What's Up Wednesday

 

This time of year always feels kind of weird and off kilter to me. There's just a lot of things to do and plan for. Mostly little things, but they add up, ya know? So it's like busy, but only kind of? Know what I mean?

The horses have had a lot going on lately too, as we talked about, some of them had injections a few weeks ago, and then last week was fall shots and teeth. We had the chiro out yesterday. So they are feeling great! Just in time for the temperature drop... Lol! They've been a little spicy. 

We've also started transitioning to a new feed. The new winter barn feeds Proelite senior which is what I have been wanting to try for the boys for awhile now. So I'm excited about that. Al LOVES it. He generally picks at his food a bit. It's usually gone by the next feeding, but he doesn't gobble it down like the other two fatties. Well. Not anymore. Now he eats everything and licks the bowl clean. Very happy about that!

We haven't really done much jumping the last couple of weeks. The weather has been a little on and off, which keeps foiling plans. I'm hoping maybe tomorrow, but it's supposed to be pretty windy, which isn't ideal this time of year. Between the leaves fallimg, the pine trees pelting us with needles, and the neighbor with his constant "yard work"... I have to plan carefully when it's safest to jump these wild warmbloods. Even Shiny has been spooking at the neighbor this week. So anyway, let's talk about the horses. 

We'll start with Al because he's always the most interesting. He's been really edgy lately. On high alert much of the time, even in his stall. Lots of snorting. Not getting a lot done in our rides. I finally had enough and texted my vet to ask him if he thought it was possible the ulcers had returned already. And he said very possible. Fortunately, it was Friday and he was just down the road at my old winter barn. So I could pick up some Misoprostol right away rather than having to wait for it to ship and arrive next week. Guys. I was kinda scared to go over there. Okay, VERY scared. I did it though. Cause Al needed it. I hope he appreciates it! 

By Saturday afternoon, once he'd had two doses he was a new man. Thank goodness! I'm frustrated that he's in this position again, but very glad the meds are working. Also, I would have absolutely been ejected on Sunday if he wasn't already feeling better. Here's what happened. I was on Al, walking down the long side toward the barn. Well Al had noticed something moving in the bushes. I expected it to be a bird or squirrel, but no, it was the neighbor. He was retrieving a stick or something? I dunno. All sorts of creepy. Anyway, he gets whatever he was picking out of the bushes, and then proceeds to SHAKE A PLASTIC BAG OPEN right next to poor Al. I thought he was going to just check out right there. And he did get worked up. But all he did was throw his head in the air and dance a little jig. It took a few minutes to get him settled back down, but he DID settle, and then he went back to work and finished the ride. Had that happened earlier in the week, our ride would have had to just be finished. Of course now he's VERY SUSPICIOUS of that area, but we're working on it. Today, despite the wind and all his worries, he never actually spooked. He broke gait a few times and gave some good stares, but the dragon breaths didn't happen, and he never fully spooked. Like no steps sideways, no propping, no running away. Which is more than I can say for either of his siblings today!

I'm not sure if the neighbor has just been absolutely torturing the horses during their turnout or what this week, but they are ALL suspicious of him. Shiny spooked at him twice today and he really wasn't even doing anything. They're all especially distrustful when they see him lately. Might just be because the leaves are falling so they can see him better now? I'm not sure. Regardless, it's pretty annoying. 

Shiny's kid was busy this week, so I got to jump my own pony on Friday! It was fun and she was great. I haven't gotten to try her over jumps since she got her hocks done, and she's definitely feeling so much better. I still wasn't thrilled with her left lead canter, but her chiro found what I was feeling and got that fixed for me. She felt fantastic today. We really love our chiro vet. AND my new winter barn is actually closer for her, so that's exciting. I have confirmation from almost all of our care team now that they can come to the new place. I haven't talked to my farrier yet, but he's due out in the next week or two. And he travels literally everywhere, so I can't imagine it will be an issue with him. I haven't yet reached out to any trainers because I just can only handle so many things at a time. But I have been thinking on it, and I have a few options to reach out to when I'm ready. I'll probably wait until we get settled at the new place. 

I had a Pivo malfunction the one day I took it out for our rides when it came time for Eros' turn. So he doesn't have any pretty riding pictures this week. Maybe next! I did pop him over two or three tiny jumps on Friday, but I think he was still feeling sore from his shots as he was very quiet. Never even considered being a torpedo. It was lovely, but I quit after just a few because I don't make horses do hard things when their necks hurt. Depending on how ridiculous the wind is tomorrow, maybe we'll try again. If not? We'll pick another day! If he's as sassy as today though, there will be much torpedo action I'm sure. 

In other news, I decided that I can't stand looking at the navy stuff I have for the horses because to quote the kids these days, it's pretty triggering. The new barn doesn't care what the horses wear, and actually their colors are almost the same as mine, so I'm planning to use things I already have for the most part. I wanted some new turnouts for them, especially the heavies because my "heavies" here are more like mediums since we haven't wintered here in so long. So I placed an order today for those and decided to just get matching turnout sheets too. I wasn't going to, but we had a weird torrential rain storm Monday morning and our current turnout sheets did not keep the horses dry. So eh. Might as well treat ourselves. I've started selling off some of the blue stuff, so it should all end up getting paid for that way. I'm planning to spend this coming Monday both getting partially packed up for winter, and then also tagging all the stuff I'm bringing to the tag sale in a couple weeks. I have so much stuff that needs to get out of my barn and shed. Hope it all sells. 

I also ordered some containers for supplements/meds. The new barn likes for us boarders to measure them out so all they have to do is dump one thing into the bucket. Which I honestly prefer because I can be sure they're getting their supplements, and then also I have only myself to blame if I run out of something. I've been spending far too much time and energy figuring out what size containers each horse needs, and then also was trying to figure out the best drawer situation to keep them in. I actually found the best thing for them. I wanted something with seven drawers (each day of the week) but most were five. I settled on one with nine drawers. 

So anyway, I'm going to label a drawer for each day of the week, and then the supplement containers will go in there. Easy peasy for everyone! I also got labels with each horses name and either breakfast or dinner under it to put on the containers. I like things to be very clear and also very easy. I feel like it can't get much easier or more clear than this. Hopefully I don't come across as the psycho controlling helicopter owner... Heh. Possibly guilty. 

The other thing I wound up buying for the move was a Stanley trunk. I realize using the expensive trunk from the other barn seems to make the most financial sense, but the trunk room at the new barn is upstairs. And the show trunk is very heavy. So the Stanley just makes the most sense. They aren't very expensive and more storage is never a bad thing either. 

Okay, last thing that I find exciting though maybe it's just me... I got in touch with an old friend from high school who works with his family at a company that does vinyl wrapping. Like for boats and cars. And they're able to wrap the former barn trunk for around $200. Which, is pretty reasonable since getting new panels for it would be almost $1000. I'm waiting to hear back from them to finalize things, but it's going to end up being in my colors with my logo. We'll see how it comes out. Might not be nice enough to take to shows, but I think it will look pretty decent. I have a show trunk anyway, so I don't need it for that. I just would like it to look nice in my barn. My oldest trunks from the barn where I grew up riding are brown and tan, so they already pretty much match. If this one comes out great with the wrapping, maybe down the road I'll do those too. But we'll see about that much in the future.

I think that's it from here. If any of you need blankets or Two Horse Tack halters, or pretty much anything else you can think up, let me know! I might have what you need! 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Alright, I have to confess this. It does lead one to question what kind of a person I truly am.... But still. It must be shared. So the other day, a new notification popped up my phone that said something to the effect of teen dies after eating burrito bowl. Now the proper response is probably something like how terrible! Or what was in that bowl?! But you know what my first thought was? "Ohh burrito bowl! That sounds good!"

Yeah. I know. Something ain't right up in here. 

On another note, and perhaps mildly more appropriate give the state of the weather in this country... I hope all of my friends down in Florida are in a safe place to ride out this storm. Please don't be heroes, get to a safe place! Thinking of all of you, and hoping for the best for you all. 

Thursday's Threads: Pink Edition (Seriously. There's a lot of pink.)

 

Outfit Day! And it was time for every shade of pink I could scrounge up. Al was our model again this week because pink really isn't Eros' color, and Shiny is using the hunt scene saddle pad that we shared recently. Anyway, let's see what he was wearing today:

I think he looks handsome in pink. And also, I think we have to watch his hay intake... I spy a hay belly developing. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

I didn't embarrass him with anything silly on his bridle this week. Maybe next week though... We'll see. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Stephens

Saddle Pad: Wilkers

My mom got me this pad for my birthday and she's the real hero here. You all haven't seen this one yet, but I have the same pad in brown that you have seen. I really like these pads. They are relatively light weight, don't bunch, shift, nor slide, and come in a variety of color combinations. You get to customize it when you order and they ship super fast. They aren't overly expensive either. I definitely would recommend.

Boots: Uhlane

Last week you saw the tan version of these, but I also got these pink ones when I ordered the others last year. They really are nice boots, and are pretty affordable too. They come in normal colors like black and navy as well.

That's what Al was wearing, and now it's my turn to share a million more shades of pink. Here's what I had on today:

I wasn't kidding. None of these pinks are the same. 

Helmet: Samshield

I know what you're thinking. "Why didn't she wear the pink helmet??" Well, to be honest, that helmet is SO uncomfortable. And I wasn't in the mood to be uncomfortable today. So I chose my plain black Samshield for today. One of my old barnmates decorated it for me with black rhinestones along the channel and some green ones on the shield. 

Shirt: TKEQ

Awhile back I was buying something or other that one of the horses needed and the place I was shopping had this shirt on closeout. So I do actually have one of these tops that is name brand and not from Amazon! And honestly? It's exactly the same as the Amazon version except that this one has a logo on the arm. 

Belt: Mane Jane

Yes, I could have worn a pink strap, but even I have limits guys! I liked the white for this outfit.

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman in Old Rose

My favorite TS consignment shop had these in my size and I irresponsibly bought them before I even thought about it. I should not have. I did not really have the cash. But here we are. I've already worn them more times than I can count though, so I guess it was worth it? I love this shade of pink. 

Boots: Celeris UK

I still love these boots. I'm not sure I love them as much as the cow print ones... It's hard to top those. But they are up there on the favorites list for sure. They're just so comfortable! These were also my old measurements, so the calf is a hair loose, but not too bad. 

And that's it for this week! Did you know this many shades of pink exist? I know! It's shocking! And pretty ridiculous. But I love it!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Happy New Year everyone! I know it's October. It's the Jewish New Year, and I celebrated tonight with a delicious home cooked meal that my mom slaved over. My brother and his family came too. It was lovely!

The horses got their fall shots today, and the boys had their teeth done. Shiny's teeth can wait until spring, but she had some additional bloodwork today. I've been weighing and soaking her hay all summer to get weight off her. But that is a big ask for when we move to the new barn, so we're checking her bloodwork to see if we have any underlying metabolic things going on before we talk about getting her back on dry hay. IF we can. We will know more soon. Fingers crossed because soaking hay once it's below freezing out is pretty challenging. But you know, we'll figure it out either way!

I gave the horses the day off since our appointment was late morning and took some time. We got done around 2ish. I had to be at dinner at six, so I probably would have only had time to ride one anyway if I wanted to look and smell presentable at dinner. I don't think they were sad about the break. I spent my free time going through our boarding barn stuff. I want to sell all the navy stuff and replace it with green stuff. Because that's just who I am as a person. And I know it's ridiculous but all of those things just reminds me of all the stress, and I would like to start fresh. I don't really have the finances to buy new things until I sell the old ones though, so I'm washing stuff up and getting it ready to list. There's a tack sale happening just up the road from me at the end of the month, and I got myself a table. 

All of the blankets are clean, I washed them when we got home and I made sure to thank past me for that. I'm going to keep and use the sheets I got from Greenhawk last spring since we barely had a chance to use them. They look like bakers, so more tan than blue. Eventually I'll get some other green sheets, but for now these are fine. But I want to sell all of the Amigo blankets. I have heavy turnouts with hoods, turnout sheets, stable blankets in 100g, 350g, and 450g (the 450s are Rambos with hoods). All in 81" and 69". So lots to go! I don't need to replace everything, as I do have stable blankets to bring over there already. I'd like to get some new turnouts for there though. I don't have super heavy ones here since we usually aren't home when it's very cold. I also have a bunch of scrims and coolers, and a couple of back on track mesh sheets. I don't need to replace most of those either. So hopefully if I can get most of this stuff sold it will cover the things I'd like to get. Anyway, I'm in the process of washing the scrims and coolers. 

Yesterday I hung these two above to dry before I rode Eros. I was on him a solid 15 minutes before he realized they were there and absolutely panicked. I laughed so hard. He first noticed them the second time we were in canter, tracking right. But he only kind of noticed at first when we came through the corner, and I saw him kind of try to look back. (These are hanging on the walkout, on the side closest to the road, so not particularly close to the ring, but very much in view.) So the next time we came down the long side toward them he slammed on the breaks before the corner, stood like a deer in headlights for a minute, and then just started running backwards. That was the moment I realized that the reason he felt so amazing yesterday was because he was absolutely wild. Wild Eros is my favorite. Most of the time. Anyway, he stopped running backwards and slowly walked himself up to the ring fence to stare for a moment. And then it was over. He's hilarious. 

I was hoping he'd have a good romp in turnout today and get some of this silliness out of his system, and he absolutely did that... Shiny wasn't in her paddock because she had to fast after breakfast this morning before her bloodwork. She got to have a little bit of turnout time, but then had to come in where there weren't any snacks. So the boys didn't have their fearless mother figure at the end of the ring for their turnout. Clearly Eros thought monsters were coming to get him. I heard him carrying on out there and looked out to see him REARING! Like full on high ho silver, rearing. I've never seen him do that I don't think. And the bucks! Very impressive. I was really glad to see though that he wasn't just tearing around because that's how he tends to hurt himself. He'll probably be a bit stiff tomorrow, but I'll blame it on the shots rather than the antics. Because I'll feel better that way. Lol. What's a little white lie to myself, right? 

I didn't really do much jumping last week with any of them. I wanted to have a couple flat days with Shiny and Al after their maintenance and weekend off. Then we got some rain, and the ring was pretty wet so that delayed us a bit more. Eros popped over a couple on Saturday, but he was torpedoing so I cut the session short. I think he'll be better this week now that he's gotten some of his fresh out. I'm hoping to jump him Friday. Next week we should be back to our regular twice a week schedule for jumpies. 

Shiny jumped with her kid on Saturday. I think she's the hardest working equine at the farm this summer. She looked great, but was a little tired... Why you ask? Because after I rode her on Thursday I knew she needed her quarterly free lunge. She was kicking out for every canter depart, and after her vet work I knew she wasn't sore. She was SASSY! I was worried if she hit a rail with her kiddo she'd land bucking so I made sure she had some play time before hand. 

She had a grand time with some controlled galloping (she's smart enough to not overdue it) and some great big bucks. She likes to whinny to the boys while she's playing which is pretty funny. The first time she ever did that I worried that maybe I'd made a bad call and she was panic running. But then I realized she wasn't panicked at all. She was just having the best time ever. I know free lunging can be controversial, but with our limited turnout situation, they don't really get to run around and be horses. I don't ever chase them or anything. I'll give a little cluck to get them moving and then just let them do what they want. If they don't want? That's fine too. They can have a roll and come in. Whatever they need. I think it's better for their legs to have a gallop around the whole ring, then tear around on a small circle on the lunge line. Especially Eros. His legs would fall off. 

And then there's Al. He hasn't jumped at all lately. But hopefully will later this week. It took me a few days after his weekend off to get his focus back to work. Which isn't surprising for him. Now that it's cooler out we also have to deal with the noisy neighbor who spends every single day doing yard work and also building something on his back deck. So there's constant noises through the tree line, whether it's the gas leaf blower, the lawn mower, a power saw, hammering, or drilling. It's constant. And you can't see it, only hear it. So that's hard for Al. But he's really trying his best, and I have to give him credit for the try. Especially after a few days of vacation! I thought I had him back where I needed him by the weekend. But then he got weird Saturday morning in turnout. At first I was very worried that he maybe needed to go back on the misprostol, but my vet talked me off the ledge today. 

Here's what happened, and then I'll share what the vet had to say. So he was out in the larger walkout behind Eros' and Shiny's stalls while Eros was in the ring. (They switch halfway through turnout time so they each have time in the big ring.) Anyway, he'd been out there awhile, it was almost time to swap them, when he started having an absolute fit. He was kicking out (not at himself which is important to note) and then turning and biting at himelf, but like way towards his tail. It really seemed like he'd either been stung by a bee, or there was some kind of bug that had gotten under his fly sheet. I got him calmed down, and put him in stall where I pulled off his sheet and shook it out, but didn't see anything. No obvious stings, and nothing in the sheet itself. He was still kind of worked up, but I didn't think it was a banamine situation, though I was prepared if it turned out to be. First I decided to give him a tube of ulcer guard because that can't hurt anyway. He calmed down, so I brought Eros in and dressed Al back up and walked him out to the ring. But he bolted around me as we were walking out, which he doesn't do. That's not an Al move. I stopped him, and brought him back inside the barn to try that again. This time he walked nicely into the ring, and then kind of did it again. I walked him a bit, he seemed fine, so I let him go, and then the rest of his time outside was perfectly calm. Weird right? He then spent the rest of the day staring wide eyed out his window and just looking generally tense and unsettled. But no colic like symptoms and no more kicking out or biting at himself. Just angst. 

I decided not to ride him that day, because I like living. Instead I put a bridle on him and worked him on the lunge line. He worked fine, wasn't wild, but was TENSE and nervous the whole time. Did what I asked though, and wasn't explosive or anything. He was slightly calmer in his stall after working but was very much still on high alert. So I explained all this to doc and he really thinks it's anxiety and not ulcers. Though anything is possible with horses... So we'll wait and see if we have any more weird episodes before putting him back on meds. He was wonderful to ride yesterday. Relaxed for the most part. He only had one stop and stare, and it was at a squirrel that had actually startled me too. So that's fair. Tomorrow is another flat day, and then maybe Friday we can try some little jumps if he's still feeling relaxed. Fingers crossed. 

I was reading Emma's blog yesterday and she talked about cuing her horse to stretch down because performing that action kind of prevented rushing because it's pretty hard to rush and stretch (unless you're Eros...) and it really clicked with me that this could be useful for Al too. When he's relaxed and wanting to work, he likes to stretch down and open his step up nicely. And when he's in this posture, he's very unlikely to spook because he's just enjoying the moment and he's usually paying attention to me in that moment. So if I can get him more reliable to the aid for this posture, it might help me to keep his attention when he'd like to shift it elsewhere. I'm not positive if it will work, but it's something I'd like to at least try. So that's on the agenda for the next couple of weeks. We'll see how it goes!

And that about catches you guys up on what's happening over here. More of the same really, but I love a routine so that's great with me! I'll leave you with this cute photo of Rita enjoying a walk amongst the fallen leaves.

Truthful Tuesday

 

Okay, I've been keeping a wee secret because I didn't want to talk about it until it was certain and everyone who needed to be was informed. But I have found a new barn to try for the winter! It's further away than the old one which was inevitable because that place is so close. But it's an easy drive, pretty much straight out a single country road and then a couple turns and you're there. It's a little more than twenty minutes from home, so that's not bad at all. Plus my vehicles really do need to get driven more. So there ya go. It's a win-win!

The new place is more of a boarding barn than a show barn, which I think will be a better fit for us. There are fourteen stalls, so it's pretty quiet, and I believe it's all adults there. There is no in house trainer, but there is a dressage trainer that comes in twice a week. I am also welcome to bring in anyone I want. Also, my friends can come ride my horses with me, or if I go away I can get a friend to come ride them. Jumping is allowed whenever I want, no need to be supervised. And there aren't any hours, so they are open 7 days a week. I'll still give them Mondays off but if for some reason I need to switch that up for an appointment or something, it's doable. And I can have my saddle fitter come whenever. Best part? I can bring my own care team with me. Vet, farrier, body worker, whoever. OH! And no rules about blankets or saddle pad colors. Ha! (The things you put up with...)

I do know one person who had a negative experience at this barn, but it was when they first opened and her horse was literally the only one there at the time. So I'm feeling confident that it will be okay. It's always a little scary trying a new place and having to put your trust in new people to care for your horses... But I really think it's going to be good. They feed Proelite products, which I've been interested in trying, so that's another bonus. I really didn't like what I had the horses on but went with it because that's what the other barn fed and it's worse to switch grain twice a year than feed something that's just okay. They don't eat much grain anyway. 

There's a nice indoor with Travelite footing and also an outdoor with the same footing, AND an outdoor grass ring. You're allowed to just ride out around the property, too, which is lovely. Though probably only Shiny will be interested in that... Haha! We aren't allowed to free lunge which might make for a wild winter, but we are allowed to lunge on the line so I'm sure we'll be just fine. Just Eros won't have a chance to do that since his legs will fall of. They go out full days when the weather is good and half days when it's not, which will be so nice for them. 

There are a couple of things I don't love (because no place is perfect). First, they have a hay loft. Having already lived through a barn fire that was exacerbated by a hay loft... I hate that. But options are slim around here, so I'm going to swallow my fear. The other thing is that the stalls are a little dark. One of mine will get a window, but the other two will have inside stalls. But they can hang their heads out and they're pretty close to the end of the barn, so they'll still get some sunlight. Plus they'll be outside most of the daylight hours anyway. There are a couple horses that might be moving out west (with their humans) who have window stalls though, so if they go, I can have those. So that might be a temporary concern. And the last thing is that they have automatic waters outside. I'm just a little worried they won't figure them out. But I saw one horse outside with buckets because he flunked that test too, so I'm sure if mine have trouble they can get buckets too. The stalls have buckets thankfully. I don't like automatic waterers because you don't know if they're not drinking. 

So that's my confession! I've been making new winter plans, and while I'm angsty about change, I'm also excited. 

Thursday's Threads: Autumn Edition

 

Outfit day! My favorite day! It's officially no longer my favorite season and I'm a little sad. I want t-shirt weather forever. Sigh. Fortunately, I do enjoy pumpkin and apple flavored everything. So all is not lost. Al wanted to help me acknowledge the arrival of autumn this week so he's our model today. Here's what he wore:

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: home made 

I had to include a closeup of his silly brow band, because those pumpkin trucks are so cute! 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy, embellished by me

Awhile back when I was making some things for our Pinsickety photo shoot, I saw the ribbon and knew I wanted it for a saddle pad trim. It's so festive and matches the beads I found for the browband perfectly. 

Boots: Uhlan

Ha... I didn't realize how poorly I'd lined up the velcro tabs. Sorry guys, that's horribly distracting! Avert your eyes! But my lack of attention to detail aside, I really am happy with these boots. They're very lightweight and the mesh fabric is pretty breathable so their legs shouldn't get too hot in them. They're very reasonably priced also, which you can't complain about that! These are the color gold, but they're not metallic and more of a tan shade I'd say. I like them a lot. 

That's what Al wore today, and here's what I had on:

Bet you thought it would just be green and tan, but NO! I mixed it up a little bit. Just a little though. 

Helmet: One K

I thought brown was the obvious choice for this Autumn outfit. I'm so glad I bought this helmet, but I'm also disappointed I couldn't find it available with a wide brim. Took what I could get though!

Shirt: Luyaa

Okay, well I had to wear some green. I am who I am. This is my favorite TKEQ dupe from Amazon. They're so inexpensive, I've accumulated a drawer full over the last couple of years. They have tons of colors. 

Belt: Zazzle

I love these belts from Zazzle. They're reversible so you get two belts in one, and they're frequently on sale. I think I usually spend around $25 on them? Not bad at all for two belts! The reverse on this one is the black and white composite of all my horses, Rita, and Pia. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman in Boysenberry

I'm not usually into anything in the red family, but I do really like these. I bought them in a bundle of used pants, and I'm glad I did! They're definitely showing their age at this point, but I've had them a few years now. 

Boots: Cavallo

I was going to wear my distressed brown boots, but it was kind of drizzly all day here so I went with these instead. They're water resistant so perfect for these kinds of days. 

That's it for today! Hope you're all enjoying the beginning of Autumn! 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Oh boy, I'm late getting this done today! We just have one more week of family dinner Wednesdays and then the parentals head south, so hopefully I'll be on a better schedule after that. I don't have too much to talk about today anyway because I got very lucky and had a vet appointment for some maintenance for Al and Shiny on Friday. Thus, they both had the weekend off. It was kind of nice to have an extra easy few days!

When I rode Shiny earlier in the week, I wasn't happy with her left lead canter. At all. It felt really stiff and kind of shuffly. I knew it had been awhile since we've done her hocks, and she'd been stocking up a little behind which she does when she needs them addressed. But I also felt something up front. Not obvious lameness, just a little nqr. Doc agreed and went back in her history to see if we'd done her coffins before. (She flexed a hair off left front coffin, which validated what I was feeling before the flexions.) Turns out we had done them several years ago, so it was nice to know that this wasn't anything new and should be easy to fix. So we went ahead and did hocks with a bit of steroid (we're extra careful with her and steroids due to her obvious weight problems and fear of laminitis that comes with that) and then did the coffins with Prostride, which is what we did before. She had the weekend off and then I got on her Tuesday and she felt like a whole new pony. I love when the fix is quick and easy! (Albeit pricey...) 

She had a nice nap during her treatments

Her kiddo rode her today, and said she thought Shiny felt so much better too. I didn't let her jump yet, but she will on Saturday. 

I have to give Al some big virtual pats on the neck for last week. He came out relaxed and very rideable Tuesday through Friday. We didn't end up jumping because I was so happy with how he was going I didn't want to ruin it. Ha. Amateur problems. But I do plan to pop some small jumps this week hopefully. He also had the weekend off so it's taking some time to get his brain back this week. Yesterday I warmed him up on the lunge line and he was actually pretty good and not particularly tense or nutty. Unfortunately, as soon as I got on the neighbor decided to weed whack our shared tree line which is something Al really can't handle. I tried riding at the opposite end of where neighbor was working, but my ring isn't all that big, and there really wasn't any escaping it. Al had worked for a bit on the lunge before I rode, and so after a few laps of trot I just opted to try again another day. I felt like Al was really trying his best, but it was just a little too much for him. Not sure if you all remember, but he had the same reaction when they were weed whacking around the indoor ring at the boarding barn last winter. It's just one of those things that absolutely terrifies him. Like heart racing nostrils flaring terrified. We've come so far in getting relaxation while we ride, that I didn't see any reason to undo it. So I gave him a big pat after a couple of  nice walk circles and brought him back inside. He was significantly better today, though neighbor was tinkering around all along the tree line again. Not with machinery this time at least. Al was still not particularly cool with it, but he tried REALLY hard and we got a full ride in. Did I canter that long side today? No I did not. But we did lots of passes by at the walk and trot and we cantered the rest of the ring both ways. So I'm calling it a win. It's supposed to rain tomorrow (thank GOODNESS, we haven't had any rain in 18 days) so the neighbor shouldn't be an issue. If it's not raining too hard maybe we can get some real work done. Fingers crossed. Though if we get rained out I wouldn't complain. We need it desperately. 

Doc was really pleased with how Al looked compared to the last time he saw him. At that point, he wanted our farrier to do some work on that upright heal and give it some time. So that seems to be doing much better. But last time our body worker was out (which was right around the abscess time) she felt some stifle stuff which I also thought I was feeling under saddle. He has some wonky stifles, likely from all the breeding he did before he came to me. And we have done them once before a little more than a year ago so I figured we'd address that next time doc was out. After flexions, doc felt like that was a good thing to do for him. 

Group nap time

Despite our work being a bit rather tense so far this week, he feels a million times better. I'm working easily 2/3 less hard to keep the canter and his trot feels so much more powerful. I even had to ask him to slow down twice today which is a real rarity for him. I'm excited to get back to work with him! 

Eros didn't need anything this vet visit which is also rare... Lol! So he's just plugging along. I let Shiny's kiddo hop on him both days last week when she came and I think I already mentioned that she popped a few cross rails with him. 

She did a nice job with him. He's an easy horse in that the less you do the better he goes, but he's not that easy to ride because he has a ton of impulsion and it's really hard to just sit still up there. I've never ridden a horse that jumps you loose over tiny jumps the way this one does! It's also a little tricky when he wants to be a torpedo which he really does since he hasn't been jumping much. So I was really proud of kiddo for being brave and trusting me when I said the worst thing he'll do is go a little fast. She's a lot like me in that a new horse that's a little fast or a little spooky is a little scary for her. Fear of the unknown I think. So it was a big deal for her to be so brave up there. She even cantered the jump a few times! She remarked that he wasn't really scary when he got fast because she knew she could stop even if she couldn't slow down the canter. And that's exactly him in a nutshell. You can always stop him. You just can't always adjust him. There's worst things for a horse to do. 

I jumped him today over a handful of fences but he was full on torpedo. But it was still fun! Ha! I love this horse. 

I actually let Eros have Sunday off with the others because I really wanted to pull everyone's manes. I know myself pretty well and after doing chores, I figured if I rode Eros I would talk myself out of doing manes. So I skipped that ride and was otherwise responsible and did all the manes. Shiny and Eros need one more session, but everyone is looking significantly less feral. 

And that's what's happening over here! I'll have something exciting to share next week I think. So stay tuned for that!