Emergence

  Myself (and the local bears) seem to be emerging from hibernation at the same time. We've had a very mild winter, which means no snow or ice, but also means lots of dark, dreary rain soaked days. No matter how many winters I spend here, I don't ever seem to adapt fully. I might be intended for sunnier climates.

Lucky for all of us, sunshine and warmer weather has started appearing. I'm still working far too many hours, but it's starting to feel more established and the plan more secure. I've found a zone where I'm not feeling worried about finding time again for fun and self improvement. The horses have been getting more and more grazing time and are almost ready for full days out in their big borrowed field. With the climate here meaning sacrifice paddocks in winter, most of us have to monitor grass intake in the spring. They get grazing for at least an hour or two all year no matter what, but there's a difference between that and a big lush field that's rested all winter.

This about sums it up: Sophie just wants to visit, Reggie is happy to eat grass, and Buck needs zoom time

I took some time and audited a few hours of a clinic last weekend. It was exactly what I needed to get some motivation back. That, and the fact the boys are going to be three in about a week! Three feels like I better get my butt in gear, the boys won't train themselves. (Although they are incredibly smart and observant so sometimes it very much feels like they do!) A couple of the clinic lessons I watched had baby horses much younger than my two who were exceptionally well behaved and started. I know there are many roads to Rome and all that, but it did serve as a bit of a wake up call!

OK, we need a plan for both of you

Is itchy but feels the need to pretend grooming is highly inconvenient for him and has to sulk

I've been back to playing with tack and gear, and the basics of ground driving. G's been walking with me this week as an emergency brake because Buck is feeling pretty wild and worried about his friends and Reggie forgot how to turn right. They've both been excellent considering how little I've done this winter and how naturally sensitive and overachieving they want to be - not a foot out of place despite a lot of prancing and snorting. It's a long weekend coming up, so I'll have some time and we'll aim to get back to ground driving without our helper. It's all very boring and slow. I love this part of babies - they're so keen to learn and the progress occurs so quickly.

Happier ears when we're going to go do things

All dressed up

As an example of very boring but exciting baby horse news, Buck was absolutely terrified of blanket and blanket like things as a weanling. So, I wore my raincoat often and it happened to brush along him now and then, then my arm ended up over his back. Then the rainsheet kept ending up in the strangest places - like on the fence or under his hay pile. Everyone else started wearing them too now and then this past winter. Then a saddle pad touched him one time. Then finally it went on his back. Then a surcingle. Then a saddle, And, just when I was secretly thinking blanketing this horse was never going to be comfortable thing for him, he almost suddenly decided it was completely fine last week. 

Look! (That's G hiding ;)

The back is very short, the pony is an actual potato :)

An Unexpected Gift

 This was a surprise announcement! Why am I so excited? Besides the obvious convenience of not having to change clocks backwards or forwards by an hour ever again, this means an extra hour of afternoon daylight on those dark winter days. No more 4:15pm darkness - our shortest winter day will be 5:15 sunset - meaning for me, I will have time in the daylight after work every day of the year for hiking, running.... RIDING! I'll happily do morning feedings in the dark for an extra month or two for that tradeoff :)

Bonus pictures of ponies in the moonlight this week

Full moon Sophie (actually very sweet, does not seem affected ;)

Feels Like Spring

 Here I am again, where it feels like I don't have much to say besides the standard small talk about the weather. The normal rhythms of horse keeping at home continue on. 

Mow that yard

Weekends of filling the barn with hay, farrier appointments, pony grooming, fence and yard maintenance, and of course the never ending paddock picking and muck heap spreading.

On a nice sunny (spring like, even) winter day, the horses running and loving life, me picking away at chores, truly I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be or anything else I'd rather be doing. 

Winter hibernation mode is slowly receding, it's even still been a little bit light outside a few times this past week when I've fed dinner. I'm still working a lot of extra hours, but outdoor time is calling my name more and more and it feels like spring is on it's way.

Happy muddy creature. The other two are equally filthy, but being paddock dirt colored naturally lets me trick you into thinking I groomed them prior to photos. No such luck with Sophie.

So, a quick check in. We're here, we're happy, we're all just a bit content and boring. We're commencing End of Winter Motivational Boost now :)

Intermittent Progress

 Sorry for the January radio silence. Honestly, the horses got slightly put on the back burner (or as much as they can when they live at home) while I let work and the weather slow down my outdoor time. 

It feels like it's always dark when I take a time out

                                  

I've already made some little steps towards some of my plans for 2026, so I do have some small updates.

I tentatively listed Sophie on a regional facebook page and had a ton of interest, but it's 2026 and everyone wants extra videos of all the things. I advertised locally enough that I think anyone truly interested would just get in their car and come visit. I wasn't feeling the joy for all the extra media right now, and I'll take accountability for that. So, I reevaluate. Do I send her to a trainer this spring for a refresh and professional marketing in a more equestrian area (big $$$$ given where I live) or just keep the odd ad out there and get more videos when the weather improves, in hopes the right person will come along at the right time? I think the second choice is the one for now. As nice as it might be to distance myself from the actual sale process, I will feel better meeting her new people. The not so secret part is that we like her just fine. She doesn't *need* to go anywhere soon, but I think I've finally wrapped my head around the idea of it. We'll reevaluate the trainer option if nothing happens here.

She's worth a visit

The boys continue to grow like weeds. It's a near daily occurrence where I'm questioning if they're taller/bigger  than last time I looked (which of course in 24hrs the answer better be no!) but the overall trend is that they're starting to seem Large Grown Up Pony instead of Baby Pony. 

This guy was dramatically lame one weekend but it was luckily an abscess that resolved fairly quickly. Was he really going to be ok with me fussing and wrapping and soaking his foot? It felt like a bit of an escalation from our normal hoof picking routine. All these little 'firsts' the pop up when you don't expect them.  But of course he was fine! Good minded ponies for the win.

Meanwhile, his friend is apparently grown up enough to wash his own dishes now.

I haven't signed them up for any outings this winter, but I do have a couple of clinics coming up that I'll go audit so I can learn. I'm feeling a little guilty about just letting them sit, but I try to remind myself that come spring there will be ample opportunities (and daylight) to get them out more. They're only just coming 3, so while seeing the world is valuable there's not much else I want to ask of them yet. Picking and choosing a couple of good outings this spring or summer makes more sense right now than clinics for the sake of clinics.

I have about a million variations of this picture, I think G feels obligated to send me a proof of life pic or video every morning when he feeds :D

Work is work. I've mentioned I want to expand out to more contract and freelance opportunities, and the last couple of months have been heavily focused on creating a good base for that. I've basically let that goal take over my life. It feels a little like I'm putting out maximum effort for minimum financial gain at the moment. I struggle to put myself out there too, so I find some of the networking and interviewing a  little anxiety inducing. I'm pretty grateful I didn't scale back the day job. While it makes my hours crazy right now, the sense of security having that paycheck definitely is worth it. I put way less pressure on myself knowing there is no great financial loss if this doesn't pan out.  Slowly but surely small contracts are finding me and my new barn/truck savings account is seeing it's first small deposits funded by new adventures. That feels like a positive! 

Further excellent media brought to you by NoTime TM and overly friendly horses

                                             

The better physical and mental health thing took a bit of a hit at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026. Nothing dramatic, I think it's just a tough time of year and the lack of sunshine gets to me too. Plus, the extra hours working at a desk don't do anyone any favors. The days are getting longer again and it's easier every day to fit in more outdoor activity, which feels like the key to it all for me.

Moody fog bitey face games

                                     

Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later. I've lost my riding and horsey mojo a little, but it's still such a joyful thing to have the horses at home. They feel a little more like an every day part of life rather than an "I went to the barn!' event I should blog about, so for now I'll probably just continue on with the general updates spaced over the winter.

Welcome 2026

Tis the season, for retrospection and new beginnings.

 I'm once again not here to set goals, but I find value in documenting the good things I'd like to bring forward from 2025 and continue to gain momentum on in 2026.  I should also acknowledge the things that weren't so great and how I'd like to move on from those.

These two keeping life fun no matter what else is happening

Starting with the not so great, at some point I have probably mentioned horses being a saving grace in the context that being a kid/teen otherwise wasn't fun times. 2025 brought some events that opened the box I'd stored all those not so great times away in. After so many years of peace and then suddenly being confronted with some final drama, it finally became obvious how not normal any of it ever was and how I probably needed a way to actually process it somehow. It's fun how good are brains are at normalizing things and 'forgetting' others. To keep this on a horse relevant tangent: Me, prior to 2025: "Horse shows make me so anxious and I have no idea why!" "That coach gave me a panic attack, but everyone else likes them. I don't know why they bothered me so much". Even "ha ha why am I so weird, that smell makes me really uncomfortable".  So, that is a work in progress, and much of my energy was put towards bettering both my physical and mental health through most of 2025.  I am already seeing improvements in my anxiety levels and enjoyment of things like lessons and clinics. Just having a better understanding of why I might feel emotional or uncomfortable in some situations and that it's a completely normal reaction is huge, that almost solves a lot of things on it's own. 

it sort of snowed over Christmas (then immediately melted)

Moving on from the heavy, not so great, and into the realm good - I've kept so active the past year. Funnily enough, the extra weight I was so worried about gaining in 2024 ended up barely on my radar in 2025 and so naturally it just disappeared back to the void. I feel like I need a disclaimer here where I say the number on the scale means nothing, we're all different and beautiful people, but keeping it real - as the adult pony rider, yeah I do get feelings when it's not within what I feel is a fair range for my equines to carry. But while I do need to be aware of it, I focus on that number as little as possible, because hiking, running, just moving and feeling good with what my body can do is where the happy feelings come from and I'll be continuing that into 2026 (and onwards).

getting large and in charge

As for the really, really good - the baby cobs! Not so baby these days- they'll be 3 come spring. Mr Bakari was seeming awfully large the other day and I weigh taped him right at 1000lbs. He's a little tank. Even Reggie is suddenly filling out and pushing 15hh. I'm not sure my photos ever show it, but his build from late summer to now looks noticeably wider in person. I'm only 5'1" so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but both these guys feel bigger than they are, and realistically are going to be a little larger than I had hoped, more at the top end of what we might have expected genetically.

10/10 nosy and friendly

My end of year break was spent doing lots of incremental pony training and both are now happily ground driving. New Years brought further wild neighbourhood fireworks and we're all still a little on edge from that, but we made it safely through to 2026. I'm feeling like the boys are already fairly well prepared to transition to riding life, so come summer/fall of 2026 we'll have hopefully kept up the positivity and it will be no big thing for them (but obviously feel like a huge milestone for me). Current situation with Buck is that I've (as I knew I was but couldn't help myself) spoiled him a little so he's going through a bit of a pushy/testing phase so I'm here dealing with the consequences of my own actions with a not so cute full sized cob (in good humor, he's a good guy and not his fault the rules weren't stated clearly by me, just maybe I don't let my coaches or clinicians see what I've done until the evidence is gone lol).  Reggie gets a 5* review, he's generally lighter and more sensitive and honestly probably a little more suited to my horse handling strengths. I think Buck is going to be a very special pony, though and I'm really excited for the future.

getting dressed like a grownup

this guy struggles more with flappy things like saddle pads or blankets so this felt like a good milestone

While I said I wasn't setting goals for 2026, I would like to set out a few intentions. I think my wellbeing is going to continue to need a bit more attention than I'm used to giving, but I'll be consistent until that feels normal. I'd like to have some first rides on the cob boys, but if they're not physically or mentally ready that's good too. I'll put the work and the lessons and clinic time in regardless so whether milestones happen in the next 12 months, or further along it's going to be fun and enjoyable.

 

Reggie ticking "learn to reliably untie self" from his 2026 goals

loving that he leans into it and backs up to save time on adjusting his grip on the rope end

I'm going to continue with the extra contract work in pursuit of affording a new to me truck to tow those ponies around to the fun things I want to do. I know I talked about it this summer, but the right one didn't appear locally, the old truck is still doing the job, and personal stuff took priority a little bit so it's still top of list as far as finances. I think 2026 will be the year to find Sophie a new home, she's wasted with me and honestly I'm finding three equines is too much for me by every metric long term. Fingers crossed there's a perfect person out there, I'm not looking forward to it, but hey, it can't all be completely happy things.

Probably won't put this pic in the ad. This is her daily routine of trying to entice the boys to come play with her, but they say she's too scary

happy winter potato

In relation to downsizing a little, I have some new small barn plans done up since the boys have outgrown sharing their pony cottage and I don't trust Sophie's/the old barn to hold up to their roughhousing :)  Whether that will be an autumn 2026 project or a spring 2027 one isn't decided, just don't be surprised if I'm still blabbing on about property improvements over here for the next couple of years..

best of friends and happy to share hay and sleeping space, so it still works for now

I hope everyone enjoyed a little downtime in the past week. I appreciate this community, and I hope you all have a 2026 filled with wonderful things.