10 Questions for September

I stole these Qs from Viva Carlos - her timing was perfect - as I'm in dire need of some content over here.  Things have been quiet and I've been a bit "meh" about things lately.  Work has been super busy and that leaves me a little drained by the time I get home.

1. Favorite quirk your horse (or a horse you’ve spent time with) has? 


Spencer opens doors - sliding doors, swinging barn doors, gates, trailer doors, you name it, he will open it if not latched.    It is funny if you are expecting it, not so funny if you get a door in the face.  Ask me how I know! 


Copper tries to get you to give him treats by smacking his lips and chewing and bumping your leg with his nose. It is not the greatest behaviour, but the lip smacking is pretty cute. 
Fred: he sighs when he eats his grain.  He gets a fair amount of food, so I guess it is hard work eating it all?


2. Three adjectives that perfectly describe your horse?


Fred: big, red, cuddly
Copper: little, red, cuddly
Spencer: grumpy, smart, full of attitude

Attitude? Check.

3. Plan your next ride. What will you do/work on?
Err...well...some news may be coming here so I'll leave this one for now.


4. Have you ever trained an OTTB? If yes, what was the biggest challenge?

I have not.  However, I did ride one when I first got back in to riding as an adult.


5. Have you ever groomed or worked for a professional rider?


A big fat nope on this one!


6. Favorite horse and rider combination?


I have to dig in the history books for this one, as I don't really follow any pros now.  My all-time favourite is Ian Millar (affectionately known here as Captain Canada) and Big Ben.  They competed in 2 Olympics (4th in the team comp. both times) and they won over 40 GP titles.  At the London 2012 games, Ian Millar set a record by becoming the first athlete in any sport, from any nation, to compete in 10 Olympic Games.   My friend's friend was Big Ben's groom for years, so I've heard a few personal stories about the pair as well, which is neat.


And while I don't follow any pros today, I do like to hear that Beezie Madden is successful - I lik hearing about successful horsewomen!

Ian Millar and Big Ben

7. Have you ever ridden a horse at the beach?



I have! In Aruba on these poor skinny horses.  Riding in other countries can be a little tough on people from North America who are used to more plump horses.  It was really fun though...the tour guide wanted everyone to walk on the beach. I pretended my horse spooked and cantered off down the beach...hahaha


8. If you could experience the equestrian community (i.e. ride and compete) in another country, what country would you choose and why?


Well, let's take out the compete part at this point in my life!  I would love to work on a cattle ranch in Montana for a summer or something.  And maybe ride in Ireland or the UK.


9. In your opinion, what is an item of tack that is given unnecessary hype?


I'm trying to think of something on the western side...they have these ugly "belt" headstalls that look weird.  Oh - and the bronc halters - those are weird, in my opinion!

I don't have a bronc, why would I want a bronc halter? Don't get it...at all...lol

10. What was the first horse you rode called? Are they still alive?


The first horse I rode was an old pinto pony named Mary.  She was in her 20s at the time, so safe to say she is long gone over the rainbow bridge. 

AE Bloghop: 12 Tough Questions

Things are fairly quiet around here this week.  Alberta Equest has 12 tough bloghop questions that I thought I would take a crack at. 

Q1:  What hobbies do you have outside of riding?

People have hobbies outside of horses?  Whaaattt? I like to read (moreso in the winter) and I like to dabble with watercolour painting. I’m not very good, but it is kind of relaxing.  I also like photography, but I'm not super dedicated to getting better, but every now and again I get some good shots.  

Q2: What is your boarding situation?  Are you happy with it?

I have my horses at home, so mostly happy, yes.  With our winters, an indoor would be life changing.  However boarding out is kind of pricey around here, so we make do.  All the guys get the winter off to just eat hay and relax.

Winter - not much going on but a wicked sundog (see the rainbows on either side?) as the sun sets

On a nice winter day, the horses like to run around.  The black pony is gone, thankfully. He was a hellion.

Q3:  What's on your horsey-related wish list?

• BoT quick wrap boots for Fred, in green of course
• Custom name halter for poor, neglected Fred
• New cowboy boots
• A foal out of my friends AQHA mare (this might actually happen in 2020!)
• Bucas zebra fly sheets
• new name plates for the stalls 

Singles ad:  LF: tall, studly AQHA, must be successful in show career, colour not important

Q4: What is your most expensive horsey-related item?

I guess my truck…?  I don’t have much tack these days with showing halter.  All of my riding gear is older and not that valuable any more.

I can harrow now without having to ask someone to help me!

Q5: What was the hardest horsey-related decision you've had to make lately?

Again, I’ve been lucky here.  The toughest thing this spring was deciding not to try and show Fred. Having a broken ankle and very little money certainly helped me decide.

From last year

Q6:  What's something you feel you can't live without in your routine?

Hmm…I’m pretty flexible here.  I can’t think of anything essential that I couldn’t sub for something else.

Q7: What's on your horsey-related calendar for the rest of the summer year?

Not much...  One fall fair with the cowboy obstacle group, some planning sessions with my friend to look at potential Baby Daddies for her mare and a long-shot of attending QH Congress in October.

Q8:  What is one thing you would willingly change about your horse?

Poor Fred, but I’d give him a nicer head if I could.  

Definitely cute, but maybe not the best for the show ring where they judge only on appearance...

Q9:  What is something you most want to improve on with you and your horse?
Ugh, this is hard.  I’m not riding at all right now, so I don’t know what to write. I guess consistency.  I like being consistent with working the horses and my feeding/grooming routine.  I’ve been unfocused and unmotivated this spring/summer so my goal for the fall is to get some basic routines established and then go from there.

Q10:  What has been your [current] horse’s most severe injury?

Again, I’ve been so lucky here.  Although, Fred is only 4 so there is lots of time.  I guess the most serious that needed vet attention was a puncture wound on his front forearm.  I feel like I dodged major injurie(s) when he got stuck in the electric fence this summer.  He just stood there waiting for me to come and get him loose.  All he had was a bit of rope burn, but it could’ve been sooo much worse.

Q11:  What do you feel your biggest downfall is as a rider?

Only one?  Hahaha – lack of consistency?  Also, short legs, not a lot of natural feel and/or talent.  Maybe this one needs a Q11a: What do you feel your biggest strength is as a rider?  And for that I would say a willingness to learn and keep trying.  :-)

Q12:  What feeds your motivation?

Alberta Equest – this is a super hard question!!   I’ve been having a heck of a hard time lately with motivation.  Emma wrote a great post about this that gave me a bit of a jolt.  I need to remember to be grateful to have horses in my life, since I just love them so much.  12yo Laura would be in awe of the house and barn and horses (not that it is that fancy...but comparatively) that I have now. I'm actually living part of my childhood dream.   I sometimes get lost in thinking about points and money and the fact that other people that have more opportunities than me. 

13yo me riding in a parade - at least I have a better hat now and this one looks like it is on backwards. omg.

Ok - I found another pic - too funny to not share!  I think this is right after I got my pony for my 12th bday -  she is still at our friend's place in this picture.  I'm in rubber boots!  My Mickey Mouse sweatshirt is on point though.  lol

1986, thanks to my Moms mad scrapbooking skillz...

Working on motivation, consistency and gratitude will be a big part of my fall/winter downtime this year.  I can’t expect any positive showing outcomes next year if I don’t put the work in now.  

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?

Weekly wrap-up

This week is the local AQHA show in the town close to my house.  I normally show there or volunteer, but this year I did neither!   I took the week off to help some friends that were showing and I spent the rest of the time parked on my butt in the shade watching the show.  It was relaxing to not have to worry about having a horse there, but I did sort of miss it too.

The club had their annual awards banquet and bbq on Thursday night, which is always fun.  Fred and I were the high point overall halter gelding and the high point open and reserve amateur 3yo gelding so we got a bit of loot.  The prizes weren't quite as nice this year, but that is ok. Missing from the pic below is a ball cap with the club logo on the front and "champion" on the back.  I'll probably get the most use out of that.

A portfolio and a picture frame.

I helped my friends get their halter horses prepped.  For this show format, which is 7 days! (omg) exhibitors show to 3 sets of judges over the week - 4 on Tues/Weds, 3 on Fri/Sat and 3 on Sun/Mon (it is a long weekend here on Monday).  The halter classes are the first to go on the first day of each "show".  They showed Tues am, this morning and will go again on Sunday morning.  A lot of QH shows are run this way or in a similar format.  You rarely show to just 1 judge any more.  7 days is a damn long show though - people that travel long distances often have to buy hay and other supplies as they just can't haul enough to last them.  And many people were at a show in Quebec before coming here, so they would be on their 2nd week away from a regular bed and laundry facilities.  Wild!

Halter horse up close and personal.  I was holding him to be groomed, but he just wanted to cuddle. 

Banded mane - something I need to work on this fall...

The entries for a lot of the breed shows have been down the last couple of years.  Costs to show keep going up and more and more people are staying home.  It is too bad, but maybe things will bounce back?

A halter gelding class

Now,  the most important thing about being at a horse show is the horse show food, right?  Right.  And adult beverages...it's five o'clock somewhere?  Totally.

yaasssssss - poutine!!!  And water - err...coors light... 

I even took Sophie over to the show for a few hours most days.  She enjoyed watching and meeting all of the horse show dogs that were quite literally everywhere.  Although, don't get me started on the people that have their dogs off leash and then happen to be looking the other way when they poop.  Argh. So rude!

Watching from the shade.  

 I'll miss the rest of the show, which is ok - it does get a little boring after a few days of the same stuff being repeated!  I'm heading "down south" for a few days to visit my Mom for her 70th birthday.  She lives near where I grew up, which is about a 7-8 drive SW of here, still in the same province.  I'm looking forward to a nice family visit.   I've been feeling stressed and grumpy lately, so some good laughs with my family should help!

The latest happenings at BBQH HQ!

*editor's note:  I started this post 2 weeks ago! 
Here are a few updates from the past couple of weeks:

We got 100 bales of 1st cut tucked in the barn (yeah!) and I even used my truck for the first time to get a round bale!  I love having a truck, even though it is a small one.

Lil' Red being a farm truck!

My friend/boarder and I started fixing the electric fence too.  Fred has broken the electric rope in 3 places so far this spring, so it was time!  We fixed the spots he trashed and then we replaced all the wiring from the barn to the start of the circuit and even dug up one of three grounding rods to replace the wiring.

Since Fred wrecked the fence, he gave himself some rope burn on both pasterns.  *sigh*  I've been doctoring it, but the left hind gets a little puffy on me if I don't stay on top of putting ointment on it.  And to make matters worse, I noticed Fred was limping a bit this past week - not super lame, but definitely NQR. I was hoping it was just the rope burn bugging him or at worst an abscess. Sure enough Monday morning the farrier was out and was able to open up an abscess on his the sole of his RH.  Fred seems to like being kept in his stall and all the attention and food he has been getting, but his leg was swelling too much being kept in, so I tossed him outside last night to see if that would help get the fluid moving.  It looks much better this morning, thankfully.

Bingo - abscess on the RH and rope burn.  And a puffy R leg. Oh Fred...

 Trying to get pictures with a giant cuddly 4yo gelding is tough. 

Oh hai!  Do you has fud?  Fred, probably.

Fred has been in the barn for his legs lately, but as well to keep Bailey company. Bailey somehow cut his lip open and needed some stitches.  It was one of those injuries that we can't quite figure out. My hunch is that he was rubbing his face on his leg and cut it on the nails of his shoe. He has been pulling shoes like crazy and one had nails sticking out.  Horses, I tell ya - always keeping us on our toes!

partially healed cut - he's blown 4/5 stitches, but hopefully it is healing

Spencer is totally judging those horses that get hurt all the time - he would *never* do something so silly as to get hurt at his advanced age.  Lol  He has a big scar on his face from an injury when he was young, so I guess he learned his lesson?  I was trying to get a picture of his scar to show you guys, but I had a hard time with the light and with photo bombers!!

Not 1, but 2 photobombers!

I have my fingers crossed that Fred is back to being sound now that the abscess has done its thing.  Having a hospital ward going for these guys is a lot of work!

Hosting guests and a jumper show

Oops - I've sorta let the blog go the past couple of weeks! I got some hay and have started tackling my big electrical project, but more on that later.  I've had my guests from Sweden here this week, so the blog has been quiet...  We had a good week catching up and doing some touristy stuff.

It is so cool to have someone that you just remain good friends with, even with distance and time.  My friend is originally from Holland and lived in Canada during my last year of high school.   She has two teenage kids and they were laughing at our high school memories.  They were also shocked at how long ago that was - 27 years!  *gulp*  My friend came to my wedding 20 years ago and has been back to visit a few times in between.  I have been very negligent in visiting her, but I think our next trip will be to Sweden - 2021 maybe?

Her daughter rides and is a jumper, so we of course hit up a local horse show! Our biggest local equestrian park just happened to be starting day 1 of a two week CSI 3* international show, so we went over and toured around for a couple of hours. It was kinda hot and gross, so we didn't make it too long.  It is even cooler in Sweden than here, so they aren't used to the heat.

This was only 1.10m as one of the earlier classes

We sat and watched a few jumper rounds - man that looks fun - I can totally see why you jumper people do that!  :-)  We sat next to a line that looked easy at first, but as we watched rider after rider botch the vertical that was after the oxer shown above, my young friend explained the striding and tactics that should be used for that line!

Cute Canadian double. A double double?  haha.  Sorry - Tim Horton's joke.

 This facility is quite nice and they did a pretty good job to my untrained eyes with nice course design and cool looking jumps.  We wandered around and found the grass main ring where the big money classes would be held. It is too bad the temps are going to get even warmer this weekend as I was toying with going back after my guests leave.

Jompies?

 The only thing a bit disappointing were the vendors.  There were maybe 3-4 small trailers that had standard show stuff - shirts, jackets and strap goods. Makes sense for them though as that is likely what riders would need in a pinch.  Maybe more vendors show up for the weekends when the bigger crowds roll through?

We then watched a few hunter rounds and called it a day.  The pool and some adult beverages (for the adults, of course!) were calling.

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?