what a dumb week

**EDIT: more barn drama following this, stay tuned for part III**

This week has been filled with some serious ups and downs. Sometimes I really think that life likes to kick you when you are down. Don't worry, we're okay, Riley is okay (actually, better than okay), it's just been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

Looking very cheeky this morning

I'll keep the recap strictly to horse stuff so as not to get too off track. First of all, the farm owner from the place we were moving to backed out two days ago (VIA TEXT). Seriously? This is not online dating, it's real estate you jackass. We also found out that he gave the current tenant one week to move out on a whim. So sounds like we dodged a bullet on that one. But that leaves us homeless/barnless... Luckily the girls found ANOTHER barn that will work just fine. It's actually even closer to us 40-45 mins vs. 1 hour and it's right down the road from the place I looked at on my own... which means... ALL THE HACKING. There's also apparently a gallop track there and it's across the street from a really nice facility so we're going to see if we can use their ring from time to time. The barn doesn't sound as nice as the other one, but the owners are doing a lot to get in good shape for us (including power-washing the whole thing). Hopefully, the details will be smoothed out and the horses can moved over this weekend (they can live outside for a few days -- there are two huge pastures with sheds) and we can get settled in. The long weekend should certainly help give us a chance to unpack, get organized and let the horses get used to their new surroundings. Ugh, I hate not knowing what's going on!

In other news, slightly more uplifting, after a week without a shoe and a soak, wrap, soak, wrap routine for most of it, Riley never popped an abscess. Awesome farrier P came yesterday and he put the hoof testers back on Riley (to which he reacted violently to a week ago) and got nary a reaction, save for the inside heel (but nothing too dramatic). He opted to put leather pads and shoes on him with magic cushion underneath. He was jogged on concrete and said to look really good and only slightly off, then E put him on the lunge and trotted him in both directions and she said that although he started off tentatively (he's been protecting that hoof for months now, can you blame him) he did a beautiful extended trot both ways! Hooray. So $100 later, he's (that thing that rhymes with round) again. I went out this morning to feed and pack up m tack etc and put him in the arena to do another soundness check (*though, based on the galloping he did to come in for breakfast, I needn't have worried).

He's looking very good and feeling very good too! His trot looks even and cadenced, thank the Lord! Also, we was being a bit lazy as you can see in the video, but I don't really believe in chasing him with the lunge whip. I can't wait to get all moved in and start hacking all over the place. Time for him to lose that belly. Also, I switched his supplements up slightly, he's still getting Farrier's Formula (double strength) but I swapped his Platinum Performance Skin and Allergy for Smartpak's Horse Shine Ultra (very similar ingredients and more flax), I'll let you know how it goes.

ps. I'm on day 22 of Whole30, and I'm hanging in there. It's actually been much easier than I thought and I haven't cheated at all (okay, I did buy organic bacon from Trader Joes that has turbinado sugar in it). I've been sleeping way better, and even though this week has been enormously stressful, I've been able to channel that energy elsewhere (for now). My gut feels healthier, my clothes fit wayyy better, and overall I feel renewed.

Oh yea, I think he might be going through a bit of a growth spurt. It doesn't help that he's totally standing here all derpy.

Holy butt high allofasudden.

chh-chh-chh-changes...

The exciting news I referred to in my last post is about my boarding situation. The property where my barn is located has been leased by a BNR from Indonesia  (who's coming over to train with Phillip), even though there are two barns on the property, she'll be needing all of the space so that left us looking for a new place to live!  There are plenty of good things about this barn (ample turnout with sheds), stalls in a nice barn, a tack room, a well cared for ring, someone living on the property, close proximity to lots of good hacking, vet, tack shops etc. But the bad started outweighing the good (so we were sort of ready to move anyway), we had almost outgrown the property, it's land-locked and not close enough to any decent hacking that you don't have to trailer to, no bathroom, it's VERY windy and cold there when it's not summer, not hot water in our barn (and no wash stall) and it's an hour away from my house. We are located out in Chester County, PA... it's a VERY horse centric area, with a long standing hunt community, loads of big name riders, and horse properties everywhere... but finding a place has not been that easy and we needed to be out by Sept 1st! You'd think in our area it would be easier to find a place but we've hit a lot of dead ends, the girls have looked at some unsavory places and then the ones that were super nice were just out of our reach financially. Argh! So as a precaution, I chatted with them and offered to look around on my own as a regular boarder just in case they couldn't find something suitable for all of us. It's tricky because we needed to find a place that is self-care, not traditional boarding (I work out my boarding agreement with them), they are running a business and even though there are probably suitable boarding facilities nearby, that would make their overhead ridiculous!

Eating Clean

I've been feeling rundown lately. I think this summer I really put my body through some serious stress -- not enough sleep and certainly not enough exercise. My body was starting to shut down. Sluggishness, insomnia (but not like what I'm used to -- I've suffered with this since I was a teenager), general feeling of malaise, and I was starting to feel the pangs of depression rearing their ugly head. I knew it was time to hit reset. While I consider myself a relatively healthy individual, I knew that overhauling my diet was needed. Too many carbs, too much alcohol, and definitely too much sugar. I have been having digestive issues for a few months and since I was a chronic food allergy sufferer as a child, I thought the best place to start was with what I was putting in my body. I started doing some research and I came across the Whole30 plan. Now before you go getting all excited and frantic, I'm no stranger to "cleanses" and "detox diets"... but I was not interested in some sort of radical detoxification that would force my body to purge itself and then leave it hanging once it was over. I wanted real change. The plan is simple... for 30 days:

And NO CHEATING. Not even a bite or a lick or a sip. If you're interested in the complexities of this plan, follow the link for more thorough information, but the idea is to eat clean to help reset your gut. With that in place all other aspects of your like (sleep, skin, mental health) will improve dramatically. You sort of re-teach your body how to eat, what good food tastes like, and how it should feel when you're treating it with some respect. The "diet" (I hate calling it that because it's not a diet at all) further pushes you to seek out the best possible sources of food you can, avoiding all processed and unnaturally sourced food types (meat, veggies, nuts etc). It takes planning, and a bit of dedication to cooking (which I love) and will power (I did not empty our pantry of bad foods like they suggest). Finally, committing to eating three great meals a day (with limited snacking... this plan is the anti-grazing diet).  I'm nine days in and I can tell you that I am feeling the reward already. I am sleeping WAY better (both falling asleep and staying asleep), getting up easier, feeling more energetic, feeling more focused and clear headed, and better, I feel great about the food I'm eating. I have never, ever been the type of person who can stomach breakfast, and as I've been reading the book that goes along with this plan (It Starts With Food), I am discovering that my hormones are out of whack, telling me not to eat first thing. How crazy is that? On day 7 I woke up hungry for breakfast, and that in itself made me excited. I seriously underestimated how important breakfast was, and no... not the kind where you eat a ton of grains in milk!

I thought it would be an neat thing to post here, since I know a few of you are quite health conscious. What's very interesting about this program is how people react when you tell them you are doing something like this. Some say "oh my God it's the Atkins diet" -- it's not, and couldn't be further from, remember Atkins is nearly carb free (28mg a day), some say "I couldn't go without ______ for 30 days -- Yes, yes you could... most people can without a lot of things for 30 days, some think that I am criticizing their habits by even mentioning this program... look, different strokes for different folks. But if you are unhappy with the way your body looks and the way you feel everyday, then stop whinging about it and do SOMETHING. I am doing something.

I've been keeping a diary of my food (so much good stuff), my activity, and my feelings for each day. I think it will be a neat thing to look back on and reflect how I felt throughout. And to be clear, there's a small part of me that is doing this to prove something to myself, I want to know that I can push through and DO this. This is certainly more mentally challenging than physically for sure. I can't say that it has been easy so far, but it is getting easier each day. Apparently days 8-16 you're supposed to start feeling amazing, and I already do!  So wish me luck as I power though the next 21 days!

In Riley news, he's been introduced to side reins and he's not a huge fan (they mean REAL work, you know!) but he's been pretty good about showing up for work. He's had three sessions in them now and I think his balance and straightness are improving already -- he even offered his right lead canter for the first try on the lunge (he couldn't keep it for a whole circle, but at least he tried). He seems to be working out his own relationship with the contact and we're keeping sessions at around 20 minutes with lots of breaks, changes in direction and transitions (only a tiny bot of cantering on the lunge) and only about 5 minutes each way in side reins. One thing I noticed yesterday was that he started off fine tracking left, but uneven tracking right. I worked him through it and by the time I was putting on the side reins it was hardly noticeable. I think that because he's had issues with the LF for so long, he has gotten used to protecting it which shows up as him seeming lame-ish (thoughts?). I'm hoping that he keeps improving! Sunset ride tonight!

I've got some potentially exciting news to report next week, but you'll have to come back later to find out! For now:

What a dreamboat in the morning sunlight:)

Sounder and sounder

Feeling quite sorry for himself

Something got into Mr. Riley last week. He just wasn't himself. I was terrified of even saying the word 'colic' out loud, but he was just off. Nipping at his chest and sides (he can sometimes be a little girthy), he was strange when I bridled him and worse by the time I got him to the ring. He REFUSED to stand at the mounting block. This is very odd for Riley. He's the kind of horse that I can park at the mounting block after having a month off and get on while he stands stock still. He was not having any part of it, and we had a bit of a come to Jesus moment when he tried to scoot away with my foot in the stirrup. I broke it back down to basics and I was able to get on without much fuss. Sigh. But all was not well once I was on. I know it probably sounds a lot like I'm babying him, but spending so much time with him while he was recovering from soundness issues had given me a really good idea of what his baseline personality is about. He wasn't been cheeky or hot, he was just not himself. When I got off (after only a few minutes of work) I took the photo to the left. Poor dude.

Special.

When I returned from my trip, Riley seemed sounder than he has been in quite some time. He's still a bit off or uneven, but I'm trying to work through it as I think it's a strength issue more than anything. His feet look GOOD. His soles have stopped feverishly exfoliating and they seem to be toughening up a bit. I think just getting them off the ground is helping. He was back to his old self, which was encouraging to see, the picture left says it all. He's a bit of a cartoon character most of the time, so it's quite noticeable when he's not feeling 100%. We've starting getting back to down to business, slowly adding time and real work into our rides. He's doing okay, but his stiffness tracking right is starting to be a real problem. He's just not strong enough to work correctly going right so we're going to take things back to basics to help him build up some muscles. He's so out of whack going right that when we're trotting, if I start to ask for some contact or bend (or heaven for bid, both) he break into the left lead canter for a step. I push through asking for trot, but he'll do it any time the work gets "hard".

It seems quite obvious that we need to work on strengthening up his back and teaching him some real bend. So Sunday I broke out the surcingle and side reins. I've been using a neck stretcher, but he's already really good at relaxing his neck and stretching on the lunge. I want him to learn so balance with a little bit of contact, and I think the side reins are just the trick. I warmed him up in both directions (though, getting him to move out is ridiculous... lazy bones) -- snapped on the side reins super loose, but enough to catch him if he got strung out, and sent him tracking left. Once he got a feel for them I asked for some trot and I have to say that he moves a hell of a lot better when he's actually using his back! Much more forward and balanced. About 5 minutes of varying speeds, with lots of transitions and we switched to his hard side. He was pretty good tracking right too, though less excited about not being able to pop his shoulder and throw his body around. I think I might look into getting one of the Faux-ssoa systems, since he throws his hind end around to compensate for his lack of balance. It would be helpful to have control of his whole body from the ground!

I think the lunging is going to be very helpful for him. It's a massive struggle to get him to canter on the right lead under saddle. As in, I tried unsuccessfully for 15 minutes while he got increasingly flustered. I think for ow, our workouts are going to either be lunging for 20-30 minutes with and without side reins or rides that include long warm ups with w-t-c and some connected work at the trot. I'm going to leave the canter off the table for now and see how well he does once he's got more tools in his toolbox. He's feeling much better under saddle as far as soundness goes and he can walk on all types of terrain without mincing along! Watching him walk confidently on blue stone downhill to the barn just about had me in tears on Sunday! Let's hope that things can keep moving forward so we can get him to some fun little shows in the fall. He's too handsome to keep at the barn! In other news, I'm sort of eager to move to a new barn because I am always riding alone and it is boring. The end.

Shoe saga, and xc fun.

It's been one month since Riley's shoes were pulled and we've had a series of ups and downs. These were expected, and sadly the downs slightly outweigh the ups. Here he is looking incredible one week after his shoes we pulled:

Sorry about the lack of quality, it's pulled off the video. But whoa! He looks great.

Looking fancy.

After this big improvement things only went downhill. The weather got wet again and his feet started to deteriorate. He was noticeably uncomfortable on anything but grass. I diligently applied the turpentine as often as I was out there, we pumped him full of double strength Farrier's Formula and crossed our fingers. Then the weather got really wet again, and despite being in during the day in a nice dry stall his feet started crumbling. They looked like they were growing though and so I was thankful for that but I was really unsure of what P would say at our 4 week trim date.

Here's some comparison photos:

The angle looks slightly better after 4 weeks. Not a huge improvement.

To my unskilled eye, I see some progress here. The left photo was post-trim so it appears neater, but the new photo reveals a slightly wider frog and some significant growth at the hoof wall. *I had just applied magic cushion the day before which is why his foot is a weird color.

Again, I think the angle has improved a little, and his heels look less under run. Not sure what that wrinkle near his heel means?

I don't see a ton of changes here and his sole was starting to exfoliate a lot.

P told me that his hoof grows really evenly, and that is a good thing. He said that he wanted to reduce the flare, but would have a hard time doing so right now because he's so sore. His soles were still paper thin and P recommended that we put shoes back on to make him comfortable. I was really hoping we could wait another month but based on how Riley was mincing around on anything but grass, I had to agree. So he got hot-shoed (to hope for the best possible fit. P told me that he could put leather pads too, but for now he wants to let the sole do it's thing and that the pads would be something to consider down the road.

Waiting for the farrier. Sir Snooze-a-lot.

I know the whole shoeing thing is a big arguing point within the horse community, but it has been hard watching the changes even over the span of just 4 weeks. I am as patient as they come but after taking Riley to xc school last Sunday I felt like a horrible horse owner. Don't be alarmed, we didn't jump anything, we just hacked around and led my friend and her baby horse over some things, but was was nearly crippled walking on blue stone. It was dramatic the change when he'd hit the grass again, but he was miserable otherwise. He's got a great attitude and he didn't get stubborn or mean, but I knew he wasn't happy either. I got off after the last water crossing on the way back to the trailers because I could hardly stand how he was hobbling along. We wound up giving him a little bute when we got home. Sigh. I think we'll try pulling his shoes again over the winter but we'll have to see how he does.

Being a cutie pie hanging out in the shade.

Don't mind me and my sweet fanny pack.

I'm going away for a few days so I'm hoping that a couple days of bute and some R & R and he'll be ready to get back to work. P had me trot him on grass and pavement after he got his shoes and he was still really short in front. We will re-evaluate next week.

In other news, we're moving barns... well, the whole crew is rather. The property has been sold to a BNR from another country (she's coming to train with Phillip Dutton down the road) so we're looking for a new barn to rent. I'm excited about moving since we all agree that our #1 luxury item is access to hacking right off the property! Fingers crossed we can find a great place for the winter!

It's a good thing he's cute:

Getting back on.

Uhhh, why am I tacked up right now?

Riley's had a charmed life for the last few weeks. He had his shoes pulled 3 weeks ago and they've been making decent progress. Not spectacular, but at least there's healthy growth. I took a Rider's Rasp to the toes (don't panic, it was a tiny, tiny adjustment) on Saturday because they were starting to chip pretty bad and he's not due for another trim until next Wednesday. That will be 4 full weeks and I am eager to see what P has to say. Looking back on my calendar, I can't even remember the last time I rode him, maybe to test ride the new saddle... yikes. Whatever the timeline was, it meant enough time for my newish saddle to get MOLDY. Nothing like being all set to hop on and have to clean your tack first! The weather up here this summer has been not unlike Florida with temps in the mid-90s and 100%, so it's to be expected.

I finally bit the bullet and hopped on him Sunday. He's been very sound on grass and in the arena so I figured it's time to get him back to work of some sort. We just walked, but we worked on lots of transitions and connection. I think the walk is a brilliant place to start teaching him about contact and we're trying out a new bit to see if he'll soften a little easier.
For reference, I had been riding him in a full cheek, beefy snaffle and now he's going in a Nathe. At first he was a little confused by the bit, but I have to say I got some of the best work out of him in that bit so far! We kept our ride to sweeping turns around the arena (he's still not super sound on small circles) and I added in some steps of baby lateral work to get him moving off my leg. *Did I mention he can be lazy?

Somebody save me from her!

I'm sure the other riders at the barn might think I'm a bit of a weirdo not riding my horse for weeks  and then only riding him at the walk, but the farrier said take things s-l-o-w. So we are!  We only worked for about a half hour as it was quite hot, and well he's out of shape. You would have thought we just ran XC by the way he was acting. Poor guy, vacation is over! He got a really nice bath afterwards where I worked desperately on his hideous RAIN ROT. UGH. This time I went with a combination of Head & Shoulders followed immediately with bedatine, scrubbed it in and washed him off. For those reading, I know you're not supposed to scrub at rain rot, but this is after all the scabs came off (I thought it would be best not to chronicle his rain rot journey!). It's looking a lot better already!

Oh, and I finally got to try some of the Absorbine stain remover for white markings, etc! I was a bit skeptical because Riley has permanent manure stains on his back sock a brown mark on his face from his halter, but it's awesome! After he was washed, I sprayed it on his sock and a little on his blaze, a few minutes later I scrubbed it a little and then rinsed it off and voila! WHITE again! I'll do a full review later with some before and after shots (plus a giveaway -- yea, the one I promised months ago)

The brightest his blaze has ever been! His sock is very clean here too, but this is moments before he pooped AND peed in the aisle. Grrrr.

Snoozy Riley. Hard to believe he's only 4.

I'm hoping to take him on a little field trip this weekend if the timing works out. My friend Emily wants to get her project horse for the Retired Racehorse Training Project over to xc school at Carousel Horse Park and she thought we'd be good company for her young mare. We most likely won't jump anything, but the terrain is nice undulating hills with many water crossings, and good footing so it would be nice for Riley! Plus, I just want to get him out of the ring while he's still a bit foot sore on pavement.

That's all for now. Things have been a little crazy at the barn this week with a freak storm two nights ago that sent two mares barreling through the electric fence line into Riley's field. Luckily only one horse was injured (she apparently tried to jump a 5 foot gate) and she should make a full recovery from her flesh wound. I checked on Riley today (obviously I got a report of who was injured, etc) and he had only a small cut on his shoulder, phew. No more excitement please, horses!

Bonus picture:

+5 points for anyone that can guess who's farm this is? It's just down the road from our barn. Swoon.

Summer Sale on Paper Cuts!

Hi everyone-

Time to start chipping away at Riley's expenses! I'm running a new sale over at my Etsy shop!

Enter code SUMMEROFLOVE to receive a 25% discount on your total order! Don't delay, this sale ends August 31st!

Here's my latest piece for inspiration!

**I need to lay off the exclamation points.

You've made a believer out of me.

Nature that is.

While my gut told me to pull Riley's shoes I don't have any credibility to back up that feeling, and without the thumbs up from the farrier and the vet I don't think it would have been an easy choice for me. It's only a been a week, but I am so pleased with the improvements so far. The new turnout schedule seems to be helping too. I know he prefers to be outside 24/7, but apparently he's become quite fond of his fan, living the life! But in all seriousness, I think just having a bit of a break from wet grass constantly is helping to firm up his hooves.

His Farrier's Formula arrived today (along with the Venice Turpentine) so that starts a new part of his treatment, another factor in this hoof equation. While he was still a bit gimpy on Tuesday morning, he was like a different horse this morning when I went to see him!

Generally, he's a bit on the lazy side. He's got it in him to be naughty and I've seen glimpses of his athleticism out in the field, but that never usually translates to how he is on the ground/under saddle. Today, rather than walk quietly across the field while his pasture mate canters over, he raced him to the gate! Oh boy. I took his buddy inside and grabbed him halter and lead to take him down to the arena for a soundness check. As I walked down I could sense that he was feeling quite full of himself, and without warning he squealed and bolted away from me. I literally had no idea this was coming until the lead rope slipped through my left hand and I was holding the end of it! Cheeky! I don't know if he was mad about not getting breakfast first or what, but he snorted the rest of the way. We got inside the arena, I unclipped his lead rope and grabbed the lunge whip assuming I'd have to chase him a bit...um, no. He took off at the most beautiful (sound) trot I've ever seen out of him. He proceeded to trot around making circles at either end of the ring changing his direction... it made for some good video:

What can I say? He looks great. I let him prance around for a bit, called him and he walked over very proud of himself. He was all too eager to get back to the barn and I had reinforce some ground manners en route. Seriously? Who is this horse? After breakfast I cleaned his feet and after a 15 minute battle with the lid, I put some turpentine on his soles. I don't want to jinx him, but I hope he keeps improving this steadily. I still might hold off on riding him for another week or so, but this weekend starts lunging boot camp 101. Time to get him in shape!

Also, I can't say thank you enough to all my readers (and friends, internet and otherwise) who have been so supportive throughout this. I know it's just a small thing in the realm of horses, but it's been nice to have my questions answered, hear stories about your horses, and get great recommendations on our situation. I feel very supported by all of you!

Good news, bad news.

With all the craziness that's been going on in my life (good crazy, not bad) it's about time that I throw myself 100% into horse ownership. Because of the timing of his purchase it still hasn't completely settled in that he's MINE and I will admit to leaning on my training wheels more than a few times out of fear of screwing up my horse. Case in point, I wanted to take a MUCH more proactive role in his care, starting now. He's been on and off sound since I bought him. I wanted to figure out why and although I had come up with my own conclusions of what I thought the best course of actions was to take, my sophomoric prognosis needed some backing. More so, we needed to make sure that any of the really scary boxes couldn't be checked while we evaluated the possibilities (talk about a rabbit hole).

Down an internet rabbit hole of lameness.

Sunrise over beautiful Chester County.

Ugh. Of course, I find a saddle that fits him, start going to the barn at 5am for sunrise rides and then...

Riley is lame, again. I have owned him for 2.5 months and he's had two abscesses in the same hoof (and he blew one in that hoof a month or two before I bought him) -- he's hardly been sound for more than a week at a time. Remember his PPE was near perfect, not even the slightest reaction to the hoof tester or flexions/jogging... so yea, I'm a little frustrated at his chronic lameness. I'm trying to dutifully record the patterns of lameness to see if I can find any common threads. This latest case of lameness was likely caused by him ripping off his bell boot AND shoe (shoe was not loose) on Friday. However when the farrier came out to look at him she wouldn't put the shoe back on.

Here's what I've come up with so far:
*He is quite flat-footed up front
*He probably has thin soles (he's quite tender on gravel without shoes)
*He's had 3 abscesses in his left front (all that have ruptured near the toe)
*The last time he went lame was right after the farrier came out to trim and re-shoe him
*He seems to respond well to magic cushion/wrapping for a few days
*He's definitely more comfortable being outside. We kept him in for a few days and he got VERY stocked up behind. But keep in mind it's about a million degrees here and the humidity is off the charts.
*In the past he's traveled well over varying terrain and types of surfaces
*Usually after a day or two of tenderness he's sound again (ex: he trotted across the field sound this morning)

My game plan for this week is to have the hoof x-rayed and see what the vet says and if everything looks okay, I'm going to have a second farrier take a look and see what their recommendations are. I think my farrier is fine, but she's not much of a problem solver as much as she's good at doing simple trims and shoes. I will admit, I was a little frustrated on Friday when he was jogged for the farrier and she decided that he was too sore to put the shoe back on. Of course he was sore, he just ripped his shoe off and you can see he's standing on his soles. Sigh.

Because of all of this I've found myself digging deeper into internet rabbit holes into the causes for multiple abscesses in the same hoof and of course all I have done is thoroughly freak myself out. What if it's laminitis? What if it's pedal osteitis? AHHHHHH. I'm so new to horse ownership and I am positively freaking myself out because I'm sure I'm going to ruin him.

Step away from the internet. Slowwwwwwly.

For now, I think I am making the right decision to get a picture taken and have a second and third opinion. He's only 4 and if the worst case means I pull his shoes at the end of the summer and let him recover and grow hoof, then that's okay with me. There are lots of horses there for me to ride. I gave him a nice microtek bath on Saturday, scrubbed his legs with betadine (he had some little cuts on his back legs) and stuffed him full of treats before re-wrapping his foot.

Speaking of riding, I had a lesson on Saturday and I discovered two things: one... my horse is really easy/comfortable to ride, two... I forgot how to ride any other horse but him. I rode my friend's new mare who is a 5 year old OTTB mare. She's gorgeous and dainty. She last raced at the end of May and she's pretty quiet in nearly every way. Of course, when I rode her, I nearly got taken off with at one point, so we spent a majority of my lesson working on helping her understand contact at the trot and we got some really nice work out of her in the end. I just love watching the greenies figure things out.

She's going to be really special and better yet, she's a sort of celebrity. If any of you follow along the Retired Racehorse Training Project, you can read about her here. I took some glamor shots of her for the blog too:

Victory Money, aka. Prima

Two cheeky ladies (ps. Emily is the person that sold me Riley!)

I feel quite fortunate at least that I can keep my horse under the guidance of Emily & Co. I describe myself as a horse owner that has training wheels... at least for now. And while Riley gets sorted out she's graciously offered to let me ride her horses so I don't miss out!

I'd love to hear any feedback you guys have about abscesses and lameness and everything else!

PAPER CUT!

Recently, I took on two commissioned paper cuts one of a horse and another of some pups. This particular commission has been a long time in the works (we first started chatting about this back in November I think) but I didn't get the official art work until April. Anyway, I started with the horse portrait because I assumed it would be harder, and while it was one of my trickiest ones to date, I LOVE how it turned out. Best of all? I made it from an Instagram photo -- that's right folks, you can send me your hipster-y, artsy photos and I can make you a beautiful paper cut from it!

Photo:

What a handsome pony! Apparently, he is a well-behaved stallion that gets blue ribbons everywhere he goes. I just love his owners gaze at him!

Paper cut:

It's almost finished. I say almost because there are little tweaks I will make (mostly highlights) and it will be mounted and matted for delivery. I'll photograph is again before shipping.

What do you guys think?

I have another commission underway, but I''d love to do more. I'll even barter for them (don't be shy).

Leibster Award!

I was nominated three times for this... but I will answer the questions from the first nominator Janine over at Hoofprints of Kaspin. A big shout out to Kate at Grey Brook Eventing for nominating me also this week!

The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued. Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog. 
2. List 11 random facts about yourself. 
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you. 
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate. 
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs. 
6. Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

Eleven random facts about me:

1. I'm an Irish citizen. It's unlikely that I will apply for American citizenship (having EU status is golden), but I may eventually go for dual.
2. I have a severe phobia of static electricity. It's seriously ridiculous, and I allow myself to get super anxious in situations where static abounds. Winter time with blankets on horses is THE WORST for me.
3. I'm a middle child and I have very strong feelings about birth order and how it plays into your personality. I am a stereotypical middle child.
4. I wanted to be a forensic psychologist during my early college days... a summer class in photography and a 40-year old Nikon helped me find my real calling!
5. I hate peanut butter, pumpkin, AND watermelon. To most people this is very disconcerting, but since I didn't grow up in the US it makes total sense to me!
6. I've lived in 4 countries, Ireland, The Bahamas, England and the US respectively.
7. I was on my high school golf team and we went to the state championships.
8. I am ridiculously blind. When I was 15 my ophthalmologist told me I'd be legally blind by the time I was 25. I got most of my AP English books on tape because my vision was so bad in high school. It's gotten quite a bit better, but I can't see anything within 8 feet without my glasses -- it's a good thing I'm such a hipster!
9. You pronounce my name "nee-av". It's a two-syllable name that means bright or radiant. It's one of the most common Irish girls names of all time!
10. I believe in serendipity and the idea that things happen for a reason. I have a bit of a hippie streak that allows me to take life as it comes and I adapt easily to change. 
11. I used to eat legos as a kid. Deal with it.

Eleven questions for me:

1. How did you get your horse? Ha! My enabler friend Emily (who runs an OTTB retraining business) had Riley in her barn. She knew I was desperate to ride and offered for me to play around with him. She saw immediately how well we got along and the next thing I knew she was making me an offer I couldn't refuse... Sometimes horses just find you.
2. How did you come up with their name? When I was young my Dad had two nick names for me. He alternated between Daisy and Riley. Riley is after one of his favorite singers Paddy Reilly. Since my red-headed horse was foaled on St. Patrick's Day, I thought an Irish name of some sort would be perfect. His show name is Irish Goodbye, a move I am known for in social situations.
3. How often do you ride a week? 3-4 days a week during good weather!
4. Do you trail ride? Yes! As often as I can. Riley is only 4 and I think that getting him out into new places is so good for his mind, not to mention his fitness. He loves going for long hacks and we're lucky enough to be close to lots and lots of good places to ride.
5. Favorite food for you? This is tough, but if I had to pick one food for the rest of my life it would undoubtedly be Mexican. 
6. Favorite treat for your horse? He is very food motivated, but he definitely prefers carrots over mints. I'm sure I'll discover all sorts of other things he likes!
7. Do you use a helmet when riding? Always. I care about my brain more than my looks.
8. Favorite horse trainer? I've had some really good and some really bad trainer's over the years. I can say that my favorite trainer to ride with currently is Betsey Parker in Middleburg, VA. She's is very good at pushing me to go further than I think I'm capable of... there's a very fine line with me between boosting my confidence and me bursting into blubbering mess of tears and anxiety. I can't wait to get Riley down to her!
9. Best horse show you went to? Best show I went to as a spectator I'm assuming? Fair Hill International so far. I'm hoping to finagle a trip to Rolex into our honeymoon next year (I think we're going to do a bourbon/bbq tour of the south).
10. Future goals for you and your horse? First and foremost, to have fun. We're just getting to know each other and I want to really enjoy him this year and build up our trust together. I'd love to get him out xc schooling and maybe to a few shows towards the end of the year, but most of all I just want a sound, happy horse to spend time with.
11. Best picture of you and your horse?

    

    
    11 questions for you:

1. What's your biggest fear as a rider? *I feel like I don't trust people who say "nothing".
2. Who's your favorite rider and why?
3. What's the most useful piece of advice someone's given you as a horse owner?
4. How old were you when you got your first horse?
5. Burghley, Badminton, or Rolex?
6. Quick, you're trapped on a desert island, what three things do you bring?
7. If you could could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead, famous or not) who would it be?
8. Favorite guilty pleasure? 
9. Tell me three things on your bucket list.
10. If you could ride any well known horse who would it be and why?
11. Would you rather: Ride without stirrups for the rest of your life OR have one arm tied behind your back at all times?

Here are the blogs I nominate:

1.  All In -- I am simply amazed at anyone who can hold down a family AND ride. I recently came across this blog and not only is it filled with great photos, but I adore her chestnut OTTB Henry. 
2. Pia and Prairie's Parade -- This blog is like my own personal fantasy life! I love following along the journey of Gingham and her gorgeous mares as they take the PNW by storm. She has a terrific sense of humor and loves to analyze her rides with plenty of photos and video.
3. The Jumping Percheron -- I'm not sure if Stacey has more than 200 followers (she should), but her's is one of the first horse blogs that I started following. Way back when she was living in Hawaii and her mare was constantly covered in red clay. I've admired her tenacity and persistence and look forward to her new adventures with a second mare in her crew! Also, she's the kinda chick that I want to go drinking bourbon with, enough said.
4. The Polka Dot Periodical -- Holy Spots! I've been reading this blog for a few years (I believe before she even sat on Pongo and it's been amazing watching them progress. Nicku puts the well-being of her horse first and she's been an inspiration both in her horsey and personal life. 
5. The Adventures of Lucy -- Okay, she has 230 followers, but this is one of my favorite blogs! I love how Kate deals with the ups and downs of owning a OTTB mare. Lucy is never short on entertaining material for her blog and and presents Kate with challenges at every turn. Despite all of her shenanigans, it's clear just how much she is loved and cared for!
6. Sprinklerbandits -- Aimee is one of the most grounded people I know (on the internet). I've followed along as she's struggled with her former mare and later found her perfect partner in a lovely chestnut OTTB gelding. Red Pony Club for life! She's an inspiration to those stuck in a rut with a horse that is just not right for them and how to make the decision to find one that is.
7. Slow and Steady Wins the Race -- another Mom and another chestnut OTTB (are you seeing a pattern here?). I've just started reading this blog and I am completely fascinated by her courage to raise horse crazy kids and train a horse of her own!
8. Eventing in Color -- Another OTTB, this time one that was a featured horse in the HBO series LUCK. Again, a new blog for me, but I went all the way back to the beginning of her journey to get the full history. I'm really excited to see what these two will do together!
9. Thoroughbred Adventure -- This blog has everything! A TB mare, and gorgeous draft project and a newcomer who's a little paint thingamagig. 
10. Charlie and Me -- yet ANOTHER chestnut OTTB who is as cute as a button. I can hardly believe she has only 38 followers, so go over there are start reading her blog!
11. Good Time to Review -- okay, okay, okay... yes she has chestnuts too! Not only is Kari's blog fun and entertaining, but she's boldly honest, takes amazing photos and we're practically penpals in real life! I love reading her stores of life in North Dakota (she might as well live on another planet is seems so surreal), keeping her horses at home and how she makes it all work.