Baby, it's cold out there!

We are in a cold snap now.  It was -5 F this morning.  Weird weather because the forecast says it's going to be high of 42 F tomorrow. 


The mini's are fuzzy and warm.  They have no concerns about the low temp.  Jerry often has snow and ice all over him; he rarely goes inside.  Rosie goes inside for a while, but then has to come back out shortly after to check on her world--she is a nosey little thing.  Babe didn't grow much of a winter coat this year.  I keep her blanketed.  I noticed her mid-weight blanket may not be warm enough when it gets this cold, and also her turnout sheet with no fill might not be adequate when the temps are at the in-between state where it's too warm for her mid weight blanket.  So, I solved this problem by ordering her a 100 gm blanket liner.  I ordered this one:


https://www.amazon.com/Horseware-Rambo-Optimo-Liner-100g-x/dp/B004BPZ1D6/ref=sr_1_6/133-4120860-5981545?ie=UTF8&qid=1542993828&sr=8-6&keywords=rambo+blanket+liner


I can add this to her sheet and also add it to her mid weight blanket as needed.  I'll let you know how I like it.  I used a Schneider's blanket liner one time and I didn't like the fit.  It seemed to bind her in the chest.  It was also heavier than I wanted--180 gm.  Add that to a sheet and it isn't much lighter than a mid weight blanket.  Add it to the mid-weight and she would be too warm.   Adding only 100 gm of warmth makes more sense to me.


I'm still riding.  Had a great lesson the other evening.  I was having trouble getting Chocolate to canter to the right, his bad direction.  I thought it was because he just physically couldn't do it without struggling. He's an older guy and likely has old age arthritis and the like.  My instructor got on him to check things out.  They cantered both directions without a problem.  I watched closely for signs that he was half crippled to the right ... didn't happen.  She said that, yes, she could feel him moving better to the left, but it wasn't like it was overly difficult for him to go to the right.  He was likely sensing my reluctance and was playing that up some.  I got back on and cantered to the right, this time with purpose and determination.  He did it and felt much better than when I am all wishy-washy about riding his right direction canter.  Don't you hate it when you find out the problem is *YOU* and not the horse, lol??


To give my new friend Chocolate a little more TLC, I have offered to buy a joint supplement for him.  I ordered it online and it came quickly.  I'll take it over to the barn tomorrow.  People question why I'm doing this for a horse I don't even own.  The why:  I am the only one riding him now.  Without the supplement, he does just fine hanging out in his retirement.  Riding him puts extra stress on him.  My lessons and riding just barely cover the cost of a monthly joint supplement with a little extra for my instructor's work.  I don't mind footing the bill because it not only helps him and my instructor--supplements add up and Chocolate didn't need it before he started working again--but it also helps me because I should have a nicer moving horse to ride.  I like riding him.  And, I need him.  I feel such gratitude towards that horse.  Chocolate helps me out so much because he is a safe horse for me at a time when I desperately need a horse like that to make my return to riding successful.  And, it's even better because he is also a challenge because he isn't a push-button horse and needs encouragement and reminders about what I expect.  He makes me stretch.  Drifter may be an easier horse to ride, but I don't get the same benefits as I do from Chocolate.  I'm happy to do whatever I can for Chocolate and my instructor, who has allowed me to kind of make Chocolate my own riding horse.  It's a win-win-win situation. 


Rosie is bored.  She doesn't do well with idle time.  I spent some time with her yesterday just grooming her and fussing over her.  She had such a good time.  It doesn't take much to make her happy--she just wants attention and interaction with me.  With her pony-tude, she really needs some kind of work to tone that down and remind her she is not running the show.  Even just having her stand for grooming and picking out her feet reminds her of this.  I could see her eyes light up when she had something to do.  I bet some of our snow will melt with the warm weather we have coming and I'll ground drive her or at least lunge her.  She also loves going for walks with me.  I'll find something to do to make her eyes light up again.

Horsey happenings!

All is well here at the ranch.  Rosie is doing great.  The little nut helped me do chores today.  She is such a help--she pushes the sled I use for hay and bedding with her nose, she tests out new shavings by immediately rolling--she gave today's shavings her seal of approval.  We have snow and I'm not doing any more driving training with her.  We lunge occasionally and I may slip in some ground driving if I get ambitious, but for the most part Rosie is on vacation from her driving training until Spring.  Winter in NY doesn't usually give up until mid April or so.  We just received an early Thanksgiving gift of almost a foot of snow.  That was an eye opener.  I think everyone forgot what winter was like.  OK, I remember--now go away.  

Rosie's little nose is just begging to be kissed

Babe is ready for winter, sporting her Weatherbeeta high neck turnout blanket.  I joke that I will spend much more for a winter coat for my horse than I will for myself ... but, really, it's no joke--It's fact!  But as long as she is comfortable and happy, so am I.

Jerry doesn't need a coat because he has plenty of his own.  He is unbelievably hairy.  Hairy Jerry!

My riding lessons are going great.  I am also riding in between--once or twice depending on how much time I have.  The stable is almost an hour drive for me.  I wish it was closer.  Where I live EVERYTHING seems to be far away.  But when it comes right down to it, I'm glad I have this available to me at a time when it is just what I need.

I'm still riding Chocolate most of the time.  He's doing so well.  When I first started riding him, it was like riding a lumber wagon that stalled out all the time.  As I ride him more and more and we get used to each other, he has smoothed out considerably, is listening to me without gawking all over the place, and has become much more responsive to my aids.  It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment as well as partnership.

I owe a lot of my riding success to Chocolate.  Don't get me wrong--he is a challenge in that his gaits can be very rough, he's very much a push ride (although becoming less and less like that every ride),  and he can be slow and rather clunky feeling.  At the beginning, I would get to my lesson and think "Ugh, I have to ride Chocolate again."  He was a lot of work, he traveled so discombobulated, and I never felt like we were getting anywhere.  But, things have really come around for both of us just in the past few weeks.  It's like magic!  I'm gaining confidence and strength; he's gaining physical endurance and greater flexibility.  Both of us are growing.

Chocolate is an older horse--23, I think.  He is my riding instructor's personal horse that she has owned for 16-ish years, since she was a young child.  But, it's been a long time since he's been used like a regular horse.  From what I've learned, he's been used for some easy beginner lessons and that's about it for the last few years.  He had good training early on but he is very rusty now.

The great thing about Chocolate is that he has wonderful manners, a kind soul, and is one of the safest horses I've ever ridden as far as needing a horse that doesn't pull any crap.  I feel safe when I ride him.  He doesn't spook, he doesn't buck, jump around, or do any of the things that can shake a returning rider's confidence.  I feel like I owe that horse a lot.  And, the special treat is that as I work with him more and more, we are bonding, and I find he behaves like a horse that says "Let's do it!" ...  Not "Let's not." like he was when I started.  How has this happened?  Just being firm but gentle, consistent, kind, and loving him for the sweet horse that he is.  I think all horses respond to that.

Sometimes I can't even believe I'm riding almost like a "normal person."  I dismount and I feel fine ... next day I still feel fine.  It's almost unfathomable to me how this return to riding is going so far.  I see no reason that it won't continue.  My horsey life is so important to me.  I feel like things are starting to come together again--the mini's are wonderful--Jerry is perfect and Rosie is my golden-ray-of-sunshine pony, Babe is doing well in her retirement, and I'm riding again!!  Who could ask for anything more!!!