I’ve been meaning to blog for… like a month. I’ve actually been meaning to do a lot of things and most of those things haven’t happened. It’s all good. I’m trying not to beat myself up when I don’t get things done. Stuff happens. I mean, I’ve been planning to toss grass seed out for 2 weeks and been planning to walk down to the bottom of the field for 3, neither has happened. So, not blogging? Yeah, stuff happens.
In all honesty, I’m just in this weird rut with horses and life right now. The rut started well before I lost Subi, but when I felt him start to decline. I just got overwhelmed but things and riding has just taken a backseat. I miss it, but I don’t? I don’t know how to explain it. I needed something off my plate and riding was easy to cut. I’ll get back to it, but for now, it’s easier to just be lazy and not bother. Maybe I’ll take some lessons on lesson horses for a little while and that will get the spark back. This happened after losing Hayley. After Batt I just jumped right in, face first with Nay Nay and never looked back. So I’ll be OK. It just takes time. Plus, I’m still dealing with covid fatigue and life fatigue and I’m just taking my time, getting strength back, and going from there.
But enough about me, the horses. How are they doing?
Jiminy. Jiminy is pretty good. I’m struggling a touch with him and sugar. The last thing I want is him to founder again, but I fear it’s inevitable. Jiminy is NOT FAT. If fact, if I’m being honest, he goes back and forth between being perfect and being a touch on the skinny side. But, he also gets into a bit more of Nay’s feed than he should. More of that in a moment. I’m trying to find a balance between keeping Jiminy healthy and keeping Nay Nay healthy and it’s HARD. It might just come down to cutting back Nay’s feed more with his mash. Or, changing Jiminy’s feed to something like Hygain Zero. He’s currently on TC Lite. He doesn’t actually get the required amount and mostly just gets a half cup as a carrier for his supplements (Jimmy does really well with his v/m) so a bag would last forever. BUT I could put a cup in his morning mash and not worry if they swap buckets. If Nay would eat it, I could give both a cup…
Nay Nay. After losing Subi, we started doing morning mashes outside. Nay loves his mash and attacks it, but doesn’t always finish it. Jiminy does. They also play musical buckets. The bulk if this is fine. They currently prefer timothy cubes and this is fine for both horses. Nay gets carrots and peppermints in his and makes sure he eats every last treat. But, he also gets some feed. I’ve tried putting it on top, but it gets mixed in. He’s down to 1 quart to keep Jiminy from getting a lot, but the NSC is still higher than Jiminy needs. For 3-4 days, Jiminy was getting 1 cup of his TC Lite and Nay was getting his feed. They must have swapped buckets because on day 2, Nay was a freaking anxious mess. I had no idea what was going on. Soy. Just from a few bites of soy, Nay turned into an anxious, uncomfortable mess. On day 4/5, I replaced Jiminy’s TC lite from his mash with 1 cup of Nay’s grain and cut Nay’s down (so that if they bucket swapped, Jimmy would get less) and within 24 hours, Nay was back to his old self. So, this soy intolerance is real.
Anyway, other than making my horse sick, he’s doing OK. He’s getting whatever hay he wants (chopped TC alfalfa forage blend, the good hay outside even though there is an amazing round bale outside — which FINALLY I’ve caught him snacking at) and it looks like we might be coming through his latest colitis flare. Nay and Jiminy are good buddies and both are ready for GRASS. Jiminy… he might not get grass. Lol.
cutest jiminy around 🙂 I love him. Also glad Nay is doing okay. Take your time. You will get back to doing all the stuff on Nay soon!
He certainly is. What he is not is well behaved… Nay is just here for the snacks. Lol.
The first picture is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. And also, I understand what you mean by fatigue and needing to take something off your plate. It’s better to do that before you start resenting it, right? I agree with Michele – take the time you need
Jimmy says thank you. He says he brings the cute. Lol. But yeah, I was resenting riding so I just took time off. I’ll try again. If I can find away to ride at home, life would be easier.
Ugh I want my own Jimmy. I board both of mine, they’re pretty close to my house, and I still get resentful about riding sometimes… sigh – I hope you figure it out!
The grass planting is on my list too, lol. At this point I think I’m 3 months behind what I had mapped out, but it can wait. I’m giving myself a pass to just do things that feel rewarding or make happy now and not feel guilty about the rest. Sometimes we just need to look after ourselves first!
Yeah, that sounds about ride. 3 months behind. Pretty much. I have the seed for the lower field. I need fencing stuff too to fix some fence, but… motivation. Eventually.
oooh i like the idea of playing around with some lesson horses a little bit! sometimes it’s so clarifying to sit on something a little different and see what’s the same and what’s different. honestly if my barn had more horses available that weren’t already in full time jobs in the lesson program, that’s something i’d heavily consider too….
I mean, part of it is I don’t want to ride a horse with 4 months off when I’ve had 4 months off, but part of it is it just feels easier right now? We’ll see…