Perhaps my last post mocking Baltimore’s meager snowfall in the last storm, um, angered the weather gods. Because they were back with a vengeance this weekend, with blustery cold winds and enough snow to get their point across.
Fortunately, the storm was actually worse than forecast. Which might be a weird sentence to say, except that around these parts we are prone to that nasty icy wintry mix that honestly is much harder to navigate than just pure snow. So the colder-than-expected temps spared us from the most difficult conditions.
Which, naturally, meant Doozy was not spared from our regularly scheduled dusty laps around the indoor…
This horse is just such a menace in the winter. The change in turnout schedules (from overnight to daytime) means she’s quite literally penned up in her stall for a larger proportion of the day. And even when she is free to roam in turnout, the nasty ground conditions and lack of grazing mean the little herd mostly just hunkers around the round bale.
So lucky me, I guess — our time in the ring is really her one and only outlet for all that pent up red TB mare energy. And god help us all if I feel like slacking off bc… c’mon, isn’t that literally what the off season is for????
And so it goes lol. I’m trying to stick with a schedule of at least 3 consecutive rides in a row, minimum. Bc real talk: Doozy’s first ride after a day off is… hard, and bad. Bad as in, “might not be able to reliably w-t-c in both directions in the indoor, esp if lesson kiddos are involved. Day 2 is probably… still hard, but maybe it’s hard and good. As in, “can do the things, even tho it’s hard.”
Day 3 is usually when the mare more or less reliably copes. Usually. Except for those other times lol…. (and there are ALWAYS ‘other times’)
“Don’t listen to her, she’s lying. Also. I miiiiiiight be about to lose my shit if those boys keep running around like goons!” — Doozy, 1,000% about to lose her shit
Pictured: two goons, going bonkers. Fun fact: not long after this, they actually broke down that gate and joined me and Doozy on our walk back out to her pasture. Much “FUN” was had by all LOL….
So ok. Maybe everybody is feeling the effects of sudden onset winter lol.
Maybe it’s just that time of year lol.
Rumor has it that our barn’s voluntary isolation policies may be lifted this week (assuming the EHM landscape remains stable), so maybe Doozy will get a chance to remember that the wider world can be a LOT more exciting, and maybe she should appreciate the boring dusty laps haha.
A girl can dream, right? Hope y’all are staying warm and not going too stir crazy either!
Oof guys… This interminable season between Thanksgiving and Christmas… Days are still getting shorter, winter precipitation is starting to arrive, and the ground and footing stay wet + mucky longer. Not gonna lie, it makes for… Uninspiring monotony lol!
“No.”
We have a few extra reasons to whine, too. An electrical malfunction on the farm took out power to our “big” indoor a few weeks ago. Mgmt has been quick and committed to working to fix the problem, but you know how it is with old farms.
The more they prodded, the more they found wrong with the system, and the solution proved to be quite a bit more complicated than anybody anticipated.
nap o’clock at the ok corral
At present, that ‘solution’ looks like a giant trench dug with heavy machinery halfway across the barn yard to lay new lines up to the ring. Progress is happening, but slowly. It sounds like power might be imminently (or already?) restored, tho presumably work will continue until that trench is filled back in.
holy mother of goodness, it “snowed” lol
Meanwhile, the lovely outdoor ring has footing that just plain old can’t stand up to wetness at all, and doesn’t have lights anyway. So we’ve spent most of our time in the ‘smaller’ indoor* — which is naturally adjacent to aforementioned trench + related heavy machinery. So the acoustical situation has been, ahem, occasionally fraught.
(*brief pause from my whine to recognize that, obviously, it’s quite a nice luxury to even have so many available riding spaces…)
the ‘big’ indoor is limited to daytime use only at present, bc of an electrical issue
That’s before we even factor in all the ring traffic that has therefore been concentrated into the smallest available space. Meaning Doozy has recently been tasked for the first time with routinely sharing space with the tiniest lesson kiddos and newest beginner riders, who generally stick to the smaller indoor as a rule anyway.
And guys, not gonna lie… I love this ridiculous silly little chaos engine of a mare… But I would have a hard time forgiving myself if she triggered some sort of mass-spooking event that led to a kid falling — or, worse, if she kicked a kid or lesson pony that got too close.
don’t be fooled by that charming green hue, the top 1” layer of ground is slippy sloppy treachery
As far as I'm concerned, I know and understand the associated risks with horses and riding in general, and of this specific mare in particular, far better than the average lesson kid or parent. So it’s up to me to not create a risky situation while expecting others to act accordingly, ya know?
she’s still cute tho <3
Tho, before you start thinking Doozy is a wild and uncontrolled menace… By and large, she’s been fine. And on the nights she’s *less* fine (like when the construction equipment is going or, god forbid, rain is making *weird noises* in the downspouts… Ya know. We satisfy ourselves with just accomplishing mere existence.
Sometimes, just going through the motions and getting our steps in is enough, right? Esp after a day spent tiptoeing around on squidgy mud or choppy frozen ruts, even just 30min of active walking on soft footing has its benefits. And meanwhile, our sound dampening bonnet has made a reappearance lol….
noise cancelling ‘headphones’ for the win LOL
As it is, we’re just in a bit of a holding pattern. Which is timely enough… Apparently there was/is a huge EHM outbreak stemming from a rodeo in Texas, that, combined with two isolated and seemingly unrelated cases inside 100mi of us (one in southeastern MD and one in PA), basically set local social media ablaze with panic. As a result, many local farms (ours included) have adopted voluntary quarantine / isolation policies.
I’m not entirely sure that reaction is necessary or warranted, given the current reality on the ground in our area… But nobody asked me either LOL. It’s off season anyway, it’s not like there’s a lot going on. Tho, real talk, I might have a stronger opinion during competition season about what circumstances realistically merit dropping the iron curtain. Ymmv.
winter… it ain’t our favorite! c’est la vie….
As it is, we go along to get along, amirite? A big lesson learned after Doozy’s lengthy period of NQRness last year was that… Ya know, the horse is fine. Routine consistent practice is an end unto itself with this horse, regardless of ‘intensity.’ And hopefully we’ll be allowed to get out and about again soon, so she can remember to #StayCivilizedInPublic too haha.
In the meantime we’ll just keep going through the motions of dusty brown 20m circles in the indoor LOL…. (siiigh)
Y’all might recall that we’ve kinda uncovered a few gaps in Doozy’s jumping technique in recent months, and especially as the jumps have gotten a little bigger.
skeptical about the literally zillions of crows clamoring around us
Height alone does’t seem to pose an issue, but a couple times over fences with more spread — think, oxers or tables etc — Doozy has sometimes made her job a little harder through poor use of technique and form, particularly in her push off.
who remembers when mare took an actual full HOUR to settle in her first time here?
Which, ya know. Yea. Not hard to see how an extremely athletic bold mare who has been jumping predominantly 2’3 fences for the better part of 2 years might have grown a bit lackadaisical about technique. We haven’t exactly, uh, challenged her.
trottin around all civilized and stuff!
Plus, I also just don’t plain jump a whole heckuva lot. For a variety of reasons etc etc etc, a different topic for a different day. But ya know. It became plain to me that we should start working on technique basically immediately in the off season.
i thought she’d get fussy picking up for each turn, but she didn’t really!
And somehow, for once, fortune favored us with a serendipitous post from local legend Sally about doing gymnastics at Kealani! Perfect!!
look at that face omg <3
Y’all might remember that Doozy’s first* ever jumping lesson was here with Sally. And her second lesson was one of these grid days too, also with Sally, at a different local indoor. So I had a fairly clear idea of what to expect, and guys — it was perfect!
Doozy impressed me with her maturity on entering the ring — she really held her shit together and acted like a horse who is in and out of new locations on the regular. Which, obvi, she is. Tho it also helped that we had a barn mate ship in with us for the lesson. Doozy is always happier with a friend!
the whole reason we’re here: learning that fancy footwork!
All the same, I kept the warm up to a minimum bc realistically, gymnastic type work is intense and exhausting for the horse. And it was almost certain that Sally would have a complete progression she’d want to put us through, so no excuses for trying to squirm out early lol.
oooh, the first final oxer — a ‘spread’ question
Naturally, Sally DID have a full progression plan. The thing about riding with her is that she maybe isn’t doing a ton of tactical in-the-moment puppet-master style coaching, like Woodge or even Dan (long timers will remember). But she sets killer exercises.
reach for it, mare!
Especially with the grids, she’s constantly tinkering with them. Each trip is slightly different in important but easy-to-miss ways. From how she builds up each individual element, to how she slowly replaces the poles from solid white to start, to checkered contrast poles as you go.
easy peasy!!
As she makes one area harder — for example, adding length to the grid — she might make another element easier, like making an earlier vertical an X again. So every time is slightly different in a way that asks the horse to tune in, pay attention, and use their bodies well.
slowly progressing more elements into verticals
And Doozy ate it up, omg. She loved it, to the point where she was more or less perfectly civilized each time we picked up for our turn. Which, you may recall, is sometimes a tricky thing when we’re schooling xc, for instance.
i wanted a more forward thinking horse when i bought doozy, and by gum, did i get one!
Obvi things like straightness can get harder in a grid as more elements shift to verticals instead of Xs. But none of that mattered for Doozy, she drew thru the grid straight as an arrow every single time. And not because I was like, riding her particularly straight either LOL.
bounces graduated to verticals too — this is hard work!
Turning in from the left was particularly tricky on occasion since Doozy has such a strong tendency to lean on her right shoulder… But it legit did not matter. Once she was into the grid, even if we had a slightly crooked line in, she flew straight.
final oxer got a little taller, but a little less spread but loooookie at that strong square even push from behind!!!!
I thought she’d get trickier to manage when the first element became bounces instead of a ground pole, but honestly she seemed to pick up the game so quickly that even tho she was super forward every time, I didn’t really need to ‘hold her back’ so strongly getting into the line.
she’s a quick learner, too!
For my part, honestly mostly the only thing I thought about was “chin up” (per our recent clinic with Allison Springer) and stay straight. Even when the final oxer started going up, and I was like, omg that looks big tho… Just… Chin up, stay straight, and it was nbd!!
i think she likes this game!!
Final height I estimated to be somewhere in Novice territory — maybe not quite 3’, but maybe quite close. Certainly the largest thing I’ve jumped since Charlie, no doubt about that!
video of our last 5 trips down the line
And it’s so funny bc my barn mate and other lesson mates kept remarking how laser focused Doozy was for each and every trip. How she seemed to relish the challenge, and got better as the exercise became more demanding.
and a gif of the final trip too, for those of you non video watchers lol
Which, not gonna lie, is so exciting to me. I’ve long suspected that the actual “action” of this sport was never going to be the hard part for Doozy. It’s… all the everything else. Like how she had to hand walk around this same ring for an HOUR her first time here, but once she actually started jumping in that lesson, all the bullshit kinda just melted away.
#ProudBiscuit
Still, tho, I had kinda worried that maybe we lingered a little too long at Starter level, worried that maybe Doozy would get frantic and annoyed if things suddenly got harder.
I don’t want to rush this horse tho. I want her to be my event horse for a long time, and have zero illusions about ‘moving up the levels.’ Realistically speaking, Charlie’s and my barriers to moving up had everything to do with *me,* almost nothing to do with the horse, and there’s very little reason to think things have somehow magically changed in the years since.
But I *do* want to keep learning and growing, and this mare is certainly proving again and again that, actually, she likes this game too!!
So. We’ll keep giving her the tools to succeed, keep chipping away at it. And hopefully, in the meantime, continue putting together a super fun little off season!
It’s been a little rainy around here, but still sorta mild and balmy — jussssst warm enough to let the mare out nekkid, even tho naturally she would wallow around in the mud like a little piggie right before our big lesson….
But ya know. Sometimes we’re on the clock, right? Can only hit that ‘snooze’ button so many times before, siiiigh, it really is time to get up…
“okayyyy, i guess if there are carrots involved….”
Because we had important stuff to do!!! Places to go, people to see!!
“NOBODY SAID THERE WOULD BE CROWS”
Another fun exciting clinic ride as we dig into “Continuing Education Season” lol!!
#MajesticAF
And we finally got a ton of media too!! Yay!!!
lol this is her ‘tired’ face
Doozy, naturally, was an absolute super star. This horse, she is prettttty cool, it’s gotta be said. Like. Chaotic, ridiculous, often honestly quite silly… but cool. And I get the distinct impression that she’ll only get better as things get more ‘interesting.’
So. Anyway. More to come on that, hope y’all have a great Sunday in the meantime!
Maybe this is only just further proof of my inevitable descent into… madnessadulthood, but each year I find myself indulging more and more in weirdly satisfying mundane little tasks throughout my birthday month.
still grass left in some places!
Like, sure sure, I still do all the ‘regular’ normal birthday things like nice dinners with friends and family, time off from work, and special extravagances — like our recent Allison Springer clinic!! Or, slightly more extravagantly years ago when I upgraded to a Charlie-sized chariot.
hay loft denizens being #nosy about our fall shots appt
But ya know. In an ideal world we aren’t buying new horse trailers every year, amirite? Plus, as is well documented here on ye olde blogge, I have grown increasingly suspicious of putting all my hopes dreams and expectations of happiness into any one particular riding activity.
Like, the clinic was awesome, would 100% do it again — but what if it had sucked?? No no, that wouldn’t do!
inspecting the vet mobile lol
Something that’s almost guaranteed to bring me at least some modicum of fulfillment and satisfaction tho is a nice orderly row of ducks. Or, said more plainly: knocking stuff off the list, getting my shit together, imposing order on any little chaotic details in my life.
Why yes, I *am* very fun at parties, can’t you tell?? lol….
my own denizens, looking more preoccupied by that sweet sweet radiant heat
For real, tho, maybe it’s part of the shifting seasons. Some people are into “Spring cleaning” but I’m more of a “Fall into action” sort. So all manner of little outstanding tasks have been getting done lately — like Doozy’s fall shots!! Perhaps slightly later than normal bc it’s been so unseasonably mild lately, but hey, we got ’r done, and that’s what matters!
hard to tell but this one got a fat lip, probably from getting smacked right in the face by the other one lol… i love you, jojo, but you probably deserved it <3
Oooh I also tacked on a full set of spinal rads too. My vet (whom I love) is immensely practical and generally counsels against neck or spine imaging without matching compelling physical presentations — especially in TBs where it is enormously common to find spots of questionable proximity that may or MAY NOT actually be pathologically significant.
anyway, had a great hack out for my bday!!!
But eh, she knows me well enough at this point to trust that I probably wouldn’t go nuts if we saw anything sketchy. Which… Whew, we did not. Turns out Doozy doesn’t even have anything that even looks like it could be KS.
Given our issues with crookedness and saddle fit shenanigans, it definitely felt nice to cross that off the list of possible problems! Definitely a nice little bday present haha.
explored some new-to-us sections of trail too!
Anyway, let’s see: other little items recently crossed off the list…. Ooh, that headlight that’s been out for damn near a year? Finally replaced that! Got the nail that’s been riding around in one of my (nearly new, sob!) tires for a few weeks fixed while we were at it. AND, all that proved so satisfying that I sent the trailer in for service too.
Woooo hoooo — who knew vehicle maintenance could be so exciting!
am i the only one who sees getting my car washed and detailed as a special little treat??
Nor was my apartment spared from this flurry of organization and fixing up either. Not all at once, obviously, bc that’s the other cool thing about adulthood: I can celebrate the whole damn month if I want, not just a single day.
ok ok but we have actually been riding!! pictured: trotting this way
Bc guys, the satisfaction is so real lol.
also pictured: trotting that way
If only it lasted forever! Alas, tho, somehow there are still more dishes every day, the laundry doesn’t actually stay done, and now the truck wants its turn next, with a blinker bulb replacement plus new wipers still on the list, natch.
round ’n round we go! easy peasy nice ’n easy!
And so it goes LOL. And so it’s been going with the riding too. Indoor season is so blah, so repetitive, so monochromatic. It’s hard to get excited about yet another night of dusty brown circles.
“ARHGAIGHHKKRRRR!!!” — ahem, Doozy accidentally letting her inner wraith slip out a shriek
Not that Doozy doesn’t occasionally find opportunities to, er, spice it up haha. But generally, our weeknight indoor rides lately have lacked the contour and definition of a more typical outdoor daylight schooling session. Tho, again, thanks to birthday PTO + normal weekends with nice weather, we fit in some of that this weekend too <3
“da ba deeeee, da ba dooooo, just trottin around!!!! TOTALLY NORMAL, GUYS!!” — the most pleasantest princess
But still. It’s kinda getting into the time of year where some of our rides feel a bit more like going through the motions, ‘checking it off the list,’ so to speak. Ideally, tho, the object in motion stays in motion — so that when a more exciting opportunity or adventure arises — we’ll be ready!
“this biscuit is serving drama for dinner ;)”
Which, ya know. November ain’t over yet!! Perhaps there will still be more to come !
