Inconclusive, But Trending Upwards

I'm undecided if I made the right decision today. As per the vet's orders, I was supposed to give Bridget a light workout Sunday to see how she felt. You'll recall I'm also questioning saddle fit. So, I popped on bareback to give Bridget her ride.

 I think that was a great decision as far as eliminating potential issues due to the saddle. On the other hand, I don't push her all that hard when I'm riding bareback, so it might not be the best way to evaluate minor lameness issues!

I'd have an easier time rebalancing this with a saddle.

Short ride recap: She felt frustratingly "OK". No mind blowing change back to her best self, but better. She felt quite energetic and enthusiastic, which was great, but she's had a few days off so I don't know if we can say it's because she's not sore anywhere. She felt less stiff to the right, and she picked up her canter lead, although I had to work to keep her from popping that shoulder and twisting to switch the lead. So...I feel improvement. Maybe I just celebrate that, don't overthink it, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. She gets her last day of Bute tomorrow, and then a couple more days off. Fingers crossed a little more time off proves to be the answer!

She's so fun

Since the day was beautiful, we also went for a drive out to Sophie's new farm. We've got a crazy surplus of apples right now, so both girls are being spoiled each time I visit them.

You have apples?

My decision to give S an apple in the pasture was probably not the wisest thing I've done lately...one of the other horses came at me and her very aggressively from quite a ways away. I had my back turned to him, and I'm grateful G was watching and let me know trouble was incoming. Very rude, but also a friendly reminder to be aware of the herd, not just my own horse.

Pondering the view

S seems solidly middle of the pack...she wants desperately to be everyone's best friend, but the mares that seem to be a little below her in rank kind of ignore her and act like they'd rather be left alone. The middle gelding is the one who's still sorting things out with her, and the lovely Morgan of the barn owner is the undisputed and very kind leader of everyone.

You can see the big scrape on her side

S got a quick grooming and check over. No walk because her frog that got damaged still looks a bit pink and sore, but it's healing very quickly! Her mouth seems fine after having her wolf teeth out, and the scabs are starting to come off her big scrape on her side. I'm very optimistic there will be no scars. The barn owner feels terrible, but I'm not sure there's much anyone could have done differently - she spent a few days meeting everyone over the fence, then they introduced everyone one by one. It wasn't until halfway through day 2 of group turnout she came in all beat up. Poor S has had a rough couple of weeks, but she seems to be on the mend and fitting in quite well!

Spot the pony. Bridget is enjoying the dry weather and extra pasture time.

Good Pony

"Wild" pony. Going to be so hard to catch! This pasture situation will never work out.

"C'mon Sophie!"

Well, that was easy.

OK, I've got to let those catty comments go. Shes a good girl, especially for a youngster, and perhaps not everyone expects that. I'm sure they'll come around when they get to know her better.

Patiently waiting for her farrier appointment. At the barn, all by herself.

Sophie was excellent for her new farrier today. We were all much impressed with her manners. I'd love to take credit, but I think she's just maturing. She's also got tons of room to run and burn off all the silliness and in general I think she's pretty happy at the new barn. Despite the initial rough start, I think the move was a great decision.

Even her stall she comes into at night  is always open to about a 1 acre grassy paddock. Her tracks indicate she's not opposed to a midnight gallop now and then ;)

Somehow, most of the frog on her front right got torn off last night. Its less dramatic than it sounds, because she was shedding it out, so part of it was leaving regardless. It's just unfortunate it got caught on something and tore away some of the healthy tissue before the farrier could trim the dead stuff off nicely. So, she's going to be a little footsore until it grows back a little.

Luckily, the ground isnt very hard and it's all grass fields so hopefully she shouldn't be too ouchy.

Poor pony has had a rough couple of weeks, getting beat up by her pasturemate and requiring much hosing, poking and treating for that. Then getting her wolf teeth pulled Wednesday, then today getting part of her sore foot trimmed up. You'd think by now she'd be hiding when she sees me coming with her halter, but she seems just as happy to see me and as enthusiastic as ever. I'm falling more in love with this little mare and her great attitude every day.

Begging for nose scratches

Vet Day

Living in this isolated part of the world, we're lucky we have a pretty wonderful vet willing to visit us every month. It's actually been a few years since I've used him, or even been present for a vet visit since I've been living elsewhere with the horses a lot of the time and spoiled with a barn manager coordinating things while I work. I've missed being more hands on, both because I like being there to hear things first hand, but also because I kind of geek out. I was one of those kids who was 100% sure they wanted to be a vet for many, many years. As an adult, I'm happy with my life choices, but I still think vets have a pretty cool job and am always happy to assist on calls.

Both Sophie and Bridget needed their fall shots and teeth done, plus a lameness exam for Bridget. I volunteered to hold a couple of other adorable equines at B's barn too, because why not? :)

This pony is having some digestive upsets, which led vet to jokingly start referring to him as "that sh!tty pony" when it became known I don't actually think he has a name yet. Vet's suggestion is pretty apt even when he's feeling good - he's a bit of a character. He's so cute though - barnmate and I decided Gus might be more appropriate :)

Sophie lives the farthest away, so she was up first, and right off the bat the vet was a little unhappy with her feet. The issue is fairly minor, she toes out a little on the left front and since she's still growing he'd like to see her trimmed a little differently to address that. Its not at all our current farriers fault - she's another person who travels to us and there's only do much she can do every eight weeks! This weekend I'm trying a new farrier who just moved here, so fingers crossed it's a good fit. I'm hopeful having someone local will solve our current issues. With the initial check up out of the way, S got some happy drugs. Then some more. And even more. For a little pony, she's not a cheap drunk. She was very well behaved throughout, just not getting as sleepy as he wanted.

Party on, Sophie

She's still mostly got baby teeth, so the focus of the visit was getting those wolf teeth pulled. There were two, and although they were fairly shallow, they were big! It was a bit gory. I saved the teeth, of course.  I'm glad we got it done, it will be nice to start introducing a bridle to her and some long lining. He agreed with my tentative time frame for starting her, he's of the opinion she's going to be slower to mature.

Cute mare, no grain for you for a week until your mouth heals. Poor baby.

Bridget got off lucky and didn't need her teeth done this time - they still look good from last year and we'll recheck in spring. She had her fall shots and a lameness exam, and of course trotted out loose and sound for that. He did some flexions and she was very minority reactive on her left hind. B is the most stoic of all the ponies, so he based his findings on my input of how she's been under saddle, plus the fact she was inhaling/grunting ever so slightly as she weighted that leg on tight circles and as he flexed it during the exam. Further investigation has him optimistic she sprained/strained something in her hock, so she gets a few days off and some bute to start. I can try some light riding over the weekend if she feels good. If she remains sore, or goes back to being sore when she goes off bute or when I up the workload again, then he'll come back to xray and we'll come up with a further plan. Otherwise, he thought B looked "fantastic" which is always nice to hear.

Later in the day, I got a panicked call from the barn owner. B appeared to be colicking. Since that NEVER happens, I rushed up there in a bit of a panic. She was breathing rapidly and seemed pretty dull, but otherwise seemed OK, so I was relieved, but still nervous. I walked her a little and of course she perked up quickly and said some fresh grass might make her feel better - ponies!!! I think she had a bit of a reaction to the vaccinations she received. Her behavior was very similar to the only other time I've seen that years ago at a barn I managed. I stuck around to keep an eye on her, and by dinner time I was pretty confident she was feeling enough usual self for me to head home.

B eagerly waiting for her bute this morning ;)

Thus ends the story of how I spent $730 in one morning, and missed the remainder of my work day walking and monitoring a sad pony. I'm doubly grateful B didn't need her teeth done, and of course was super relieved when I rolled into the barn this morning to give her her bute and she was very bright and happy.  (Sidenote: she happily just eats the bute out of her bucket. No need to add anything or disguise it, lol. The only other medications she's ever been on were clanbuterol and thyroxine a few years ago, and both of those were apparently edible too. What won't she eat?)

Crossing fingers hard  her hock is just a minor strain and she doesn't need a follow up x-ray visit.

Busy Weekend

We left off where the whole lot of us were feeling rather sorry for ourselves.

I had so much planned for the weekend, but felt kind of discouraged, and also have felt like I've been getting a cold for the last couple of weeks. Nothing beyond being tired and having a sore throat is actually materializing though, so for now I am winning.

And so, I powered through and got a surprising amount of things done! I had volunteered to set up version 2.0 of our spooky trail course, so I did that Friday night. The course ended up looking so fun I brought Bridget down to explore (he's currently in a small paddock, so I think walks are better than standing around, possible sore back or not).

Construction zone - ditch ahead :)

Since life is not perfect, she didn't miraculously feel better since a couple of days before and still felt a bit off at the trot. She also told me the saddle is not fitting well anymore. Story of my life with saddles and this pony. She's lost muscle over her topline, so it's an expected thing that the saddle would need adjusting and something I've been kind of avoiding by using shims as it's quite difficult to find someone locally to do it. If you recall, last time I had to send it away and it took a few months, by which point she'd changed shape again. On the plus side, I would feel bad, but it would be a simple fix if her recent soreness was due to her saddle needing an adjustment.

So I took the saddle off and popped on bareback and we walked around the trail course, because she seemed quite happy to wander around sans saddle. I trotted a little and she seemed content, but quite honestly I can't sit a giant cob trot bareback well enough to be fair to her so I did a lot of slower trotting and tiny bit of canter and went back to toodling around. Not a definitive lameness test by any means, but encouraging that she felt better. Don't worry, though, the vet is still scheduled to investigate further!

Car wash!

Sophie got a bit of a ground work lesson on Friday - she's learning to move body around as I would expect her to once she's under saddle. She finds her left shoulder quite difficult to yield. She's good about it though - not trying to avoid it by running through me or getting in my space at all, just sort of "Ugh. I am stuck and I am sure that shoulder doesn't move like you say it does" :) She's getting the hang of it though, it's just she needs some time to ponder the logistics on moving that one shoulder, where her hindquarters, sidepassing, and other shoulder are pretty reliable from the ground.

Their pasture is beautiful

Sunday, we went for a walk just up to the end of the road and back. I have no idea what Sophie's been up to (by all accounts from the barn owner and manager she's been an angel), but another boarder seemed slightly horrified I was going to lead her anywhere, let alone on the road. I think they had it in their mind she's half feral or something? They were asking a bunch of questions re: her history and training and doing that thing where they ask the same question again phrased just a little differently, like they think you're being dishonest or something and will give them the answer they want to hear ("OK, you found me out! She's a totally wild baby and is REALLY dangerous!") if they just ask enough. So, Sophie made me proud by coming to me when I called her and quietly heading out for our walk like the good girl she is, not even answering when the other horses called for her. (I was a tiny bit frustrated by that point, so Sophie probably wisely knew that it was not the time for dramatics, lol )

Stopping for a snack. Calm down Sophie, you're crazy ;)

Our road adventure was actually really productive. We saw:

-A quad bike
-A dirt bike
-Some really barky dogs
-Cows
-Sheep
-Other horses
-A person on a bicycle
-A big diesel semi truck
-Recycling bins
-Kids on a trampoline

She obviously had to stop and look at some of the above, but proceeded on quite bravely. She was uncomfortable with some of it, but she's very forward thinking and trusting, which is nice. Since our return trip was nearly identical to the outgoing one, she got to see everything twice and was a rock star by the return journey. Not bad for an afternoon walk in the country!

Beat Up

Poor Sophie's integration into the new herd appeared to go well, but when she came in on day 2 she had a lovely hematoma on her chest from being kicked and some nice deep scrapes all down one side of her. I won't lie, part of me got a little protective and frustrated, but the bigger part of me knows she is an absolute pest who I'm sure needed some boundaries installed by the other horses.

She's still super cute though! The damp spots are all lotions and potions the barn owner has been putting on her. Spoiled pony!

I took Bridget out Thursday night for or usual ride and she felt a little off behind again. I had G video and it's noticable there too. She's not stepping compketely through with either hind, moreso on the right. Its not super noticable, but I know what she normally moves like, and it's there. So, that makes me very unhappy and worried.

Sophie and a herdmate yesterday - notice S is now keeping a respectful distance.

Part two of that equation is that watching the video, I was unhappy with how I look riding her. It's been awhile since I've had video. Its not obvious in still pictures but in video I can see how my weight influences her balance a little now and then.  In truth I'm over my normal (not thin on the best of days) weight these days, and as I always feel like I'm borderline appropriate size wise on her, an extra 15 pounds over my norm is too much. So of course, I'm thinking she's off because I'm squishing her. Logically, I know thats probably untrue, but logically I also know the less I weigh and the better I ride, the easier it is on the horses. I've been struggling mentally and let a lot of the regular routine of exercise/eating/generally being kind to myself things slide off and on these past few months. It's unfair to those around me (and my horses) to persist with that though, regardless of my mindset.

Crappy video still from yesterday.

So, let's add some weight loss goals to those fitness ones, shall we? Enough is enough...I'm tired of beating myself up over this but not being proactive enough to fix it.

Far away is more flattering, lol

And, obviously the vet is coming (on Wednesday) to take a look at Ms Bridget. I may take her out on the lunge later this weekend just to see if she's happier without a saddle/weight.

My wonderful husband is all " If you're worried why don't you just get a bigger horse to ride? Then we can still go out for dinners and watch too much Netflix" Thanks for the support, honey :D

What a recap, lol. Basically I think all of us here are feeling a little beat up right now. But, it's a beautiful sunny fall weekend, and we've got a plan, so it's not all bad :)

Year End Quarterly Goals

Because I need a kick in the pants...

Bridget:

-Work to get her fitness back up.
-Work hard on strengthening her hind end. Lots of lateral work and transitions.
-Be consistent about carrying what I learn on Audrey over to Bridget.
-Dig out our lights and high vis gear - long winter nights are coming.
-Basically, while I really have no further expectations for Bridget competition wise, that's no excuse to not continue to make Bridget the best Bridget she can be :) Also, it's good for her health and fitness to be in proper work.
-Quantitative goal: Ride 4x a week.

Sophie:

-Gets to grow up for the winter, and will remain at the new farm until at least the spring.
-but, I'd still like to get her out at least once a week so that she remains level headed about change and new experiences.

Audrey/lessons:

-Master lead changes properly on her. Would love to try tempis by Christmas, but we'll see!
-Budget for at least one lesson a week. Work off what I can. Ride any other horses in the barn that are offered. It's all good experience!
-Be diligent about keeping lesson notes and following EC's advice and homework.
-Practice what I can on Bridget.

Myself:

-Take advantage of the "slow" season by re-reading books and watching video. It's silly to waste time/money in lessons rehashing concepts I could have a head start on understanding by studying on my own time.
-Use up all my gym fitness passes by year end.
-Choose and complete another online 30 day yoga or fitness challenge.
-Continue to work on being more accepting of surprises and changes in plan.
-Be very budget conscious. I have a big wish list, including a trailer, plus Sophie will need her own tack before I know it!

Not Lesson Monday

Mondays have been my lesson night for 3(?!) years now, so it felt a little weird to go to the barn and just ride Audrey. EC is away for the next little while, but lucky me gets to keep my Mondays with Audrey while she's gone.

I had big plans of practicing all the things, but I got there and the weather was decent and I realized this is probably the last time I'll be riding A in daylight for the next several months. Also, A was away showing until Saturday, so it hardly seemed fair to make her do more dressage. So, obviously we had to go for a hack!

Happy mare ears.

She's a funny mare, she's fairly brave and actually quite safe, but our trail ride was...edgy. I think she was quite enjoying herself, but if I didn't know her better I'd probably have been experiencing visions of my imminent demise.  As it was, I wouldn't say it was quite as relaxing for me as I had planned, lol.

When we got back, she was still feeling very good so I put her to work in the arena for a short time. Just lots of bending and stretching with a more open neck, walk thru canter. She was cute : "Oh, I know this! Stretch and relax...feels so good!" She went from dragon mode to floppy eared sleepy mare in about 5 minutes. Such opposites with B, Audrey finds relaxation in working correctly in the arena, where B much prefers to find it on a loose rein on the trail.

A is "only" 16hh and actually a nice size for me. Thank goodness - she can feel very big when she's feeling lively or otherwise expressing her emotions :)

After that, I hung around and caught up with some barn mates. I really, really miss the atmosphere of EC's barn, all those people with goals similar to mine and so much inspiration to be found everywhere there.

Speaking of being inspired, I did a terrible thing and fell in love with another horse. I stuck around partly to watch a barnmate school a 4 year old that's been at the barn for a little while and that I think is pretty much the sweetest thing and my dream conformation wise. Watching her go under saddle though...oh my, she's just wonderful. I'm not sure I've ever been quite so struck by a horse. If only I had talent, money, and time for such a mare :)  Barnmate looks wonderful on her, so let's hope the stars align and she keeps the ride. As the mare is not mine, nor do I lease her, it feels weird to post pictures. I'll post a picture of her sire, though - she inherited a lot of his looks and I hear he's also got a super temperament:

Sire = Connaisseur. She looks just like her dad - in 16hh chestnut mare form :)

Moving Day, Riding, Etc

I had a long, long weekend, and it was fantastic!

Thursday evening ride to the arena on B. While the days are getting noticably shorter, I do appreciate that I can still fit outdoor daylight rides in after work.

Thursday night: Took Bridget to the ring for some flat work, then came back and picked paddocks. So.much.poo, since I was away Tues/Wed - it's going to be a relief to have Sophie on full board! Particularly with my schedule and the days getting shorter, it's starting to feel like any daylight hours are filled with my day job and wheelbarrows of poop...

Friday: Took Bridget for a long hack around the neighbourhood. She was super spicy, which is nice considering I've been worried about her energy levels and condition. Also, I re-evaluated diets and made a stop at the feed store to try her on a new feed. She's been off pasture about 3 weeks now and her shiny summer coat is shedding out. Her winter coat is growing in looking a little rough, rather than the nice dark shiny coat I'm used to. I'm switching her to a high energy/hi fat grain and upping her protein (alfalfa) a little. The vet is coming to visit us mid month.

Winter fuzzy pony on Friday

Saturday: We took Sophie on an epic walk to her new barn. It was a gorgeous day, and Google said it was about a 2.5 hour walk on the trails, so we thought that might be fun instead of trailering.

Sunshine breakfast

Actually, it took closer to 4 hours because Google didn't realize that the trails aren't straight lines, plus there were diversions due to winter puddles and trail flooding. It's pretty flat the whole way though, and nice trails and gravel roads so it wasn't exhausting...just long! Sophie was a superstar, she's really solid with traffic these days, plus all the miscellaneous people, animals, obstacles, and vehicles you meet on the trails. I was quite proud of her!

"I'm a very girl girl, yes?"

She settled in to the new barn without a peep, very much looking like she owns the place and has been there forever. Her new friends were very interested in meeting her, but she was more interested in lunch, lol. I'm really happy with my decision to give her a few months there to grow up and run around with their herd.

24 hours later, pony has settled in and is now interested in having new friends. She's also ridiculously bum high again! 

Sunday: Monsoon rains. I checked in on Sophie, who had now decided she wanted to be friends and go out with the rest of the herd. Maybe in a day or two, little one! I remain impressed with her brain. She was pretty wound up looking for her new friends when I arrived, but I took her into the barn and groomed her and aside from maneuvering so she could peek out the door a couple of times, she was not fussy at all in her new environment and minded her manners. I can't wait to start her under saddle, I really think she's going to be quite special.

I'm fairly certain she thought I was there to take her back home to Bridget, lol. 

When hinting for me to open the gate and take her with me didn't work, she decided to stick to plan B and make other friends.

I then went and gave Bridget some love and mucked her paddock, but beyond that it wasn't much of a horse day because I had to catch a ferry back to the lower coast.

Bridget got her lady beard clipped, how exciting for her, lol. Sophie got introduced to clippers this weekend as well and was a very good girl.

Monday: A much needed sleep in after all the holiday family and horse commitments. Then, back at EC's barn to exercise Audrey. Typing that, I just realized I now have horses to see at three different barns in two different cities...busy, busy! But, this post is long enough,I'll recap the rest later!

More Products I Like

Pony moving went just fine yesterday, but the monsoons have returned for today. Seems like a good morning to hide inside and write a blog!

Amazon was busy delivering to my house this summer! I really am not a huge spender on tack and am not a fashionista, but seasonal clearances usually see me stocking up on necessities and replacement items and making the odd splurge (somehow my splurge is ALWAYS saddle pads, why?)

Yay, Amazon delivery! Let's look inside.

Oh wait, never mind. Kitty customs is holding this box, yet again. 

Here's a few of the things I bought this summer that I'm really happy with:

Tub trugs: I love these for in the trailer or at shows as water or muck buckets. They're priced reasonably, flexible and safe for horses, and tough. Lately, I've been using a smaller one for Sophie's dinner grain, and it's a winner since she's a slow eater and I can just leave it with her overnight, no having to wait around until she's done.

Plus they come in fun colors. The coordinating bucket and blanket were unintended, but I appreciate that it looks like I had a plan.

Mountain Horse Opus Tall Boots: 3 months in with near daily use and they have yet to give me any blisters and clean up like new! Plus, they're pretty.

I ordered the brown, and if a little extra money found it's way to me, I'd strongly consider ordering the black for showing. 

Magic Bands: Last show season, I ordered standard rubber bands. The tack store was out and subbed in Harry's Horse Magic Braids. They're a game changer for me! So tough that they're reusable more often than not, they don't tangle and pull out hair, and they don't break. My tiny hands appreciate that they're a little wider than the norm, too, so IMO easier to grip. I use them all winter for B's tail and one elastic typically lasts 2 or 3 weeks, even with combing her tail out once a week! They are only slightly more expensive than the cheap rubber bands. I think I paid $5 for a bag of 500 last time.

Someone (*cough*Bridget) raided my brushes in search of treats and grabbed the container of elastics, took it into her paddock and spread the elastics everywhere. I ordered this brand last month as a replacement- they work equally well. Www.cottagecraft.co.uk

BR Passion saddle pad: It's pretty and shiny. Oh, and it fits nice and is wearing well. It's just an averagely nice saddle pad, to be honest, but it looks like one of those super expensive "luxury" pads. And for $35 on clearance ;) Plus navy. Navy or black seem to be my go to saddle pad colors because they pretty much match anything close enough to make it look like I had some sort of plan when I got dressed in the morning.

 I'm a fan of the BR brand in general. I have another saddle pad and a really nice waterproof quarter sheet, both found at very good prices.

Magic Brush: I use this thing on everything. The cat has one and loves it, I have a spare for getting hair off my clothes, saddle pads, blankets before washing, and one for the horses that's pretty much my go to year round. It works on their entire bodies including mane and tail and is gentle, but still manages to get dirt and loose hair off. Both my horses love it. My only complaint is that it works almost too well and I feel like I spend a lot of time cleaning it out because it gets clogged with dirt and hair pretty quickly.

I don't actually have these, I have some knock off ones from the local tack store. I think they're $2-3 each there.

Ventolin Green Spot: This came in a basket Bridget won at a show, and I finally tried it out on Sophie the other day. Works super well, a little goes a long way, don't need to rinse it out. Bonus: it doesn't turn them blue or purple :) It doesn't smell as pretty as the Cowboy Magic stuff, but it works just as well and I think the bottle will last a lot longer given how thick the liquid is and how little you need to use. I'd buy it again.

Random on sale leather halter. I finally subbed one in as Bridget's daily halter (unlike another pony we know, she can be trusted to not pull back and break them). There's truly nothing at all special about the halter, but seeing B in it makes me smile...there's nothing wrong with her nylon halter but the leather one, to me at least, makes it look like someone thinks she's special. And, they do. So it makes me happy. Next up, nameplates  :)

What's Happening

-Sophie moves to her new home this weekend. The weather turned awful this past Sunday night and I was lying in bed at 2am wondering if she'd been brought in for the night (she has a stall in the barn when the weather is yucky, but no shelter in her paddock beyond a big tree) By 5am, I was pretty much of the opinion that whether she had been brought in or not, it was time to move because who needs to stay up all night worrying? Not me. (There are many other reasons this move is a good thing for her, of course, but the main one is peace of mind knowing at the new barn Sophie will come into the barn every night and have a huge pasture (with run in shelters) to run around in during the day.)

She looks great right now, but she's definitely bored in her small paddock and the winter weather is here.

-Yes, Bridget stays where she is. The situation at the current barn actually suits her quite well - she has her own winter paddock with a shelter, so doesn't need to be moved around, and is a super low maintenance pony in general. She prefers her own space, and she's on a permanent diet so the more limited pasture turnout and two feedings a day in her hay net works for us. Also, with winter coming, it's invaluable to me to be within a 10 min hack of the indoor area.

-Ginger! She's doing so well in her new home! She's very much loved, she looks fantastic, and even did her first Pre-Training event last weekend. She's found the best home ever and I'm so happy. It turns out that I work with the new owner's husband, so I even get the odd cute Ginger story at work :)

-Bridget has not been feeling quite herself. I have the vet coming on the 17th to investigate.   Nothing I can specifically pinpoint, she's just lacking her usual sparkle and seems weak/maybe slightly off(?) behind.

You can even see a little here what I'm noticing - she's losing muscle in her bum and topline - her bum used to be quite round, even when she was young and unfit. I know it's not dramatically noticeable, and the lameness/stiffness also is pretty off and on and vague, but she's only 9 this year,  so I think we need a professional opinion.

-The farm dream remains on hold. The local real estate market has been going through a giant correction, and although we risk losing out on the place we love, we just don't feel comfortable purchasing until the market settles. If I'm being honest I would be very happy living on acreage again, bur I also like our current home and am appreciative of the freedom boarding allows. It's only when there is barn drama that I really start to feel a big push to have the horses at home again.

Here's a picture (from a google image search/pinterest - sorry don't know who to credit) that shows what our milk jug pit looked like last weekend. Our pit had about 4 times the amount of bottles inside though, lol.

-Yoga. I love it, love how the strength, balance and body awareness is directly applicable to riding  - and holy crap is it making me strong.  Since I'm cheap and self conscious, a lot of the time I just watch at home YouTube channels and follow along as best I can. This is working surprisingly well for me because I don't get in my head about looking dumb or fitting it into a class schedule. It's just the first thing I do every morning, a lot of time in my pajamas :) I can also curse out the TV when it's hard (yoga rage is a completely appropriate state of mind, or am I missing something, lol?), unlike a real instructor, which is actually kind of fun in itself.

Not As Good

You knew eventually it had to happen! A not so great lesson on the lovely Audrey...

I could rationalize it a million different ways - she just ran XC yesterday (in line with my book review last week re: the horse with basic training - yes, she's competing PSG dressage, but she also jumps regularly and events a couple of times a year too). I've missed two weeks worth of lessons, which also doesn't help, when you're me.

I was really feeling this as my morning inspiration.

But honestly? I think we were just sort of due. I didn't bring my A game, which I find frustrating given how much I look forward to these rides and how much I can potentially learn. Mentally, it was a very long day and my mindset wasnt the most focused or positive it's ever been. I hate knowing what I want to do, and yet being unable to put the pieces together. My body and mind just didn't want to cooperate as well as they might have. Ah well.

Audrey had a little of her own thing going on, I think just kind of frustrated with my ineptness and also the fact she was missing dinner time, lol.

Sophie has similar opinions of me at times. Here she's mad I didnt scratch her butt just right, so she had to do it herself while giving me a mare glare side eye , lol

Low spots included my inability to keep her in a counter canter without some serious crab imitations, plus some very impressive kicking at my leg, one of which only narrowly missed the arena mirrors, but of course hit the wall hard enough to scare everyone, including herself :o Because if everyone didn't know it wasn't going great before, they sure knew now.

I was perusing Facebook yesterday and was like "I know those adorable ears!" Hi Ginger! 

On the plus side: I wasn't at all intimidated. I learned a lot. The bad things were mostly just moments in time that we worked through. We got some fantastic canter transitions between medium and collected, and I really feel like I'm sitting and influencing her canter a million times better than at the beginning of the summer. Trot work ended on a fantastic note, with some very fancy feeling movement!

And, a little something to look forward to - my coach is away for a few weeks, and I get to exercise Ms Audrey. Free rides to practice on one of my favorite horses are a gift I plan to enjoy fully!