touched

Not to keep beating a dead horse (haha, Isabel ain't dead yet, let the beatings continue! kidding.... sorta) - but seriously guys. Thank you. All of you. All of you who left supportive comments, patiently carried on through ridiculous gchat conversations, parried back and forth with emails, or who maybe even only read along but nodded in understanding.

scenic card. and. guys. it has a HORN.

I can't really express how much it has meant to me. We already know that horses are a luxury and that we should just shut up and be grateful for the opportunity to fuck up and feel humiliated and disappointed and disproportionately lost when things go badly...

ear plugs to drown out the rail birds. chocolate and flying pig duct tape bc obviously

But goddamit, sometimes it's just hard. And perhaps this rough spot with Isabel is hitting me harder bc my life has recently undergone a drastic sea change. I love the new job and feel happy and energized by the new challenges. It's an adjustment tho - one of those passive kinds of stress. Not just learning about the new job, but also learning things like "where is the bathroom?"

aaaaaaaaaaaand also booze. yasssss. 

So perhaps that's why I feel so deflated by the first world luxury problem of my pet horse not wanting to jump the sticks.

OG had to investigate too. ya know, had to make sure it was safe

We're working through it though. I have felt closer than ever before to wanting to give up. But I'm a bit too stubborn for that. Thank god tho, bc this weekend isn't even half way finished and the mare has proved why she's worth fighting for. There's hope yet.

Martini is satisfied to survey from a distance haha

And while I work on processing her recent behavior and what it means for me in adjusting myself to the path forward, I'm very fortunate to have these newly delivered resources to fall back on. Specifically: this baller ass care package courtesy of Teresa. Talk about knowing exactly how to lift a girl's spirits!!!! (literally lol!). THANK YOU!!! You will never know how much this helps me right now!

not as pretty as the aurigan...but pretty is as pretty does, right?

Other new things in our life include this Herm Sprenger Duo bit - what I understand to be their approximation of a nathe bit. Trainer P from OF has been encouraging me to try a nathe for basically forever, with the idea that it's the kind of bit that Isabel can really push into and carry forward, rather than getting backed off of and stuck behind.

trailer also underwent it's bi-annual face lift: all the plexi came off for the season

I've never been super convinced or tempted by the idea... The KK is basically my favorite bit ever and Isabel has gone very well in it. But as a gesture of good faith and an indication that I'm willing to go where my trainer wants me to go to fix a potential problem, I got the bit. So we're gonna roll with it for a little while.

sleeping cats!

I told Isabel that if she wasn't careful, it might be the last thing I ever buy for her. She.... maybe took that one to heart. Details to come later, but I feel positive.

chillin with Austen, Brita and Kaitlyn (spot the schooling Tillie down in the ring?)

So we will see. So far so good. I am starting to feel better, and starting to see signs of improvement. Optimism, ever hopeful, right?

And when all else fails, there are always the new born Shetlands at OF:

Austen's hint: look for the "fly mask"

Baby was passed the fuck out when I went back to snag a picture. Too cute!!

Anyway, happy holiday weekend everyone (in the States, at least, lol)! Today is show day for quite a few of you out there - so Good luck!!! And stay tuned for more updates to come :)