Fitting title eh? LOL
2020 was certainly a different type of year.

While last year felt like the longest year ever for the last 9 months of it, it also went by quick. I won’t rehash my Thankful post here, just need to say while it was overall a challenging year, it was also a very successful and fulfilling year. I had this grand idea for an insightful post for the New Year, but sadly am lacking the words!

Since our return from JD’s Sully has done a few conditioning rides after a few weeks of break, the first of which he was great for the first half, but wanting to boogie back the 2nd half when we turned around. I had to just let him go for a bit, but at my speed away from the group; eventually I dismounted and hand walked him back towards the group a few miles later, then he settled in a bit better to riding with the group again. That was our “Christmas” ride that Skyler got to join the group for – we decorated our horses in bells and such. It was fun, and I’m thankful for good friends and a borrowed pony for her to use that I can trust when I have these moments and can’t be right there with her.

In other news, we currently have a 3rd horse at home on trial for her that arrived on 12/1, but he has not been ready to take out on group rides just yet. I will give a huge plug here to Basic Equine Gut Health products – this guy was extremely touch sensitive and just not feeling his best on arrival (totally different than how he was described as acting before). I put him on a course of their products like I did for Sully after his move home, and Rooster (aka ‘The Bad Deputy’; 14yr old Standardbred Pacer) is a different horse. He has started to pick up weight and is way less grumpy. He does still have a few old racing habits of self soothing during tacking up 🤦‍♀️(pic below). We have trailered him to some lessons now and he has been great for Skyler under saddle – unfortunately he appears to be suffering from a bruise we believe on a front hoof from our bought with frozen mud right around Christmas, so I haven’t taken him on trail yet as I don’t have boots to fit him (I plan to do the first group ride to see how he acts). Now we have just wet sucking mud everywhere and that is no fun either 😢 I almost got myself stuck in our field putting the trailer away at the end of the holiday break!

Sully did ~30 miles over the holiday break: ~18 mountain miles at the 4H Center, where we got to use our new saddle pad and try out a wider version of the saddle, and then 12.5 flatter miles a few days later back at High Bridge trails for our “New Years ride” with friends (he was much better behaved about the out & back this time!) Skyler completed her 100 miles of riding to earn the Valkyrie medal from Warhorse Endurance at the New Years ride! (I registered her as a surprise earlier this summer and have been tracking our fun rides and her lessons for mileage)

Sully’s shoes are currently off, so back to the Scoot Boots! Which, it appears his fronts have grown a size this year – a good thing! That is also the size of Rooster’s fronts (which means 1 set can work on 2 horses, just not at same time), and that means the ones we have on front may be able to rotate to the hinds as the next size up too. I’ll be playing with some measurements and trial fitting on a nicer day soon (so much rain!). This coming weekend we plan to build the hay feeder and finally be able to use the Haychix net again to slow these guys down and waste less of the round bales in the mud. I highly recommend them, and if you are interested I have a code to save you 20% at Haychix!
All good timing for a break again since that trailer isn’t moving again until we dry out some or the ground freezes!

Cheers & Happy New Year to all! Wishing us all health, happiness and a great year ahead.