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!

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?

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!

Where does the time go?

So, somehow a month and a half has slipped by since my last post!  Oops!  I keep meaning to write something here, but time just gets away from me.  Which is weird, since I'm actually at home 99% of the time.  I've been moving computers around to accommodate WFH (which has no signs of ending anytime soon) and my personal computer is on the verge of death, so maybe that is part of it?  Who knows?

Since my last post, a few things have happened.  I got a delivery of 10 big square bales to get me through the next few months.  The hay isn't the greatest, but it extremely hard to find this year and it is only October. That is kind of scary for late winter/early spring.  I think I have a source for some round bales too, so fingers crossed I am ok for hay.

In exciting news, my good friend sold her house and was able to buy back the farm she grew up on.  How exciting is that?  I think it is amazing.  Even more exciting is that she will only be about 20 mins away from me.  :-)  That is especially important, since we co-own Ivy and the foal that is due in 2.5 months!

She can't move until May 1 2021, so I have her horses here.  The mare, Lucy, on the left in the pic below is our broodmare.  She was here for two weeks and then she moved to the barn where she will have her foal.  The horse on the right is Spunky, a 10yr old QH gelding. I showed Spunky back in 2016.

They settled in pretty well, considering the hooligans that were outside staring in their windows all the time! LOL  Fred and Ivy were pretty excited with the new guests and spent a lot of time at the windows until everyone settled in.  I ended up keeping Fred and Ivy outside for the 2 weeks Lucy was here, since a) I only have 3 stalls and 5 horses and b) I didn't want anything to happen to Lucy, since is very preggers.  

After Lucy left for the maternity barn, I worked on integrating the other horses with Spunky.   I have been keeping Copper in with Spunky and Fred and Ivy have been staying outside, except for their am/pm grain.   Spunky stays in a lot because, well, he has issues.  lol  He had a horrific tendon injury a couple of years ago and my friend rehabbed him, got him barefoot and on limited turnout in a round pen.  She is aiming to have him on more turnout when she moves to her new (old) farm in the spring.  So, we aren't rocking the boat here and just doing what he is capable of. 

Spunky - so handsome!

Spunky has been going out for 2-3 hours a day in his round pen (lent to me by my friend!). My goal is to get him up to 5-6 hours outside during the winter. Apparently he loves the cold weather, so this is the perfect time to have him here.  Fred and Ivy seem to be fine with all of this and there is a lot of time spent biting each other's faces over the round pen and maybe some squealing from Ivy (she is in love).

Ivy and Spunky are BFFs.  Fred feels slightly left out. 

All in all, things are going well.  The horses are settling and I'm getting ready for winter.  Working from home has been so nice, since I can get out to the barn in daylight and do the bulk of my chores without a flashlight/headlamp!

Still here: yeah and boo edition

Guys: I'm still here.  I think. This new blogger interface is not helping with posts. Why is it so weird? Am I too old to "get" the new interface?  Ugh.

Anyhoooo

It's been awhile and some stuff has gone on, the leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping.  I'm just going to do a quick summary now to get this first post out of the way and I'll do some more updates later.

Ok, here we go, sort of in order:

I got to spend 5 days with my family at the end of August: Yeah!

My Mom and I did a bunch of fun crafts: Yeah!

I took no pictures: boo

I did find an old pic of me and my old gelding Farley. I was 14 in this pic: Yeah!

I think we were at some sort of show? I see a little green ribbon on the bridle! lol

We took Ivy to a trainer for 2 weeks and he made some progress: Yeah!

She got hurt, needed an emergency vet call and 2 weeks stall rest: boo

A few stitches - mostly healed - no tendon damage; we think.

She is fine now and the trainer will come to my place to work with her this fall: Yeah!

My boarder has left: mostly Yeah!, a little boo

Fred is great: Yeah!

Copper has been sore, finally had the vet out - it is his stifle.  booo

My friend sold her house for a profit and was able to buy her childhood farm: Yeah!!

Her two horses are coming here for the winter as she can't move in until May: Yeah and boo to long closing dates

Our preggers mare will be here for 1 month before she goes to her maternity barn: Yeah!  

My hubby worked his butt off and got a sweet new job: Yeah!

The leaves are turning, the temps are dropping and I've become a Starbucks pumpkin cream cold foam cold brew (or whatever it is called) addict:  Yeah?

Cold brew pumpkin cold foam. Delicious. I order it half-sweet so it isn't pure sugar.

I have done poorly in getting more media for this blog:  boo

Covid cases are on the rise here.  I wonder if we will have another shut down?  Mega boo

And that pretty much catches you up on life here.  Hope everyone is hanging in there and doing ok!

The "I'm still here, sorta" update

In the interest of trying to write more, I was thinking of doing a weekly update.  However, when you rarely leave your home, there isn’t a whole heck of a lot to write about!  This update covers the past two or three weeks…if not longer.

My Mom is working on cleaning up old photos and sent me this gem:

Me at the Kentucky Horse Park sometime in the 80s. Note the love of green even back then! lol

 
My first update is that our internet has been crappy for the past month. It sort of stopped working properly about a month ago. Calls to the company just resulted in “turn it off and back on again” type of advice.  Fun.  

We have a whopping 2 options for internet service here (15 minutes outside a major city!)  and the first one is now toast, so the 2^nd company is coming on Thursday today to set us up.  

Cross your fingers that it works, because we are running out of old dvds and puzzles.  LOL  Totally a #firstworldproblem, I know, but important when I’m trying to work from home!

My second update is that my boarder is leaving in mid-September. This is not a bad thing, I’m kind of looking to have my place back to myself for a bit.   Her horse has been here for 6 or so years though, so I will miss seeing him out back.  What I won’t miss tho, is the extra mouth to feed! 

Which brings me to important update #3: due to the drought earlier this year, hay is in majorly short supply around here.  The price is at least $6 a bale if you can find any and closer to $7 if you go through a supplier and have it delivered.  The price will likely continue to climb over the fall/winter.  I have 120 bales in the barn, but it won’t last me very long, as I’m starting to feed a bit of hay now as the grass was toast due to the drought as well. 

We have had some rain, so it came back a bit, but not enough to support the 3 big horses.  I’ve been doing a lot of reading about how to supplement forage, so there are some good options to stretch out hay.  We also have a lead on these great hay cubes that you can feed dry and are a total hay replacement (long stem forage) so my friend and I are going to do a big order of that in September.

I hope to get my butt outside with a camera in the next few days so I can do some pony updates!

A new face at the farm

And no, it isn't a corgi puppy!  lol

The last week has brought a new equine face to my little farm!  

So cute...

Ivy is a 13yo reg'd paint mare, owned by a friend of mine.   My friend would like to eventually breed this mare, but for now, she is living at my place and I'm going to help ride her and see if we can get her going decently under saddle.

New girl on the left. Notice Copper hiding behind Fred. lol I'm in love with this picture - I might have to get it blown up and printed or something.

She has been good to handle so far and has adapted to my routine without much trouble.  She and Copper had a bit of a rough start for some reason, but she is ok with him now.

Not much grass left and it's only June!

All we know about her under saddle training is that she is a) broke to ride and b) the previous owner saddled her up and went on trail rides.  Not a lot to work with!  lol  Another friend might come over and help if I run into any major issues.

She gets an A+ for standing in the cross ties and for being groomed

 We actually know more about her early and  most recent years, with a big gap in the middle.  She was bred and shown in halter by an acquaintance, so we were able to track down some cute foal and show pics!

The picture for her registration papers 

Weanling Ivy - at a futurity in the US

She was sold and then bought by another acquaintance several years later and he used her as a broodmare and had 3 foals off her.  He sold her last fall to a lady a couple of hours from here and my friend bought her just last week.

Ivy on the far right with a neck ribbon

I had the farrier out on Monday as she was in desperate need of a trim.  That alone made her look better and move better.  The vet will be out in a couple of weeks to get her caught up on shots/dental, etc. as I have no record of her history.

She is in need of some TLC and some good feed, but other than that she is a nice little mare. I might actually have a "between the ears" pic sometime soon...  I'm normally a gelding person, but there is always time to change and try something new, right?  lol

Q1 Wrap-up and goals moving forward

Well, everyone's goals for 2020 have sure taken a hit, haven't they?  It is still to early to tell if there will be a show season here, but it isn't looking great and that is ok, since it is soooo out of my control.  With our weather, outdoor shows past September are pretty tough, as there aren't a lot of facilities with big indoor arenas set up for shows.   In fact, I don't think there is one in my region at all.

I've already had to pivot on my goals a bit and I added a couple of thing to the list.  Who knows what else will happen this year?  I'm not going to give up on my horse showing goals jussst yet.  We'll wait a bit and see where we end up.

So cute. Might not show this year. If ever...? lol

Q1 is usually quite slow around here anyway due to winter.  No shows, no real training, etc. happens, etc.  

I can't believe my 2020 horse goals didn't have the foal on there?  Sheesh.  That is one thing that (fingers crossed) is going well!And I have new horses goals to add for Q2 and onward.

Q1 Personal:

• read 45 books - I'm at 12 so far
• back up and organize photos (my computer is dying, so this is urgent!) - meh - this is ongoing. Does anyone have any tips on fun ideas with digital photos? I don't want stacks of prints lying around!
• volunteer somewhere horse-y - on hold due to coronavirus
• save $$ for foal hopefully coming in 2021 - this is going well, since I'm at home and not spending any money!
• exercise program of some sort  - started walking 3-4 times / week
• stick to a budget - this is one silver lining of the pandemic/SIP - spending is almost down to zero!

Q1 - Horses:  

• start working Fred in hand, where possible - I was able to start this in March
• Copper - stay healthy - CHECK!
• get Lucy in foal - CHECK!!  We had the 45 day ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and all looks good!
• New! find a second mare for my friend to breed and potentially ride 
• New! find a bridle that fits Fred properly
• New! get Fred more comfortable in a bit, if not try a hackamore
• read/listen to some horse training material - podcasts, youtube, books etc - hard to quantify, but I read a bunch of interesting horse books back in January
• clean and oil tack - um, no progress in Q1 - I have high hopes for Q2
• continue to declutter and sell unused tack - um, no progress in Q1 - I have high hopes for Q2 and the rest of the year

work on selfies should maybe be a goal?  lolz

I don't have much going on right now, but I do have my horses at home, so having some extra time at the barn has been a real important thing for me.  I have lots I can do out there and this type of stuff is what I normally try and get done over the course of the year, as I have time.  Now though, having a bit more time in one chunk had me starting an updated to do/goals list for the barn for Q2:

• clean and organize my hay storage area
• fix and bury fence ground wires - DONE!
• check pasture fence and come up with a plan to have fence fixed by mid-May
• source some 2nd cut hay
• clean and organize tack
• try and figure out a bridle/hackamore option that fits Fred
• repaint jump poles (note: not sure I can get any paint, so this might have to wait)
• clean and put away winter blankets
• put away the trough heater and extension cord
• clean the tack room 
• daydream about tack room renos/updates
• clean cobwebs/windows/shelves

Random Archie photo, cause why not?

I'm sure this list will evolve the longer I'm at home, but this is my starting point.  Nothing is urgent, but all these nice-to-haves will make the barn tidier and more organized.

What about you guys? Are you still hoping for some 2020 goals to work out? Have you made some changes?  

Insert witty title here

Man, I'm having a hard time with posting and well, with life in general these days.  I know everyone else is too.    I am back and forth on posting vs not posting, but to heck with it... I want to keep writing as a bit of a record of things that are happening and keep in touch with other horse bloggers where possible.

So cute

Fred's face is almost all healed up so I turned him out and crossed my fingers he wouldn't hurt himself again. I never did find the source of his injury - I think it might have been the steel roof of the shelter - but I'm not sure.  I thought I had the paddock pretty safe - it's not like there are rusty old farm tools and spools of barbed wire out there, lol - but, well, horses...amiright?

Fred proceeded to play around with Bailey, roll in the sand and then did a couple of laps around the paddock before he settled.

zoom zoom

Running makes you thirsty!

He and Bailey then settled into a rousing game of bitey-face.  *sigh*  These two spend a lot of time goofing around.  I guess it is good for them, but Fred always has chomp marks on his face and neck from this.  Anyone know where I can order enough bubble wrap for a 16.3hh horse?

More winter: meandering, pondering, wishing for spring

On my day off Friday, I took the time to take out my nice camera and just (try to) enjoy the winter day.  I actually don't mind winter and cool temperatures - there is something about the fresh cool air that really refreshes my mind and my spirit.  Okay, that sounds totally cheesy, but it's true!

I took the dogs out for another snowshoe and got a few pics and forced myself to enjoyed the fresh air.

Artsy fencepost photo.  And a reminder to cut brush along the fence line in a month. lolz

This simple fence post image has me thinking about my farm to-do list for the spring. My fencing is in need of adjustments, repairs and some maintenance.  I'm also hoping to get some gravel and maybe repair the shelter footing.

We have my father in law's dog every winter while they go away.  She (border collie) and Sophie get along really well.  Sophie follows her everywhere and they love sniffing all the animal tracks in the back field.

Lots of animal tracks and stuff to sniff.

We don't have a ton of nice trees on the property - most are scrubby willow and a few maple and some pines - so I've been guarding this little oak tree for years.  It was just a stick with a leaf or two when I first found it and now it is about 4ft tall.   I will not likely live here long enough to see it become a huge tree, but it is cute nonetheless.

Grow, little oak!

As we kept wandering back to the little grove of maple trees, I tried to get a few cute pics of Sophie, but she is not the most photogenic dog out there.  Her goofy face makes me smile tho...

Don't worry - there are horse pictures coming.  From the back of the big field, I could make out Fred and the other guys snoozing in the sun.  My hubby calls Fred the jolly green giant when he is wearing his green t/o blanket.  lol

Fred is watching us...

Fred has become the watcher of the herd since Spencer left. It is pretty cute.  He will come toward the fence with his head down and then when you call his name, he perks up and looks all cute.

Coming over to see who/what is behind his field...

This green blanket is toast - the neck part has ripped apart from the shoulder and I don't think it can be fixed.  It is holding up to get Fred through this cold snap and then it will be retired.

She knows my name?  Maybe she has fud?  Fred, probably.

I spent the rest of my day off with a hot cup of coffee, a good book and several cats on my lap. It was nice to have an extra long weekend to relax and dream about spring plans!

Winter stormy days

We had a big storm this past Thursday - I think most of the eastern seaboard was hit in some way or another.  This storm hit extra hard since it had been so warm the days prior and the snow was melting!  Oh well...that is life in this part of the world.  We got about 8-9 inches of snow, which is nothing like some places get, so I can't complain.

I was able to work from home Thursday, which is rare, so I was very happy I didn't have to drive in that weather. I had also been meaning to take a Friday off to use up some leave, so I did that this past week, as the roads were nasty and I thought I'd save myself the hassle.  I love it when I'm home during the day and I can glance out and check on the horses. They were playing and running around at one point and I only managed to get two shots before my camera battery died.  D'oh!

I'm fairly lucky here with the horses in a big storm.  I have lots of hay at hand and the power rarely goes out, so I don't have to worry about water too much either.

zoom zoom!

I went outside with my cell phone hoping to get some video, as the horses were having fun ripping around.  Fred did not disappoint...lolol

I do tend to watch Copper in bad weather as he is not wearing a blanket this year.  He is fine in cold and dry snow, but when the weather is drastically changing, I don't want him getting wet, then super cold.

As the day wore on Thursday, the temps dropped from around 0C (32F) to -20C (-10F) and the wet snow changed to a drier snow.  Since I was home, I had the luxury of bringing the horses in for a few hours so Copper could dry off before the cold temps hit.

He does NOT like being in a stall for long, so I usually have to lure him in with grain.  Yes, I could get his halter/lead line, but that seems like a lot of work!  lol

I left them in to dry off for a few hours before chucking them back out in the elements.  When I first had horses at home again, I was hesitant to put them out in bad weather.  After seeing Spencer stand in freezing rain and snow over the years, I realize they tolerate a lot more than we think.

They have shelter and lots of hay, so most of the time they are fine!  Although Fred is going through blankets like crazy - he has now wrecked three!  OMG horse.  Luckily they were all cheaper or ones that I bought used, so I'll have a big pile to see if I can get them repaired or maybe I'll just chuck them.  I'll be saving up for a nicer set for him for next year - so far I'm looking at Schneiders, Dover or SmartPak with their warranties. 

Weight gain and weight loss (of the equine variety)

Or, alternatively titled, "Oh lawd, he comin'"

Well, that is more for Copper, not for Fred.  I'm sure you guys are familiar with the "chonk chart"?  Someone needs to make a horse version!

from imgur

Now that my ankle is feeling (mostly) better and most of the horse shows and little trips are over for the summer, I need to get going on working with the horses.

A fine boi?

Copper has been living large the past few weeks and has gained a fair bit of weight, which is pretty easy for minis and ponies.  I had him in a grazing muzzle in the spring and then took it off when they devoured the grass and the pickings were slim.  I also had round bales out for a few weeks in July and I don't think he can eat hay with the muzzle on.  So, even with limited grass, he has blown back up and that isn't great for his joints or his wonky shoulder (old injury).

HEFTY CHONK?  

This is my good side...Copper, probably

Fred, on the other hand is still growing and is like a teenager with his lanky legs and endless appetite!  He has been getting grain and hay and a bit of grass, but he needs more.  I'm hoping to show him next year and for halter he needs to fill out more.  I need to start now and get more food into him.

Having my horses at home gives me a good chance to work on this. I've been pondering how to best get all the horses the food they need.  The other two QHs are easy keepers, so I don't want to overload them either.  I contemplated putting in some temporary fencing to separate them, but Fred has a tendency to charge through fencing and Copper is willing to take a little zap to escape to eat on the lawn.    I think my best option is to keep both of them in from when I get home from work and overnight.  They can then go out with the other two during the day.

Nom nom, Fred probably

Fred will be getting a small amount of grain, oats and oil in the morning and then more grain, oats and oil when I get home.  He'll then get a pile of 2nd cut alfalfa and likely a bedtime snack of grain and 1st cut hay overnight.  I haven't quite decided on the exact ratio, but he needs fibre and roughage as well as the protein/fat he gets from the grain.    Copper will be getting a whopping 1 flake of 1st cut to pick at while inside.  He doesn't seem to like to eat from a slow feed hay net, but I'm hoping to get him doing that so it lasts him longer. I have these cute trailer sized 1" hole nets that hold 1-2 flakes that I want to start using with him.

**edited to add:  Fred has been checked by the vet and had his teeth done, been dewormed, etc.  I think he is just growing right now still...

Both horses move around a fair bit in the pastures, but could benefit from some focused work.  I am feeling confident that my ankle is healed enough to longe and do groundwork, so Fred will be on a light program starting this week!  Copper would benefit from some walking over poles and stuff like that to strengthen his shoulder and develop some muscle.

Have you had a hard keeper that you put weight on?  Any tips?  What about a chonky boi that needed to slim down?