we pulled the hind shoes. And I think honestly thing it did drop some and that's what caused the dermatitis. Just my theory. Anyway, doc wants my farrier to try and get that heel to widen. Hopefully that will help. In the meantime, I have new materials for wrapping the wound and they seem to be doing the trick. I swear, I feel like I've been dealing with this thing for months. We're now using Manuka Honey, a 4x4, and elastowrap instead of Vetwrap since it's stickier. Seems to be working. The wound is getting smaller and it's not bleeding everyday like it was before. I'm not jumping him for the moment. I don't think it would do any damage to him, but I also don't think it's fair to ask if he's feeling less than good on that leg. So we're just flatting for the time being. I may let him canter some ground poles tomorrow to entertain him though. He is so much happier when he gets to jump, and hopefully that will simulate it for him. 

I think Shiny had a lot of fun while I was away. She got to have a lesson with one of my favorite juniors. Actually the junior rode Shiny, and junior's mom rode Eros and they had a lesson together, and I think that's the cutest thing I've heard ever. They all had a ton of fun, and I'm so excited that happened. Anyway.... Back to Shiny. She got ridden by lots of different people while I was gone which I wanted because I think she needs more variety in her life. I don't want her bucking little kids off anymore! I did hear that two of the girls who rode her fell off because they didn't tighten their girth enough... Both are older kids who SHOULD know better, but also have probably never ridden a pony with no withers before. They won't make that mistake again! In their defense, you have to make Shiny's girth pretty tight to keep the saddle in place, so I'm glad those kids aren't prone to over-tightening girths. 

She's none the worse for the wear though, and has been a good nugget since I've been back. We have a lesson tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes!

Eros also had a few different riders while I was gone. He did the lesson with the mom and I hear he was a very good boy, though I do get the impression he got a bit strong... I mean... he is who he is. She still loved him though, because everyone loves Eros. How can you not? One of my favorite fellow boarders got to ride him twice and she's madly in love with him now. Because I mean... again, everyone loves Eros. He was the least excited to see me of my herd when I got back though. I know horses aren't technically capable of emotions like humans, but I swear he was annoyed that I'd been gone. In normal everyday life he comes right over to me when I go in his stall. But Tuesday, when I went to see him the first time after being away, he ignored me completely. I can't say that didn't sting, Eros... But he made up for with some good snuggles later. So all is forgiven. 

We had our flat lesson yesterday which my legs are telling me today was not the best plan after a week off... We had a new instructor because the barn owner and her assistant have already left for Florida. The new girl I'm told is a really great flat rider, but it was a bit of an ego bursting lesson for me. First off, it's always a little tricky with a new trainer. That's just life. This one wants horses moving very forward right from the start, and I mean I get that train of thought. Lots of trainers like that. But my preferred method for warm up is to let the horse choose it's pace to start out. Having horses with physical limitations, I like to let them do what they need to do to loosen up. Eros moves a bit slow to start and likes a lap or two of canter before really moving forward and into the bridle. Also, for him, I prefer to keep him a slower mover since a. he's a hunter and b. he needs to stay slow when we jump to keep that stride in check. I expect impulsion and proper carriage from him of course, but I don't like him racing around the ring. That's not how hunters go. Anyway, moving on... Once we got to cantering, she wanted us to canter a serpentine, halting at the mid point of each loop and then continuing on the new lead. This exercise was a disaster for many reasons. First off, there were five of us and she wanted us all doing it together. Two of the horses can be a little pissy about these types of exercises (one likes to kick out when he's mad and the other likes to rear a little.) It was chaos. And she really wanted us sitting super deep in the saddle for the halt. Like to the point that we all seemed behind the vertical. She also tried to tell me that I was pinching with my knee, which is not something I do. I am not perfect in anyway, but I've worked REALLY hard for many years to get my leg correct. And I know that's not something I do. Especially when I don't have stirrups.... Which we didn't. She did rescind that knee statement. I was like yeah. Duh. But anyway, she really drilled us on this canter halt canter exercise, and the horses were all pretty pissed off at the end. I hate drilling horses on stuff like that. Do it a few times and leave it be. Come back another day. Or later on. I'm not saying it was a bad lesson, and absolutely my ego took a beating when I discovered I apparently don't know how to halt my horse. That's a me problem, not the instructors. But we'll see if I end up staying in this flat lesson through the winter. I, of course, want to improve but I'm a bit of a helicopter parent when it comes to Eros. He's a very genuine guy and if he hates this work, I'm not going to make him do it. I may do Al instead, but I have zero interest in riding him without stirrups at the moment with his spookiness in the indoor. 

Eros and Shiny have their Thursday lessons with our usual instructor since she doesn't go to Florida. So I'm not at all worried about how jumping will go tomorrow. I'm pretty excited actually! Having that week away really renewed my love of being in the saddle. Not that I was feeling burned out, but I think I needed the little break. I'm ready to get back to work now though!

So now you're all caught up with the ponies! As for the rest of my trip, I had lots of fun relaxing. I got to practice hitting golf balls at the driving range. Which, I will tell you, I am NOT good at golf. But it is a fun challenge. I'm mildly better at putting than driving. Mildly. I did pull off a tie with my sister in law at putt-putt. Putting us ahead of my older brother and my two nieces. No, we don't let kids win in this family. Also, I got a hole in one, and I made sure my nieces knew to tell everyone on the boat when we got back. Those kids rule. They did it just right. They got back on the boat and announced "AUNTY STACIE GOT A HOLE  IN ONE!!!" Those are my people. 

We did other stuff besides golf too. (Thank goodness. Again. Not something I'm good at.) The kids did a bunch of swimming. I think I already mentioned they had a carnival one of the nights.

Pretty sure it was at that carnival that I caught another cold. Clearly I need to start going out in public more often... And another night they had retro game night under the tent. It was basically a kids menu (chicken fingers, burgers, pizza, fries, etc) with ski ball, video games, pinball, and fake ice skating available. And guys! The dj was spinning the songs of my youth! I guess the music was for us adults. I had a blast.

The floor for the ice skating is some kind of plastic material. It seemed to simulate ice fairly well and the skates had blades on them. Lots of kids fell down, so it must have been somewhat like ice skating. I dunno. I didn't try it because no one out there appeared to be older than 10. I did however indulge in the offerings at the dessert table.

Those were in fact pop rocks on the rice krispy treat. Genius.

They did get the boat working so we got to take a dinner cruise down to Palm Beach Port and back. That was nice. Everyone still had their holiday lights up so it made for a lovely view on the way home. I did get to visit my trainer at her farm one of the days which was fun. She has a couple of new young horses that I hadn't met yet. They're really cute, I think they'll grow up to be nice ones. Then later that day my dad and stepmom took us out to visit Fefe and Bellino. And guess who else I got to see?!

HANK! You all might remember Hank. He's from the barn in CT, and I got to ride him once last year. He's the HUGE one that I couldn't reach to groom his butt. In typical small horse world fashion, he's now at the barn my stepmom rides at when she's in Florida for the winter. He was leased last year to a teeny tiny kid because he's such a good dude. But that family decided they should try something smaller because while he's a good dude, Hank was just too big for her to learn very quickly. Not that there's a rush, but his size was making everything take a lot longer. This older lady somehow wound up at the barn, perhaps was taking lessons? I'm not sure, I wasn't there for this part. But she ended up buying Hank. She has a summer home in CT, but lives in the same community in Florida where my dad and Stepmom keep our boat. So stepmom told her about the Florida barn, and now all three horses live the same life of summering up here and wintering in sunny Florida. It's nice since they can share the trailer fees. Plus, now there will always be three stalls available come fall for my herd.

New Year's Eve was our last night on the boat. We had a nice dinner and all were in bed by 10... Lol. Bunch of losers. Our flight home was delayed so we wound up with a full day to enjoy. I spent it being lazy, reading a book, and eating way too much. 

And that's it from here! How was your week/weekend?

Truthful Tuesday

 

I loved having a little time away, but I am SO HAPPY to be home and back riding my horses. That's my confession. I'm happiest when I'm with my four legged kids. I have no trouble filling the hours in the day with or without them. But spending time with my horses is definitely my favorite way to spend those hours. Al and Shiny seemed happy to see me today. Eros was a bit indignant when he first saw me. I think he doesn't like when I disappear and lots of other people ride him. Not that he'd ever put a foot wrong, but I think he prefers his regularly scheduled program. We all know Eros likes what he likes. 

Anyway, back to my confession. I'm not sure I'd call myself a homebody... I enjoy seeing new places, or visiting ones I've enjoyed before. I just wish I could take my horses and dogs with me when I go. I think that's why I like showing so much. I get to do exactly that for horse shows! 

How about you guys? Are you happiest with your equine around, or are you content either way?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! No horsey clothes today but I rarely share non horsey clothes anymore so it's kind of a treat? I didn't realize when I packed however, all my summery clothes are a little too big. It's all good though, makes it more comfy for all the sitting around I'm doing in them. 

Here's what I have on today:

Comfy stuff, right? We're not doing anything fancy on this trip which is a-okay with me! 

Top: Rose & Olive

I love the details on this top. It's almost like macrame, with little brass beads in it. 

Belt: Tory Burch

Yesterday's big outing was to the fancy outlet mall and I got this cute Tory Burch belt. (And a purse...) It was my first time shopping at actual stores since before the pandemic! (Liquor and tack stores aside.) I really didn't get much otherwise, things were pretty picked over from the holidays I think. 

Pants: 1822 Denim

These are probably horribly out of style. I have no idea when or where I got them... But they're very comfy and perfect for the weather here this week. 

Shoes: Yellow Box

No shoes on the boat, but should I decide to leave it today, I'll wear these flip flops. 

And that's it for today! Change of pace from the norm, clearly. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

The weather was crazy this week. We had rain and temps in the 50's but it dropped down to the single digits that same night. Gross. Ice everywhere. Despite that craziness, the horses have been mostly good. 

Shiny skipped her lesson this week. She got trimmed a hair too short and was feeling a little sore on her tootsies and I didn't think she needed to jump on sore toes. She didn't mind the break. I still kept her flatting lightly, and by the weekend she was feeling much better. 

Al also wound up skipping his lesson this week. After his free lunge Thursday morning, he was feeling a little sore behind. It's not the first time this has happened. He very much enjoys his free lunges but does not pay attention to his own feet. Sometimes he winds up whacking himself and then feels sore after. He's not the most stoic horse I've ever had either so he makes it very well known when he has a booboo. So we just observed the lesson we were supposed to be participating in. He's already feeling mostly better thankfully. Our vet will be out Friday this week, so if he has time, I'll have Al looked at just to be safe. 

Eros DID have his lesson, and he was wonderful as has been the norm lately. He was a touch fresh, but no torpedos, so that was nice. 

One of the things I enjoy most about the boarding barn is that they don't close for holidays. Staff gets Christmas off (other than feeding) but boarders are welcome. They even do potluck breakfast. This year, after breakfast we did an obstacle race bareback. Obviously, I chose Shiny for this particular shenanigan. We had to trot through (as in parallel to) some poles on the ground, trot over a little crossrail, canter a circle around some cones, grab a Santa hat from a standard, canter through a line of poles, then open and close a "gate" (a lead rope clipped to a standard that we had to unclip, walk through then re-clip, much easier said than done), then finally gallop through a set of standards that acted as your finish line. There were about ten of us participating and it took about 2-6 minutes a piece (depending on how the "gate" went mostly). Shiny went last, and I thought for sure I'd struggle to get her moving. But I gotta tell you. I think games is Shiny's calling in life. She was PUMPED! We only lost because of my lack of hand/eye coordination. I missed the Santa hat like three times. It took her a bit of time to figure out her role at the "gate" but I do think we were one of the fastest through that particular obstacle. We finished in fourth. Someone video'd but I don't have it yet, otherwise I'd have shared. It was super fun. You'll have to take my word for it. Afterwards I rode Eros bareback and decided to just handwalk Al since by then everyone had gone and he still wasn't quite 100% the day before. Figured a little break wouldn't hurt him. 

As mentioned yesterday, I'm in Florida for this week, so the horses are having training rides and/or hacks from whoever is a capable match for them. I got a video of Al yesterday in which he looked pretty good. Maybe a little stifle-y but that's kind of how he goes. He's definitely got some weird stifle action, probably from all the breeding he did before he came here. I may go down south and visit my horsey friends tomorrow morning. I have to see who's around. 

Florida has been fun so far. The day we arrived was a quiet one in which we just hung around the boat. (We're still staying on it despite not going anyplace.) Yesterday, our first full day, the kids went to the pool, and pretended I knew how to hit golf balls with my dad and stepmom at the driving range. They actually do know what they're doing. I do not, but I managed a few times to hit the ball straight and with some air. Lol. I'm really terrible at golf. It's fun though!

The boat is docked in one of those developments that Florida is known for. They're like mini towns. My dad and stepmom own a small house in the same development so that they can have access to all the amenities. There are multiple golf courses, a couple restaurants, a playground, pools, etc. So it's like staying at a resort. For this holiday week, they have all kinds of events planned. Last night was Carnival night, and they legit brought in a full carnival just for the evening. Games, rides, all the food... It was pretty impressive. The kids had a blast, and honestly, us grown ups did too. I'm still full this morning from all the donuts I ate. 

My brother and I each won these purple ponies
for the girls at the water gun game. I think the 
one on the left is a mare.

These guys looked even cooler when it got dark out.

Literally all of this was brought in for a single night.

Tonight there will be retro arcade games and ice skating. I think it's that fake ice skating with the plastic sheets, but it sounds fun either way. I'm about as good on ice skates as I am at the driving range, so I imagine hilarity will ensue. Will report back on that. Lol!

That's it from here! How was your holiday weekend? Are you still off, or do you have to work in between xmas and New Years?

Truthful Tuesday

I don't have much to confess today really... The holidays are mostly over (just New Year's left) and I'm down here in not so sunny Florida for a few days. The original plan was the Bahamas like last year with my family, but the boat broke. The best laid plans and all that, right? Lol! Florida is a solid second choice though if you ask me. It's cool here right now, in the 50's, but should warm up soon. Still much more pleasant than the 15 degree high that I left at home!

I'm not sure if I'll get to visit my horsey friends this trip. We're still staying on the boat, and we don't have extra cars here for us to each do our own thing. We'll se though. I'm here until Sunday. 

Did you all have a nice holiday season? Get any fun new horsey stuff? 
 

Thursday's Threads: Chanukah Edition

 

Outfit Day! And we have a few pro photos for this one, so it's a real Chanukah miracle! (Big thanks to Chelsea Lothrop Photography for taking and letting me use these photos!) Eros is our model this week, and here's what we wore:

Ugh, blogger kind of kills photo quality. You should see these photos on my phone. Much crisper. But you get the idea. Yes, these photos were from our photoshoot earlier in the week, hence us wearing a number not at a horse show. Also, this is going to be part of night 8 for my 8 days of sweaters, so uh... act surprised if/when you see it on the socials.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: made by me
Bonnet: Hooftrack Designs
Menorah Headband: unbranded
Unicorn Pin: Pinsnickety

Eros is such a good sport. He still manages to look ridiculously handsome despite wearing a silly outfit.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Equine Star

Half Pad: Mattes

I love how this set came out. You saw it last year, so it's not new, but since it's only used annually, it feels like it's new. 

Boots: Equine Star

The boots though, right? I know. I can't handle it either.

That's what Eros was wearing, and here's what I had on:

Normally I would have worn navy or blue breeches with this outfit, but since I also had to wear six other outfits, I went with black. They worked with all the outfits. 

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS Widebrim

Probably the cutest helmet pic I'll ever share here.

Hoodie: Artscow

This is the exact same print that I used for the pad and boots. Artscow is a chinese company that lets you design your own stuff. They don't do horse things, but they do all kinds of clothing and bags.

Belt: Zazzle

I didn't do a belt with this print... but maybe I will next year! Instead, I have this one with ugly Chanukah sweaters.

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

You all know already that these are my go to breeches for the cooler months. They aren't as warm as actual winter breeches, but they're considerably warmer than Tailored Sportsman. 

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

I think I've shared these already, but they're so cute, I figured I'd share again. I wish it was cheaper to design your own socks... I'd have so many! Maybe next year I'll do some Chanukah socks.

Boots: Celeris 

I could't resist using this photo for the boots. It's so artsy! These are my sample boots from Germany. I don't think I love that they are stiff dressage boots. But it's not bothersome either. Just less comfortable than the soft boots I'm used to. 

That's it for this week. Any favorites from today? Do you have a fun holiday outfit planned to ride in? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Not sure where the weeks go these days. But I hope the winter ones keep going quickly! Things are going well in these parts. Getting lots of saddle time in that's for sure! I even got to ride a small pony last week! Which was pretty hilarious and probably the most fun I've had on a horse all year. I've wrapped all the presents and even distributed the vast majority of them already. We had our family Chanukah party on Sunday evening which was a lovely time. My mom made a delicious dinner, and once we ate, we all opened gifts. (My mom, me, my brother, and his family.) 

Oh and I wore this:

I wonder if I'll ever meet anyone as weird as me? 

But you're not here for my antics, you're here for the horses! Let's start with Al. He's the most... interesting. So he's been spooky. He hates the indoor. This isn't new. Wednesday he had a training ride in which he was very spooky and trainer really got after him for it. We were hoping that by the end he might have decided that being afraid of the big doors is silly. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Instead, he learned that when he's scared and wants to spook, he should also be extra tense and scooty. So not the lesson we'd hoped for. I had a lesson scheduled for Thursday afternoon with him. But he was feeling very electric and spooky during the warm up/flat portion of the lesson, and I opted out of trying to jump him. I just wasn't feeling it. I'd had a long (but super fun) day before that lesson, and I think my tank was just empty. (Lessons on both Shiny and Eros, and rode two additional ponies.) I'm not one to give up though! So we tried again with a lesson on Friday. It started off iffy with him still being a spooky idiot, but once we started jumping he settled into that job nicely and was his usual good boy. I swear he just wants to jump all the time, but that's good for him! I was really relieved to have a good jump school on him though after how the rest of the week had gone. He was pretty good for the rest of the weekend too. Though I'd be lying if I said I used the whole ring on Sunday... hey, some days we have to choose our battles. This week's been going okay with him. Instead of a training ride this week, we decided to try the lunge rig instead. So he did that today. I hopped on later in the day just to see how he'd be. He started out wanting to spook, but after a couple laps he used the full ring nicely. So I let him quit after 15 minutes of just walk/trotting since he'd worked so hard in the rig earlier. Tomorrow we lesson again. I'm hopeful he'll be a good boy!

Shiny's the next most interesting but for entirely different reasons. Her injections a couple of weeks ago did not have miraculous results like I'd hoped, but they did improve her somewhat at least. She was much happier in her jump lesson last week and while still cranky for the first canter depart each ride, she's more willing once we get past that. So I'll take that for now. 
Our body worker was here yesterday, and found Shiny to be improved from the last visit slightly, but still not quite her usual self. She was also concerned because she felt a slight digital pulse in both front feet. She's standing squarely on both, and there's no excessive heat, so we don't think she's foundering, but she's obviously uncomfortable. She was trimmed on Monday, so our current hypothesis is that perhaps she was trimmed just a touch too short this time. She doesn't feel bad to ride, but I opted to skip our lesson tomorrow. She doesn't need to be jumping on sore feet. So, is a small part of me worried that she's foundering from her injections? I'd be lying if I said no. But I really don't think that's what's happening. For now, I'm just keeping a close eye on her and working her lightly as long as she feels okay. I ordered her a new hay pillow with smaller holes to try and slow down her hay consumption more too. I'm sure she'll be just fine, but I'd really like to get her back to feeling like herself. I'm starting to think she just has a tough time during the colder months. We always seem to struggle in the winter time. 

Photo credit to Chelsea Lothrop Photography
Also note: he really is a wide load. 

And then there's Perfect Eros. He's been great. Like really great. He's feeling good and has not been a torpedo in our lessons, despite my asking him not once, but TWICE for a long spot on the diagonal. (His favorite place to torpedo!) Last week, he even jumped a bending line MULTIPLE TIMES without taking out strides. What a star. So proud. Do we free lunge on lesson days? Yep, sure do! But does it help? Also yes. 

He had a fun and busy day yesterday. We are helping out our friends at Pinsnickety with some marketing material. So our favorite photographer friend Chelsea Lothrop came by and we did some modeling. Six or seven outfits later (I lost count) it was a long day, but so fun! Look for us on the Pinsnickety Instagram in the coming weeks and months!

I think that's about it from here. Did you all have a good week/weekend? How are your horses? Looks like some crazy weather happening all over the country in the next couple of days (rain and very high winds here followed by a deep freeze) so stay safe everyone!