Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Daylight Savings

Once you have kids, the whole daylight savings thing starts to make a lot less sense. Our family morning routine and bedtime schedules have been out of whack for days...but I'm hoping things will get better soon. 

On the upside, additional daylight also means more hours in the day for barn visits to hang out with my best mareface.


We did a family barn visit this past weekend and managed to beat out the rain before it hit the area hard. 

I was so relieved to see that Quest's eye is 100% better, and no follow-up vet visit was warranted thankfully! She is certainly looking and feeling like her old self again. 

I gave her a nice grooming session- all the rain and pasture mud made that a FUN challenge. And I also did a quick maintenance trim while the rest of the family napped in the car waiting for me. Asides from that pesky RF mild clubfoot that we need to balance out, her feet are solid and easy to work with. I really appreciate a horse with decent feet. 

More daylight also means more trail time with Quest very soon. As mareface gets along in years though, I've been intentional in adjusting expectations as well. I recently read a great article What Ever Happened to “Serviceably” Sound?  that affirmed enjoying your horse doesn't end just because they aren't 100% in every shape and form. "A horse can be less than perfect and still be wonderful."

As long as Quest is ready for adventure, we'll be out enjoying our trails and daylight together until the day she tells me otherwise.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

NaMoPaiMo 2024 - Complete

My model inspiration for this year's NaMoPaiMo event comes with a story. Back in October, I was browsing through my social media accounts when I stumbled upon a parent looking for a small memorial gift for her son who had to say goodbye to his beloved mare recently. 


After leaving a comment on her post that I painted model horses, the lady immediately reached out asking for my prices and work examples. I told her I was happy to gift it to her son completely free, she was overwhelmed. 

I had the model prepped and ready to go for months but the past few months were tough. My husband has been dealing with a ton of work stress and late nights since January and it was inevitably spilling over to me. My creative juices took a huge hit as a result. But art has always been my happy place and resolved to push through with finishing this project and managed to get it done for NaMoPaiMo as well. 

Rest in peace, Dolly. You were so very loved by your little boy. 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Of Tandem Rides and Eyes

The start of 2024 has been quite something to be sure. Since moving Quest back out to SV, I haven't been able to see her as often as I would like but she's definitely living her best life in pasture and with lots of horsey friends. I sorely miss the days when she was close to home but it's getting harder and harder to find a place nearby that has a good balance of all the things that we both need. Knowing how much happier Quest is being pasture boarded, I can't in good conscience keep her in a stall just for my convenience either.   

I'm thankful for a supportive non-horsey husband though and we try to do as many family barn trips on the weekend as possible. And with winter slowly giving way to spring (fingers crossed), there is riding to be done! Mareface is always game for a quick adventure and my son has been enjoying all of our tandem bareback rides around the property. Quest has never put a foot wrong with him on board. She's really just the best <3 I'm hoping we can graduate to trail rides soon, maybe that'll be a goal for the summer. 


A couple weeks ago, Quest had her first mishap in years. This mare has a really strong sense of self-preservation that she rarely, if ever, needs a vet visit. However one morning a couple weeks ago, the BO texted me that she noticed during morning feeds that Quest's right eye was watering. It looked a million times better after the BO took her in and cleaned it up. It wasn't as scary looking anymore and Quest didn't seem any worse for the wear. As luck and timing would have it, the vet was coming out for dental work at the barn later that week and I had them check out Quest's eye just in case. 

It turns out that mareface had somehow scraped the inside of her bottom eyelid! No debris or foreign matter was found, no stitches or anything else was needed. Just daily application of an antibiotic ointment. I was so relieved that it wasn't anything worse as eye injuries can get pretty bad very quickly.

Fingers crossed for quick, speedy healing!

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Somehow

I'm grateful and glad that I was able to do my annual birthday ride yesterday. It's been a whirlwind the past few months with two little ones underfoot. I will never ever regret my decision to start a family but the reality of things is that it does make it just that much harder to find time for myself.  

The more you love something, the harder the universe sometimes makes you work for it. But in the end, things somehow will work out. 


Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Product Review: "Better Than Leather" Turnout Halter by Two Horse Tack

Earlier this year I was contacted by Two Horse Tack to try out the Better Than Leather Turnout Halter and looked forward to the opportunity to review another one of their products. I had this review drafted months ago, but it is being posted rather delayed due to my daughter deciding to arrive several weeks earlier than we had anticipated. Before everything descended into chaos, I did manage to jot down my first impressions and get out to the barn to take some photos. 


The Better Than Leather turnout halter is made with 3/4" 580 Beta Biothane in brown with stainless steel hardware and the adjustable crownpiece and adjustable chin. According to the website, this was the "horse" size. Quest has more petite Arab-sized features so being able to adjust the size in more than one way using both the crown and chin pieces is a huge plus. 

I'm very familiar with biothane/beta biothane material as I pretty much exclusively only use synthetic tack when I ride or do anything with my horse. This is my first ever experience with the "Better Than Leather" material and I am impressed. I was quite surprised by how much it actually looks like real leather. The material is thinner and more pliable than regular beta biothane but feels just as sturdy and durable. It has a matte finish to it that gives it the appearance of traditional leather while still being easy to clean and maintain. 

As usual with all THT products, the halter is customizable and is made to order. The options are endless for individual needs and wants. This turnout halter comes in black or brown beta biothane and in 3 different material widths to compliment a variety of head sizes. 

If you're looking for the traditional look of leather but the ease of care and durability of beta biothane, the Better Than Leather Turnout Halter from Two Horse Tack would be a great choice. It will certainly be my go-to halter when I'm at the barn from now on.