green to 100

Scoots

Monday, January 30, 2017

Back to the details that keep us moving toward 100… which means 50 in just over a month.

My size 3 scoot boots arrived last week and I believe they fit. They are just tight enough to be snug but not to cause pressure or rubbing.

I love the design. They are one piece with the ‘anklet’ strap so there isn’t anything to come apart- no bottom shell to end up lost on the trail. No Velcro to collect dirt and mud or freeze.

They are the easiest I’ve used to put on and take off.

I pull them off and drop them in a bucket of water while I untack and they seem to clean themselves – no scrubbing necessary.

But do they stay on?

So far yes.

I started with a couple mile waking ride with Susan and Heart and had no trouble.

Susan and Wild Heart getting on trail and she’s doing great!

Then the stars finally aligned and we did a decent 13 mile ride with various footing, walk-trot-canter in intervals, crossed the Jackson River 3 times, encountered some deep sucking mud and 100% boot success: back and front. On her back feet I still have the renegades and they seem to be working.

On the renegades I use a few layers of vet wrap to snug the boot in width just a touch and also give it a little grip that helps keep them from twisting in a canter or mud. –Thanks for the tip Lynne!

I heard the peanut gallery (Facebook hoof boot page) called my farrier, and taken matters (per his advice) into my own hands. I have been shortening her toes on all four encouraging her hoof shape to more round than elongated oval and it seems to be helping.

I have no idea what he will say when he sees her feet 😳 But at the moment at least I can ride and my boots are working!

If the scoot boots continue to work on her fronts I’ll replace the back boots as well but they get expensive so we’re sticking with what we have at the moment as long as we don’t lose one!

This is the first riding since Khaleesi’s mystery lameness. The short walk was to be sure she was ok, then we did the 13 mile harder loop to test it.

She had seemed fine by the weekend previous so if the ride lamed her again it would at least give me information to work with when my vet comes in February.

Winter is flask season and K always curious asked to try some of the cinnamon apple whiskey… she insists she’s old enough 🙂

I also am still playing around with my saddle- rough hair puzzle. On the walk ride I didn’t use a pad at all. The Phoenix Rising has a sheepskin bottom and CAN be ridden without a pad. Her back was smooth and even after the walk.

On the 13 mile I used the pad Phoenix Rising sells to match the saddles that I’d bought way back with my first PR for Faygo.
Day after she was sound and her back was perfect. I didn’t get much sweat out of her (she’s still I incredibly fit- even with the lack of ‘hard’ work this fall and winter) but no rough hairs, no sensitivity after the ride or the next day. Her legs felt tight and cool and she came to the gate to greet me hello which tells me she was also happy.

I plan to get up to 20 miles or so in the next couple weeks. Thankfully winter agrees with Faygo and for a summer ‘off’ and only getting out once a week she too is doing well and was a good training partner for now.

We don’t have impressive speed but that is not a concern with K for now- I know she has it in her when she needs it.

If the weather cooperates I will try to get a ride in with a horse that will inspire her to get her moving.

Best.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

I was recently asked regarding something we are working with Wild Heart on: Is she just being stubborn?

I stopped and turned to my friend and answered: I never assume that. Sure- sometimes horses might have an opinion of I don’t want to do that– but I try never to start with the idea they are just being stubborn, or disrespectful or any other negative attitude. I assume they are giving me their best at the moment, and we just move forward and try to improve on it.

It got me thinking- especially in today’s social climate, but it’s something I’ve been working through in my own world.

Compassion.

Real compassion, not just when it’s easy because you already have sympathetic feelings for someone easy to love. Or the kind that says “you are stupid and/or evil but I’ll still try to be nice toward you because I’m better and right”

I want to find the kindness in me where I can authentically care for the feelings of people who are just being stubborn, or have completely opposite viewpoints from mine, or who I’ve perceived to have hurt me in some way… or how about the ones engaged in behavior I find abhorrent?

How? And how is that different from condoning it?

Note: this is not for ‘their’ sake… doing someone else a favor by being kinder- but for my own sake. It expends a lot more energy working from adversity than from love in myself. Negativity is exhausting and draining. Compassion and real love are energizing and endless. It’s for ME that I want to find more compassion and connection- so I can have peace and energy to be more effective.

I think the key for me to work on has been the concept of Best.

Let’s take my horse as an easy example.
I learned yesterday that the amazing Khaleesi won’t load in the other (left) slot of my two horse trailer.

I always load her in the right. She is a perfect loader – I swing the lead rope over her neck and click to her and she walks on.

We are working on getting Wild Heart to load in the small slot with the divider in and she is worried about the confinement.

Because I began working on her on the right side- I wanted to allow her to continue there until she was ok before making a change. So I decided to load Khaleesi on the left side so Heart might be more comfortable knowing another horse is also confined comfortably and relaxed there.

Khaleesi refused to get on the left side. Then I insisted- I walked her on- she was terrified momentarily and shot out backwards in fear.

I scratched my head. Good to know!

My first belief is always that she is giving me her best. Apparently she is worried about being in that other side – for whatever reason I don’t really care– but if I assume she’s being stubborn or difficult on purpose I now color our interactions with negative connotations and have lost any compassion, empathy and connection to her. She is now a bad horse or a disrespectful horse. This changes my tone to either impatient, angry, resentful or even defensive.

In reality she’s a horse who doesn’t feel comfortable in the other trailer slot. If I assume she is doing her best I can now help her (that is my job) to get comfortable on that side and I will be more effective if I am connected to her and my relationship will not be destroyed in the process.

I love my horse and this is an easy example.

Let’s take the co-worker that doesn’t get me important information I needed and causes me stress in my work. (Substitute any work related issue here)

I can get annoyed that he isn’t doing his job properly, that he is making my job harder and is incompetent. I can lose connection with him and be at odds.
Probably won’t help a whole lot and cause stress. Ineffective.

Or I can decide that he is doing his best. And I can decide how to work within the situation to be most effective. I can’t fire him (not that I would or wouldn’t – but that not my job) but I can realize I may need to be more proactive in requesting information more often so what I need doesn’t slip through the cracks. I can help him do his job and make life better for both of us.

In reality he IS doing his best. That’s all we get at the moment. There’s no other option. ‘He should do his job better’ is just going to set me up for failure.

Does that mean accepting underperformance?

No- if I were the boss I may talk to the employee and ask for improvement in certain areas. If the person can grow- great- if there are things bad enough that the job isn’t being done then firing someone is always an option. It may be the most compassionate thing to do as the person may not be suited for the job- but it doesn’t need to be done with hostility or disconnection.

Let’s move to a whole new layer- where the rubber meets the road. Someone harder to care about – an abusive husband, a criminal, a politician you completely disagree with… a dangerous world leader … substitute the one who gives you the most stress here.

Can one look at a husband who abuses his family and say he is doing his best?

Personally I believe yes.

That person is very likely living in pain and fear and cycles from generations past. It is sad an unfortunate. This is not an easy process- but believing the abuser IS doing his best changes the dynamic in connection but doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be removed from those he’s abusing.

But is that human less deserving of true compassion and love?

That doesn’t mean staying in a bad situation, or taking away consequences or legal punishment for those who do wrong. But it does allow me to not hold hate, anger and resentment disconnecting me from the world and making me less effective in handling the situation.

All the stressful thoughts and feelings make it harder to make clear choices and act. It is me that I hurt when I hold onto hate- or righteousness – of being better or different. Separated.

I can’t just be more compassionate automatically, but when I take a step back in every disappointment and assume the others involved are also doing their best at the moment it makes me better at moving forward clearly.

I cannot change one person around me, but I can work on me. One day and one stressful thought or situation at a time. And as I get better and more connected I see everything around me get better.

For me, in practice, it starts at the barn. With my horses who I desperately want connection with above all else. Every time I assume a horse is acting badly on purpose I have lost connection and effectiveness to work on improvement.

When I assume she is giving me her best I find her best gets better all the time.

Rest.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Those who know me will not find it hard to agree when I say subtlety is often lost on me.

I have a (now) favorite story where God continued to try to point me the right direction and I resisted until I finally pulled a muscle trying to go my own way. I finally looked up to the sky and relented

Ok ok ok ok ok… I get it… I’m on board and hear you now.

I can be a little hard headed. Headstrong. Deaf. Determined. It depends on why you ask.

This sometimes works to my advantage as I don’t take obstacles as problems as much as opportunities and believe anything can be accomplished with the right effort, time, and creative mindset.

However it also works against me when I’m too blind and deaf to notice the circumstances around me tell a different story than the one I thought I’d begun with.

Either way I have been making an effort to pay attention and grow to be better and more effective in the long run.

Every two or three years (usually in winter) I get sick… cold or flu. I’ve learned one thing when that does come around it’s an opportunity to realize it’s time to slow down.

In fact I’ve looked around me this week to see a compounding of circumstances that seem to be a very loud suggestion: It is time to slow down girl. Now.

I’ve got a cold – not debilitating but I don’t feel great and am congested especially at night.
Khaleesi has had a mystery mild lameness.
My new hoof boots came in the wrong size so I have to wait another week to get them exchanged.

The tempting warm temps today along with starting to feel better and Khaleesi seeming to be back on…. mostly… as of yesterday tempted me to throw on her bareback pad and go out for a light walk in the woods today.

But I remembered back to that lesson it took me some pain to learn and I thought better of it.

Khaleesi needs more rest- I don’t want a lingering injury. We still have plenty of time to get out starting later next week. I am not 100% either- and I want to get back to my old energetic self.

And those hoof boots are still not here.

When will I learn?

Well. Maybe I have 😃

In the past few days of not riding I have done a lot of work from home to put me ahead on some projects, I’ve done some laundry and basic house things that I’ve put off, and today I moved the electric fence to start getting Heart used to that as soon as possible.

I also enjoyed some barn time with Khaleesi yesterday (as I continued to monitor her lame status) and then today after putting up the electric fence walked the field and enjoyed being in the herd and spending some non-agenda time with my beloved mares.

Nothing too strenuous.

As my mentor reminds me often.

Nothing can replace true rest.

Heart: on the road part deux

Sunday, January 15, 2017

This was too good of an update not to post so here’s a brief follow up to the Heart progress blog even though it’s the same day!

Sunday was not as wet and cold as I’d expected so after some house chores (woke up and realized my barn was probably cleaner than my house...) I had some free time so decided to hook up the trailer and make it the day for the trailer.

That meant it wasn’t: we’ll check it out and see how she reacts.

It was: she’s getting on if I stay here all day and night.

I thought about the horse greats… Dorrance… Brannaman… Hunt… I can’t remember who it was that first said it:

To be a good horseman you don’t force horse to do something. No. You make it [whatever you want to get done] the horse’s idea.

Well I’m not a real horseman. At least not yet… maybe someday. I wasn’t sure I could pull off making it Heart’s idea to get into that little aluminum box on wheels- but if I couldn’t do that my hope at least was to make it happen without force. Without frustration. Without stress. (For either of us).

To be successful I needed to have no time line, and no expectations about how long she would need to sort the puzzle out.

Checklist to prepare for success:

Be able to lead her well on the ground. Not just so she doesn’t run me over- she knows the dance and performs it well. Her leading skills are excellent.
Understand when I ask her to move forward either toward me or past me depending on my needs. This is solid but not perfect.
Understand how to back. Yeah. We got that!
Be confident walking on and stepping up and backing off uneven surface. We use the plywood platform in the arena and she easily steps up and backs off without hesitation. Excellent.
Be ok with confined spaces. She used to be stalled in TN and spent some time in a confined area here at the farm when she first arrived. Check.
Work on leading through narrow spaces. We didn’t spend much time on this. I’ve heard it’s great prep for trailer loading.

All in all I believed she had the trust in me and the building block to do this.

I called Nette and she met me at the barn for moral support (it’s always nice to have a friend), some fresh air, and to work the video!

Before even moving toward the trailer I got us connected and communicating with some groundwork. I led, backed, and asked to move the hind around the fore until I knew I had her attention and we were on the same page.

I think some who have horses not great at loading might solve their problems with that simple step.

Then we headed to the trailer and there was 45 minutes that looked a lot like this:

Basically I wanted to ask her as gently and softly as possible yet in the end it had to ‘get done’. In Brannaman speak: offer the good deal then increase the pressure until I could see the try.

This is tricky. I think I spent more time than I needed not asking clearly but hanging out with her feet on the ramp making sure she was comfortable and not worried.

I knew when I added too much pressure because it sent her backward down the ramp.

I also have been working on waiting on the horse. I believe it’s important you let your horse know she has time to think. I don’t want a reactive horse. I want one who knows I will encourage her to think a problem through if possible. It helps build trust. And the horse knows when you care enough to wait on them.

I was determined to out-patient my usual self and take as much time as she needed to do it on her timeline. Her comfort zone. It’s a common mistake ask a horse for something – wait a few human moments then decide “ok that’s enough… we don’t have time for this“.

So I was prepared: When my brain kicked in with ok, this is ridiculous… get on the trailer already!! I was ready to retort no goal oriented impatient self- we can wait longer!

After about half an hour I made the decision to ensure my request was crystal clear – I began to use my lead rope to drive (not to whip her- just a twirl or swing to communicate what I wanted) and added a forward invitation with my body to create almost a rhythmic rocking back and forth next to her. This seemed to break something loose and she began to shift more weight forward. She put on two feet then followed with the rear just behind.

I’m pleased with the work and after asking her to back off nicely (the second half of the process!) I loaded her 2 more times easy on, easy off.

Once she’d made it on the next couple times were quick and easy. My guess is she will now load fine. So far once she learns something it seems to stick.

So she’s really on the road now!

Heart: on the road.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

K seems to have pulled something in her shoulder and is slightly off so she’s on rest. If I had to guess it is a product of muddy fields and her self appointed job of keeping Wild Heart ‘in line’. Sometimes her bucking and galloping and sliding are less then graceful.

She came in sound from our muddy ride so she could have pulled something there and it didn’t present till the next day- or it could be a combination… who knows!?

Since we did get a good training ride in Thursday and some cold rain is coming in – a short break isn’t so hard to accept.

I have been watching her saddle fit and some winter rough hairs and after the Thursday ride went back over her topline to check for any sensitivity and she is 100% good! I went back to try the Phoenix Rising pad instead of my toklat and I believe it helped. It is the pad made to work with the saddle and it seemed to clear up any rough spots the coolback was giving me.

Trial and error.

Also the scoot boots came in and they are a size too small so I’m in the process of exchanging them too. Any ride I do get in will still be on the vet wrap and duct tape program for now.

So what about the good news?

Wild Heart:

Great progress with her!

We have been working her with saddle, and now we’ve added the bit – our choice with all my horses is the Phoenix Rising (was Imus) comfort bit. They are most known for a ‘gaiting’ curb bit (shown above) which is the bit my MFT (Faygo) rides in. With Khaleesi and Heart we will use the ‘transition’ bit that works off direct pressure- similar somewhat to a snaffle but doesn’t break in the middle with the most important feature for me being that it does not work off the concept of ‘pain avoidance’ but of clear communication.

The bit we started with has D rings that we use (not the shank rings) while her transitions bit is on order.

I can’t say enough about how good these bits are and if you’re interested in learning more- about the bits they sell and information about how bits work check out Phoenix Rising

With the ease she took the bit we moved to some ground driving with her to ensure we have some steering before getting on.

At first the long lines around her rear made her nervous and we got a few panic bucks but she is smart and level headed and after letting her realize she was ok she did great for both me and Susan.

Now hopefully she will also be less worried to things around her legs. This can happen out in the world!

She’s been ponied a few times with no trouble.

Things were going well, then Susan had a day to work that I was tied up and she was left to her own devices.

Or maybe I was out of the way 🙂

She took a suggestion I gave and hand walked Heart on the trail for a couple miles. Heart isn’t ready to take a solo rider away from the herd yet (or we are not comfortable with that step yet) but if we want to take her on an intro ride in early March she’s going to need to be ‘ok’ with Susan taking her solo- separate from her buddies.

This is our creative solution to getting their relationship moving even if the riding isn’t there yet. Starting on the ground.

Then Susan worked her in the arena and rode her as well.

Next step the following week was another arena ride that went so well we went right into her first trail ride since coming home to live with us.

She was perfect! We left lame Khaleesi in an outdoor stall and took Faygo and Heart for a few miles loop in the woods. It was a nice first ride and Heart walked calmly from start to finish.

I’ve been really pleased with heart’s progress and Susan has been doing great work together with her. In the year she has come to ride with me Susan has really upped her game and it’s fun to have someone to ride with and work together with that has the same goals of horse relationship and doing things with the horse in mind every step of the way.

We have been helping each other hone our ability to observe and be always closer 100% leader which is what our horses want from us in order for them to give 100% to us in effort. It takes some focus and effort but is so worth it.

I’ve been pleasantly encouraged by the process with Wild Heart all around. Between her great mustang genetics, solid mind and her good start with Jennifer it’s been even better so far than I’d hoped. I’ve heard what great horses these mustangs are, but seeing is believing as I watch her from session to session.

It is like learning = survival in her; not that she’s in fear, but every step we take together she picks up amazingly fast and is ready for the next level. Learning is important for survival in the wild.

Looking back ten weeks ago – the night she springloaded off the trailer in the dark, head high and worried about a new environment I wasn’t sure I’d get her into her stall without being trampled… I went home, sat on my couch alone and thought: I certainly hope I know what I’m doing!

So it is gratifying and relieving to see things going so well. Susan and I have both agreed to keep the process slow and only do what we feel confident will be successful.

Never put any goals ahead of this horse. Or any of our horses.

I am glad to say that I don’t regret this choice for a second though when you’re deciding what to do at the time it’s hard to know if what you hope and believe will be… will actually be.

We will keep her moving along the trail and hopefully Susan will move from hand walking to a solo ride in the next month.
If we can just get her on the trailer we’ll be in good shape to take her to Blackwater in March (Camping and intro ride).

We’re on that too!

Mud.

Friday, January 13, 2017

She asked if we could find some mud to train in.

After frozen ice and snow with a low Sunday night of 3 degrees, the temps rose to almost 60 Thursday with bouts of rain coming through.

This ridge road was a total mess in spots. After climbing to the ridge (which is a big climb) we chugged through the worst of it at a walk, trotted when we weren’t so deep, and enjoyed the more forested areas where the footing was pretty nice. It took 4 hours to do the 13 miles of out and back – we definitely got in a good training ride!

The new scoots have just arrived (not in time for the mud ride). I was shocked at how well the old boots (duct tape and vet wrap program) held up even when sucked completely into mud holes.

I twisted a front renegade about mile 8 and put the muddy thing back on Velcro and all. At that same stop I pulled her into quicksand basically to get on in a good spot at the edge of the trail and as soon as I got on and she pushed herself out of the muck a back boot twisted around. After fixing that immediately we were off and not another loss through more mud and some decent trotting.

Excited to try the scoots. Report soon!

Not Riding Today

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Middle school. At least I’m smart enough to ask for guidance from those who’ve gone before me…

Today I had a phone call with my mentor… the question: what do I need to do to be sure K is ready for an early 50 in March this season?

Should I be considering an LD to start off our season?

What has her schedule has been like lately.

Not a lot – she’s mostly on rest through the holidays… just some light rides. I’ve started to pick up a couple decent mileage rides (10-12miles) but it’s not easy right now. We have very little speed with the boot issues and footing in general.

Any riding you’re doing there isn’t light work. I’ve seen your trails.

I really believe in the power of rest.

She’s been though two seasons now? And her first 50 last year?

Basically… this last season she completed 2 LDs (Leatherwood and No Frills) and 3 50s (Biltmore, OD and Iron Mountain)

Those are all serious 50s. The Biltmore has almost the same elevation as the OD but it sneaks up on you over time. It’s why so many lameness pulls happen there. They don’t realize how hard the horse has been working because the hills are so gradual. At least at OD you know when you’re climbing the mountain.

This 50 in March should be an easy start for you. It’s pretty flat with friendly footing.

Keep to a light schedule but get her out on a couple 20 mile rides. You aren’t trying to race or top 10 with her, she has a solid base from her first season and unlike humans horses will hold their fitness.

The March ride is pretty flat- it will be good to find a flatter 20 [miles], and that time of year that area mud will be a challenge. I know you have rocks and hills, but can you train in some mud?

Yep. Mud. Check.

Also a trace clip is your friend. You have no idea if it will be unseasonably warm or unseasonably cold. Just a clip under her neck and chest will help her cool if it’s hot but won’t be too much if it’s cold.

The thing I hear a whole lot from experienced riders who tend to keep a good horse for many years: there is no substitute for rest.

This is a good thing for me to hear. It means I don’t need to feel stressed and guilty because I’m not riding 5 days a week when work is busy. Worried because the weather and footing is prohibitive for speed and distance.

So my goal is to take an ‘easy’ couple of rides each week and get three 20 mile rides in before February 25.

And trust she’s good for it.

Boot follow up 2

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Woohoo!

One more ride with 100% boot success. Only about 8 miles but a fair amount of trotting, slick footing, hills, and snow.

Temps were colder than I’d anticipated and no sign of the sun.

I used the vet wrap to help snug the boots and keep them from twisting. In the end the Velcro was completely frozen closed so no chance of them coming undone with snow pack but the bottoms could have still come apart and they did not!

I’m still excited to try the scoot boots as I’m short a front now and using the spare backcountry glove which was tight and frozen on to her hoof! I could hardly get it off once back at the barn. It stays on but it’s too tight and for the long term would rub her heels.

And the last bit of good news is that our saddle fit seems good. The pad with 2 shims appears to be working well. She has no trace of sensitivity and though a few white hairs are lingering on the right whither area and sometimes I see rougher hairs, we are still clear with her back for now.

Stay warm out there and I’ll check in next week!

Winter Conditioning : Brought to you by Duct tape and vet wrap

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Determined to continue training despite hoofwear woes I put my broken boots back together as best I could and dug through the old chest for anything I could get on her front foot to keep on the trail while waiting for the new scoots.

I found a long past use easyboot trail of Faygo’s whose Velcro has seen better days. With the help of a hammer I tapped the boot shell on (at least it’s not coming off easily!!) and pulled the gaiter over and did my best to put the dead Velcro in place- now we just need some duct tape (red of course) and fingers crossed it would work for the day.

The boot is a little tight and I wondered about rubbing on her heels but didn’t think that would be a long term issue with a ride or two before the new boots come.

Then I went back to my size 1 renegade on her other front and did a little prayer.

For her hind boots- that have begun to work well after reshaping- I found some chips in her hoof from the nail holes and that made the size 0 boot loose on her hoof so that I could twist it back and forth.

Not good.

So I took some vetwrap and went around the hoof to enlarge the foot only in width. Boot too tight! At least it made a difference. I pulled a few layers off until it felt snug without being tight, then secured the boot and pulled the vetwrap down to be sure it wasn’t on her coronet band.

Another little prayer and we were off.

Gorgeous day even though the forecast called for high winds and a wintery mix. Instead we were blessed with sun and occasional breeze.

Susan and I did 12 miles on decent trail and the boots withstood water crossings, mud, soft hoof-turning footing, and walk-trot-canter. We did some pretty hard fast canters occasionally and not an adjustment or lost boot the entire day.

She’ll drink out of a mud puddle but in a stream she’s always picky about where the water is best. Usually it’s inconvenient for me… here it’s right under a grapevine.

I am hopeful the back boots are now a good fit but the losses on my fronts recently make me think they aren’t quite right. I may play around with the vetwrap to make sure the boot can’t move around on the hoof. That could be a good long term solution no matter what boot she’s in.

At least we’re getting miles for now and not sidelined with no hoof protection.

I anticipate getting the new scoot boots next week hopefully by Wednesday.

Trial & Error (& Error…)

Monday, January 2, 2017

I’m not sure if this is a good first post of the year or a bad one.

The January 1 change over to a New year seems somewhat man-made and arbitrary. In fact, if it were up to me I would have separated these big holidays out more over the year. It’s a lot to throw at us all in less than 2 months.

Sometimes I feel a type too rational to get excited about imaginary human calendar celebrations.

But we humans- even me sometimes- do to attach expectations to man made ideas and feel some new beginning on January 1, or that our birthday (or entire birth month for some!) is a time we’re entitled to special treatment… or that we should gather with family and be happy at thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have two thoughts on these man-made days of high expectation…

First: I like to hope any chance I get to see my family is a good thing and find traveling for Thanksgiving to be ridiculously expensive and sometimes wather prohibitive. It makes me resent the cultural manipulation that I won’t be happy if I can’t see them on these ‘more important family days.’ And I want to feel special every day- not just on my birthday to be honest.

Second: I am now set up for disappointment if I don’t have a great fresh start on New Years Day. What if things I’m struggling with don’t magically reset into success? It’s a lot of pressure.

Not that I’m unhappy or negative, but life is full of the day-to-day routine, the long road of struggle before success and things that just don’t go how you want. And somehow my real life movie doesn’t care that it’s New Years Day and I am entitled to a day of joy and miracles.

It’s ok. I’m always the realist and reality is pretty good if you don’t have unrealistic expectations!!

After a few days of high winds and cold rain, then issues at home needing immediate attention (actually a hot tub malfunction that is serous to sort out before we drop back to sub freezing temps and have bigger problems) I was determined to take advantage of a mild day on Sunday, January 1, 2017 and take a good ride, get some of these needed miles in and continue my hoof boot & saddle fit trial and error scientific process.

With a slightly late start, then a long barn process of hoof cleaning, rasping, measuring, and extra boot adjusting to try out a smaller size on the fronts… I finally got on the trail almost 2 hours later than I’d hoped.

I had my doubts about the smaller front boots: they were just a little too snug. I have heard renegades do not function well too tight- slightly loose is better.

New Years miracle for us?

Hardly.

I was determined if the time wasn’t there for mileage, we would test and work with speed. This ride started with a healthy warm up walk and then trotting as much as footing allowed (which was mostly decent).

I kept constant watch over her feet (not my favorite way to ride) and we got about 3 miles of good movement- seemed maybe we were doing ok…

Then the first front boot came apart.

I didn’t have to go back far to find it. At that point I gave up. I’d brought a spare but just didn’t have the energy to keep the experiment up- at least that was a small triumph: I can say for sure smaller front boots were not going to work.

So I picked up the boot and headed home moving out when the ground was soft enough. Another mile and the other front came apart.

Yep, I can rule that possibility out.

Good news seems to be the back boots after filing and shaping have been staying on for the miles and speeds and mud. For the moment they seem to be basically successful.

So after returning to the barn on a disappointingly short ride on my less than glorious start to the New Year, there are a few more things to celebrate.

I went back to the heart pad and added 2 shims instead of the 1 I had started with. It wasn’t a hard test ride, but no rough hairs and her back looked great when I removed the saddle. No sensitivity.

I’m still loving our relationship, we are staying in a good cycle right now. There are sometimes periods where I struggle with my horse and feel like we aren’t on the same page and it’s more of a fight or argument than a friendship- but this winter we have struck a particularly harmonious chord and I love spending time with her, and it is obvious that she feels the same.

If I can sustain that for longer and longer periods I will consider that a great thing to celebrate for 2017.

And as a true new beginning I put in an order for a pair of Scoot Boots for her front feet.

Now that I lost a front shell I have to do something and with my recent hoof boot-shape research these look like a good one to try.

What I like about them:

Only one part… no gaiters or cables
No Velcro- at all.
Good drainage.
Super flexible material.
Supposedly don’t twist or come off.
Appear ridiculously easy to put on/take off.

The dream…. running along the beach into the sunset with a set of hoof boots that never twist, come off, break apart and are easy to put on and off!

Rear view. The materials are super flexible so I hope no rubbing…

Green to 100 is moving the trial and error boot experiment to a new boot altogether and have some hope it might bring a more successful solution.

Thankfully I don’t hold out for miracles- just put in the day-to-day effort through failure after failure knowing that I just have to keep at it long enough and dedication pays off in the real world. We will find an answer someday. And gain knowledge in the meanwhile.

Above all remembering to be grateful for all the things that are going right.

Happy New Year to all of you and I hope every new day brings a reality with contentment and everything you need each moment!