2018 Goals

Finally, the last year-end post is out the door! It was the perfect week to get all of these written up as all I've been doing at the barn is having mental breakdowns over dealing with the cold. How cold? So cold the fucking lighter I had to go out and buy to thaw the snaps for the water buckets shit out on me after all of two minutes of exposure. This is decidedly not helpful when the snaps re-freeze in the time it takes you to pound ice out of buckets. And the hose froze despite being kept in the heated tack room, and my face just burns nonstop, and I hate everything about this state.

But that has nothing to do with goals, so let's get these going!

1. Fully outfit Opie in all his own necessary gear. Most of what he has was Bobby's and most of it works for him. I did buy him his own fancy dressage saddle that was mostly for me as the Stubben fit him fine (It's for sale--someone please buy it!), but was a mess for my body parts. However, we are down to no jump saddle, and a jump girth that's too big for his itty bitty self. I'd also like to get him a blanket with a neck for next winter.

2. Figure out the best show routine to make Opie comfortable off property. He's a pretty sensible dude so I'm not expecting him to be unmanageable, but I know he's going to revert to weaving and screaming. I'd like to have those things completely nixed when we leave the barn.

3. Complete 25 hours for TIP trail riding patch. Mendon Ponds, here we come!

4. Be able to trailer Opie by myself. This ties in closely to the goal above as I trail ride almost exclusively by myself. I also show a lot by myself, so he's going to have to learn about self loading.

5. Smooth out the basics. I want to develop a better canter and have him working through lateral moves--leg yield, shoulder fore, shoulder-in, haunches-in. I'd also like to start seeing some adjustability within the gaits.

6. Don't get hung up in how everyone else is progressing. So many bloggers got new partners in 2017 that it's easy to compare yourself to what someone else is doing. People think the way they're training is the best way and the only way, and if you're doing it differently you're doing it wrong. I've been down the OTTB training road several times before, and I need to trust myself instead of getting caught up in someone else's journey.

let's do this thing!

2017 Year in Review

Imma do it, you guys. I keep psyching myself out because I don't particularly want to look back at all the shit this year brought, but my archival OCD won't let me not have a review post to put on the list. So. We'll make it succinct and get it over with.

In January, Bobby carried on the yearly tradition of being a flaming rage monster idiot in the winter. We fought over flying changes and shoulder-in for no particular reason, both of which were resolved in a follow up ride. Bobby never failed to enjoy making more work for himself, getting upset about it, throwing massive tantrums, and then magically getting over it the next day.

while a raging asshole, he was also totally trustworthy for all manners of shenanigans

February brought the first hint of what was to come with Bobby's leg. The vet was out for a couple of other horses and I had her take a look at what I thought was some fungus on his knee and ankle that was causing minor swelling. We put him on SMZs, treated with Equiderma, and while it never went completely away, it didn't seem to be a cause for real concern at that point. I dealt off and on with his sore feet from his navicular, but we manged to get him comfortable enough to participate in jumper night.

Apparently March was just a lot more of managing the drama king of winter. Reading back through these posts made me realize how truly awful this horse sometimes was. Fuck, he was a difficult bastard when he wanted to be.

#angryunicorn celebrates his twelfth birthday 

April was the month of ramming in all the lessons we missed due to inclement weather. I'd pretty much stopped jumping at that point due to Bobby's navicular issues creeping back up, and BM ripped our sorry dressage basics apart and rebuilt from the ground up.

Shit got real in May. We started off with Bobby feeling especially crippled in his feet, but Farrier did another shoeing change and we managed to get him comfortable again. Shortly after that, I had the vet out for the third time this year as Fungus Leg had taken an abrupt turn for the worse. Biopsy results gave us our diagnosis of Sarcoidosis. My horse was sore, depressed, and the vet was telling me to brace myself for euthanasia being an immediate option.

Instead, in June Bobby fucking rallied. We hit our only full show of the year, we did a high intensity hunter pace, and Bobby went back to work like nothing was wrong with him.

bobby never really got behind hunter shows

I posted two whole times in July, both of which were about the lead up to Bobby's return to eventing.

However, August was more rain and the event was a no-go for us. It was a complete waste of hard-earned savings that was so horrendously handled by the show management for yet another year that I sent in a scathing event review to USEA. We got up to all sorts of other things, though! We went to Cornell to do ALL THE TESTS only to be told they had no idea what the actual fuck was going on in his leg/coronary band/foot, but wow sarcoidosis is so cool, p.s. your horse is the only one in this country in recorded history to have this particular type. With even more shoeing changes, we got Bobby sorted enough to go cross country schooling with a couple barn mates. We also introduced him to the double bridle because he was owning the Third Level work, so it wasn't a complete wash of a month.

loved his job

September was officially the beginning of the end. We were able to get some great days in during the very beginning of the month, and my last ever ride on Bobby was jumping him over the skinny chevron Hubby made for us. Then he went very, very lame very suddenly. I panic-texted Farrier saying I thought he was foundering in his RF. She came out, didn't want to confirm or deny anything, and brought in a colleague to get yet another set of eyes on him. The second farrier was slightly more optimistic, but I think Farrier knew, after working on him so closely for so long, that we weren't in a good spot. They recommended putting the vet on standby in case he full on foundered, but I went ahead and called them out take take yet another set of images.

On the second of October, the vet came out, took a new set of rads that showed Bobby's coffin bone had disconnected and dropped and was about to come through the bottom of his foot, and I knew it was time. My whole barn family dove in to give Bobby the best last days of his life. One week later, either the night before or the morning of his appointment, his coffin bone came through his sole. He was on three legs hobbling out to where we chose to put him down and bury him. It was not an easy euthanasia. He did not go quietly. But I will instead always remember that with a foot that was completely useless, in the freezing, whipping wind and rain after being confined to a stall for weeks, he followed along behind me on a loose lead with no hesitation--always trusting, always looking for an adventure, always the kindest horse.

always very, ahem, relaxed about pictures

I drowned my sorrows by going to Fair Hill for the first time and having an epic blogger meet up with some of my faves. The next weekend I decided to go to the track just in case I saw something that struck my fancy and came away with a little grey 4yo.

so small, so snootable. how could you resist?

I spent November getting to know Opie and introducing him to his new life. He went trail riding for the first time, did his first free jumping, learned about bareback ambling, and just generally adjusted to his new set of rules while proving to be just about the easiest baby horse ever in existence.

And finally, the month of December brought Opie's first real trail ride, his first jump courses, first "horse show", and his first ribbons! He's wrapping up the year the same way I think most of the horses in the Northeast are--on vacation because of brutal cold.

and taking his first selfies which he was very into

I had big ambitions of year-end awards and moving up a level, but instead finished it out down one partner and getting to know a new one. It's not a year I'll look back fondly on, but it was--to try to put a positive spin on it--a learning experience, and I know I've come out the other side a changed horseman.

Here's to 2018 not being so spectacularly shitty!

A very blogger Christmas

Just in time for the holiday itself, Hubby walked in the door with the mail this morning and asked me what I'd ordered from Alberta. As we're on a spending lock down for the moment to make sure present shopping doesn't get out of hand (ahem, my saddle), I feel as though he was accusing me of being a little bit frivolous with ye olde checkbook.

Nah, Hubby! It's mother fucking Blogger Secret Santa time!

I always feel bad for whoever ends up stuck with me as I never have any idea of what to ask for. I give the vaguest suggestions, and every year my Secret Santa has delivered in spades. It was no different this year from Renate at Grain Before Groceries--one of the first blogs I started following because of the fellowship I felt to her through her blog's title. #preach

One of my favorite things about this gift exchange is seeing just how well everyone knows each other. The gifts are always so personalized that I think it makes it that much more special. Renate nailed it with a new blueish teal bonnet for Opie who looks dreadful in Bobby's old lavender bonnet, but who rocks all his blue gear. We'll be using this for trail rides and hunter paces for sure!

She also enclosed my favorite pair of socks that has been sitting on my Amazon wish list for eternity, and this cuff that had Hubby and I LOLing so hard:

so fitting.

Thanks Renate, and thanks Tracy for putting this together yet again!

2017 Goal Review

'Tis the season, even if all my goals this year became moot pretty much right off the bat!

1. Stay present while riding at shows. Can't cross this off as we only went to one and one third shows, and the goal was aimed at riding every movement of a dressage test.

2. Focus on year-end awards. Obviously not. We didn't make it to a single dressage show thanks to Fungus Leg.

3. Ride a Third level test. See above, although by the end of the summer I feel like we could have confidently attempted this.

4. Attend at least one horse trial. I saved pennies, did bitch work, renewed my USEA membership, and we completed the dressage only to have the cross country cancelled due to flooding and opting to stay home for the stadium since the footing was just as bad.

5. Stay quiet on approach to the jump. Nailed this one. I learned to just sit quiet, let the canter do the work, and let the jump come to me. I'm so thankful I got this out of the way as it's made me so much more quiet and confident as I start teaching Opie about jumping.

bobby never failed to drop weight in the hottest part of the year.

Lamest, most boring post ever I know. Had to do it for posterity. Now to think up some achievable goals for The Snoot!

Bobby's #BestNine2017

I tried the autofill calculator of insta-likes for my Best Nine this year, but it was pretty lame. A couple pictures of Opie, the post from the day I had to put Bobby down, and a few random ones that I have no idea why they were so popular. Things I didn't care all that much about, things I didn't want to remember, and things that have become a separate part of my journey through this year.

The most notable absence was of Bobby's face plant into water lilies, and that picture is what inspired me to create my own Best Nine--a tribute and a farewell to one Bobby Magee.

In June we went to our only completed show of the year. Bobby won one of the hacks, but it was his two over fences rounds in the Thoroughbred division that had me grinning like a fool. After his navicular diagnosis at the end of last year, I wasn't sure he was ever going to compete over jumps again. We'd got him back in fighting shape with corrective shoeing, but he still hadn't jumped more than a handful of times in the six months leading up to this show. More than that, a week before this he was handed his diagnosis of sarcoidosis and we were preparing ourselves to put him down. Instead he rallied and packed me around like a complete professional.

Who needs a dressage saddle for dressage? When sound, Bobby felt incredible in the strength department this year. He finally got his head in the game, and by the end of the summer I was feeling like Third was strongly in our grasp. This was a glimpse of the badassery that was to come.

I really struggled with keeping Bobby comfortable in his feet, and footing was something I always had to keep an eagle eye on. He never turned down a romp in the front field though.

We jumped 3'6" two times the whole year, just to prove we still could.

The crowning jewel of 2017. Hubby came along with us to Mendon for a photoshoot, and we couldn't pass up a chance for a dip before we left. Bobby's favorite speed was wading with a side of snacking on lily pads.

One of our last rides. Money was tight, but BM hauled us down for free with a couple other barn mates to go cross country schooling, and Bobby was in heaven.

The water beast in its natural habitat.

We attempted a second show, but the dressage was a shit storm due to footing, the cross country got cancelled due to flooding, and I opted not to haul back down for stadium on equally shitty footing. He still looked like a beast.

The end of an era.

Color me confused

Hey, you guys remember that post where I lamented that one lady who would not, could not stop sharing WORDS?

The one where I was like, "I can't even with this person and her WORDS anymore."?

And then you all scampered off to my facebook to get your stalking on?

I feel like it's time to share further. I was going to write a post today about Opie's dissolving right lead canter and how I'm tackling that issue (methodically and with cookies), but instead I feel the need to open a discussion.

getting to be a pro about standing still for pictures

I posted the above picture with a silly lament about how I'm bummed about how light Opie already is. I keep a close eye on you bloggers with grey horses. Every black point I can still see brings me some relief that he's not going to turn to white in two weeks, but honestly, he already looks white to me.

This was not meant to open a discussion about...well, anything. It did make me hate KC and Lauren a little bit for not being good friends and jumping in to tell me not to worry--GREY HORSES DO NOT FADE EVAR. #plzlietome

So I could. not. even. when I got this comment:

wut.

You guys, can we please discuss this? Have you ever actually found there to be a color bias against grey horses at dressage shows--or any shows? Am I that sheltered over the grey horse culture?

OR ARE YOUR BRAINS AS BLOWN AS MINE ABOUT THIS DARK SIDE OF THE HORSE WORLD?!

Face. Palm.

Christmas Jumper Night

BM texted me last month that she was planning on doing the first jumper night of the winter in the middle of December, and I was like, sold. And then as it was getting closer I was like, "Let's make it a ugly sweater Christmas party!" BM took it a step farther and turned it into a contest, best sweater getting a free class.

Challenge accepted, BM.

credit to riding bestie who hunted this beauty down at target friday morning
and then promptly bought a matching one. we had to pull out all the stops to
beat santa riding a unicorn across the night sky. #epic

Opie's jumping education is going about as well as his steering education. When he gets it, he's pretty much the best. When he doesn't....we run into walls/bring down every element of the twelve inch crossrail we're going over--standards, poles, fill, you name it. I allow myself a brief pout that he isn't magically some beautifully trained and confirmed jumper before moving on and reminding myself he's four, he's just about two months off the track, and this kid doesn't yet know that not going over the jump is an option. First world horse training problems, yo.

After his free jumping, he thinks he's got the whole thing figured out. So when he lopes over jumps from the perfect distance over and over again (that being like, three times in a row) I get complacent and stop helping him, and it shows when he misses, or clobbers into them, or gets wiggly, or breaks. I'm helping him more than I think I am and I need to hold myself accountable to be there for him all the time, even if being there is just being soft and waiting before giving him that extra little squeeze on take off to remind him he has feet.

rly hard to figure out two pointing over tiny Xs.

Individually, Opie's being popping over some 18" verticals with fill underneath. He definitely gets the idea a little better when there's some "size" and we approach it from the canter. Even the "bigger" jumps he still just puts in a big, awkward trot step over if we don't canter up to it. Even if he breaks before the jump, if we start from a canter he'll give it the old college try.

the right lead can be elusive.... practicing in the dressage saddle

on friday

Jumper night was split into a beginner and an intermediate division with each division having two splits--crossrails and 18" for the beginner, and 2'3" and 2'9" for intermediate. It was a game time decision on what I was going to do with Opie. He's practiced courses exactly one time, so while he might be the best at cantering single 18" verticals, I wasn't particularly confident in his ability to turn quickly and still make it over the jump without blowing his mind. I figured I'd do the crossrail division and depending on how he handled everything, add in a 18" class as well. 

turning and burning. clearly. 

The courses were all pretty simple, but since our arena is so narrow and my horse is so green, we were challenged enough. Hubby tried to get pictures of our first round, but it was so dark they all turned out horrendous. I handed him my phone and he videoed the other two rounds and the scintillating jump offs, but since we tapped out the canter in round one, they're all really scintillating trotting.

our second round where opie shows off his crashing prowess

Opie, for his part, handled everything like a champ. I brought him in to take a peek at all the decorations--including a Christmas tree in the corner by the sectioned off viewing area--but he was far more concerned with the horses that had started trickling in. He's still not super experienced riding with other horses, and I've never ridden him in the evening before so I opted to stick him on the longe for a couple minutes to take it all in while burning off any excess energy. He also hasn't been ridden consistently in the past two weeks--maybe three or four rides total?

The worst he did the whole night was need to walk a circle while waiting between one of the rounds, and then not want to stand at the mounting block when I got back on after adjusting his borrowed saddle. That was decidedly not helped by a couple of parents instantly jumping all over us the second he took one step away from the block before I could get on.

We were already tucked into a crowded area, we were almost done for the night (well, Opie was already done with us), and all I wanted was some fucking space to give him two seconds to remember his training and stand. There was one dude who grabbed his fucking tail when I led him up, and another one that was all over his face tugging him forward as I was trying to get him to just stand still. My desire to fling my arms around and send people physically scattering was strong.

both of our expressions by the end of that experience

We ended up doing the full crossrail division and nothing else. He was clear his first round, annihilated one jump the second round, and trotted through his first one stride for the third round (gambler's choice). Combined with two jump offs, he was one tired kid by the end of it. He didn't say no to anything, his steering was mostly there, and apart from being super excited--for him--to start his final round, he didn't get sassy or strong or distracted by things even the lesson horses Noped over.

our xrails jump off courses were tough stuff

He got cooed over by literally everyone, fed extra, extra cookies, and ended the night with the combined beginner division in second place for his first round and third for gambler's choice. 

i can't escape without an ugly ass yellow ribbon no matter the
horse it seems. 

Here's to the first two ribbons as a kickstart to many more!