Idk about you guys, but this year has aged me. Like, physically haha. I have emotionally reached straight up 'old lady status,' esp after I crippled myself last week rolling my ankle (yes, that ankle) by stepping on a friggin stick.
Because, apparently it can get dumber than breaking your leg stepping out of a horse trailer haha. And apparently, yes, I am that fragile now. Siiiigh. Luckily tho, rads were negative and it only took a couple days of rest before it was more or less comfortable to walk (gingerly!) again.
maryland's sudden burst of fall foliage always makes my heart so happy!
And honestly, it worked out anyway since Charlie's been nqr with one thing or another for like... weeks at this point haha. We had some tough hoof weather with lots of horses abscessing, and a couple foundering too, in this region over the last month. Charlie did neither of those things... but felt just iffy enough on his tootsies that I didn't want to push.
lol poor fluffy chuck wishes it wasn't still in the mid 70s tho!
Then of course, everyone got scurffy and puffy skin and leg funk while growing in all that winter fuzz, and Charlie thought maybe his skin was actually killing him. And then... naturally, he went ahead and got kicked too. Which also, obvi, was a bruise like no other for his poor delicate constitution.
honestly wasn't planning on riding, but those colorful trees were too irresistable!
So ya know. We've been taking it easy haha.
But.... This past weekend, I drove in for my oh-so-important Charlie time, with plans no more ambitious than petting him, brushing his hair, telling him he's pretty, and stuffing him full of treats while smooching that irresistibly squishy schnozz, and.... Idk.
c'mon, just try to tell me you wouldn't want to get out for a wander too!
Driving down the driveway, snatching views of all the bright pops of gorgeous Maryland fall foliage in those big open cross country fields... Idk, I figured, what the hell, let's get out for a ride!!
took wayyyyyyy too many pics haha. so enjoy the slide show of our xc fields ;)
Because what could possibly go wrong with taking your giant thoroughbred, who hasn't been ridden in like two weeks, out alone into the big open fields --- all while wearing just jeans and loafers?!?
Lol, obviously, nothing. Charlie is the most perfectest horse. And I'm pretty sure he loves these field strolls as much as I do.
moar xc fields!!!! makes me hungry for a school!
We kept it pretty simple tho, heading out from his barn to the furthest back reaches of the cross country course. And, by "furthest" I mean the most interior, compared to the front fields facing the road and driveway entrance.
this driveway gate is still our nemesis tho... see how low it attaches? that's like, a solid foot beneath my stirrups, i basically have zero hopes of even being able to reach the chain
Charlie's basically a gate-opening savant now, so we just sorta slowly moved from field to field, pausing to enjoy the scenery (and mildly spook at some geese and brightly painted fences bc ya know, Charlie at least has to pretend to be a wild TB)....
legit the prettiest driveway (dressage court to the right)
The footing out there is freakin perfect right now too.... We're slated for some rain this week but I'm really really hopeful that both Charlie and I will be sound enough to actually play around out there a little bit sooner rather than later. Wish us luck on that haha....
could stroll the driveway forever
The cool thing about this farm, tho, is that there's so many different and varied areas for strolling. Once you've made your way through all the fields and back to the driveway, there are even more options!
charlie likes cruisin the back paths between all the various barns sheds houses and outbuildings
Charlie personally prefers to go back where all the Shetlands live -- back beyond the main house in an area that's almost invisible if you stick to the driveway.
always gotta keep your eyes peeled for the dignified grand dame Whoopie, Matriarch of Olney. this pony has been ancient for as long as i've known her, and can be found peacefully roaming free throughout the back lanes (and only occasionally sneaking into the barn to steal grain haha)
Because it turns out, the farm is friggin giant. I honestly don't know how many horses live on the farm -- it's actually entirely possible that nobody knows exactly. There are like.... 6-7 different buildings where horses live, depending on how you count. And a couple more herds on top of that living entirely out 24/7.
more of the back lanes and various barns!
Then you add in the Shetlands and.... Yea, wow. So many Shetlands. They're actually literally everywhere. Around every corner (literally, including in every picture in the gif above), there could be even more Shetlands haha.
And obviously Charlie loves them all <3 <3
charlie likes to pause to sniff the flowers, and check in on his pony friends
These kind of rides are honestly some of my favorites. Especially in a year that's been as challenging and tumultuous as 2020, it's been so important to just get out and enjoy the scenery and my horse's company.
good boy chuck!! we'll get you clipped soon, sir <3
Tho ya know. It'd be nice to get a little more action in before the season's over too haha... Here's hoping that we both can get our shit together soon!!
So anybody who's been reading for a while knows that I've gotten heavily into volunteering at events over the last couple of years. It started early with myentréeinto the eventing scene, as a way to familiarize myself with this new-to-me sport. But kicked into overdrive in 2018 with Sara's Volunteer Challenge.
volunteering takes on a new meaning when it's your only ticket in to spectating at the big FEI events! picture from when i helped clean up at Great Meadow
And ever since then, I've utilized the USEA Volunteer Dashboard (no membership or prior experience required!) to seek out new fun exciting and intriguing volunteer opportunities.
Because, it turns out, there are literally countless ways to get involved with the sport, should you be so inclined. (hint: you should!!!! it's fun!! and a great stepping stone to improving access!!!)
pro tip: setting up dressage courts well is 100% harder than you might expect
This year 2020, tho.... Well. Everything kinda got turned upside down this year, right? Especially when it comes to interfacing with group activities like horse shows.
Turns out, the coronavirus pandemic had a pretty big impact on my volunteer habit too -- in two very distinct ways. The result has been that I've played very different volunteer roles this year compared to literally any other year.
this wire-based kit was ingenious. it was a very long set of continuous wires with various tags and rings secured at fixed distances, and a very dense little packet of instructions for how to use it to set up perfectly square small and large courts. see the little tag indicating where the letter should be?
Like, sure. I've still spent some time stewarding warm up rings --- bc let's be real, that's one of my all time favorite volunteer positions. But I've also shown up to events only to be shuffled around to the areas of greatest need (like bit check --- one of my least favorite positions**).
Because.... It turns out, in the Time of Corona, volunteers are in extremely short supply, and event organizers are pretty desperate for whatever they can get.
(**mostly bc this is an area where amateurs and pros are treated differently and I straight up refuse to hassle an ammy about something pros are routinely let off the hook for -- like skipping bit check. no thank you very much, I'm not into that)
learned a lot about the realities of square on this day lol, and i say that as a friggin mathematician
And events are hard up for volunteers at basically every stage of the game. For me, this year, this has meant getting more involved in the earlier stages -- particularly the behind the scenes and administrative type roles.
The biggest example is in event preparations. This is frequently a task you can find on the USEA Volunteer Dashboard, tho it's typically very very vague and scheduled during weekdays.
I've given it a few shots this year, tho, and have thus gotten to learn more about the finer points of setting up dressage courts (hint: it's actually pretty fucking infuriatingly precise work, best done with a large group) and decorating xc courses.
did you know: fence decorations take up a shit ton of space??
I'm getting ahead of myself tho -- bc, like I said before, there have been *two* distinct ways in which my volunteer roles have changed. And those can be pretty well divided by whether the events were recognized, or smaller local schooling fandangos.
So let's talk about the small schooling stuff first. It's worth saying straight up at the outset that I don't ever necessarily see myself as an event organizer. For various reasons. But.... I *am* interested in learning how to use every part of the buffalo. Or, in other words, I want to understand the entire show administration operation.
virtual cookies to whoever can guess the number of straw bales dedicated to this single fence
This year's limited volunteer coverage has proved useful for testing deeper waters. As such, I signed up to be "Secretary" for the first time, at a very small local schooling dressage show.
We had ~30 total entries for a single day show. Due to coronavirus concerns, we kept the ring sized to a large court all day -- which allowed running any test at any time (vs scheduling lower and higher level tests according to ring size) so we could keep people moving in and out.
however long you think it takes to flag a course, double it lol
That made for easier ride time calculations (hint: excel is your friend), tho feedback from the judge was that Intro riders needed longer time intervals since it took literally forever for them to get around that enormous ring haha.
Other roles and responsibilities included keeping tabs of entries, payments, signatures, forms, and on the day of, scoring tests and awarding ribbons. For some reason, I kinda love scoring dressage tests -- there's something super satisfying about punching all those numbers into the calculator haha.
So.... on that note, dressage scoring is another volunteer role you could pursue too -- if overall secretary sounds like a bit much at first blush.
the orderliness of this picture pleases me intensely. see that clever flag cart??? wish i got more pictures of it, it was so nicely designed
Other roles I've played for the first time this year at small local shows are cross country starter, and course designer.
The event where I was xc starter was..... kiiiinda a hot mess, and way too big of a job for one person. It basically amounted to xc volunteer coordinator too, in that I had to give volunteers the orientation spiel, assign them to their fences for each level, and organize score collection.... Plus, ya know, actually start riders out on course (and jump judge the first two fences).
Ugh. What a cluster fuck that day was haha... A perfect example of how this extreme shortage in volunteers can have a direct impact on overall event success and safety.
tho ya know, if your flags are just straight up sticks, maybe you can get away with less lol
On the flip side of all that, is the other way in which my volunteerism has been impacted by covid. Superficially, it might not look all that different since it still revolves around the activities before and after the event itself. But.... It turns out, operations tend to run quite a bit smoother at the larger more adequately funded recognized and FEI events. Who woulda thunk??
This part of my volunteerism in 2020 is less about organizers in urgent dire need of help, and more about.... Well.... I love spectating at the big events. And spectating just isn't allowed during the pandemic. So.... If you want in, ya gotta earn* it!
i'm sure i took this picture for a reason. probably something to do with fence repair on the fly. this type of screw is called a timber lock
So, as a means of granting myself access to some of the biggest local FEI events -- including Fair Hill, Great Meadow, and Plantation Field -- I've signed up for volunteer roles such as course decorating and clean up.
And.... Wow it turns out, I actually really like these jobs! So far I've had the privilege of being paired up with people who know, intimately, inside and out, the job at hand and/or the venue itself. And most of them have been pretty open to questioning about the whats and the whys of setting things up a certain way.
staking fences is kinda an enormous subject, it turns out. these are spirafix ground anchors, i think. most fences are fine with just cement form stakes tho. the 2' length allows 18" below ground, with 6"exposed to screw in to the fence itself
I already wrote a bit about the 'art and science' of course decoration from Fair Hill, but there's so much more than just that. Often times the people working on these days are the same folks who designed the course (or even built the actual fences), and they're actually pretty open to discuss details and explain their methods.
Like why a fence is shaped the way it is, or what goes into building a frangible table, how different styles of fence require different types of ground stakes, and even the rules governing what types of flags must be used in different circumstances.
oooh i learned how to stuff brush fences!!
Which, ya know, is fascinating stuff, it turns out. One of the highlights from this particular experience was being allowed to tag along for the ground jury course walks at Plantation Field on the 3* and 2* courses.
Like... can you imagine? Here was this group of 5-6 massively experienced and accomplished horse professionals, walking along the course and commenting on it as they went, giving feedback to the course designer with every step. And, along the way, happily explaining their thoughts when I asked.
this jump literally looks like a gallows when naked, but hang some cedar and *boom* gorgeous crescent wedge!!
Obvi those level courses are well beyond my ken, so a lot of their feedback was not particularly applicable to anything I'm personally likely to experience or work on, lol, but.... It was a pretty cool experience.
Which... Is just sort of another reason why these "preparation" type volunteer roles can end up being so different from your standard fare "day-of" jobs. On the event day itself, everyone operates within their narrowly defined roles against a relentless clock, to facilitate the smooth operation of the overall event.
But on the prep days? It's a smaller group of people and an entirely different type of schedule that somehow seems to lend itself better to those sort of "in between" moments and glimpses into how the sausage is actually made. Does that make sense?
more words for the wise: takes a shit ton of cedar to make something like this
So. Overall, it didn't end up being a banner year in terms of hours logged against the USEA Volunteers of the Year leaderboard. But... Honestly, I'm pretty excited and energized by some of the experiences I've gotten. And even more so by the connections made and people met.
For my own personal long term goals --- it's not particularly realistic that I'll ever ride at the top of the sport or anything like that. But I do love horse shows, particularly the small local stuff that can attract and be accessible to larger swaths of the horsey population. Right now, all this volunteerism kinda feels a little bit like doing my homework for some sort of future plan.
I guess we'll see tho, haha. If 2020 showed us anything, it's that plans are.... ehhhhhhh, best written in pencil lol. All the same tho, it's also shown us the importance of being involved and active in the activities we love the most. Have you volunteered at all this year?
One thing you learn pretty quickly upon buying a horse trailer is.... there are way more people in the world, let alone in your circle, who could use a trailer than actually have access to one.
Obviously most of the time I'm trailering somewhere, it's for my own purposes. Sometimes, tho, it's for other people. Like transporting horses for friends in a pinch, or giving rides to horse shows for barn mates who might not otherwise get that opportunity.
portable air compressor in its box
Which, is exactly what I was doing a couple weeks ago when some barn mates wanted to go to Tranquility's starter trial. And I gotta say -- there's something kinda nice about just being chauffeur for the day lol.
Like, all I have to do is show up with the rig on time at the designated meeting place. Everyone else handles all the packing and preparations necessary for a day off farm with horses -- all the hay and equipment, getting the horses brought in and fed, etc.
portable air compressor + accessories, unboxed. A) designated tote bag; B) compressor; C) instructions; D) extra parts
Tho... I'm nice and still take care of filling all the water containers, bc let's be real: it's much easier to take the truck to the pump than having to haul 40lb jugs back and forth. So that's exactly where I was, standing there in the pre-dawn darkness, hangin out at the tailgate slowly pumping 15gal of water into our various containers.
When.... it occurred to me that, hm, that back tire on the truck, the one with the slowest of perennially slow leaks, was looking miiiiiighty low.
air hose screws directly onto the tire valve stem
Now, I admit to being a little.... uhm, casual about tire pressure over the years, since every barn I've kept the truck and trailer at has had a gas station with air pump basically right around the corner. Charlie's current barn actually has a legit workshop for the tractors, gators, and other farm vehicles - complete with commercial grade air compressor (that I 100% do not know how or have access to operate).
But ya know. That doesn't much matter at 6am when everyone's asleep. And it's kinda a pain in the ass to have to make that extra stop on the early show day morning, ya know what I mean?
compressor is powered by the cigarette lighter port in your car or truck
Just at that moment, as I was quietly kicking myself for not doing a better pre-check the day before and trying to calculate how risky it would be to just roll with the tire as it was.... My barn mate Amy walked up with freshly filled nets of hay, and nonchalantly suggested I use her own portable compressor.
easy to read digital pressure gauge
Now maybe I'm way behind the curve here, but I really didn't know anything about these little compressors. I knew that they existed, and had seen them at places like rental car offices and such... But I'd never researched them or looked into details like pricing and whatnot.
Maybe everyone else in the world already knows they're pretty accessible, convenient and useful gadgets. Which, ok, good for you haha. This was a new experience for me, tho, and a game changer at that. Thus, sharing here today with you all lol.
compressor in action!
Bc it turns out, this little compressor is quite the workhorse! The air hose screws directly onto your tire valve stem -- unlike gas station air pumps that you have to crouch down and hold in place. The power cord plugs into the vehicle's cigarette lighter, and is long enough to reach all 4 tires. It has a digital tire gauge on it that you preset it to the desired pressure, and it automatically shuts off when it's there.
Sure, it's kinda slow -- by nature of its small portable stature. And filling that truck tire from its, ahem, cough cough, 17psi, cough, back up to full pressure took a few minutes. Given the auto-shutoff feature, tho, you could theoretically go do other things while the pump does its thing.
LED flash light is bright enough to see in broad daylight
The pump's buttons are all very basic and straight forward. Sure, I read the instructions up and down a few times before operating the thing, but it was all very intuitive. Plus it has this crazy bright LED flashlight that was indeed quite useful for the dim lighting that morning.
One detail to note: the instructions are covered in warnings that the compressor can get hot, and will overheat if used for too long. I haven't encountered that issue so far, and didn't notice any warmth (let alone heat) after it filled up that tire. But it's something I'll keep in mind in instances when I'm going around all 8 tires on the truck / trailer rig. Basically, as with anything horse-related, it's best to budget enough time to get it done haha.
instructions literally printed on a sticker directly on the compressor too
So anyway, as I was standing there waiting for the tire to fill, I decided to look the thing up online. And... turns out, these little gadgets are wayyyyyy more affordable than I would have guessed. Again, maybe you were already in the know about this, but I certainly wasn't haha.
Which obvi meant I literally put my order in right then and there for my own, and $33.78 later the thing was headed my way via the magic that is online retail.
neat and tidy package. A) fuse box; B) air hose held in place on body of compressor by design; C) power cord has additional vecro snap to hold it all together
Now granted, some of you out there might prefer to do your own research or comparative analysis on various brands or models of this type of tool, since I'm sure there are dozens available across a broad spectrum of prices and capabilities.
But.... Eh. I've been friends with Amy a long time. And we've spent countless hours in the truck over the years passing the time talking about everything and anything while on the road to this or that horsey adventure. And... tbh, even without asking her, I felt pretty confident that she'd probably done her due diligence in picking this particular pump. And that there was no need to recreate that particular wheel haha.
accessories include a spare fuse, bicycle wheel adaptor, and nozzles for using the compressor as an air gun
Which, haha, she did confirm later in conversation that yes, she had googled and researched all about which was the best value pump and all that goodness, and so this was what she bought. Good 'nuff for me lol, and so it's what I bought too.
And now I have it and.... I gotta say, just knowing that it's there has given me a surprising degree of relief. Apparently the tangled roots of my anxieties were deeper than I realized lol. Just coping with managing the whens and wheres and hows of keeping my trailer tire pressure topped off was apparently a low grade stressor.
all of which stores in this nice little tote
Not any more, tho! This little portable pump has now joined the ranks of "essential kit" along with my jumper cables, tire iron, and easy-up trailer jack. Just one less thing to worry about, right?
Have any of you also used a portable air pump like this? Am I really the last person in the world to get one (lol)?? Or maybe you had some other recent discovery in automotive or trailering-related gizmos and gadgetries that changed your life forever??
Just the other day.... A couple weeks ago.... Ahem. Way back over Labor Day weekend, Tranquility Manor Farms held their annual Fall Hunter Pace!! And obviously, we just had to go -- considering it's become a bit of a tradition around these parts.
charlie looking majestic before we set off
Things are a little bit different now in the covid-era, but it actually worked out perfectly for us. Instead of hosting a single-day event, Tranquility decided to spread the pace out over the full weekend. Riders would sign up in advance for an available time slot (first come, first serve) over Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday.
In this way, Tranquility could better manage the number of people onsite at any given moment, while still ensuring everyone who wanted a time could get one. Works for me!
lol just kidding, take a look at this goon haha. i swear, the longer you look, the funnier it gets
Actually, it worked especially well for us, because it turned out there was kinda a large contingent of friends from various barns who wanted in on the fun -- just under 10 of us. But with scheduling shenanigans being what they were, it actually worked out better if we split into two groups that went on separate days.
And since there are always more horses wanting to go places than there are trailers, the Chucklesmobile (and, by extension, Charles himself) ended up signing on for double duty: We'd go with both groups, Friday and Sunday, and provide transport for different friends each time.
hangin with charlie's spicy little nugget of a friend, while the mares are off doing god only knows what
This ended up sorta kinda working out okay-ish for Charlie. Mostly. Haha. Meaning.... He was downright perfect on Friday (today's post), tho I opted to take it sorta easy to "save him" for Sunday. But then he was a fricken spastastic maniac on Sunday (post for some other day) soooooo.... oops?
Oh well, tho. C'est la vie, I guess.
Anyway. Tranquility's Fall Pace is held on a shorter course (2-2.5mi) than the Spring Pace (6-8mi), but it's still virtually the same idea. Teams of riders can navigate the marked track at whatever speeds they see fit, pausing to jump whatever jumps they see fit. Every jump can be gotten around for those not inclined, but there are also entire fields full of jumps that you might want to stop and school.
evening riding means hella sunbursts all over the screen <3 <3
Each division has an optimum time (for instance, entrants in the "Walk-Trot" division have a different time than those in the "Some Jumps" class, which is also different from the "High Options" group), and the teams that finish closest to this optimum time (which is secret!!) win.
We usually have a mix of green and experienced horses, and enter the "Some Jumps" division. Honestly, tho, we really don't ride for time. This type of event is essentially a glorified trail ride with some xc schooling and galloping thrown in for good measure, let's be real haha.
familiar jumps are still fun jumps
Tho.... It ended up on this particular ride that a couple unexpected curveballs sorta slowed us down. First of all, the track (which is always different) ended up having a ton of downhill runs. There had been a fair bit of rain the day before too, so everything was a bit mucky and slippery. Idk about you guys but... Eh, running downhill in slick mud isn't really our jam.
More than that, tho, our Friday group ended up being a wholesale showdown between the mares and geldings. Charlie and his spicy little nugget of a pony friend, Austin, were absolute perfect gentlemen as always. But the two ottb mares - Cherry and Marlee - were.... having a day.
recently learned while setting up for tranquility's starter trial that they don't like using this coop for shows. apparently the wrought iron design can be downright catastrophic if a horse slides into it.... legit never considered that, oops. luckily charlie always jumps it beautifully!
But ya know, it's schooling, right? And our group philosophy has always been to ride to the lowest common denominator. If any member of the group - be it horse or rider - needs things to slow down, for any reason, we make it happen, ya know?
And whether these particular mares agreed or not (hint: they did not), they needed things to slow down a bit, lol. So, especially at the beginning of the ride, Charlie and Austin spent a fair amount of time kinda standing around, waiting for the mares to get around to catching up lol.
wheeee jumping with frens!!!
Eventually, tho, everyone kinda settled - just in time for what was hands down the best part of the track: After reaching the bottom of what had felt like a never-ending descent downhill, we finally faced an enormous uphill treeline gallop (complete with little logs and such along the way) that spit us out into one of our favorite schooling spots near the road.
Most of the jumps along the treeline are just like piles of rotten logs and mulch and whatnot, honestly haha, plus a small assortment of coops and barrels etc. And we've jumped them all a million times over the years. But damn, it is Fun. Every. Time.
Charlie especially loves running and jumping and following his friends haha. Sometimes I swear he goes slow on purpose just so he can fall in line behind someone. In this case, even little pony Austin was able to outrun monster truck Chuck.
And it was just.... great, ya know? Once in the little schooling area, we continued jumping around over all the little things up there -- like the pheasant feeder and a line from the ditch to a house. And stood around for a while watching everyone else school too.
kinda love this chonky red roll, tbh
Tho, when I looked back over the video afterward, there were a couple jumps out there that I wished I'd taken a shot at, too. But ya know, I figured since we'd be going back two days later, I'd get straight to them then. Haha. Famous last words.... Oh well tho.
Again, more on that second ride later haha, probably. Wasn't really a big deal at all, but it turns out I guess wild gallops across the field with friends should probably not be such a frequent occurrence for Charles, lol, or else he risks entirely forgetting the rules of civilized discourse...
wheeeeee poneh jompies!!
Honestly, tho, it really doesn't matter. Like I said, we've jumped almost every jump at Tranquility a million times over the years, and these rides are more about fun with friends than anything else. At some point I'd like to get back for a more proper school, but eh. This was plenty good 'nuff as far as I'm concerned!
All our group had fun too, although, ahem, cough cough, the mares were decidedly less well-behaved than they had been during our Spring outing.... Everyone finished strong tho, which let's be real -- that's kinda all that matters.
the mares were almost never close enough in front of the camera for a decent helmet cam screen grab, sorry :( they finished strong tho!
It was also kinda nice being out for the evening ride too. It was a different sort of mood than a weekend ride, if that makes any sense. Like, the light was different, it was the "end of a long week" kinda vibe where we were all able to just sorta sit back and enjoy that Friday feeling.
Obviously the days are getting shorter and shorter now, so these sorts of rides won't even be possible pretty soon.... But maybe that was part of why it felt like a special stolen treat haha.
honestly these rides are some of my all time faves <3
So, all told, we were very slow around the course -- taking something like an hour or a little more to get around the ~2ish mile track. Super fun, tho, and as is my habit, I condensed it all down to three and a half minutes of helmet camera action for your viewing pleasure lol.
It's been kinda a wonky year for helmet cam videos -- as in, there really haven't been many at all... But the outings we *have* been able to get out on were super fun. So I'll take it. And who knows, maybe more to come soon!!
Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, and I'm really loving these hunter paces and derbies and trials and whatnot (vs an actual full fledged three phase event...). So hopefully there will be more chances lol.
