Winter Days

The colder weather has definitely set in and everyone- both human and horse - are now bundled up warm and toasty under fluffy coats and blankets. 

We stopped by the barn this past weekend for a quick visit/grooming session and to drop off gifts for the staff. I try to make it a point to thank them during the holidays for all the hard work they do keeping Quest's stall clean and her turnout pasture safe every single day. I have been unable to make it up to the barn as often as I would have wanted the past couple months but knowing she's getting quality care gives me peace of mind. 

 

For those who don't do social media or FB, I have BIG news to share: My husband and I found out a couple weeks ago that we are having a baby girl! It's very exciting to be rounding out our little family with a fourth member and maybe another future equestrian. Thankfully C has a natural affinity for animals and loves horses...but I'd be only so lucky to have not one, but TWO horse-loving kids. 

We have a name picked out for baby girl but won't be sharing that until she arrives in the spring. Until then, it's a flurry of preparation to finish setting up C's big boy bedroom and getting ready for an actual, in-person baby shower. We can't wait to celebrate with all of our close friends and family this time around vs while expecting C in 2020. 

So... hence the lack of riding posts lately and in the past few months, it was all for good reason. Even with my medical history, I'm low risk but it's always better safe than sorry. And to be honest, Quest probably enjoyed her semi-vacation and we'll be back to the trails we love in no time.  

Here's to a happy and healthy end to 2022, dear fellow bloggers and readers! See you all next year. 

Another Year

I had a lovely weekend enjoying another birthday. Never ceases to amaze me just how blessed I am with my family, both human and 4-legged! 

We started celebrating on Friday. W and I did a barn visit in the afternoon so I could get some grooming, treats, and cuddles with Quest. She indulged me with a sweet horse hug that left me grinning from ear to ear <3 

Saturday was supposed to be a "just the two of us" day but unfortunately my parents had a conflict last minute and were unable to watch C as originally planned. It was no matter though, and our little family did a road trip up to CT to check out a gorgeous park called Grace Farms (very aptly named if you ask me). The location was formerly a horse farm and the current owners kept the original turnout fields and barn building layout. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed wandering the grounds and getting family photos. 

And finally, Sunday night was spent together with a special family dinner with grandmother (who turned 98 a couple months ago). It was a really wonderful time. 

It's Been Awhile

Like most folks that I have been following along on Blogger since I started here, I also took a break from regular posts. It's been incredibly hard to keep up with all the things that has been going on and suddenly slow traffic here has made it tough for me to motivate myself to carve out time for super in-depth posts. However I do miss writing and I have enjoyed re-reading my own posts to remember and celebrate how much has happened to me since I started blogging and documenting my horseback adventures. 

Quest is thriving. We moved barns exactly a year ago and she has settled well in her stall in the evenings and actually lays down for naps too. This was unheard of when I first got her nearly 8 years ago. This past summer, she obliged little guy C in his first ever solo pony ride and was an absolute saint (as was expected). With the WMA in full blown hunting season mode, we're not really doing much trails nowadays and this is the one big downside with this barn unfortunately I've noticed. I'm thinking of seriously looking into other boarding options with better access to safer trails. 

Always asking for cookies.

Best mare for bareback rides whenever and where ever

Baby C is...no longer a baby! He's turning 2 in a month and has the attitude to show for it. He's got opinions and ideas of his own, but is such a joy and so much fun to have around. He still loves animals (especially dogs and horses!) and is very independent and brave. We started him in full time daycare this month and he loves it. He adjusted within days and enjoys the new weekly routine. I've been able to get more work done during my wfh days which is very nice. As for other family stuff, we have a big update coming soon but that will have to wait until a later post! 

C brushing and "feeding" his pony- too cute.

A New Artistic Venture

Expressing myself artistically has always been a huge part of who I am. It was my first self-taught hobby and played a huge part in my journey of finding myself during a time when I struggled to see value in who I was. 

I started small, on a college student budget, doing pieces for myself and friends. My real commission work breakthrough happened at my first art convention almost a decade ago when a friend offered to let me use a corner of her vendor table. I was unprepared to sell anything, but I put down a couple sketches I had done while traveling and hoped someone liked what they saw. I went home that weekend with nearly $1k in profit, just from doing what I loved. 

I kept on drawing after that. With each convention and commission, I used my earnings to restock art supplies that I needed to continue in the hobby - good materials were not cheap but doing commissions helped every bit of the way and from the ground up, I built a tight-knit community around my artwork and thrived, finally having found a place to express myself and my work. 

In recent years though as life picked up speed, I eventually found myself without motivation to pick up my tablet pen or pencil to draw for anyone, let alone myself. It was as if a part of me had went dark and chose to stay that way. Maybe it was the result of the pandemic or working through my emotional/mental trauma of my childbirth experience. I'm not sure honestly, but I knew something was wrong but I was apathetic to change it. 

Then about a month ago, I was contacted by a friend and repeat client who asked if I could take on an art commission for him. It was dusting off the cobwebs and flexing long unused muscles. I realized I missed being creative and I really missed challenging myself to learn a new skill. 

After giving it thought, I decided to take the leap into a new hobby and try my hand at model horse customization. In my mind, it was the natural combination of the two things I enjoy most in my spare time. Figuring out a new hobby has been quite the adventure so far. I've been learning about different model scales, live showing, photo showing, resin material types, painting techniques, painting supplies, and my favorite part- Collecting models to work with. 

My current project ponies in various states of prep and sculpting.
It looks like a mess now but this "diamond in the rough" stage is probably my favorite part of the whole customization process.

With my newly acquired model bodies, I did a few small projects to practice customization  techniques and I guess they proved that I was doing well enough to start taking on commissions. I'm currently working on my first custom order and I'm very humbled that what started out as a pipedream just a month ago is now reality. 

At its heart, I've always wanted this blog to have a shared focus of my two favorite things- riding and art. Customization seems to have neatly fit the bill. I'm still riding, enjoying trail time with Quest, and taking on catch rides when I can, but I'm pretty excited to explore and find my way back to this other side of myself.

Little guy has been watching me work on project ponies for a couple days now.
One afternoon, he asked for a brush and picked up a model bunny to “paint” <3

Product Review: Custom Yacht Braid Lead by Sunset Halters

It's been awhile since I've done a product review post. I really missed sharing about neat equine related things that I get to try out. I was contacted by Sunset Halters last month that I won a raffle for a custom 12ft yacht braid lead rope. This news was definitely a nice way to start off the new year.

The ordering process was easy and hassle-free; the hardest part was picking out what colors I wanted for the lead and decorative knot. Less than a week after sending in my order details, I got a USPS tracking number and my product arrived within one week...Talk about a quick turnaround, wow.  

So pretty in purple and black <3

The lead rope did not come with a snap (it's an additional cost for snaps) but it was an easy fix- I just attached an extra snap that I salvaged from an old frayed lead rope and it was good to go. I was impressed by the neat splicing work and the decorative knot gives it that extra customized detail. The 9/16" width definitely gives the lead a heavier feel compared to regular lead ropes and lends a nice weight in the hand. Nothing better than a functional piece of tack that also looks and feels good. 

Nice little details like the embossed sun stamped on the popper.

The 12ft length is very generous and will make it easy to tie pretty much anywhere at the barn or from the trailer. The length isn't too unwieldy to to store in a saddle bag yet it is long enough that if Quest needed a refresher while on the trails, I can hop off and do groundwork safely. 

The website mentions that the material is abrasion, rot, mildew, snag and fade resistant so time will tell how the the lead rope holds up to frequent use at the barn. 

So far though I'm pleased with the quality of product that I received and am impressed with amazingly fast turnaround time from order to delivery. The price will run you about $40 plus shipping. If you're looking for a good quality yacht rope product, be sure to check out Sunset Halters. 

Time Flies

I can't believe we're already midway through January, where has the time gone? 

The holiday season finished on a very quiet note. With having a infant under 5yo and the height of the newest variant, we ended up deciding to pass on large traditional family gatherings and various get-togethers that we had originally planned. It was a little sad since there are a quite a few people in our families who never met baby boy and he's already 14 months old now. 

C started to walk 100% independently about a month ago and he has been unstoppable since. He decided one night that he was tired of holding onto things for support and suddenly he was off on his own...and didn't stop again for 30 minutes. It been such a joy seeing him really grow into his own- he enjoys engaging with new people with his bright smiles, is just a little bit naughty, and definitely has a mind of his own.  

Quest and I are doing very well. We have done a few trail rides and mareface has been sassy and ready to go every time. Equestrian goals for 2022 are simple:

1. Getting Quest used to random human shenanigans as I want to introduce C to leadline riding in the warmer months so I'll be pulling out some of our old desensitizing toys and trying some games to get her used to all the wacky things I can think of. Mareface has always been rock-solid steady in the arena (to the point of being bored and half-asleep) so I honestly don't expect anything to really happen but better safe than sorry. 
2. Take Quest off property for some fun trail rides. Since I sold my trailer last year, I haven't been able to really do much new trail exploring and I'm itching to do it again. Fortunately I have connected with friends willing to let me catch a trailer ride with them so hopefully the stars align for an adventure soon. 
3. And if things fall into my lap, I'd love to do a catch ride or two in CTR or endurance but that is on the way back burner due to limited budget and PTO priorities. 

Other than that, anything extra that we manage to accomplish in the year to come would be a nice cherry on top. Hope you all had a great start to 2022 so far!