Month: May 2019

Well, here we are at the end of the month, which means… it’s time. Time to turn the page to the next chapter, time to say goodbye to the place we’ve called home for the past 2.5 years, and time to bid farewell to my beloved fields. It still stabs me right in the heart to think of this land being torn up and covered with houses soon.

Bobby is moving his boys to a dressage barn, and while of course I will miss him and Cannavaro, I’m also very excited for him. He’ll be able to pursue his older horse’s dressage career in earnest, be part of a show team, and have readily available professional help for Cannavaro. The footing is lovely in the arena there and they have a covered arena that means they always get to ride, so it’ll be great for the senior horse’s soundness and health. And Cannavaro can get some pro dressage rides to help get him started in his eventing career. I think it will be great for Bobby and his horses, and that’s what matters, so while I’m a little sad to no longer see them on a regular basis, as his friend I couldn’t be more pleased for him.

On Wednesday we all met after work so we could go on one last hack in the field. We walked, we trotted, we cantered, we galloped, there was some bucking, and plenty of laughing. The weather was gorgeous, and it was a perfect little sendoff. Today I’m going to go back out alone and take one last canter across the place that has given me so much peace and happiness. I’ve become weirdly attached to this back acreage where we’ve spent so much time working, playing around, and just decompressing and escaping the worries and responsibilities that live outside of these fence lines. My troubles have never been allowed to come in here with me.

 

But I also know that the end of this chapter signals the beginning of another. Last night we took a trailer full of jumps to the new barn, and I got to see it again with fresh eyes. The first time we came, I was still kind of reeling and panicking about the quick and sudden ejection after we got the news of the barn closing. This time I got to see it for what it was, and start planning where I was going to put things and how I was going to use the space. It will be really nice to have a good, usable arena (that is dragged regularly!) again. The field where we get to hack isn’t as big or as rolling, but it’s a really beautiful piece of land in it’s own right, and the footing is lovely. It’s better maintained and mowed regularly, so I don’t have to worry about stickers and burrs or wildlife hiding in the brush or random holes.

The barn owner is so kind, really gracious, and cares deeply for the horses’ happiness and well being. We picked out which stalls we wanted, talked about turnout options, got some ideas for how we’ll fit our stuff in the tack room, and discussed feeding plans. While I’m not excited to more than double my commute, I do feel like the boys will all be really happy there, and we’ll still have the same kind of freedom and quiet environment that we’re used to. Now that I’ve had time to process everything, I find myself actually really looking forward to the move.

Soon the boys will all be going out together, and living side by side in the barn. There are fewer horses, more one-on-one care, much better facility maintenance, and lots of options. It’s a good thing. Or it will be once we’re all there and unpacked anyway… moving all this shit is the worst part.

When life gets a little stressful, as it has been for me lately, I find myself focusing more on whatever fun things I have planned. For me, right now, that would be our Coconino trip in July with the horses, and our Europe trip in September for Burghley/seeing stallions.

It’s become a bit of a hobby to watch the weather in Flagstaff, where Coconino is held. This past weekend they had their first show of the year there, and on Friday it was snowing like crazy. I can’t imagine driving to a horse show in a snow storm, that’s definitely not a thing in Texas. But as our weather heats up and the humidity becomes unbearable, I certainly find myself looking forward to those 50 degree and 15% humidity July evenings at Coconino.

I’ve also already started a “want to see” list for Burghley shopping. When we were in Germany for Bundeschampionate a couple years ago, I looked at all kinds of things we don’t have heare, and I bought some tall boots. There’s so much stuff over there that we don’t have here, or that is way cheaper to buy over there. It’s really fun to poke around the shops and see so many things that are different from what you typically see here.

I really want to check out Fairfax. I’m not the biggest fan of their marketing tactics, but I do like a couple of their products. The most interesting one to me is the breastplate.

I like the simple collar design, having a horse who jumps with a lot of bascule and motion through his shoulder. The bridge style breastplate has worked well on him but I  still feel like it pulls between his front legs, even when that strap is adjusted as loose as I can safely make it. The Fairfax is basically a bridge without the chest strap. Is it as stable as a bridge? Probably not. Would my horse be more comfortable in it? Maybe. I want to look at it in person and ask some questions. It’s stupid expensive though, for a breastplate. Over $300, even in the UK.

Another brand on my list is Champion, the maker of my skull cap. I love that thing, and have been really impressed with the brand in general when it comes to safety and design. Their body protector looks interesting, and they have some new helmet colors and styles that they teased at Badminton but aren’t available yet. It’s such a hugely popular brand in the UK (and having the skull cap, I understand why) but they’re just starting to branch out over here. They’ve got my interest though, so I want to see more.

The other brand that I’ve already got bookmarked is Henry James Saddlery. A couple people that I follow on Instagram in the UK have been using this brand and I really like that you can build your own bridle on their website. They have a really neat crownpiece that sits up off the poll, a figure 8 with buckles on both sides of the nose (so you don’t end up with awkward buckle placement over the mouth) and a pretty non-crank flash. They also have a slightly modified version of the NunnFiner soft grip rubber reins that I love so much, and a wide stirrup leather ala Millbrook but in what looks to be much nicer leather (on a sidenote, I noticed this morning on RW that Ovation has come out with a wide stirrup leather as well, and it’s only $40! Anyone tried those yet? I’ve been pretty pleased with my Ovation strapgoods in the past…). Last fall Henry James teased a breastplate similar to the Fairfax but I haven’t seen anything about it since. A similar cheaper option would certainly be nice.

Once we get closer to Burghley and there’s a vendor list, I’ll go off the deep end completely and make a must-see list. I swear Europe has so many more fun brands than we do, and more unique designs. It’s fun if you’re into that kind of thing. What are some of your favorite UK brands, or cool new products? I’m having fun with the virtual pre-window shopping.

 

On Saturday Dobby went to his first Beginner Novice derby, at a local charity show. They didn’t offer any classes that went high enough for Henry, plus I was still nursing my sprained ankle anyway, so I decided to take Presto along instead. He was pretty darn excited to be included, even if Henry was super pissed. He watched while we loaded Dobby and Presto (they both self-loaded like proper children!), and as soon as Henry realized he wasn’t coming, he starting bucking and running angry laps in his paddock. I’ve got some nerve, taking those two little turds in HIS trailer without him.

My main objective for the day was for Presto to have to stand at the trailer by himself when his buddy leaves. He’s stood at the trailer when he’s gone places alone, but he’s never had to deal with the whole clearly-i’ve-been-abandoned-here-to-die-alone aspect that comes into play when traveling with a buddy and you don’t have stalls. I didn’t really care if he spent the whole day screaming or dug a hole to China, as long as he stayed attached to the trailer.

He was real screamy when we first got there. I took him away from Dobby almost immediately and went off to the XC area to walk him through the water and up/down the little banks. He would scream, Dobby would scream, I would move his feet a little, one of them would scream again, etc. He went into the water without much trouble, although when I sent him down the little bank (I mean like 6″, y’all, it barely counts) he LEAPT off of it, landing almost on the other side of the little water. My options were either let go, which… I figured a 2yo running around loose at a little charity show full of tiny humans was probably bad… or go with him. So with him I went, flying through the air like a human kite, and I narrowly missed faceplanting right in the middle of the water. Instead I just ended up shin-deep and had to wade out with my Blundstones full of gross black water. Thanks Presto.

After that his butt got put to work a little, trotting around me, changing directions, yielding his shoulders and hindquarters. I took him out and sent him over a couple of the tiny XC jumps, just to give him something to occupy his brain. He never really gave up singing the song of his people, but he settled enough to where I felt fine about parking him at the trailer by himself while I went to video Hillary’s dressage and then jumping rounds. I could still see him from my vantage point, and he pawed a tiny bit and neighed a few times but otherwise just stood there eating his hay by himself for an hour or so.

I had talked Hillary into doing the in-hand trail class just for shits and giggles, so when she was done riding we took both boys over to where all the obstacles were set up so they could check them out before the class started. Presto has seen them all before, so he didn’t care much, and neither did Dobby. No one could believe Dobbins was a just-barely 4yo that’s been off the track since December, he was so freaking quiet about everything. The only thing Presto didn’t really understand was the “pedestal” that they were supposed to stand on with their front feet. He kept trying to jump all the way over it. I can’t fault him for that, normally his job IS to jump all the way over things. But eventually he figured it out, even if he thought it was real dumb.

Dobby was first to go in the in-hand trail so we hung around up there while I videoed his round. Or tried to, anyway. Presto is the freaking WORST videographer’s assistant. At one point he knocked over the judge’s drink, so I had to pick it up real quick, and in that split second Presto somehow managed to swing around and get his feet tangled in a hula hoop, which I then had to extract him from, and in the process of that he knocked her drink over again. Once I got all that sorted he managed to hold himself together quietly for the next few obstacles, and then when Dobby got to the “gate”, all I saw on the screen of the video was Presto trying to eat the tree we were standing under.

There is never a dull moment with that one around. Are you not entertained?

Mission accomplished for the day though. Presto got to see more sights, and he remains unbothered by the show environment. I also now feel pretty good about leaving him tied at the trailer… even if he gets upset he’s very respectful of the fact that he’s tied and doesn’t try to get loose, nor does he panic. As long as he has food he seems to do just fine with self-soothing and chilling out. His next great adventure? A FEH class next month! Hopefully he’ll decide to fill out a little bit by then…

 

Well, this month just continues to be a real kick in the pants. I mentioned on Friday that one of our senior dogs wasn’t doing well, and unfortunately over the weekend things continued to decline for her. On Sunday we confirmed what I had feared since the initial bloodwork last Wednesday – liver cancer. By yesterday afternoon she was in full blown liver failure, and we opted to let her go before she got too uncomfortable.

Delia was always a super happy, sweet dog, and she remained that way right up until the end. We opted to put her down outside of the clinic, under the trees, since she always has been a lover of nature. All of the doctors that worked on her came out to say goodbye. They were all really great and professional but still incredibly kind. I really don’t know how veterinarians do this on a daily basis.

Delia was SO’s dog really… he pulled her out of the city animal shelter ten years ago, and they were best buds from day 1. I only got to know her for 6 of those years but I can say without a doubt that while all dogs are great, she was one of the best. While there is no doubt that she was SO’s dog, we were running buddies and great friends. She loved affection (which earned her the title Needy Deedee) and going on walks and hiking and especially her pet cat. Yeah ok, we told Delia that we got Grem for her. They were two peas in a pod.

Poor SO is not doing well at all. This was his first adulthood dog, and for years it was just those two against the world. He bought his house for her, took her everywhere, and his life revolved around her. Just a month ago we were hiking around Bull Creek celebrating their 10 year gotcha-versary and all was totally normal, so this has definitely blindsided him. I don’t think the word devastated accurately describes it. She just went downhill so fast.

Unfortunately I think most of us are all too familiar with how he feels right now. We don’t get to keep our animals for nearly as long as we’d like, and it sucks. But I know without a doubt that Delia had the best life you could ever imagine for a dog, and she was deeply loved. Miss you, sweet girl.

This is one of those weeks where I feel like I’m coming in hot to the weekend, flying sideways with tires screeching like it’s Tokyo Drift. There are major upheavals at work, one of our senior dogs is not doing well, and we have to start packing/moving stuff to the new barn this weekend. Things are busy and stressful.

I’m not in the right frame of mind for deep, insightful blog posts right now. My brain is overwhelmed as it is. But what I can offer, happily, is some levity. Specifically the kind that comes wrapped in a wobbly, fuzzy, pony-baby sized package. That’s right, I come bearing more pictures of Nunez WTW, who I am personally calling Mijo because it’s taking Michelle too long to come up with a barn name.

I also have a few general updates or things I want to mention. Once again I have to plug the US Event Horse Futurity, because I’m completely hooked on watching the videos of these young horses as they progress through the beginning of their careers. It’s been so educational for me already. Best idea anyone has ever had, documenting all of this on video. Watching how the trainers are working through problems and setbacks is something we don’t often get a front row seat to. If you still aren’t following, you really should. Plus if you’re active on the page with likes and comments and shares, you can win swag. OR, if you really want to promote the program, you can buy some swag too. Presto already has the hat… maybe he wants in for 2021?

As to the winner of the Australia vs Germany race, it was definitely Australia. The shirts from Black Horse Clothing arrived on Monday, and I really like them. Full review coming after I get to wear and wash some more, but the initial impression is very positive.

I was getting really worried about my boots (the German package) there for a while, when 5 days passed with absolutely no updates on the tracking. I’m relatively certain DHL strapped them to a dolphin and sent them across the ocean that way. But now they’re saying the package should be here tomorrow, so hopefully that’s true. Pretty new boots would make me happy. If they fit. Please fit.

I took a few days off from riding this week, to let myself keep healing more. My ankle was pretty mad on Tuesday and Wednesday, swollen and bruised again, so I just iced it and rested it completely. The bruises on the right side of my body from the fall are starting to fade a little bit. Nothing is really that sore anymore, except my back. I got on Henry yesterday in my dressage saddle and mostly just walked, with a little bit of trot, and things felt pretty good. I’ll definitely stick to a few more light days before I try to ramp anything back up, but I think I’m over the hump and through the worst of it. Now I just have to be careful not to re-injure anything I think. Being patient is hard, and taking days off from riding is not a particular strong suit of mine. I need to get everything healed up though, because the thought of trying to move all my shit and both horses next weekend with a broken body sounds extra miserable. So… rest it is.

Last but not least, Trafalgar Square Books is having a memorial day sale starting this evening through Monday night – 20% off plus free shipping in the US. I wish I was done with the Eric Smiley book and ready to review it for this occasion, but I’m still a few chapters away from being done. It’s a really interesting book though, and covers a wide range of topics, from riding to horsemanship to theory.  The books description on the website summarizes it best:

Riding well can be a puzzle. This book puts together the pieces, including

– How humans and horses learn
– Striving for partnership vs. dictatorship
– Early training and developing skills
– Demystifying equestrian-speak
– Dressage outside the arena
– Ground poles for the rest of us
– Jumping and cross-country tips
– Solving problems, wherever you ride
– Competition psychology
– Being coached and being a coach

They’ve also got Denny Emerson’s new book, as well as Tik Maynard’s (among tons of others) so if you haven’t picked either of those up yet, now is the time!

Have a good holiday weekend, everyone!