ww: snaps from the weekend

Because my phone is filling up with random barn related images that don't really have any other home, might as well stick them all here. Enjoy this random assortment!

Bali takes a look at the lattice. He and S would become the first to jump my beauteous creation - and jumped it very well at that!

the cats were totally knocked out by the heat

'excuse me, but we're trying to nap here' - taco

the deer at our farm are way too bold. they hang out around us allllll the time. one even came trotting up behind us on a trail ride the other day, ears pricked, much like this little doe.

seriously. it's kinda ridiculous (re-doe-culous?). i was in the middle of turning horses out (and actually was holding wick at this precise moment) but had to pause to catch the magic

chesney says 'silly deer, what is you doing? you aren't horses!'

we had a schooling CT at our farm on sunday and isabel got a little confused when i went out to put on her fly mask and muzzle

she saw all the buzzing activity and knew something was up. 

and actually followed me all the way from the run in to the gate - like, 'i see things are happening here, people and horses are doing things. we do things yes, so we do this thing too?'

poor girl. i felt terrible just leaving her there, and actually really wished we were riding in the CT too (tho there will be other opportunities later this summer) - but no, instead we were just going to a plain old lesson later in the day. booooooring haha

hanging out at the show after finishing the chores but before my lesson was really pretty cool tho and i sat in the dressage judge's tent listening to her commentary. this was the same judge from isabel's and my first ever dressage tests (here and here), and also who would've let me catch ride one of her horses when isabel came up sick before our first planned loch moy outing.

this was a schooling show, yes, and the judge was kind enough not to eliminate a couple riders who jumped the rail (she just gave them errors) - but she was also not afraid to throw out LOTS of 3s and 4s. every single free walk i saw earned a 3.5 bc none exhibited the stretch down and forward. i later learned that the lowest score of the day was a 39, with most ranging in the mid-40s to low-50s. she's a great judge tho and hopped up to give feedback to each and every rider - and in a super friendly and positive manner.

plus i was super proud of how our little arena cleaned up. this was the first year we had stadium in the arena and dressage out on grass, vs the other way around, and i think it worked out better. the dressage ring wasn't perfectly flat... but the jumping was definitely safer in the ring.

and obvi i was tickled to see they used my lattice gate (it went on the furthest right end jump) in the courses 2' and above! plus it apparently didn't cause a lot of issues and rode like a fair question. yay for fun jumps!