Switching things up

I had intended on riding, or at least doing something with the pony on Saturday.  He got to go out to the pasture in the late morning instead of the late afternoon.  It was supposed to rain that evening and we had plans anyways.  So, when he came back in, I was busy scrubbing buckets and other stuff. By the time I finished I was tired and a little sore, and the pony was standing in his stall doorway mostly asleep. I forget that the early afternoon is his nap time. Because grazing for four hours is such hard work. I nixed that idea in favor of my own nap in the cool house.

Old photo. I interrupted naptime.

Now it's getting hot again.  Pregnancy + heat makes for a cranky me, but I am determined.  Today, I plan on working him in-hand in the paddock for a little bit before turning him out to the pasture. I suspect he will not be happy about this as it will disrupt his routine, especially since this routine involves food.  But I also feel like mixing things up would be good for him. I won't be riding since D won't be home until later in the evening. Maybe once he comes home and Max has had his grain, I will pop up. 

Crazy Life

I feel like things are just crazy right now.  I looked ahead on my calendar and there's something going on every weekend through the beginning of October. And I imagine more will be scheduled. This is hard for someone with hermit like tendencies.

We are also trying to redo the main bathroom, having a new fridge delivered, clean, prep for winter, etc etc etc. We are also trying to set up the baby's room, which meant some crazy rearranging of things in the office to try and fit the treadmill. 

Also, our dog is currently missing.  Husband let him out of the invisible fence last night and went back into the woods to weed wack. Poof...dog gone and hasn't come back yet.

There's a crazy highway detour that is going right past our road. Traffic was backed up for miles due to a wreck on the detour and I couldn't get to work. Then I almost got t-boned on campus because of some idiot who tried to run the a very red light and ended up stopping half in my lane. 

Between everything and the hormones, I almost broke down leaving home this morning when Max called out a couple of times to go out to pasture.

I love coming home to this.....

And this....

But it's really hard to leave....

Why Haven't I Been Riding?

Why haven't I been riding?

Because I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

It seems that everyone is pregnant right now. I even have a new nephew as of two days ago.

Anyways, I've been struggling.  I pretty much gave up (temporarily) of riding back in May.  I was trying out a new-to-me saddle (see my post about it here), walked around for a few minutes, got really nauseous and had to get off.  Every time I would even think about riding, or even that saddle, the nausea would kick in hard.  Then that went away and the extreme exhaustion set in.  I would come home from work, sleep for 3 hours, feed the animals, myself, then pass out for the night. That's still going on, but not as much, thankfully.

Now I'm trying to work my mind back into the idea of riding while I still can.  The bugs are bad,terrible, horrendous, the sun irritates me to no end and the pony is just so happy to see me when I get home. It's a little hard to get motivated to do much.

I need this sign for our property. I was inhaling them the other day when trying to collect some water samples from our creek.

I'm also trying to not feel guilty for letting the pony be.  He should be ridden, and definitely could use some respect refreshers, but for now he behaves in a way that is acceptable (and safe) to me. 

The Jumper

So, what does Max do when he misses out on pasture time due to storms, and it's time for grain?  He decides to jump the mud puddle.

The mud puddle that is in the doorway to his stall.

Multiple times.

Seriously. I watched this pony jump that thing several times. Mostly going out of his stall while I was getting his grain. But he also jump into his stall a couple of times. They were nice little jumps (not hops) and he managed to stop before hitting the door on the opposite side.

Old photo.

He also threw in some little bucks while I was walking down to the barn.  He was not pleased with missing pasture time. Impatient pony is impatient.

He ceases to amuse me. And for that, he is worth his weight in gold.

Contest

Olivia at Do It Yourself Horse Ownership is doing a giveaway for reaching 200 posts.  The prize is a $20 Riding Warehouse gift card.

Congrats to 200 posts!

Heart to Horse Box: June and July

My new computer finally came so now I can start posting more. I'm a bit behind on my Heart to Horse boxes.  This will be a quick post to summarize the June and July boxes.  The August one should be here in a week or two.

June:

The June box mostly focused on bathing. 
-3 piece grooming kit
-Kensington bath tote:  It's mesh and would allow bathing tools to dry out or dirt to fall through
-Mane 'n Tail and Body 12oz shampoo
-Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine 4oz
-Haylage Slow Feed Hay Net: I'm not sure if this is the same one I got, but it's very similar. 
-Noble Outfitters Wound Care+:  I received a 2oz bottle for small and large animals.


July:

When I opened this box, the first thing I saw was BLING on the hat. I love sparkly stuff and was ridiculously excited to see the sparkles. It's the simple things people....
-Bling Horse Hat:  I got black, but now I see they have a teal! 
-Magnetic Curry Mit
-Fold-Up Bucket with Cover: Handy for camping/trailering
-Apple A Day Electrolyte (1lb): Not sure I can really use this
-Celebration Spot On Insect Control (6 weeks):  I'm torn. The bugs are bad and Max might benefit from this, but lets face it. It's poison. I'll use this kind of thing on my cats and dog if there's a flea infestation, but I don't know if I can justify it on Max when the bugs are transient. However, there was at least one confirmed case of West Nile in the county to our south, so it might be worth it if it can actually help with mosquitoes.

WW: Dinner Time

First, the photo from this post that didn't go through.  Dumb phone/app.

Dinner Time!  The only thing that makes him trot on his own.

Note Cards

I just purchased a set of beautiful haflinger note cards from Emilie at A Blonde, Brunette, and a Redhead. She's holding a contest to raise money for a trip to gather her winter things before she needs them.  For every purchase and social media share, you get a chance to win a custom piece of artwork. Check out her post here...

A Blonde, Brunette, and a Redhead - Contest Time

I Rode My Horse!

After finishing up barn chores Saturday morning I had a few extra minutes before we had to leave. So I popped up on Max bareback and wandered around the paddock.  You can see where I divided it so cinderella could have her own paddock. And how overgrown it's become since they've both been spending so much time in stalls with the fans. this short ride was a good reminder for him that yes, I do expect him to be ridden.

On another note, my computer should be here tomorrow so I can do some proper posts. I hate posting through my phone.

Self Loading Pony

At dinner time Max goes from pasture to his stall all on his own. Despite all the grass and hay between the two.  Trust a haflinger to follow his stomach to his bit of grain.

Cinderella follows behind mostly because she doesn't want to be alone. 

I Rode A Horse!

Well, my computer finally bit the dust over the weekend. We put up a valiant fight, but it was simply a no go. Now I'm looking for a new one but hate computer shopping. Hate Hate Hate!!!

Anyways, I managed to ride a horse last Thursday and it was interesting.  I haven't ridden since May.  It wasn't Max, but a horse at my old barn where there's a nice small arena to work in. The horse was also a Haflinger and being a complete ass. He has a habit of trying to rub his riders off on the fence. In addition to this, he insisted on taking off towards the gate when heading that way, and just generally ignoring what ever it is you were asking. Trotting a straight line?  Did not happen. Trotting around a corner....nope.  Trotting in general was a joke. But it was good to get back up on a horse again. I only rode for 25 minutes or so, but I was feeling it in my legs the next day. 

Not the golden ears I was riding, but similar. These are better though.