And it took me just over 24 hours to fall back into being an irresponsible adult.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
When one is low on funds you start weighing the worth of things. For example, I desperately want to go to my high school reunion in May. I went to a girls' boarding school, so reunion is all about spending a weekend with your dear friends when they're all in the same place every five years. I'm currently looking at a $600 plane flight for that. Adding in hotel, etc, it'll be close to a $1000 weekend.
At the same time, the north fence line still needs to be redone, we need to put loads and loads of gravel on our 1/2 mile long driveway, the barn aisle needs help, and I've been planning a smaller turnout off the corrals for years. I've decided it would be a better use of funds to further one of these things, leading to ease of daily life, than to blow it all on one fun weekend.
The horrors of being an adult.
Due to having been gifted with 20 used t-post covers, the turnout is the first on the list. Today I finally ordered the electric tape (horseguard bi-polar) and they had a charger on closeout, so I saved a big bunch of cash there.
Fence instead of a trip. I am officially a rancher adult.
At the same time, the north fence line still needs to be redone, we need to put loads and loads of gravel on our 1/2 mile long driveway, the barn aisle needs help, and I've been planning a smaller turnout off the corrals for years. I've decided it would be a better use of funds to further one of these things, leading to ease of daily life, than to blow it all on one fun weekend.
The horrors of being an adult.
Due to having been gifted with 20 used t-post covers, the turnout is the first on the list. Today I finally ordered the electric tape (horseguard bi-polar) and they had a charger on closeout, so I saved a big bunch of cash there.
Fence instead of a trip. I am officially a rancher adult.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Poor Naners
On Saturday we trailered into town for our lesson, despite the chilliness. The snow melting off the fairgrounds arena roof looked like rain. I went to unload Naners and for the first time in over a year she flew out backwards and she hit her head. Hard. I checked for booboos, no blood, but she certainly didn't want me messing with her head. We decided to give our lesson a go, since we were there. She was fine for a bit, but then started pinning her left ear and carrying her head with a slight tilt. I got off, the mare was not right. Fortunately our favorite vet just happened to be at the fairgrounds and gave her a check. Naners was sorta funny. She'd make to rub on you, like she wanted affection, but then backed off if you went to scratch her head. It was almost like she was asking for help cause her head hurt. And, the area around her left ear? Very owwie.
I was prepared for loading shenanigans to come home: she walked on just fine. I was prepared for unloading shenanigans: she walked off quietly like she does these days. I have no idea what set her off at the fairgrounds. And it honestly could have been anything. I don't think I'm going to put her head bumper back on.
She got a gram of bute when we returned and then took off at an extended trot, head tilted, ear pinned, across the pasture. When she came in for dinner the head and ear were back to normal. She's getting time off of course. Which is a shame, as the road is dry so we could be getting exercise. But, as she galloped out to the pasture this morning I remembered she doesn't need much exercise :D
I was prepared for loading shenanigans to come home: she walked on just fine. I was prepared for unloading shenanigans: she walked off quietly like she does these days. I have no idea what set her off at the fairgrounds. And it honestly could have been anything. I don't think I'm going to put her head bumper back on.
She got a gram of bute when we returned and then took off at an extended trot, head tilted, ear pinned, across the pasture. When she came in for dinner the head and ear were back to normal. She's getting time off of course. Which is a shame, as the road is dry so we could be getting exercise. But, as she galloped out to the pasture this morning I remembered she doesn't need much exercise :D
Monday, January 12, 2015
Jumping pics of Fudge
My heart horse, Fudge. Who I put down five years ago this month.
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| 1999 |
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| 2005 (no comments on our less than safe fence) |
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| 2005 again |
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| 2008, after I finally got her |
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| 2009, possibly the last time I jumped her |
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Back on the track to not sucking
Yesterday Naners and I had our first lesson in like six months. It went surprisingly well. I had been thinking I needed to put her in full dressage training for a few weeks this spring, but now I'm not sure I need to. It's shocking what riding with someone who has a good tool kit can do for you. If I'd taken a lesson with the Taskmaster we would have spent 45 minutes working on that thing I can't do again, because the Taskmaster has one way she likes to do things. Instead, I ended up with a pretty round mare without having to do that damn thing. the more you make Naners think, the rounder she gets. So, that's good. Though, as our instructor lamented, she thinks riding higher level tests is easier as the horse doesn't have time to not think about what it's doing. I can see that. Alas, right now I'm aiming for Training level, not a lot to think about in there.
I also learned I can slow down my horse by tightening my abs. That would have been a handy thing to have learned at some point previous to this. So, I now have the Ab half halt in my arsenal. Of course, my abs hurt today as a result :D
I also learned I can slow down my horse by tightening my abs. That would have been a handy thing to have learned at some point previous to this. So, I now have the Ab half halt in my arsenal. Of course, my abs hurt today as a result :D
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Brrrrrr
Banana running in to dinner last night at a toasty 24.
What trees look like when it's zero out.
What a Banana looks like when it's zero out. That's frost, not lice :D
Thursday, January 1, 2015
2014 or something
It's that day of the year we reflect on stuff. Eh, I'm not going to bother. 2014 just was.
I did spend the last bit of the year knitting tiny hats. I like to knit, but I don't like following patterns, so I'm rather stuck with hats and scarves and wing it. I learned not long ago that our local hospital sends all babies home with locally knitted hats. So, I knit some tiny hats.
Now I'm knitting some adult hats for my friends, trying to use up my yarn stash. So I can, of course, replace that yarn with new yarn.
On the horse front, 2015 started with shoveling snow out of the stalls. It just seems wrong to have to shovel snow out of stalls.
I did spend the last bit of the year knitting tiny hats. I like to knit, but I don't like following patterns, so I'm rather stuck with hats and scarves and wing it. I learned not long ago that our local hospital sends all babies home with locally knitted hats. So, I knit some tiny hats.
Now I'm knitting some adult hats for my friends, trying to use up my yarn stash. So I can, of course, replace that yarn with new yarn.
On the horse front, 2015 started with shoveling snow out of the stalls. It just seems wrong to have to shovel snow out of stalls.
Friday, December 26, 2014
I enjoy my horse. Long time readers will know it took me some time to come to that conclusion. However, the possibility of getting to the AECs in 2015 is about nil.
This is coming up again because a girl I know is looking to find a new home for her horse before she leaves for college next fall. I knew this horse with his previous owner and he is super solid. Jumps everything. So, in a nutshell, he'd be great for me to achieve my competitive goals. Chances are we would qualify for the AECs quite easily. And she wanted to lease him out, perfect as it would mean I wouldn't have to buy him.
Cue the AEC dreams. We could go, we probably wouldn't be last, it would be fabulous. Then I remembered: with grad school I really don't have the money to be competing at all. BN adds on a whole lot of added fees that Pre-Comp doesn't have, so it would be even more. And the AECs aren't cheap all by themselves. It also means all the expenses of an added horse at home as well. I'm really happy with just Naners and Ollie.
And, I like the horse I have. Are competitive goals more important to me than my enjoyment of spending time with her? Sometimes, yes, especially when the means to achieve those goals is falling in my lap. But, even things that fall in your lap can have hidden costs. How much would it suck if I spent the money to qualify, then they decided they didn't want me shipping him that far? I was starting to get unhappy feelings about the whole thing, then remembered similar stuff happens any time I try to supplant Naners in my life. My brain may want other stuff, but my guts let me know I'm straying by giving me stomach problems. So, I'm just going to stick with my girl. However, I do think we're ready to work on getting better again.
This is coming up again because a girl I know is looking to find a new home for her horse before she leaves for college next fall. I knew this horse with his previous owner and he is super solid. Jumps everything. So, in a nutshell, he'd be great for me to achieve my competitive goals. Chances are we would qualify for the AECs quite easily. And she wanted to lease him out, perfect as it would mean I wouldn't have to buy him.
Cue the AEC dreams. We could go, we probably wouldn't be last, it would be fabulous. Then I remembered: with grad school I really don't have the money to be competing at all. BN adds on a whole lot of added fees that Pre-Comp doesn't have, so it would be even more. And the AECs aren't cheap all by themselves. It also means all the expenses of an added horse at home as well. I'm really happy with just Naners and Ollie.
And, I like the horse I have. Are competitive goals more important to me than my enjoyment of spending time with her? Sometimes, yes, especially when the means to achieve those goals is falling in my lap. But, even things that fall in your lap can have hidden costs. How much would it suck if I spent the money to qualify, then they decided they didn't want me shipping him that far? I was starting to get unhappy feelings about the whole thing, then remembered similar stuff happens any time I try to supplant Naners in my life. My brain may want other stuff, but my guts let me know I'm straying by giving me stomach problems. So, I'm just going to stick with my girl. However, I do think we're ready to work on getting better again.
Monday, December 15, 2014
RIP Bean
As the subject says, I just found out Bean was euthanized last week.
I feel responsible.
When I took her to St Johns in April 2013 she felt off when we were finishing up XC. Her legs felt fine, so we thought maybe she stepped on a rock. No, she wasn't okay. It turned out to be a bowed tendon, but it presented very oddly. The Taskmaster just had us icing and hosing it for several weeks. I offered to pay for her vet bill so a vet would see her, but she didn't see a vet until after I'd left. I didn't actually know she'd bowed the tendon for six months.
I know as well as the next horse person that horses hurt themselves. She was 21, the tendons aren't quite so resilient at that age. But, she did it when she was my responsibility, so I feel responsible. I don't think there is anything I could have done to prevent it, other than to have stayed home, but it still happened.
She's only been sound for the last four months, that's 16 months of rehab. Last week she was running through the mud and slipped, tearing the tendon again. I know I'm not responsible for that exact moment, but if she hadn't bowed that tendon it would have been stronger and maybe she would be okay.
*sigh* This is probably something I should be discussing with my therapist, my guilt over this situation. There's nothing I can do to change the past. I did what I could to help. I didn't own her so I couldn't insist the vet come. I offered what help I could. But, my heart hurts for the Taskmaster and the loss of a horse that had been born in her front yard almost 23 years ago.
I feel responsible.
When I took her to St Johns in April 2013 she felt off when we were finishing up XC. Her legs felt fine, so we thought maybe she stepped on a rock. No, she wasn't okay. It turned out to be a bowed tendon, but it presented very oddly. The Taskmaster just had us icing and hosing it for several weeks. I offered to pay for her vet bill so a vet would see her, but she didn't see a vet until after I'd left. I didn't actually know she'd bowed the tendon for six months.
I know as well as the next horse person that horses hurt themselves. She was 21, the tendons aren't quite so resilient at that age. But, she did it when she was my responsibility, so I feel responsible. I don't think there is anything I could have done to prevent it, other than to have stayed home, but it still happened.
She's only been sound for the last four months, that's 16 months of rehab. Last week she was running through the mud and slipped, tearing the tendon again. I know I'm not responsible for that exact moment, but if she hadn't bowed that tendon it would have been stronger and maybe she would be okay.
*sigh* This is probably something I should be discussing with my therapist, my guilt over this situation. There's nothing I can do to change the past. I did what I could to help. I didn't own her so I couldn't insist the vet come. I offered what help I could. But, my heart hurts for the Taskmaster and the loss of a horse that had been born in her front yard almost 23 years ago.
You turn your back for one minute...
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