Country fried

Fried things that are good:

1. Chicken

2. Pretty much every other food 

Fried things that are bad:

1. My pastures/grass

2. The horses

3. Myself 

Crispy.

We are currently in a hot/dry spell in SE PA that is not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. The ground is rock hard and dusty and the pastures are pretty much done. The bug situation has been insane also, which is surprising considering how dry it has been. There are some upsides to this though, Frosty does not have to wear her grazing muzzle anymore which I'm sure she appreciates and there is no flooding of the usual things around here that flood.

This weekend was mostly based around avoiding the heat as much as possible while still spending some time with the horses and dogs. 

John had his horses shod and picked them up from their "vacation home" field in northern Chester County while I was at work on Saturday. When I got home I bathed both horses and all 3 dogs, I thought they would appreciate this but I was incorrect! Later in the evening when it was a bit cooler and less buggy I trail rode Chester at Spring Valley, we took it pretty easy since he has been off for a little while and just recently had his hind shoes pulled**. 

Angry dog is angry after her bath

I had big plans to go trail riding EARLY Sunday morning but didn't make it out until around 9am at which point it was already hot and the deer flies/horse flies were out in full force, Chester handled the crazy bugs like a champ and I was very proud of him because he really hates bugs but was a good boy anyway! I was getting a migraine during this ride...generally not feeling it, Chester kind of wasn't either...or maybe he was just feeding off of me, who knows! When we returned home I pulled Frosty out of the field and took her for a quick walk around the farm which was nice and relaxing. Frosty recently had her shoes pulled as well**, so again taking it really slow. 

**note: I have pulled Chester's hinds/Frosty's front shoes due to the shoes getting stomped loose from the bugs and me just not riding all that much lately. I unsuccessfully tried to transition Frosty to barefoot last winter and only had Chester for a short time without his hind shoes. Any tips/tricks from people out there who have gone through a barefoot transition would be VERY much appreciated!!**

"Wherever you go, you take yourself with you"

“It's like the people who believe they'll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn't work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean.” 

― Neil Gaiman

I have not written anything in months because I have not done anything with horses in forever between various issues and travelling for work/general exhaustion. However, despite not being very active with riding life on and around the farm has not slowed down!

Hay:

John's field produced a bumper crop of nice quality 1st cutting grass hay this year. We also purchased four round bales of 1st alfalfa from our neighbor. I am so thankful for John's awesome friends who can drive a flatbed trailer because it means I don't have to! I am also thankful for our skid steer and tractor which give us the ability to handle all our hay in big squares or rounds...no stacking little bales!

Fence:

I now have an official fenced paddock in my field! I was using temporary fence (which looked a mess) for the past two winters to split the field but now have post and rail fencing. The posts were pounded/drilled by evergreen fence and John and I (mostly John) put the rails/boards up. 

No more ugly fence!

 Dogs: 
Minimal riding means maximum walking with Roxy, Frankie, and Bliss! We have been to our usual rail-trail, the county park a few times, and even a different rail trail in Maryland. Frankie and Roxy especially seem to have boundless energy and even the longest walks don't make them tired...I wish I knew their secret! Bird hunting season is coming and I need to get my new hunting license and do more training with Frankie so he is ready to hunt pheasants at the preserve (possibly gamelands as well). Frankie is working on:
Whoa training, thinking of trying the place boards again
Drinking water from a squeeze bottle
Continued e-collar conditioning
Will attend a refresher training session at the preserve before season begins

Food: 

I love food (obv.) and love going to places with outdoor seating in the summer, so I have been doing a lot of that. This photo is from one of my favorite restaurant patios!

SmartPak favorite products blog hop

What is your favorite equestrian-specific product that you use when you’re at the barn?

The barn is at my house...so I guess this would be favorite products to use at home lol! I love my Stubben saddles. I also like synthetic girths because they are super easy to clean and don't irritate my horses' skin.

What is your favorite non equestrian-specific product to use when you’re at the barn?

My Polaris 4-wheeler! Great for hauling hay bales, muck buckets, fuel cans etc. etc.

What is your horse’s favorite equestrian-specific product to wear or use?

Alfalfa hay

What was the best equestrian-related gift you were ever given, and why does it mean so much to you?

My horses were both gifts from my husband, so definitely the best equestrian (or otherwise!) gift I have received! My Stubben Siegfried was a gift from an extremely important person in my life, I think of her every time I use it.

If you had the ability to create any product or anything to make your time at the barn better, what would that be?

Robot weed-whacker and mower, so I would have more time to ride! Also a weather control device!

Bridle collection video!

Hi! I am awkward but this was fun to make!

PS of Sweden tack: Updated review

Flat out revolution bridle: 

Not recommended if you prefer your bridle to stay on your horse

One of my most popular posts (popular is relative) was my review on the PS of Sweden flat out revolution bridle, you can find that post here. It basically contained my first impressions of the bridle (good) and how it performed the first few times I used it (ok).
I ended up selling this bridle because it DID NOT work for trail riding or foxhunting. The main reason is that the browband/throatlatch assembly is held on with snaps which like to pop open at random times (hard stop, horse tosses head, walk past a branch, sneeze, etc). I don't think this was an isolated problem with the one bridle, as I bought one for my husband's horse which did the same thing (sold bridle also).
Since I bought my bridle the prices have gone WAY up, I also heard the quality has improved but it is not really worth it to me to try one again. I ended up going back to my Amish made bridle which is great on the trail but cleans up nice enough to show in...if I ever decide to go to another show. I know many people who have reviewed the PS bridle like it for sensitive horses and appreciate the anatomical features, if you have this type of horse and do a lot of ring riding I'd say go for it! However, if you are a trail rider or foxhunter, maybe look at other options.

3 point breastplate:

Photo from PS of Sweden website

I bought this shortly after I got my bridle and before I decided to sell it. Again, the price has gone up somewhat since I bought mine but I think it is a reasonable price for a bridge/3 point style breastplate (connects to billet straps) with a running attachment. The running attachment on this thing is really neat, it uses aluminum clips instead of rings so no need to unbuckle your reins (super handy for a fidgety horse or while wearing gloves). The leather is decent quality and the dark brown matches my other tack really well. I have had this for about a year and have only used it lightly, so I was kind of disappointed to see that the hardware has rusted a little. Overall, I am happy with it and LOVE the martingale clips.

Frosty wearing the PS breastplate and running martingale

Burning daylight-Spring updates

Maryland Hunt Cup 4/30-One of the nice things about living where I do is access to several Steeplechases and horse events reasonably close. This was my first time going to Maryland Hunt cup and I will definitely continue to go back (although will probably pay for the nicer parking next time!). The weather was ok and the race was great! The finish came down to last year's winner (Guts for Garters) and the horse which held a big lead for most of the race (Senior Senator), Senior Senator won!

 Dubarry boots and my awesome seat for the race on top of the big hill! 

Chester trail work-Chester has been going trail riding at Spring Valley Park about once a week as the weather allows, he has been crossing water and other obstacles very well and has been working on his balance/self carriage up and down hills. We have also had him out in a group of 4. I should probably be doing more with him...but I don't think he cares either way. 

Frosty Gettysburg trip 5/8-I finally made it to Gettysburg after wanting to go for 2 years! The park was great, it was a super windy day, I am glad I did not forget my running martingale. We probably would have been better off getting an earlier start as traffic was getting crazy by the time we headed out and the trailer parking area was really tight! I also ride Frosty at home on the farm.

Running martingale FTW

Farm stuff-Even though we have had approximately zero warm weather there has been plenty to do, I am back to weed whacking and spraying weekly and the mowing has kept John busy as well. One of the barn doors has broken hinges from a wind storm over the winter so we have a builder coming to estimate the cost of putting sliding doors on ($$). I got a 24 ton load of screenings (happy bday to me!) and re-surfaced the stall floors, I still need to re-surface my run in shed as well. Figuring out the best rotational grazing schedule for my small-ish pasture/paddock has also been an ongoing project as well as finding time to take the dogs for a nightly run (the dogs run, I don't). Thank goodness for more daylight!

    

40 hours

I read a post on another blog (I actually got so irritated I did not even finish reading it) about how the author (who worked part time and from home) managed having her horses at home. She essentially said that keeping horses at home was "impossible" on a 40 h/week schedule and that if you do "the only thing you will have time to do is clean up after them and pick up feed and shavings."
As a person who works a 40+ hour week with a pretty rigid schedule and has horses at home this really made me livid.

It is true that most weeks I only have a chance to ride on the weekends and spend a good deal of time on "cleaning up" after the horses and "picking up feed/other supplies." And you know what? I'm pretty sure my horses are totally fine with this. They have feed, water, and a clean environment, these are my top priorities, riding comes second to the health and comfort of my animals.
I'm sure it is great to have flexible work hours or to only have to work part time, but my (and most other's) current reality is that working full time is a requirement to pay the bills. Yes, I could board my horses but I enjoy caring for them and being able to see them every day even if that means I don't get as much riding time.

Obviously very stressed that they don't get ridden everyday