Horses Doing Horse Things

 I wasn't going to update until I had an actual update. But, we're still about 3 weeks out from an in person vet visit so do you want to go down the how-my-horse-hurt-themselves-in-new-and-interesting-ways rabbit hole panic spiral with me?

Come on, we've got baby horses down here

The baby horses are fine (*knocks hard on wood*). It's Sophie (again). You'll recall Sophie ran headfirst into a tree earlier this summer. I saw it happen, obviously didn't feel great about it, and cancelled her summer lease/sale plans (for the second year in a row, if we're keeping track). 

Day of 

Fast forward and everything looked fine-ish for a few weeks, the cuts healed, everything felt normal to the touch.  Until it just wasn't anymore.  

So upsetting, status as of last week. That dent is real, not a shadow

And a big ridge across her face

Pictures were of course sent to the vet and the verdict is she's likely fractured her skull in a couple of places and the weird stuff I'm seeing is bone healing and remodeling. The apparent good news is it's cold and hard and there's been no swelling. In the vast majority of cases, it's not like if you or I fractured our skulls. If no serious complications have appeared by now, it's likely going to heal up all on it's own. It's going to look ugly, possibly forever, but she should be fine otherwise. The guilt is still real, though. 

Is still entirely herself. Not pictured is her shouting at me because she wants to go home for dinner now, thank you very much.

As things stand, we're going to xray her head and her poll the next time the vet is here and see what exactly happened. There's a few other general neck and body soreness things popping up that make sense from a chain reaction "horse hit their head hard enough to fracture bone" perspective, and we'll obviously treat that if needed. I'm of course worried about catastrophic findings and the gap between the thing happening and now, but the vet seems less so and thinks continued field time and conservative treatment is going to be the answer.

 For now, she's enjoying days out in the various fields with the boys and coming back to her paddock at night. Feel free to judge me, but I'm reluctant to sink more time or finances into riding pony goals with her and as long as she's content in the field, she's just going to stay on hiatus for the foreseeable. It's been a bit of a journey of bad luck and one thing after another for at least two years now, and I need to get off the train for a bit. I'm at a point in life where this needs to stay fun and if that means just holding steady and focusing on the cob boys then I think that's where we're at.

They are the friendliest

wildfire smoke making it easy to make excuses to not do much this week

She's not a supporting cast kind of girl, but don't worry, behind the scenes she still goes everywhere first, gets fed first, groomed when she wants to be, and we accommodate her (many) demands.

(Fingers crossed) The boys continue to be happy and healthy. They both are maturing well, and both seem to have pretty solid temperaments. I'm seeing a little spicy and a lot forward thinking, but mostly just sensible, uncomplicated, low maintenance and good natured. They also both came installed with the standard Welsh Cob sense of self preservation that I'm growing to appreciate more and more :)

Three horses long term means contemplating an extra stall. I don't think this is the way, but it was an idea.

August Photo Dump

 I've been bad about blogging. I have a lot of things I want to write about, but then I get busy outside enjoying the summer weather, then the days pass, and suddenly it seems like yesterday's news and the inspiration is lost.

So, here are a bunch of non fancy photos, of the type where if I was a more active social media person I'd post them all as little daily updates there. But, it turns out I'm not, so here we are :)

The boys have their own measuring stick and they're getting ever bigger. At last check, Reggie was pushing 14.2 and slightly taller than Sophie. Buck's 14.1. They're both expected to be 14.3-15hh full grown.

Two peas in a pod

They've been getting fed a lot of treats by passers by, so they're very quick to come running to the fence. The responsible horse owner in me is super annoyed that people do that (they have to walk a little up a private driveway too) but I'm trying to let it go so the local horsey fan club outweighs the  annoyance of having sometimes noisy or smelly horses as neighbors.

We're figuring out the long lining thing. It's better than this, I promise ;) but also I'm not adept enough to ground drive AND take photos.

G had this on his phone for two years and WHY DID HE NOT SHARE? Baby Reggie and his dog friend.

I hate to be that person when the weather is perfect, but the days are getting a lot shorter here.

rare day at home

Because they spend every day at different neighbours fields at the moment. We take them over before work and bring them home when it starts getting dark.

G and I go hiking most afternoons when I'm done work. The lakes are still far too cold for me to want to swim in this year. 

Buck stayed pretty black this summer, I wonder what the difference is with last year when he faded to almost a buckskin color

Sophie has finally chosen peace and lets them graze ever closer

rare pic of him eating grass. The tree eating has actually become a problem - he was making himself sick. One of the 'bad' trees overhangs his paddock at home so I'm currently trying to figure out a plan there. I might have to switch him and Sophie around this winter, although I'd feel mean because she LOVES her house.

It's still slightly mind boggling she managed to run into the tree  on the right of this pic. Her head is even uglier right now, very lumpy. It's not hot or swollen, it feels cold and hard, but it's ever changing and honestly a bit scary looking to me. We're pending a vet visit so the vet can check it in person and that feels like reason 5262629090.2 that I'm not riding Sophie regularly.

Another day, another hike. Not pictured is the grumpy bear that cornered us on a boardwalk. I'm opting out of returning until winter.

Civilized exercise, the sunset ocean views help the boredom of going in circles. I'm seeing a bit of progress. I'm trying to get as fit/lean as possible in hopes of doing future justice to the baby welsh cobs...ideally we'll be seeing some first rides next summer.

Summer Clinic Campout

Volume 2 of our clinic campouts. I'm really liking the format for this point in my life. It's fun being 2025 me who just rolls in with a baby pony who's literally been out in a field for three months and is going to bring who knows what to the party. We just see where the week with the clinican takes us.

2026 equine happenings will probably look a whole lot more structured, but if I can I'd like to take a little of this current self forward with me - especially with horses there's a lot of opportunity in not being attached to a plan or a schedule.

Anyway, in keeping with 2025 me, the last clinic I went to was 3 months ago and that was also the last time I trailered horses anywhere.

So, Reggie was a little surprised when I loaded him into the trailer. Then, very surprised when it wasn't even a fire drill and the door closed we drove off to a farm about 45 minutes away. In keeping with our last clinic's fun, a few of us decided to camp on site. Reggie's neighbours this time were my good friend's two geldings and they all decided to be besties at first sight. Her two are older but the goofy gelding energy is strong in all of them and they instantly adopted Reggie into their bitey face stallion games mayhem.

He liked this a lot better than a stall

Making himself right at home

For our first lesson we just recapped what we learned 3 months ago. Reggie exceeded any and all expectations. I would have been totally fine with anything, my main goal with any of these outings is just for him to get out and about and have fun. Any learning or gains beyond that is a bonus. 

is suddenly looking like a grownup tho

Apparently though, time is not a real concept in Reggieville, because remembered 3 months ago like it was the day before, and even learned a few extra things since then.  I'm guessing rather than magic, that happened just by being handled fairly regularly this summer.  Our 45 minutes went by in a flash, but to recap, he's at some point learned how to longe walk/trot/halt/reverse very solidly. He does shoulder in along the rail, he does haunches in. I can send him away, I can ask him to come back. Turns on the forehand, turns on the haunches. The answer to anything you ask is "Yes!" and it happens immediately. He tricked a whole lot of people into thinking I'd been doing a ton of work, but I think the giveaways of how very green he is are there if you know where to look - it's a very fine line for me to keep the energy levels from spiraling over the top and the pony on task. I don't think he truly knows as much as it looks like (yet). He's very much just mirroring his handler and being an uber smart and sensitive little overachiever.  

His first night sleepover went well. My friend's geldings had a bigger pen to share and enough room to really run. Reggie's was a smaller space, but with room to move, so happy thundering hooves were heard playing well into the night :) That felt like a relief because at our last stay away we had outdoor stalls and by the third day he was getting stir crazy despite my best efforts at getting him out a lot.

my accommodations. 

For our second lesson, the antics of the previous night must have taken the edge off because he was pretty much exactly like the horse he is at home (spicy and a huge personality, but in a fun way). We did some modified walk trot patterns and WE type questions on the end of his lead and he was absolutely great. He's about the most bold and confident guy you'll ever meet, so he literally just wants to eat obstacles for lunch (or smash them, depending on how satisfying the noise is). So, with that conquered, it seemed an opportune time to think about next steps, ground driving in particular. He got to wear a saddle pad and a surcingle. I want to say it was the first time he'd had a girth on of any type. He's a sensitive guy who doesn't overly love things touching him unexpectedly, so again I had minimal expectations for anything. But again, he tried so hard for us. While he certainly needed some time to think on things, he happily walked and trotted around in his new wardrobe.

He feels very standard Welsh Cob - like the drama and reactions and feelings are high, but there is not a mean bone in his body. His brain always remains installed and available for direction, to the point you might wonder if he's really just having a bit fun with you. The saddle pad was for sure going to eat him, then .5 sec later he wanted to eat it instead, lol.

We've been in the middle of a drought and have some serious forest fires around, so rain was welcome, but oh my gosh did it ever start raining the second night. In retrospect, had I known how bad it was going to be I would have taken him home for the night. As it was, everyone else was planning on staying and G had the truck on a fishing trip, so poor Reggie just got a rainsheet and multiple apologies from me. His dislike of things touching him includes rain (and blankets) so he wasn't an overly happy camper. Luckily his new friends were much less spoiled and far more worldly and set a good example of horses functioning like horses. So, he resigned himself to life in the great outdoors. That didn't stop him from asking everyone he met to 1) take him home with them and 2) take off his blanket. It's amusing to me how many people got the memo and were like "OK so I know this sounds weird but I swear Reggie asked me to take his rainsheet off" :D

He fits Bridget's blankets already! I was a bit worried I didn't have anything for him, but I had one in the trailer from some long ago Bridget adventure. Can we also appreciate that he was OK with me putting a blanket on him? And despite some thoughts of removing/eating it, he left it alone all night? In my defense, our climate is mild and blanketing seemed like a problem for future, more mature Reggie, rather than the current situation with two destructive babies sharing a paddock and their own pony cottage ;)

Our third lesson was immediately the next morning and it was still monsooning. Reggie got his wish and I finally took the rainsheet off for our lesson but now the rain was touching him and he short circuited a little. He was really struggling with the blowing rain (honestly I wasn't a fan either), but hello, experience we needed to have. We again put the surcingle on, this time adding a second line clipped to the top ring. The clinician looked after that line while I looked after the other, playing around with letting it fall over his back or behind his back legs. Eventually I took on both, longeing on the circle with one line off the near side of his halter and one coming off the top off the surcingle. I liked that as a gentle way to introduce us both. I'm still just longeing as I normally would, but we both can get a feel for having an extra line around and no big deal if either of us loses the plot, I can drop the one connected to the surcingle with no risk. That line IS currently problematic for him but he's sensible enough about it that I'm feeling confident to keep going without a coach or helper present. Eventually when we're both comfortable I'll have a line on each side of a cavesson and do things 'correctly', but this felt like big steps towards ground driving and eventually riding.

sorry for the non exciting images - I had big plans and the nice camera with me but the weather was awful for our lessons and I didn't want to ask anyone to stand out in the rain to play photographer.

An added bonus to the absolutely miserable weather was that Reggie couldn't wait to hop on the trailer and go home. No loose horse PTSD or shares in Folgers coffee or a carrot farm required this time LOL. The downside to the miserable weather was that the highway had a tree fall on it and we were stuck in traffic at a standstill for 30 minutes or so while the crews came to clear it and restore the power. I won't pretend he was quiet to trailer or happy to wait - impatience is basically his middle name right now, so there was some pawing and carrying on back there. But, nothing overly silly and again the expectations for a 2 year old travelling without a friend to his second clinic ever are not high :)  Anyway, the delay just made getting home to a hot shower (and dry barn for Reggie) even sweeter. His buddy Buck was over the top excited to see him again. It's nice how they are still the absolute best of friends but not unmanageably herd bound. I love my mares but I do feel like geldings get the win for generally being more amenable to changing social situations.

reunited at home and some sunshine coming back

We've got another clinic tentatively scheduled in 2 months, making it mid October. I'm thinking if ground driving with Reggie is going well, we'll let Buck have a turn. 

let it be known I have now harrowed my arena because I have plans of actually doing some ground driving homework

Staycation

It's been a couple of weeks! I needed a time out, and while a staycation is never going to be an all out break (horses and property maintenance don't get days off) it was really nice to put some responsibilities on hold. 

This was a nice day. Looking towards Vancouver Island way in the distance

The horses are spending a lot of time in their second field, which makes keeping them in summer just that little bit easier. I'll retract that statement once it comes time to mow and harrow, but for now the decreased poo picking and hay bag making is a nice reprieve. 

Happy vacation summer camp ponies

Although, after the experience of owning Bridget, I should have known better. Someone ruined the summer camp field fun for everyone for a few days and forced me to fence this area off with electric. Google had made me aware of the risks of wild cherries but I have never had a horse interested in consuming all parts of fruit and tree (or any of it to be honest). That changed. Luckily the worst of it was a pushed over gatepost and a cleanout of the neighbour's tree (because yes of course you have an unlimited grass buffet but that cherry tree in the neighbour's yard is all you want in life) and some explosive diarrhea for a couple of days. Horses. Such stress free creatures. 

Name and shame. That's Buck stripping my apple tree of leaves. Also a no-no and now he's banned from this area too. If he had his way he'd just browse trees like a deer. It's the weirdest thing, grass is his least favorite food - give him a good tree or some random hedging and he's happy.

Exhibit C. Willow also features as one of his must have trees but is horse friendly. Actually scratch that, this is the tree Sophie managed to run head first into.

looping her into the tree associated shame spiral. She's got a VERY large lump on her forehead now that I'm told should shrink over time, but I'm not ready to show it on the internet. She looks like a really extreme Arabian or something.

Anyway. Despite their antics, my equine mowing crew is in high demand this year, so they have two more fields to graze. The next one is just two driveways down from the current, and actually one I leased many years ago. It is set up for horses and comes with a shelter and auto waterers (and the sole tree is fenced off - yay!), so I might be tempted to just leave them there overnights. We explored purchasing further land in the neighborhood last fall but the deal kind of fell apart and now I'm feeling like maybe it was meant to be. The ponies have more grazing than they can handle this year. We do a fall mow and tidy of the spaces as an extra thank you so everyone is happy. Now word has got around to all the people who bought little acreages in the area but didn't realize the amount of yard maintenance required if you don't actually own livestock or make hay - so I've got a waitlist :).

Mowing is such hard work though, is tired, wants hay now.

For the actual staycation G and I took some day trips to local spots, ate out a lot, and played tourist. There's a lovely island a short ferry ride away that's like stepping back in time 50 years. Every time we visit I am SO tempted to find a nice piece of land to purchase - the riding opportunities would be incredible there. Never mind I'd basically be at the end of the world as far as practical things like groceries...or internet.  You can get me away from my horses, but eyeing up all the quiet fields and unpaved roads for creating beach rides, hacking routes and cross country courses in my mind is a lifestyle. 

so pretty and peaceful

more local beach that I do need to add to bucket list rides one winter

As a very tourist-y bonus, our ferry rides turned into free whale watching tours. Seeing actual results of environmental protections in this lifetime made me kind of emotional, honestly. We saw too many whales to count and it was so incredible.

Next time I will bring the good camera. For now you'll just have to trust my cell phone pic of a far away whale and trust there was a whole pod of humpback whales and it was so amazing I didn't even think to take a picture.

Self improvement plans continue to progress this summer, which makes me incredibly happy. I had set myself some out of saddle riding goals (primarily just to regain lost cardio/balance/overall fitness but honestly I had hope that the scale might be a little friendlier as a bonus). It's been a super rough couple of years outside of horses and that took a mental and physical toll, unfortunately. But, I'm getting there. The scale is friendlier these days, I enjoy being more active again (fingers crossed my body continues to be onside - I feel superstitious about assuming and am still in the wildly appreciative stage) and keeping a healthy balance feels more attainable. The cob boys are going to be much bigger than Sophie and well able to carry an average sized rider, so I'm hopeful with that and my revived activity levels I can put the obsession with the scale to bed and just focus on being fit and healthy and enjoying riding.

They are already quite a bit bigger than Sophie. She still is the boss of everyone, it just looks more ridiculous now (and witchy mare faces make it impossible to line up anyone close to her for nice photos or direct comparisons lol) 

The hair! G says all horse 'haircuts' look dumb, and Buck *technically* belongs to him, so we're rocking the flow while I make vague threats with scissors and making G responsible for learning to braid one day.

Reggie also blessed by the hair gods, but I can't handle it and he gets tidied a little more.

Anyway, kind of a case of not too much excitement happening in this part of the woods, but almost all of it the past while being good things. 

Do you see the deer? This deer basically lives with us every summer and frequently puts my horse training goals to shame. Yes, that's her hanging out with the sprinkler running. The same sprinkler the boys are absolutely horrified by and cannot go within 200' of every.single.evening. (Reggie is also still wildly overwhelmed by the magic of how the ground IS WET HERE BUT IT WAS DRY OVER THERE every time I lead him over the newly watered ring lol)

Either the world's chillest deer, or my horses are not as domesticated as one would hope. Sadly, if they've learned anything from her it is the eating of trees and shrubs horses/deer should not like.

Upcoming, I do have a rescheduled groundwork clinic and camping trip for the boys in the calendar. It's at a different location than the usual, so yay for new adventures! Plus I have some more annual leave booked for other staycation adventures. I'm in a fun place mentally where I really miss riding goals and am refreshed and excited to get back at it soon, but I'm having so much fun with non horsey things this summer that my time still feels very well spent. Waiting a little longer for my body (and the cob boys! They're three next spring!) to be ready doesn't feel like too much of a hardship.

Why are we not surprised he thought the Dairy Queen burger would be 1. for him 2. an absolutely appropriate meal for him to eat. All of my horses are absolutely ridiculous pets (and I love them all)