Dreary day and random thoughts about blankets

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Sarah (threechestnuts)

It’s a really ugly, rainy, dark, depressing, dreary, disgusting Wednesday (I started with the Ds and just couldn’t stop). I should be doing something productive, like work, but instead, here I am.

The weather is strangely warm and will be warm tomorrow (high close to 70) which is really strange at the end of October. It’s going to cool off by the weekend, but looking at the long range forecast, we’re going to be back at 70 next Thursday? This fluctuation is driving me crazy. I had blankets on a couple weeks ago, we had frost as recently as yesterday (or was it Monday?), and now warm and rain (and 70s and sun tomorrow)? I don’t know what to wear to work anymore!

I also need to spend the time and go through blankets. Warm temps are not helping me find the motivation! Jiminy is all set (thankfully someone is!) but I need to figure out how Subi and Batt are doing. Subi should be good in terms of weighted blankets (though I really need to do some laundry as I never quite got there this summer… oops.), especially now that he has Hayley’s old (new) heavy weight that actually fits him nicely. He has his Horze Avalanche as well and that seems to be in good shape though I may need to re-waterproof that one just to be safe. He’s also got some various Rider’s blankets that fit (one in good shape, the other with misc. repairs) and a pair of old statelines (10 years old at this point) that work really well as backups. That said, his rainsheet isn’t great though I think it’s still waterproof? It should work if I can manage to reattach a back leg strap…

Batt, on the other hand, is king of hand me down blankets. His old rhino (originally Hayley’s) fits him really well, but the waterproofing is gone. His pink argyle smartpak blanket has seem much better days (again, a Hayley blanket) and doesn’t actually fit that well, but it’s a good spare. He also has a heavy Horze Avalanche (well, 2 if I repair Hayley’s old one) so he should be set. BUT, because he only has 1 that fits well that’s NOT a heavy and that blanket may never be really waterproof again, I’m debating getting him a new medium weight. Hopefully one that fits and then I can relegate the Rhino to be a spare (I’ve had it since 2009? and bought it used…). Thinking about getting him one of the SStack ones since I love Jiminy’s and while I’m at it, I could also get Subi a new sheet… http://www.sstack.com/horse-blankets-and-sheets_waterproof-turnout-blankets_euro-fit_traditional-fit/2015-dura-tech-1200d-viking-turnouts/

But, of course, do I really need MORE blankets? It’s really an unhealthy collection I have. But, if they’re not completely dead, I hate throwing them out. I also hate using the ones that don’t fit that well or are partially dead… While I do have a crazy amount of blankets, my guys live out 24/7 in ALL conditions. So, depending on the temps, Subi may wear either 2 heavy weights or a heavy and medium. He spent most of the winter in 2 blankets (usually heavy and medium) but ended up with more when needed. That said, he’s a wimp and shivers when he’s cold so it’s easy to figure him out. Batt wore either 2 mediums, a heavy, or a medium/heavy combo depending on the temps (and what blankets were drying out inside).

2 pointing through October and a nice (?) fall day?!

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Sarah (threechestnuts)

I hate the fall. Everyone who knows me knows how much I hate the fall. I hate the darkness, the angle of the sun, the shorter days, the crunchy fall leaves and dying plants, the darkness, and the angle of the sun (those both deserved a second mention). Good things have happened in the fall like all horse purchases but Jiminy, buying my house, and getting married, but I still dislike it. But every once in a while, fall issues a beautiful, unhated day. Today was one of those days!

I’m on the reference desk tonight (i.e. Now) and on Sunday so with comp time, I didn’t have to be at work until 5. Weather was perfect; temps in the mid 70s and sunny. So I took advantage of my day off to hang out with the boys (the little butterball definitely needs his muzzle back on when he’s out on grass…).

I haven’t ridden Subi in a few weeks so I tackled him first. Being home alone plus the lack of work he’s had, I played it safe and lunged first.

Really Mom? I have to leave my friends and work?

Thanks to the warm temps and living out, Subi was pretty quiet (almost dead) on the lunge line though he did have his idiot moments. Still, I’m glad I worked him pretty hard even though he was a sweaty mess.

After lunging I hopped on and we pretty much walked forever while he cooled off. I took advantage of this time to work on the evil known as 2 point. I’ve mostly been doing my 2 point on Batty because he’s pretty flat while Subi has the big old bouncy thoroughbred stride. That said, even with the bouncier stride and leg Subi requires, he’s so much easier than Batt in that he doesn’t get annoyed or bored as easily. So on we walked through multiple songs from wicked until I could 2 point no more. But we survived and by far had out best time yet.

After 2 pointing, on dead legs, we did some trotted over poles (during which I was surprised how strong my 2 point felt) until we were both bored. Playing it safe (after all, I was alone and didn’t bother to let my husband know that I was on…), I hopped off and hand walked him around in the woods before getting back on out there. As expected, he was perfect and really prefers our “woods” ring. I really need to clear it out more in the spring so there’s more useable space. We trotting a bit (with much more effort and energy) before calling it a day.

Somehow I managed to ride Batt after Subi. I have very little to say about him other than neither of us were feeling it. He’s bored hacking and I really struggle to get him in front of my leg at the walk and trot. He really just wanted to canter and if he could canter, he sucked back and sulked. At least at the canter I could get him in front of my leg, but… He would have been thrilled to pop over some jumps but I try not to jump when I’m alone. Next ride I guess… He just gets in these moods where it’s his way or else… Usually boredom is involved. I could have hacked him out but I had the dogs out so I didn’t want to leave them. In the end we survived, but…

Dental adventures and 2 point

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Sarah (threechestnuts)

I haven’t done a whole lot of riding over the past couple of weeks. If dealing with a sore hip hasn’t been enough, I developed a really bad sinus infection about 2 weeks ago. Horrific sinus pain and headaches. Not fun. I managed a pathetic base time for 2pointober (1:31), but didn’t really ride much more that week. I ended up at the doctors and on antibiotics by Thursday a week ago.

However, even with the antibiotics, the sinus pressure didn’t improve all that much. I managed to teach lesson last weekend and struggled through 2 trail rides (and upped my 2point to 5:03 on one trail ride and was back down to 2:51 on the other) and started to finally feel better. Then the tooth pain began. On top of everything else, I started having tooth pain. I stayed home from work on Monday (as well as Friday and 1/2 on Thursday last week) and with regular ibuprofen, finally had some pain free moments. Returned to work on Tuesday (and had an evening workshop I forgot about which made a long day…longer) and made it through. Wednesday wasn’t good, but it was our anniversary so I went to work as well as out to dinner with my husband. Some point on Wednesday I realized the pain was now mostly in my mouth and I needed to see a dentist. I have a huge fear of the dentist and basically freaked out when I realized I needed to go. I called the local dental office and they could see me the next day, Thursday.

By Wednesday night, the ibuprofen was doing nothing (even taking 4 at a time) though somehow I managed to do OK out to dinner (up until this point I was more or less just eating bread and plain pasta as everything else upset my stomach thanks to antibiotics and pain meds), but overnight I contemplated the ER due to pain. Somehow I survived the night at home and in the morning had my dentist appointment. My wonderful mother came down to help me with the dentist (again, truly petrified of the dentist) and the office staff was very nice (probably understanding how much dental anxiety I have). Turns out, in addition to probably having TMJ, I also needed a nasty root canal in one of my molars. Due to the placement, I was referred to a specialist who could get me in that afternoon. Petrified, my mother drove me to that appointment and they did the root canal. That said, as nice as the regular dentist was, if the specialist had a general practice, I’d be moving over there. He made it so that I didn’t even feel the needles for the novocain and gave me a whole lot (past oral surgery experience had novocain wear off mid procedure). The actual root canal didn’t hurt and the wonderful dentist managed the novocain so well that only a tiny portion of my mouth was numb. Pretty impressive.

Since the appointment the pain had decreased though I’m still taking regular ibuprofen and I was never quite able to kick the sinus infection and am now on round 2 of antibiotics (which my stomach still hates). So, I’m still shuffling around, but hopefully on the mend.

On Saturday, Erik and I went out to Fair Hill to watch cross country all day. My camera died so no photos, but it was still a really nice day. But COLD. I’m pretty sure there was a massive grey cloud (and some rain drops) that settled over Fair Hill for most of the day.

Hermione’s 3rd cross country day at Fair Hill

Marble’s first Fair Hill

So sleepy after a long, hard day.

So cold that, unfortunately, when I got home, I had to pull out blankets for the boys. We weren’t ready for below freezing temps. Today wasn’t much better and tonight’s going to be colder. That said, I should be able to pull blankets either tomorrow morning or Tuesday morning. Just need to check out weather.

Today’s cold weather also had a whole bunch of strange rain showers. I left around 1 to meet my mom and it was sunny and 49*. When I left to head back home an hour or so later, it was 46* and drizzling. I drove home through rain showers and sun and clouds. I got home and it was 42*. Seriously crazy weather changes over the course of 2 hours.

Despite the weather, I did ride when I got home but decided to stick with Batt and not bother with Subi. With the sudden gusts of wind and the rain/sun/storm clouds/tornado winds (ok, not exactly), it was probably a wise choice. That said, I wasn’t feeling it and neither was Batt. Just one of those days. We started off with a lovely round of 2 point 7:21.95 in the round pen. I tried to do the 2 point as a warm up, but since Batt hates the round pen, it was interesting. Instead of a nice forward walk, we moved between shuffling our feet at the walk (I forgot my crop…), cantering, and trotting (pretty much in that order). After 7 minutes or so, I hurt and we were both annoyed. We did some trot and canter sets on the hill and we survived (I asked for the canter right as a gust of wind came up behind us) before heading into the woods to finish up. Getting in the woods was more of a fight than normal (lots of wind and flying leaves), but he was pretty good once we started working. Of course, at the end of our ride, we had a huge (for batt) spook at the canter. Not at a flying tree branch, not at stuff falling from the trees, not at any of the normal things. No, Batt spooked at the jolly ball that Marble was running after in the yard. Of course, spooking really consisted as trying to turn sideways while cantering before slamming on the breaks and acting like a giraffe. It was really kind of funny. But, he survived and we finished up before calling it a day.