just gif things

Happy Labor Day to US readers!! And happy Monday to everybody else! I was actually away all last week in Indiana for a conference, so the long weekend was a very welcome opportunity to decompress.

mare can multi-task!! exploring new places AND providing weeding services!

Not gonna lie, it did not feel like a wonderful time to leave town, what with Charlie missing a shoe and being otherwise lame at the walk... and with Doozy's unresolved cellulitis situation...

called the "old lady cactus...." suuuuuure that's exactly what it looks like, lol

But. Ya know. Duty calls. I hadn't been to this conference since the 'before times,' after having previously attended for something like 10 years in a row. It was time. Plus, we made a pit stop at the Indy zoo, which was legit lovely. #worthit

zebras on the move!!

I was happy to get home tho. There are different barn workers almost every day of the week at Doozy's barn, and apparently not all were super familiar with her current condition. So I kept getting messages about, "wow her leg is pretty puffy!" Which on one hand I appreciate that people noticed, but on the other hand, was kinda frustrating bc.... Unless said workers wanted to hand-walk her for 2hrs, I'm not really sure what they wanted me to say to them. 

oooh Dooz on the move too!

Because... Movement is so far the only treatment that really makes a dent in the leg. It fills up throughout the day time while Doozy is stalled, then subsides slightly over night while she's in a paddock with Stella.  

sheeeeple!

So naturally, I was eager to get her back out again once I was back in town! It was tempting to throw tack on, not gonna lie, but eh I chose the sensible safe option of hand-walking instead. 

they are fun to watch

We took the slow, circuitous route up to the dressage ring, pausing to graze and spy on the sheep and shetlands as we went. Doozy started off a little on the plus side of energetic, but in a familiar and relaxed sort of way.

cute 'n curious

Once up to the dressage ring, I opted to embark on maybe a kinda bizarre exercise lol --- but one that actually seemed really effective. Basically, our barn hosts a recognized HT in early August, and a starter trial in late September -- and the formal dressage court often stays set up through the duration between events. 

confronting the judge's booth lol.
also, pls note: all the little rubber nubbins that have settled out of the footing over time

This is.... Not super ideal, as our rings generally get the absolute bare minimum grooming / maintenance in the best of times, and footing gets seriously worn out and rutted. At one point last summer, the actual arena base was exposed in places.  

just Doozy being helpful

So... after securing permission in advance, I deconstructed the show ring --- with Dooz in hand for it all. We basically went around the whole thing, dropping each board just outside the arena itself (but still more or less in its right place). 

a little TLC for the freshly cleared ring!!
plus LOTS of raking lol-- spy the darker sections in the back corner

She spooked at one or two of the early boards when they landed noisily in the shrubbery outside the ring, but by the end was just sorta following me along perfectly. Pausing at each new board (never stepping over any of them) while I picked it up, then following to the edge of the ring for me to toss it out, then rinse repeat at the next board. 

equal odds as to whether this carcass was dragged into the jump ring, or if it's literally been this long (or longer) since the footing got any attention....

It's maybe not as formal as the ground work we did with Jim, but imo accomplishes sort of the same thing. It was Doozy's responsibility to steer clear of the stuff I was handling, to be patient while I was tinkering, and to follow along willingly. Plus, along the way she got pretty familiar with the full court and surrounding environment, but in a low-key, low-stress way.

it'll take more than one go 'round to rehabilitate the jump ring footing, but it's a start!

In other words, she got a big heaping dose of, "Come with me, stay with me, follow me. We might go new places, and do new / weird things... But it'll be fine and maybe even fun." Excellent!

#satisfying

Plus, naturally, clearing the ring paved the way for the next day's activities: raking and dragging! My friend Katie drove the kubota while I raked all the little settled-out rubber bits back into the track and toward the center.... It about broke my back lol, plus wasn't as effective as using a skidloader to literally move footing back in toward the thinned-out center of the ring... But it was a good effort and hopefully will keep things nicer for at least a little bit. 

manager michael, rocking his own latest ding (he's fine tho!)

We also hit the long-neglected and increasingly shabby jump ring while we had the drag hooked up... This ring will definitely take a lot more work to make nice again --- esp since we were both a little too worn out (and too few people anyway) to tackle moving jumps for the drag. But it's crazy what just a little TLC can do for the footing... 

Now if only either of my horses would agree to be sound enough for proper ring work, so we could enjoy the fresh maintenance!! A girl can dream.... 

Hope you all had a fun and productive weekend too!