The world is nuts right now, y’all. Life is nuts. Everything is nuts.
I feel like everyone is getting covid. Like everyone. My whole team at work, my SO, his whole team at work, half of my friends and their families… it’s totally out of control right now. As someone who has yet to get covid (knocking furiously on wood) it’s starting to feel a little bit like I Am Legend out here. I’m quite glad that the SO doesn’t live out here and I told him not to come last weekend since he’d been potentially exposed. That’s the last friggin thing I need right now. As you can imagine (and have probably also experienced) it’s making work absolutely delightful, especially since we’re in our busiest time of year for our customers yet our workforce is severely depleted. It means my days are long and hectic, trying to make up for the missing staff. I worked both days over the weekend, and it seems like pretty much everyone is in the same boat at the moment. Not that it makes the customers any less irate. Good times.
In better news, a friend of mine let Hillary and I borrow some fence panels (thank you Sarah!) so we could make a little outside pen for Gemma. She was pretty unhappy in the barn by herself, which is totally understandable, but she’s pretty content outside in her pen. It will probably be another week or week and a half before we can get her up to Michelle’s place in Midland, so hopefully this can be a short term solution to get her through until then. So far she’s been pretty well behaved, but she’s still a young thoroughbred with lots of cooped up energy so I’m keeping a close eye on her. She’s still unfailingly polite to handle though, which is much appreciated.
The weather is still doing that really awesome yo-yo shit that I love so much (insert heavy sarcasm) which its basically been doing for a month straight now. Is it gonna be 30 today or is it gonna be 80 today or is it gonna be both? Who knows. It makes horsekeeping absolutely delightful. I’m going through both salt and fly spray at record speed. We’ve also gotten basically no rain to speak of so the ground is super hard, and the grass is just sad and crunchy. Granted, it’s a lot easier horsekeeping-wise to not have rain while Gemma is here, so I’m scared to complain too hard. It can hold off until after she’s gone, I’m ok with that. I also get the feeling that once it finally does start raining, it won’t stop for a while. I’m over it in advance.
Grace is definitely coming into heat already, so I’m probably going to go ahead and take her over to the breeding specialist this week. It’s earlier than I had planned, but with the ground as hard as it is and work being off the charts insane, I’m not able to ride her as much as I’d like anyway, so if they can get an early start on getting her bred and start trying to harvest some embryos, that would be fantastic. Having had her here for a while and ridden her, I’ve gotten to know her a lot more which has changed some of my breeding opinions for her slightly. More insight into the mares is always helpful.
Speaking of breeding, in all the time that I’ve spent playing with and handgrazing Gemma, I’ve started to compile a “long list” of stallions that I’m interested in for her eventually. Ya know, down the line. When we get to that. It never hurts to be prepared, plus if I already have a list going then I have lots of time to think about, look around, and whittle it down. Totally not crazy.
I’ve had time for basically nothing else. I have a lot in my “to do” for the blog that just keeps getting pushed off, and that’s probably just the way it’s gonna be for a while. I’ll tackle things as I get the chance, I just don’t know quite yet when that’ll be.
Hope everyone is staying safe out there and avoiding covid and all it’s related problems. Are we having fun yet?
breedrideevent.com 
I’m one of the lucky many that caught it over the holidays. It was awful but both me and the SO recovered quickly without lasting loss of taste/smell or fatigue so that’s something.
Good luck avoiding it! You’re definitely an odd man out at this point!
I vote for Spartacus TN. First because of his name and second because I looked him up and love his look. How did you pick him out of all the squillion stallions that Team Nijhof has to offer?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spartacus has been on my radar for a little while now, since I’ve seen some eventers pop up at the upper levels by him or sons of his (Izzy Taylor’s Hartacker is one you may have seen if you keep up with the young eventers coming up the ranks). He has a lot of offspring in the jr/am jumper ring and some in the hunter ring as well. He’s also tall, which she needs, but he needs an elegant mare, which she is. He’s not my top choice but I think he’s interesting to research further!
LikeLike
I was able to avoid covid this whole time but it finally found me after Christmas. Luckily it was a nonevent and was 100% back to normal in 4 days. There were only 2 days where my husband had to take care of the horses but if I really had to I could have done it. Another situation where I am grateful to have my horses at home. Happy to have it done and over with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve also managed to avoid Covid so far (also knocking furiously on wood). I live in a similar bubble of isolation though, my town is population 200 (in the summer, almost half of them leave and winter elsewhere because it’s Montana). I work remotely, I live with my retired aunt (who has a myriad of health issues so I’m very careful, I’ll probably survive it, she probably wouldn’t), and the only folks I socialise with are also in the “retired/work remote town bubble”.
My farrier did call and cancel on me today, he’s not feeling well (and sounded horrible on the phone, poor guy). No big deal, it’s winter so hoof growth is pretty slow right now anyway, and I’d much rather he’s well when he comes!
For the record, I really appreciate you taking some time out of your busy life to update the blog. It’s a nice little mini-vacation for me to read! Also, THAT PHOTO OF GEMMA NAPPING IN HER STALL. SO ADORABLE!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know more people now that have covid than dont!! how crazy is that. the best reason ever to be a hermit for sure!! Love hen in his fly boots and sheet. Drunk ass weather!! I hope everyone is back to helping you with workload asap!
LikeLike
Locally, supposedly the surge of the last couple of weeks is settling down now … but now is when people I know are getting it! I stayed out of public contact as much as possible since the holidays. So far so good, but don’t know how long my luck will hold. Even though I am vaxx’ed and boostered. I am hoping to put off covid until they have a recovery drug available. People are saying that it is over quickly but that it has a long tail.
LikeLike
We have avoided covid so far also. But…..I went to the doctor’s office last week and the nurse that was in the room with me for 30 minutes was supposedly “just over” covid. I have my doubts as he was out of breath the entire time. I will know where I got it if I end up sick.
I had a mini heart attack when I read that you were thinking of breeding Grace already – wondering how you were going to hide the resulting foal for a couple weeks. I come from the live cover, no embryo transfer time, so had to read further before I realized that she wouldn’t be due in December.
LikeLike
Ooh which Gentleman? I think there’s a jumper stallion as well as the dressage stallion?
LikeLike
The eventer. 😂 Grey Top x Fabriano x Gernegross xx
LikeLike
That is a lovely list of stallions. I especially love Diacontinus! I’m also excited to see who you choose to pair Grace with.
The weather in Ocala has been a pain lately too. 80 then 40 or sometimes both… I do love “Florida winter” though, I’m originally from further north and just don’t have it in me to deal with an actual winter ever again but I enjoy a break from being covered in sweat all the time.
I’m happy that your new girl is settling in, how long does she have to rest for her injury?
LikeLike
You feel like everyone is getting Covid because, well, they are…☹️
LikeLike
lovely list of stallions. I vote Canturo, then Diacontinus (because duh, Diarado FTW!)
FWIW I have a TB mare in foal to Canturado – son of Canturo out of a full sister to the Accord stallions. Canturo seems to stamp progeny hard, and Canturado is doing the same. Very little Canturo about here in the Antipodes, but Canturado was made widely available here cheap from 2017, so a bit of youngstock coming through, and they are looking special. So I vote Canturo, with the addendum that maybe consider Canturado too – incredibly affordable for 10 straws no contract, and has been proven highly fertile with an exception first insem pregnancy rate from frozen. Whole thing was so affordable I’m embarrassed to tell people how little I have spent getting my mare in foal. If you want to add to your list, or get feedback on what Canturo grandkids are turning out like, circle back for an update in a while. My foal is due Nov 22, and I’ll be seeing lots of Canturado babies out at their first season in the coming year, incl eventing, as that’s very much a thing most horses do in this neck of the woods!
LikeLike
Ugh. I’m sorry. It’s bad enough that life is crazy, but the weather doesn’t help! I hope the SO and all of your coworkers have mild symptoms and recover quickly. Hope you stay well too!
LikeLike
Ugh the covid business sounds stressful and scary. I hope everyone recovers ok and you continue to dodge it. Breeding season is so exciting. I have 3, possibly 4 breedings planned this spring – starting next month. So exciting. I also have a running list of stallions (APHA, AQHA vs eventing stallions) but the joy, fun and excitement in reviewing and planning is the same!!
LikeLike