home again home again

Silly pup. It really is fun to ride with a dog.

Tomorrow, Envoy goes to my friend's clinic. It is a benefit that supports the Gary Senise Foundation. She is giving lessons to people who donated to the foundation, and Envoy loves going there. It's a good thing in many ways.

Time for a little dose of humble pie. I ate dirt today.

A pigeon was in the arena rafters, and it decided to set up a fuss. Envoy bucked a little at first, and I was fine with that. Then, he feinted to the right and bolted to the left. I lost my seat and went skidding. No injuries because I was wearing my helmet. My protected head skidded into a concrete footing for the building. I don't even have a headache. Helmets are so much better than they used to be!

Tomorrow, Envoy and I are going on a trail ride. I have a friend in Williamsburg who wants to go to York River State Park. Neither one of us has been trail riding in years, and it could be really exciting since it's supposed to be chilly. Fingers are crossed for an uneventful ride and beers are packed in case there are events.

What an absolutely glorious day. We forgot that the park would be decorated for Halloween, but neither of our horses blinked an eye at the weird things hung on branches or waving in the breeze. The spooks were saved for a deer who popped out of the woods and invisible squirrels darting around the trees. But, nothing exciting happened. Just dead stops with snorts. The beers at the end of the ride were SO good.

LOL....sounds like a good day all around.

No riding today even though the weather was perfect. I had to go and get shavings for the messy stalls. I need to get in some saddle time while the weather is nice and before daylight savings time ends. I SO don't look forward to dark and cold.

The horses are really happy with the temperatures. They have spent a lot of time outside, which makes Kina move better and Envoy less spooky.

I don't look forward to dark and cold either......

I think nearly everyone enjoys nice fall weather, when it isn't raining that is. Such a pretty time of year.

True. Today was way too windy to play with horses. We would have blown right over. It was chilly too. Yesterday was warm, today cool. Typical Virginia autumn. Biggest thing is that today is the end of hurricane season. YIPPEE!

Hooray! I am so glad that is over for you and everyone else I know in the south.

Well, I rushed things. It's actually not over until the end of November. But, I can't think of any time when we've had tropical weather this late in the year.

Horses are ready for new hay. I go to buy some on Friday, and will bring some bales home. They're hating the hay they have now. It's frustrating.

It's COLD outside. Mid 30s, and the cold part of the night hasn't come yet. I brought the horses in. I am sure they are fine outside in dry cold weather, but I brought them in so they could eat their hay inside. Wimpy me!

Freeze warning tonight. BRR! We are going to be in Richmond until fairly late. I'm debating whether or not to put jammies on the horses. It's awfully early for that, but the wind is pretty strong too. Hmm... Not sure. They have good winter coats, so they should be okay. I am wimpy and hate to be cold. It's like when we were kids and our moms said, "I'm cold. Put on a sweater."

Frustrated... The hay delivery was supposed to get here today. They called in the afternoon and said it will be tomorrow morning. It isn't that I'm out of hay, it's that I had my schedule arranged around the delivery today. Sigh... Blow this week up.

Hay is safely in the barn, and horse tummies are happy. The unfortunate development of the week is that deer season (complete with howling packs of dogs) starts tomorrow. That hasn't kept the hunters from parading the trucks around the neighborhood. They have dogs in the backs of the trucks, and seem to be showing off to all the people who don't hunt. It's pathetic. I was riding Envoy when I saw the first one go by. Envoy rolled his eyes. When the pack started howling, Envoy told me I had better get off. He was UNHAPPY. So, Virginia's sacred right to hunt takes over the last of the good weather. Those of us who prefer to enjoy out outdoor time without gunshots are screwed until Jan 1.

That really bites the big one.....

I'm upset. The waterproofing wore out on the horses' sheets. We had a full day of rain, and the kids were soaked. I've ordered blanket wash that will re-waterproof them, but I'm sad that they got so soaked yesterday. It was a chilly rain too.

Are they okay? No sniffles or sneezes?

They're fine. The waterproofing stuff came overnight -- amazingly. Amazon did good.

It's supposed to go into the 20s tonight. I have to go out and put the real blankets on the horses.

The blankets have stayed plenty warm while the cold snap visited. Tomorrow is supposed to get warmer and wetter. I've sprayed the sheets with a spray that's supposed to bring back the waterproofing. The online reviews were all positive, and it was cheap enough. I am REALLY hoping it works because I just can't buy new sheets and blankets this year.

And plastic tarps would scare the ponies....thinking it will eat them like the bags would.

Some horses aren't frightened of tarps, but you have to consider how they fit. Blankets that don't fit the right way put pressure on their withers, and can cause bad rubs. So, waterproofing spray it is. It seems to have worked anyway. Today, we had a bit of rain in the morning. Horses are dry. Yippee! When I wash the blankets, I'll use the waterproofing detergent, and all should be good.

Everyone has their heaviest blankets/liners on. So far, the water buckets in the barn are not freezing, so we're good. The outside tank has a heater, so it's fine. The horses are eating hay and drinking plenty. I think we will be fine even if we complain our way through the next day of cold.

And today was 70 degrees. It's getting colder though. Roller coaster weather! The horses are eating hay and drinking plenty, so I don't think we'll have trouble with colic. But, I'm checking them often just to be sure.

I'm sure they appreciate the visits from mommy too. Your temps are seesawing more than ours!