Today’s photoshoot is of a young lady, Austin, and her sweet Appendix gelding, Flash. They’ve been together for some years now, and I am told their satin collection is one that any of us could admire- over 800 ribbons! I think it’s safe to say these guys have lots of success and good times ahead for them, and I loved getting to spend this beautiful fall day getting to know them.
Have a great weekend all, and happy Halloween!
This morning Foster had his third IRAP injection, luckily the vet said that because his leg is looking better than ever, we can opt to skip the last IRAP injection and instead save the last few vials for a later time. As much as I love my vet, I think Foster and I both will be glad to miss her for a while- poor homeboy has started getting a bit wide-eyed when she pats his neck, knowing that the pointy objects are coming.
So for now we continue on the arduous process of building back up the work, getting coordination and fitness back slowly until his weak and wobbly body can once again be the powerhouse it was.
Thus, our schedule looks like this:
So you can see, getting back to full work, which I’m defining as our leave-off point of 2nd/3rd level dressage and 3’3″ fences, is a long way away.
A long way away.
These posts are going to get boring really fast if all I do is tell you about our walks, but still it feels worth mentioning that my horse was able to be ridden without chemical assistance his third time out! I’m not sure if that will continue to be the case, but it feels pretty good nonetheless.
Someone got a bath for the first time in 2 months!
At Foster’s last vet appointment for IRAP injection number 2, we took him for a spin down the barn aisle and homeboy is sound- even though this was expected it’s so nice to see visual confirmation that going through all this was the right choice. He’s gotten permission for his outside turnout space (currently the size of a stall) to be slowly enlarged as well. Slowly, slowly we are edging back towards normalcy.
Trying to steal my juice
Otherwise life in the house on the hill has been a bit busy, and we are this close to wrapping up our major house project! I have been dying to share with you the results- hopefully next week! I’ve been trying to squeeze in as many photoshoots as possible while the weather is nice, and between that and work being a little crazy, well, if something is going to suffer it’s likely to be the blog!
Hopefully more exciting content coming, but for now, happy Tuesday!
Ashley is a bright and beautiful senior getting ready to take on the world. After getting to watch her ride her beautiful Dutch Warmblood mare, Sarita, I got to know her and her mother a little better, and was enchanted when they asked me to photograph the pair for Ashley’s senior photos. We had so much fun on our photoshoot and literally took pictures until the light was gone!
Happy Friday all, and have a great weekend!
Tuesday night I hopped on my horse almost 9 weeks after his surgery. It was definitely a moment I’ve been looking forward to, but I won’t lie, I was a bit nervous that something would go wrong.
I tacked him up and even though he was on a little Ace, he had his usual sparkle in his eye and tried to grab the cross ties with his lips as I groomed and saddled him. He did his usual “stop grooming me and love on my face” spiel that I love so much, and was a complete gentleman as I walked him down the aisle.
This sight, pudginess and all, warms my heart
Just in case, I closed both gates to the indoor arena and did a couple laps around the arena on foot to be sure the novel experience of wearing a saddle again wasn’t going to provoke any undue excitement. News flash- it didn’t.
Feeling a bit silly, I hopped on, amazed at how much mane was in my hands (add mane-pullling to the to do list) as I swung up into the saddle. We circled around the arena, not following any kind of real pattern and I resisted the urge to put him together. It was surprising to me that he felt a little wobbly, even though I was prepared for his balance to be slightly altered from his time in stall rest. So we ambled around like a pair of elderly drunkards for our prescribed 5 minutes while Foster stretched deep down, obviously enjoying being back in the game.
After our ride, I’ve been reflecting on how quickly this recovery process is going by, but also realizing just how far we have yet to go. We are allowed to add 5 minutes of walking to our schedule each week for the next month- and though slightly limited as it might be, I’m going to try to enjoy every second of it.
As reported last week, I flew up to the land north of the Mason-Dixon line to visit with friends and watch the 2** and 3*** event at Fair Hill.
Reunited and it feels so good! PC: @jprettyman_
We started off the weekend with a bang, or rather a shot, before boarding the plane, and then upon arrival, grabbing dinner at a nearby pub. While there we caught up with Flynn‘s breeder, Beth Davidson. Beth also happens to be owner to one Forrest Nymph, aka Farrah, aka Super Pony, and we were regaled with lots of stories of how Farrah became an eventer (she was originally bred to be a dressage pony!) and discussed the many positive aspects of the Connemara breed at length.
The morning of cross country our trio set up by the last 2** water and drank mimosas, finally cracking open the giant bottle of champagne that Ali and I won at the Stoneybrooke Steeplechase (thanks to our combination of Martha Stewart party planning skills and the fact that I own a strange large white horse sculpture). We chatted with Beth until the super pony was ready to run, and she went to hide in her car with the windows rolled up until it was over. One of the best things about seeing these events first hand is getting to witness the love of these horses, from rousing “good boy!”s to hearty pats of appreciation, and that love certainly doesn’t run thin in the owner’s box.
It just goes to show that it takes a village!
When our cooler was a bit lighter we moved camp to another water complex and grabbed lunch. It was around this time that I ran into a couple of faces (one and two) from my own past. I sketched them both a quick update on Foster and heard their winter plans before they ran off again into the madness of the event. Seeing them, and of course being surrounded by all the excitement of cross country, made my fingers itch to take the reins. Soon though, soon!
Moving camp! PC: @jprettyman_
A little more wandering around cross country led us to the coffin complex where I got to meet a couple fellow bloggers! Allison and Emma are just as sweet in person as you would expect, and I loved getting a quick update on their plans with Dino and Isabel. Once again it makes me thankful to be a part of this community to be able to meet new people from all around the country. Perhaps next year I’ll be seeing them again, or ladies, consider a trip down to the Carolina International!
Meeting these lovely ladies was a highlight of the trip!
Eventually we watched Boyd ride the last horse across the country and packed up camp. Show jumping started early enough the next morning and we decided to watch the 2** finish before taking a break and catching the end of the 3** later in the day.
Obviously this was kind of a theme for the day
It’s amazing how much the atmosphere can change from cross country day to showjumping. On cross country day, life’s a big party, and teamwork and raucous hooting and hollering as each rider completes another obstacle can be heard throughout the competition. But when showjumping comes around, you can feel a bit of tension in the air. An entire crowd holds their breath as one entity and then explodes in applause for clear rounds, and claps politely in support of those who may have not been so lucky.
Like I said, XC day is a big party | PC: @jprettyman_
It was a wonderful perspective in seeing riders implement things I have been told in lessons, and how obvious it was when they made adjustments based on their intimate knowledge of the horse. Watching competitors at this level is definitely a study in power, straightness, and balance- all the things that even at the lower levels is needed to be successful!
After seeing Will Coleman win the 2** we went to get a local’s tour of the barns in the area. We drove past Phillip Dutton’s gorgeous farm and oggled Boyd Martin’s candyland of a cross country course before popping over to Jimmie and Dom Schramm’s property. J is going to be a working student for them this winter in Florida (so, so excited for her and can’t wait to live vicariously through her experience!) and wanted to introduce us to the Evention couple! We gave Bellamy and Vegemite a pat before getting back in the car and having an oh crap moment.
Turns out while we were gallivanting across the countryside, referring to Eventing Nation’s website for the 3*** start time, in reality the showjumping was almost over.
While we missed the big finale, I wouldn’t change anything about the weekend for the world. Nothing is better than friends and horses and my first Fair Hill experience definitely qualified as a helluva good time!
PS: If you’re wondering where the photos of horses are, in lieu of ridiculous human pics, they are coming! 😉
A friend of mine, after retiring her young OTTB gelding unexpectedly, got herself the most adorable young Connemara X TB gelding. When we first met we bonded over German Shepherds and Connemara crosses, and so I always felt like she was living the dream with her acquisition of Flynn.
Well recently, in a strange turn of events, her OTTB has just as unexpectedly come out of retirement. So baby Flynn needs a new job and a new home, and thus we scheduled a conformation photoshoot with a few fun pics of the pair of them in the mix.
If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested in what is an incredible eventing or hunter prospect, check out Flynn’s video and leave a comment. I’ll hook you up with how to get more information.
I’m packing up my gear and heading on another adventure this weekend- but this time.. with ponies!
While I’m not looking forward to the comparably frigid temps in Maryland compared to the mid 70s we’ve been blessed with here in Carolina this week, I am looking forward to several things:
Anybody from blogger land going to the horse trials? Leave a comment if so and let’s meet up! I’ll be the one toodling around with an adult beverage in one hand and a camera in the other.
I hope I’m not speaking too soon (side note to universe: please, cut me a break on this one?). But being officially 2/3 of the way through our recovery from surgery feels pretty darn good, and both Foster and I are relieved that it comes with the perks of getting to stay outside for prolonged amounts of time and I get to swing up into that saddle pretty soon.
So I can’t help but start thinking about what’s next. All of our goals this year were obviously trashed, since between the ulcers in the spring and the surgery in the fall, we really only had about 2 months of being in full work. So, time to reassess and set different goals for next year.
Because this makes me happy, I will reuse it for eternity
While in January of this year we did a combined test clinic at Training level, for 2016 I am thinking of debuting him at Beginner Novice. I have a few reasons for pushing him back a level.
Beginner Novice Flashbacks, The Fork, Nov 2012, PC: High Time Photos
First, we got to cross country school once in all of 2015. And it wasn’t that stellar of a schooling. Hindsight being 20/20, that’s probably because he was both sore and a little ouchy thanks to those negative angles and of course the bum fetlock. So taking it easy to regain confidence over solid obstacles seems like the way to go.
Secondly, I don’t know how his fetlock is going to handle jumping. I’ve already heard an array of medical opinions on this, ranging from him topping out at Novice all the way to saying that full Training Horse Trials and Prelim CT’s are in his future. As none of these come with a guarantee, I’m just going to let Foster tell me. But since the assumption is that it will continue to improve (to a certain degree) with time, it seems best to start small. And personally, I’d rather find out he’s uncomfortable facing a BN or N fence, and not learn the hard way facing some meter tall, meter wide behemoth on cross country.
More BN memories, CHP, Oct 2012, PC: High Time Photos
And lastly… if this winter is anything like last winter (second side note to universe: please, please don’t be like last winter), then riding is going to be somewhat limited depending on whether I can actually drive to the barn safely. Less riding = less fitness. And knowing how much work it will take to get back to full work after all the muscle atrophy of stall rest.. well let’s just say I’m not expecting us to pop out this spring looking like this:
Or, ya know, the female equivalent of this.
So, thus the plan. We’ll see how Beginner Novice goes, if he’s comfortable, bring him back to Novice, and then if all the stars align, maybe next fall we’ll finally get that Training horse trials crossed off the list.
And if it doesn’t go well, then I guess we’ll just commit to dressage world domination.
Here’s to 2016.
Last week I visited the glorious land of California for a creative professional conference, and while I thought traveling alone would lead to some much needed gym time and blog post writing, it ended up that I pretended I was way cooler than I actually am and spent that time out on the town.
At Adobe MAX!
So, sorry for the radio silence. I do want to share some of my LA experiences, but that’s for another post!
For now, I want to share a certain spotted pony update.
Foster received his first of 3-4 IRAP injections on Friday. IRAP is a process that includes taking blood from the horse, and using a centrifuge, spinning it down to plasma that is rich with a protein suited to reducing inflammation common to degenerative joint disease, and then re-injecting that plasma back into the affected joint.
In order to avoid the drama that came with our HA injection, Foster was thoroughly knocked out for the procedure. Homeboy was pretty much zombified, and I’m not sure that he even felt his legs, much less the actual injection. So while he came to, the vet and I chatted about a recovery plan.
Before our appointment I had been allowed to build him up to 15 minutes of hand walking, followed by icing and as much grazing as possible. Unfortunately with my sudden trip, I only got him up to 10 minutes, and so worried about setting him back in his plan.
Luckily that appears not to be the case. Assuming the ground will dry out a bit, I am pleased to report that in the next couple days Foster will start a limited turnout routine(!). His mini-paddock will only be about the size of two stalls combined, but at least he will be outside with grass and a bit more space to move around. And then shortly after, I get to climb aboard for tack-walking, starting at 5 minutes and building.
Even though this situation will likely last another month, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to feel like the end is in sight. The last two months (yes two months- can you believe it) have just flown by, but nonetheless I know Foster and I will both be relieved to start returning to normalcy and activity soon!
Red on the Right 