Wordless Wednesday

Gulp.  Need to find all my stuff!

Weekend wrap-up

This weekend extended into Monday, so I'm technically not late on writing about the weekend. And, hey, it's my blog, so I guess I can post this whenever I want.  lol

My weekend was one of those that I don't want to repeat too often.  I spent almost 4 hours helping a friend load her butthead of a horse (and another 2.5 hours today).  He isn't dangerous or afraid, just incredibly stubborn and difficult.  He doesn't give to pressure, but fights it.  Actually, in hindsight, that does make him dangerous...yikes.  Anyhoo, we have a system going with him so hopefully moving forward we can get him in in a reasonable time frame. I feel bad for my friend as she was hoping to show this summer, but (rightly so, imho) is nervous about getting him somewhere and then not being able to get him home.

Then, on Sunday, my yellow dog decided to give us a scare.  Labs are the worst for eating stuff they shouldn't - I'm sure most people know a story about a lab that ate something bad - and was either fine, or cost their owners thousands of dollars...Sophie stole my purse off the kitchen counter, rooted through it and ate and entire big package of tic tac gum.  Ugh.  Gum is bad for dogs due to the xylitol.  We found her 30 mins to an hour after she ate it and had started throwing up.  She was lethargic and had a really high heart rate.

Xylitol poisoning can cause blood glucose levels to spike and/or liver damage.  Not good.  We decided to take her to the vet to get checked out. We got lucky and found a new vet close by that was open on Sundays and didn't charge super high emergency fees.

They tested her blood right away and things were good.  They recommended keeping her overnight with IV fluids and monitoring.  I have to say this new clinic is great - the care and attention to details was simply amazing.  We got a call first thing this morning with an update. Her levels were fine this am as well and after one more test at noon, she would be ok to come home.

Heading home from the vet. Would totally eat more gum if she found it.

So, that was an expensive and stressful 24 hours. Luckily she seems to be fine and my emergency vet fund got a workout.

And since I stayed home today to deal with vet stuff, I was able to help my friend again with trailer loading.   After that fiasco sort of success, she rode Spencer for me and ponied Fred. And I took a picture.  Wow - am totally nailing this blogging stuff.  

Around and around.  Lots of trotting!  And it was a beautiful day!

Fred and Spencer were both great. Spencer was puffing a bit since he hasn't been worked in about 9 months.  Fred is a bit of a big slug - admittedly, it is a big red bus to get moving.  lol  

Oh, and the best weird news of the long weekend?  My doctor called with my x-ray results.  I did indeed fracture my fibula (outside leg bone) down near the ankle! F*** me!  It is showing as mostly healed now, but with a lot of swelling.  I have to see a sports medicine Dr next to see if there is anything else to be done with it, or if it will just take time.    I'm totally kicking myself for not getting an x-ray during the first week - damn you hindsight - but I trusted the ER doc that I saw and thought it was just a sprain.  Live and learn, folks. And trust your instincts if something doesn't feel right!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday, but on a Thursday...?

Hmm - that post title isn't quite working...lol  I meant to post this yesterday, but work was busy and the day got away from me.


I got my riding ring harrowed on Sunday, we ponied Fred and I tried to ride, but my stupid ankle hurt and I couldn't get my foot in the stirrup.  That is about all that is going on and here is the only picture I took on the weekend (note to self: get more pictures if you are going to blog!)

29C is approx. 84F in case you were wondering...

Things are moving along!

Things are finally picking up around here!  Even though the weather people are dubbing this month as "Jun-uary" (it was 4C/39F this am) I'm getting stuff done and feeling a bit more excited about horses and riding in general.

This week is "get r done" week:

• Monday - sheath cleaning by a professional (I can do it, but sometimes like a professional to get in there and do a 100% top notch job!)
• Tuesday - mobile sharpening lady is coming to sharpen all the clipper blades. How convenient is that? 
• Wednesday - vet day!  Teeth and shots and then the boys will be ready to go.
• Thursday or Friday - harrow the riding ring!

I think I might even try and ride this weekend!! Holy cow!  My ankle is better and with a brace it doesn't hurt much. I finally feel like swinging a leg over - Spencer, not Fred, lol I don't have a death wish!

And we have been getting a lot done around the house/property.  I love having my horses at home.  I had horses at home as a kid, boarded for years and now we have been at our little farm (15 acres) for 7 years now!  We fixed the front pasture fence and even mowed under the fence line.

So the boys have been out on the front pasture for a couple of weeks now - yeah for grass! - so they are very happy.  I usually don't have to electrify that section of fence since they are too busy eating. However, I didn't take into account a certain 4yo giraffe who wants the grass on the other side!  Needless to say, we'll be running some juice to that fence this weekend!

And, I got all excited about spring/summer jobs around the farm and wrote up a list of stuff I want to do.  I love to-do lists and crossing stuff off!

Getting my ring harrowed is the next thing I NEED to get done before it goes wild on me.   This is where an ATV or gator would be super helpful, as I can't get my truck back there until it is dried up a bit.  Putting the ring way in the back seemed like a good idea at the time, but it is a bit hard to get to with a truck when we have a wet spring.

First harrow with my truck last year. 

I'm also weirdly excited to do an inventory of all my tack and "products" and get everything cleaned up and organized.  I feel like I have a ton of grooming and tack cleaning products that I never finish. I have half full bottles of all kinds of stuff laying around.  One of my goals this year is to use up as much as possible before I buy anything new, unless it is essential - like fly spray or something.

Realistically, by the time I get some/all/a few (LOL) of these little jobs done, it will be fall or winter or 2020.   I don't mind though, since maintenance and upkeep is important to keep the horses safe and the property looking presentable.

Thursday. So close to Friday.

Things are ramping up around here, but nothing exciting enough is happening to warrant a separate post, so here are some random goings-on!

My friend and her horse are back for the summer to board at my place.  She brought her trailer over last weekend so I could practice loading Fred.  He is star and jumped right on after a couple of minutes of sniffing and looking around.  I think he will be a good candidate to self-load!



Spencer on the left and Bailey. 

My tulips are flowering and they are so pretty.  I've been able to get a bit of work done on my gardens the past few days.  Not sure why this place has so many flowerbeds tho - why would you want all the extra work when you already have horses? Sheesh.  #notagardener #blackthumb

My horses have it pretty good here - I don't do much with them in the winter except feed and groom them.  My barn is set up where I can just let them into their stalls without haltering and leading them in.  They all know that routine, but in the spring, when we start working and changing things up a bit, I get some grumpiness and attitude - even from little Copper! 

The big guys are out on grass for about 8ish hours a day now, but Copper can't handle that much.  He would be so fat! I can't find his grazing muzzle, so until a new one arrives, I keep him in during the day and then at dinner time, I shut the gate to the pasture and they all go back out to the small paddock. 

Copper follows me to shut the gate, so I've been bringing a longe whip just in case.  He DOES NOT LIKE being told where to go, so man have I been getting some attitude.  It is hilarious, of course.  After day 3 of some manners, he now stands and glares at me while I close the gate. I had to get a picture, because it is so funny. 



This is f'ing bullshit!  Copper, probably.

I tried lunging Fred last night and it went as well as could be expected with a giant 4yr old with gangly legs who hasn't been worked since September.  hahaha  And it is hard to get pics while lunging - I'm not that coordinated yet!

I decided to try him with a rope halter since I didn't feel like farting around with the cavesson and surcingle.  Turns out his "whoa" didn't work well with the rope halter either.  Needless to say, we have some refresher work to do!  The mosquitos were vicious, so I'm going to need to work him with a fly mask or something so his brain doesn't melt out his ears BECAUSE ZOMG MOM THERE ARE BITEY BUGS ON ME!!!!!!


Bugs in my ears!!!!! 

I also started teaching him the basics of showmanship pivots.  Why, you ask?  Well, I think it would be fun to do something else with him.  I may try him in showmanship at the schooling shows this summer.  Assuming I can get my ankle healed enough to you know, like jog for a few steps? Sheesh.

We ended our session, just before the mosquitoes carried us away, by standing at the mounting block and me hanging over his back.  He really didn't care, as long as I was helping swat bugs.  No pictures of that since I didn't want to test my luck too much! 

I'm looking forward to doing some regular work on the longe with Fred - I really want to try long lining him and ground driving as well as get him working in tack! 

Slow news week - Qs and As

Things are a little slow around here this week.  I even published this post without pictures the other day by accident. Sheesh.

L found some questions from DoubleRegistered on tumblr.  I am borrowing the idea from L to have some content to post!

1. What is the first thing you do when you get to the barn?
Depends on the time of day - am its get hay - Spencer does NOT tolerate me doing other stuff. He needs hay asap.  In the evening, I get grain ready and put it in their feeders before letting them in.

2. Is their a breed that you would never own?
Well, ok, an arab.  I've owned two and one arab/qh mare.  None of them have been a good fit for me, so I would be hard pressed to own one again as a riding horse.  I also wouldn't want to feed a huge draft like a clyde or a brabant!  And I don't think one of those would fit in my barn! lol

3. Describe your last ride?
Err...tricky question!  I think it was in July of last year?  Maybe?  I have no recollection of that ride or how it went.  Kinda sad, really.

4. Have any irrational riding fears?
I have a lot of fear, actually.  Maybe that is why I'm not riding as much.  Who knew these questions would be so therapeutic?  I have a fear of falling in a ring or arena and hitting my head/back on the rail or the wall.  I'm also nervous about falling off in a gallop in an open field. 

5. Describe your favourite lesson horse?
I haven't taken lessons on a lesson horse in ages.  For the sake of this post, here is a mare - I think she was an appendix... - that I took some lessons on years ago.  I tried to learn to jump and she put up with me.  Although, I didn't ride at that place very long for some reason or another.

6. Would you ever lease out your horse? Sure - it would have to be carefully monitored though. If off-site, I'd want to do checks on the facility etc. as I've heard some scary stories about off-site leases that didn't end well for the horse.

7. Mares: Yay or neigh?Neigh so far, with one exception: I had a pony mare as a kid and she was great - opinionated and bossy - but a great trail horse.  So far as an adult, I owned one mare and it ended poorly.  I do sort of daydream about "connecting" with a mare and having a good relationship.  Clearly I read to many horse books.

haha this picture is hilarious!  It was scanned from a scrapbook.  I think we rode in a parade in like 1987 or something. This is Tar - a welsh pony/appy x mare.  The only mare I've ever liked!

8. How many time per week do you get to see your horse?
I'm so lucky - I see them many times a day, every day.  Having horses at home again (I had horses as a kid) is a privilege for me as an adult.  And I get to catch them doing funny things:

Spencer and Bailey playing with a feed dish

9. Favourite thing to do on an “easy day” with your horse?
Sit in the barn and listen to them all chewing on their hay.

10. Conformational flaw that bothers you the most?
I'm not a conformation expert, but a long back is something that I notice and don't like.

11. Thing about your riding that you’re most self conscious about?
All of it? LOL  I'm pretty rusty in the riding department.  I'd have to say my weight is a factor - I'm pretty self conscious about that and how I look in the saddle.  I'm also worried about leg position and the dreaded chair seat.  As a testament to this, I can't find very many pics of me actually riding.

 My goal for this post is to include as many funny pictures as I can! I must've tried one of those apps that only colours part of the photo!  Likely to try and hide the lady in the background - I have no idea who she is!

12. Will you be participating in no stirrup November?
No, but I probably should!

13. What is your grooming routine?
It is pretty lax, unless I'm prepping a horse for a show.  Quick curry, body brush, hooves and fly spray.  Spencer really doesn't like being groomed, so I've just become used to doing the bare minimum with him.  Fred and Copper love any attention, so I tend to do more with them when the weather is decent. It is hard to do much in -30C.

I do NOT need to be groomed.  

14. Describe a day in the life of your horse?
Eat, poop, watch the neighbours.  :-)   Whinny at me to bring out more hay.  Rinse. Repeat.

15. Favorite season for riding?
Winter!  hahaha, just kidding. Have you seen the snow and ice where I live?  I'd have to say spring.

16. If you could only have 1 ring: indoor or outdoor?I prefer riding outside, but an indoor would be so awesome.  It would be amazing to do a bit of work year round instead of 6 months of fitting everything in and 6 months of sheer depression and misery winter.

17. What impresses you most about the opposite discipline (english vs. western)?

Well, riding in an English saddle itself is pretty impressive. I really suck at that!  I'd have to say jumping and XC are pretty impressive.

18. You have unlimited funds to buy one entire tack set for your horse, what is he/she wearing?

 I'd have to say head-to-tail Harris!  Show saddle, work saddle, bridle.    The saddle below is used, but it must've been a custom one.  It is selling for $14, 495.00 USD!  It even has short fenders, so it was pretty much made for me.  ;-)

And for Fred, a sterling overlay Kathy's halter with green stones!  We have a plain silver plated one, but the sterling is the fancy one!

Image credit: Kathy's website

19. How many blankets do you have? When do you blanket?
I think I own at least 12 blankets between all 3 horses.  I blanket in the winter, fly sheets sometimes and nylon sheets overnight before a show.

20. What is your horse’s favorite treat? Favorite place to be scratched?
Copper - anything and anywhere.  Dude loves treats and scritches.  :-)
Spencer - peppermints and his face and sometimes his chest if the bugs are bad.  The rest of the time you can leave him alone, pls.
Fred - is a bit picky about treats until he tastes one and then mobs you.  lol  A lot of show barns do not feed treats, so he isn't used to it.  He is an attention ho, so scratch away!

Treats??? Copper, probably.

21. Something about your barn that drives you crazy? The hired help is terrible!  Lazy and slow.  hahaha - since that is me, I feel I can say that.  On a serious note, my barn is a bit small to store hay for 3+ horses.  I luckily have a hay person that delivers throughout the year. 

22. Roached manes, pulled manes, or long flowing manes?
Pulled or at least trimmed.  And I use scissors. Sorry L!  I think flowing manes are a ton of work and the horse has to have the right texture of hair.  Spencer has terrible coarse hair and it rarely looks nice, regardless of what I do!

Exhibit A:  Copper's bowl cut (from several years ago).  I use a thinning rake on him now which looks a bit better.

23. Can you handle a buck or a rear better?
Neither! But I'd likely do better with a buck.  At least the first one and then I'd be off.

24. I would never buy a horse who ___________________?
Bucks or rears?

25. Favorite facial marking?
Sigh - I really don't know.  A big blaze?

Phew!  Those questions were more work than I thought.  And it took a while to find all the old pictures - note to self: organize and back up photos!

Goings on...body clipping, farrier

Since spring is sort of, kinda here, I've been working on getting stuff done around my place.  I have a lot of work left on gardens and fencing, but that will wait until next weekend.


We had a long weekend and I took an extra couple of days off on top of that, so I managed to get a few important things done.  The farrier was out for all 3 boys, I got some hay and grain and most importantly, little Copper was body clipped!


He has a super thick coat and it just doesn't shed out nicely. I'm going to have him tested for Cushings when the vet is out next.  In the meantime, he was getting really itchy and always rolling and rubbing.  Poor little guy!


It took 4 sessions and 3 sets of clippers and blades, but he is all done now!  He is so good and loves attention, so he just stands there while you clip him.  It took 4 sessions because the clippers kept overheating! 

Fred isn't sure he wants to be part of this clipping business...

By Sunday, I had set up a little clipper hospital in the tack room - to keep the blades clean and the clippers cooled down between rounds.  I'm going to collect all the blades and take them to be sharpened so I'm ready to clip again if needed! 

I was determined to take all 3 clippers apart and figure out how they work!

Then, it rained and was cold overnight on Sunday!  I woke up wide awake at 5am, worried about Copper being cold now that he was partially clipped and all skinny!  I was right - he was shivering and wet when I went to the barn.


I have a little purple cooler for him, but it turns out that it is way too small somehow.  So, he got to wear his big brother's cooler!  lol

mini burrito?

He didn't mind being wrapped up like a burrito for an hour or two - I gave him some hay and let him wander around the barn and he warmed up quickly.

Must. bite. that. little. butt.  Fred, probably.

Copper is tricky to take pictures of because he wants to be in your lap and have you scratch all his itchy spots.    And, once I got down to be able to see skin, I found some old rain rot spots. No wonder the poor guy was itchy!  I washed and treated the spots every day this weekend and will keep at it until it clears up.  Weird how he has never had rain rot and then this year he gets it...  Annoying!  

Do you like his dress?  A properly fitted cooler is now on my shopping list!

How was your weekend?  I think this weekend coming up is a long weekend in the US.