The good. The bad. The okay. Part II

After she finally came sound on Oct 5th, we had just barely over 2 weeks to prep for the very last show of the season. My only goal for the show is that we actually made it to the show and completed it, as it has been since Oct 2019 that we have been able to get that accomplishment. Sometimes you need to keep your expectations super low to get a win.

A huge pasture for the winter

I entered us in a local derby in Beginner Novice, not because I thought she needed to drop that far, but because with only 2 weeks to prepare, I didn't know if either of us could physically compete at Novice. Spoiler - we were not fit enough for Novice #GoodChoices Mia's weaknesses were on full display as we prepared, like during the canter, her haunches are either in or her head was drama llama-ing. While spend the time preparing with dressage, most was fitness and my main goal really was to just complete a show.

Mia likes her new digs

We did make it to the show at the end of October and while I am pissed at myself at a few things, I am very happy that we finished. The biggest thing I would have changed was approaching it like I didn't care. Because while my only goal was completing, I should have taken it a bit more seriously. Doing so would have given us a better score and I would have found the egregious error at the show versus at home.

A big and bright stall!

The dressage test rode well but I didn't ride hard enough. I didn't pay close enough of attention to geometry and my circles were too small. I was balancing Mia's haunches being in versus her head being up and being inverted so we lost points there. Mia had some slight trot steps in the free walk and tension as she wanted to GO. I left a lot of points on the table, which is something I had worked hard to fix over the past 2 years but didn't apply those skills during my ride.

This whole section had to be removed bc it was an empty flap from the abscess

The cross country/stadium portion went perfectly. Mia didn't touch any jump, we missed only 1 distance, and she was a machine. She was also a tired machine, she asked twice if we could stop cantering and I had to tell her no. I was so proud of both of us for finishing, and am 100% certain that entering BN was the correct call to make. I feel that going Novice would have pushed both of us further than we were fit for and there was no point in that.

 

A quiet ride in the woods

Was I disappointed in our placing? Yeah. We ended up 6th of 11 and I expected a better dressage score. However, see above. My goal was to finish and I had placed all of my competitiveness aside to made that goal. When I got home, however, I noticed the judge forgot to fill in a score for the collective marks. Instead of getting maybe 10 of 20 points, I ended up with 0 of 20 points. UGH! Even getting a 5 would have moved us up to 2nd or 3rd place with a low 30's score. #LessonLearned

I was still happy to get some satin!

But then I realized we got ZERO of 20 points and
would have gotten a much better score. UGH!

After the show, I moved to a new barn so Mia would have a stall for the winter. Her new situation is 24x7 turnout unless the weather is bad, then she gets to hang in a big stall. There were enough small things that bugged me about the previous barn that I felt a move was justified. So far things are good at the new barn so fingers crossed that this works long term!

The good. The bad. The okay.

 Wow has it been a hot minute since I popped in here. I have written, edited, and rewritten this post a few times, depending on my mood at the time. We moved to MI with big dreams of shows and green pastures, hahaha. Yeah, neither of those happened. 

Mia acclimated to the move well!

The move was a lot more intense and time consuming than I thought it would be, but overall things are good. We have spent a significant amount of time catching up on deferred maintenance at our new place, which was not an insignificant amount, and have:

Installed gutters
Cleaned off the roof of tree debris
Fixed a leak on a pole building
Obtained 6 full cord of cut/split wood
Powerwashed the insane amount of patio
Laid 600lbs of paver sand in said patio
Installed 36 bags of blow-in insulation
Rip out everything in the 2 offices and remove dog smelling carpet in prep for vinyl planking
Rip out rotted split rail fencing
Cleaned the chimney and stove pipes, I am surprised the house never caught on fire.

Showing where the 2 abscesses blew out

This is not a full list, but things I can come up with without trying to think about it. After moving to MI, I started riding 4 days a week again to get Mia and myself fit. We got up to 4 mins of canter without dying and started taking some lessons from the barn. We started looking at shows!

RIP tail, that I put so much work into

Things happened. She got hurt. She got hurt again. Then some horse pulled her tailbag off.....with all of her tail hair still inside. Goodbye years of work that went into that tail, it is now gone. 

It's so short now

Then she came up lame on Tuesday August 30th. An abscess popped in her bar on Sept 3. The farrier was out on the 5th and agreed it didn't appear to be draining anymore, even though she was still quite lame. I called the vet out on the 7th and she wouldn't rule out soft tissue, but said it was likely abscess related and to give it time. 

Yep, that is a big ol abscess

After 2 weeks, Mia was significantly better, but still quite lame so I had the vet out again on the 22nd. We took x-rays because the vet suspected navicular (I was adamantly against this diagnosis). The good news is that we found no navicular concerns, but we did find a big ol gassy passage still in the hoof. The thought was either A - there is still an abscess in there or B it was a big ol abscess deep in her foot and the big hole left is still healing. The vet thought it is option B.  It turns out it was option A.

It's done!

It has been a process, but we have finalized our relocation and Mia is finally back in the same county as I am. It only took 5 trips that were 11-12 hours each way when gas is over $5 a gallon with a truck that gets about 9-11 per gallon, but it is finally done. We closed on our house in June and moved our happy selves to MI on Jun 20th. Our stuff arrived on Jun 25 and we got Mia on Jul 2/3. Our PA house should close by the end of the month and then we will be able to relax, it will be officially done and over.

Happy Appy taking a rest

Our new place needs a ton of little updates, lots and lots and lots and lots of wall repair/sanding/painting in every room along with new flooring needed, maintenance, etc, but we are already quite happy here. Until Mia arrived last weekend, I was spending 4+ hours a day unpacking and putting things away, now that is now down to about 2 hours a day which is much more reasonable for riding. We have now unpacked more than 2/3 of the house and are focusing on the garage/workshop area next. So much to unpack!

They didn't specify which pets could go on a walk

As for Mia, she trailered very nicely. We arrived at the barn at 6a to feed her and was hauling out before 7a. We stopped every 2-ish hours for gas/food/bathroom breaks so Mia had a 15-20 minute rest and then at the half way point, we stopped at a rest area and unloaded so she could stretch and relax for an hour. 

I wondered what people would think if I put her waste in the basket.
I did not, I took it with us.

For a horse that hasn't trailered more than 30 minutes in the past 3 years, she was extremely well behaved. Would I trust most horses to unload at a public rest area? No. Do I trust mine? Yes, yes I do. I did keep a chain on her just in case for safety, but she wasn't phased about anything and seemed to greatly enjoy the rest stop.

Hauling with a horse trailer is better than the car trailer,
but still only 11mpg for just under 1200 roundtrip miles.

So much so, that after we loaded back up and stopped after about 2 hours, she was quite grumpy and refused all treats. I'm sorry girl, we weren't done yet. There were several hours to go! At the next, and final stop before the barn, Mia was back to her perky self and had resigned herself to the fact we were still hauling with no end in sight. I gave her carrots at every stop and the single apple (she still refuses to eat them after I stuffed bute in them one time. Years ago.) to help keep her hydrated since she refuses to drink when off property. I even tried one of the hydration packs that you drop in the water. At the 10 hour hauling mark, she took 2 tiny sips of water before being highly offended I would offer such a thing and refused to drink more water or the flavored water. 

My own tack closet!

We made it to our new place without any drama or problems and while it was a long 11+ hour drive, everything went perfectly. Mia unloaded without any issues, she has had no heat, swelling, or lameness. Her body soreness went away after 2 days of stretching and we have ridden all but 2 days since our arrival. There is a lot of fitness that is needed on both of our parts to get back into show shape, but we are on our way and I think we both have the drive and desire. When I rode in the indoor for the first time, jumps were set up and she was a bit excited and tried sneak in a jump despite that fact it was 3' high. We need to work up to that Mia, no blow ligaments allowed!

A relaxing trail ride to welcome us back to MI

Let's keep our fingers crossed that Mia stays sound, happy, and I can keep carving time out to keep training. I would love to show before the end of the year, and I really want to go XC schooling before then too! My last real schooling and show was the fall of 2019, that was so long ago and I am looking for new adventures.

Relocation progress also means little riding

 What a whirlwind of the past 30 days. What has happened? 

1. Went house hunting
2. Got an offer accepted on a house
3. Drove to MI and back in a single weekend - 20 hours round trip
4. Went on a group trail ride at the new barn and met new friends
5. Became increasing frustrated at the inability to find a barn in MI
6. Found some new barn options and are going to go barn visiting this weekend
7. Prep our PA house in prep for putting it on market ie. so much painting, flooring, etc
8. Continue to work my full time job

Somewhere in there I am supposed to find time to ride Mia, it is hard! I have in fact been able to ride though, and it has been good. We have done a lot of trail riding with hills but we have also been doing some arena work to build up both of our stamina and I think it is paying off. I did find a friend in a newer rider who has confidence issues and she has thoroughly enjoyed my helping her. Within 3 rides, she was confident enough to ride down the driveway by herself and was all smiles when she got back. She told me I should consider teaching lessons lol. Been there, done that! I do enjoy it, but I don't have the insurance anymore and I am only really good with beginners. 

Today when I went to the barn, a small jump grid was set up. Do I want to go over it? You bet your bit I do! I have been riding almost exclusively in a halter and bareback pad this past month because my time is so limited and we aren't DOING much, but I threw a bridle on and decided today was a work day. Mia was quite content to do some dressage and engagement work until we went over the jump, after the jump she decided she wanted to ONLY jump we had to have a discussion over my being a driver vs a passenger.

Jumps make happy mares

Her being "bad", though, is so minor in comparison to other horses so I can't be too upset. She never tried to get me off, bolt, or be super naughty. She just really wanted to go and jump and needed to be reminded to do things like wait for the jump, not veer to a jump, and go the speed/gait asked for. She really is the best mare.

I am hopeful that once I get to Michigan I can get my saddles re-fitted to Mia so we can do even more work, one certainly isn't allowed to show without a saddle. Bareback is really helping my strength though, I impressed myself at how well I was able to manage this ride. Maybe I will be able to get to a show before the end of the year after all!

Spring is coming, right?

Happy Spring! Just kidding, we got 4.5 inches of snow yesterday.  *sob*

The riding aspect of life has taken a significant downswing since moving to a barn without an indoor arena, which is horribly disappointing but was expected. Riding only a couple of times a week has been the theme which really does not help the "I would love to show this year" vibe. It is either raining, snowing, super high wind, or I am out of town. One day it will be better, one day! 

Girl got SPRINGS on those feet!

Mia's rehab from her suspected DDFT/SDFT injury is basically complete. She hasn't been lame (or lame-ish) since December. I brought her back super slowly at our old barn, but we had several instances where she was kinda lame but also extremely body sore. Since moving to the new barn, she has been 100% sound and hasn't had a single injury. Considering the amount of injuries or issues she was having before, this is a huge relief. I have now been cantering more and it is going quite well. So well in fact that yesterday was the first time I asked for some adjustability in her canter to go around/over some poles on the ground and she stepped right up to the task and gave me no problems. 

She is convinced that she is starving

While I have big dreams about continuing our training and actually making something of the year, the fact of the matter is that the impending move has ground everything to a halt. Free time is eaten up by painting, drywall repair, or packing. We should have more information at the end of this week about the timeline of the move, but I would suspect it will be in the June time frame. While it is disappointing, one thing I am greatly appreciative of is the fact that Mia is currently only 5 mins away. I was able to go to her farrier appointment and be home in less than 2 hours. And that included a full grooming session and chatting with the farrier and barn owner. That is....divine. Other than my farm in MI, I have never had a barn that had a less than 30 minute drive. I REALLY hope that our next house can have a barn this close!

Mia with ALL the gallops

Fingers crossed the snow melts and I can ride again. Mia obviously wants to move more as she has been full of herself. I really enjoyed doing some of the canter gymnastic work and it made me want to more again. I may not have an instructor, or an indoor, or show goals for the year, but I do want to have some fun and that was fun. Now if only the arena will stay dried up enough to ride in....

Positivity is flowing for change - announcement time!

 Riding at the new barn is slow and sloppy. With no indoor arena and a newer outdoor that hasn't fully "settled", every single step we take is in mud. Yay spring. The only place I have found to do any kind of trotting work is a driveway, and it isn't a long driveway. Oh how I yearn for a indoor, however I am still very happy in my choice of moving barns. 

What are we doing today? - Mia, probably

I have gone to the barn almost every day since I moved Mia, it is super easy since she is now only 5 minutes from my house. Every day she has had water, hay and her stall has been cleaned. It is disappointing that she hasn't made friends, she is always by herself or "close by" the alpha horse. The barn owner even confirmed that last weekend, saying "Yeah, she is always by herself". It would be nice if she would made friends, as I know what it is like to not have friends in the group. Maybe a little more time will help her find a real friend.

Sweaty mare after a long trail ride. More treats?

Last Saturday after I rode, I got a pic from the barn at 730p. I had noticed a bite scrape on the top of her tail dock when I was out that afternoon, it happens when one is out with other horses. It wasn't sore, it wasn't hot, just a 1 inch by 1/2 inch of hair missing. The barn owner saw it and sent me a pic to let me know about it. I am not sure I can convey the happiness I felt at that text, that someone noticed such a minor thing and let me know about it. When Mia was at my old barn, they never seemed to see her injuries and here I am being notified over a quite small section of missing hair at the top of her tail. What a relief it is to feel like someone is looking out for her!

SO MUCH ROOM TO RIDE! This will be amazing when the ground firms up

There are other, small positive changes going on in my life that are really making me feel like maybe life is turning a corner for us. Life for us isn't anywhere near as bad as a lot of people, however lately every time we have tried to do or aim for something good, life has kicked us down. Mia has now been sound since December. Her Lyme came back at super low levels in January. She is now on a Lyme vaccine protocol. She isn't super stiff anymore and can bend. She even loaded right up into the trailer when moving barns, no hesitation at all. Eventually we will be able to ride and become fit again.

Their pastures are to die for...this is a pasture not being used.

But something else has happened. Something big. Something fairly unexpected. We moved to PA from MI for hubby's job. It was a long and difficult process. Hubby has now received a promotion and we will be moving BACK to MI, likely in the May/June/July time frame. Surprise? He was made an offer that he couldn't refuse, and there is some relocation benefits being offered that should make moving SO much easier for us. 

Am I sad that I am already leaving the closest barn I have ever been at? Yes, yes I am.

What does this mean for Mia and I? Likely that our show season is effectively put on hold until fall. I have zero confidence that we will be able to train to compete with the packing/house hunting/house selling that is coming up very quickly. Our plan is to move to an area that I know has an established eventing community and there are a lot of people in the area that I already have relationships with. Fingers crossed that this goes smoothly and quickly, the quicker we move, the quicker I can get back to training and riding!

Let change wash over you

Sometimes change is really hard, sometimes it is not. Change isn't typically hard for me, I have moved houses/states regularly enough that it is just another Sunday. Change has been needed for a while, Mia has been in various states of broken for almost a year. I have been increasingly unhappy with the barn staff since December. Life has been unfair for a while but with the current state of the world, it is unfair for a lot of people.

A big window in her stall? Yes please!

Mia hasn't been happy for a while. She came off stall rest and has not enjoyed being in the pasture that she was put in. The horses in that pasture kept her kicked off of the round bale for the majority of the day, and no matter when someone saw her, she was almost always off by herself just standing around. She had no friends in the new pasture and she was starting to lose weight. I do think horses can be unhappy despite good care, and I do think Mia was falling in this column. In my last post I had turned in my notice at my barn. I love 95% of the boarders. I do love the barn, I do love the facilities, but we definitely were ready for a change. 

Such an amazing stall

After waiting for Mia's 2nd chiro visit this month, we moved to a facility that is literally 5 miles from my house. With the current state of gas prices, this will be huge. Also huge will be my drive time, as the barn was a 32 mile one way drive. A 45 min drive versus the current barn which is a 5 minute drive. It is a no brainer really. I am SUPER excited to be able to see Mia more, and can even do so during the daytime. It will also be super easy to handle any appointments for her. On top of everything else? She now gets a stall again.

Mia making friends already (Mia on far right)

I strongly prefer pasture board because I like my horses to be out as much as possible. In Michigan they were out 24x7 except for feeding time. When I moved to PA, I needed App to move as much as possible for his arthritis and I think it helped him tremendously. That said, I am really looking forward to having a space I can put Mia if I need to. If I am waiting for an appointment, if I need to do something while I am handling her, I now have a place to stash her. Previously any of these needs required me to keep her in a cross ties, this is a much better option. I have told the barn that Mia can be left out as much as possible. 

Is all of this for ME?! Wait, is that a treat you have there?

And guys. Mia's stall is HUGE. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being 16x16. The barn is a former breeding facility and the stalls are just huge! Mia spent her first night in it last night and it was reported she had nary a complaint with her new digs. She didn't call out, paw, become agitated, or even appear stressed. If anything, she seemed to relax. The situation she was in was perhaps more stressful than I thought? When she was turned out today, she marched out with other horses without a single concern. She is a solid mid-pack horse who likes almost everyone and almost everyone likes her. Apparently she walked out like she had always been in this new field and there were no squeals or scuffles. When I visited her about an hour after turnout, she was happily munching on a round bale. Of which there were 3 bales in the field.

Showing the huge pasture, Mia on the far right bale

The biggest downside of this facility is that there is not currently an indoor arena, just an outdoor arena. An indoor is going to be built as soon as a contractor builds it, but they are having massive problems getting a contractor to start. There is an indoor arena 2 miles down the road that I should be able to start using in a couple of weeks. Does that dampen my ride style? Yes. Did I move anyway? Yes. Seeing Mia today on a round bale in the huge pasture made me happy. Fingers crossed this works out as well as I think it will, maybe we will finally be able to make it to a show this year!