What's up Wednesday

 

Oh man, guys. It rained every single day last week. Not all day everyday. Everyone got ridden most days (well... sort of, Al had last Tuesday off and a tack walk that Wednesday due his tummy troubles as mentioned last week, and one of the days Eros got rained out. But for THE MOST PART they got worked.) But all of the rides were on half the ring because the top half was too wet for riding on. Which also meant no one jumped last week. Which is fine. It never hurts for them to have an easier week here and there. 

Lots of rainbows lately! This is a different one from 
the one I shared last week. If you look closely, it's a double!

Friday night into Saturday it must have deluged out there though. We were getting some of the edges of the remnants from Debby. It wasn't bad here at all, but the ring was SO wet Saturday morning. Even the front half was sloppy. I was hopeful it would dry out pretty well by the time I finished chores, but it really didn't. And honestly, I couldn't bring myself to ride on that tiny circle for a fifth day in a row. So after much deliberating, I finally decided to let the horses have the day off. I gave them all an extra hour of turnout in exchange which they seemed perfectly happy with. I've been wanting to move the jumps, so I took that chunk of time I would have spent riding to move the jumps. And repair all the fill that hulk smash Eros has been doing his thing to. One of the palm trees is not likely to make it to next season... Currently it is being held together by duct tape and baling twine. This is why we can't have nice fun things! Anyway, I got all the fences moved, and I think I like the new course. It's pretty basic, but there are some options for bending lines and lots of places to roll back on jumps too. And I THOUGHT I set everything to be very inviting for Al, but um...

That footwork in the front though...

I guess not. Haha! Don't worry he came back and was fine the next time. 

To be noted however, this was the moment that I remembered I do not have a functional right knee.

In exciting news though, our favorite trainer is home! Just for a few weeks, so we likely won't get to any shows with her (there's literally nothing locally we can go to while she's here, which is a total bummer) but I'm just glad to get some fresh ideas to try with Al. We tried two different exercises today to try and get him moving forward better, but well... They didn't really help. He was pretty distracted today though. Not terrible, we were able to ride through it mostly, but he wasn't in the mood for the work today. We were jumping with Shiny and her kid, so we left all the fences Shiny size especially since Al was out to lunch. True story... Al and Shiny were getting the same amount of strides in the lines. Dude was pony striding today! I think if the jumps were bigger he MIGHT have been more motivated. Maybe. But since he had his troubles last week and the course was new, and all the other excuses, we let it be for today. I was overall happy with him, even if he is exhausting. 

Shiny was really great for her kiddo. They really get along well. It's really fun to see kiddo starting to trust Shiny more and more. Now, even if she makes a mistake, she doesn't panic. She just works it out and moves on to the next thing. I don't really share photos of other people's children on the internet, but here are a couple where you can't see her face well.

Shiny really loves her. I've always been kind of possessive of my horses, but I love sharing Shiny with her. It's been rewarding watching her be a good pony for someone who's just coming up the ranks.

Eros is doing well too! I'm not thrilled with how he starts each ride, just kind of all over the place it feels like. But he gets better and better as the ride goes along. I had been doing some lateral work toward the end of our rides, but I've started doing that stuff more in the middle, and it really improves the quality of the work afterwards. He's much more willing to bring his hind under himself after doing that which is what I've been struggling with. I'm toying with the idea of asking doc about a course of tolt for him. Both the other horses improved dramatically after we did that, and if they both might have had EPM, he likely would also. Which I think might explain why the hind end feels so disconnected. But honestly the vet bills this summer... So I may wait until fall when we have our next check in. Unless something changes for the worse of course. 

Mad that I didn't let him run at this one, hence the mouth

being extra with that front leg

Speaking of vets, I had our local vet out Friday for Al to take a look at him and run some bloodwork. I prefaced our visit with the fact that I am a little crazy and just wanted to check on things to ease my insane brain. Which he was very receptive of, and even offered up a story where he spiraled a bit too. Which is nice when they can commiserate with the lay people. Anyway, the exam went fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Bloodwork was all clear which was a relief because part of my insane self was convinced his kidneys were bad like Jamp's. They are not. That was crazy of me. Ha! Yay! Love when I'm wrong sometimes. We did the fecal that checks for blood/ulcers and that was clear too. But what did show up positive was sand in the fecal. So that was interesting, but not all that surprising since we turnout on sand. So now I have some mats down for the turnout hay and everyone has gone on Sand Clear. Which isn't that cheap... But you do what you gotta do! They're all on it for six weeks, but after that they only need it one week per month. So that's not so bad. Doc also wants Al on Assure Guard Gold for at least six weeks when we do the next fecal. I'm hoping he can come off that then, because it's over $300 for a month and a half. But you know. If he needs it, he needs it. I like Ramen. Fortunately. Haha. Oof.

That's about it from here this week. I probably won't lesson again until next week because I have a bunch of braiding plus chores this weekend. But hopefully for the next few weeks we'll have some good stuff to talk about!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that each of my horses has a different water bucket set up. Which I'm sure sounds ridiculous. And it is kind of. But they're not actually that different, and there is a reason for all of it!

We'll start with Eros' buckets. I actually had bought these buckets for Pammon when he came home that Covid summer and I couldn't find my regular buckets in stock anywhere. But now they are Eros' and after I show them to you, I'll explain why I gave them to him.

So normal buckets have that flat back area on the one side so they sit nicely against a wall, but usually the flat part is shorter than the ones you see here. You can kind of see a normal one behind that top bucket for reference. These buckets are also a much heavier duty that my regular ones. Which means when they are full, they're pretty heavy! But worth it. Okay, so now that you know what's different about them, I'll tell you why E has them. As we all know, Eros is almost perfect in nearly every way, but he does have a few quirks. One of them is that he LOVES to throw his buckets. I feed him on the ground in a rubber tub because he would throw his feed tub against the wall all night and keep me awake. But he's just as happy to throw his water buckets. With the wider flat area on these, they don't bounce as much against the wall so less water ends up spilling. Which is nice. And since they're heavier duty, they're holding up well to the abuse. This is his second season with them, and they still look great. You may also notice I have guards on the handles just to protect them from that part of the handle that folds back on itself. 

These guards are great

I've seen horses rip noses and eyelids on those, so these little covers just protect from that. I get them from Schneiders. There are other ways to cover them that might be cheaper (and you'll see one such way shortly) but I like these guys. 

Shiny's set up is my "normal" if you will. Regular buckets with the guards on them:

Occassionally she will damage a bucket by rubbing on it, but for the most part, she's pretty gentle on the things in her stall. These are holding up just fine! 

And then there's Al's buckets:

He has the normal buckets like Shiny because he's also not particularly abusive to them. But do you see what's different? 

His handles are wrapped in vet wrap. Why you ask? Because Al enjoys removing the guards. Every time I put them on. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. So finally I just gave up and used the vet wrap. Which isn't a guarantee. He also removes this sometimes, but it seems to stay on a lot longer than guards. He's such a child. 

So that's today's confession. I apparently cave to every whim of my horses. But you know, happy horse, happy life! So here we are. Do you have to make any adjustments like these for your horses? 

Thursday's Threads: Be more extra than Guac edition

 

Outfit Day!!! I planned ahead this week and did outfit day photos on Tuesday because all the rain was coming. Glad I did that! Although I still got rained on that day too. Shiny is our model this week, and here's what she had on:

I know you can't really tell since Blogger loves to destroy the quality on photos.... But she is indeed just covered in avocados. Which is appropriate since she is more extra than guac. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made by me

Bonnet: Woof Wear, embellished by me
Charm: Pinsnickety

Seriously though Blogger. This photo is zero percent blurry on my phone. Ugh. Anyway, it's possible I went a little too far on this one... But whatever, it's adorable. How ridiculous is that browband?? Haha!

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Lettia
Sheepskin liner: Eskadron
Pin: Pinsnickety

Do you see the lil' Pinsnickety pin on the right bottom? It blends in perfectly with this pad! I've been trying to make use of all my Pinsnickety pins at home since we haven't done' any showing this summer. It's silly to have these cute things and not use them. 

Boots: Premier Equine, embellished by me

You really can find fabric with anything at all printed on it. I was so happy to find this near perfect match to the pad for use on my interchangeable boots. 

That's what Shiny was wearing this week, and here's what I had on:

That's correct. Instead of wearing avocados I just dressed like one. Hahahaha! Do you see it? The boots are the skin, the breeches are the meat, and the shirt and helmet are the pit!

Helmet: One K

I'm getting a lot more use out of this brown helmet than I ever expected! 

Shirt: FitEq

Big fan of these shirts. I have a few in different colors and sleeve lengths. If you like them, grab one now as they are shutting down.

Belt: C4

Of course I have an avocado belt! I can't believe it happened to have pink on it to match the saddle pad. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

The color of these is actually called avocado. So obvious choice for today's outfit. I actually bought them because they also work well with neon outfits. 

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

I actually had socks from Lettia that were an exact match to the saddle pad, but I didn't like the material on them, so when I saw D&S had avocado socks I jumped on them for a replacement. These don't have any pink on them obviously, but they are ridiculously cute.

Boots: Imperial Riding

I think these boots are so pretty! But I will admit they are a little too tall for me. They were on sale from Fundis last year around holiday time, and they didn't have the regular height available so I got the talls. I was really right in between anyway, so I figured with heel lifts they would work... And they kind of do, but ever since I tore my ACL, too tall boots are pretty uncomfortable on that one leg. I'm hoping they'll drop a little more once they're more broken in. 

Alright, that's it for today! Definitely more extra than guac... Ha! Any favorites from today? I think my favorite is the brow band. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I got done early in the barn today because it won't stop raining... And the tropical storm isn't even here yet! Sheesh. 

But this is a nice side effect of the rain

It's been a weird week around here. Monday Al started acting colicky while I was filling Shiny's hay nets. Kept laying down, getting up, laying down. You all know what I mean. I gave him some Banamine paste and took him for a walk and it seemed to resolve in the five minutes I walked him, which is not enough time for the Banamine to even kick in. So that was weird. It was right around noon when this all happened. he seemed fine the rest of the day, though he was napping (quietly and comfortably) when I came out for night check. (And yes, I was in contact with the vet. Even though it seemed under control I always like to touch base, especially when this is NOT normal for this horse.) He got up when I threw hay though and was happy to eat it. Plenty of manure in the stall. All seemed good. Then on Tuesday, same thing! Like same timing even. This time I did not give Banamine and instead just walked him for a few minutes. Again, was fine after the walk. WEIRD. So checked in with vet, and while not terribly concerned they just said to keep an eye on him, but agreed to not give Banamine so we don't cover anything up at this point. So he's been fine since. I hand walked him yesterday for twenty minutes at the end of the day since we didn't ride, but otherwise let him have the extra day off. I was going to tack walk, but it kept raining. Today I decided to tack walk him (despite the stupid rain) and all went fine. So weather permitting and as long as he stays normal we'll do a light flat tomorrow and hopefully be back to normal for the weekend. I'm relieved he's feeling better, but I am still a little concerned as it was so strange. I'm going to schedule a non emergency vet visit just to pull some blood and do an exam. I just don't want to miss something that could be caught early. Ya know? Like with Jamp and his failed kidneys. If we'd caught that sooner I might have been able to help him. Would hate to repeat that mistake. It's entirely possible this was just from gas and/or maybe the weird weather pattern. But I'd rather spend a little money and err on the side of caution. Plus with his weird behaviors in general, there COULD be something brewing inside him. Or not, and I'm just a crazy person. Either way. Haha!

Anyway, prior to all this, the horses all had a nice rest of last week and weekend. We got both or our jump schools in though only used Pivo for one due to inclement weather. 

Al has had better days since I spent an entire blog post whining about him. Maybe that's the key? Out him on the internet and then he gets his poo together? Whatever the reason, I'll take it! We jumped around Friday, but I kept the fences on the smaller side since I wasn't entirely sure how it would go. He was great. Like really great. So that was a relief!

We kept it really basic. I didn't attempt the bending lines, opting instead to just jump a course of singles. I really like to simplify things after a rough patch. Go back to the basics and set us up for success. And that it did! I won't jump him this week but probably will do the same thing next week assuming he stays comfortable. Just keep it simple and positive. 

Shiny has been WORKING lately! We've done a lot of work on the flat and with transitions, and she's starting to move more quickly off my leg (just not in the beginning... haha, she is who she is). She's getting MUCH more supple and starting to get that hind end working better. I think the bodywork session really helped her, but also, I apparently needed to put in a little more effort too. FAIR! You can see the difference in how she's jumping even. She's been kind of just cantering over stuff, not really picking her knees up well. But this last jump school was so much better. Amazing what happens when the power comes from the back end like it's supposed to... Funny how all those things you're taught are actually true. Crazy!
Her kiddo came today to ride her, and kiddo is starting to learn about putting Shiny together. We didn't get there all the way yet, but we did some work on a figure eight, and she's learning about bend, and moving the ponies body left or right. All precursors to getting her packaged up. Kiddo said today Shiny felt much more responsive so that was a pat on the back for me and the work we've been doing. 

I didn't get around to changing the course yet because it started pouring buckets when I was going to do it. But I did find some places to throw rails on the ground so Eros could kind of do a little course. It went... okay. He started out lazy, with his hind end trailing behind him (something we're working on, but I'm STRUGGLING to get it better) and just not really going forward so I couldn't adjust as needed for nice distances. And finished up reminding me about Torpedo Eros which is bad behavior but I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. I reeled him back in and got him to canter one nicely before quitting. Torpedo Eros hurts himself so we have to shut that down asap. 

He's been very spooky at the end of the ring for a the past week, but Tuesday he gave himself a free lunge during turnout (which... is not ideal, but mental health matters too I guess) and was lovely on Friday. I think he was just really wild and needed to get those bucks out. Yesterday, after his frolic, when I was terrified he'd have lamed himself, he actually felt so much better. The hind end was more under him, and he put in some lovely work. Unfortunately, he was the one that got rained out today. It had stopped when it was his turn to ride, but the footing was just too wet at that point. We'll see what happens tomorrow but it's supposed to rain off and on all day again. 

And that's about it from here! We have a quiet weekend coming up and then the next two weekends will be rough. I have a bunch of horses to braid starting Thursday night both weeks. My wallet is very excited though! We'll see how much productive riding gets done those days. I'm assuming very little, but it's okay. They've been working pretty hard this summer. 

Hope you all had a great week! Also, have you had a horse do what Al was doing? What was it??

Truthful Tuesday

 

Guys. I can't get enough of the Olympics. It's pretty much running 24/7 around here thanks to the Peacock app and having wifi in the barn. It's great being able to watch replays of things I missed (like most of the equestrian stuff) and having access to all the sports. I think this is the first year that you can watch absolutely everything. There are so many sports I've never even heard of. Very exciting. 

But even more entertaining than all of these talented athletes competing, is following them on social media. It's uplifting, it's educational, and it's HILARIOUS! I love getting to see the athletes in the Olympic village, what the food looks like in the cafeteria there, and even all the swag they get from the sponsors. 

Some of my favorite things to come out of the 2024 Paris Olympics so far (in no particular order):

The guy that's obsessed with the chocolate muffins
Snoop in a shadbelly
Simone Biles and her badass self
Suni Lee coming back from kidney disease and still killing it out there
Jade Carey getting her redemption on vault
Laura Kraut I feel like she's been underrated. Girl can ride!
Boyd Martin I just love Boyd.
Karl Cook... Look, I really wasn't a fan, and I still think he's a little annoying. But he did great and he loves his horse
Pommel Horse guy and his Rubik's cubes! (Have you seen this?!)
Ilona Maher especially when she's eating that enormous croissant
Flava-Flav just financing whoever needs it. What a guy! Who knew?

There's lots more. I'm so entertained. I'll be so sad when it's over. Any of you watching? What's your favorite sport to watch outside of Equestrian? Mine is gymnastics, but trampoline looks ridiculously fun! I also enjoy watching swimming and track and field... And surfing... 

Thursday's Threads

 

OUTFIT DAY! But first, I have to let you all know that Al was a very good boy today, and maybe it's possible he just had a couple bad days and I spiraled.... Not that I would EVER prematurely spiral... Not me. Never. Anyway... Back to outfit day! I did things a little different this week because the horses all wore similar outfits, but not identical. So I figured I'd share my favorite piece from each horse. It's fun to mix things up a little sometimes. Firstly though, here's what we all wore today, both with and without me in the tack:

Outfits in action!
(Everyone appears annoyed except Eros.)

Pre-Ride Outfits!

Okay, let's look closer at my favorite parts from this week's outfits. 

Bridle: Butet

When I bought Al his fancy saddle, I also ordered him a Butet bridle to match. And then I stumbled upon a used one on Facebook for Eros. But finding one used for Shiny proved a real challenge. Apparently cob is not a popular size for this bridle in the consignment market. I'm been stalking all the resale places for TWO YEARS with no luck. But then recently someone listed one at a reasonable price and I snatched it up immediately despite the fact that it was not in my financial best interest. Hey, I've never claimed to be responsible. It just arrived this week, and is in practically new condition but better because it's just broken in and conditioned. She's a little bit of a weird fit, but I think it will work for her. We decided to try it out on outfit day, and then it will be cleaned up and packed away in the trailer for if and when we ever finally get to a horse show!

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Hopeful Equestrian
Half Pad: Ippico

I've always loved this combination of colors in the saddle pad. I'm not sure what it is, but it just makes me so happy. I think it's because I was born in 1980 and my childhood was a sea of teal, pink, and purple. Only explanation I can come up with. 

Boots: Eliza T

I got these a few years ago from Epplejeck but the sizing was so weird, I don't use them much. These are medium but are more like full. I had gotten a size small for Shiny but they're so big Eros can wear them. I had later gotten a different color way and ordered Shiny an extra small, and those were too tiny. So we've written off this brand for the most part. But these boots are so fun I haven't parted with them. 

So that's what the horses had on this week. If you like something from the full horse photo that I didn't focus on, feel free to ask about brands in the comments. 

Here's what I wore:

Ya know? I just really am not loving low rise breeches. I think they make me look wider. And sometimes my shirts don't stay tucked in them and that's super annoying. 

Helmet: Samshield

I can't get over how purple this helmet has gotten. Matches great with this outfit!

Top: Math Cat

I just love these shirts. They dry quickly despite the fact that I'm a sweaty swamp monster. And they're pretty inexpensive you can get a bunch of colors. Find then on Amazon if you're looking for shirts!

Belt: Designer inspired

You've all seen this one many times. I got it on Ebay many MANY years ago.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I've had these awhile. They were another Facebook find that were an absolute steal! I love the color (it's called Blueberry) and if they were mid rise they would be perfect.

Boots: Celeris UK

I just love these boots. The polo style with the front zipper are a lot more comfortable than rear zip boots. But not only that, nor the fact that they are just amazing in their sparkly glory, but they were a literal shining moment during a weird time. These were my pandemic boots. I'm sure I'm not the only one that retail therapy-d my way through that particular moment in history. Granted, most of my purchases were disinfectant and food... but also these boots.

And that's it for today! Any favorites?