Month: December 2020

Originally Henry was supposed to go to a little jumper show this past weekend, but it got cancelled due to the rise in covid cases. They did, however, replace it with a $5 open schooling day (very limited numbers of people and by appointment only) so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to take Presto out instead. I asked Hillary if she wanted to meet me there so that we’d have a buddy, made an appointment for mid-afternoon, and off we went.

We ended up being the only two people in our time slot, so it worked out perfectly. I didn’t really even think about it but I hadn’t ridden Presto the day before, nor did I bother putting him on the lunge line when we got there. He’s not quiet, he’s got monkeys in his brains for sure, but he’s not completely stupid either. Plus, ya know…. I had a neck strap. I felt fine to just get on.

Since we essentially had the entire property to ourselves (jumping arena, cross country field, trail obstacle course, and dressage arena), and there were no more appointments after ours, we made a plan to meander around and briefly hit all of them. More bang for our buck. Since I was on a silly 3yo and it was mega windy, we decided to hit the jumping arena first. When I first picked up the trot to start warming up Presto just couldn’t quite contain his glee and wanted to canter, so that was fine, we cantered a few laps each way before he settled into a very giraffey trot for a few more minutes. He’s just like a kid in a candy store sometimes – so much to see, so much to do. As long as he’s not rude or malicious about it I tend to just wait it out, because he does inevitably settle within a few minutes. This ride was no exception.

When the barn owner saw which horses we pulled out of the trailers (aka KIDDOS) she was kind enough to put some of the jumps down for us. There were a few crossrails and some small verticals and oxers. When I brought Presto I honestly had no plan for what exactly I wanted to do with him, I just wanted to bring him and let him see everything. Hillary jumped a few things with Luna and I was like well why the heck not let’s just see what he thinks. He has yet to actually start jumping yet, the only thing he’s jumped under saddle were those few little logs the last time I took him to Pine Hill. But, ya know, when in Rome. This is a better space than I have at home and the jumps were already there and waiting for us. I figured he wouldn’t have any issue with the little crossrails, so I pointed him at one to see what happened. And, well, he basically just did the world’s tiniest, most bored little hop over it.

So I strung a few crossrails together. Yeah same thing. Big yawn from him.

Ok then, I pointed him at a vertical. Same reaction.

May as well up the ante then right? How about a line of verticals with flowers and fill, trotting in and cantering out. MEH, he says. WhAt, LiKe It’S sUpPoSeD tO bE hArD oR sOmEtHiNg?

Sometimes I think he’s mocking me.

We barely even canter much at home yet but alright then. Guess he jumps. Not bad for a first effort. Honestly I feel like I probably could have just done the whole course that was in the ring if I really wanted to, but I figured that was a great place to call it quits since we were still at the beginning of our journey around the property.

From there we wandered out to the XC course to find their baby banks/ditches/water. I’ve been exposing him to the holy trinity of eventing on the ground since he was a yearling, so it’s nice how now that he’s under saddle these things aren’t totally new concepts to him. Different, being under saddle instead of in hand, but not new. He understands the elements at least.

First we walked up and down the little mounds, then walked up and down the tiniest bank. No problem, ma. Easy peasy. So then I trotted him up and trotted him down. Aside from almost continuing on and jumping off the big side (ok there kid, reel it in), he was perfect. I just grabbed my neck strap, gave him a loose rein, and let him go. It’s really fun to feel his brain actually focus for once, when it’s got something worth thinking about. Those focused moments are rare. I think it feels like a game to him, so he’s into it.

I’ll post the whole video at the end, you have to watch his little hops up and down. It’s adorable, and I’m definitely not biased.

Anyway.

Then we went over to the little ditches, which he just trotted over with zero fanfare, so we didn’t linger for long. Then it was over to the water. But in order to get to the water, we first had to pass by this adorable dude:

Which both horses were initially a bit horrified by. Presto’s horror very quickly morphed into a desire to play with it (naturally), so he was first to approach and make friends. Luna remained relatively befuddled by the “abomination” (her word) and maintained her distance.

Once we succeeded in getting past the donkey, we walked together through the water. Honestly I thought he might balk more about going into it, their water is narrow and dark and a lot of horses are spooky about it, but after putting their noses down to take a sniff they wandered right in. Good babies.

We took turns trotting back and forth through it, but it was pretty uneventful. Except the time Presto thought he might want to take a canter step into it, splashed water right up his nose, and thought he was dying. He took two steps out the other side and stopped dead to cough and sneeze. I didn’t even have to do anything, he waterboarded himself.

I’ve noticed his tail is an indicator of impending tomfoolery. Too bad I can’t actually see it when I’m riding.

After the water we walked through the little trail/obstacle course, and I couldn’t resist walking him over a little bridge thingy and through the pool noodles. He’s seen stuff like that in hand, too, and didn’t care much about it under saddle.

We capped everything off with a walk around the dressage arena, stopping to sniff (ok, lick, he licked it) the judge’s table before heading back to the trailers.

There’s more video of his day here:

Overall I was incredibly pleased with him. I can’t really express how neon-green he still is, our rides at this point are like twice a week and 98% walk/trot. He’s only got about 40 rides total at this point, all by me, probably at least a third of which are just hacking. Mostly we spend 10-15 minutes working on response to the aids, moving off the leg and seat, and steering. We’ve not really branched out beyond that at home yet, so for him to go off property and take on whatever I point him at, I can’t really complain. He’s definitely not a super easy quiet horse, not by any means. He’s very easily distracted. He’s got a motor. He’s squirrelly. Sometimes he spooks for fun. Sometimes the power steering goes out. Sometimes (a lot of the time) it’s like riding a drunk noodle. The neck strap is my best friend. BUT – I really enjoy riding him. He’s forward-thinking and willing, he learns fast, and he loves a challenge. That makes him super fun to ride, in my book. Is he a monkey? You bet. Does he make me excited about the horse I’ve got for the future? Also yes. There are moments of brilliance amidst all the shenanigans, and he’s so smart and brave. Things come very easily to him, especially the cross country – he just GETS it like it makes sense.

I’ve always been a baby/green horse person, so I’m loving this stage. They’re little sponges and it’s really rewarding, especially when you have one that feels special like Presto does.

Many thanks to Scissortail for having us and to Hillary for coming along with us and getting media! It was a great baby day.

This might be the last t!ny h0use update for a while, because we’ve kind of hit a plateau as far as interesting developments or noteworthy changes. There HAVE been some notable additions since the last THT post though, so let’s get caught up.

First and foremost – she’s got skirting! It ended up taking a little longer to get this done than I had originally wanted since so few people actually got back to me with quotes, but like I said last post, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. If the skirting had gone on right away we might never have noticed the water leak, so in the end it all worked out for the best. The leak issue seems to be totally resolved since the TH company came out to repair it (knock on wood).

Ultimately for the skirting I went with a local handyman business because they were actually responsive and professional. The quote was slightly higher than another one I had, but this guy actually emailed and called me back, so… that means a lot. And since he IS a handyman type, he was also able to build out some stairs for us off the back porch. He came out with his teenage son over the course of a few days and they installed/built everything, and in the end I think they did a great job. She’s now fully dressed and closed up.

Also, having watched them install the skirting I am 100000% certain that hiring someone else to do it was the right call. It’s not COMPLICATED work, you can definitely DIY it, but it is tedious AF, and the tools they had definitely made it easier than if we’d tried it ourselves. It seems like one of those projects where you end up intensely hating your spouse afterwards.

Those two things were a pretty big chunk of money so I haven’t really bought anything else for the house that’s noteworthy, and we’ve still got another month or so to wait before the couch comes in. I think I’m going to hold off ordering anything else until that gets here so I can get a better idea of colors and space. We did put some string lights up on the back porch to give it some ambiance (those can lights in the ceiling are BRIGHT AF, you could land a plane on our back porch) but that’s about it.

Otherwise we’ve kind of settled into a little routine here. As you can see in the first pic, the dog ramp is attached to the front steps. I want to make a little dog run area off to the side at the bottom of the ramp, but I really wanted it on the other side, which I can’t currently do because the hand rail for the stairs is on that side. We’re going to look at either moving that rail to the other side or removing it completely, I just haven’t gotten that far yet. Right now I supervise the dogs when they’re outside and pick up the poop daily, so it’s not particularly urgent.

I’ve also gotten in the habit of riding my bike back and forth across the pasture to the barn. The only bike I retained in the purge is my cyclocross bike (which is sorta like a road bike with knobby tubeless tires and components that are meant to handle mud and dirt) so it’s perfect for the job. Okay not so much on rainy days, but those have been few and far between so far. A golf cart would be easier (especially when I have to hike to the back 40 to take blankets off mid-morning) but the bike works for now.

I did get a little tiny space heater for the bedroom – it only draws 500 watts (most are more like 1500) but it does a great job of heating up small spaces. Which, coincidentally, I have plenty of. I can put it in the bathroom for 10 minutes before I shower and its nice and toasty in there, or have it on for a little while in the bedroom with the door closed and it warms it up enough to where I don’t have to turn the big heaters on. Those heaters are intense. Like being blasted with dragon’s breath. It’s not ridiculously cold here, and so far it’s been easier to use the teeny space heater when we just need a little more warmth.

I’m also really digging the big 4″ memory foam mattress topper I got when I first moved in. It’s comfy AF.

I’ve also decided that since they’re farm dogs now and I’m not a total masochist, they’re going to the groomers once a month for a proper bath. Quinn is a freaking nightmare to bathe and dry but he’s a super gross dog, and Stewie loves to roll around in the grass every day while I clean stalls. If they stink at all, the whole house stinks, plus they tend to track whatever is clinging to their bodies into the house. And honestly, I don’t exactly have ample space in here to be wrestling with trying to bathe and dry two grumpy old man dogs. The local grooming place I took them to last month did a good job, only took an hour from drop off to pick up, and was super affordable, so we’re just gonna keep a monthly appointment there. They go back in on Friday. I’m all about making my life easier.

I remain happy with this little house. It’s all the space I need with none of the space I don’t. It’s much easier to keep clean (I did a “whole house” clean on Sunday in 30 minutes HAHAHAHA), and I haven’t found myself feeling cramped at all. Granted, SO and the cats are still living at the other house (progress has been made towards getting it ready to rent, but I’d say he’s only 50% of the way there) so I know it’ll be different with more humans/animals in here. I’m glad to have this time by myself though, to figure out the best way to do everything and maintain everything without having to worry about another person.

I think that’s it up to now for the t!ny farmh0use, y’all are all caught up. More updates later once we get more stuff in here!

Can you believe it’s been seven years since I bought this dodo?

It’s crazy to even think of my life pre-Henry. Hard to remember a time where this goober wasn’t the center of my world. Also cute that I was ever deluded enough to think I was actually going to re-sell him. Ha. Hahahaha. That’s a big fat nope. Jokes on me.

Turns out that this chonky, grumpy, cheeky little wannabe-QH carved himself a permanent place in my heart and in my life. He’s never going anywhere. Stuck with me forever. He’s the best teacher, friend, and big brother that I never even went looking for. You don’t question the universe when it sends you a gift like this.

And while we both seem to live for that feeling when we leave the start box together, 2020 failed to deliver on our favorite high. I mean, we got to go XC school once, and we certainly fit lots of jompies in at home, so it wasn’t a total loss. In a way though, having the pressure of horse showing taken out of the equation and off of our relationship has been a really good thing. There are no expectations on the time I spend in the saddle. No strict schedules to adhere to, no timelines to stress over. There’s just less noise, so to speak. If there’s one perk of a pandemic, it’s clarity, and what’s perfectly clear to me is that having fun with this horse and keeping him happy are the only things that really matter.

If possible, our bond has actually gotten even deeper. Each year that passes, it just seems to grow and solidify even more. We understand each other, we know each other, and we can read each other so well by now. Especially now that he lives in my backyard. Having him right there has deepened the connection even more, in different ways.

I love both of my horses dearly, but they definitely take on different roles. Presto is the fancier, more athletic young gun that needs lots of attention. In some ways that may make it seem like Henry fades into the background a bit, but no. Quite the opposite actually. Presto is fresh and fun and exciting yes, but swinging a leg over Henry’s back feels like coming home. To know a horse this well and to trust him and just enjoy his company no matter what we’re doing – that’s a pretty special role. In a lot of ways they balance each other, and they balance me too. Henry keeps us all grounded.

I’ve used my seven favorite pictures of Henry from this past year in this post and looking at them now I think it shows a little bit of everything that’s so great about him. I hope we have many more years and many more photos to come, so here’s one more to grow on.

If this horse has taught me anything, it’s that when your gut says “there’s just something about this horse”: buy the damn horse. Even if it makes no logical sense at the time. Even if you’ve never actually met the horse in person before. Who knows, it might be the best thing you ever did.

Well guys, here we are, the last Foal Friday post for our 2020 crop of WTW foals. They’ve provided us with plenty of cuteness and some much-needed levity this year, every Friday since Remi was born in March. He was quickly followed by Oakley, then Ollie joined us about a month later, and we capped off the collection when Ellie joined us in mid-May.

It’s always a good season when all the foals find new homes, especially when those homes are as perfect as the ones these guys have landed in. Ellie and Remi are now in Tennessee with Alex Green Kerby, and Ollie and Oakley are in Kentucky with Caroline Dannemiller (def follow her Insta if you want updates on these guys – she posts them a lot in her stories and they already have their own Highlight!). And since they were all going to the same general area, they all got to ship together, too, which definitely helped make things easier for them.

They all got fantastic report cards from the shipper, and stepped off the trailer together in Tennessee.

They all settled right in and were quick to make new friends.

After a little rest and relaxation Ollie and Oakley loaded back up to make the rest of their journey to Kentucky… where they were promptly greeted with some SNOW! That was a new one for them, for sure. Luckily Caroline was ultra-prepared and already had (super adorable if I may say so myself) blankets ready and waiting for the ponykids.

They’ve settled in perfectly with their babysitter friends and have wasted absolutely no time getting comfortable with their new routine. Which, naturally, includes lots of naps.

Ollie has been… Ollie. His personality clearly has not been dampered at all by his lifestyle change.

They’ve even gotten to go on some fun little adventures already, like checking out some of the jumps in the XC field.

They got to wear some awesome hats for a holiday photo, too. Yep… they’re fitting in just fine.

And while these kiddos will absolutely be missed at WTW (things are definitely different without Ollie around), there is no better feeling than seeing them go to perfect homes like this and being able to watch them grow up and develop with their people. We really could not have asked for better homes and better matches than these. Congratulations and best of luck to everyone, we can’t wait to see what the future holds!

As for Foal Friday, we’ll pick it up again in March. Hope you guys enjoyed following along with these babies this year and getting a little dose of weekly cuteness.

I haven’t even shipped my box to my SS recipient yet (still waiting on one last thing – hopefully this weekend) so I’m feeling very inadequate as a gifter over here, because my own SS gift already arrived! Michelle (Cruisen in Stilettos … I have a lot of Michelle’s in my life…) is seriously on top of things in a way that I most definitely am not. And at first I was like maybe I’ll wait until Christmas to open this, but then… nah. Nah like I didn’t even make it all the way to my house, it got opened in the barn. I am who I am.

First of all, peppermints as packing material is a legit choice. Very smart. Henry has had a few already. Presto has too, although he can’t decide how he feels about them. He eats it, says it’s yucky, and then eats another one. Who knows with that kid.

There were also human treats in the form of chocolate, which maybe I’ve already eaten half of one. Maybe. It’s possible.

There were even “future treats” (clearly she understands me and my bunch – we’re all highly food motivated) although I have a major black thumb when it comes to plants, so I will be recruiting the SO to grow these for me. He has a couple planters of veggies and peppers that he manages to coax to life, so now he can grow me some goth carrots too. Very fitting at the goth farmhouse.

Oh yeah btw all this stuff was individually wrapped but I didn’t take a picture of that because I was too busy opening things. I told you I like presents.

The main item was this super cute pin from Forge Hill…

It’s totally Henry and Presto. Grumpy Henry face and WANNAPLAY Presto face. I thought that immediately, before I even opened the card…

And I only have one stock pin, which I don’t really love, so this is great. It totally looks like both boys!

I know I’m a tough one to shop for, and even more so now that I have the tiny house/no space factor, but Michelle did a great job. I love everything and am so delighted that it all came from local and small businesses to boot. Thank you so much Michelle! And also many thanks to Alberta Equest for being willing to take the reins from Tracy and host the Blogger SS for us this year.

To my own recipient, sorry you got me, I’m hurrying I swear.