quick hits: xc + a clip

It's been a bit quiet-ish since our 2021 season(ish) officially ended, but actually -- Charlie and I have kinda just been steadily humming right on along. 

charlie and the pony god of mischief. those ears, i die.

Just enough activity to keep it fun and fresh and interesting (for as long as the weather lasts), but not anything so big and important to feel like.... a thing worth sharing. 

tried to share my bday treat with charlie again this year (flashback to last year) but turns out, he's not a fan of rice krispie treats, sorry bro!

Especially bc.... let's be real, my documentation process revolves around media -- specifically photos and videos from our rides. Mostly bc media makes it easier to remember the moments and thread together a narrative -- vs trying to conjure up a list of bullets. 

pictured: mikey doing mikey things

Which is probably why I've had like 3 Molly lessons that need written about, bc omg we've been on a nearly weekly cadence! But, no media. So -- no write ups. Yet. One day, I promise (probably), I'll sit down and put proverbial pen to paper to hash them out. Just... Not today :) 

pictured: the kind of shot you get when the uninitiated try to snap action photos free hand

For now, here's a quick hit list of stuff we've been up to lately, other than those lessons. First up! Charlie and I jumped around some cross country jumps omg!! Like LOGS and STUFF! 

pro tip: even the, uh, pros often use burst mode for a reason, yo --- timing in action is hard!

My aunt was in town for Thanksgiving and wanted to see Charlie. In an effort to not bore her to actual tears trotting circles for 20min, I enlisted a teenage barn mate and her adorable pony god of mischief (Charlie's new neighbor and star of THIS unforgettable video!) to go play xc!

and thus, pictured screen-shotted: why screen grabs from video will almost always be better for the purposes of social media lol -- gotta snap that knees to nose! moment!!!

To be perfectly honest, it hardly even constituted a proper "schooling" session. It was kinda cold out, and while my aunt loves a good hike, I was dubious of her patience and west coast tolerance for the weather lol.

it's cool, tho, even the uninitiated (said with love <3) can capture some cute moments!

Plus my barn mate hadn't jumped in a while either, so eh, we figured we'd just bomb around a short loop thru the fields, put on a little show, and have a good ol' time. 

plus, obvi, what's not to love about this big ol' dad bod on the move?!

And Charlie, bless his good natured heart, was on fire lol. Well, ok, he was lazy and almost got us killed plodding around stumbling over clumps of grass in our warm up. But a quick smack 'n cluck woke him TF up, and he was All Systems GO, Ma'am, after that. 

there's definitelya joke in here about "the pics i take of other people vs the pics they take of me" .....

And it was exactly my favorite kind of ride. We got out there.... hit a couple logs, a couple N houses etc. Watched while my barn mate went off and jumped some stuff. Cruised through the water (at Full Charlie Throttle, natch). And finished over our favorite N log table (above). 

landing looks about on point tho -- lol run, charlie, RUN! 

And ya know. Aside from getting somewhat gleefully run TF away with by my darling racehorse, it was just good clean fun. Perfect! And my aunt loved watching too -- definitely felt seeing Charlie's actual power and speed in-person gave a whole new dimension to what she normally thinks of our videos. 

d'aww but those ears <3 

The ground is still really good out there too -- actually a bit drier than we'd normally expect this late in the year. Which means it might hold up for jumping a while longer still (fingers crossed!). So who knows, maybe there will be more repeats? 

changing gears -- slighly more miffed ears here, after katie pulled out the BIG clippers aw haha

Bc.... It's actually been pretty freakin mild out. I'd hoped to hold off on Charlie's second clip until it was well and truly blanketing weather, but.... Eh he's just been too warm in our schooling rides, and especially in our Molly lessons. 

it's for a worthy cause, tho, charlie!!

So I picked a warm day on the calendar for a bath, and Charlie got properly clipped. Unlike his first clip of the season, I'm expecting this one (done by a different person) to actually last us through to spring, hopefully. And omg I just LOVE how sporty and crisp he looks!!

don't believe his sad face, i *swear* he's relieved to not be sweating bullets constantly anymore 

Charlie sweats fairly heavily on his neck and shoulders, then just moderately under his saddle and girth, and across his flanks -- even in only mildly strenuous work. Honestly, I like that Charlie sweats so freely. But he gets to looking like a shaggy crusty mess really quickly in winter. Not to mention the discomfort of being damp in the cold, or having dried sweat matted into his coat. 

plus obvi the fresh clip makes him feel all big and important -- like he's gotta show off to all the other horses

So.... We just go right on ahead and take ALL that hair off. All the neck, all the shoulder, then just a gradual descent to his stifle from the wither. More or less. Bc guys.... This Irish clip pattern is legit pretty hard to fuck up, ya know? 

You can be as aggressive or conservative with the neck or shoulders as you want -- while still preserving plenty of hair for the inevitable wintry conditions we'll start seeing soon. 

ooh. and a baltimore city fox. the end. 

Hopefully not that soon, tho haha. We'll see I guess. For now, at least we're poised to enjoy the conditions while they last!