Guinness on Tap

A happy boy. October 2021  I guess one of the benefits to not posting for a whole year is getting to do a lot of great transformation posts. These are just so much fun, I can't resist doing a bunch of them! For today, we're just going to stick to looking at Bast's conformation photos from the beginning to now. Since he came directly off the track to me, it's especially fun to track the changes in his body as we've transitioned him from the track to life as sport horse, and finally into competitive dressage. Let's get started! August 2017 (5 Years Old) 1 month post last race. Fit, lanky, weird, and very narrow everywhere. Of note: the lack of muscle on the top of his butt and a more developed underneck vs topline. This was Bast the Blank Slate, and the picture I purchased him from. April 2018 (6 Years Old) About 7 months into life as a sporthorse. We were dealing with pretty significant ulcer issues here, which were causing his coat to look like absolute garbage. He couldn't keep weight or topline on, either. Muscle increasing over the top of his butt, but overall not really a great look. What I do like is how his muscles had overall relaxed, creating a more comfortable stance. He also had widened up some behind at this point. (He interfered so badly behind when he first came off the track.) January 2019 (7 Years Old) Between April 2018 and this photo, Bast had a substantial amount of time off to recover from his fence injury and his ulcers. He'd come back into work in the fall of 2018, and just was back into full work when this photo was taken. Of note: much wider behind, with better coverage over the top of his rump. His shoulders are starting to show development, and his back is looking pretty good here. He doesn't have dressage horse muscle yet, but is looking much more balanced and healthy overall. October 2021 (7 Years Old) Almost a full year of really good grass and full work transformed Bast. Here you can see him looking ROUND. Of note to me: his shoulder development, muscling on his neck. However, he is pretty fat compared to fit here. October 2021 (9 Years Old) The big reveal! I didn't take a conformation photo in 2020, apparently. So we jump straight to the end of 2021 for our comparison here. Bast is incredibly fit here. His muscling stands out on his topline, his shoulders, and over the top of his rump. It might be harder to tell in these photos, but he stands much straighter through all of his legs (especially the fronts). We clearly have his ulcers under control, as he is shiny and muscular after a long show season. He finally looks like the fit dressage athlete he's becoming. For a final comparison, let's look at how Bast changed in 2021 alone: June 2021 This photo is from our first show at 2nd in early summer 2021. October 2021 By the end of the season, and a shift in our training towards more collection work and a push more towards 3rd, he's put on a ton more topline. His back is much more supported and his underneck is not as prominent. He's also a fat cow after a summer on the best grass in the world! Hope you enjoyed this journey along Bast's development! I'd share photos of him from so far in 2022, but it's legitimately too cold to snap any decent photos without his blanket right now. Suffice to say, he looks pretty darn good!... [Read more]

Spoiler alert: He's doing great! I realized I wrote a lot about myself, Bast, and the dogs in the last post, but I never mentioned Pig! Honestly, I think that's just because I don't have a lot of big accomplishments or goals with him, because he is doing fantastic and features pretty heavily in my daily life. In 2020, Pig continued to struggle to keep muscle tone, energy, and balance. I worried this was due to progression with his neck arthritis, but some blood work showed he had concerningly low selenium levels. After several bouts with tick-borne fevers, we think his aging system is struggling to thrive with the lower selenium available in the grass and hay of our area. I started supplementing his selenium, and he made a miracle turn around. In the last year, he's been sounder and happier than ever since his retirement. Another key to Pig's happiness is an incredible amount of fly gear. Nothing makes me happier than seeing his cheerful ears greet me every day, or taking his sassy-self on our daily hacks. I haven't put a saddle on him more than once in over a year, preferring to hop on him with a bareback pad to gallop the local trails. He's become even more of my best friend than he was before retirement. I honestly think he's probably the one happiest I moved closer to him. Seeing me multiple times a day seems to just make him happier, to the point where I try to stop by on my morning runs to just to say hi to him.  My orange king in a field of pumpkins. In addition to ditching the saddle, I also finally ditched riding Pig in a bit at all. I've said a million times that this horse is extremely difficult in the bridle. Well, the key to success with him in the dressage ring was training him to listen 100% to seat and leg aids, barely requiring any rein aid at all. He's still much the same, and even from a full gallop I pull him up with my body not my hands. So after getting tired of having to clean slobber off a bit I never actually used, I was committed to finding a different option. Enter the flower hackamore and our ridiculous endurance bridle. It's the perfect amount of leverage to allow people who don't know Pig to ride him safely, and still gives him the idea that maybe I might be in control. (He's not a horse you can ride without a bridle. He takes complete advantage and does whatever he wants the minute you take it off. HAHA!) I love it, and he does too. Yeah, that's a horsehair tassel. Yeah, it's 100% extra, and he rocks it. It also keeps flies out of his eyes, which he is absolutely happy about. So, that's the quick story of how Pig has become my all time favorite trail horse and dog-walking companion. He's in the best shape of his retirement, playing with all his friends, enjoying his rides with his lease rider, and babysitting his dumb brother. I'd say 24 looks good on him, wouldn't you?... [Read more]

Hey, y'all. We're still here. It's been a long time without an update here, and I don't want any of you to think the coyotes got us. Nope, instead life took me offline a bit (in some ways figuratively, in others literally). Anyway, now I find myself in 2022 trying to start over here. It's kinda hard, as you might imagine. I guess I could recap the end of 2020 and all of 2021 here, but that seems a bit wildly ambitious and, perhaps, unnecessary. Though, I'm not sure our story here is quite done being shared, and that requires some catching up. Let's start with the cliffs notes: 1. At the end of 2020, we somehow won All Breeds for The Jockey Club's First Level Adult Amateur division and came in second overall for First Level with a median score of 64.771%. It's still wild to me that we accomplished such a crazy goal, and managed such a competitive score. Literally just so proud of him. 2. I moved to the country, specifically to a 50 acre ex-soybean farm purchased by my horse's landlord to become a new horse farm. It's been quite an adventure so far (including a few months with extremely sketchy internet and questionable heating during the coldest part of the year), but I've really enjoyed living walking distance from my horses again. Plus, the dogs are eating up country life. Literally. They eat a lot of mice. These fields are full of pastures and barns now. 3. Bast and I threw ourselves to the wolves judges at Second Level in 2021, and the season turned out much more successful than I imagined it would in the spring. In fact, we ended up coming in Reserve Champion overall in the Jockey Club All Breeds at Second. That's two years as a surprisingly competitive pair. Second Level is #worstlevel, but we not only survived it but thrived. Plus, this was my first self-sufficient show season in over 5 years. Which leads me to...  4. I bought a trailer, and finally completed my hauling rig! This Brenderup trailer was owned by a friend of mine, and has had extensive work done on it recently. Plus, it's been changed to a one horse set up. It isn't much, but it's perfect for my needs. When hauling it behind my VW Touareg, we jokingly call it my Very European Rig, containing my very American horse. I can now haul out for regular lessons, which has made a huge difference in both Bast's training and comfort level with traveling. We really only do very local hauling, and I adore my setup for this. I think the fact that my leopard horse likes this trailer is the best part. 4. Of course, life also threw a lot of things at me. One of the biggest was changing jobs to one that allows me to work from home permanently. This has made the move out to the farm sustainable in the long term, and allowed me to pick up some shifts as we've moved horses onto the property. It's been so fun to watch this property evolve over the last few months and really start to come into its own as a boarding facility. Plus, there's actually nothing better than seeing horses out your office window. Yeah. That's the view I have when I open my eyes in the morning. Well, after Asterid stops licking my eyeballs. Hilariously, I actually seem to have less free time now than when I lived in the city and commuted 2 hours total every day to see the horses (plus, another hour  total for work). It seems I can expand my to-do list to fill any amount of time, which really shouldn't come as a surprise to me. Unfortunately that left blogging at the bottom of my list. I'm trying to change that, so watch this space. However, you can keep up with me on a near daily basis on my Instagram stories. Hope to chat with you all soon!... [Read more]

As you may have guessed from my preferred choice of dog companion, I'm kinda in love coyotes and wolf-like creatures. (PSA. Neither of my dogs has any "wolf blood". They are 100% doggy breeds. They just look and act like wild things, as I prefer it.) "Sister Lyra, we don't look that much like coyotes? Right? Right?!" Due to my long-time love and respect for wild canines, I was really excited when a family of coyotes made a den next door to the farm this spring. Growing up in the Midwest, I'd seen (and heard!) plenty of coyotes. However, coyotes are quite notoriously shy. All my encounters were from quite far away. This year, all that changed. The area in and around DC has experienced an explosion in the coyote population. Hell, this year a coyote was even spotted on the National Mall. #just2020things So, that family of coyotes at the farm? Yeah, they've become a regular visitor in my barn life. In February, a coyote trailed Bast and my dogs on a ride. We came a little too close to the den, and he wanted to make sure we were properly escorted out of the area. That's pretty normal behavior for a coyote during denning season, and isn't necessarily problematic. I made sure the dogs and I stayed together and quickly moved out of the area. I considered myself lucky to have experienced such an encounter, and hoped that would be it. "Plz leave now." -- Coyote sentry #1 Then the pups grew up. By late summer, we started seeing more and more coyotes (or, likely, the same ones more frequently). They didn't seem to be very afraid of people or dogs. We caught glimpses of them crossing the property in the mornings and evenings, and noticed a decline in the local fox population. (Coyotes will kill or drive away foxes in their territory.) In the last few weeks, things have really come to a head. The horses in field board have started acting like they've been bothered by coyotes. While Bast and Pig's field is surrounded mostly by fencing difficult for coyotes to access, it seems something has been scaring them from the nearby treeline. I have seen a lot of coyote activity in that area myself, and my dogs alert me to evidence of coyotes there as well. "Hey mom. They're in those trees..." Finally things reached a head, when we were followed for over a mile by a very curious young coyote. We were walking around a field alongside the farm, when Bast got a bit spooked. Something out of sight was making him nervous. After a bit, he settled in and walked out confidently. Imagine my surprise when I turned around to see a coyote trotting along about 20 meters behind us! My silly horse is apparently only afraid of coyotes he can't see! I guess I've done a great job making him "dog broke". That is not one of my dogs. Though seems like he'd like to be. This coyote didn't seem to be aggressive in any way, in fact he came across as incredibly curious and playful. He alternated between 50 and 10 meters from the back of my horse, completely unafraid. My dogs knew he was there, but are trained to leave strange dogs alone. They stuck to their training, and largely ignored the 'yote. As we went along, I made sure to keep myself and Bast between the coyote and the dogs. I also turned around occasionally to talk loudly at the coyote, trying to encourage him to shove off. Hoping the wild thing would fall back, we turned onto the main barn property. Unfortunately he didn't leave. He was stuck to us like glue! I see my very good dogs, my saint of a horse, the farm fencing, and ... a fearless coyote. At this point I called the barn manager and asked her to help me run the coyote off. His lack of fear worried me. I didn't want my dogs to get tangled with him, and I didn't want him to think it was okay to be on the property like this. This much lack of fear in a coyote is bad news. It's how they get themselves in trouble and end up getting killed. The manager showed up with another staff member. They tried scaring the coyote away by driving towards it with the Kubota, while honking the horn and making noise. The 'yote was 0% buying their feint. He almost looked like he was having great fun playing this new game. I called her back over with another suggestion that ended up solving the issue. I suggested the manager hold my dogs. Once she had their collars, I picked up the reins and picked up a canter. And, that's the story of how Bast and I ended up chasing a coyote through the brush for a half mile, with pricked ears and trilling screams on our part. Adventure over. Such a good little cow-horse. I think I'll keep him. In the following days, the barn saw continued coyote visits. Right now, we're experimenting with a few control methods for the coyotes. Foxhunting season is picking up, so the hunt has been asked/allowed to ride through our property (not just around it). Fingers crossed repeated harassment by packs of big hounds and riders on horseback can teach these young coyotes a healthy fear of humans and their animals. There's plenty of space and resources out here for the coyotes and people to exist without coming into contact. We're an attractive place for them, and need to make our property less comfortable. A couple of notes on coyotes and their behavior:  Seeing a coyote in the daytime or a coyote that doesn't immediately run away is not a sign of rabies. Coyotes are not purely nocturnal. While coyotes can be rabies vectors, simply seeing one like this doesn't necessarily indicate rabies. The fact that the coyote was able to be scared off was a good sign. Rabid animals often move strangely, staggering, weaving or otherwise appearing confused. They can also look scared. A calm or playful animal like this is not likely to have rabies. However, always be alert and aware when in areas with coyotes. Even if they don't have rabies, you don't want them in your business. They are unpredictable and wild. Never try to engage with a coyote, even if it appears to be struggling or sick. Never allow pets to come near coyotes. They also often consider dogs to be threats, and will kill them. I've heard of coyotes initiating play with a larger dog to lure them closer to the pack, where the dog is killed. Dogs and coyotes aren't friends. Please keep your dog under control at all times around coyotes, for their safety. My dogs wear e-collars, which has saved their lives in many situations like this by maintaining my recall control. I also never allow my dogs wander without supervision. Always vaccinate your pets for rabies. Coyotes can harass horses, but typically pose no harm to them. A coyote is relatively small, weighing between 30-45 pounds. They're about the same size as my dogs. As a pack, they can be more trouble. However, as a pack they are more danger to deer than horses. My horses' spooky behavior frequently alerts me to the presence of coyotes, but I have never had an issue with a coyote injuring my horses in any way. I have heard that foals or horses with mobility issues can be more at risk. In this area, prey is plentiful. A coyote would need to be quite desperate to take on a healthy adult horse.... [Read more]

While cleaning off an old storage drive recently, I ran across some old photos taken by Liz of myself and Pig during a 2016 dressage clinic. I'd never edited the raw files, so I thought I'd dig through them. It was so fun to step back in time to Pig and I schooling 3rd/4th. Such a handsome horse. I love him so. It's easy to slip into the belief that I was a better rider back when I was riding more advanced dressage. These photos made me realize that is not true. In many ways, I am a better rider now. My position is more solidly "into" my horse, instead of perching atop him so much. My legs have become much more effective and still. I also still struggle with the same issues, though. My right arm always wants to stick out away from my body. My elbows don't like bending very much. I collapse too much in the middle, and give away my strength to my horse too easily.  I also seemed to enjoy pushing off my feet quite a bit back then, something I still struggle to stop doing. Today, however I am not quite so absurdly skinny. I see a lot of things about how I was riding then that I would change now. And I think that's good. It's a sign I'm continuing to learn, and educate my eye. Pig's constant struggle with throughness is apparent in many of the photos. I found myself wanting to reach backwards through time to fix what I was seeing. Note to past self. Pulling on the outside rein is probably not the answer here. I have to credit this red horse for teaching me so much about the finicky nature of connection and coming through. He was (and continues to be) a difficult puzzle in the bridle. The fact that we got my bronze scores and a score towards my silver still amazes me. He was never easy. Though he was quite fun much of the time. His difficulty made it fun for me to watch others ride him. There's sometimes a sick satisfaction in watching your trainer or clinician struggle with the same things as you on your horse. I think we all have to admit that to some degree. It feels good to see that it's not "just us" that can't inspire perfection in the horse with a mere thought. The feedback from a trainer ride can be so incredibly helpful when it comes to beginning to move toward that perfection, though! Look at Stephen and Pig go! If I remember correctly, Pig was due for stifle injections at the time of this clinic. He wasn't super excited about being asked to sit, especially with the right hind. Stephen hopped on to see if he could work through some of that, but Pig gave him a piece of his mind a few times. They did eventually get things back together, and ended on a positive note. As for me, we focused on my upper body and arm position. I was asked to ride around with a whip between my elbows and back. Looking at these photos, that exercise made my hands way too high. However, it did keep me from collapsing in the torso (probably my biggest issue). I remember learning a valuable lesson here about core engagement. If you've never been made to ride with a whip between your arms and your back, can you even call yourself a true horseperson? #realquestions Taking a look at these photos was so fun and inspiring. I love how much I've changed as a rider in the last 4 years. Plus, it's always fun to look back and remember a younger and fitter Pig. What a massively good boy that horse is, and how good he was to me. He certainly earned that nickname of "Guinea Pig" a million times over in his life. I hope his younger brother appreciates how much my riding improved because of this red horse.  Total hero status.... [Read more]

Remember when I told you guys about my insecurities about my goals and my total panic over our upcoming last show of the season? Well, spoiler alert, we survived! Hooray! How's that for the face of survival? Once we safely arrived at the show grounds, my anxiety actually started to drop off. Though I did panic my horse would lame himself pawing the trailer to death when his friend left him to show in two classes in the morning. Eventually my worry turned to annoyance when his banging on the floor would not stop, and he did not lame himself. Our tests were grouped together late in the afternoon. Since our show friend's classes were in the morning, we were at the show grounds an awful long time. When tacking up time came around, I was so ready to just get out there and do the thing. I ended up getting on almost 40 minutes before my ride time, which might have been a smart move. Everyone loves warming up in a crowded spooky indoor. Right? If y'all remember, Bast had struggled the week before the show with a vaccine reaction at the base of his neck. While the swelling had improved, we hadn't yet worked out the stiffness from earlier in the week. My first few laps around the ring, I realized I'd have to work hard to limber the boy up in the neck before going into the ring. I had so much time to create a more supple horse, I actually was hoping the ring would open up for us before I wore him out. Luckily, it did. Coming up to the judge, we did have some tension to work out. See, Bast had spotted a murderous bush and photographer. This corner had caused issues for multiple horses all day. In an attempt to avoid some spooking during the test, I asked Bast to face his fear. He was so very brave about confronting the bush, sorta. Watch... Clearly this bush has murdered before, and might strike again. Luckily we didn't end up destroying the entire ring before going in! (I'm still not sure if leaping in the ring at M counts as entering before being rung in by the judge. Haha!) My pushing the envelope paid off. Bast never looked at that corner of the ring again. Success! Unfortunately the rest of the test continued to be a thing. See, I thought I was supposed to be doing 1-3 first. As I turned across the diagonal for my first lengthening, the judge whistled me off course. Turns out, I was actually doing 1-1. Ugh, annoying. Not a catastrophe, though. I had 1-1 well memorized, and simply started on the correct test. A quick reminder to all of you to check and double check which freaking test you're supposed to be riding before you enter at A. In the moment, I thought the test rode well. We had no huge mistakes (I mean, once we figured out where we were going), and Bast was pretty responsive to my lateral aids. On a second watch, it lacks a lot of the uphill balance we had earlier in the year. My riding is quite sloppy, too. That lead to Bast's overall lack of engagement and thoroughness. We ended up with a 62%. Watch the test below or here: Our second test was only 30 minutes later. I didn't do more than offer Bast a drink of water before heading back into the warmup. I was worried about his energy level with these back to back tests. At previous shows this season, his stifles had begun to slip in his second test. Once his adrenaline wore off, he seemed to really lose strength behind. To help with this, we spent a lot of time conditioning between shows. Other than shaking off his bridle in the warm up, Bast didn't blink at the work. I think the conditioning paid off a lot, but I needed to push him for more from behind. Overall he was just lacking impulsion all day. I can't tell if my unstable position was the biggest problem, or if we just weren't on the same page with the activity behind. However, the whole lack of thrust issue was an ongoing issue in our 1-3 test. I mean. What exactly is he doing with those hind legs? Napping? Hilariously, Bast and I started our test with a little too much "go" when he cantered out of our halt instead of trotted. Whoops. That was 100% my fault, as I pushed him forward too much with the leg and not the seat. Getting a trot up transition on this horse requires whispering, which I did not do. My bad! I thought our lengthening was unimpressive and a little out of control (though totally normal for us), and I was frustrated to lose the haunches in the first leg yield. However, my favorite moment of the test came after the second leg yield. While on the 10m circle my brain literally fled my body. If you watch the video below closely, you'll see me completely forget if I have finished the circle. Instead of going straight, I just continue to circle repeating the 10m circle twice. The judge didn't even notice. If you're really perceptive, maybe you'll hear me saying aloud "I don't know where I'm going". Don't mind us. Just terribly lost out here. The 10m circle hilarity kind of threw me off. Our stretch circle was exceptionally drunk, and our walk work felt off tempo and very slow. The judge apparently hated all of it, but not for the reasons I thought she would (more on that in a second). At this point in the test, I was not riding mindfully anymore. Our first canter loop swung way past the centerline, as I somehow got lost on my line. Swinging past X does make the counter canter part of the loop much harder to execute, so I'm really proud of my pony for just going with my mistakes. He's a good boy. Pictured: a v good boy. Then it was time for the judge to screw up. She rang me off course after the lengthened canter, for no reason. She then apologized and sent me back out to repeat my canter lengthening. It was about now that I started just giggling with the absurdity of this entire day. Thank god our second canter direction was mostly uneventful, if on the forehand and a bit wiggly. We finished up the test quickly, and I immediately pleased we'd completed. Watch the test below or here: As I'd been telling people all day, I only needed to survive these tests in order to qualify for All Breeds. Our scores all year had been between 64%-66%, meaning these scores were unlikely to change my median score at all. I simply needed two more scores to finish my qualification. As it turns out, it's a good thing I didn't need a good score on this test. The judge awarded us a 59% for last place. I won't lie, I was pretty annoyed with the score. While we were far from perfect, I wanted to know what this judge saw to dislike so much. Mostly, it turns out she hated Bast's busy mouth. Not going to lie. It's busy. Annoyingly so. Almost every comment was about Bast's mouth, which started to get old. I was especially annoyed to see that she wrote to tell me she didn't like the bit placement in the mouth. I found that comment to be on the inappropriate side. Tell me my hands are unsteady or my position isn't great. Or the horse is resisting contact. All those are fine, and valid, and true statements. I can't even really be upset about the score, because it's true that his mouth is open a lot and that's allowed to be dinged quite a bit. But don't tell me my tack is wrong. I think the only time I think a judge should say something about tack is if there is a safety issue, then the rider should be stopped at the issue addressed. Have a photo of our support team manning the truck to break up this wall of ranting text. I think the reason this bothered me so much is the vast improvements we've made in Bast's mouth this year. Which the judge wouldn't know. Bast actually travels with his mouth closed a fair amount of the time now, as opposed to the constant gaping of last winter. Plus, this is the first bit where we've been able to address his contact issues. Being told my bit is causing issues just made me frustrated. I couldn't let the frustration get to me, because we had done what we came to do. We'd left with two more recorded scores for our qualification and a sound horse. I was proud of my horse for how much he matured (he didn't scream ONCE in the show rings). What more can you really hope to have? So I made some plans to continue to address the ongoing mouth saga, and slapped on a smile. That's showing horses for you! Just so pleased with him.... [Read more]

Anyone else freak out a little bit when you're really close to accomplishing a goal? Turns out, I do. It's so rare for things to actually go smoothly for me, I immediately start to panic when an achievement is coming up. I basically expect all the bad luck in the world to rain down on me. Let's face it, that's often what happens. What's it say about my life that a global pandemic isn't the worst luck I've had in the last few years? (Thanks to Emma for coming out to Waredaca and snapping most of the photos in this post!) A lot of times this leads me to keep my goals quiet. If no one knows about my hopes, then somehow it feels less monumental when bad luck or situations crush them. I guess. Seriously, anyone else out there like this? It can't just be me. All this talk about goals and freaking out brings me back to the last show on my calendar and a goal attached to our performance there. See, when planning out our belated show season something on the Thoroughbred Incentive website caught my eye. Specifically this. I couldn't actually believe what I was seeing for a minute, so I scooted over to the USDF website to double check. Sure enough, Jockey Club was back on the list of All Breed Award participating organizations. Finally! I knew I wanted to sign up and try to qualify, if just to support the JC taking part in the program. For those of you totally confused by my obsession with this, All Breeds is a popular USDF awards program. To some degree, it makes recognition in the sport a little more accessible for some of us, especially off-breeds (sorry if you ride a KWPN, I guess). Breed registries sponsor awards for each level, and the USDF tracks all the scores and calculates the median score. Riders/owners have to declare their horse as eligible with both the organization and the USDF to be considered. Thoroughbred owners have been out of luck when it comes to participating in All Breeds with USDF for a couple of years. So, seeing Jockey Club step up and sponsor awards again made me so happy! I started digging into what is required to participate and pulling together all my paperwork. Even if I had no chance of qualifying this year, I wanted to pay my dues and support the organization's move to offer these awards. Thoroughbreds make up a pretty sizeable number of off-breed entries at dressage shows. It makes me happy to see the registry acknowledge them in this way. Of course, it would also be nice to win something. JC awards only the first placed Adult Amateurs at each level, and scores are ranked by the highest median of recognized scores. You must have a minimum of 8 scores from 4 judges, two scores over 60% from the highest test of the level, and a median score of at least 60%. Woof. No mean feat to accomplish that in 2020 of all things! Still, I looked at my finances and the shows moving forward this year. It looked doable. In fact, I planned to do enough shows to get 10 scores, just in case I needed extra. Then Bast tangled himself in his fly sheet and we had to scratch my extra show. My goal is still valid and doable, but feels so much more fragile now. In fact our last show is today, and I'm totally losing my head over it. Maybe my panic has something to do with the random vaccine reaction Bast suffered last weekend, causing him to develop a foot long, scorchingly hot lump where his neck meets his shoulder. That lump finally seems to have receded, and he's totally sound again. But my brain is convinced we're going to have another huge bout of bad luck at any time, and I can't convince it otherwise. Massive lump on the left. Normal side of neck on the right. This horse has never had a reaction to a vaccine before, but of course he would sprout one just days before our last chance to show. So today, if you can, send Bast and I a little bit of good luck. We've worked hard to develop our connection, bend, and impulsion for First Level. We have two scores well above 60% on the highest test of the level. We just need two more scores (that preferably don't suck) to qualify for this monster of a goal. The homework has been put in, I just need a little lucky fairy dust to get us the rest of the way. Maybe a little extra community sponsored good luck can get us through my track record of last minute problems? Eek! "Seriously. Send good vibes, because my rider is starting to lose it right now." -- Bast, probably... [Read more]

Shows that will be documented here soon, that is. Since I just wrapped them up yesterday! So until I get everything together, enjoy these candid moments from the weekend! In case anyone forgot Bast is barely 15.3. Here's your quarterly reminder that he's smol! We experienced a range of weather for this show weekend. Saturday morning the remnants of Laura rolled through Maryland, bringing stifling humidity, strangely isolated storms, and drenching rain. Loading the trailer that morning, I was completely soaked through in both sweat and rain. So obviously a super pleasant kickoff. The day only got better, though. My friend's first ride was in a downpour, but the rest of our time was spent under increasingly sunny skies. In fact, I was sunburned by the time we left. Plus, Emma came out to help us for the day, since our ride times were literally on top of each other. While shows aren't allowed spectators, these observant folk sure did their best to cheer on everyone. Note Bast attempting to hold his much larger friend's halter. I had to take it off, since it was so absurdly huge on his little face. By Sunday things had made a turn for the perfect. The morning air was crisp as I braided Bast. The show itself was drenched in sunlight, without the oppressive heat and humidity more common to this summer. I couldn't get enough. Due to COVID, the shows are scheduled quite strangely these days. My friend and I wrapped up our tests before noon. However, our classes wouldn't be finished until late afternoon. This show was quite local to our farm, so it was not a complete tragedy to realize we'd need to wait to collect any ribbons. From freshly braided to wildly floofy! It's the best transformation! So Sunday afternoon, we took the boys home and headed back ourselves at the end of the day to check the scores and placings. It's a good thing we did, since both my friend and I won a class each, and thus a free beer at the Waredaca brewery attached to the farm. We walked over to redeem our tokens and fill our fancy new cups! Excellent Waredaca beer, super local cheese, and a fancy new mug makes for an excellent impromptu picnic. Such a wonderful way to end a weekend of showing... with a good beer, good friends, and good weather. Detailed breakdown on the tests and Bast's performance to come!... [Read more]

The Wednesday before Bast's tragic fly sheet incident, we hauled back to Loch Moy for a schooling show. We needed to run through 1-3 in front of a judge in a real ring, if only so I could be sure I had the geometry remotely correct. I love Loch Moy's Twilight Eventing nights for these sorts of things. There are always a ton of entries, so you get a true show environment exposure. However, it's extremely cheap to run through a dressage test (I think the whole thing set me back $25?), and therefore an opportunity to go work through some things without feeling bad if it all goes downhill. Perfect for my little screamer. Showing during COVID is a strange and sweaty place. Bast and I were coming off lessons with Jim Koford (more on those ... someday), and I had a new warm up to figure out. We also had some new ideas about how to apply half halts in the ring to get Bast appropriately set up for the rapid fire hell that is 1-3. Bast was totally chill at the show, which surprised me. A big storm system was hitting Maryland as we pulled up, splitting at the show grounds and nailing areas north and south of us with tons of wind and rain. While I warmed up, the wind kicked up strongly. However, Bast didn't blink an eye. I love my field boarded thoroughbreds. Weather is just no big deal to them. The warm up paid off, and Bast was feeling relatively supple. He was still a bit stiff to the left, but I had more throughness than I normally get off property. This allowed me to get the forward and back half halts without Bast stiffening against me and trying to climb out of the contact. Success! Look at this supple freaking leopard. I was feeling so confident as we headed into the ring. I knew I had my horse with me. I knew our strengths and weaknesses, and I knew exactly how to ride every moment. I just needed to do it. Honestly, everything just went to plan. Our biggest issue was going to be the leg yields, I knew. Koford had asked me to raise Bast's poll in that movement, to free up his hind end a bit more. This unfortunately stiffens him, but I knew we needed to really work on it in the ring. Bast was a good boy, but it's clear we need to work on this.  Leg yield? Sure. Now with added tension! As we came up for our medium walk transition, it started actually raining on us. Bast was a little spooked by the sound of rain hitting the metal roof of the judges booth, which introduced some tension to his walk. That plus his usual walking issues lead to the judge dinging us for getting a bit lateral. That's something you can bet I'll be watching as our training continues. The walk on contact is probably the thing OTTBs struggle with the most for the longest time, and I find that I just can't work on it a lot without making them angry. I see a lot of transitions in our future. Even more that we already do! The next hell point in this test is always the set of transitions directly after the free walk. You go from free walk to medium walk to trot to canter over the space of three letters in the corner. It's a lot to process, especially on a horse who tends to get stiff in transitions, especially trot-canter transitions. I can't wait to leave trot-canter behind. Ugh. We managed a fairly civilized set of transitions, though Bast tried to leap into the canter during the trot transition. Then the canter transition felt a lot wilder than it actually looked. Thank god the horse is beginning to immediately come into a half halt in the canter. The canter work was mostly uneventful. The counter canter loops are so reliable on this horse, compared to his older brother, the auto-change king. Unfortunately I did forget our 15m circle, which I think is going to be my kryptonite in this test. Watch for that notorious off course whistle in the video. Look at this counter canter machine. (But I can hear it now, "needs to be rounder!") The throughness in the canter continues to need improvement. I was able to access a lot more suppleness during this test than previously, which tells me Koford was on track with his instruction. We'll get there.  The change of lead through the trot needs a lot of finesse, but it's survivable. Our canter lengthening on the right lead was much stiffer and a bit harder to pilot. However, the rest of the test was just fine. I came up to the last halt rather happy. Bast felt a place to escape, and wiggled in the halt. Ah well. With a test as smooth as this, I couldn't really complain too much about a slightly crooked halt. Well, I can complain. It's entirely my fault though! The judge ended up giving us a ridiculously generous 72% on this test, including the only 8 on rider I have ever received in my actual life. I was giggling to myself at the score. What a freaking confidence booster. Right? Aren't schooling shows just the best for that? Also, did anyone notice? Not a single screaming whinny was heard... Miracles do happen, folks.... [Read more]

I planned an ambitious show season for these last few months of the 2020 year. Even knowing the schedule planned would be hard, I was looking forward to the hustle and bustle. In a year like this, having something to look forward to is worth attempting. We'd planned to tack on a very small USDF show at a new facility to me. More of this please! Unfortunately Bast heard about our plans, and managed to tangle himself in his fly sheet the day before this show. While it initially seemed he'd escaped his tangle without injury, by late afternoon it became obvious he was in some pain. I investigated thoroughly, and discovered a bit of rope burn around the back of his rear fetlock. The offending leg, and rug burn. Can't blame the horse for being sore, really. Rug burn is the actual worst. It's a long way from his heart, but Bast is ever dramatic about any amount of pain. He walked fine, but trotted off an impressive three legged lame. I sighed heavily, washed and dressed his minor wound, and scratched the show. A few days later and he was completely sound and full of himself. He'll live to fight another day, apparently. Until then? More of this.... [Read more]

I just love Loch Moy. Despite having been a total drama king at the trailer in between tests, Bast was actually really quiet walking to the ring. He felt pretty good, though still stiffer than I'd like. Especially going right, his ribcage release was particularly elusive. I was riding 1-2, which is nice step up from 1-1. This is the first test with leg yields, which I was excited to ride in the ring. Though Bast's stiffness on the right was worrying me a bit, he was obedient. His screaming had vanished in the warm up, so I was feeling good. One thing that I think really helped? Look below and see if you can spot it... Hint: Look at the ears. I had been so rushed tacking for the first test, I'd forgotten to put on Bast's magic muffle hat. Last year I invested in a neoprene lined ear bonnet, wondering if it could help muffle his ADHD ears and help me keep his focus. Honestly, it really seemed to help in this test. Or maybe his adrenaline high from the first test was finally wearing off. As we warmed up, he felt pretty good, but the spark was gone. He was a bit behind my leg, and not really 100% in my hand. Nothing like Pig used to be, but definitely not accepting of all my aids. That made me a little nervous for the transitions in our test. Which, it should have! This test starts off with a lengthening, and I did not have Bast completely through. When I put my leg on and asked for a bigger trot, he immediately broke into the canter. Definitely a facepalm moment, but one that was not completely unexpected. Though, it did lower my score pretty significantly. Sorry for the awful zoomed in quality of this gif... The rest of the trot work was a mixed bag. Both leg yields were too steep, and the judge marked us down to a 6.5 for hitting the track a half letter too early. Whoops. That's what I get for practicing without the ring set up. First level has what I think are the most hateful set of transitions in all of dressage. In multiple tests, you come off the free walk, pick up the reins for the medium walk. Then one letter later you pick up the trot. Then one letter later (and usually directly in front of the opening at A) you pick up the canter. Those quick transitions are legitimately really hard. They're a test of obedience, aid acceptance, forward thinking in the horse, and rider preparation. We ... did not nail that test this time. Dear Bast. Please do not exit at A. Thank you. I lost total control of the outside shoulder. When I went to ask for the canter, Bast started to exit the ring. Not about to be eliminated for something so dumb, I jerked him back into the ring. We kicked the boards as we cantered and scored a whopping 5 for the transition (generous), but no elimination happened. WHEW! It took me halfway through our 15m circle to get a half halt back in the canter. But, the next section of canter work scored well, including the diagonal trot transition. Somehow we'd made it until the final stretch trot circle. I bent Bast around my inside leg and prayed he'd keep his focus mostly intact. (Spoiler! He did!) Mm stretch stretch. As we cruised to our final halt, I found that I was pleased. While 1-2 wasn't a super clean test, Bast felt much more rideable. Plus, he screamed so much less. The judge didn't hate the test, but she didn't love it as much as the 1-1 test. It scored am incredibly consistent 64.7%, for 4th place. Watch video on Youtube. There are a ton of things we can do to improve this test for next time. For starters, I need to remember that Bast is a very different ride when his adrenaline has worn off. He's borderline lazy, which can cause me to over-aid an push him off balance. That makes for breaks of gait. Annoying. However, I am pleased with both scores and my horse. I do think he needs to get out to every damn show on the planet until he stops squealing, though. So that's the plan right now!... [Read more]

Isn't he the cutest?! (Photo by Tara Jelenic Photography) Just about a week ago, we pulled into the show grounds 20 minutes before my 1-1 ride time. I feel like I'm getting to be a pro at showing up late to a show and surviving, though I'm not sure it's where I want to always find myself! Luckily my ring was running a ride time behind, giving me a little more prep time. Other than being a bit tense and stiff, Bast was feeling pretty good. I my work getting him a bit more loose and bending wasn't entirely successful, but was really pleased with how forward and confident he felt. Honestly, given how much he was screaming the confidence I felt under the saddle was surprising. Oh yes, the screaming... He screamed basically every 30 seconds during our entire first ride. In the warm up, I tried my best not to let it get to me. For the most part he was staying with me through it, and so I just kept riding and working on making him more supple.  Anyway, we headed in for our test. Of course circling the ring made Bast go a bit rigid again as we passed the spooky side of the arena. I sat the trot a bit on our way around, and was able to make two laps before being whistled into the ring. I didn't intend to sit the entry, but it helped keep him focused. (But didn't stop him from trumpeting our arrival. Lol!) Longtime readers might remember my consistent inability to ride an error free day at a recognized show. I have gone off course in just about every test I've ridden, which is kind of hilarious. It's basically my super power. However, today I can say I finally caught myself before fully committing to the error. Ha! I knew the first movement off centerline was going to be a struggle the minute I started memorizing 1-1 in the truck on the way to the show. Every other test at this level immediately goes across the diagonal, but 1-1 sends you down the long side. I had to resist the temptation to turn onto the diagonal. It was hard, and I wobbled, but I did it. Sorry little guy. Mom is a terrible pilot. This bobble earned me a 5, for not being straight here. Deserved, but 110% on me. My goal for these tests was to focus on making my 10m circles have more bend. Bast tends to go rigid, and use his neck against me. With that in mind, I knew I needed to ride aggressively off my inside leg and make sure to keep him from flailing around too much. Not every circle was great, but they were all much improved from our tests last year (and in practice). Bast's tension definitely worked against us on these, something I'll need to keep in mind. Look at him try to use that short little muscle neck against me. Sorry, bud. It's bend o'clock! The rest of our 1-1 ride, I was pleasantly surprised by Bast's rideability. While he was much stiffer than at home, he didn't come above the bit too much in his incessant screaming. In fact, the middle of test was pretty much solid 7s. Our lengthenings were definitely our weakest movements. Watching the test back, I can see why. In my canter lengthenings and second trot lengthening Bast braced his neck and didn't lift his back, we deserved the lower scores here. By our final halt, I was actually laughing at Bast's 11th scream of the test. I couldn't complain much about the test quality, and I'd achieved my goals. We'd survived. I'd stayed on course (barely). And I'd ridden each movement of the test. Still, I knew it was lacking in many places. Let's not forget my horse had actually screamed all the way through it. (Seriously, count the screams as you watch...) Watch on Youtube Imagine my surprise when I heard my name announced over the loudspeaker as the winner of the 1-1 class with a 65%! Wildly unexpected! Good boy, you screaming monster. (Photo by Tara Jelenic Photography) Of course we still had one test to go that day. As I watched Bast dig a hole at the trailer and scream for his friend, I wondered if we'd even survive until we got to the ring.... [Read more]

I didn't intend to keep it a secret that I'm planning to show Bast this weekend, but I guess I did it unintentionally. So, uh, surprise guys! We're heading to a show! Back when COVID started, I wasn't sure if I would show at all this year. Bast was at a totally weird place in his training, and I didn't really want to show first level again. But then his training has gotten way better (amazing how that works when you have the time and energy to devote to it), and I am excited about the possibility of getting some additional scores. So when a friend mentioned trying for her bronze medal scores this year, I was all in with my little guy. It's time to DANCE! Of course, we haven't schooled a centerline and halt since our last show almost a year ago. And, I haven't really been practicing the type of prompt riding that dressage tests require. Running through my tests was a requirement to feel slightly more prepared for this weekend.  We're signed up for First 1 and First 2. Since 1-2 is more advanced than 1-1, I have been spending most of my time running through it. Our first attempt felt attrocious. My poor horse was dead on his feet in the 95° heat and high humidity. I felt like I was riding a zombie as we went around, and I found myself making all kinds of simple mistakes. Having video of that initial run through was super helpful. I was able to notice a lot of the ways I was sabotaging my own ride. Like how I allowed my position to get really weak, letting Bast lose his uphill balance. And how I managed to make every turn onto the centerline without bending my horse at all. Eek! Wow. That's bad. But fixable. Luckily, I was able to pinpoint several places where just changing my own riding would result in huge improvements in my test. I'm not exactly training anything new into the horse in the next week, after all. I ran through the test again a couple of days later, with much better results! Look at that improved centerline turn! #bendthehorse It's hard to shift from hardcore training and conditioning mode back into a showing mindset, and I find it's giving me some anxiety. Luckily, I've trailered the horse off the property recently and he was amazing. That takes one anxiety off my plate. Plus, I don't exactly need amazing scores. I'm trying to give myself realistic expectations for this performance. We're going to go out there and survive our classes, do the tests accurately, and I am going to do my best to ride mindfully. How hard could that be? Right? Haha. Our stretch circle and halt is looking pretty great right now, at least. It helps that Loch Moy is doing a phenomenal job of hosting shows in the land of COVID. Masks have been required there longer than USEF was requiring them, and everything has been really smoothly run and quiet. I'm not surprised, as that venue is always on top of things. Not worrying about a horrible experience at the show really takes some of the anxiety away. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear when they waive coats. I'm thinking my navy/black or light green sun shirt. As for the test itself? I'll just be spending every moment not working or riding watching this video of our most recent test run through and imagining how I could improve. Mental game is everything, right? Anyone else looking at shows right now? I feel really lucky to live in a part of the country taking this virus seriously, and with numbers low enough to make showing feasible. This whole year has really made me appreciate being able to just ride my horse, so looking at showing seems even more exciting and privileged than before. I'm doing my best to appreciate just being able to do this, no matter the results!... [Read more]

"Who are you calling Arrogant?" I guess I figured 2020 couldn't get any worse, because I went out on a limb yesterday and did the thing everyone says brings bad luck. I changed my horse's name. That's right, Bast has a new show name.  No, his new name isn't Swagger. But it's close... While he'll always be Baybuilt to the thoroughbred world, I decided to shed the name while showing USEF/USDF. I've never liked it, and didn't think it was really suitable for him. It's a little too clunky and a little too ... on the nose. Though as far as racehorse names go, it's far from the worst offender! So, what's the new name? Actually, I went back to the origin of little Bast's nickname... All my animals seem to get named after some kind of alcohol, so Bast was no exception. When he first came home he was so arrogant to humans that this beer seemed like the perfect fit for him. The devil on the label was even more perfect. No devil horns here. Nope. Move along. Of course, I didn't want to tempt fate (or annoy show announcers) by using Bastard in his registered name. So, I just settled for Arrogant B as his full name. I feel like the B at the end is a nice nod to his racing name.  There aren't many horses registered with USEF as "Arrogant". So, we're still relatively unique. Now I just have to wait for things to be finalized with USEF and USDF! Fingers crossed that goes smoothly and this name change doesn't bring me too much additional bad luck! This year has been rough enough for everyone.... [Read more]

Wednesday my phone buzzed with one of those messages from the barn that makes your blood run cold. We're not going to go into how the horses got a hold of 30 lbs of oatmeal in this blog post. Bc the internet is forever, and not a place for petty drama. It's not the barn's or my fault in any way, that's all you need to know. Cue panic for me. (And also several days of explaining to the non-horse educated people in my lives how binging on grains can cause a horse to up and die on you. Fun!) Luckily the vet was already on their way out to the farm. We assumed Bast and the other new horse (S) to the field ate the majority of the oatmeal. (Side note: I realize oatmeal is a strange grain to be in a barn. But Pig's buddy is ancient and struggles to keep weight on. The oats apparently help.) However, we couldn't assume Pig didn't get any. Pig and S are really starting to hang out a bit more, and S is the type of benevolent overlord who likes to share his meals with his friends. Bast, however, is not. So, Pig couldn't have gotten much of the bag. Cute, but does not share with lower ranked citizens. With that assumption in place, Bast and S were tubed with oil by the vet. All three got banamine, and were stuck in stalls for 36 hours for careful observation. We were looking for signs of inflammation (increased temperature), colic, and laminitis (digital pulse/soreness). Luckily they all seemed to be well hydrated and doing well that evening. By Thursday morning, all three were SO ANGRY. Bast and S were screaming a lot, despite being stalled right next to each other. Bast looked like he'd stall walked continuously since being stuck in the quarantine stall, and wasn't really interested in eating the small amount of hay he was allowed to be given. Cool. Hello. This is a horse throwing a tantrum.  Being a good neurotic thoroughbred owner, I dug into my supply of ulcergard so both boys could get their stressed out selves dosed. Then, I headed out to hand walk them and check their vitals again. Bast had a 1° temperature increase, which the vet said wasn't too alarming. He had no digital pulse, and his feet were nice and cool. However, he had magically morphed into a wild screaming dragon. Or, at least he impersonated one for about 6 seconds after leaving his stall. After that he just tried to crawl in my lap repeatedly so I could save him from the difficult world he had to face on the hand walk ... in the indoor arena where he gets worked regularly. What a total Drama. King. "Hi. My name is Bast, and I am totally over the top about everything. Thnx. Bai." Luckily a 10 minute walk and short jog in hand seemed to have deflated Bast quite a bit. By the time we went back to the stall, he was much less frantic. I tossed him a tiny bit of hay (his feed was to be heavily restricted while stalled, per the vet), and headed off to see how his brother was coping in his stall. "MOM! SAVE ME FROM THIS BOX OF EMOTION!" Unlike his brother, Pig was super chill. At least externally. He's such an internalizer, though. After owning this horse for over 10 years (omg, that's a hell of a long relationship), I feel like I have a really good handle on when he's taking a lot of stress and shoving it deep down into his soul. This was one of those times. So, I dosed him with ulcergard and gave him a good wither scritching. Then a jog, in hand. "Bish. Plz. Do I look like a dog? I do NOT run on a leash." Despite his initial horror about being asked to trot in hand, he actually seemed to really enjoy stretching his legs. I was impressed he wasn't incredibly stiff or stocked up after a night locked up. It's like he's reverse aging. Wtf. I guess I should mention, Pig's vitals were perfectly the same as the night before. And he had exactly zero digital pulse, which is kind of amazing. Because of his fetlock arthritis, he can often come up with a faint digital pulse, especially after standing for long periods of time. I was legitimately impressed he was pulse free. Unlike his brother, Pig did not turn down his small quantity of hay. In fact, I'm 99% certain he prefers hay to grass or even sweet feed. He's a weird one, this Pig. Also, I have no idea why he is standing so weird here. He just is weird, okay? I left the boys for the day, feeling optimistic they were going to be fine. And you know what? They were. The next morning, we moved Pig back to the field immediately. He never showed any changes or signs of inflammatory response. Thank god. It probably helps that he is the furthest from an IR horse these days, despite having the belly of pony Santa Claus. Bast was also doing great, but I wanted to work him first. I threw him on the lunge in the indoor, as a trial to see if he'd be sane and safe to ride after 36 hours circling in a stall and screaming. By some miracle, he was. The concern in his eyes is so endearing, but he really seemed to find some comfort in being asked to focus on the work. BREAKTHROUGH! We only did basic things, mostly because I wanted to keep his stress levels low. However, he also felt sort of funny behind once I actually got on and started asking him to trot forward. Not lame exactly, but somehow loose behind. As if he'd taken muscle relaxers only in his butt. It was weird, but didn't seem to be related to his indiscriminate diet issue. Plus, he looked pretty darn sound on the lunge. So, I just figured he was sore from walking his stall for 36 straight freaking hours, omg. So I gave him some banamine and turned him out with the rest of the group. And that, friends, is the story about how my boys tried to kill themselves with food and did not succeed. Now, go forth and ensure all the food stuffs in your barn are secured in animal safe containers. Go... now ... SHOO!... [Read more]

Remember last year when we briefly tried Bast in the same field as his older (and somehow wiser) brother Pig? That situation only lasted a short month, after Bast made it obvious he couldn't live without his new girlfriend (but also, couldn't live with her). His behavior got so bad I declared him dangerous, and he moved back to his old field. I was so upset (and so was he) that I gave him several weeks to sort his life out before starting him back to work. It was a whole drama. Apparently it didn't scar me too badly, though. See, last week we decided to move Bast back in with Pig. This is starting to feel like an annual event. (Let's hope it sticks this time.) The mare has since moved off the property, and two spots opened up in the back field. Bast and the boss horse from his group in the front field both moved down together. We figured a group of mostly retired horses would be a good bunch of role models for my youngster. (Omg, Bast you're EIGHT. Get your emotional life together, brah.) Let's face it, Bast needs a strong leader in his field to be sane. The intro went surprisingly well. We turned the boss of the other field out with Pig and his best old man friend first. Pig was excited to meet a new friend, but really protective of his old buddy. That only continued when we turned Bast into the group. Except for Pig running the two newcomers away from his friend, things were completely calm. I'm sure the fact that it was a real-feel of 103F with sticky humidity helped keep things quiet. "No! That's MY old man. Go away!" -- Pig, definitely Eventually, Pig decided things were too cramped down by the shed, and he herded his bud up towards the grass. Bast and the boss followed at speed. Off they go! Pig wanted nothing to do with Bast near his friend, and made sure to let him know it. Bast didn't seem too offended, veering off at a gallop to show his boss friend the back half of the pasture. Four goofy geldings in a line. Pig and his friend stayed in the middle part of the field most of the afternoon. Every once in awhile Pig would prance around so everyone knew he was really manly and scary. Then things would go quiet with that pair. For the most part, they were settled in nicely. The other two really left them alone. "Look at me! I'm FANCY!" Meanwhile, Bast and his friend zoomed back and forth between the pasture and the shed. First coming down the lane at a breakneck speed...  WHEE! Then zooming right back out again ...  For a hot day, they sure had a lot of energy. As my barn manager remarked, this group really made it clear how much the thoroughbreds (and horses in general, really) like to run. They really seemed to just be enjoying themselves. Finally the heat set in and the adrenaline ran out. The boys relaxed and started exploring the area around the shed. They also took time to meet the neighbor horses getting turned out next door, and just relax with each other. Bast is such a shrimp next to that horse. I left after dark that night, and things had remained calm the rest of the evening. Not a peep was heard from the field, and all the horses were cool and grazing happily in pairs when I pulled out. I went home feeling optimistic about the really smooth introduction.... [Read more]

I have a million posts to write and a lot of changes to catch up in my recording. However, I wanted to take a minute to share this video of one of my recent morning conditioning hacks with Bast and the dogs. Mornings are so beautiful, I couldn't give them up. Even having transitioned to 100% work from home with the COVID-19 pandemic, I have found my morning schedule to be the best way to fit riding in with a very busy full time job. Plus, the extra daylight of summertime lets us get out on the trails a lot more than in winter. All our time hacking is paying off. Bast is continuing to increase in his confidence and enjoyment of the trails. I think he's finally starting to see them as the fun break from the dressage ring (watch his ears in the video below and you'll see how much he enjoys his romps around the fields). We even stand in water now! (Though we still jump all small creeks as if alligators live in them) I'm hoping to make a few more of these videos if you guys enjoy them. I upgraded my helmet cam to one with a slightly wider field of view, meaning I'll be able to capture a lot more the scenery (and still be able to see those adorable perked pony ears!). The new camera doesn't require the waterproof case to protect it either, meaning I'll no longer be struggling with a lens that fogs up 20 minutes into my humid morning gallop. Huge improvements overall, and I'm really excited to play with my new toy. Still, the old camera captured some lovely moments with my boy and two fluffy husky girls. I edited down the 40 minutes and 5 miles into a 5 minute highlight video. Hope y'all enjoy riding along with us on some of my favorite trails and galloping lanes!... [Read more]

Y'all. This horse recently. He's been freaking fantastic, and fun. I realize my definition of "rideable" is quite different from most other's. For example, I have to admit that this little thoroughbred has had all the basics installed for quite some time. His brakes are actually quite good. His go button is definitely there. He turns and understands rein aids. As far as basic training, he's been rolling along for a long time. But to me, basics don't necessarily make a horse rideable. Though he does let me video others while riding him. Totally a necessary skill. I enjoy a horse that has a deeper understanding of the aids. I consider a horse rideable once they have a reliable half halt off the seat and once they begin to yield their ribcage and bend through their body as well as their neck. A horse that can begin to collect is rideable. So is one that can execute a transition off the seat alone. Even if he still won't close his mouth... Bast is becoming that horse. There's more to it, too. He's able to go off property and jump around a course of crossrails without blinking an eye. The next day, I can bring him out for a dressage lesson in the middle of a field and know that he'll be completely civilized. The day after that we can go for a 6 mile gallop ride, and he'll come back from a flat gallop into an uphill balance off my abs. Mentally he's up for anything, as long as I am there to support him. That is so cool. It's been a long road with this little guy, but am I utterly amazed at how far we've traveled.... [Read more]

Guys. I own thoroughbreds. Right? Not beef cattle? Someone set me straight, because I'm starting to feel unsure. "Who you calling cow?" Seriously, though. Since the grass came in, both boys have blimped up like bloated ticks on a dog. It's borderline grotesque. Triplets due any day now. Weeks ago I reduced their grain down to a handful of ration balancer once a day, which has stabilized the weight gain a little bit. However, the biggest key to their weight is going to be exercise, which has been freaking difficult with the two boys springing holes in their bodies right and left. Ugh. Clearly starving. Wasting away. Thankfully, a few weeks of somewhat regular work is making some headway. Plus the spring grass is finally starting to turn into summer grass. The pastures here are almost too good. I really don't want to have to put the boys in muzzles. I think Pig would actually kill himself over such a violation of his personal body. Anyone else out there dealing with some fat thoroughbreds? Any advice other than muzzles and work?... [Read more]

When I last left you guys, Pig had just taken a bad whack to the left hock and Bast was (maybe?) recovered from a minor abscess. Well, in a week's time we've had quite the round of updates. Pig's hock continued to look hot and swollen for too many days. Tuesday afternoon I ended up calling the vet and making an appointment for Thursday. Of course you all know that means Thursday morning his hock was back to it's normal size and the wound was looking good. Still, the vet agreed the length of time the joint stayed hot was concerning. She suggested we start on SMZs, and be really proactive watching for infection. Mmm. Bute. Gross photo to follow. Prepare yourself. Friday morning things looked great, but Saturday the whole joint was even more swollen than previously. It was flame hot again, too. Still, the wound itself looks really good. It's at that stage of healing where it looks really gross, but is actually doing great.  Horrible amounts of swelling, but a good looking wound and a sound horse. What the hell. The vet wasn't too worried, suggesting we put him back on bute for the day and aggressively cold hose to bring down the inflammation. Since he was still very sound, he didn't see a problem with walking him under saddle, too. We can't rule out a chipped bone or other damage. However Pig is retired and trotting out soundly (for him). The vets and I aren't interested in pursuing further diagnostics, since any injury of that type isn't interfering with his movement. If this was Bast, we'd be looking at different options, I'm sure. Both boys getting out for their therapeutic walks. Speaking of Bast, he'd been ridden all week. We ended up doing 5 miles on the trail with a friend after our week off. Then Tuesday and Wednesday he gave me some fantastic dressage rides. Thursday I joined up with the same friend, and we did 6 miles out on the trails this time. It was lovely. Basically the best type of view. That 6 miles started off with my very fresh horse wanting to trot forever, and cantering boldly up the hills around nearby fields. Eventually, we veered off the wide grassy trails and into the woods around the big creek. This is a section of trail I have never taken Bast through, in fact I haven't been on this trail since retiring Pig in 2017! Bast was fantastic. He learned all about wading in creeks, spending a lot of time walking back and forth in the water while I tried to remember where all the crossings lead out. He even realized he could drink from the creek, and happily slurped away for a minute. This is a huge success for a horse who jumps every small crossing like demons are in the ditch. We reached a spot where the trail was blocked by a downed tree and an angry buzzard. In trying to find another way around, Bast stepped in very unstable ground, sinking to his knees on two legs. I was so impressed with the little man. He didn't panic, even though he was freaked out. He let me point him towards the creek again, and jumped in gladly. Choosing the water over ground was a huge moment for him. I hope it sticks, though I'd rather not experience that unstable ground again. I love these trails so much... After turning around we completely lost the trail, and I asked Bast if he would bushwack up the steep hill. An old trail used to climb out there, but in the years since I've ridden back there it's been abandoned and completely grown over. Bast didn't blink. He lead our friend's much older horse calmly out of the woods up this steep overgrown hillside, only pausing to ask me which way he should choose to go. He was a total champion, and quite relaxed about the whole thing. With 2 miles left to get home, we did a little more trotting and cantering along the grassy trails. Bast felt good at first, but as we approached home he felt a little drunk in the canter. Finally we stood in the front field for a minute while my friend galloped her horse a little. When I asked Bast to move off, he was suddenly a bit lame on the right hind. We immediately headed home, and I started checking him out. He's grown into such a handsome kid. I found zero issues with the leg itself, and wondered if he'd stepped on a rock where his abscess had been pared away. Worried, I ran to the store for some wrapping supplies (and Swat, to help keep flies off Pig's leg wound). By the time I got back, he was dead lame. From the way he was walking on the toe of the foot, it was obviously an abscess again. I wrapped him up, and sent him off much happier. The next day, he looked much better. Saturday morning we found this:  While much smaller than Pig's OG Bat Cave, it's still a significant blow out. I take back some of what I said about this little horse being a huge wuss about pain. From what I figure, standing in the creek for close to 10 minutes total seems to have swelled the foot enough to bring the infection out. It was really scary to have him come back from that trail lame, but I'm glad things seem to be resolved for now. (Please cross your fingers.) If the youngster is feeling better at the walk and trot today, I'm looking forward to scheduling out some lessons. We've been doing really well on our own through the quarantine. With things lifting a bit out here, I'm excited to start pushing the envelope of our training (and send some money my trainer's way). I could really handle a bit more focus on training and a bit less vet visit excitement in my life! More of this please!... [Read more]

I wish I could say I haven't blogged a lot recently because I've been so busy riding. But ... actually I've just been overwhelmed by work and both boys have been depressing the hell out of me. Sorry, y'all. Who me? Why the depression though? Well. Mostly because both of my horses have been doing their best to be as lame as possible. Ugh. As we remember, Pig had an abscess from hell that lasted almost six weeks before exploding out through a 3 inch rip in the back of his heel. That finally resulted in him coming sound after a few days. Unfortunately, that has not been the end of his spring ailments. I should have seen this coming. After all, the old man has been notorious over his life for being accident prone. First he came up with an unexplained fat hind leg. I figured it was an the spring fungus starting up, and broke out the aloedine. Frequent scrubs with that and sprays of anti-fungal stuff has managed to get the leg back to normal. Thankfully he was never lame on it, and still ended up getting his regular walks in. Unlike his brother... What's up with Bast? First was the day I showed up and he was so lame it looked like he'd broken his hip. I tried to stay cool, but the horse didn't have a single scratch on him. The only weird thing we could find was a slight swelling in his groin. Meanwhile, he was trotting like this:  And like this:  So that was exciting... We were all at a loss. He had no heat in the foot or the leg, and only a slight swelling on the back. Concerned with how absurdly painful he seemed to be, I called the vet out. For several minutes, the vet was sure it was cellulitis of the sheath. Then he decided to test the foot, just in case. And lo and behold ... an abscess appeared. A tiny one, easily pared out. Compared to his brother's foot hole, poor Bast barely had an infection in there.  It's hilarious to me that Bast was so ridiculously dramatic, while his brother with an infection 1000x worse was galloping around just fine. Even so, my giggles only lasted a few days... Why? Because Bast was only sound for a few more days before his foot started causing more problems. All week he was down with a sore toe. He never exhibited the same devastating lameness as before, but I kept him wrapped with animalintex nonetheless. By Wednesday, he was apparently over the treatment. After kicking himself free of the crossties (and my barn manager), he fled without getting his foot wrapped up again. My manager saw some drainage from the cut hole while she was holding on to my flailing idiot child, so I was slightly heartened (and completely embarassed). Sure enough, Thursday morning he was looking sound and sassy on the lunge. So, Saturday I was looking forward to hopping on and taking him for a long walk to loosen up. As I tacked up, my phone rang. It was Pig's lease rider, asking me to come down to take a look at him with her. What now? JFC. Not the hock. Turns out he'd just been nailed in the lower part of his hind left hock, and it was hugely swollen and angry. A preliminary investigation showed a very shallow cut that didn't really break the skin. The location of the trauma is concerning, but so far things seem okay. He actually spent most of Saturday resting the other hind leg. By this afternoon the leg was still swollen and hot, but he was moving well on it. Only a lingering stiffness was slowing him down. I'm keeping him on bute through Monday, but things are looking good. Still, he's not out of the woods as far as cellulitis goes. Needless to say, we'll be keeping a close eye on the old man for the next few days. Captain struggle bus himself. At least he's cute. Luckily, I left the farm today with one sound horse (knock on all the wood). Bast and I finished a lovely 5 mile loop on the trails. It was lovely to feel him trot and canter happily down the trails, without a hint of his sore back foot. Anyone else out there been struggling with abscesses? Pretty much everyone seems to have had one at this point. I'm hoping you all are having better luck!... [Read more]

While I was reflecting on Bast's eight year old birthday, I wondered what kinds of changes he's made in his gaits. His training has had so many ups and downs over the years, I found it hard to really internalize how far we've come. As I dug into the media, it turns out we've definitely made some wild changes for the better! The Walk: Recently off the track 2017 walk on top. Retraining progress in 2020/2019 (1st level) on bottom. Changes in the walk are always hard to see, especially in photos. Plus, I don't have a lot of photos to compare similar moments in the walk. However, there's a significant improvement in softness in the topline while walking, and acceptance of contact. What you can't see, but I can feel? A bigger step, more swing in the back, and a better rhythm. All huge pluses. The Trot: Recently off the track 2017 trot on top. Retraining progress in 2020 (1st level) on bottom. Ah, the trot. One of the easier gaits to see transformations, I think. What's really standing out to me here? Uphill balance. You see it in the recent photos, you don't see it in the older ones. One big development recently has been unlocking Bast's shoulders, and teaching him he can lift and reach through them. That's really important in developing consistency in connection, and his comfort reaching from behind. As a short coupled horse, he struggles with having enough room under his body for his hind end reach. Lifting the shoulder gives him room to collect without stepping on himself. The Canter: Recently off the track 2017 canter on top. Retraining progress in 2020 (1st level) on bottom. Bast's canter has taken for actual ever to improve. Part of that was me getting better at riding the mechanic (thanks Megan for talking me through this 1000x, and also my trainer at home for continuing to beat me over the head with it). Part of it was also Bast finding relaxation in his developing balance, and building trust that I could be there to support him. Who knew being more effective at riding translated to better riding. ;) The canter still has a long way to go. I can feel he has a lot more uphill balance to develop, and a lot more jump to continue to build into the gait. I'm hoping unlocking this will allow changes and lateral work at the canter to come more easily to us both. Fingers crossed! Anyone out there using this quieter time to look back at how far you and your horse have come? Let's see more transition posts! Feel free to link them in comments so we can all see and cheer each other's progress. I'm working on a second version of this post that includes gifs of all gaits, so you can see how much his movement has changed. Is there anything else you'd be interested in seeing?... [Read more]

Oh HELLO. Thank you for clicking on my post. I see you are interested in hearing more about Guinness' abscess, either that or you're into satanism. Honestly, could be some crossover here. Don't worry I will not disappoint. You see, Pig's abscess finally burst on Saturday. The vet had thought it would go earlier, but I'd been hesitant. So when it finally went, I wasn't sure what we'd find. Ready to pop. It was a doozy. Yeah, that's the burst point. Yeah. It's insane. The infection had finally popped from the heel, but in such a way that it peeled back nearly 3 inches of skin and hoof at the tender bulb. Noxious liquid was seeping from the ripped seam, and he had raw skin underneath. The rest of the hoof was covered in brown, horrid smelling goo. I ended up having to wash his whole foot with Aloedine to make any headway. (Shout out to all the chestnut thoroughbred owners like me who have a lifetime supply of Aloedine squirreled away somewhere in their tack drawers.) Horrifying full wrap on the left. Angry wet foot on the right. Things were clearly still in the draining stage, from both the heel and the bottom of the foot we'd opened previously. The bottom had large chunks of foul smelling gray tissue coming out, while the heel was mostly just liquid. Monday's foot update. While it looks better, I'm concerned by the amount of residual drainage and the continued soreness Pig is exhibiting on the heel. We took him off bute Monday, and today his lameness was no worse. That is heartening. Still, the vet wants continued updates through the week. It's always possible we're dealing with bone involvement or something more scary. With luck it will finish draining soon, and he'll come back to full soundness as the heel rip knits back together. That bottom hole is so gross... Keep your fingers crossed for the old idiot, who is currently running around like a psycho with the hormonal mare in the field. Between the two of them, it's a miracle my barn manager hasn't just opened the gate and released that field to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Obviously he's feeling better, I just hope he'll hold his sanity together during his regular re-wrapping sessions without needing twitched. This horse, y'all. He's 22 going on 3, forever.... [Read more]

Such childishness. Still, I guess he is growing up! It's been so fun to think back on the changes this horse has gone through since his five year old year. That race horse to sport horse transition is really amazing. Racehorse or sporthorse? Why not both! Age aside, he's such a goofy baby horse in many ways. I think he'll be the type that never truly "grows up". Honestly, that's fine with me! I'm looking forward to see what the eight year old year holds for him. Happy birthday little man!... [Read more]

This poor horse. It's back. This damned abscess just will not quit. And now, it's worse than before. That heel is real sensitive... He's putting no weight on the heel at all. For a couple of days now. I'm very concerned about the state of the rest of his leg, which is looking worse for wear. It will not pop, and is not in the hoof, but the flesh of the heel. Wish us luck ...... [Read more]