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Farewell Rip and Spunky (alternate title: What a f**ng awful week)

 I've had another spell of radio silence here.  This time for good reason.

On Wednesday, October 20th, I lost Rip to colic.  He had just turned 10 months old.

My friend called me around 10 am saying that Rip was off.  We called the vet and I rushed over to her farm.  The vet did an exam, gave meds and was guardedly optimistic that he would come out of it.

The next 4 hours were horrible. You are all horse people, so I know I don't need to explain.

By 4pm, we had the vet back and due to his condition, poor vitals and lack of gut motility, we made the decision to say goodbye.

To say that I am gutted and heartbroken is an understatement. He was my dream horse and I was looking forward to many years of showing him and having fun.  I was *thisclose* to shutting down the blog and quitting horses...

My most recent pic...

To make matters worse,  7 days after we lost Rip, we also said goodbye to my friend's gelding Spunky.  He had endless lameness issues that could no longer be managed.  He was only 10.

This horse was the barn clown, was so handsome and brought many people together over the years. In fact, he is how I met my friend 5 years ago...  He is the first halter horse I showed and generated a love for that discipline...  *sigh*

We joked that Spunky was "Uncle Spunky" to Rip.  The two of them got along quite well and Rip would spend his time outside sharing hay with Spunky and clowning around.

I hope they are running together somewhere, getting into trouble...  

I think I'll be back. My blog needs a rebrand - new name, something - not sure exactly what.  We'll see if inspiration strikes or not.

Foal Friday

 I'm going back in time for a bit to get caught up.  

These pics take me back to the day Rip and his dam came home from the fancy maternity barn.  We brought them home on Feb 27 (I think) despite there being a nasty snow storm in the morning.  We checked the weather and it looked like it was clearing out by the time we left with the trailer.  Luckily the plows were out in full force, so the highway was in decent shape.

Rip and Lucy loaded up no problem and then we were on our way back home. I have to tell you, I was super nervous having a foal in my barn. I've never handled a foal that much and now I was responsible for one!  Yikes!  Lol. I think that first night I went out every 4 hours to make sure Rip and Lucy were ok!

Night check the first night - everyone is fine!

The next morning, I was texting my friend to tell her they were fine.  I shared every detail important to a horse person: eating, pooping, drinking.

Rip wondering who the human is that is looking in his stall every 5 minutes 

 

And most importantly, Rip was nursing no problem.

My friend came out later on day 2 and we wrestled Rip into a dog blanket and a halter. Lol Why a dog blanket you ask?  Well, my friend owns a pet store and she had these dog blankets with velcro straps and no clips.  We did have an actual foal blanket, but it was too big and we didn't like the clips on the straps. The velcro on the dog blanket would let go easily if Rip got stuck.

Who are you people and why am I wearing this outfit? Rip, probably

The barn was a bit cold in March, but with these 2 and Spunky, it never went below freezing inside, so that was good.  After the first week, I was starting to relax and only go out to the barn 4x a day instead of every few hours.  Lol. 

We also put up a board to divide the two stalls, so Rip could go over to his side and pick at some foal starter grain/vitamins.  We did this to a) not have to deal with the creep feeder that his dam was licking the pellets from and b) it gave him much more room to move around.

Ok. One Foal Friday post ready! I can do this!  It is fun going back through my pictures too!

Horses here, there and everywhere!

 Wow - can you believe I've got another update here?   I've had the meat of the post ready for a while, but haven't had the pics to go with it.  I'm working on getting caught up and then hopefully I'll be able to stay current-ish with posts.

The last year has seen a lot of changes in my little herd. The collective herd is now NOT little, with 8 horses between my friend and I.  We co-own 3: Rip, Ivy and a new broodmare, Momma Mia.  I own Fred and Copper and she has Spunky and Lucy. My friend boards a mare for her sister, which makes 8! The reason I include all of these horses in “my” herd is that I help train and handle most of them! 

Ivy and Fred this spring. Fred looks teeny in this pic. Lol

My friend moved back to her childhood farm this May and by early June, all but Fred and Copper had moved to her place.  I am ok with just the two boys here for now, as I had a full house all winter, with horses inside, outside and Fred boarded to get some training.

We found a new broodmare this spring – I don’t want to say we “rescued” her, but we rehomed her for a very low price.  The lady that owned her had a big herd and was having some life issues and was downsizing.    We had a bit of vet work to do to get her back to what I consider the basics – teeth, vaccines, hoof trims, etc.   She is a registered QH with some decent older bloodlines.  She has good bone, great feet (despite a bit of neglect) and a fantastic temperament.

Ivy on the left, Mamma Mia on the right.

The mare is sweet as pie and has loved all the attention we’ve been giving her (and grain, let’s be honest!). Well, accept for the farrier… We had to use meds to sedate her so we could get her trimmed.   Her feet hadn’t been trimmed in over a year (!) so that was important to do.  The good thing is that despite not being up to date on vet/farrier work, she was in good shape. 

She approaches you cautiously, then comes in for scratches and attention.

We were able to get her all checked out and then we bred her in June to a nice local red roan QH stallion owned by an acquaintance.    We did the 45 day ultrasound and all looks good, so cross your fingers for a foal next May!

Momma Mia will stand here and quietly nicker until you give her a treat.

I boarded my friend’s sister’s mare, Tilly here for a couple of months this spring while my friend moved and settled in.  I put a few rides on the mare to see how broke she was.  Long story short: she is broke w/t/c and whoa. She doesn’t have any fancy buttons, but seems to be a solid equine citizen.  I’m still helping with this horse as her owner has major fear issues. 

Tilly is nice and quiet and should be good for my friend in time.  Tilly is a cute grey APHA mare and is not in foal, despite looking a bit round in the pic below!

Tilly - the grey (not in foal!!) mare

Ivy and Mamma Mia on the left

I don't have any pics of me riding, but I have been in the saddle a few times this summer.  I can't say that I'm loving riding at the moment (WEIRD!!) so not sure what is going on there. Something to unpack over the fall and winter maybe??

Still here - long overdue catch up post!

I was hoping to be more regular with updates, but that small goal has clearly fallen by the wayside.

zoom!

I have lots of fun pictures of Rip to post but will get to that over the next few weeks… I'm still trying to archive and edit photos, but work has been busy, so I don’t always feel like more screen time at the end of the day.

Rip was getting out in the round pen a fair bit, then graduated to the small paddock

Rip is at my friend's farm for now and it has been a bit harder to get out there as much as I'd like.  I've been so spoiled having horses at home, that I'm not used to driving to see my horse!!

Here is a quick catch up and I'll work on more detailed posts (hopefully!).

In good news:

• I’ve had both vaccines, our vaccine rates are really high here and things are slowly reopening.

• I got a promotion at work, so more $$ for horse stuff!

• I am still working from home, with no word of going back full time

• I got to visit my family (twice)!

• A few western horse shows are starting up – not sure I’ll make it to one, but at least they are happening

• I may have done a little “treat yo’ self” splurging this summer – more to come

• My friend and I bought another broodmare this spring (see pic of Mia below) and she is confirmed in foal. Woohoo! More on this in another post…

• Rip continues to grow and be adorable

• Another friend has been helping me with Rip and it has been such a great thing as I need all the help I can get!  ;-)

• Rip was getting turnout in the round pen, then graduated to the small paddock close to the barn

Rip loves his Uncle Spunky - they play and bite each other's faces. Boys.

Rip is learning to eat a bit of grass and to greet other horses. I think he is learning that the mares are a bit different from his Uncle Spunky.  Lol  It is nice that my friend's paddock set up allows him to meet the mares across a fence, so we minimize the risk of him getting kicked or something.

Rip meeting Mia - she has a wonderful sweet temperament, but not a fan of young geldings. lol

In not-so-great news:

• Ivy was bred in April, confirmed in foal, then something happened and the pregnancy was absorbed. Boo to that. Very disappointing, but always a chance to learn to apply to next year.

More updates to come; I’m not ready to give up on the blog just yet!

Rip - Weeks 2-6

 Well, I was sort of getting caught up here, then things went south again. Lol   Well, to be fair, work was pretty rough last week.   Even though I'm still working from home, I pulled several late nights last week dealing with lots of things that made the news. Sigh.  In good news, things are slooowwwllly starting to open up here now that more people are getting vaccinated. I had my first shot a month ago, which is way ahead of what was predicted.

OK - on to foal pics!  I guess this is a better late than never sort of thing at this point?  Lol

This brings us back to late Jan/early Feb. Rip was born on Janurary 17 and stayed at the fancy maternity barn until the end of Feb, when he and his dam came to my place.

Cute little man!

Rip, like most foals grew (and still is growing) like a weed! Around the 3-4 week mark, a creep feeder was put in the stall to start giving him some foal starter pellets.  The only catch, is that his dam outsmarted all of us and was able to lick some of the pellets out of the feeder!  Lol

I will crack this puzzle.  Lucy, probably.

The barn owner also handled Rip for us as well, since we weren't able to get there that often. He haltered him, picked up his feet and led him around the barn a bit.  He also got some turnout in the arena when stalls were cleaned.

The cutest wee halter!

He got to meet some of his neighbours as well!

I think this guy is a half brother (same stud)

As the end of February approached, I started to get excited and nervous as Rip was due to come home.  I've never worked with a foal before, so I had a lot to learn.

Hopefully it won't take me so long for the next post! 

An update on Copper and Sophie

I feel like Copper and my dog Sophie don’t get much attention on this blog. The cats and big horses tend to hog the spotlight. 

Copper is doing great and continues to be such a good boy. He is the barn favorite and everyone that visits falls in love with him. He has the temperament of a Labrador retriever, which certainly helps!

A friend who is nervous of big horses loves Copper

He has an old shoulder injury that has slowly affected the rest of his body over the years.  He is pasture sound only but that doesn't slow really him down at all.  That being said, I have my vet and chiro check him regularly and no one really has any tips to improve his lameness.  They have assessed that he isn't in much pain, but his injuries have forced his body to just not work properly, if that makes any sense. He has been on previcox as well with no real improvement. 

This winter I met a new equine body worker that really helped Fred, so I thought I’d have her out to check Copper.  She did a complete check and was able to help him unlock some stiffness. I’m not sure what kind of magic she worked, but he was walking better after a 30 minute treatment. He had a lot of stiffness in his SI joint and his spine. He will need more treatments and some exercises to build up strength, but I feel confident that this therapy can help him move more comfortably over time!

Copper - chief cookie tester. These homemade gingerbread cookies passed his inspection.  :-)

And on to Sophie... this poor dog is only six and she has a host of medical issues. It is a bit of a heartbreaker situation for sure. She has seizures and is on two different meds to keep that at bay. The meds work so that is good. They do affect her energy level and to top that off, she has also been limping on her front leg for about a year. I’ve had her to the vet, the chiro and a dog physio. None have been able to pinpoint the issue. 

A chicken collar and tootsie roll toy: one of the many perks of having a friend that owns a pet store!

On a whim, I asked the equine body worker if she happened to work on dogs as well. She said that she did, so I added Sophie to the list for treatment. 

Sad face expert

She found some soreness in her hind end and treated it with massage and then cold laser. I’m never sure if some of these therapies work or not, but within 24 hrs, Sophie’s limp was almost gone. Now, this treatment will need to be repeated to help with the pain and I may need to do a xray or something to help identify what might be causing the pain.  An old injury? Hip displaysia?  Hard to say...

It is now 72hrs later and Sophie is still not limping and has more energy than I’ve seen in a few months. I’m hopeful that this type of therapy helps her longer term and I can get my dog back to a more normal state!  

Needless to say, whatever treatments this lady is using have been making visible differences in the horses and the dog, so I'll keep going down this road for now.  

The big move and Rip gets weaned

I'm working on updates...I promise! I have a mountain of cute  foal pics to post, but I have to download and edit those, so I'll be jumping back and forth in time as I attempt to get caught up!

If you remember, my good friend (and Rip's co-owner) sold her farm and bought back her childhood farm.  The only catch with all of that, is that the closing dates for the two properties didn't line up.  She just moved into her new (old) farm three weeks ago, so her horses were at my place all winter.

She owns Spunky, the big halter gelding and Lucy, Rip's Mom.  After some renos were done on her new (old, built by her Dad who passed away a few years ago) barn, my friend was ready to take Spunky, Lucy and Rip home.

Following the trailer to the farm to help unload

I have to say I miss the horses, but don't miss the workload!  Her  gelding Spunky is on stall rest, so he was quite a bit of work.  Good thing he is so handsome though!  He and Rip enjoyed playing a bit when possible. Often, while cleaning stalls, I would let Rip wander around to get used to the barn and be away from his Mom a bit.  

Uncle Spunky playing with Rip.  Ignore the dirty floor - the farrier had just left and I was cleaning stalls!

All three horses trailered well and settled into their new spots.  Well, except Rip.  The poor guy got separated from his Mom that day!  He did settle though and within 72 hours was doing much, much better.

Mmmmoooommmmmmm???? Rip, probably.

I have had a friend helping me work with Rip the past couple of weeks to get him ready for weaning and to be better with having his feet picked up.  He is not a fan of having his feet touched.  He has been trimmed once by the farrier and was due again last week.  (Note: sorry for the blue faces - don't want to post other people here if I can help it). We were able to get his fronts trimmed this time, but there was a lot going on in the barn, so his hinds will get addressed next visit.

Fronts are better than the hinds - making progress though

He was also checked by vet and given his first vaccines.  She also confirmed that he is ready to be gelded, so we booked that for later in June.  Woohoo!  Lol  I'm sure Rip won't feel the same way.

Rip looks slightly concerned here...lol

It is cool and a teeny bit sad to see Rip grow up so fast!  I'm super excited to see how he looks as he grows up though, so it is mostly good!

Treat Yo’self - Farm edition

This is all part of trying to catch up on the past few months! 

We all know buying tack and saddle pads is fun, but buying actual farm equipment is fun too!! Lol

And I have no pictures because I’m still not great at getting pics while I’m doing stuff! And I’m trying this post from my phone and the app lets me see my pics but won’t actually upload them into the post. 🤷‍♀️

Let’s start with the smallest purchase first: a hay fork! Yes, there is a specific pitchfork for hay. It works great for feeding off of round bales or big squares! I actually had no idea this existed until I was cursing about trying to feed hay from a round bale and pulling it apart by hand. I have now been enlightened to the hay fork and will not look back! 

My next purchase was a bit of a whim. My friend and I bought some hay from someone that is selling her farm. While there we used her hay elevator to move the hay from the barn to her hay wagon. My friend and I commented how nice that was and the lady causally mentioned that everything was for sale at this point.

I’ve always wanted a hay wagon to move hay but figured one would be way too expensive. I got a super deal on this wagon and I bought the hay elevator too, as my friend’s new farm has a loft where I will be storing some of my hay for the winter. 

And, I hauled the loaded hay wagon with my truck!! That was the first time I’ve hauled something and it was nerve wracking at first, but I started to get the hang of it. Backing that sucker up is no fun though, let me tell you!!

I feel like those purchases were meant to be - what are the odds that we not only got some hay to tide us over to this years crop AND much needed equipment for a great price?

Trying to catch up - 2021 goals, etc.

I have been going through the hundreds of pictures I've taken this winter as I'm trying to get my blog caught up.   So far I am noticing a theme to my pictures/videos:

• pictures of Rip
• pictures/videos of the cats
• pictures/videos of the cats sleeping with the dog
• random attempts at artsy snow pics
• memes

I found this silly video I took of Archie having a bath. Turn up the volume if you can for his big purr.  Lol.  Clearly I need to get out more!  I am still working from home full-time, with no end to that in sight. 

Vaccination rollouts are going super slow here, so who knows when I'll be able to get my vaccine.  I haven't seen my family since August, which kind of sucks.  I've been trying to figure out some goals for this year, but well, that is proving a bit difficult. Then I get sidetracked by the cats and memes.

So cute.  

In other news, in 2 weeks, my friend is moving back "home" to the farm where she grew up. It is really exciting for her to be going back there.  Her gelding will leave here mid-May once she has her stalls and paddocks set up.    I think Ivy will also be going to live there (reminder: this friend and I co-own Ivy) and Rip's Mom Lucy will also go once the little man is weaned (late May?).

It's tiring being little!

My friend's sister also just bought a horse and that mare will be at my place until sometime in May when she will go to the "farm".  :-).  I'll be helping ride this horse a bit as well, as my friend's sister is a bit rusty and nervous.  I'm really hoping I can trailer Fred over there this summer and the two of us can go for a hack or something.

So, all of this leads me to my 2021 goals. Thanks to anyone that has read this far down. lol

I'm keeping things simple this year, until we see if there will be any shows.

• Ride Fred and try and keep him sound
• Keep Copper sound and happy
• Breed Ivy (first attempt was done mid-April - fingers crossed it worked!)
• Learn about training a foal (yikes! lol)
• Help my friend find another broodmare (I think this is done already - more to follow)
• Help my friend's sister with her new mare
• Have fun

And that is about the extent of it. Me being me, I have a more detailed document going with goals and accomplishments by quarter, but I'll share that another time.  For now, I'm just going with the flow and we'll see what we can get done!  

Are you guys going for any big goals this year?  Or being like me and taking it easy and rolling with things due to the pandemic?  Is anyone back to normal post-pandemic?

An update on Fred

 Well, this update is long overdue! I meant to write it in January, but here we are.  Lol.  

Fred went to live with an acquaintance of mine that was looking for a horse to work with over the winter. She just bought a little farm with a nice indoor, so it seemed like a good fit.  I took him there Dec 1 and he is due to come home on May 1. I'll be happy to have him him home- I miss the big red goofball!

The goal of sending him was to get him going under saddle.  He wouldn't be getting formal training rides 5-6x a week like you might expect, but just 2-3 sessions.  This lady isn't a trainer per se, but has started a few horses in the past.

I sat on Fred a couple of times this fall and he was having a hard time figuring out the whole "forward" part of working under saddle.  This was resolved pretty quickly at the new barn.  I went to see him in early January to see how he was going.  

Side note: We've been in and out of lockdowns pretty much since Christmas, so I've really limited any trips to do anything. Fred's barn is over an hour away, so not a quick trip.

He was even doing a bit of trot under saddle at my first visit!

Trotting Fred!

By all accounts, he has been super quiet and hasn't offered to buck or spook, even when the snow came zippering off the coverall roof!  The only thing that got him a bit upset was being nipped at and followed by the lady's two heelers.  Lol. 

He tends to just meander along at the trot so far - the lady says that she has been working on adjusting the trot speed a bit, but that he is still pretty green.  Here is a video from Jan 2, so only a month under saddle at this place.  We noticed that he is just a bit NQR in the front and it would get better as she worked him and it wasn't as obvious some days vs others.  

My next visit was in March and he was starting to canter a bit under saddle! Woohoo Fred.  He is a bit clumsy with those long legs of his, so the lady was just working the canter when he felt steady.  

At then end of March/early April, Fred blew two abscesses - one in each back foot... D'oh!

He needed antibiotics for the swelling and both blew out the heel bulb, so they were not pleasant for the poor guy!  He has been starting back with doing a bit of walk work now, so hopefully he is ok moving forward.  He did the abscess thing to me this time last year as well.  

Moving forward, the vet and farrier recommended shoes for him or possibly hoof boots. I'll be measuring him for hoof boots to start, as I would prefer that over shoes to try first.  He seems to get bruised soles in the transition seasons when there is lumpy frozen mud out in the paddock.  He could also stay in more during those times...there are a few options to check.  I also had him tested for PSSM (negative thankfully!) just to rule some things out.    

He enjoyed his bodywork session.  Lol at the pally mare getting in the photo...

I found a great bodyworker and she has worked on him for two sessions so far. I think he'll need more maintenance than an average 6yo horse due to his wacky conformation and his size.  He is at least 16.3hh now, maybe even 17hh!  (Note to self: buy a proper stick!).   I'm really looking forward to having him home and having eyeballs on him more regularly.  The lady did a good job with him, but he isn't her horse, so some things just don't get done the same way I would have.  That is ok - part of the risk/considerations when sending a horse out for training.  

I'm a little apprehensive about riding Fred, since he is so huge.  I'm really short, so I've never really looked at or ridden tall horses. Spencer was 15hh on a good day!  I'm sure I'll get used to it though, as he is really the only rideable horse I have.  (Note to self: buy a new helmet)

And now I'm all caught up with Fred.  More updates on the rest of the herd/life to follow!  

Rip - The first week(ish)

 Ok - more Rip updates are coming!  I'm going back in time here to keep things sort of chronological where I can.

Rip was born on Jan 17 and we were able to see him the same day, at about 3hrs old.  Our next visit was on Jan 21, which put him at 5 days old.  There was certainly a difference in just a few days. It is kind of mind boggling how fast foals grow and develop.

So cute...

Most of my pics are just of him and Mom in the stall at this point. The barn owner did start turning Mom and foal out in the arena for a few minutes a day later that same week.

Eating is good...

He is curious and friendly, but only if Mom is there to hide behind if things get to be too much!

After we were there for a while, he got to be a bit more brave. He would come over for a sniff and let me scratch him all over.  I sort of fell in love that day.  Lol

scritches plz?

And of course, it didn't take long before he needed a nap.  So cute.  The cuteness overload was almost too much to take! Lol. As much as I was ga-ga over the cuteness, this experience has shown me how much work mares and foals are.  I mean, horses are a lot of work - we all know that - but a mare and foal is a bit on a different level, I have discovered these past few weeks. 

Ready for a nap

What a better way to rest with Mom standing guard. Mom's side eye game is next level too.  ;-)

A few days later, the barn owner sent me a video of the two of them out in the arena.  

More to come this week as I get my pictures and video organized!!!

I'm still here!

I think I'm currently the world's worst blogger!!! Lol  I didn't meant to take a break, since I've been busy with horse stuff!   Work was super busy over the winter and is just starting to ease up now, so I feel like I can breathe a bit and do some other things!

A few quick updates:

Spring is coming - woohoo!

Rip is fine and growing like a weed! Mom is doing well too.  I have a lot of pictures and video, so will try and get myself organized and post some chronological updates.  I really want to have a record of things with this first (adorable but a bit bitey) foal. 

Mom was enjoying some cookies and Rip can now see over the door!

Fred is fine (mostly) and learning to work under saddle. He has some minor-ish hoof issues that I'll talk about later, once I get myself organized and gets some updates sorted out!  I also have some video of him working under saddle so that is a first that I have some actual media! Lol

Fred is doing well and is cantering under saddle a bit now!

I have a foal!!!!!

I'm sooooo excited!!! The foal has arrived!!!!!!

It is a little colt and his name is Rip.  Anyone a fan of Yellowstone?  ;-) I haven't decided on a registered name yet - I still have time to sort that out before sending in his papers.

This is the first pic that I was sent from the farm where she is boarded to foal out.  He was born at 12:36pm.  Apparently this mare likes to foal during the day and not at night!  This is her 4th foal in 3 pregnancies.  Her last was 3 years ago and she had twins (both survived and are doing well now).  Luckily there was only one this time.

My friend that co-owns the mare and foal with me called and I could barely make out what she was saying since she was so excited! lol. After a minute, I figured out that she was on her way to my house to pick me up so we could go see him. Unfortunately the barn is about 1.5 hours away, but worth it for the care Mom and baby are receiving.

Being smol is tiring!

The little guy was about 3 hrs old when we got there.  He was up and trying to nurse and figure things out.  He has a nice big blaze and at least 2 socks - I was looking at pictures again today and can't quite tell (he was in straw and shavings) if he has more white on his little legs!  

I got to pet his wee little muzzle, so that made my day.  :-)  Is there anything better than soft foal (horse, pony) muzzles?  Not really, in my opinion!

He is just the cutest little guy - his colour is quite light right now - but I expect he will get darker over the coming weeks. Mare and stud are both dark sorrel, so I expect that is where he will land eventually.  We did wonder with the little dorsal stripe you can see in this pic if he would stay this light (red dun?) but I don't think that is possible genetics-wise.  

The barn owners sent this pic this morning - sooo cute!  

I'm clearly gaga for this little guy - #sorrynotsorry!

I'm going back to see him again on Thursday, so I'll have more pics to share.

I also have a good update on Fred, but he will have to wait. He's been upstaged by his little brother!

2020 Goals/To-do list wrap-up

Well, Q3 was a bit of a bust and here were are close to the new year! My goals list pretty much turned into a detailed to-do list, but hey, we learned in 2020 that we have to roll with the punches!

I was thinking of 2021 goals, but not sure I'm ready to put words down for that yet! Anyone else a bit hesitant to plan for 2021?

---------------------------

The most exciting thing for this year is that I rode again.  Guys, I actually sat on not one, but two different horses.  Woot! My friend leased Ivy this fall and told me point blank one day to "just get on her, you won't die!".  I couldn't really argue with her logic, so I jumped on, did about 15 mins w/t type stuff and it was so nice to be in the saddle.  

Not only did I ride Ivy, but I got on Fred. Twice!  The first time was with my friend holding the leadline.  The second time, no lead line, but we didn't do much but stand around. Fred hadn't quite pieced together the cues to move forward under saddle, despite many lead-line sessions, lunging, etc.  Oh well, it was still neat to actually get on him and sit there - since he is almost 17hh, it was quite the view from up there! 

And guess what? I have not one single picture of me on said horses, hence why I didn't bother blogging about it earlier.  #bloggerfail  Maybe next year I'll be better at pictures? 

Horses:

• earn Fred's ROM (AQHA register of merit - each time a horse hits 10 points in a discipline/level, you get a certificate) in halter - we need 1.5 points in open and I think 3.5 points in amateur  - shelved until 2021 due to covid-19
• show at a different venue/different club (I've shown at the same 2 places for 98% of past shows) - shelved until 2021 due to covid-19
• ride again - COMPLETED!!! Sept 2020. I got on Ivy and did some walk/trot! And, I sat on Fred twice!
• attend a clinic of some sort - shelved until 2021 due to covid-19
• find a mare for my friend to ride and maybe breed (added Q1) - COMPLETED! W00t!

Fred

• work as weather permits - we did a fair bit in Q3 - this is the best time of year around here
• continue under saddle work - COMPLETED
• work on showmanship and in hand trail - maybe show at a schooling show? shelved until 2021 due to covid-19
• find a bridle that fits his big head - COMPLETED for now with the world's ugliest bridle, found in a heap of old tack at the volunteer place
• get him more used to the bit and/or try a hackamore - COMPLETED, I gave up on a hackamore for now

Copper

• stay healthy! - Q1 - check! Q2 - check! Q3 - so-so.  He has some stifle issues that are affecting his mobility a bit Q4 - he has been on stall rest (to keep Spunky company) and he seems to be moving better.

Lucy (my friend's mare)

• get her confirmed in foal - Check! 45 day u/s done on 04/01 and all good!  Q2 - all good!  Q3 - all good!  She moved to her maternity barn and her due date is early January! Q4 - all good and we are down to under 30 days - OMG!!!!

 Ivy (added Q3)

• get her weight/body condition up - COMPLETED (and ongoing)! She is responding well to grain and some light work
• get her going under saddle - COMPLETED! She went to a trainer for 2 weeks back in August and although she got hurt, we were still able to get her going better. My friend has been leasing her and riding a decent amount until the cold and dark hit us.

Personal

• read 45 books - Q1 was great, Q2 not so much. Q3 - eesh.  Might still save it, but I'm ok with letting it go too
• back up and organize photos (my computer is dying, so this is urgent!) COMPLETED!
• volunteer somewhere horse-y  - COMPLETED-ish early this year.  The therapeutic riding centre is still closed to outsiders due to covid-19 so nothing further for this year.
• save $$ for foal hopefully coming in 2021- COMPLETED
• exercise program of some sort - ahhahaha!
• stick to a budget - COMPLETED, thanks to covid-19
• read/listen to some horse training material - podcasts, youtube, books etc - Q1 - I read lots, Q2, not so much Q3  -spent time doing, not reading, Q4 - considering this COMPLETED
• continue to declutter and sell unused tack - COMPLETED 
• attend QH Congress (as a spectator) in October (I've missed the past 2 years!) - sadly, I think this will have to be scratched.  Attend the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.  Canceled due to Covid. *sigh*
• use up products that are already in the house/barn (added Q2) - This is kind of completed. I don't buy or use much of this stuff past Q3 as it all freezes!

House/property

• complete some minor house renos/décor updates - COMPLETED - we got a new used couch, rearranged all the furniture and confused the husband and the pets!!!
• stay on top of yard/flowerbeds/fenceline - fenceline yes, flowerbeds, uh hells no.  LOL
• keep barn tidy
• clean and organize my hay storage area - DONE Q2
• fix and bury fence ground wires - DONE! Q1
• check pasture fence and come up with a plan to have fence fixed by mid-May DONE Q2
• source some 2nd cut hay - DONE Q2
• clean and organize tack - DONE
• repaint jump poles - Deferred to 2021
• organize electric fence supplies/spare parts - added and DONE Q2
• clean and put away winter blankets DONE Q2
• put away the trough heater and extension cord DONE Q2
• clean the tack room DONE Q2
• daydream about tack room renos/updates DONE - LOL
• clean cobwebs/windows/shelves DONE Q2
• look into and start a plan/budget for some barn renos - eavestrough, upgrade lighting/wiring and maybe refinish the tack room - Q2 - made a spreadsheet with materials list, pricing