Don’t say anything at all.
Unfortunately, that leads to a pretty blank blog. I always appreciate the honesty in other people’s blogs: Megan at A Enter Spooking has never been shy about sharing the issues she has with her young horse, Emma at Fraidy Cat Eventing has an amazing sense of humor about horsey fails*, and Nicole Sharpe at Zen and the Art of Baby Horse Management totally highlights her horse’s quirk. As a result, I think it is only fair to lay it all out there.
*I am still on the Isabel era because I read all new (to me) blogs from the very beginning. Does anyone else do this?
From the beginning, I knew 2017 would be a bit of a throw-away year. I started the year in a new state, at a new barn, with a new job, a pay cut, and a wedding to plan in the middle of the summer. (We are officially less than 3 weeks out from that one!) However, I did have some goals. I wanted to improve my riding, I wanted to get confident over Novice sized fences, at least in the arena, and I wanted to get May solidly to a 1st level understanding of Dressage with some schooling of 2nd level stuff. It is August and none of these things have been accomplished. In fact, I haven’t had a lesson in a month, and I haven’t had a jumping saddle in more than 3 months.
All year, we have had 2 jumping lessons and a series of repetitive Dressage lessons. The repetition of the Dressage is not my trainer’s fault. The skills we are working on (strength and flexibility) take time to develop, and when you have a lesson every week, there isn’t enough time in between lessons to develop enough that we can go on to new skills.
So what has happened this year…
- The end of March marked our first lesson since the previous December. It was a Dressage lesson, which I was quickly able to follow with a Jump lesson, which was not eventful enough for a post.
- We had a jump lesson where we actually really jumped things.
- Then… May ripped off her shoe for the 3rd time, and I decided it would be best to let her feet go barefoot.
- As a result of the transitioning to barefoot, I thought it would be a great time to have the fit on my questionable saddle checked. As you all know, it didn’t fit… at all… and was probably contributing to May’s crow hopping after fences.
- Either way, we had our Dressage goals, and we made some serious progress on those in May!
- Then… June… and May’s eye decided to blow up the Thursday before I had to travel to Kansas for a wedding party. It took about 2 weeks to resolve, but I was able to keep riding through it.
- July got hot… very hot… really too hot for May with 95 degree days with serious humidity. Rides were reduced to quiet walks. I wasn’t upset when my trainer and I had to cancel a couple of lessons due to scheduling conflicts.
- Then August. August has officially broken my heart. I found the saddle of my dreams for May and I, and it is more than $1,000 past the budge I had set if I ALSO sold my Dressage saddle, which is not something I really want to do. The lead time on getting the saddle ordered is 10 weeks (a custom Stubben), which would put me at the end of October… and the end of the season. With the wedding and wanting to (hopefully) buy a house this year, spending so much on a saddle feels completely ludicrous, but I have yet to find another viable option.
- August has a part 2. May came in last week with a swollen back leg. No heat. No lameness. No idea… I cold hosed it, put a BOT wrap on for a while, came back the next day to ice it again… and there was no swelling anymore. Iced it anyway and gave her another day off before giving her a light ride on Sunday. No big deal.
- Then August part 3 came up, I showed up on Tuesday this week… and a front leg was swollen. No heat… no lameness, but I pretty good cut on her fetlock where it seemed she had kicked herself (or something) really good. Cold hosed… BOT… an anti-inflammatory for good measure
- Plan was to go up last night and check on it, but a migraine so bad it left me sick meant I couldn’t physically drive myself to the barn. Tonight we’re supposed to have our first Dressage lesson in over a month… but we will see.
WHOOHOO I am so glad you are back (but so sad you are having so many issues, poor you). I hope May bounces back and stays injury free, I hope your wedding goes swimmingly and I hope you figure out the saddle thing (I AM STILL LOOKING TOO and in order to buy a nicer saddle need to at least sell my dressage one and possibly my Zaldi and then I am like wtf do i do without a saddle then?? HA. Just the details 🙂
PS still think May is one of the cutest mares ever and yes I DO go back and start at the beginning of blogs when I have time to play catch up!! I too love the Isabel era 😉
Remember to breathe!!!!
Thanks for the support! I hate complaining, but sometimes you just gotta vent!
I agree with Emma! It’s a tough sport, and ponies definitely work hard at keeping us in our toes. I’m bummed that 2017 hasn’t been panning out the way you hoped, but here’s to things looking up, and ponies and saddles cooperating in the future.
Thanks! I’ll take all the positive thoughts I can get. 🙂
It really sucks to have month after month of not reaching your goals. I really feel you on the things being expensive part.
Aren’t horses just the best with their incredibly ingenious ways to get hurt on absolutely nothing? Gotta love them…
I totally do the beginning to current when I have time. I’m suddenly following so many that I can’t keep up on that though… lol.
Are you buying another horse? Or a house?
Hahaha horses are so humbling!
And I totally meant house not horse! (Although I do enjoy window shopping) Fixed it. 🙂
I figured you meant house cause I couldn’t see you leaving May for another horse and two seems like a lot with your schedule.
I feel you in the house thing. Unfortunately, I’m in southern ca. Not going to be able to buy a house anytime soon. Downpayments here are ridiculous. I hope it’s better in KY for you.
Glad you’re back! Hate that it’s not been the year you wanted, but there will be time for that. In the meantime, pre-congrats on your wedding and good luck house shopping! At least house shopping isn’t as annoying and stressful as saddle shopping, which is a super weird statement but completely true.
Thanks!!! I’ll look forward to house shopping then! ?
Life happens. Adulting is hard and sucks. BUT WEDDING is exciting!
Is it bad that I’m like, at least the wedding will give me new media? ?
good to hear an update again, but sorry that it wasn’t to be able to share all the things you wished you could right now! i hate that feeling of being a little ‘held back’ by all those small uncontrollable details. bleh. money, time weather.. plus random horse injuries?? bleh 🙁 May looks fantastic in those pictures and video tho, here’s hoping she’ll be just as eager to get back to it when all the dust settles! (and my fingers are crossed that a viable saddle option presents itself sooner rather than later).
also – yes i totally have gone back and read entire blogs from the beginning (and sometimes from their predecessor lol)!! for a long time i was so hungry to read as much as i could find, and there seemed to be so few blogging options that i would just gobble up whatever i could find. seems like these days tho, more and more folks are adding their voice to the mix and there are so many more now to keep up with – i love it!
Thanks for all the good thoughts! Glad you’re not creeped out by the fact that I am binge-reading your blog! hahaha
Gah, what a rough few months!! But it still sounds like you have all your priorities in the right place, May looks awesome and WEDDDDDDDINNNNGG!!! Hopefully it’s the first of many, many good things the 2nd half of the year.
9 days!!! Then getting back into a real routine again. It’ll feel so nice. ☺️
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