13 Dogs

The past week I've been house sitting for 13 dogs. 13. The lady is a dog breeder and breeds Havanese. Here is a little picture of the monsters. 1 terrier not pictured who is about 50 lbs, 9 adult Havanese, & 3 puppies. 

It feels nice not having to clean up after puppies anymore. But with how often I've house sat for this lady and how many litters of her puppies I have had the pleasure to take care of, I am convinced I could be a dog breeder. I don't want to care for puppies or have 13 dogs. But I could do it. 

In other news, it has been about 18 degrees average as of late. Aka no riding time. Personally, I don't like to ride below 20. The outdoor is an ice rink and all the paddocks have been shoveled (ask me how I know) so the ponies aren't slipping on ice. It makes stall cleaning easier at least. 

Since we have mirrors in the indoor now we are no longer allowed to have turnout in there. So the other day I stuck Ries on the lunge and let him derp around. Poor guy had so much pent up energy. Much buck. Very rear. 

He was quite satisfied with himself and leaned into my pats afterwords. Silly boy. Christmas money means lessons are on the horizon! 

My brother is currently in the hospital from a bad motorcycle accident down in California. Tomorrow I head out to go see him for a week. I hope it stays frozen in Idaho so I don't have to feel guilty about missing rides. 

Adios frozen weather! Maybe I'll get a tan ;)

Blogger Gift Exchange!

Wohoo! First of all, thank you to Tracy @ Fly On Over! Second, just receiving something from Ali & Dino over at Pony'tude felt like a visit from a celebrity! Total nerd alert I know. 

They sent me an awesomely wrapped package of PINK SPARKLE POLOS and gorgeous bling spur straps (that I forgot to take a picture of!). I have always wanted to put pink on Ries but since he is a gelding everyone always judged me whenever I wanted to. #genderstereotypes. But now I can! I'm currently scouring the internet for a good deal on an epic pink saddle pad to match. 

Thank you again so much Ali! I love everything! 

Back to basics

Yikes. Ries is feeling better. 

But as much as we look like crap in this pictures we felt like crap too! Ries was super antsy since he hasn't been able to get turnout due to inclement weather. So I tried to keep his head in the game but he decided it would be more fun to be short-strided and hollow. We managed to get a little work done in the walk but the rest of the time I just tried to get him to use up some energy. 

He gave me a nice buck instead of a canter transition so that was fun. As much as I hate to show you these crappy iphone pictures I need to document the suckage. Enjoy a good laugh. 

Wandering

Cute pony that lives at my house

12/15- Ries got seen by massage therapist! And then he was a little brat. He felt MUCH better after getting worked on and wanted to go run in the swamp. I let him out and he romped around for awhile. 

Meanwhile, I went back inside the heated office to get myself adjusted. Afterwards, we were sitting there talking when a barn mate started waving at me threw the window. I waved back politely when she suddenly seemed like she needed my attention urgently. I walked outside and apparently Riesling was taking a self guided walk down the road. 

Apparently when the barn mate showed up to clean stalls she opened the arena gate and didn't see any horse in there and proceeded with her chores. Ries spent a good half hour wandering around the ranch before getting bored and walking down the road. 

Luckily he wasn't super excited and was just cruising. A car was coming towards him and stopped. He came up to them and they pet him while I walked towards them with a leadrope. When they saw me they shooed him towards me. He saw me and nonchalantly walked up to me and would have followed me back to the barn even if I didn't have a leadrope around his neck.

When I first saw him walking down the road I was sure that is how I was going to lose him. Instead he just wanted to scare me half to death. Ahh silly ponies. 

Crooked

12/15 - I noticed the past few weeks that I am crooked. I have a shoulder out and who knows what else. Knowing it had been awhile since Ries was worked on, I focused on feeling out his body. 

The first thing I noticed was a problem we have been having a lot of lately. Ries does not want to stretch into the contact. We will be working on this a lot more. We have been really struggling with the walk and even though it is super boring to work on, we need to do it. 

Tracking right he is counter bent and stuck in his poll and chest. I believe he also has a rib out because he is upset when we try and get bend through the rib cage. Ries was a little fiesty since there hasn't been turnout due to the swamp and he wanted to do something more physical. His trot is still forward and connected, his neck is just very stiff and he isn't coming up under himself. 

We cantered just so he could use up some energy. Holy freaking dolphin. Poor guy was very stuck somewhere (probably why he can't lift his belly) and was just trying to get it out. We stopped cantering because I knew he was uncomfortable somewhere. Hopefully he'll get all fixed up today!

Any suggestions to help him stretch out under saddle? 

The swamp

Thank god for indoor arenas.  Our entire facility is a swamp right now. Even the concrete floors in the barn has a pool in the middle. They decided this year to try and pump out all the excess water. There is a canal that runs through the property so they are pumping water into the round pen and then pumping from the round pen to the canal. 

We will see how it works! In the mean time Ries and I are just derping around the indoor. 

WW: Lion King

Update: L came to his senses and the kittens are now named Nala & Kiara. 

Where I still havent found my winter gloves..

11/25

But yet I still rode. Yay! Ries has been awesome. Very forward! I immediately noticed he is struggling with balancing and carrying himself. His topline has decreased so we will be working on that first to get back in shape. 

Apologize for shitty iPhone pictures. Better than no pictures? My bf is not gifted at taking horse pictures yet. No pretty trot pics, sads. 

I was super pleased with his attitude. He is really wanting to get back into riding fun. Hopefully I'll scrounge up some money and be able to start lessons again here soon. Getting a little more in shape first wouldn't be bad though. 

In other news, for the past few months I've been using Jamberry nails. They are wraps that you heat up and stick on your nails. Surprisingly, they can last up to a month with no chips or falling off! (I may or may not have tested this theory last month..) 

I'm not selling or advertising for them, I just really like them and found they work great with equestrian hands! I work the front desk at my job and they tolerate that well too. 

I live on a little (10 acre) farm now and with winter here, there has been a lot of mice in my house! I decided it would be best to get some barn cats (at least that was my excuse hehe). So I have three new family members! The oldest is a grey cat (that blends in with the blankets) named Noodles. The two kittens are little girls named Salt and Pepper (my bf is so creative in the name department *rolls eyes*). 

Anyways, that is about it for now. This week we will battle the cold and just try lots of long and low trot to get that topline back up. 

Cute sleepy kitty to brighten up your Tuesday!

Salt

Frozen Fingers

Yesterday I went out to the barn to drop off Riesling's SmartPaks and he would have been damned if I didn't give him cookies. I don't think there is anything better than your horse recognizing your car and when he hears you come into the barn he nickers.

I have yet to find any of my winter gloves that are in the dark depths of my trunk. But I couldn't just not take him out. So I let my fingers freeze and gave him a good pampering session.

I've been trying to grow out his tail since the day I got him over 6 years ago. When I got him it was to his hocks (sads). I've used a variety of methods at this point but I think I found one that works. I keep it heavily moisturized with EquiFuse serum and brush it every time I groom. I found that it keeps it tangle free and I lose way less hair than when I braided and bagged it.

Today I have a half day at work so that means riding time! Yay. Now if only I wasn't so grumpy this morning I forgot my breeches. Oops. Guess I'm going home after work and heading to the barn in the later afternoon.

Tracking Progress

Sometimes life gets busy and I spend my time reminiscing about horse activities.

Lately, I have found every excuse to be at the barn (for good reasons). Coming "home" to the barn after so long was refreshing. I get back into my normal routine without skipping a beat.

The barn is my therapy. I can't dwell on anything negative while I am there. Immediately surrounded by my horse leaves me focused on something new. Life's little problems melt away and I'm instead taking control of my path.

Saturday Riesling started back in "work". Being at the barn with him made me want to take the extra time to put on matching polo wraps and make sure his coat was sparkling. I see a part of myself in him. And he shares his world with me.

I wasn't feeling up to riding but wanted to do more than groom so I figured a good lunge was in order. Just a light one to remind him that yes work is starting again and yes we are still partners.

I tossed on some side reins lightly adjusted just to give him a better sense of balance. Honestly, I wanted to cry tears of joy. My partner for the past six years knew what I wanted and put his head right in the game. I hadn't seen my horse worked on the ground in awhile. I forgot how I loved how he moved. We were fair to each other. He started in his "comfort zone" and after a few minutes I'd push him a little to move forward. We didn't work hard or long. It was a warm welcome back to the land of horses.

I am looking with brightness towards the future and can't wait to share with you all that life has to bring. I have decided that at this point it is not necessary to share the horrible two weeks I experienced. I can't dwell on the past and I've recovered.

Montana Adventures

This past weekend, my boyfriend, L, had a drill weekend in Montana. His parents live about 2 hours from his unit so he asked me if I wanted to join him and have a pre-thanksgiving dinner with them. I don't work weekends, so I figured why not!

Looked like something out of a tv show

These are my adventures of my first time in Montana. 

Sport!

We drove up on Friday and stayed at a hotel in Livingston because of the large Montana Grizz vs Bobcats game being held in Bozeman. Livingston is a relatively small town and had a cute vibe to it. We ate dinner at Montana Rib & Chophouse the first night, because beef. When in Montana, eat all the meat. 

Amazing

The next day he left for drill at 7 AM and I slept my little heart out. We brought his dog with us and she enjoyed the all day cuddle as well. Around lunch time I wandered into town (holy cold and wind) and had the best burger of my life. It was a bison burger (my first!). I watched the football game at the sports bar and then made my way back to the hotel. We had dinner that night at another steakhouse that was in the back of a bar/casino. It was awesome as well. 

My first cheesesteak

One of his friends had worked at a small theater (acting, not movies) in town and got us free tickets to a show. The musical was called Tom Foolery and it was hilarious. I recommend seeing it if it pops up around you. 

Hope is not lost!

Sunday I had to drive into Bozeman with him since we had to check out of our hotel sometime that morning. Left to my own devices I had breakfast downtown, drove around until Petco opened, dropped off the pooch for a bath, and looked for tack stores. 

Fancy boots

The first store I went to was a huge disappointment. It looked like the walmart of horse stores but their english section consisted of winter riding gloves and two half chaps. Womp womp. 

Baby sized blankets!

The next store I went to was more exciting. I wanted it all. Their sale section sucked. Only 20% off. And their consignment section was pricey so I left with nothing. But I wanted it all. 

Mm Leather

I picked the dog back up and picked up L from his unit and we drove to Billings to meet his parents! And after a ten hour drive yesterday, I am finally back home.

Winter collection

Silver Linings

Life has been coasting at a pleasant level for a few days now. My immediate reaction is to prepare for something bad to happen. But I'm trying to ignore that feeling.

Anyways, yesterday was a great day. Why? Riesling had his "annual" lameness exam/flexion test. A little background; last summer, Riesling had what we thought was an abscess. I took him to the local vet hospital for x-rays. While I was there I figured I mine as well do a lameness exam just to see how Riesling is doing at 12 years old. I hadn't had any extensive vetting done when I bought him so I figured why not.

I felt awful after that flexion test. He basically looked crippled. I thought our lives were over. Riesling got two sets of injections in each hock and we were sent on our way (abscess free too!). Since then, I have put Riesling on the best joint supplements I could find (and afford). Currently, he is on Exceed 6 Way and I couldn't be happier.

After putting it off for over a year, Riesling had another lameness evaluation done. At the vet hospital last year, I was told he could probably last more than 6 months without injections and would need them again in one year. Well I procrastinate everything and life happens.

Yesterday was our annual shot clinic at the ranch so I called and asked if Riesling could have a flexion test as well as he might require injections. The vet evaluated him, and I could feel as I trotted Riesling out after his flexion test that he didn't particularly enjoy it, but he was sound!

I couldn't be happier with how Riesling is doing. I'm not sure whether it was his recent time off that helped, or the supplements. I like to think my $82 a month smartpaks are keeping him happy, but I'll take what I can get.

Now we are ready to take on this winter and get back in shape to start seriously schooling 1st Level!

PS I apologize for the lack of interesting media. I'll work on it. Psst Muskateers?

Courage

I rediscovered this beautiful piece, by Loreice, the other day. It reminds me of Lauren @ SheMovedToTexas and Sprinkler Bandit. 

Just wanted to share how blessed I feel to have won this from you, Lauren, and how big of an impact it is making in my life right now.

Feel the spirit of the wild horse. Be courageous. 

The only pants to wear in winter

I'm fighting through this y'all. Knowing what you have shared on your blogs when you have had hard times reminds me Im not alone. I truely truely appreciate all of your support and it means the world to me.

A not-super-sads post was in store for today. The only pants you should wear all winter. If you have to wear pants. And its not antartica. 

Ariat tek winter riding breeches full seat

These sons of bitches are the holy grail for winter. Winter riding breeches. Thin, yet warm as hell. Look like leggings. Wear them with anything! 

Seriously you'll be lookin all fierce and everyone will be like "how she wearin leggings when its so cold outside?". Because these are magical. And they dont get stupidly hot inside either.

No other words of wisdom for today. Just stock up on these bad boys. Or wear the same pair a few days in a row (if you aren't riding). I won't tell. 

Rollercoasters

Life. How do you deal with it? I manage to get some courage through the tough parts and when I think I have a grip on reality it all crumbles through my fingers.

When life keeps bringing you down in big ways how do you cope? How do you get rid of that nagging feeling when something good finally happens that something worse is coming?

I thought I made it out of the storm, when in reality I didnt. Im trying to keep faith and remain positive. Im struggling. 

Hug those you love and cherish everything beautiful life gives you.

Reflections

On Sunday I turned 20. Im no longer a teenager and adulthood gave me a big wake up call.

Ill begin a series of posts about what my life was the past few months, but that isn't what today is about.

I always wanted to blog for me. To reflect. Validate my feelings and tell my stories. Ideally, someone would find them entertaining or relateable. If not, thats ok.

I had a great set of supporters on here and I truely miss them dearly. I fee like I have so much to say and no where to begin so Ill just make a list of the 20 thoughts Ive had after turning 20.

1. Life is what you make it. Shit gets thrown your way and its up to you to decide how to respond.

2. Having a mental illness makes life difficult but you have to accept it and find ways to get through it.

3. Ultimately, you are responsible for yourself and your own happiness. 

4. Great friends help you get through life. However you need to learn when a friendship is only about them. 

5. Dont forget about those friends that have seemed to fade away. Make effort into every relationship.

6. If you want it, you have to make it happen yourself.

7. You know what is good for you. Do it, but admit when you made a mistake.

8. My life will always be on the back of a horse.

9. Everything happens for a reason.

10. Credit card debt is a fact of life. Don't rely on it or use it for stupid things. 

11. Your mental health comes first, but dont be fooled into letting it control you.

12. You live with your consequences.

13. Take the risk, it either works out or you learn a good lesson.

14. You can't predict everything. Don't dwell on the past.

15. Find beauty in everyday things.

16. Karma exists. Do everything good you can.

17. You can't make everyone happy. You can only make yourself happy.

18. Make the most of everyday.

19. Sleep is important, but you really dont need 12 hours every night.

20. Being an adult sucks. But Ive made it this far so lets keep on truckin.

End of a Hiatus

Life. I dont know how else to describe where Ive been or why I stopped blogging.

Moving on, Riesling and I competed at a show last weekend. Friday when we arrived he immediately started his weird rearing at the walk and head shaking.

But giess what? I finally have an answer. Riesling can't stand the bugs. Really horse? Oh well, atleast this meant we got a game plan for the weekend. Basically dip him in insecticide, hide out in indoor until previous rider walks out of show arena, book it over, and trot in. 

This seemed to work very well. Ries and I took home a 1st, 3 2nds, Reserve Champion, and TIP High Point. Wohoo! I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to compete my horse. 

This was my first away show (ever). It was super fun being able to swim at the hotel after a long show day. Again, I just feel so blessed. Here are some random pony pictures until I get the professional pictures. 

WW: Les Schwab

Jump All the Things!

Happy Tuesday!

Yesterday I wanted to ride SO bad. It had been like three weeks since I last rode. Ries has been out and was ridden by my wonderful friend Crossfit. 

Someone told me once I work too damn hard to afford my horse to not enjoy my horse. And they are right. I get caught up so easily in trying to make money and do things for other people I don't do things for myself. So I said SCREW IT to the animals I'm house sitting and figured they could wait an extra hour and a half to have dinner. Because I deserve to ride, damnit! 

So I hopped aboard Ponykins in our new Ogilvy set up. And wouldn't you know that my schooling boots are still at my house. My Monaco's hurt like a bisnatch right now because they aren't broken in..which means I really did need to ride in them. Pain is worth doing the things you love!

There was this lovely little set up of jumps in the arena ranging from 2' to 2'6. I knew Ries was MORE than capable of jumping any of them, but since we are both out of shape it wasn't fair to ask him to do a lot. 

But guys, I DID IT. I jumped ALL THE JUMPS. There was no coursework because I'm out of shape but Ries was SO happy to jump again, just like me! 

Here are the jumps from left to right. 

2' Red vertical one stride (or two. Ries has a long stide and we either would get a mega long spot or chip) to 2' white fence to a full two stride 2' fence. Going towards the middle of the arena there is a green/red/white oxer that was maybe 2'3 but it seemed super little. The next "outside line" (tracking right) was a small 2' two stride to a green/yellow brown box 2'3 jump two strides to a SWEDISH OXER. I made that thing my bitch. It was maybe 2' but it was wide (compared to a vertical) and omg it rode like a DREAM. It was by far the funnest one. And the last jump you can see between the standards to the swedish oxer was a yellow/green/white vertical. I believe it was around 2'6. It seemed like the "biggest" jump out there. 

We had a few fumbles but my horse is a freaking saint. I jumped all the jumps once. I rode through the outside line on the left side twice just because the striding was so awful the first time. But I threw my leg on and immediately after the jump trotted away before walking. There were a lot of walk breaks. Ries didn't get very sweaty, I think I give him less credit for his fitness than he deserves. On the other hand, I need to get my ass in gear. 

After the first jump all I could do was smile. It was fantastic. I was just smiling the whole time. Welp, back to DQ land! 

Monday Musings: lunging

Been house sitting. Nothing too exciting. I needed to play with my new ogilvy pads! I'm not sure why, but the dressage saddle spoke to me. Weird, I know. Anyways, not sure how I feel about the grey. Someone enlighten me please. 

I lunged prissy pants on Saturday because something told me he was going to be a twat. I was right. He was kinda lazy and rude tracking left and tracking right he gave me the middle finger. He DID NOT want to go right. He just tried to turn into me and gave me a sassy face. I made him work through it and we ended on a somewhat positive note. But he was being an ass. I'm thinking he was still pissed about having his ribs out and SI out. But dude its fixed. I put lots of pressure all over his body after and he was totally fine, no soreness. 

Interesting note, he kept swishing his tail meaningfully at his left flank..not sure what could be going on there. Maybe just a hair out of place.

Question: my horse hates lunging. How do I get him to respect me more? I have to like threaten to beat him with the lunge whip to get any sort of forward out of him. I pretty much have to lunge on a 10 meter which is not my goal. Grrr.