My horse forgot how to horse

Ugh. Thoroughbreds. So the past few days Riesling hasn't been quite himself. It got cold all of a sudden and he got locked into his box stall rather than having his full box stall and run because of the wicked ice/mud. Basically, he stopped eating as much. Normally this is a huge red flag, but hes finally fat, for once, so I didn't think much of it. (Also he has been quite fantastic under saddle.)

Because he has been inside his stall so much and doesn't get his usual turnout into the big arena twice a day (its underwater) he has stalked up. So last night I decided to wrap his legs. I came out this morning around 9 and his feeder was full to the brim. They get fed around 5:30AM. His feeder normally gets about half full per feeding and he empties it. Everyone has been gradually giving him less and less hay because he isn't eating as much. Ok something had to be wrong.

I took off his wraps and put him in the indoor for some turnout. He rolled and just meandered around. No big deal. But as I was walking him back to his stall he stopped at a wee little creek and started drinking. And he drank it dry. That was weird. I check his waterer to make sure it is running and it is working fine. Nice and clean and full of water.

This evening I decided to throw him in the outdoor because he only barely touched his breakfast since I had been there in the morning. I figured seeing his horsey friends in the pasture will make him happy. He said hi to his friends and then stopped at the giant pond in the arena and just drank. And drank. And drank. I put a bucket of fresh water in his stall (because apparently the auto isn't up to par) and brought him back in and he cleaned out the bucket, then proceed to happily munch on his hay that he hadn't seemed to touch in days.

What the hell is wrong with my horse.

The  BO is going to take a look at the waterer in the AM to see if he can find anything funny about it that my horse suddenly dislikes. Any suggestions?

The awesomest shirt (that I can afford) evaaarr!

So on my birthday shopping extravaganza I decided to buy some Noble Outfitters. It is really inexpensive and awesome sauce. I want to specifically talk about the Mariah shirt.

Photo from Noble Outfitters

These shirts are around $25 which puts them at way less expensive than Kerrits. The material is like an athletic shirt. The cuffs have thumb holes which have pros and cons. They keep your palm warm but I don't know if it is the design or if it is just me, but after wearing them for awhile they rub  in between my thumb and index finger and its mildly uncomfortable.

The fabric is fantastic though. It keeps me plenty warm and works great as a layer. It is thin but it wicks moisture. For riding you don't feel sweaty afterwords. You don't get wet after working in lots of layers either. It also has sun protection for the summer so they are multi-season! Today it was around 40 degrees and I wore just this shirt and a vest (also by Noble). When it was 10 degrees I wore this under a jacket and either a down jacket or my 3-1 Joules jacket (fleece inside with removable shell). It is super comfortable. Like I definitely slept in this shirt and wore it daily for a solid week. I only took it off to wash it. And I just got two more. Because I want them all. All the Noble things. I can update about quality in the spring, because these shirts will be all that I wear.

Winter Photos!

So I'll start off by saying I'm super lazy and don't feel like editing them and making them all cute. Mostly because I know longer own PS and hate the cheapy free version. Not they really need much editing by any means, but they weren't taken with a super duper awesome camera so they aren't naturally perfect. Methinks I need A to take pics of me with her skillage.

So alas, PHOTO DUMP!

Calvin decided he wanted pics too

Hes just straight chillin up there

LEAF!

I wants to eat it!

Riesy is like WTF is on you??!

I can haz?

He bows

Kisses!

And now I eat your face mwahaha

Ugh stop kissing me human

Calvin is sliding off lol

Bler I'm tired of looking cute

Whew. I hope you made it through that. Cute pics I know. Hopefully we will have riding pics tomorrow!

Awesomesauce Lesson

So today I had an amazing lesson. The weather here has been on average in the 20s with our 8 inches of snow we got last week unable to melt. It sucks for doing anything, but my indoor's footing is super so I feel bad not riding. On Thursday (last week) we just did long and low for maybe 20 min and called it good. I wasn't sure what to expect today but OHEMGEE. It was seriously epic.

Selfie shame

I was super nervous when I was tacking up though because one of his front legs was covered in mud. While brushing it off he was being super touchy. I was concerned he hurt it. He kept lifting it up whenever I tried to put his brush boots on, but I got them on and trotted him to make sure he wasn't off. *side note-his leg was no longer sensitive after putting the boot on and after the ride

But he was sound! We had a solid 20 min of walking to warm up and some long and low trot/canter work before my trainer arrived. He was really excited to work! We built upon some things from our second lesson. We did quarter turns at the sitting trot and worked up to the canter. Everything she said to me made absolute sense. This is only my 3rd formal dressage lesson and we are dressaging like crazy! It helps that my horse was trained in it so he is more teaching me than anything.

Outfit on point. The polos are embroidered with "OTTB Infinite Possibilities"

So when I ride, I normally just like herp derp around. I mean I can ride but I can't do any fancy dressage-y things on my own. I can ride in a frame and do long and low and that's about it. I'm learning to do more on my own though. All of the skillz my trainer is unlocking in my lessons is so exciting! She makes me feel like a super talented rider. We do these real dressage moves with ease. And I know I look super awesome doing them, but I need photographic proof.

 

It is quarter sheet weather- much to Riesling's dismay

So our lesson ended up being a total of an hour and a half (with plenty of breaks, my horse was not over worked I promise) and all amazing. We did lots of baby steps working up to our final goal. It was fantastic. I love how well my trainer builds a solid foundation before moving on. We are moving at a quicker pace than I expected, but in a good way. She is giving me these skills that I seem to be mastering almost immediately. As soon as I started riding for her she was so impressed with how well I've been doing my "homework".

I wish I had pictures to document how awesome my ride was. Because seriously I hurt so bad in a good way. After I got off I was like a deer walking for the first time. My poor knees suck but I won't ever give up riding, it is so worth it for the days like today!

Troyota Bacon

How long can you absolutely love a new car? I feel like my love for Troyota Bacon will never wear off.

The day I got Troyota

A week before my birthday, I totaled my car. It wasn't my fault, which made me seriously upset because I loved Scarlette. But alas, she was dead. I was pretty bitter about finding a new car. I had been to dealership upon dealership and no one took me seriously. It was extremely irritating. I didn't even want a new car, I loved Scarlette. The ironic part was I didn't want to get the same make and model that Scarolette was, for reasons I cannot explain. Scarlette was my first car, she could never be replaced. But I had to do what I had to do.

I really wasn't a fan of many cars that were in my budget, and I loved the cars that weren't in my budget. Typical, right? I didn't have any bias about what make I got, so I was destined to try every car until Cinderella found her glass slipper. Insert Troyota Bacon. I never thought I would have a car this nice, but somehow it just worked out. Troyota is a Toyota Camry. Having had him for a little over two weeks now, I am still absolutely enamored with him. I know, I'm weird. But I seriously love my car!

Every time I get in the drivers seat, a rush of excitement pours over me and I think to myself "This is mine!" I'm curious to see how long my new-car love will last. But I think it will last awhile until I get over the shock factor (not that I will ever stop loving Troyota, but the luster has to wear off sometime).

Long live the king! Troyota Bacon!