Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day weekend

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

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! 

Finding Simplicity

It's been a few weeks since Thanksgiving came and went but in a lot of ways, it marks the official start to the holiday season. Well, at least in my mind it does. 

It's been fun watching Baby C take in all the sights and sounds. Though this technically isn't his first ever Christmas, its the first one where he is more than just a wiggling ball. Now there is holiday music, blinking tree lights, cooking food smells, cooler weather. 

His innocent sense of wonder is really something to behold and honestly his genuine reaction to the smallest things is the humble reminder I needed that sometimes things in life don't have to be big, huge, expensive, or fancy to be memorable, enjoyable, or emotionally satisfying. 

That mantra has been running through my mind whenever I spend time at the barn. It's been a few weeks since Quest and I did our last ride together and I was itching for the trails this past weekend. 

Before going to the barn, I stopped to buy a set of nippers to give mareface a quick trim. I've been having difficulty coordinating with the farrier I had used at the previous barn so I made up my mind to do what I could in the meantime. The nippers were a godsend and then the rasp made quick work. It helped that Quest stood nicely for me in the crossties. Good mare! 

I debated doing a full tack trail ride at first but in the end, I opted for bareback and bitless. We got tacked up with the little S-hack, my like-new Toklat Coolback bareback pad (which I got for an absolute steal of a price from a local horseperson), and made sure to wear my orange vest. 

The weather was cool and Quest was full of sass. When we got into the WMA, she immediately asked to move out. However we had seen a few trucks and a couple hunters in the parking lot so a speedy ride was probably not the best thing for that particular day. 

After a few reminders to slow down and chill, Quest did settle into her big walk and we enjoyed a lovely 3.5mi ride done in about 50mins. We could have done more but it was a little unnerving hearing all the dogs and rifles in the training area. We were in no danger at any time as the two areas are completely separated and inaccessible on foot but it was tough not to be on edge. Despite all that, it was a good ride and Quest felt 110% after her trim which I'm very pleased about. 

Happy birthday to me.
I promised myself a real bareback pad someday and finally got one!

I'm in total love with the Coolback and feel utterly spoiled by actually having a real bareback pad after making due with my DIY pad for the past 6-7 years. I think I need a neoprene girth since the girth that came with the pad is a little too slick and I could see that the pad slid back a little after our ride. Though for the price I got it at and knowing how much use I'll definitely get out of it, I'm not complaining at all and its an easy fix. Can't wait to do more bareback rides this winter!

Two Birthday Rides

The month started off with two wonderful rides that mean so very much to me. This time last year, I was quite pregnant at full term/40 weeks and unable to enjoy my traditional birthday trail ride. A full year later, it absolutely made my birthday to be hopping on my favorite mareface doing what we love together again. 

A few days later I went back out to the barn, this time with little guy in tow to celebrate his birthday with his own birthday ride!

My husband had to work so this was the first ever 100% solo outing with just me and baby. I worried if I was trying to attempt too much by myself, but everything went well. After grooming and tacking up Quest with the bareback pad and S-hack, I strapped C into the baby carrier and we headed to the outdoor arena. I swung up with the mounting block and off we went. 

Quest was a saint. Little guy was babbling and laughing. I was grinning from ear to ear. 

"Little human, can I have cookies please?"

Giddy smiles!

Quest is so incredibly gentle with him.
He was petting all over her nose and face.

It's hard to put into words how happy I was to share a birthday ride with my little boy, and maybe start a new tradition with him - the fact that he enjoyed it was the icing on top. 

It is certainly curious how different my emotional state was a year ago and sometimes...still is. While I've physically healed, I'm still not 100% emotionally fine and...honestly, that is okay. It's been good to find support from other parents who have gone through a similar journey and to realize that is is perfectly okay for my mental health to take its own path and time to recover. 

Having Quest so rock steady and ready when I need her the most has been an incredible gift to my emotional wellbeing though. Through long hours alone on the trail, I've given myself that quiet space to sort through a maze of thoughts- realizing the need to prioritize what actually matters to me and to stop caring about what doesn't and to intentionally surround myself with good, supportive people. 

And even though the year of distance riding didn't quite happen the way I had wanted it to....Rides will always be there and my family, our small little growing family, will only be as it is for a short time. Maybe it'll be next year, or the year after that. I'll take what ever catch rides I can fit into my schedule.

 In the meantime though, I'll continue to enjoy my little slice of personal heaven - riding with my little guy and my best mareface.

Goodbye Trailer

After a lot of thinking and internal deliberation, I made the decision to list my trailer for sale last weekend. 

Getting hooked up to the new owners' truck

There must have been a trailer scarcity going on or maybe my timing and price was just right but my message inbox exploded overnight. I think I got around 40-50 offers in less than a week after posting. It was rather overwhelming to field all the messages coming in and decide on which buyer to go with but in the end, I went with my gut instinct and I think I made the right decision. My trailer went home with a young family who will be giving it a complete make-over and a new purpose. I'm excited to see how it turns out. 

I am definitely feeling little sad about selling my little stock trailer but with everything going on in my life at the moment, it was too nice to sit in a field when it still had years of use left in it. I don't regret buying it when I did 5 years ago and it was really nice to have around. But my immediate goals and needs have changed over the past couple years and I'll probably be trailer-less for the next few years since our new barn home (more on that in a little bit) will take care of our needs. The husband has promised me a nicer trailer when the time comes so we'll be mobile again someday whenever that is. 

As for the new barn...it was a quick decision that my husband and I made together. Baby C has been an amazing little roadtrip companion for the past 10-11 months and has weathered long drives with little issue. However as he's getting older and more opinionated now, the 2-hour roundtrip drive to the barn on the weekends was exhausting for everyone and I feel very pressed for time when I'm out riding with Quest. To his credit, husband has never made me feel guilty and actually 90% of the time he's the one doing the driving however I want to be cognizant of how he feels (even when he doesn't say it out loud). The current barn was tough to beat in terms of board cost but greater was the inevitable realization that it was time for Quest and me to find a new barn closer to home.  

The smiles! 

From just being a part of the local horse community, I knew full well going into this search that the toughest part would be finding something that would fit my location/drive distance radius AND have ample pasture turnout. But I had to hope- so I posted a causal ISO in the local horse FB group and crossed my fingers. 

I got a ton of responses from folks wanting to help (and solicit business) but nothing really quite fit the bill- until I got a private message from a lady named T who offered to have us visit her farmette located about 30-35 minutes away from home. We chatted extensively through FB and set up a time to stop by later that weekend. My little family came along for the visit - they are a part of this horse adventure as well and it was important to have T get to know my family if she was opening up her home property to us. The farmette has a stall for everyone for feeding 2x a day and semi-private pasture paddock attached and a larger main pasture for turnout. For riding, there is an outdoor arena with jumps, panels for a round pen if needed, and direct access to 5-mile ballast-footing trail in a WMA with lots of other forest trails. T often hauls out for shows and hunter paces so if we ever wanted a ride, she has already made her rig and herself available to us. All in all it seemed like a good set up for our current needs but I still gave myself a couple days to think it over before making the decision. The move will be in a few days time and I'll get some media to share after the dust has settled.   

As for the mareface, Quest is doing well and we have been getting in lovely arena rides when I have the time to fit them in. I've wanted to try other bitless options with her for a very long time and finally got the little-S hackmore set up exactly the way I want. Best mareface took it it in stride in our first arena ride testing it out with no drama or fuss. I'm hoping to do more rides with it, maybe take it out on trail later when we are moved into the new place. It'll be really nice to have Quest closer to home again, I really missed seeing her around.

Forever my happy place <3 

Back in the Saddle

The long awaited moment finally happened this weekend. Quest and I did our first real ride after nearly 10 months and it was the perfect way to start the new year. 

W was wonderful enough to watch C in the car while I did my ride without worrying. He really is the best husband. The extent that he understands how much riding and my ride goals mean makes me so grateful for his complete support <3 

Mareface was foot perfect and awesome. We did about 30-40 minutes of walk-only since I'm still healing from the incision and didn't want to do anything that would set my progress back. I felt great though and it was tough not to keep going or be tempted to do more than just a walk. Quest was definitely feeling good as well and she asked politely to trot at a few points during our little jaunt. 

I guess it was a good thing I didn't do too much since I felt a little sore later that evening- definitely need to build up those riding muscles again haha If the weather stays decent, I'll probably be going out to the barn most weekends and might try to fit in a longer trail ride at some point! 

Reunion

A few weekends ago, we did a barn trip out as a family of three for the first time! 

C was super during the drive (lots of sleeping) and woke up briefly to check out his new surroundings. W stayed in the car with the little guy while I went out to the pasture to go fetch Quest. 

During the winter months, the upper pastures are closed to the main herd so thankfully I didn't have to slog through a ton of snow-laden terrain in order to get mareface. I was also still technically on medical leave and have been trying to be good about not overextending myself so I could heal...and get back to riding sooner!

I found Quest dozing happily in the morning sun with a nice fluffy winter coat going on. After doing my usual look over (cleaned/checked feet and ran hands all over), I did a quick grooming session before leading mareface over to the fence for the highly anticipated meeting. With C still a newborn, we made sure to bundle him up for the outdoors. The temperature difference in the pasture vs at home is big enough so we played it safe with winter wear. Poor kid's jacket was super oversized but at least he was warm haha 

As expected, Quest was just amazing. Always ears up, she was quietly inquisitive, gentle, and seemed to "check in" with me from time to time. There was lots of praise for her and we made sure to snag plenty of photos together. 

I wanted to stay at the barn longer but the weather was pretty cold and I didn't want to risk C getting sick. Good news though is that as of last week, I had my final post-op appointment and got full medical clearance from my health care providers so saddle time will be happening. 

With winter in full swing and a baby in tow, it might be a bit hard to get in those focused rides that I was used to doing but all in good time!

Baby Boy C

My little guy arrived on November 9 at 10:14am, weighing a solid 8lbs 6oz. After a 3-day hospital stay, we have been recuperating and bonding with lots of newborn snuggles at home since then. 

The weeks and days leading up to C's delivery were super tough on me emotionally as I struggled to come to terms with a scheduled c-section due to C being breeched at 32 weeks. For two months, W and I tried everything to get him to turn but he was stubborn to the end (...maybe perhaps much like me in a lot of ways.) The procedure itself was textbook perfect though and recovery has been relatively smooth thankfully.  I'm still mentally coping with how things ended up but in this process, I got a jumpstart on learning one of the biggest lessons in parenthood: Things rarely go according to plan. 

It's been three weeks since we got home and I'm surviving motherhood so far. The feedings at 3-4am are the toughest part but all in all, C has been a good baby. I have my final post-op appointment with my health care team in about 3 weeks and if recovery continues to go well, they will give me the all clear to return to full activity...which will definitely include some much needed saddle time with my best mareface.  

Nine months away certainly feels like an eternity. Though as much as I want to rush back into the swing of things to make up for the time lost this past year, I'm trying to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment- which includes giving Quest the winter months off as I've done so in the past and pick things up in late January/early February. I've been chatting with a few equestrian moms on FB and their experience has said the same. So as the nights grow longer and the temperatures colder, I'll enjoy the newborn days before they come and go in a blink of an eye. 

Big Changes Ahead!

It has been incredibly tough not to completely spill the beans on this big news for the past couple months. but...I'm expecting and found out yesterday we're having a boy! And fun fact, the little one and I may possibly be sharing a birthday too.

Obviously with insanity happening in the past couple of months, I've been especially careful since finding out we were having a kid. With a lowered immune system right now, the hospital is the last place I wanted to be so I have only bummed around bareback on Quest one time and stayed within eyeshot of my husband. Mareface was totally perfect though and probably bored LOL

I'm sure I could continue riding until I physically can't but in these times, its better to be careful and to be honest, I've been enjoying my time on the ground with Quest. She's still doing well at the new place and I'm yearning for the day when we can hit the rail trails again.

But for now, I'm enjoying being a mom-to-be and looking forward to what this next adventure in life will bring (: