2019 Q4 wrap-up and 2020 Goals

I didn't do too bad checking off items in 2019.  I didn't really have any big goals, more day to day stuff that needed to be done.  Getting those items checked off gave me some motivation and momentum heading into 2020.

Barn/property Q4

• Sort winter/summer horse stuff in bins so I can actually find things when needed
• Stretch goal - sort gear by horse as well! - this did not happen.  oh well.
• Clean and sell tack I'm not using
• Set up new shelves in barn
• Clean windows, tack room, etc for winter
• Get trough heater going, since winter is definitely coming...

Personal Q4

• No Zero Days plan – test for Q4 and implement fully in 2020.  Thanks to L Williams again for sharing this – it has really helped me!
  • draft 2020 goals
• Continue saving to vet fund - set aside $50/pay to start
• Consistent exercise of some sort - this was a fail 
• Continue working on ideas to help anxiety (kinda vague, I know!)
• Plan meals and try to limit eating out - semi successful? Needs more work for 2020
• Savings for shows and some house repairs in 2020
• Meet 2019 goal of 40 books read (low hanging fruit)
• Volunteer somewhere - but not for a horse show/club - done and ongoing! This is sort of cheating, since I started volunteering for the therapeutic riding centre where Spencer now lives before I finished this post.

Work Q4

• Read work-related news articles in French (fun topics like organized crime, terrorism, etc.  lol)

I'm going to try setting some actual goals and plans for 2020 - I haven't really done a formal list of bigger goals in a while, so this should be interesting.  ;-)  This is my overall list - I have a more detailed break-down of what each big goal entails. I'm old school and keep all of this in a paper journal!  I'm also aiming to follow the no zero days philosophy to help keep me on track.

In my travels around the internet, I've found a few great resources on setting goals and failing and how to deal with all of that.  I've been totally sidetracked by Baby Yoda memes.  And yes I'm admitting that publicly, here on the internet.  ;-)

I came across a cool article on a running website and the gist of it is that it is ok to set goals and ok to fail.  What?  I know, crazy, right?    The article is about running and sports, but just sub out "athletic" with "equestrian" and you are all set. This quote really resonated:

"Athletic failure is not something we need to fear. It’s something we can celebrate as a community as a chance to learn and laugh. And by celebrating failure, we can truly explore our potential and have way more fun along the way."

I'm at a point now where I don't get too upset if a goal has to be re-assessed or changed or cut out completely.  I think you need to re-assess life pretty regularly to make sure things are on track, or if something new and exciting comes up, you are ready to accept it.   I'm making some tentative plans to show Fred, but if they don't come to fruition, well, so be it.  I'll just need to assess whether to keep trying or maybe sell him and focus on the baby horse coming in 2021 (fingers crossed). 

So, without further ado:

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
• show at a different venue/different club (I've shown at the same 2 places for 98% of past shows)
• ride again - not sure what form this will take - riding a friend's horse, Fred, lessons, etc.
• attend a clinic of some sort

Fred

• work as weather permits in winter, then 3-5 times during the spring to get ready for shows
• continue under saddle work
• work on showmanship and in hand trail - maybe show at a schooling show?

Copper

• stay healthy!

Personal

• read 40 books
• back up and organize photos (my computer is dying, so this is urgent!)
• volunteer somewhere horse-y 
• save $$ for foal hopefully coming in 2021
• exercise program of some sort - aiming to run if the ankle holds up. I'm looking to do some virtual runs to help me have a goal/target and then maybe a bigger real-life run in the fall.
• stick to a budget (involves meal planning, saving up for shows, cooking at home, etc)
• read/listen to some horse training material - podcasts, youtube, books etc
• clean and oil tack
• continue to declutter and sell unused tack.  I did great with this in 2019, selling 3 saddles and a bunch of other stuff. 
• attend QH Congress (as a spectator) in October (I've missed the past 2 years!)

House/property

• complete some minor house renos/décor updates
• stay on top of yard/flowerbeds/fenceline
• keep barn tidy
• look into and start a plan/budget for some barn renos - eavestrough, upgrade lighting/wiring and maybe refinish the tack room

2019 Year in Review

2019 - what to say about this year? I always get my hopes up about a new year and then my plans don't always align with what life throws at me.  2019 was a year of rebuilding and moving forward, after our crappy 2016-2017 and tentative "things might be ok" year in 2018.

In March, we spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and it was fantastic.  It was a big trip for us to celebrate our 20th anniversary (May 2019) and to celebrate the hubby's recovery from cancer in 2016.  Maui has kind of ruined every other beach vacation location - Cuba, the DR, Mexico?  Pffft. I'd rather save up and go to Maui.    We'll see if we ever get back there - the cost and the logistics of a trip like that are hard with the little farm of creatures that I seem to be collecting.

An attempt at an artsy photo.  West Maui

Then, also in March, I sprained my ankle.  Or so I thought. Turns out it was actually fractured.  Which explained why it hurt like hell for months. Ahem. Anyhoo, the lesson here is to trust your gut that something more is wrong and insist on an x-ray.

I spent a lot of time watching the horses from the window.  Fred and Copper had fun playing.

March through June were pretty quiet and low key, as I couldn't do much. I volunteered on the board for small show club and that slowly fell apart as no one would pull their weight. I resigned in September from that club and do not regret it one bit!

In June, I took Fred to a schooling show, but my leg wasn't up for the task. 

September was a bit melancholy - I had been pondering what to do with Spencer - retire him, sell him...?  A solution presented itself with a therapeutic riding center falling in love with him. He went to live there in September and is doing ok, by all reports I've been getting. I miss him a lot, but he is helping people that need it, so that makes it a bit easier.

Farewell,  for now.

In October, I got a new cat! Archie was about 7 months old when we got him and he is fitting in well.  He is super affectionate and playful and maybe a little bitey (!) and I'm so glad I got him.  Does anyone know the # of cats that make you a crazy cat lady? Asking for a friend... 

3+1 = numb legs... lol

Fred also had a rider up and was backed in October.  Things haven't progressed to far in his under saddle training due to life, but I'm hoping to pick up where we left off over the winter.

October was also the month of the new (used) truck and many, many purchases, including paying for a stud fee to breed my friend's mare!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November rolled around and I went to Disneyworld for a week with my Mom and cousin. We had fun, but the place was PACKED with people, so that made things a bit tough. I enjoyed a lot of snacks, bought silly hats and got to see a lot of giraffes, so that sort of made up for it.

December is usually pretty quiet in my world. Mostly because it is dark and cold and we are all just trying to survive the weather and the holidays. 

Snow and cold make for pretty sunrises

 Christmas is almost here, so I'm listening to my odd playlist and wrapping presents. I have to work over the holidays (not Xmas day and Boxing Day tho), but that is ok, since I had 2 big trips this year. 

eclectic Christmas playlist

I also take some time to start planning for the new year, without putting a lot of pressure on myself to drastically change things.  I have to say, I'm kind of excited for what 2020 will bring. My hubby and I are finally starting to feel like we have our lives back and my anxiety is slowly fading away.  I feel more like myself than I have since 2016 and that in itself is a very good thing.

Moving at the speed of...winter

Things tend to get slow here at BBQH when the cold and dark settles in.  I've come to accept that and not fight it.  The holidays are coming and there is a lot of planning to do for that.  My niece and her new baby are coming from the Yukon for a month, so I'm pretty excited to meet my great-niece! 

Archie - about 11 months now and full of P&V

I don't really mind winter, which is a good thing since I live where I do.  LOL  If you dress accordingly and have some coping strategies in place, you can get by.  I have to say I'm a little nervous about the impending ice that develops on laneways, etc here in Jan/Feb after last year's ankle-gate.  I've put a pair of yak-trax on my Christmas list, so hopefully Santa is on the ball!

Fairly accurate, I'd say!

This time of year, I just putter through my to-do list and try to do some thinking ahead for 2020 plans.  I may also dream of moving to Hawaii, but I haven't been able to put the numbers together for that to work! 

sigh

I've been helping the therapeutic riding centre sell some old tack and I brought a big bag of stuff home to clean and assess whether it is in ok shape to sell.  A lot of the strap goods are not in the condition where I would want to ride with it.  I'm going to keep some stuff aside and use it in craft/decor projects. I found some high quality but old leather reins that I'm going to use to tie back curtains and some ancient stirrups that I'm going to repurpose into something - not exactly sure what - over the winter.

2/3 cats find old reins to be excellent toys

Fred and Copper are doing fine - Copper is chubby and Fred's weight is holding well.  Copper gets so hairy that you can barely see his ears.   As we roll into the new year, I'm going to start keeping Fred in overnight to help get more hay into him and less into the other two butterball turkeys horses.

Yes, his forelock is full of burrs... Fred's sideeye cracks me up

I'm hoping to show Fred next year, if possible.  It takes a good 4 months to get a halter horse show fit from pasture condition, so I'm starting early in Jan since I can't work him much during the winter.  I'm planning to do some hand walking, longing if the snow conditions on the weekends are good and starting late January we get more light after work, so I'm hoping to do more under saddle prep and in hand work with him. 

Not looking too bad... 

The light was kinda cool this morning, so I took his blanket off and tried to get a few pics of him.  He wanted nothing of it - he kept leading me to the barn - that is where the food is!  I was hoping to get some artsy shots of him with all of the frost and the sun trying to rise in the background, but most ended up like this:

Hai! Fud now?  Why no fud?

He has a nice scar on his nose - a few weeks ago he decided to use his face to disassemble the trim on the window in his stall.  *sigh*  Horses.   I've been putting stuff on it every night, but I've noticed this time of year, sometimes the hair doesn't grow back until they shed out in the spring.  Weird creatures.

How about you guys?  What are you plans for the this time of year and the rest of the winter?  Do you keep on riding, or slow things down a little? 

Q4 Plans

I feel like I'm doing pretty well with plans and goals for the latter half of this year.  I'm aiming for consistency right now and hoping to actually have some achievable items on the books for 2020.  

There is always room for improvement and as well all know, life can throw a wrench in the works, but I'm feeling a bit more motivated and focused than I did in the first half of the year.  

heh heh so true...

Horses Q4

Fred:

• As the weather allows, work 2-3 times/week - lunging, ground work, poles, riding (!)
• Maintain weight going into winter and develop some topline

Copper:

• Try to keep his weight down and keep him healthy

Barn/property Q4

• Sort winter/summer horse stuff in bins so I can actually find things when needed
• Stretch goal - sort gear by horse as well!
• Clean and sell tack I'm not using
• Set up new shelves in barn
• Clean windows, tack room, etc for winter
• Get trough heater going, since winter is definitely coming...

Personal Q4

• No Zero Days plan – test for Q4 and implement fully in 2020.  Thanks to L Williams again for sharing this – it has really helped me!
  • draft 2020 goals
• Continue saving to vet fund - set aside $50/pay to start
• Consistent exercise of some sort
• Continue working on ideas to help anxiety (kinda vague, I know!)
• Plan meals and try to limit eating out
• Savings for shows and some house repairs in 2020
• Meet 2019 goal of 40 books read (low hanging fruit)
• Volunteer somewhere - but not for a horse show/club - done and ongoing! This is sort of cheating, since I started volunteering for the therapeutic riding centre where Spencer now lives before I finished this post.

Work Q4

• Read work-related news articles in French (fun topics like organized crime, terrorism, etc.  lol)

Q3 Goals update

Today is my birthday as well as the end of Q3, so this post is actually timely.  ;-)

44 more candles today...

I didn't really set many goals this year so I was mostly winging it.  In July, I did a post where I outlined some plans for the rest of year.  I thought I'd do a little review and see if I can get things on track for Q4.  I think I'm going to try the "no zero days" concept for goals/life that L Williams posted about the other day. It really resonated with me.

Horses Q3
Fred:

You has fud?  Copper, probably.

• as my ankle allows, work 3-4 times/week - lunging, ground work, poles, maybe working towards being backed - I've just started working with him the past 2 weeks
• continue to get weight on him and develop some topline - Success! Lots and lots of hay is starting to work!
• find basic feed program that works without all kinds of supplements - Success! Hay, one type of grain and some oil seems to be doing the trick right now.
• ponder plans for 2020 for showing, etc. - Success?  Plans have been pondered, nothing decided.
• take baseline height/weight for kicks - Success - long story short, Fred is huge and likely still growing

Spencer: think of a solution - done - he is on trial at a therapeutic riding program. And the latest update is that he is amazing and didn't need any special training to do all the games and activities they do with the riders.  

Copper: kept his weight down and keep him healthy - No bueno.  He is a mega chonker.  Need to remedy this.

Barn/property Q3

• Try and maintain fences, lawns and gardens as best as possible with gimpy ankle.  I'm taking some pressure off myself on this one.  I'm just going to do the best I can as I feel able.   I'll give myself a moderate pass on this one - having a major drought for most of the summer prevented stuff from growing!
• do not purchase any new horse products - like mane conditioner, halters, brushes, combs, or even tack (unless urgently needed - like flyspray or medical items) - This is a pass if you don't count horse blankets and technically I won't have them in my grubby paws until Q4.
• try and use up current supply of "stuff" - this one is a bit vague and hard to measure. LOL
• sort winter/summer stuff in bins so I can actually find things when needed - Fail - I need to bump this to Q4
• clean and sell tack I'm not using - Success - I sold 3 saddles and bunch of other stuff. More needs to go though.

Personal Q3

• bank appt (this is low hanging fruit - it will give me something to check off!) - Done
• Start saving for a vet fund set aside $50/pay to start - Done
• dr's appt's (3 in July! yuck) to get back on track - Done - low hanging fruit.  Got the go-ahead to start walking/doing more with my ankle. 
• find some sort of exercise that is easy on the ankle -  FAIL.  Ugh.  Maybe Q4 will not be a wash here.
• work on ideas to help anxiety (kinda vague, I know!) - Moderate success here
• plan meals and try to limit eating out - Meh.  More to be done here for sure.

Work Q3

• listen to the radio in French - Fail - need to reassess this one
• read work-related news articles in French (fun topics like organized crime, terrorism, etc.  lol) - Success - we've had some big stories in the news lately, so lots of coverage to read in French. 

Final volunteer weekend of the year

** Just a quick note on Spencer - I have had two updates from the riding program and Spencer is settling in well so far!   Thanks for the comments on my last post - I'm not as sad about it this week as I was last week, so that is good!

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

We are well into fair season here, with the big ones wrapping up in the next month or so.  This past weekend was one of our local fall fairs that I had two volunteer commitments to finish up.

My friend is a judge, so I often tag along with her to the western shows at the fairs. I think I've been to most in a 2-3 hour radius from here, just to see what they are like.    This year, I was her ring steward as a favour to her.   I got into the fair for free, so that is a bonus.

These two percherons were close to our ring and kept geting excited every time another horse went by. 
Luckily none of the riding horses spooked!

This fair is a cute one - they have cattle, draft horses and a light horse show on the same day as the western ring.  I went for a quick tour around and it seemed to me that all the horse show entries were down. The western show only had 6 people, which is really sad. A lot of fairs have cancelled their horse shows and I wouldn't be surprised if this one follows suit.

Cows!

The fair board sometimes pays groups to come in and host events. And on Sunday, we put on our last cowboy obstacle show of the season at the same fair.   As of Sunday, I'm officially done volunteering with that club, which is a really good thing.

I'm very burnt out from volunteering on the boards of these local show clubs. It is such a drain on time and resources, especially if you work full time and, oh, I don't know, want to ride and show your own horse!  And don't get me started on politics and people not pulling their weight!

Cute!

The good news is that the show went well and our entries were decent, considering there were many other events on at the same time.

The other good news?  Mini donuts.  My favourite thing at a fair!  I know you can find them elsewhere, but I only let myself eat them at a fair.  And yes, I totally use my bucket for snacks or a dog water dish for the next few months!

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?

2019 Mid-way check in

Wow - this year is blowing by!  It seemed to drag on this winter, then we went to Hawaii (woot!) and then I hurt my ankle and well...you guys know the rest.

I've been pretty lax about horse plans and goals since my injury.  I'm still waiting to see a sports med doc in mid July so I'll hopefully know more about what I can expect pain/healing wise moving forward.

via GIPHY

I feel sort of lucky that I didn't have a lot of time, money and effort put into horse plans that the injury would've forced me to cancel.   I'm not a big goal-setter type person, but I do need a bit of a roadmap to follow, or else I find myself navel gazing when winter rolls around, wondering what I did with my life.

via GIPHY

So, let's just move on past the first half of the year and focus on the time left in 2019 to still pull this year out of the fire and have a few things accomplished:

Horses
Fred: 

• as my ankle allows, work 3-4 times/week - lunging, ground work, poles, maybe working towards being backed
• continue to get weight on him and develop some topline
• find basic feed program that works without all kinds of supplements
• ponder plans for 2020 for showing, etc.
• take baseline height/weight for kicks

Spencer: this is a tough one.  What to do with an 18yo gelding that I can't ride due to my injury?  He is 100% sound and willing and able to ride. Do I try and sell him, find someone to lease him?  I'm hoping this will just work itself out and I won't have to worry about it too much.  I need a teenager to move in next door that wants to ride!  lol

Copper: kept his weight down and keep him healthy

Barn/property

Try and maintain fences, lawns and gardens as best as possible with gimpy ankle.  I'm taking some pressure off myself on this one.  I'm just going to do the best I can as I feel able.

Clean up barn and organize horse stuff.  Actually, I think I'm going to start a horse product shopping ban!  What???  I'm going to use what I have and only buy something if needed - like medical items or fly spray!  *Gulp*  We'll see how long this lasts!

Q3

• do not purchase any new horse products - like mane conditioner, halters, brushes, combs, or even tack (unless urgently needed - like flyspray or medical items)
• try and use up current supply of "stuff"
• sort winter/summer stuff in bins so I can actually find things when needed
• clean and sell tack I'm not using 

Q4 

• be able to find winter blankets that I put away in the summer
• ditto for the heating element for the water trough!
• store summer stuff in an organized manner so I can find it next spring

Personal

Sort out finances: I'm not going into detail here, but in 2016 my hubby was very, very sick and now he is ok.  Our finances took a big hit and we are now finally close to getting things sorted out a bit.

Q3-Q4

• bank appt (this is low hanging fruit - it will give me something to check off!)
• Start saving for a vet fund - 6 animals (3 horses, 2 cats, 1 dog) even when healthy, rack up significant vet bills for maintenance, shots, etc.  I'd like to have a bit of money set aside for next year so the bill isn't as much of a shock.
• set aside $50/pay to start

Heh heh - just replace twinkies with Popeye's!

Health - I need to get this back on track.  My weight and fitness have been up and down a lot lately, but 2016 and now this injury really caused things to tank.  I need to make this a priority.

Q3 - Q4

• dr's appt's (3 in July! yuck) to get back on track
• find some sort of exercise that is easy on the ankle - I'm thinking cycling?  Normally my barn chores and riding help with fitness, but since that is very limited, well, we need a plan B
• work on ideas to help anxiety (kinda vague, I know!)
• plan meals and try to limit eating out (Popeye's, I lurve you sooo much)

Work - yeah, I'm adding this here.  I need to work on my French language skills for work.  My level used to be really good, but it has also tanked the past few years.   Pure laziness on my part.  Not sure what these goals will look like, but for starters:

Q3-Q4

• listen to the radio in French
• read work-related news articles in French (fun topics like organized crime, terrorism, etc.  lol)

I think that is quite a list for now! I'm feeling a bit refreshed looking forward to the rest of the year.  I decided not to show Fred at any AQHA shows this year, so I didn't have the added pressure of trying to fit him up with my ankle not getting the rest it needs to heal.  Now that I've made that decision, I feel like I have some room to actually accomplish a few things this year.

How are your goals/plans going for this year?  Have you ever considered a shopping ban of some sort?   Learned/maintained second language skills?