Lately

This has been a pretty good summer for Mollie. Last year she suffered pretty horribly from COPD, which she was diagnosed with in summer of 2014. I went into this summer armed with ventipulmin before we even needed it and was stunned at how well Mollie did. For whatever the reason we were able to maintain her on 3mls of venti, twice a day. This is a stark contrast from last summer when she was on 7mls twice a day and still having a flare up about every other week.

Riding super early helps.

This made riding much easier this summer, since breathing is important for working. I have been struggling in my rides most of this year however. I simply don't ride nearly as consistently as I used to, which means Mollie and I aren't as capable as I know we can be. This frustrates me IMMENSELY. I know the only solution to this is more riding though, so I've made it a point to get to the barn no matter what. These last 3 weeks I've ridden 4-5 times each week, which I'm thrilled with. Molls.... Is exhausted. But with me going back to school next week I'll be happy to maintain 3-4 rides a week. And with Molls just 6 months shy of being 20 years old, I'm thrilled with that.

Looking pretty damn good for 19 and a half.

Catching Up

Well blogland, it's been a hell of a year.

I really cannot believe it's been over a year since I've last blogged and the main reason for that was because I wasn't riding a whole lot.  The truth is, I'm not riding whole lot now either but I really have missed blogging and figured sporadic posts are better than none at all.  Despite not blogging on my own I've still been reading everyone's blogs and your adventures make me very jealous indeed!

Just because I haven't been riding often doesn't mean I haven't been riding at all however....

Halloween 2015... or that time I dressed Mollie as a sheep.

Favorite guy rides Molls - March 2016

Looking shiny - April 2016

OH WE WENT TO A SHOW - May 2016

Fave guy and I took a trip to DC

Which was AMAZING

Because in this spot

WE GOT ENGAGED

So yes, this year has been insane.  We are in the throes of wedding planning, trying to buy a house, and all the other things we all do on a daily basis.  With lots of time for beach and ice cream, of course.

That summertime Rhode Island life

Here's to (hopefully) more riding, blogging, and keeping my head above water :)

Second Outing, Good Horse

This post is nearly a week overdue, and has been sitting in my drafts since the end of last week.  Anytime work would like to slow down would be great.

Anyways, after our frustrating first outing of the year, new BO and I decided to scale it back a notch, and just hit the trails out behind our barn in the hopes that both horses would keep their brains in their heads.  The short story is that it was a huge success.  If you feel like reading me blather on and look at pictures, keep reading.

I showed up to the barn, got the beast ready, as BO and another friend, R, tacked up.  I threw Mollie's ear bonnet on because the little gnats are out in force and princess does NOT like them.  And I do not like the subsequent head shaking.

Muahaha

There was some discussion as to what order we should ride out in.  BO's horse can be looky/spooky, R's horse has an iffy past on trails but has been good lately, and Molls is brave until she isn't.  She typically won't do anything naughty but will be marching along and SLAM on the brakes if something catches her attention, which can be an issue for the horses who then walk right into her bum since she lacks break lights.

It was decided we would attempt being first, and if Mollie was annoying we would just reorganize.  Luckily, Mollie perked her little ears as soon as we hit the trail, and she thought for one half second about hesitating but I closed my legs on her and that was the last time she thought about stopping the whole ride.

"on alert" ears

group selfie

At one point in the ride R started talking about a skinny trail that she and BO had ridden before, that was essentially a pole bending course.  BO said she just about peed her pants last time they rode it, so obviously R and I ganged up on her and decided we should do it again.  This required us to turn around so Molls was last, and I quickly apologized for making them walk so slowly on the way down.... I didn't realize how much longer their horses' strides were, but I should have!!  Both geldings have over a hand on Mollie and their legs are miles longer.

pole bending in the woods

We all made it through the skinny trail, although at one point I really thought BO and her horse would be stuck... he carries his head very high and had to be convinced to "duck" under a low branch.  Perks of riding a small fat horse :)

We made it back to the barn on a loose rein, and Molls got all the pats and kisses!

Apparently my helmet is dirty.

First Outing, Naughty Horse

Well that title just about sums it up.

This past weekend the new BO asked if I wanted to take Mollie to Goddard Park for the annual RISPCA ride.  I enthusiastically replied yes, because it is a ride I have gone to in the past but have missed the last few years due to not having anyone to go with, and subsequently a ride.  Mollie hasn't been on a formal trail ride in years, but I figured she would be fine as she genuinely loves being at Goddard.  And she was fine... for about 15 minutes.

Looking shiny, finally.

We set out in the woods and Mollie and new boyfriend Merlot were great.  They were taking turns leading and following, and while both were on "alert" they were exceptionally well behaved since this was the first outing for both of them all year.

Merlot is excited.  Mollie says why is he here?

About 15 minutes into our ride we run into a parade.  I shit you not.  Over 100 people in purple shirts, parading through the woods at us.  Mollie stopped and gawked, but truly wasn't nervous.  Poor Merlot on the other hand was visibly trembling and P said she could feel his heart pumping overtime between her legs.  We gave them a few minutes to look, and then asked that they proceed.  Ensue panic.  Merlot was terrified and his brain quickly disappeared (we're not sure where it went) and P was doing everything she could to keep his feet on the ground.  In an attempt to get him going forward I turned Mollie around, and headed back the way he came.  Merlot eventually caught on, and followed behind Mollie, although he was quite amped at that point.  We walked for a bit, then tried to turn around, as the parade had likely passed.  That's when Mollie took over as Captain Twit.

I made the fatal mistake of turning around, and Mollie knows that her one job on trails is to get back to the trailer.  Mollie likes having a job.  Mollie likes doing her job.  She was under no circumstances turning around, and was willing to back herself off a cliff (I honestly thought we'd slide right down the bank) if necessary.  I was downright pissed to say the least, as I knew she wasn't scared one single bit, just downright stubborn.  In an attempt to make this a somewhat successful outing we agreed to go back the way we came, but to complete that loop a second time to at least get our trips worth out of the experience.

Both horses made it back to the horsemen's area, got a little "I am the rider and you are the horse and you listen to ME" refresher in the arena, and then untacked while P and I stuffed our faces with lunch.  And then got beer.  Thank god for beer.

Here's to trying again one day this week, hopefully sans parade!

Silence, Upset, and a Move

Those of you that follow this blog (all four of you) may or may not have noticed I haven't blogged in a while.  At first it was because I was busy, but then I got so busy and had so much to write about it was like I didn't even know where to start.  Then things got real weird.

I had been noticing that Mollie had been dropping weight since coming to the new barn in November.  At first it wasn't a huge deal, because she could stand to lose a few pounds....

November 2014, looking porky.

But then my horse's weight loss continued, and she turned into a beaver.  I have owned this horse for fourteen years and have NEVER witnessed her chewing wood, yet she damn near chewed straight through her stall:

This eventually became a hole....

She eventually ripped the window sill right off.

Her weight loss was starting to concern me, and I knew her chewing was from not having enough hay to munch on.  Mollie has never needed much grain to maintain her portly figure so with such little grain and not enough hay, the weight loss got worse.

January 2015(ish)

The barn owner (who did not believe my horse was hungry or dropping any weight) and I eventually came to an agreement where I payed an additional $60 a month for extra hay at each feeding.  While I did notice a slight difference in her weight, it wasn't what I should have seen, especially since we were steadily upping her grain the whole time.  Once spring hit and everyone's blankets came off, it became apparent that what I thought was my horse's problem was a barn-wide problem.

I was incredibly upset that my easy keeper was losing weight and obviously unhappy, so began looking for other places to board which is unfortunately no easy task.  Our lists of wants and needs has become a little longer than it used to be as I have learned what I will and will not accept from a boarding facility.  

Last week things took a turn for the worse, and without going into all the awful details it became apparent that I should get my horse out now.  My search for a new barn heightened and out of no where something worked itself out over the course of 24 hours.  I guess if it's meant to be, it really is.  I went to visit a barn at 5pm on Saturday and Mollie arrived there by 1pm the next day.  She has settled in fabulously and is as quiet and happy as can be.

Dad was pumped to have hand grazing duty.

Ma.  Where are we going?

My poor "easy keeper".

Loving her half door.

I was reluctant to even post the photos of her in her current state online because I am so disgusted and unhappy about how she looks.  I have faith that she will put the weight back on in no time, I think she's been eating since her arrival!  The situation at the other barn definitely lessened my motivation to ride and blog, but the new place already has me far more inspired to be riding, taking pictures, and blogging... starting with a field trip this weekend :)

Sunday Funday and Shameless Promoting

So much to blog about lately I almost don't know where to begin... so I'll leave you with a short post about today's frolicking and then beg for your likes on Facebook.

All the jumps were set pretty low in the indoor today and there wasn't anyone to share the ring with... so it seemed like the perfect day to throw Mollie's hunter tack on, and pop over a few fences.  They're all teeny tiny, and I haven't jumped her in a while, so I was just happy to cruise around without either of us dying or falling apart.

Secondly, I spent the better part of this morning setting up a Facebook page for my regular trainer, and the woman who has been riding Mollie a few times a week.  There isn't much on there yet, but she plans on posting about a topic (or giving me info to post for her, haha) once a week with visuals to go along with the snippets.  While she's mostly dressage based I really think her biomechanic way of thinking is applicable to anyone, riding any discipline.

So if you like reading and learning about anything like that, head on over to her page and like it!

I've actually made a couple purchases lately which means I have reviews to write up.  Just want to give the products a few uses before writing anything about them.

An Adult

So I'm a day late, but yesterday was this lady's 18th birthday yesterday making her an official adult, capable of buying cigarettes, lottery tickets, and porn.

I took her out for a birthday ride yesterday, complete with her annual birthday peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  She was pretty darn awesome and my sister even took some video, but I haven't uploaded it all yet.  For now here's a screen shot.

And for those wondering, yes, those are the Annie's Equestrian new Green Tea breeches, which came in the mail yesterday.  Full review coming soon, but I'm already a pretty big fan.

Crappy cell phone photo is crappy.