Winter Came

 And I don't mind.

Like many of you, we're having colder than average temperatures and a bit of winter. Living here can be incredibly depressing in the winter with all the gloomy, rainy, darkness, so I'm currently THAT person.

Sophie always looks like she's smiling, at least. 

 The one who is beyond happy to have a taste of real winter. We got a nice dump of snow a couple of days ago, so the roads are super hazardous. To give us our due, I have lived both on the prairies and the coast and the snow we get here is more similar to that icy melty snow the prairies get in the spring - it actually is really is hard to drive on (not arguing the fact the drivers here are...less than capable... in general though ;)  Anyway, with the roads being unsafe (because obviously we only have one snowplow in the area and everyone seems to drive a 2wd car, lol) it's been pretty quiet and relaxing. Kind of nice to have a built in reason to not have to do all the things.

I almost didn't turn them out into the bigger field the first night because I was worried about Sophie playing too hard and slipping, but she was sensible for once.

The horses haven't been up to much of anything, because I need to ride on a road to get to the arena (which is covered in snow - on top of some too deep sand that's not draining properly - anyway). This weekend I might see if I can venture to the indoor, but that will just be a Bridget ride. It's only available to book on weekends, and longeing is not allowed in there. There is no way I'm hopping on Sophie after a week off without giving her a chance to burn off some energy first!

Bridget declining to leave her stall :)

Instead of riding this week I've been putting in some extra hours at work, which means I'm banking days off for future horse adventures. There are a couple of clinics coming up in March that could be doable. April/May is going to be a bit up in the air with Bridget's appointments and expenses, so it might be nice schedule and budget wise to get some clinic time in ahead of that.

Or, I may wait. It's made for a very uneventful blog, but I've kind of enjoyed this intermission I've had this week, and even in general the more laid back pace the past couple of years while I wait for Sophie to mature enough to be my next riding and competition horse.

A One Pony Party

 It's been drier out so I've been able to give the girls a bit of a treat and put them in one of the smaller fields while I muck out and do chores. Bridget says thank you,  the grass is tasty there. Sophie, well, she's been Sophie:

50 First Rides

Bridget continued to be a little ball of fire all last week, leading to some interesting rides. We had one more parting of ways. She uses that big neck against me where she'll slam to a stop, get me tipped a bit forward and get her neck down and buck. Sneaky pony. Even at my strongest I’m pretty helpless against it (especially on down banks, lifetime memories from that xc clinic lol) - if she gets my shoulders forward and can pull her head between her knees I’m done. Thank goodness she’s usually not inclined to pull out that particular trick and the technique she uses involves slamming to a halt first and depositing me fairly gently over her shoulder, lol. 

Non dramatic reenactment of the view from the ground :)

By Saturday she’d pretty much tired herself out and we were back to normal rides. Even though she’s obviously feeling fantastic and cheeky I’m still trying to be cautious with her and build up her fitness gradually. I’m so grateful to have her around, it’s a treat to have a relatively well schooled pony I know inside and out. The plan is obviously still to breed her this spring, but I’m working to build up my fitness again and bringing hers up too will hopefully ensure an easier time for her once she’s in foal.

We had a drier week, so the girls had some much appreciated pasture time.

On to Sophie. Sophie. Oh my goodness. The mood must have been contagious because she’s been an absolute nut all week - as the weather gets colder, the ridiculousness increases. By Saturday I’ll admit my patience with her was wearing thin (and that unfortunately just feeds more drama from her.) She was a bit much for the shared outdoor and her energy was affecting the other horses, so I ended up moving over to the indoor and just tying her in there while I rode B and contemplated S’s sale ad ;) 

Sophie dancing to the songs in her head

I did hop on S eventually this weekend for the first time since Christmas. My husband (G) and I were joking my life with her this winter should be titled  50 First Rides. It did indeed feel like a first ride on a baby,  she was overreacting because I’d been on her case all weekend about remembering her ground manners - it’s kind of a negative spiral where she pushes and pushes and I calmly correct over and over while she tries things every different way. Then, eventually, I break and she gets a bigger reaction, and then she’s sure I'm out to get her. It's a game, I know it is, and yet some days I still get sucked in to playing.

 It’s the same type of thing she does with other horses (and she has the scars to show for it) - she pesters them all day long and she lives for the exciting moment when someone finally chases her off and she can then be super dramatic and gallop around and play. That's usually immediately followed by over the top repentant, can’t-survive-without-your-friendship mode. I don't think she has any desire to be the boss of anything, I think she thinks it's all just fun and everyone should want to play and then she's upset when no one thinks it's funny...she's 4 years old and still does that funny lip smacking 'I'm just a baby, don't be mad' thing they do. Anyway, at the very least, she is definitely going to teach me to be better. 

"Help! Bridget is mad at me!"

On paper I guess it looks like there were a few frustrations and negatives this week. I’m actually feeling pretty happy though - B is feeling great, which means the world to me, and it feels really good to be be starting to put Sophie back into work too....the days are getting long enough now that even on week days if I plan well I should be able to fit in a short ride or outing before dark.

Winter Struggles

 Just a quick little update this morning, sadly without any recent pictures - it's been dark and rainy and honestly I've been prioritizing just getting the horses exercised and chores done before sunset.

Sophie has been so, so, full of it. It's the time of year where the paddocks are muddy and she's not a fan. So, she spends a lot of time in her stall looking out at the rain. She was starting to sample some not so great habits like eating dirt, chewing on things, and an interesting repetitive rear/spin/stomp thing. Unfortunately, for where we live and the time of year it is, she already has the biggest turnout space one can find (I'm guessing it's about 80'x100'), and it's already available to her 24/7 so I'm kind of limited. The ground is just not conducive right now to the amount of running and playing she likes to do ( it's a little too dug up and slick) so she's frustrated. She's by far the most active and playful horse I've owned (or actually even met - Amanda's Presto looks like a virtual soulmate though!)

I wish we had her big gorgeous fields here!

I feel like half my camera is full of 'Sophie playing in the mud' pictures right now.

 At a minimum, I get her in the round pen once a day for some exercise, and I've had her out to the club grounds and on the trails a few times this week for some exercise and exploration.  I've also given up trying to weigh her hay appropriately into meals so she has an unlimited supply of hay in strategically placed nets and hay balls to eat or waste as she sees fit - I'd rather that than her eating dirt and fences. I'm dreaming right now of finally getting the plans and permits done for our own place and building her a big gallop friendly paddock with a gravel base for winter. Next winter she'll be able to have a proper job, and making time to have her in a full work schedule will have to be a priority. It's not exactly giving me the warm fuzzies right that her living situation is so obviously not suiting her. For now though I will just have to cross my fingers for a few drier days so the ground can drain and she'll have better footing to play on.

Is not starving under that coat, is just bored :(

And then we have Bridget. Also entirely too full of it! She seemed a little 'up' on Saturday, but it's Bridget and I had some decent rides through the week (even being the calm babysitter for a friends young horse's first trail ride), so I hopped on anyway. And, she proceeded to unload me in a very naughty pony type way :) Nothing hurt but my pride (and B's reputation - why is there always someone watching and ready to gossip when weird stuff happens? It's like a built in law of equestrians or something) so I got back on but she just didn't really settle. It's an odd day when I can't tire B out! Yesterday, I opted to longe the little monster prior to getting on and that was a wise decision. Again, not so great of a ride because she was super spooky and wired and honestly despite all the hiking and yoga I feel a bit too unfit as far as saddle time goes to really manage it as well as I could. It's B, though. By tomorrow I'll probably be struggling to wake her up :)

Fairly accurate representation of normal energy levels.

On the plus side, she's obviously feeling fantastic, is at a perfect weight, and to my eye looks and feels 100% and ready for bit more of a work schedule this spring.

On another note, I have fallen off twice recently after a nice hiatus of managing to stay in the saddle for a couple of years. I also have some new riding tights. I have worn them twice. I have fallen off in them twice. I'm not superstitious, but still...they have a 100% fall rate and while it's not exactly unheard of for me to end up on the ground, this seems a little excessive 🙈 Just in case, I think those tights are going to live in the back of the closet for a bit 😏

So, horses in winter in the BC raincoast. This is fun, right?

this

 PSA: If you're not already following Alberta Equest, you probably should be :)

I just wanted to share this post because it really resonated with me: Read here

I've had a similar post sitting in my drafts folder, but in trying to be mindful of these small little communities I live and ride in, plus the fact the majority of the people I interact with on a regular basis are fantastic, I couldn't find words I was happy with. 

Consider this your friendly reminder that you're more capable than you think, and that you deserve to surround yourself with nothing but the best of people - in your personal life, in your work life, and yes, at the barn too. We all make mistakes, we all fail at times, but that's really not a bad thing. None of us are perfect, most of us probably have pretty average lives, but it's still reasonable to strive to be better, it's OK to have big dreams. The best people will help you reach those goals through example, not through an inventory of your perceived failings they'll 'fix' at a cost.

A Week In The Sun

A couple of weeks ago, I basically threw my hands up in the air and decided winter was winning and it was OK to not ride much for a bit. Then the sun came out, the paddocks dried out, and the ponies had a (and I) have a very early case of spring fever.

A side note for those that don't live here...somewhere around October it starts raining, a lot. By mid November you'll start to wonder if sunshine and dry ground was ever really a thing. By December the wind and rain storms are seemingly incessant. Days and sometimes weeks go by where my truck headlight sensors assure me there is no 'real' daylight.

Then, eventually a high pressure weather system interrupts things - and the sun comes out!  Once we all get over being blinded by the light, everyone starts riding, hiking, doing yardwork, and generally is in a wonderful mood. It's almost a bit of a vacation atmosphere - everyone getting in all the fun they can before the rain eventually returns. We're expecting a first (and probably only) dump of snow this weekend so the excitement this week is extra real!

Zoom zoom

What's really great about these little winter reprieves is that the horses are completely on board for it. After being totally wild earlier in the week, B spent almost all of yesterday sunbathing <3 S of course is never one to turn down a good party, but by yesterday even she was so partied out she could barely find the energy to accompany me for a walk. 

lol @ Sophie's worried face when even Bridget is on the move!

I turned them out together the other day for a bit for a bit of pasture while the ground is drier. That is normally a Big Occasion for them mid winter, but they both elected to just kind of chill in the corner together :)

Post ride and still some light in the sky! I'm a lot happier with her weight than I was but there is still a bit of work to do.

The other great thing about sunshine is that the days last a little longer. I was able to fit a ride in after work on Wednesday, a pony 'spa day' on Tuesday, and a walk to the arena and longe for Sophie yesterday. 

Was a good girl this week except for breaking her new halter when she decided spa day was taking too long, so we're temporarily back to the Barbie princess pony one she came with.

Midge feeling the vacation vibe...despite all efforts for a nice photo her bottom lip would not get out of snooze mode.

Grateful

 For the kind comments on my recent post. I wasn’t worrying too much about it, but it was one of those things niggling away in the back of my mind that I was allowing myself to feel a little like I was failing at. 

You’re all right of course, it’s the middle of fricken winter, she’s young, I’m busy, and the time out not only won’t hurt, it’ll probably be beneficial.

Is very capable of putting together her own exercise program temporarily ;)

As for the rest, I think there is always a certain type of person looking to find things about others to repaint in a negative light. I don't know why I'm always surprised when I meet (or hear about) them, but maybe rather than focus those people or on my sometimes failure to filter the negative, non relevant commentary out, I should celebrate the fact that it stands out so much because on an everyday basis I've got a network around me that is full of positivity and encouragement, people who practice being kind. Bloggers and blog readers included, of course <3

Also this very kind tree spotted on a weekend hike.

I've leave you with a few fun pictures from the weekend. Bridget saw some poles in the arena a few days ago and got very excited about it, so I set up a little course of ground poles for her (sadly could not find any jump cups or I would have made her a little cross rail or two). She had the most fun ever, and I may have cracked a smile a few times too. Knock on wood, she's still feeling great today,  so I'll make an effort to put up some small jumps for her in the next while if that's what she says she'd like to do. I switched her diet and supplements around last fall and she's been full of energy this winter!

I needed video, the pictures don't accurately capture her enthusiasm for the circle of death exercise. I would have never guessed anyone was a fan of it, but it seems Bridget is.

Sophie has also been full of crazy energy, but she's just been having fun at home. She's got a large paddock she can run a little in, but in the evenings when I muck out and get feeds set up she gets an hour either in the round pen or in with Bridget. That's beneficial two ways - she doesn't pester me while I'm trying to work, and she gets a change of scenery which she finds quite exciting so she exercises herself ( and sometimes B too ;)

I should probably do a review post on what clippers NOT to buy if you own a hairy pony.

Charles Owen MS1 Pro Review

 I’m not sure if “review” is the right title for this. Helmet fit is such an individual thing, so I expect that you’re really going to have to look and try things on for yourself!

That being said, a few of you were interested in my new helmet, and I can tell you how it's working for me! I took a few extra pictures of it this weekend and will do my best to describe my initial impressions of it.

First thing you need to know: the black version doesn't come with a cover. You need to order that separately if you don't have one. They do come in some pretty neat colors for a bit more $ though, and those options come with a black cover included. 

Leather harness that's pretty secure feeling and comfortable despite how substantial it looks.

Underside shows you the construction - outer shell, foam, MIPS liner (yellow), and removable washable liner.

Inside.

As you can see from the underside, while this is a nice enough helmet, it's not super fancy. I'm 99.9% sure this is the JS1 helmet with MIPS added. And maybe I'm just too cheap, but there's ~$125 difference for that flimsy yellow piece of plastic. I'll pay it, because the research makes sense to me and I assume that's what I'm paying for. You might want to do your own search on helmet testing and technology though and make your own choices. Sadly, there's not as much impartial info out there as maybe there should be. 

This particular model has SEI certification to ASTM F1163-15, Kitemarks to VG1 01-040 2014-12 and PAS015:2011, and a CE mark to VG1 01-040 2014-12. The JS1 Pro is ASTM F1163-15, PAS015:2011, VG1 01-040 2014-12 according to the Charles Owen website.

Overall, I really like the fit and feel of this helmet. I ended up with a 58 round fit, and while I don't really have trouble finding helmets that fit well, this is probably the first that is comfortable enough I actually forget it's on. It's not summer yet, but we've had a very mild January (12 degrees Celsius yesterday) and I've had some good rides in it where I've been down to a t-shirt and still found it light and comfortable feeling. It feels like a nice compromise between the bigger, more expensive xc helmets and a lighter, ventilated schooling helmet.

Helmet in action.

Helmet modeling is not my calling ;)

I'm Fine, She's Fine, We're All Fine

 I haven't ridden Sophie since mid December and that's proving to be a bit of gossip fodder. Since bloggers and blog followers are the best, you all understand that sometimes life just happens and there's no drama to report. We're cool like that.

B doing her part to add a little interest to this post

S really, really needed a regular schedule (ideally 5 days a week or more) this winter, which I was struggling to provide given extra Christmas work hours and the lack of daylight/indoor arena to use. Then I fell (not her fault) and needed 3 weeks off. Finally, last week I was mucking out by flashlight at 5:00 in the latest monsoon, dodging falling tree branches, and I kind of just lost the will to live. 

OK, that's a bit dramatic :), but I've decided to let things sit for another couple of weeks until daylight is a bit more of our friend again and I can get out often enough to be fair to her. I have friend R lined up to ride her a couple of days a week as well, which should be very helpful.

That time before Christmas the sun came out a little

Anyway, I've been feeling kind of guilty because I had hoped to keep working hard this winter and put lots of miles on, but S is still quite green and silly due to lack of work. I know it's not cool to compare yourself or your horse's progress to others, but I'm human and I do look around and feel a little behind the norm (whatever that is!)  Add in a bit of gossip and pushiness and I get a bit frustrated. I'm an adult! Why do I still sometimes feel like I'm in high school?

Like an adorable, excitable puppy, this one.

I have still been riding Bridget of course, because she's just fine with a couple of days off then hacking down the road in the rain in the dark. I feel sometimes with the two of them the expectation is that S will eventually be like B, but they are two completely different beings. B pretty much came just as she is, the type you could probably pull out of a field 5 years from now and go for a jump school. But, as I learned, in a 5 day a week schedule she quickly becomes sour and unhappy - she really enjoys her down time.  That's why I went looking for something like S. So, again to the gossipers, I'm riding B because I'm lazy and it's easy to just pull her out of the field and go. S needs more time, because she's young. I haven't made the time, but I will once the days are a little longer - no conspiracy theories here.

Recent weekend outing with B

In other Bridget news, I've actually booked appointments! We are so far out at this point, but I've got an ultrasound booked with the traveling vet for mid May (along with teeth and vaccinations - I wouldn't have thought of it but doing teeth/sedatives after she's in foal isn't ideal and would have to wait for after baby). Anyway, the thinking is we will ultrasound, see where she's at, then either take her to Vancouver Island where the traveling vet works from, or she'll stay here and I'll have meds to short cycle her, then we'll take her over. This is all so new to me, so I was pretty happy when the vet mentioned having a package type deal that includes almost everything. I like having numbers to work with and being able to budget! 

I think B knows I'm planning something involving her

Another thing I of course hadn't thought of is that since we are doing AI from a stallion across the country she needs to be near-ish to a major airport. Luckily, she will be. I've got boarding arranged over there while the vet does her thing, then B will come back here and the vet will come to us for checkups, etc. I'm happy with this plan because it means B will just be away anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks and then she can come home until closer to foaling time. 

Final update: the neverending trailer saga. I just got a quote for a new one. Waiting to see when it will be in stock, tentative plan is to pick up in early April.