Oops

I have missed the blogging world in the 5 months since I've posted! I've been trying to keep up but I'm not always successful.

I've got tons of news but the CliffNotes version is:
I got laid off and took the summer to go be a working student
Dee came sound and we went to Rebecca Farm

Dee told me loud and clear that she doesn't want to do Training anymore
I rode Sullivan for the first time

William schooled XC like a freaking boss

Dee and an 11 year old girl feel in love and now she's living the good life

I'm still unemployed, which is frustrating and kinda fun all at the same time

And the big news: I just picked up two new project horses! I went looking for one and somehow came home with two.

My mom and have been looking to pick up an OTTB sale project and we had a pretty simple list; 4+, 15.3+, sound and ideally a gelding (since everything else at my place is a gelding).

I did manage to get one that met most of the criteria. Meet JP Barley.

She's a 7yo, 16hh mare with 54 starts. She's very similar in type to William, delicate, fine boned and pretty sweet.

Bonus horse does not for the criteria. Meet the Vicar is a 16.2, 3yo gelding who is coming off an injury. We were looking at a horse in the paddock next to him and I asked about Vicar because I really liked the look of him. She hadn't planned on selling him but when I committed to the mare she said I should take the gelding and give him some more time off. She said if he comes riding sound to send her $500.

So I came home with 2 new horses. Oops 😀

Broken Pony

Dee has apparently decided that I cannot go on vacation. I got home at 3 am after a week away and ran out to put rain sheets on the hooligans due to an incoming storm. Everyone was happy and undamaged.

Not the text you want to get

My SO texted me the above photo later the same day while I was at work. Thankfully he's awesome and cold hosed it for me and let me know that there was heat but no swelling and it didn't look like a puncture, just a missing chunk.

I figured it's a long ways from her heart, and finished up my work day. By the time I got home it was super fat so I cold hosed, scrubbed and wrapped, wit a plan to reassess in the morning.

Still puffy after being wrapped all night

Unfortunately, it was fat and super hot in the morning so I set up an appointment with the vet later in the day. Because my SO really is awesome he took her in for me so I could still get a full day of work in. 

I figured it wouldn't be an issue for me not to be there. I was counting on them scrubbing it up and sending her home with SMZ's.

Turns out it's a bit more involved than that. She's quite reactive to palpating the area so X-rays were taken and turns out she broke her splint bone. Thankfully it's not displaced and should heal cleanly. But the question is now if she's damaged her suspensory or if she's just reacting due to the cellulitis. 

So now it's a waiting game. Once the swelling is gone she needs to go back so we can ultrasound the leg. Fingers crossed that it's just cellulitis and the broken splint bone (never ever did I think I'd be hoping my horse just has a broken bone).

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go pull myself out of the dreaded spiral of Oh-my-god-my-horse-is-broken-and-will-have-to-be-put-down-and-I'm-a-terrible-owner by drinking all the wine in my house.

The Girl Who Exploded

Alternate title: A Very Expensive Weekend

So I still need to finish up my Rolex recaps but I need some blogger advice so I'm bumping those posts.

This weekend I had a XC clinic with Jessica Phoenix and it was an amazing clinic. I learned so much and had some really great rides. Unfortunately I also shit the bed pretty hard at the corner. Corners cause some serious anxiety in my world (enough that I have always taken the option).

Racing at the scary corner and not committing to both the line and canter is a recipe for disaster even when mounted on a saintly XC machine. See supporting evidence below:

The 6-year-old boy was sad to have missed seeing "the girl explode"

For those who don't watch videos

It's a bit hard to see in the video but I landed face first. The brim of my helmet went straight into the ground and my forehead took the brunt of my fall. Thankfully I am fine, minus a green tinge to my forehead today (2 days post fall).

We did manage to conquer it both directions!

So not only do I need a new canister for my vest (annoying but manageable) I also need to replace my beloved purple CO. Which completely breaks my heart because it was the 100 year anniversary version so I can't get it again. Plus it was in it's last year of service so it doesn't qualify for the replacement policy. So all of a sudden Sunday became a very expensive day.

I lovelovelove this helmet.
So much that even though it hurt my head for the first year I refused to consider something else

And then because the universe has a really sick sense of humor, my day got even more expensive. My red dog tried to eat a bloody porcupine, resulting in a Sunday evening trip to the emergency clinic.

They are in her tongue, gums, roof of her mouth and throat as well

She's fine now, feeling sorry for herself, but fine

Hopefully the vet rides because most of my budget for custom tall boots is now in her hands :(

I'm stopping by a local tack store today to try on Samshields because they are so very pretty but at this point I really need to get a new helmet before our first event on June 3. I have my every day schooling Tipperary so I can still ride but it's way too fugly to show in.

Anyone know of somewhere that has a decent sale or discount that carries Charles Owen AYR8's or the ProII Skull Cap in round sizes? Or Samshields? Or how to go about selling superfluous internal organs on the black market?

11 Weeks In One Photo Dump

Break out the champagne! I wrote my last final for my degree last night. This semester has kicked my ass, hard, so blogging (and horses) took a back seat. I've been riding, but sporadically. Thankfully my creatures are all honest souls so there has been very little antics. And they live in the backyard so I still get my pony-fix.

This is exactly how I felt last night

Little asshole is enjoying living with my mom and is the first to the gate, every time.

We hacked out in January

And in February

My previous barn once again hosted two Sandra Donnelly clinics. I rode both horses in the first one. I was super impressed with William he hadn't done a grid or a course prior to this clinic but he took both in stride.  He also had never seen an oxer before this clinic and he just couldn't brain. Even when we disassembled it it took him quite a while to figure out that he had to jump/walk over both rails. The clinic was a great success though. Sandra told me I'd be crazy to sell him, but if I did decide to sell him I should sell him to her. It's always great when someone you truly respect thinks highly of your horse, even when he's being a sassy, green 5 year-old.

Jumper or reiner, you decide

Seriously, the cutest face ever.

And sometimes he forget that he has 4 legs.

Dee was her usual rockstar self and packed me around the 3'3" group. I missed her and I"m so glad she's back to her usual self. I've seen no back soreness at all since we started back jumping.

For my birthday we tormented the dogs

My kitchen window view never gets old

William was foot perfect for his first time in water, with a rider he'd never met
Also, she tried to steal him :)

When both the dogs and the pony need some exercise and there are only so many daylight hours

 It's been pretty low-key around here and I'm quite excited to get back into a regular schedule, with both the horses and the blog.

Catching Up with Best Pony

We went to two local jumper shows in September. The plan was to do numerous divisions and see if we could expose her physical issues.

The first was the Killerney Derby. I have a soft spot for this show as it was the first show I took Dee to, and gave me my first cooler win. This year we did both the 2'9" and the 3'0" divisions, to the tune of 74 jumping efforts. I was a shitty pilot in the first class and surprised her with a triple bar and picked up a stop but it was smooth sailing after I got my act together. We picked up a second in the next class. A rail in the first 3'0" class landed us as the fastest 4 faulter and a 4th place. And then in the 3'0" derby class we were fast and clean, taking home the red and yet another cooler!

It's even in my colours!

The next show was the Gorsline show that we had great success at last year. Last year I showed on Saturday and this year I was on the Sunday. Sunday has the higher levels and a greater level of competition. We did both the 0.9m and the 1.0m. We took a fifth in the first 0.9m class (out of 27) and I was pumped about it, especially since there is money to fifth place. We then proceeded to have a great round in the 0.9m Jumper Special, taking home the win by a margin of almost 2 seconds. This landed us a hefty check and a new cooler.

We then stood around for a while and I made the mistake of not keeping her moving. Going into the 1.0m I was super nervous. Couple this with her getting stiff and it was a super rough round and we ended up getting eliminated after two stop. Horses are sure humbling. I got my head in the game, kept her moving until our next class and put in a solid round with a great jump off. We pulled the first rail, but once again were the fastest of the 4 faulters and took home a 4th. Overall it was great, I even came home with $40 more than my entries.

This is my favourite cooler photo!

Fortunately (unfortunately?) my plan to expose the NQR in Dee's back has worked. After our last show she came up with soreness in her lower back and hip.

So she's off to spend a month with my mom. My mom's business partner is an equine osteopath and the plan is for them to work on her quite extensively over the next few weeks. My mom is also 10 minutes from my preferred vet (I'm over 3 hours away) so it's easy to tap that resource if she isn't showing improvement.

William also got a treatment from them!

My mom is awesome, she's the entire reason I started riding and she has made it feasible for me to continue with this crazy obsession more times than I can count. I trust her with my horse implicitly. And I still cried after dropping her off (and even writing this is making me teary and I'm not a big crier).

So it'll be quiet(er) on the Dee front. I'm hopeful that this time will really help get her sorted out because I plan to enjoy her sassiness for many years to come.

Hitting Refresh

Going Training this year has been amazing, but knowing that I have a senior horse it became extra critical to prep correctly. I spent most of the year focused on fitness. We hacked out a ton, but always with a plan. Canter sets, trot sets, long trots, hill work, rinse and repeat. When we weren't focusing on fitness we were working to sharpen up our dressage and SJ. We worked, and we worked hard.

Always ready for whatever shenanigans I've cooked up

After a super shitty Sunday morning I made the last minute decision to haul over to the local grazing reserve and go for a ride.

I had the absolute best ride! I had zero plan, zero ambition and Dee and I basically just went for a toodle.

We trotted when we felt like it, cantered when we felt like it, galloped when we felt like it and  just had a total blast.

There is something so good for the soul about hacking out on the buckle, surrounded by the amazing fall colours and just enjoying every step.

I'm going to try an remember to throw the plan out the window every once in a while. I'm positive we will be better for it.

Two Years

Two years ago I stole a horse.

The day I brought her home. I need new photos, she looks so different!

Ok, I did pay for her, but I paid so little I might as well have stolen her. Seriously, who sells a rock solid Pre-Training (Novice) packer with plenty of Training miles for less than I paid for my used Amerigo?

Our first show (that resulted in our first cooler)

Two years ago trying to jump an oxer would almost certainly send my anxiety through the roof. I was having panic attacks almost every time I jumped (even if the jumps were under 2'6").

First XC School

I was casually looking for a new partner. I had a pretty short wish list:

1) Jump All the Jumps

2) Preferably no greys

3) Jump ALL the Jumps

4) Everything else is negotiable

All the jumps. even the crazy ones!

Dee checked all the boxes, and some of the ones I didn't even think about (Next time I will make it no greys and no pintos though. I'm so sick of purple shampoo).

Who knew I needed a horse that would let me "pony" my dog?

Or would take me to my first Endurance ride?

Or do a dressage test aside, after only 2 other sidesaddle rides

Or learn silly tricks, just to appease my inner child

Slowly but surely my little, overlooked, rockstar has helped me find my confidence again. We recently went XC schooling and we did the Prelim water line like it was no big deal!

I can check Rebecca Farm off my life list

Oxers (and triple bars) no longer have me quaking in my boots. I know we can successfully jump around a 1.0-1.10m stadium course. Dressage is still a major challenge but I have faith that we can get around any course thrown at us.

Still one of the best moments

I can't find the right words to explain what this horse means to me. All I can really do is leave this reminder: Life is too short to ride a horse you aren't enjoying. Find the one that matches you and the world opens up in ways you wouldn't believe.

She sure doesn't look (or act) 19

Photo Dump

In lieu of an actual post, here's some of my favourite photos from the last month.

She makes studying for summer classes very difficult

My farrier was running early so I caught Dee for him and then ran inside to change out of my office dress.
This is what I came back to. Note the lack of lead rope.

Henry and Frankie, my new barn cats

#littleasshole spends a solid portion of his day like this.
With how much he sleeps you'd think he'd be taller (he's about 14.2)

We took a much needed weekend off and headed out to Invermere, BC with friends

Jill did not drown, she's just an expressive swimmer and was displeased Anne dragged her out

The very best Grey Dog

 

Dee now does all of her dressage training in a double.
It's magic!

The weirdo rode like this all the way home from town

It's a god thing she's cute.

We helped my dad build his new shop.
If anyone asks for help building a steel structure like this, you want to decline, take my word for it.

So dirty.

I finally remembered to take a photo of their matching Rambos

Rails installed in my new (to-me) truck

I take a ton of photos of my dogs apparently

Another cooler for our collection!

???

I've totally lost my motivation to write meaningful posts. I've got a couple recaps I've started but all in all I just can't seem to get it together. How do you (especially the daily posters) keep yourself motivated to blog?