Buster Creek HT Recap

So this is long overdue. I was waiting on some photos but to be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to recap this show. It was pretty much a disaster from the word go. And it ended in a spectacularly unfair way, which has left me very upset and bitter with Alberta eventing.

But I admire those bloggers who are consistently honest and give us glimpses into the good and the bad and there is really no point in only chronicling the good. It's super long, sorry-not-sorry for the word vomit.

Parking at this event is notoriously tight, the main parking was full by noon on Thursday (for a Friday start). I decided that rather than fucking around with my rig in a tiny space I'd just take the day off and head out early.

I was there and parked by 9:30. The parking guru parked me in a great spot, super close to the stalls, washrooms and in the trees so it'd be shady all weekend. Unfortunately, he also blocked me in from every side. Normally this wouldn't be a huge issue but I was riding in the second division (meaning I would be done by 10:30 on Sunday) and the rigs parked around me were in the second last division. Slightly irritating, but manageable.

I had a really great dressage school on Thursday afternoon in the insanely busy ring, was able to give my swamp monster a bath and then a XC course walk (Sandra was only there on Thursday and Friday, so she wouldn't be able to warm me up on Saturday).

My dressage ride time was 12:30 so I was able to get a good pre-ride (remembering I don't warm up for dressage). Unfortunately Dee was in a mood by the time I got on to head down to the ring and would not walk. I knew I was in for a pretty interesting test at this point. I spent the next 10 minutes doing plenty of transitions and small circles, just trying to get her focus. By the time we headed down the centerline we were slightly better, but as the test went on Dee just got faster and more inverted. I got tighter and quit breathing. Such a great combination.

Not relaxed but I love her expression
Photo by Sarah's Equine Design

There were really good moments on the test (an 8 for our first centerline), but also some really terrible ones (4.5's for all the walk work, which was actually quite generous as we did not actually walk). Someone asked me afterwards if I had a dressage coach :(

We ended up with a 55% (67.5 penalty points) and were sitting in 17 out of 19. Our worst score to date but not last. I'll take it. The photographer got some fabulous photos so that's a win.

Such love for this photo from Sarah's Equine Design

XC morning dawned and I was feeling pretty good. I had a plan, I felt good about the plan and I was going to beat down the anxiety demons and put down a clean (but slow) round. We were taking both options rather than attempt the corners to build some confidence.

Warm up started good, and then the nerves kicked in.  I reverted back to pulling and not breathing. Wonder Pony carted me around a few times but then she stopped. And stopped. (Not doing anything to fix it while representing was not a bright move, and remember my coach was not there). Thankfully Amy (who I'd done a mini XC clinic with the week before) stepped up to help me. We got back into a good rhythm and ended on a really good note.

Fence one was set at a hard 90° from the startbox and you had to cross the road. It made getting a decent canter very challenging. Add in my nerves and we had a stop. I represented and Dee deer-jumped from the shortest distance but we got over it.

Fence 2 and 3 were also set in ways that made a rhythm nearly impossible to find but we got it done. Both were galloping fences and we actually galloped, with minimal pulling.

Fence 4 is basically right behind the spruce tree on the right

Fence 4 was off another sharp turn but rode really nice.

There was a full minute gallop from 4 to 5. Dee took this to heart and boogied. I tried getting her back about 2/3 of the way and she was having none of it. It was a fairly narrow lane through the trees so there wasn't really anywhere to circle. We ended up blowing by fence 5(the faux keyhole) picking up our second 20. I ran her into th trees to get her back and came at it again. She ducked out to the left again and I barely managed to monkey myself back into the saddle.

At this point I was mad (at both of us) and I rode the snot out of the re-approach. We got over it, and the jump judges gave us the loudest cheer, making me smile.

Next onto the terrain question, it was a downhill turn to the left and then a steep uphill to a cabin at the crest of the hill. A sharp right turn to a very steep downhill again. Once again, I over-rode it, knowing we couldn't afford any more stops. Which caused us to get in close to the base but Dee isn't Best Pony for no reason.

7 was the corner, with a long option to an oxer. We took the option as planned and had a great ride through to fence 8, a max width table.

Fence 8 is beihnd the flower pot (you can just see the flags)

The corner is basically just to the left of this photo.
You come around the bend and it's just there, setting up for a great left run-out

Fence 9 was heading into the infield and rode lovely.

Photo by Sarah's Equine Design

This brought us into the twisty turny water. 10 was a ramp with a fairly short turn to 11, a drop into the water. The plan was to take the direct route, unless Dee was super amped, then we planned to take a big right turn to get her back and collected to drop into the water.

You can see the drop at the very edge of the left side of the photo

She's fabulous about dropping into water but the next fence was another corner that I was going to take the option, which meant as soon as we hit the water we needed to exit stage right, rather than cantering straight through.

Photo by Sarah's Equine Design

As she had already ran away on me once I took the safe route and added the circle. It rode really nice and we got a great turn in the water, heading to the ramp option.

Sandra later told me that this measures as a Prelim corner

13 was a large brush fence that rode great.

Fence 14 was a hanging log on a downhill slope that went very well.

15ABC was the coffin. My plan was to get very close to the tree line to get the straight line and then just ride for C. I once again probably over rode this, which resulted in a funky distance to the first fence but we got it done foot perfect otherwise.

C was giant!

16 was a bench alongside the parking. Sandra wanted me to over ride this one as the parking lot can be chaotic and distracting. This went well with how I was already riding but Dee couldn't' have cared less.

17 was a roll top off sharp turn on a hill. Turns out over riding everything allows me to really nail the galloping fences :)

18AB was an offset cabin line. I rode (according to plan) the first at a fairly steep angle to get a straight line to the skinny at B.

Up the hill to 19. We got in super close so it wasn't pretty but "over or through" right?

Down the hill and a wonky turn (you basically had to overshoot the jump to get the line) to 20 and into the water to a chevron on the way out.

By Fence 22 I was determined to finish and once again over rode it but we crossed the finish. 80 jumping and 26.4 time penalties, but still a number.

With the stops and the options I came in at 7:18 (OT was 6:07). I knew Dee was going to be hot and puffing, but the vet wouldn't take a baseline.

I walked her for a couple minutes before he pulsed her. She pulsed in high (104) but her respiration was already recovering.

Isabel and Martini crossed the finish at this point and vetted in with no issues. When they left Dee proceeded to have a melt down, screaming her head off and trying to run me over. Needless to say, when they pulsed her again, it was still high.

I told the vet I was going to run to the wash rack to try and get her cooled out with water (there was no water at the finish). He told me that I had to be back in 3 minutes to pulse again.

I made it back in just under 3 minutes but Dee was still being a twerp. He took her pulse but didn't tell me what it was and told me that I could go. His exact words were "Ok, you can go".

Back at the trailer we continued to get water on/off her because I knew she hadn't fully recovered. Within minutes of being beside Martini with some water to cool her off she was back to resting pulse and respiration. I was concerned about how long it took her to recover but everyone assured me that it was hot (27° with 80% humidity), she was out there for a over a minute than most and she was being a herd bound idiot.

Getting ready on Sunday morning for show jumping someone came and told me that someone had been looking for me at my stall.

There was a note on my stall from a member of the ground jury. I tracked her down and she told me that the vet had eliminated me with concerns about my horse's fitness. I was absolutely floored. I told her that I was not going to dispute it, as equine welfare always comes first but that why hadn't the vet said something to me, someone from the ground jury let me know earlier (this was 40 minutes before my ride time). She told me that they didn't' find out until late the previous night as the vet had just left them a note.

A thing to note, there is no Equine Canada rule about having to vet in at the finish. In fact, Alberta is the only place to require it outside of the international levels. There has been much discussion and debate about this non-rule stipulation. Many feel that it is a waste of time and money and that requiring us to pulse down before we have the opportunity to properly cool our horse off (almost none of the course have water at the finish) is counter productive. Because this isn't an actual rule, the vet does not have the grounds to eliminate someone. They can express their concern to the GJ and make recommendations but it ultimately falls to the GJ to eliminate someone.

Adorable dog to break up the text

This vet has a history of being a disruptive dick. He's eliminated people (an 8 year old to be exact) because their horse has an arrhythmia, despite having a health certificate that the horse is fit to compete. He's consistently rude and not a single person I spoke to had anything good to say about him.

I was extremely upset (cue the frustrated tears). Everyone who knows me was shocked, as my horse is very fit. My previous coach went so far as to tell me that she was sure my horse is probably the most fit out of our group of 6 riders and to not worry about it.

The more I considered it, the more angry I got. The vet had a concern about my horse. A legitimate one, as she was not pulsing down as she should. But he told me I was good to go. If I was less experienced I may have just tossed her back in her stall without additional cooling, which could have catastrophic implications.

As a vet he has an ethical responsibility to the welfare of the horse. As a paid contractor he has a legal responsibility to help mitigate Equine Canada and the organizers liability. He failed on both counts. This is what makes me the most angry. He should have been involved until Dee was actually fully cooled out and he was confident she was going to be ok.

I did end up speaking with the TD after I had calmed down and she was great. Once she understood that I was not trying to fight it she listened and was helpful. She was shocked that the vet had let me go without saying anything. I did tell her that if he had mentioned his concern I would have gone and grabbed her buddy so she would settle down. I also would have brought her back to get her checked out after I felt she was cooled out, even if I had known about the elimination because her welfare is the most important thing, not a completion.

Dee enjoying a nap while we waited to leave

And to add insult to injury my rig was blocked in, so I couldn't leave. I would have been able to leave by 10 but ended up pulling out at 4. Definitely not my best weekend.


TL:DR Crappy dressage with great photos. Even crappier XC, (3 stops), eliminated by a vet who apparently doesn't understand his responsibilities. Overall, shitty weekend. But hey, great photos!

Sandra Donnelly Clinic - Day 2

I'm a terrible blogger. I wrote this post, scheduled it and then went on my merry way. Blogger ate it and I couldn't summon the will to rewrite it. Every time a post disappears it kills my desire to blog. I may need to switch to a new platform.

Ritchie

Day 2 of the clinic started off with Ritchie. Shimmer-E was able to come and watch and get an education in jumper land (she is my favourite DQ).

Our flatwork started with going over the differences in full seat, light-seat, 2-point and driving seat. Sandra then put us through our paces, having us change our seat and demand a reaction from our horses. Turns out my light-seat has disappeared. 

Full seat? No problem. 2-point? Rock solid. Driving seat? Effective. Light-seat? Completely gone. I couldn't for the life of me allow my hips to move with him. Sandra told me that she's not surprised. Dee doesn't really let me practice light-seat without some fireworks. My homework is to keep working on it with Ritchie until I feel really solid in it. Then to work on it some more before I try and transition it to Dee.

Moving onto the over fences work, Ritchie really showcased the fact that Saturday's challenges were more of a test of my determination than fear or confusion. We jumped a skinny, brush boxes, a one-stride, a two-stride, planks and lattice. All which was new to him and he didn't say boo. We did have one drive by, the first time in the one-stride, but it was definitely a steering problem, not a jumping problem. 

It wasn't always pretty but we did everything successfully. And we did our first real courses!

My main goal for Ritchie during the clinic was just exposure. He stood quietly while others had their turn. He couldn't have cared less when the other riders forgot I was riding a young stallion and parked themselves quite close to us. I was super proud of him. For a young horse who's had very little exposure to new experiences and places he really couldn't have performed more admirably.

A somewhat accurate portrayal of our set up

Dee

For the first time ever with Dee we completely mastered the flatwork and weren't the remedial child! Sandra had us turn down the center line and leg yield back to the wall, and then do it the other way. We started out walking and she had very little to say to Dee and I that wasn't super positive. Next came the trot, still super positive. 

We then started asking for a walk transition while continuing to leg yield. This turned out to be super helpful for me because Dee and I really struggle with downward transitions (Dee is convinced we should only ever go faster). It was critical to keep her body straight while doing this, no allowing her to fall in (or out) in her right shoulder. When we were straight we had some incredible transitions.

Same exercise at a canter. Dee and I haven't schooled canter leg yields but you'd never know it. It was the most magical flatwork. If it hadn't been a clinic I probably would have called it quits there and floated around on cloud nine for the rest of the day. That's how good it was.

I normally go first because I am really good at remembering courses. Except here. This is not the course I was supposed to do. For the first time in well over a year I forgot my course.

We moved right into jumping. It wasn't long before Sandra had the fences set at 3'3" (and even one that was sneakily 3'6").  We were able to jump around and successfully nail a pace and keep my nerves from interfering. I was super good about not looking down because I picked a spot really high on the wall and did not take my eyes off it (otherwise the fences started to freak me out a little, which is silly, we are both more than capable).

We even jumped a giant (think 3'3" with a 4'3" spread) triple bar. Considering I've been scared of oxers and petrified of triple's and hog's back's I was really happy with how it went.

Ritchie is a very physically demanding ride. So by the time I rode Dee I was a little tired and my legs were very sure I shouldn't be doing anything. I ended up running out of steam near the end. It really showed up coming into the triple on one of our final go's. I had a good pace but was nervous and Dee backed off as we came to the base. I just wasn't able to add enough leg and we came to a graceful, if abrupt halt in front of it. Sandra told me she thought we had it and that Dee could have helped me out a little. We got it done in a second try but it was becoming obvious that Dee was backing off and I just didn't have the gas to really get it done.

You can see how it's starting to fall apart here, but we still get it done

Because Sandra is awesome she lowered some of the fences so we could end on a better note (the second fence in both of the related distances stayed up, but the first fence got lowered). It was completely the right thing to do. It was also really nice to know that it wasn't anxiety or panic that necessitated the drop, just a lack of fitness on my part. I can work on that. #goalbreeches 

Overall it was a great clinic. I couldn't have been happier with both horses. I can't wait until it's show season.

Always One More Time

I've been doing a lot of this...

Long slow straight distances

And more of this, on varied terrain...

Best Pony thinks water is great fun

And with company...

DogDog is fat and needs more exercise so she comes on our walks

We are up to 6 minutes of trot :)

We've been going for daily walks that last between 60 and 90 minutes.  This gives me plenty of time for introspection. I've been thinking alot about how much anxiety I have because of jumping. Frankly, I'm terrified on a regular basis. I rode my friend's Training level packer in a lesson over fences that were 2'6" - 2'9" and I spent a good portion of the lesson just trying to breathe through the anxiety. I knew that no matter what happened Martini would take care of me and yet I still struggled.

Before the red mare and my accident I had no concept of this kind of fear. Now it is a daily struggle. I have a safe and honest horse. I'm a good rider with a solid seat. Yet, cantering down to a 2'6" oxer can paralyze me with fear.

But I keep coming back to it. Eventing has a hold of my heart and no amount of misplaced anxiety seems to be loosening it's grip. So I keep saddling up and keep giving it a solid effort.  Some days are highs and some are lows but every day is still a step in the right direction.

Today I came across this post and it resonated with me so strongly I immediately had to write this post.

Always one more time has been my philospohy, Alexandra Franzen just gave me the right words to describe it.

When I get disheartened I will remind myself. I will softly repeat it every time I feel like giving up. I will recount is loudly every time I canter up to a XC fence that unnerves me.

Always one more time.

June Goals

I've always been a big believer in goals.  I firmly believe that writing you goal down is one of the best ways to achieve it.  I've got life goals, 5 year goals, 1 year goals and now I'm delving into monthly goals.  I want them to be achievable, measurable and I want to be accountable for them so I am going to track them here.

June Goals

-Ride sidesaddle at least twice a week
-No stirrup work (or bareback) for at least 45 min a week
-At least one no pressure ride
-Complete an event with a number, even if it's K2 high (I've got two chances for this one)
-A jumping lesson (or show) without a single run-out or stop
-DON'T FALL OFF
-Make a concentrated effort to get fitter (so I don't run out of steam before the end of my course)

So there you have it, nothing earth shattering but important nonetheless.

Derby Time!

Sunday was the first cross country show of the year.  Isabel was awesome enough to come out and pick me and the mare up and we were off!  I had entered Entry, knowing we could have some issues but height isn't really our problem, steering and confidence are. So for better or worse we were giving 2'6" cross country  go.

Our course was 7 stadium fences and 7 cross country for a total of 1805m and an optimum time of 5:09.  The cross country fences were very straight forward with the most difficult being an up bank, 2 strides to a down bank.  The up wasn't flagged so there was the option to go up the ramp and jump down the bank.  (This becomes important later)

Stadium course (you know you're jealous of my awesome Paint skills)

Cross-country course

As we were tacking up, the skies unleashed a torrential downpour.  Rivers of water running of my saddle kind of downpour.  Turns out the mare hates rain.  She was fidgety, obnoxious and downright rude about me mounting up.  I was really glad I had corks since our stadium portion was on grass and then we went straight out into cross country.

Thankfully the rain was short lived.  By the time I made it to the warm up area the rain had mostly petered out.  The mare warmed up beautifully, even jumping the verticals at steep angles (inviting a run-out) without missing a beat.

Crappy cell phone photo at an interesting time...

When we went into start our twisty-turny stadium I was feeling nervous but very determined.  Our first fence was an oxer and I was not going to start our day with a run-out.  I rode her aggressively to the fence and she took it like a pro.  The rest of the course was not pretty as she felt very sticky and had a few deer moments but we went clear and were headed out to the cross country.  We had a nice gallop to the first fence and a few strides out I felt her back off.  I grabbed my reins in one hand and used my whip.  Unfortunately it didn't help :( She went left, and I went right.  The fall was minor and I could have landed on my feet if I had tried but since I have no desire to repeat my ankle destruction I tucked my knees in and landed on my hip.  The reins had come over her head and I've never been quite so glad I let her graze with the lead rope dragging.  She'd step on them, stop, back up and continue on.  I caught up and started my walk of shame.




Fortunately we had a second round to redeem ourselves.  The stadium felt great, until we got to fence 7 ad had a run-out.  Truthfully, I'm not sure why we had the run-out but it sure galvanized me into riding her like she was going to die if she went left.  We got over the first cross country fence, it wasn't pretty but I stayed on and we went.  The next fence rode lovely and we were off to the banks.  20 feet from the banks she slammed on the banks and reared.  These are the same banks we schooled a week ago without an issue.  Rather than pick the fight with her I chose to do the ramp and jump down.  We had another attempted run-out at the next fence which resulted in a stop.  I backed her up a few steps and we jumped it no problem on the second try.  Next was a big log pile that caused her to back off but I got aggressive and growled and we sailed on over. Our next fence was a small A-frame right before the water and I just plain ran out of steam.  When she balked I had no legs to back up my desire to go forward so we picked up a stop on the smallest fence out there.  We backed up again and jumped it with one trot stride.  She went through the water like a champ though!  The last fence was also the biggest, and one we hadn't jumped before so I was a little nervous and just rode with all I had left.  She didn't even look at it.  It was the nicest jump of the day and was a good place to call it a day.

Last Jump, apparently we jumped it at an angle

While it was not the day I wanted it still had moments that stand out (like our course had 4 oxers and not one was an issue!).  I have to say it is very disheartening to continue to have the same issue and at tiny little fences.  I'm feeling discouraged and at the end of my rope.  I can't keep falling off because I will eventually get seriously injured and I just can't afford that.  I promised myself and the mare that I would give it a solid year for us to get our shit together but there are people (best friend and coach included) that think it is time to find her a new home.  I'm not there yet, and I don't want easy (safe is a whole different story).  I'm not going to learn anything if I continue to ride the easy horses.  So I'm going to pick myself up and head to the Alhambra derby this weekend for another go at this cross country thing.

I'm not sure why but I love this photo

Chainsaws, Shampoo, Sunburns and Tack

Saturday was a full barn day.  I stopped by the Beaumont cross country course to watch Sarah ride in a clinic.  Pony did really well and the clinician spent some time with Sarah working on keeping Pony out of his favourite spot, the deepest spot possible.

Sarah and Pony (yes, he has a name but no one uses it)

 

After I headed out to the barn to hack out the mare.  Since we had the x-country derby on Sunday I wanted to take her for a good ride to take the edge off.  We started off with a brisk trot and before I knew it we had trotted almost a mile and a half!  After a short walk break, which was more for me than my horse, we started back at the trot.  We were trotting by a yard when some idiot started his chainsaw no more than 5 feet from us!  Mare reared up, did a complete 180 and took off the other direction.  Thankfully she did it so gracefully I had no problem sticking with her.  I got her back under control and turned around to go back the way we were going.  I gave the guy a piece of my mind and all he had to say was "I didn't think it would scare her".  My response may or may not have been "It's a F@*^!ng CHAINSAW!"

After that incident my ride went downhill.  She just wasn't focused on me.  In total we went 9.4 miles in 1hr20min but it wasn't until mile 9 that she stopped acting like everything was going to jump out and hack her legs off.  Needless to say it was a challenging and difficult ride.

Beautiful day for leather therapy

Once we got back I gave her a quick bath because she's not great to hose off so I am aiming to hose her every chance I get (I also don't want her to get all sweaty, stand in the sun and turn a faded orange).  Bonus was it took off a bunch of the winter hair that has been hanging on.

I let her hang out and graze while I gave all my tack a deep clean and oil.  There is something therapeutic about cleaning tack.  I may have had a difficult ride and a challenging bath but an hour spent cleaning tack does wonders for the mood.

In all I think I was outside for about 4 hours.  I am a fanatic about sunscreen since I have the complexion of a redhead without the actual red hair.  I was wearing a SPF 30 on my entire upper body (I spray myself, then get dressed so that I don't miss spots) and a SPF 60 on my face.  My face survived the day with nothing more than a few freckles but my shoulders and back were not so lucky.  The picture is from shortly after I got home and the burn proceeded to get worse well into the evening.  I've now invested in SPF 60 for my body and have added a bottle to my brush bag so that I can apply right before I get on.

Not fun, not fun at all

Next up, the challenge of finding the right bra/shirt combo for the derby on Sunday that won't irritate my shoulder and back.

Busy Pony-Filled Long Weekend

So Friday saw the mare getting her feetsies done.  We had to put new shoes on the front since we wore the toes right down.  First thing my farrier said was "Well you've sure been riding".  As much as resets are much easier (her feet are crazy round and huge, so it takes a ton of manipulation to fit her shoes) I love her new shoes.  She's in a different shoe now, with clips that are much more forward.  My farrier would have liked to put her in a toe clip but he didn't have any shoes big enough so she got the fancy German shoes.  Hopefully we can get at least one reset out of them!

I wish I got pedicures this regularly

Saturday, Isabel and Erin came and picked me up and we were off to Blackfoot Grazing Reserve for the first big trail ride of the year.  Erin hasn't been out on an actual trail ride since she came off a year ago and broke her back so she was justifiably nervous.  But Spider was fabulous and we went on to have a lovely ride were we did a bunch of trotting and cantering.  We ended up going just over 10 miles in 2 hours.  So a little slower my normal pace but still quite a good clip.  It was so nice to actually get to ride with other people.  I've been hacking out by myself too much!

On Sunday we went cross country schooling again, this time with our coach.  Once again the mare was fabulous.  We had a few bobbles, but for the most part she was forward, brave and willing.  Even after our big hack the day before she showed zero signs of being tired.  We worked our way through pretty much every complex at Beaumont, including banks, ditches and the water.  We're back there next weekend for a derby so it was nice to have a chance to school beforehand.  

Isabel and Martini, Shelby and Sailor, Erin and Spider and Melinda and Ducky

I really need to work on not having a moment of hesitation.  All it takes is a split second and the mare will take advantage of it.  She's more than capable of jumping everything I point her at and I need to ride her like she's going to jump it or die rather than giving her the opportunity to make her own decision.  Especially since her decisions can include rearing and spinning.  Not fun :( I also need to remember to bring my corks.  We had a couple of slips that shook the mare up a little.  I have the holes drilled in so I can use them (when I don't forget my kit in the car).  

Straightness is also a new goal, especially on the banks.  She seems to have developed a wiggle and a preference for angles.  I need to be a better driver so that I don't set her up for a run-out, not after all our work to kill the run-out.  

All things considered for her second time on a cross-country course I was super impressed.  She's gong to make an eventer yet!

My favourite view.

Monday I had the osteopath out since her back has been bugging her quite a bit.  I've been putting her Back on Track sheet on every chance I get but she obviously needs some help.  I was running behind so they got started without me (he works with my mom so zero trust issues here).  They found quite a bit in her back related to that awful hematoma she had in March.  Also found some new stress in her jaw.  I hoped up on her to take her through her paces and see and even after two days of hard riding she WAS NOT TIRED.  She was spooky, reactive and just generally up.  I'd been on for 5-10 min and she took a misstep and was 3 legged lame.  I guess it's better for it to happen when the osteopath is there but I wish it hadn't happened at all.  Seems like she twisted her knee quite good.  After taking the stress out of she was no longer dead lame but she was short on it.  He figured it could take a few days for the tissue to recover.  Thankfully she gets Tuesdays off while I go to yoga anyways.  Fingers crossed!

Mom hopped up to she what she could feel

Overall it was a great weekend.  It was also my last free weekend until August so I managed to devour 5 books, hang out with the non-horsey bestie, and play the dog out completely.

Being a barn dog is sooo exhausting