Small Wins - April

Here we are again, celebrating the little things in life! If you're new here, the rules are simple. I am super good at focusing on all the things I want to do/didn't do/could do better, so in this post I celebrate all the positives from the past month, no matter how small.


This month I:

- Audited a clinic and garnered a ton of ideas for Sophie. Signed Sophie up for the summer session with that clinician, date TBD. Also signed Sophie up for a clinic with an old friend on May 4th. My intentions were good, but sadly it was cancelled. Never mind, we'll keep the trailering plans and do our on thing!

- FINALLY bought a proper camera. Fingers crossed, you'll see more (and better) pictures here moving forward. I'm so grateful for all the input on the camera purchase. I ended up with a Nikon D3500 and am having so much fun with it.

So many Bridget pictures....

- In related news, I've been taking a web and map design course through work and have some fun ideas for this blog. (As ever, the actual content is just going to be me rambling on about life with my horses, but I can at least try to make it visually appealing for you all?)

- Went to a bandaging tutorial. I'm still thinking I prefer boots for our wet and muddy climate, so you won't be seeing any matchy matchy polos over here. However, on the more practical side of things, I now am a lot more confident wrapping for first aid purposes. (Am I the only one who wakes up in the middle of the night like "oh no, I hope I didn't put that wrap on too tight/too loose! Would the barn owner notice if I drove over to check? It's almost light out". Yeah, if nothing else if this course makes my brain stop doing that it was well worth the time.)

- Participated in hoof trimming lessons x2. Again, I don't wish to replace my farrier, but knowledge can't hurt. My confidence using the tools has increased hugely, as has Sophie's patience with me.

- Got everything organized and ready for Sophie to move mid-May.

- Got Bridget out on plenty of trail rides. She's feeling quite sound and happy these days and the intermittent stiffness from early in the year seems to have vanished - fingers crossed the vet was right and it was just a strain, never to return?

- Went to a western games day, conquered some nerves, and had a fun time!

I can't believe it's almost May! Time is flying!

Just Chillin

I had a pretty quiet weekend. I was barn sitting for Bridget's barn owners this past weekend, and it served as a friendly reminder that driving to and from the barn multiple times a day isn't really my thing. I lose the desire to ride when I've already been at the barn a couple of times already in the day. A big part of the joy I get from the horses is just caring for them and hanging out, so I was quite content, just not riding much!

Hanging out Saturday night with Bridget.

Anyway, it was a pretty quiet weekend riding wise...a couple of hacks around the neighbourhood and just a little bit of remembering how to dressage in the arena. I also had a good visit with Sophie, but again very low key.

Spring is here. Even the power line trails are looking rather epic right now.

Our clinic next weekend was cancelled, but I think we're going to trailer Sophie in with Bridget for an outing. That might actually be more fun, since it will be Sophie's first outing of 2019 baby pony training boot camp and expectations might have been a bit high thinking a clinic was a good idea.

She's always up for a visit! See you next week, Sophie :)

Spooky

I caught this creepy dude watching us from the bushes this weekend:

Can't decide if he's sort of cute or just incredibly creepy. I am sure Bridget gets a free pass the next time she spooks at a stump though...this thing is set a bit off the trail and has probably been watching us a good long while. I may or may not have let out a tiny scream when the light caught my eye just so and I turned around and saw it.

April Resources

Welcome to yet another edition of my favorite things for the past few weeks! 

- Trailforks. I love this website and the app. Pretty much every trail in our local area is on it, along with trail conditions, elevations, difficulty, and distance. Our backcountry is a maze of trails and you could literally go for weeks, so having a reliable map is nice peace of mind for me when I'm out exploring. Plus, it's perfect for planning rides!

- Groundwork For Your Dressage Horse. Of interest to me, because I might just happen to have a baby pony I'm aiming towards a dressage career.

- Camelina Oil. I added 2tbsp/day of this to Bridget's diet a month or so ago and her coat looks so much better! I went with this vs flax/flax oil because it stores a lot better and I only have 2 ponies so it takes a while to use even a small amount! I'm excited to see how she looks once she's done shedding.

- Horses Can't be Our Only Therapy. Via The Plaid Horse and Lauren of She Moved To Texas. Well worth a read.

- Hackett Equine. YouTube lovers might enjoy this channel. I like the common sense advice mixed with insights into a day in the life of a horse professional. The videos are well put together and I'm honestly surprised she doesn't have more subscribers.

- Behind The Stall Door With Honor Me. I love this horse, he's a 5* eventer, and there is a local connection. Plus he's half Welsh Cob. What's not to like?

- LRK3DE. I can watch Not Rolex and Honor Me from home. Perfect!


- This saddle pad. I'm intrigued. It might be nice for summer, and it's only $40 CAD.

Visiting Old Friends

One more pic of Bridget from the weekend, just because I'm loving them :)

Tuesday morning, while I was sitting at my desk wondering what mistakes in life led me to working in an office on such a gorgeous day, one of my old barn mates from the area sent a text hoping I might want to come for a ride later in the day and help her get some horses exercised. Yes please! I'm totally up for a surprise bonus sixth consecutive day of riding!

You might remember my very favorite Q Mare from the eventing barn...she's a big grey eventing machine that I used to hack out regularly, so we are old friends. I popped on her for some hill work and remembered all the reasons I love her - bold, powerful, and so very forward. And, rock steady. She's one of my favorites for sure, despite being rather oversized for me.

Such a pretty girl. She's 16.3hh which is much bigger than the 14hh pony I'm used to :)

Could not persuade her to put her ears up for you. Tacking up time = sleepy time, apparently.

As an extra special treat, Ginger and her new owner came along too! So cool to see them both. I'm so grateful Ginger ended up where she has - she's got the best owner and the best life and I can still see her sometimes too.

I even took a minute to say hi to my other favorite mare, Audrey. I haven't had a dressage lesson since Christmas, and Audrey being Audrey probably thinks that's just fine. She's not the cuddly affectionate sort pining for my company. I'm in money saving mode, so this whole not seeing each other anymore thing is probably best for both of us, lol.

The bittersweet part of today's story is that Q Mare's owner and best barn rat has a too good to pass up job offer in Ireland at a well known eventing yard and will likely be leaving soon to pursue some big dreams. I'm so excited for her, but I will miss her too! I was kind of hoping she'd still be around when I eventually bring Sophie down and have her in training (and myself back in lessons).

Of course, big changes like that mean Q Mare has also sold. She's going to a great home, but I won't lie, I've had a bit of a fantasy for a while now where I somehow managed to buy her, so I was a bit sad knowing this was likely my last ride on her.

Since my other favorite previous barn mate is also riding professionally in Ireland, you can be sure I'll be following the Irish event calendar from afar and cheering everyone on! I don't know about you, but even though my goals and dreams differ I find it super inspiring to see these girl's dedication and determination in going after what they want from life.

5 Days Of Riding: Part 3 (The Rest)

On Sunday, I had absolutely nothing horsey planned, and halfway contemplated taking a break. But, we went for a walk to the beach in the morning, and as always happens when we walk human-only trails I was wishing I could bring a horse!

I stopped in at the barn and Bridget said she was bored, so that was the last bit of motivation I needed to go for a ride. I thought she might be a little stiff or tired from Saturday's exertions so we walked down to the arena grounds for a leg stretch. Bridget had other ideas, though, and put on a bit of a show in the round pen there. She's got bottomless energy these days, apparently.

Such a pity she's not totally on board for the dressage game.

Showing off and having fun. I wasn't asking for any of this, but she was pretty pleased with herself, so why not.

G and I drove out to see Sophie later in the day, but sadly no pictures for you because it was getting dark out by then. I love visiting her, but the reality is she's a pretty happy little thing and doesn't need much. So, for now I save the gas money and time and check in once or twice a week. When she moves "home" in mid May for baby pony bootcamp she'll be a pretty regular feature here again, I'm sure.

Monday was my final day off work, and saw me seriously contemplating my life choices. Why am I not wealthy and spending all day, every day riding? Oh, that's right...because I seem to have a habit of prioritizing my non work life and sacrificing income, and therefore any hope of ever being rich. Ah well, there's always lottery tickets, I guess :)

So cute. I'm totally biased, but seriously, who wouldn't want to stay home from work and hang out with her?

Very non exciting, but all the adventuring all weekend meant I had a few wheelbarrows of poop waiting for me in the paddocks. By the time I was done, that and the grey, cold weather had kind of sapped my motivation. Never fear though, once again Bridget was waiting at the gate and eager to get out.

Are you kidding me right now Bridget?

 This time I just led her around the neighbourhood and hand grazed her in the prime spots...I was tired and my body is not used to 5 full days in a row of hiking and riding!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did!

5 Days Of Riding: Western Games Day

I've got to admit, I was kind of nervous Saturday morning. I knew it was a pretty informal fun day and that I'd most likely enjoy myself, but lurking in the back of my mind were all the what if's, given this was a new thing to try and especially given Bridget's recent rambunctious behaviour. Confidence issues stink...my mind had taken a few "exciting" rides and turned it into a thing where galloping Bridget felt like it might not be safe anymore.

So cute, though.

I had to give myself a little pep talk, especially once I hopped on and B was once again spooking, scooting and generally looky and generally not steering and stopping as well as you might hope. These cobs are fun, but they're also quite quick and very powerful feeling when they're "on".

Scurry race. B was feeling ambitious.

And, it all worked out just fine. Better than fine, actually. Bridget actually won the keyhole and scurry races, which was more than slightly shocking given she's not what I'd call fast! I guess she does have a big stride though, and is pretty quick through turns.

Winner winner

A riding acquaintance wasn't having as much fun as me and needed to hop back on and finish on a good note, so I took the opportunity to call it a day and head for a quiet trail ride with her. I felt a little bad leaving halfway through because I appreciated the organization that went on to coordinate the event, but I think we've all been the person having a not so great experience and trail rides are always fun too.

This trail always makes me feel like I'm in some fantasy movie. The trees are huge and gorgeous and it's very peaceful.

We got back just in time for the first aid and wrapping clinic. Poor B was still not tired out and had a bit of a tough time standing for 2.5 hours of demos and talks, so I'm actually starting to wonder about her. We were out from 9am to 5pm, with about 4 hours of saddle time and she still was impatient and jumpy and spooky all the way home. Very, very unlike her.

Learning how to do a hock wrap.

At any rate, the wrapping clinic was good. I didn't do pony club or any kind of organized learning as a kid, so I often feel like there are gaps in my knowledge. Most of the things demo'd were familiar to me, but it was cool adding some additional tips and tricks from a pro groom. I tend to use boots for everything, so it was good practice to do shipping wraps and polos and have someone super experienced check them.

 All in all, it was a super long, but enjoyable day. It felt a little unreal to still have two more days of adventures planned before I had to return to work!

5 Days Of Riding: Part 1

Five days in a row at home meant I had quite a bit of pony time this week. So appreciated! Even though I see the horses all the time and ride fairly regularly, more is always better.

Thursday was my first day off and I was less appreciative of the weather. The day was dark, cold and rainy. West coast winter had temporarily returned. Carrying on from last week, Bridget was very VERY sassy, to the point I didn't think hacking down the road was wise or safe. I rarely get that feeling from her, so longeing or round penning before a ride is a once every six months sort of thing and not a normal part of our routine.

I made the right call, because B was on fire and many ridiculous opinions and not so athletic maneuvers were expressed. By the time she was listening and done with all the silliness and playing, she was pretty tired and sweaty, so I just groomed an extra wheelbarrow of winter coat off of her and put her back out.

Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to putting my butt in a wet saddle and all the associated tack cleaning that comes from riding nasty weather anyhow.

Friday, the weather was much improved and I thought it might be wise to get her down to the exhibition grounds and actually ride her because we had a games day and first aid clinic scheduled there the following day. I didn't want to bring a stir crazy Bridget and replicate Sophie's antics at the farrier clinic the weekend prior. I don't have a lot of pride, but I didn't want to be the star of the show for all the wrong reasons two weeks in a row :)

B was feeling her best, and a rather interesting rodeo was had. On a related note, I can say I've tested my new breeches thoroughly and can recommend silicone full seats if you're looking for something to lock you in the saddle.

I never did get to the bottom of her energy level.  Who is this pony?

From The Vault: 62

A short one this week as I continue to clean up my drafts folder. This one was started summer of 2015. It looks like some things never change :)



Bridget warmed up last night feeling a little sluggish - kind of surprising considering she'd just had 3 days off.

Not so surprising when my coach mentioned the cover accidentally got left off the slow feeder the night prior and piggy pony ate 62 pounds of hay (an entire bale) overnight.

This Could Be Interesting

I've signed Bridget and I up for a western games day this weekend. Given her recent energy levels and my current lack of appropriate tack, this could be a completely disastrous and hilarious mistake. Fingers crossed, we will stay on the fun side of exciting. Certainly, it will be interesting, as it's a first for her, and a first for me in many, many years. I'm going to have to review patterns tonight, I think.

Skeptical pony. 

You may be pleased to know the games run from 10-2, then we have an equine first aid  and bandaging clinic next door at 2:30. Seems like a well planned day to me - at the very worst, I will have at least 5 people on standby with vet wrap and other first aid supplies should I require help recovering from my adventure into western games ;)

Farrier Clinic, Sophie Style

We had a consult with a farrier clinician this weekend, which was interesting and fun. I highly recommend the format if you're at all interested. I pick my farrier's brain all the time, but it was pretty cool to have someone more accustomed to teaching come out. I felt like a lot of the info was still way over my head, but there was good news - the farrier was really happy with Sophie's feet and the work we have been doing. The take home of the day for me was basically that I can be more confident and take her toes back further than I have been, but to otherwise follow my instincts, because her feet look good and she's growing into herself as she should.

In other news, Sophie just couldn't bring her energy level down and was a bit of a nightmare to deal with. I was unaware it was a clinic format with auditors and such, so I was surprised when a number of people came and parked themselves all over the barn and around Sophie. I think that added to her anxiety. She's a very social creature and I think had a lot of questions as to who all these people were! Now and then, there were a few audible gasps from the audience at my lovely pony's more extreme measures at expressing her boredom, so unfortunately for Sophie, not too many people were interested in getting close enough to say hi to her properly.

I don't mean it to sound like it was the auditors or format at fault - certainly not, Sophie was having a tough day all on her own. When I got to the barn she was busy trying to show the boys that she's grown up and all mare, while also trying to start a play fight with the gelding she apparently doesn't find as attractive. Mares! The boys were less than impressed with her and I think were relieved when I took her out of the field. Poor Sophie, however, firmly believed her destiny was outdoors with Bachelor Number 1, so obviously taking a time out for a pedicure was not where she wanted to be and she was not shy about letting everyone know.

Having a drink with her boyfriend

As a side note, to give you an idea of how my life runs, there was also an informal acupuncture clinic going on. I can only guess what they thought of my barn smashing, screaming pony as they all tried to ignore us and embrace calmness and Zen thoughts with needles 20 feet away.  Looks like I'll have to keep Sophie, because after her display I'm pretty sure no one else in my town wants anything to do with either of us  :)

That's us. No manners, all class ;)

 In all seriousness, I'm not too fussed. Maybe I should be, but meh, she's young, she's had a winter off, and meeting a bunch of new people and having to stand and pay attention for 2 hours is just too big of an ask for her right now. There was a time I would have been worried about what everyone thought of her/me, but I'm past that - no matter what, horses are going to humble you at some point. I in no way prepared her for this weekend, so it would be unfair to have any expectations of her.

I apologized to the farrier, who is the one who matters, but the farrier loved her and didn't mind. I've honestly never seen one quite so positive and chilled out - I wish she came here all the time! She's a pro, and had a great feel for the fine line between getting it done and keeping it positive. Sophie doesn't have a mean bone in her body, at least (just many, many impatient ones!), so all's well that ends well.

"Treats?"

When a friend texted later in the weekend wondering if I wanted to take Bridget in a riding clinic the first weekend in May, I signed up. Except, I signed up Sophie and we'll do groundwork :) Boot camp is going to start a couple of weeks early for the yellow pony. I might be OK with her behaviour this weekend given the situation and the time off to grow up she's had, but that doesn't mean it's something I want to continue forever. Look out, Big World, Sophie is coming.