I feel like we're starting to find our groove at home, which is nice. I like a routine so finding that again feels so nice! That said, it doesn't mean we're fully settled into an under saddle routine. But we're getting there! Friday was a rain day, so that interrupted things, and then Sunday was Mother's Day so that put a rush order on horse things that day. But we're plugging along, making deposits in the trust bank with Al (ever important), finding the forward button on Shiny, and I'm not sure what Eros is working on specifically since he's pretty perfect. But he is doing some good work lately. Props to him for that.
I did pop Al and Shiny over a few jumps one day... I can't remember which day though. They jumps were so tiny I didn't even bust out the Pivo. But I'll get to that soon once we're a little further along. I told Eros he has to wait a little longer to start jumping. He's had a little fill in one of his front legs, which I think is nothing, but I want to be sure. So more flatwork for him for awhile! But I might be able to jump some things with Shiny and Al again either Friday or Saturday hopefully.
We had two appointments today so it was a busy day for the horses. First up was the vet for our second round of spring shots and teeth checks. We also pulled lyme titers for everyone. And I did in fact pull another tick off Shiny while the vet was there. He was thrilled with her body condition and he was also happy with her breathing and that's a relief now that she's off the Ventipulmin. (Thank goodness, that stuff is EXPENSIVE!) For the time being, we don't need an inhaler for her. I'm curious if the issue was something at the other barn she was allergic to specifically or possibly just that it was winter and everything was closed up most of the time. That barn has a pretty low ceiling, so I imagine the allergens just kind of hang in the air more than it would at my place or our previous winter barn which both have very high ceilings. Probably one of those things I'll never know for sure, but I'm just happy she's doing well now.
Appointment number two was mostly for Eros, but Shiny joined the party at the end. It was (finally!) with our favorite Butet person. I know I've whined about Eros' saddle endlessly for the last several months, and today we finally are getting somewhere with it. I was afraid to shim it because every time I've shimmed something for Eros, he limps. Like three legged, dig a hole, it's all over lame. So our favorite rep took a look at the saddle on him, and was very happy with how it's fitting him. Which I figured was true. He does seem to go well in it. But the problem is that it puts me behind the motion. Our rep was willing to trade out a demo she has if she had one that would solve our problem, but turns out she didn't have anything that would fit him as well. (My luck!) So I humored her, and let her shim our pad and tried it out. And I will always happily eat my words when I'm wrong. So here it is: Eros felt great with the shims in, and I felt so much more balanced. A very easy fix. I was told though, that if I decided in a few weeks that it's not working, we'll revisit trying something else. She has a pretty constant flow of inventory so she may have something better in the future. But for now, I think we're on the right track. And I'm happy to not break in another saddle!
The most interesting turn of events was with Shiny. She's a lot smaller than she used to be, and I had a feeling that Al's saddle was pretty close to fitting her. Turns out, I wasn't completely wrong about that. His is close, but too curvy and the panels are too wide for her in the back of the saddle. But in a shocking turn of events, Eros' saddle is actually closer. I rode her in it tonight, and it felt a lot better than her's does currently. But it's not perfect. I plan to try it with a different pad set up tomorrow and see how that is. I don't think it's a permanent solution for them to share a saddle, but it might work until I can luck into something better for her. Eros' saddle is a touch narrow toward the front, and the tree is a little long for her back. But, I now know almost exactly what I need if I were to get her a Butet. (Which would be ideal, but might be tough to find second hand. I do not have the budget for a new one for her.) But I'm not sure how that translates to other brands. I really want something close contact for her with as little bulk as possible. Which is why I'm leaning toward Butet. Plus, I know what panel configuration and tree size/shape that I need. I'm not so familiar with other brands, so it's harder to know what to look for. But this is a good first step anyway.
Anyway, the horses will probably all be a little sore from their shots tomorrow, so I'm planning an easy day for them. We'll ride, but nothing strenuous. It's supposed to be a little showery too, so that will dictate some of our ride times too. And then hopefully Friday we'll do some jumpies! We'll see how it goes. I never really know with Al if it will be a good day to jump or not. Past me would stick to a schedule and get things done, but present me knows that's not the best way for Al. So I'm learning patience and to listen to my out of the box horse. But we're starting to have more good days than not, so maybe we'll be able to stick to a schedule more often soon.
I think I already mentioned that trunk cover from my wooden box happens to fit the old boarding barn trunk, which I'm still really excited about. And since that last mention, I've rearranged the tack room a little bit, and am really happy with the new trunk layout.
I worry a little bit about the wooden trunk not having a cover, but if I were to order a new one, it wouldn't match since the ones I have are pretty faded. And I don't really want to order all new covers for everything, that's crazy. So I'll take my chance with the wood one exposed to the elements. I think it's pretty anyway, and it's nice to actually see it now. Much nicer than staring at the navy one with the other place's logo.
And my last thing to report on, is I finally figured out what to do with Jampy and Rio's giant boxes of ashes. I had a plan years ago, but it wasn't that easy to make happen and so I've been trying to think of a plan B for some time. The ashes have been sitting on my bench in the barn for all these years, leaving pretty much no room for actual sitting on that bench. But that's all changed, because the Jampy/Rio shrine has been constructed:
I've had those wood paintings of them sitting on my dining room table for the last several years. Just waiting for me to do something with them. I'm so happy with this. It's a little weird and shrine-y, but I think it's a nice tribute that they are more than deserving of. The piece of furniture is meant for a mudroom. It came with coat hooks for the top wooden rails, but instead of installing those, I just hung the paintings there. I like that the furniture itself is pretty minimalist, and the wood grain on it with the black hardware matches the ashes boxes perfectly. Obviously their show halters ties the whole thing together. It sits near the entrance to the barn, so it's visible right when you walk in. Perfect place for my boys.
Oh one last thing... Celeris is finally going to have ambassadors and they're looking for nominations. I think it might be weird to nominate myself, so if you think I'd make a good spokesperson for them, would you mind throwing my name into the hat?? It's a dream of mine! Here's a link to nominate if you feel like I am deserving of it:
Thanks friends!!
And that's really it from here today. Nothing too crazy going on, but things are good around here. How are you all doing this spring? Plugging along? Planning some shows? Tell me what you're up to in the comments!
