I RODE MY HORSE TODAY!

And he was awesome! We went down the road with E and Ruby. Both ponies hadn't been ridden in a while but both were on their best, red-headed behavior. Then on the way back down the road toward our farms someone shot a canon at us. Well.... that's what it sounded like anyways. Both horses spooked. Ruby took off and Twister leaped but didn't bolt which shocked the hell out of me. I fully expected to be half way home by the time I got him under control. But he was really level-headed about it.... for a spook. We were all a little shook up. Leave it to rednecks to blow shit up in their back yards.....

Twister: I luvvvv youuu
Ruby: Don't. Touch. Me.

no ride for  3 weeks and we went down the road in a snaffle.
win!

yay! riding!

Twister is super fat. And has no topline. Which makes me want to cry. He was so gorgeous 6 weeks ago. And now the topline is all bleh. When I told my person I was going riding today he was like "Wow! Really?" because he knows I've been exhausted and sick for the last 6 weeks. It felt so good to just hack down the road though! I'm hoping I can ride again tomorrow!

fat ponies.... i hate to muzzle them. they will need
their fat soon

lacking in topline and tummy muscles

And our new boy got to stay out all day today. He was very happy to be decked out in a flysheet and fly mask and have a huge field to himself. He is such a good boy.

little bumpies

And then the two fat fatties beg for cookies...

COOKIEZ! We are starving to death!

no cookiez?! biotch.

Claimed

We got one! Dnieper. 4 year old colt by the one and only Giant's Causeway (I love that stallion so much!).  He's not super big, but he's filled out and muscular and has two adorable little knowledge knots on his head.

He didn't run so well in the dirt today, finished 4th, but he's definitely a poly track/turf horse. And even though he didn't place well, he didn't quit trying. He'd do well in a little allowance at Indiana. Maybe a higher claimer at Keeneland. On the turf of course. I really like him already!

Time for a new blog?

I have hardly done anything with any of my horses the last month. I miss riding and while my energy level is starting to come back, I haven't had time to ride with all the other things going on. I wish I had more trails. Or maybe my neighbor will let me ride the edge of his hay fields. I can make a lap of my farm, including a lap of each big field in 10 minutes. Maybe my person and I need to trailer somewhere and ride.... something harder to do now with him taking more time at the track because Curtis is there.

A lot of the observations and things I want to more or less journal about during a day are things having to do with the little ball of life growing inside me. How it feels, thoughts about the future. Things that, no offense at all, but that most of you won't understand because you've vowed never to have children for exactly this reason..... there goes your riding!

FAT!

I was riding 4 times a week and Twister's dressage and flat work was at an all time high. Now, If I rode I'd have to fight with him to keep him off his forehand and soft. It will be a year or more before I get back into competition riding..... and by that time I may not get back into it. My priorities are changing and while it is taking some getting used to, I don't mind at all. It's all so incredibly worth it.

also fat but not quite as fat

So maybe it's time I start a new page and start "mommy blogging". Pretty sure if I start mommy blogging on my equestrian blog I'd have no followers by tomorrow.

can you see the little bumpie?

I'll post here now and then. I will still do things with the horses, just not as often. And we might be claiming another horse, that is if I can fill out the tag properly........ and I'll have to share about him and his races. And Curtis if he makes it.

Now there's another thing. Curtis. He may not make it as a racehorse. And he'll have to find a new home if he doesn't. If I wasn't preggers I would snatch him up and start his retraining and event with him. Maybe get in a late fall dressage show for practice. But there is no way it makes sense right now.... to have a horse that sits for how long? A year? 2? I'm not done eventing forever, but it might be a while before I get back into it.

This all being said, I love you all very much as a community of like-minded riders. You're support and feedback have been great the last 2 years or so. And I will be looking forward to reading your stories, struggles and triumphs. But I'll spare you mine if they aren't horse-related.

if it cooled off some i'd actually think it was fall here

Four Facts Survey

I am lacking content lately. I've seen this on a couple different blogs and am going to steal the idea. Thanks, ladies!

Four Jobs I've Had
1. Insurance agent (current)
2.Dog kennel attendant/worker
3. Groom/hotwalker/foreman at the track
4.Foaling barn co-manager (probably my favorite of the 4, pulling foals never gets old. Ever.)

my favorite little filly when I worked in the foaling barn

Four Movies I've Watched More Than Once
1.Star Wars. All of them. Embrace the nerd.
2.Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner, be still my heart!)
3.Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (a classic)
4.Breakfast at Tiffany's

Four Books I'd Recommend
1.Almost anything by Jodi Picoult
2. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
3.The Art of Driving in the Rain by Garth Stein (if you love dogs, read this, bring tissues)
4.The Outlander Series, especially Book 1 and Book 3. Book 4 is pretty awesome too.

Four Places I've Lived
1.Middleport, NY
2.Cobleskill, NY
3.Louisville, KY
4. Lebanon Jct, KY (where I am now)

Four Places I've Visited
1.Skull Vally/Salt Lake City, Utah (studied wild horses)
2.Every racetrack within 3 hours of Louisville
3.Tampa area, Florida
4.Manhattan

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now
1.Sleeping
2.On the porch swing reading.... but there are spiders living on it *shudders*
3.On Twister. Riding. But I'm soooo tied. I know I'm getting repetitive but I can't help it....
4. I really can't think of anywhere else. Pretty happy with where I am job-wise and living wise.

Four Things I'd Prefer Not to Eat/WILL NOT Eat
1.Pickles
2.Most vegetables
3.Tuna
4.Mussles

Four of My Favorite Foods
1.Chop's Shop Pizza with the sweet sauce and garlic crust (seriously have considered moving back home just to have this pizza regularly)
2.Good wings. They can be from anywhere as long as they're good. Anchor bar. Stooges. Rick's, Chop's....
3.Brownies, especially marbley kinds
4.Death By Chocolate icecream

drooling just looking at this pic

Four TV Shows I Watch (take into account I only have Netflix no "real" tv)
1.Outlander, I am totally obsessed!
2.McLeod's Daughters
3.Friends
4.SOA

Four Things I am Looking Forward to this Year
1.Feeling my baby grow inside me
2.Maybe hopefully spending Christmas in WNY with the family
3.Having my annual Christmas season bake-fest at my house. I go a little crazy with the cookies and such
4.Seeing Curtis' first race!

Four Things I Always Say
1.SHUT UP __________(insert name here) I never really mean it and M knows it means I luv her
2.I'll do what I want! (saying this MORE now because I feel that growing a tiny human gives me the right to get away with everything)
3.GAHHHH
4.You, c'mere....so I can slap you in the back of the head. (when it's deserved. this saying was stolen from My H many years ago when she lived across the hall from me)

Whoopsies

We didn't the the horse we tried to claim today. Apparently when it says to print the owner's name on the ticket, the name has to be PERSON not a business (we were going to claim it in the restaurant's name). So someone else claimed the horse. How the hell was I supposed to know??!!

We are still looking for one to claim here in the near future so we can have one running while Curtis gets fit again.

I took him in to the track today and when I got home I had 2 easy horses to turn out and pick their stalls. I didn't have to lunge or pony or anything! Which is awesome because I fell asleep on the couch for an hour.

tourist moment!

Mushyness and other stuff

I don't want to gross you all out with the mushy-ness. But I finally got my person to agree to take some "engagement" type photos with me. M took them. I even bathed the ponies last night and rinsed them in baby oil  so they'd stay clean. 

dysfunctional human/cat/dog family

my favorite. #photobomb! 

#ariats

Both horses were very well behaved. Rascal would eat grass, Twister would try to take it out of his mouth. Also, Rascal needs his teeth done. He gets a little pissy when he can feel you in his mouth at all. Add that to the to do list. And his leg was looking better and now looks the same again..... I stopped using Furazone for ONE DAY and it all went to hell. That'll teach me to change my treatment plan. And also he feels off on his right front. I think it might just be a bruised foot though so lather on the turpentine....

And.... my person and I are off to the track this afternoon to maybe claim a horse. He's a good looking sonofagun and has been running well his whole life. So we'll see!

All my horses were jerks

So yesterday I put Curtis under tack in the machine to jog and figured I'd putter around on Twister bareback for a couple minutes. I hopped on and he was being such a jerk. He wouldn't trot and when he did he wouldn't bend and when I stuck him with my heel he started head tossing and being an ass.

So what did I do? Dragged his jerky ass back to the barn, slapped a saddle on him and made him Do Work. He was not happy about this. It was like going back in time a few months. He tried to rip the reins out of my hands, counter bend, rush, pull, throw his head. He did not want to work. I kept pushing him forward into my hands and tried to get him off his damn forehand. It was not easy. And I tried him over the trot poles and he'd rush through them like he was going to jump something.

We did figure-8s and every time we changed direction he'd hollow out like "oh yep I'm done". NOT DONE LAZY PONY DO WORK. We did a little canter too, mostly so he could get it out of his system. Asking him to be round and lift while cantering was killing him. He wanted to rush around like a barrel horse. And every time we went to canter by the bounces that are still laying haphazard on the ground his ear pricked and he dragged and I had to tell him NO bounces. We don't do bounces until he is cantering on the flat like a gentleman.

M has agreed to take a weekly lesson on Twister. Her horse is having issues and Twister needs to do some gymnastics and grids. So it's a win-win.

And then there was jerky baby Rascal who while I was trying to take photos of his jacked up left hind, spied the open gate and bolted and spent the next 10 minutes evading me. I should have lunged his ass for an hour after I caught him but at this point I was so tired and still had stalls and water to do. He'll get his though, just you wait.

mudsores + hives =

jacked up leg

actually this is way better than 3 days ago

Also this is the first time in my life I have ever donned gloves to use Furazone. But the yellow goo is helping!

And Curtis. Who while I was chasing Rascal around and thinking "wow all of my horses are jerks expect for Curtis" who then decided to be a jerk while I rinsed the mud off his legs. He knows better. He was spinning and stomping on the hose and being an ass.

running off like an asshole

"wait for me rascal! i'm peeinggggg but i want to be
naughty too!"

doing w/e he wants. jerk.

It was an eventful evening to say the least!

TBT: Little Cowgirl

Holy crap. Is it really Thursday already??? Went by fast. But then again I had Friday and Monday off. Yay 4 day weeks and 4 day weekends! Why can't every week be like that? Aren't you supposed to have a balance between work and play? 5 to 2 is bad math.

Here is a wayyy back throw back to me as a tiny cowgirl. We lived in town and didn't have animals (except for that one time my brother and I got a hamster and we went on vacation to see Chincotigue ponies and it died....). So once or twice a year Mom would take us to this place down the road where you could trail ride old nags. Rainbow Stables. It was the highlight of my year and I lived and begged for it. "Mom let's go for Josh's birthday!" "Mom let's go riding for YOUR birthday!" "Mom let's go riding because I haven't been since last week and I'm dying to ride"

In addition to my twice yearly rides on the nags, we'd go visit Mom's bestie from when she was a kid and we'd ride her big QH mare. I don't know if she was really as big as I remember. But when you're 8, you think they're all 18 hands.

Here is an old ass photo of me riding an old nag. Though I rode western the first 12 years of my life, I always knew that was just to hold me over until I started riding English and became a Grand Prix jumper. (Though I was serious at 8 or 10 and even maybe at 14, that statement is now laced with mucho sarcasm).

actually pretty healthy looking for a trail nag

And just because I don't like my brother atm here is one I foud of me in the same cowboy hat after deciding little brother would look better dressed at Laura Ingalls.... please ignore the fact that I look like a hobo. My mom must have dressed me, I swear.

Meme-fest, sort of a WW

No riding means no substantial posts. But I don't want you to forget about me either!

Here are some of my most recent LOL moments. Enjoy/

not horse related at all. but funny all the same!

the reason i blog. most DON'T love it

i miss jumping my distance-missing, over-jumper this was him
all the time lol

we are thinking of claiming a horse. guess it's better than
lighting $$ on fire :P

my line all the time. "oh i've had that for a whileeeee
now and when i did get it, i traded for it"
yea....oooook....

Labor Day Weekend Trailride

Saturday a bunch of us went up to a friend's house to ride on her trails. It was freakin hot. So freakin hot. My person finally agreed to come with me and Rascal was awesome... except for he didn't like Callie, the cremello. He's racist I guess. Also Rascal wasn't fond of being toward the front. I think he felt like he was being chased. So we hung toward the back. Twister is losing fitness like crazy so he was happy to hang in the back and not be pressured to walk fast and do work.

By the time we stopped for lunch (camp fire in them middle of the woods cooking braughts and hotdogs over it) I was so sick. I wanted to barf. I got [more] water in me and some food and some Sun Chips and finally started to feel better. The fetus does not like heat and humidity. I almost never feel sick until I'm out in the hot for more than 5 minutes.

tethered to each other. they were super good!

We rode up and down hills and mostly stuck to the woods after a unanimous decision to not be in the hot sun. It's been nearly 100* the last week. It rained today though so I'm hoping it starts to cool off. I can't deal with it. I wan't to be able to wear my boots and scarves to work again.

I rode western for the ride mostly because of the need to pack drinks and my camera. I really wanted to ride English to see how Twister did in D.M.'s saddle and also because I hardly fit in my Wranglers and still easily fit in my Kerrits. But alas.

how cute are these kids?

I was really proud of Rascal who even had to stay in a strange barn alone when my person left early for work and the rest of us kept riding. He was the best one each way getting on the trailer. Which is redic that my seasoned been everywhere horse balked at the trailer a couple times when the 2 year old walked on and let me lock him in all by my self and I had to threaten to beat Twister before he knew I meant business. But it's all good.

And the best thing is that Twister's old Easy Boots that don't fit him and fell off 20 times on Memorial Day FIT RASCAL!!!! He was loping in them and they still didn't come off!! YAY! And Twister's Gloves worked awesome too.

twister's feetsies

rascal's feetsies