Blogging and COVID Horse Life Update Part One

Well shit guys, this isn't exactly something I expected I'd be writing about during my lifetime.

First, since I hadn't updated and then everything hit the fan I figured I'd briefly update everyone on my blogging plans. Basically, when I took a pause on blogging back in February I didn't know how long I would take off blogging and wanted to experiment with other methods of communicating with my horse social network. However, once I took the pressure to blog off my shoulders it became apparent pretty quickly how much that break was needed. In addition, while I get some comments and interaction through my blog, I get far more through Instagram and just really love that platform for communication vs. blog comments. It feels much more interactive and more of my friends follow me on Instagram than through my blog.

With that, I don't plan to completely stop blogging. There are certainly things, like this update, that are much more easily communicated in this format vs. on an instagram post. I also do love blogging and the longer format certainly makes journaling easier. I am currently planning to post if and when I have bigger updates, feel like writing about something, have time, and feel motivated to. Otherwise I'll continue to update Instagram because it's just so much less time consuming and easier media wise etc.

We did discover this cool water tower on
one of our walks around our new neighborhood.

On to the horse life with COVID stuff updates.

For anyone who doesn't know I live in the Minneapolis, MN metropolitan area and I work for a major healthcare (hospitals, clinics, elder care, etc.) organization in MN. With that, while I might not be on the front lines I do have an inside look at how COVID is impacting hospitals and healthcare workers. Also important to note, our "Stay at Home" order went into effect on March 27th at Midnight. This "Stay at Home" order is similar to many others that have been shared in that it encourages outside activities that comply with social distancing measures, shuts down "non-essential" businesses, and encourages individuals to only engage in essential activities while following social distancing measures.  My BF and I both are lucky enough to work in fields where we can work 100% from home. We're also ordering all of our groceries online. With that, we've done a handful of curbside pick ups for booze and other items but otherwise haven't left the house since March 9th when we were both moved to 100% wfh.

I had stopped going to the barn as of 3/19 because the person who rents the apartment above the barn had symptoms similar to those with COVID. As of March 25th at Midnight my barn closed with the communication that it would open when it was safe. Between then and now I've received one video of the stall mares running around and playing (where I could sort of see Katai) and have had a couple of text exchanges with the owner. With that, I haven't seen Katai now for four weeks as of Thursday, 4/16.

Old fashioned with the best bartender <3

In Minnesota most barns closed down when the Stay at Home order went into place on March 27th. However, in MN boarding barns as classified as "agricultural facilities" and are thus exempt from the stay at home order which makes them free to make their own decisions about how to handle social distancing measures. Many have since re-opened with measures such as scheduled barn slots for all boarders. I know of at least one barn that remained open but canceled all group lessons, clinics, schooling shows, and other gatherings and is maintaining social distancing rules including hand washing, cleaning items that are touched by multiple people, and encouraging things like masks and sanitizer use.

I also know of barns that closed completely that have still been incredibly accommodating during the barn closures. One of those barns even sent the owner, my friend, a video of them celebrating my friend's horse's birthday including party hats and a cupcake with a candle that the horse even "blew" out. It was adorable, and sweet, and caring. Other barns have not been so accommodating, including mine.

Long story short, I've been faced with an icky decision with way too much time to think and worry about it. Basically I needed to try to find a new barn now based on the care concerns I have or stick this out in place with my fingers crossed that Katai will be ok and move after things quiet down. Since I think most of us know that this could go on for a long time, unless *fingers crossed* we find a vaccine or treatment, I don't know what "after things quiet down" means. If that's a couple of months I would be able do that. If that's 18+ months I absolutely won't. Right now our peak is projected to be at the end of June because we are social distancing well that means a long curve. With that, I can't imagine that "safe" will be a thing until at least this fall or even early next year.

New Barn Decision

This decision has been tough all around. I’m going to miss the people that I board with now so much and over the past couple of weeks as they’ve been finding out that I’m moving it’s been really tough saying goodbyes. I’m sure I’m going to be an emotional wreck at the end of August when I actually move. I’m also going to miss the amazing care that the BM gives Katai and the incredible amenities.

Paddocks to the right, pasture straight out

It’s also been tough to choose between the other two barn options. I’ve even gone so far as to look at a few other barns to make sure that I’m making the best decision but those two barns that I previously listed are still the two clear winners. I was having a really tough time picking one, up until I recently went to that temporary barn because that barn is actually option 2 and is going to be my new barn.

Indoor, heated arena taken in one of the arena mirrors

I can’t quite describe how I felt when I was going on a barn tour with the owner except to say that I felt like I’d come home. It’s not something I’ve ever felt at any other barn but whether it’s the fact that it feels a little like the barn that we kept our horses in when I was growing up or if it’s something entirely unrelated it was an amazing feeling.

Main barn isle, additional stalls behind me and tack room is to my right and behind me

As mentioned previously at this barn I will be able to take weekly lessons from L’s instructor and will be boarding with only one other person who also takes regular weekly lessons and is riding at 3^rd level (just scored over 60% at her first ever show at 3^rd level!!). Although the owner has two other horses there that she owns and there is one horse that’s there temporarily for training. It’s heated and has a heated indoor arena with really nice footing. The arena is only heated when it’s busy or if it drops to colder temps but really all I care about is a heated area to groom, once I’m moving it’s easy to stay warm.

Wash stall to the left (with the front of a tractor) and isle to the bathroom to the right

The whole place has been a horse farm for a long time and you can tell, everything is just where you need it and it’s small enough that you don’t have to go on an adventure to find the things you might need. It’s small with lower ceilings and smaller isles but so is Katai so in some ways it almost feels more comfortable. It’s a really simple set up in an L shape with the stalls along both sides of the small part of the L and the indoor as the long part of the L.

Hallway to the bathroom and small add on in the barn

It’s the smallest barn that I’ve boarded at for quite some time, I think the last time that I had this few people that I boarded with was when Katai was at our first boarding barn together with the one aged gelding where she was just on grass. I’m excited about being at such a small barn that still has active riders and yet I don’t think I’ll be competing for arena space much. The fact that the other boarder shows (very successfully) with her little Arab mare just makes it even better.

Katai in her temporary stall

The only thing that I think I’ll really miss that the other barn had is all of the amazing outdoor spaces to ride. At this barn there is a dead end gravel road but it sounds like even that can be kind of busy. I do think, however, that I’m going to make saving up for a trailer a priority especially since I’ll be saving even more money than I thought I would be. Then I’ll be able to trailer to some of the local trail systems when I want to so that will negate the lack of outdoor space here.

At the end of the main hallway with the arena gate to the left and door out to the paddocks to the right

New Barn Brag

I ADORE my new barn. It is so wonderful here and just so much more friendly than the last barn. I didn’t even realize how cold and clinical that place felt until I moved out here. The other improvement that I’m most happy about is how everything at this new barn is set up how it should be for horse owners. Nice big strong clips on all the gates (rather than having to mess with a chain getting wrapped around the gate and then clipped), Convenient cross ties, handy muck buckets, saddle racks everywhere, and the ability to leave a little bit of a mess if your safety requires it.

 

Everyone has been so welcoming and it’s so nice having other dressage riders around!

 

Katai is in a semi private paddock with one other small Arabian mare. That mare is most definitely in charge but Katai is good in situations like that because she reads other horses well and is sensitive enough go get out of the way and not enrage boss mares (sounds like her owner). Apparently this Arabian mare has had some issues getting along with other horses in the past but she and Katai seem to be doing really well together. There is also some talk about moving her to a different stall. I’m both happy and slightly concerned about this since the new stall is much nicer, closer to the tack room, and has a lower front so Katai won’t have her head craned around to see out all the time. The negative is that it’s pretty much in the busiest part of the barn which means either Katai will thrive with that much going on, like a good tv show sometimes, or not. Basically as an owner it’s a nicer stall but not necessarily as a horse.

 

The footing has also been getting nicer and nicer. At first it was a little packed, opposite problem of the last barn which was always a little too deep, but now a little has been added and it’s been ridden in enough that it is getting way nicer. 

 

The ability to ride outside and around the property is also really nice. It reminds me of when I was growing up and we would go on adventures. Katai and I have gone out once but just for a short trail ride and it was so much fun! None of the craziness that was the busy biking/walking/running/rollerskating/baby crying/icecream stand trail that was the only place to ride outside at the last barn. Here I feel comfortable going out alone which is nice especially since I usually end up at the barn at odd times so it’s tough to consistently have anyone else to ride with.

 

I’m so glad that I made the decision to move and, knock on wood, hope to be here for a long long long long time :-)

Movings In

This is just a short update post but I'll write more soon and share more pictures once I have a chance to settle in a bit.

The move went really well despite the horrible heat and humidity that made it tough to breath while walking much less do anything actually taxing. It was up to 95 with 82% humidity by the time we were getting ready to load Katai and I think the news said that it felt like it was over 100.

Katai was a rockstar and loaded right into the two horse straight load without batting an eye. I think she loaded in about 5-10 minutes and other than a couple calls she rode really well. When I went to unload her though she was soaked in sweat despite the fact that we left every possible window and vent open. It really was extremely hot to haul but without having a trailer I'm at everyone else's mercy and this was my last option.

Once I had her in her new stall and eating a nice pile of hay I unloaded my stuff and then went to get her rinsed off. I rinsed her, scraped her, and parked both of us in front of a fan. She was a little too quiet and was almost asleep so just to be sure I rinsed her and scraped her again and then back in front of the huge fan. I kept turning her so that all of her would dry since leaving that water on in that heat and humidity wouldn't have been helpful. She did perk up a little and was more interested in her hay so I finally left with instructions to call me if anything seemed off.

On Sunday I went back to check on her, thankfully there was no call the night before, and had no plans of riding. I was pleased to see that she seemed like a slightly tired version of her normal self and other than being a little afraid of the slightly crabby mare she's turned out with for now she seems fine. I stuffed her with carrots, organized a few more things, stuffed her even more with carrots and then headed home.

     #MareGlare

     #Handsareforcarrotsnotpictures

Tonight I finally went out to ride and she was SOOOO good! She was speedier than she has been recently but otherwise she was brilliant. Not spooky and giving me the same quality of work that she was at the previous barn. She felt strong and ready to go and I blame the speedy on the change from full pasture to stall, new place, and a few days off. I'm going to plan to ride Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun so with my ride today that's five rides in seven days and after that I'll get back to my normal proposed schedule.

I can't wait to ride tomorrow!!'

2014 In Review

I figured that before I do a 2015 goals post it would be good for me to do an overview of 2014 especially since I think I gained the majority of my readers this year.

Here we go!

At the beginning of the year I was boarding Katai at a small trail barn with a coverall arena and wood footing. I rode 1-2 times a week but spent more like 3 days per week at the barn with her. She was extremely green so when I did ride it was not for very long and mostly in straight lines or 20 meter circles at a walk and sometimes a trot. 

February:

In February I started taking weekly riding lessons with J on a school horse and in April I FINALLY got to start taking lessons on my own horse for the first time since I was 14. It was glorious but that glory was short lived as I started to realize even in June and July that this was not the right trainer for either myself or Katai. However, despite that I continued to learn and make progress as I filter what she said into what worked for me and Katai.

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

In August and September I started to think about moving to a different barn and actually had one set up but after a really empassioned discussion with J I decided to stay a little longer. Things started to go from bad to worse and I really wish now that I had more videos and or photos but I guess I tend to not want pictures of the bad. The problem with that of course is that then it's tough to see just how far I've come. It did get so bad that she was basically gaiting whenever you asked for anything faster than a walk and would be so tight that she was both trotting and cantering at the same time.

October:

Finally at the end of October I stood up for both of us and took the month of November off lessons and then this happened.

November:

At the beginning of November I announced that I was moving Katai and finally on November 30th moved her to a barn without all the craziness. 

December:

My Overview:

- started to figure out how to keep my leg back

- began to remember how to ride properly

- learned how to properly use my elbows

- gained some courage

- FINALLY got to take regular lessons

- boarded at three different facilities (I'm really not barn hopping I swear)

- ran a long distance competitive race for the first time!!!

- lost 15 pounds

- survived another year at this job

- learned how to be a partner

Katai's Overview:

- went from a green baby horse to one that is now starting to learn some more sophisticated things

- started to get some rhythm

- stopped rearing!!!!

- moved barns twice and only slightly lost her mind on the first move, didn't at all on the second!

- learned about crossties

- learned about stalls

- is receiving a better diet

- gained strength and conditioning

- learned how to move off a single leg 

- is now consistent at forward

- loaded into two strange trailers in less than ten minutes and rode quietly to a strange place

- learned how to be ridden around other horses and that she will survive if they leave

- learned how to be a partner

Stay tuned for my 2015 goals!

Barn Update and Blanket Followup

So the new barn is awesome, like really really awesome.

                 The barn she'll be in

The atmosphere is so different than my current barn with everyone smiling and welcoming me and enjoying the fact that I own a pony. The owner was accommodating about not feeding her grain (she owns ponies and understands the risk of founder) and we even agreed on a discount since I provide my own supplements with a little grain included to keep Katai happy.

I set up the tour thinking that there were two 10x10 stalls available which is smaller than I would like but for a 13.2 hand pony probably wouldn’t be too bad. However, I found out that one of the 10x12s (which have their own private tack lockers) had JUST opened up so I took that one instead. I also discovered that during the summer the horses only come in for their meals and are outside the rest of the time which is even better than I thought it would be.

   The other heated barn with attached heated arena :)

Stall board will be a huge adjustment for me. The most I’ve ever kept a horse in a stall before was during the night time on the most frigid days of the winter when with the wind chill it was close to -30 degrees. That was only a few days a year and only overnight. I’ve always felt that horses are healthier and happier when they get to be outside all the time but there are a few things that have been making rethink that idea.

One issue I’ve been having with pasture board is the lack of supplementation by the barn owner/staff. I’ve been managing but as much as I would like to I just can’t make it to the barn everyday and there is absolutely no way I can make it to the barn twice a day. When I can get there consistently 4-5 days a week it’s not too bad and at least she is getting the majority of her weekly amount. The problem is with weeks like this one where I planned on going out Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday but now we are getting dumped on with snow both today and Tuesday so I doubt I’ll make it out. That cuts the days she is getting supplements down to 2-3 and that’s just not enough especially with the huge difference in her when she doesn’t receive her supplements.

The other issue is blanketing. I work really, really hard to make sure she has the appropriate blanket on at the appropriate time and always make an extra trip to remove wet blankets but it is extremely tough sometimes. Again, on days like today when there is a huge snowstorm I just can’t always drive out there and risk my safety to check if her blanket is getting wet and the barn owner certainly won’t check. Stall board will fix this as although they won’t blanket her they will remove a wet blanket which is really the bigger concern at this point.

I really think this is a great opportunity for both of us and I’m looking forward to feeling like a “real” boarder!

In other news my blanket system is working great. She’s been wearing the 100 gram for a while now and I ordered the 200 gram last week. It’s supposed to get here today just in time for the colder weather, we are supposed to have lows in the single digits this week. I also ordered two bridle tags, one that says 100 gram and one that says 200 gram to attach to the liners so that I can keep track.

Pony is going to be cozy AND styling and, really, what more could any girl want :-)

Two Pony Years

Yesterday Wednesday, October 1st was me and Katai's 2 year anniversary! Very fittingly we had a lesson and even better it was incredibly wonderful but it didn't start out that way. 

It was cold and wet out and Katai was acting like her back was stiff and sore. I warmed her up slowly long and low but she was still cold and that led to a tight hollow back when we did start riding. She was also chilly so she was bouncy and spicy to ride which made dressage tricky.

J fixed things in my riding position and timing and within the first 15 minutes I had a pony that was listening and moving soft, relaxed and through. We had a couple of rough points but the good thing was that she was throwing some things at me that J hasn't seen before so she was able to help and show me how to deal with it. 

Then, at the end of the lesson we cantered. It was brilliant I just gave my vocal cue and she started right off balanced, slow and listened beaultifully. I think J was impressed at how natural and easy it was for her but mostly I'm extremely happy to have passed that hurdle. I have now ridden her at all basic gaits in a lesson!

Because of things like the above and a couple of red flags at the barn I had planned on moving to I decided to stay. I did have legitimate reasons to want to move but I was able to get through to J finally about two weeks ago and things have continued to get better. I'm sure I'm going to have to address it again in the future but when I did talk to J about moving she even agreed to put up another line of fencing to keep her in the pasture next year. The two things I'm really missing out on are the heated arena and the trails as well as the ground work type training from an instructor. Haley has agreed to help me with things like the clippers and trailer loading and I can figure out a way to do more trail riding even if it is just riding around the property. I can handle not having the heated arena and it wasn't like that was the main reason I was moving. 

I'm actually really happy and relieved to have made this decision because J really is one of the best instructors in the area and her students have proven this time and time again. I really didn't want to move, I was hoping to stay right here for as long as possible but more than anything else I NEED to take lessons with someone who has at least a small amount of respect for both myself and Katai and who will listen to me when I seriously raise an objection about what we are doing especially when it relates to my horse's welfare. I'm still not sure what the future is going to bring but I want to stick this out a little longer.

More Big Changes

It wasn't that long ago that I started my new job and I talked about the change in my life then along with the option of boarding. Then about a month and a half ago I started dating a really incredible guy that I LOVE spending time with.

Now I'm moving myself and Katai!

I've wanted to be in the twin cities for the past few years but I have to be where the job is especially with our slowly recovering economy and I really enjoy my current job but after dealing with interesting (cheap) rentals for the past few years its time for me to finally have my own (well sort of since its a rental) place :-)

I am moving almost exactly half way between where the boyfriend/friends live and where I work. Of course this also means moving Katai. I found a great place near where I am going to be living that will also be affordable. It's a small private stable with one horse and two stalls. The other horse is getting a little older and his owner was looking for a companion for him that wouldn't pick on him. The barn is insanely neat and clean and the stall is large. It has great pastures and he has it all set up for proper rotation :-)

The worst downfall is the lack of an arena of any kind. I just spent the past couple of weekends building an incredible arena at the neighbors and I was really looking forward to being able to finally have a real arena. I also won't have access to a horse trailer which isn't fun.

I'm hoping that in the next year, or so, I'll be able to move her to one of the other boarding barns that are nearby which have multiple arenas and more people to ride and hang out with. First though, I have to make sure I can afford things :-) I will post pictures of the barn as soon as we're moved in.