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| Step One: Visual Inspection |
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| Step Two: Olfactory Inspection |
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| Step Three: Oral Inspection |
Yes, Mimi, they’re yours. No, they’re no a chew toy. (In light of the pony’s attempted antics, I may have to re-write our Renegade captivator warranty policy to include “if your dog or horse chews on it…”)
It’s summer here. It’s been summer since April. But now it’s really summer, which typically means oh-dark-thirty wake-ups to get in a semi-decent ride before your brains gets baked out of your head.
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| even Tevis crew needs heat conditioning |
But that’s just kind of a factor of Arizona life. I won’t say I love it…but I’m used to it. And I object to the idea of shoveling myself out of 5′ snow drifts even more than I object to convection-oven summers.
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| “Mom, I’m sleeeepy.” |
Yesterday, I had to make an impromptu barn visit to drop off my monthly board check. It was a busy work day, so I waited until the evening hours after dinner to make the trek down there. Yes, it was hot…but darn it, if I’m going to drive half an hour each way, I’m sure going to get more out of my trip than just sticking an envelope on a cork board. So along came the saddle.
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| ride off into the sunset… |
However, I don’t know how some endurance riders ride in shorts. It was hot and I was lazy, which meant I stayed in my running-shorts-t-shirt attire all day, including down to the barn. I figured I wouldn’t ride for long, and I have a full sheepskin on my saddle…it would be fine. It was fine…but not comfortable. For one, I felt weird without my tights. Two, that sheepskin isn’t as soft and fluffy on bare legs as it is with a fabric layer between skin and sheep.
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| “Oh, look, activity next door.” |
My little warm-weather night-owl pony was downright sassy. She really does prefer warm weather, and she hates early mornings even more than I do. She’d been snoozing all day long, so by the time evening rolled around, she was ready to party.
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| shadow chasing |
While we just did arena work, she was in very cheerful form, lapping the arena with her perfect 7-8mph endurance horse trot. A couple of times, I tried to slow her down into a Western pleasure jog, and she was having none of it. Nice to know I took my perfectly trained show horse and turned her into a perfectly trained endurance horse.
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| for warm weather survival, add e’lytes |
And I finally tested the Purina Electro-Ease paste. Response? Meh. I think I prefer being able to mix my own custom doses with powder and whatever base I choose. The paste sticks to itself really well, but it doesn’t squeeze out of the tube very quickly or easily (fast syringe work is the key to the pony), and because it sticks to itself in a big glob so well, she was able to just spit it out onto the ground.
My sweet baby girl is 20!!!
Okay, so her birthday was actually last Sunday, but I lose horsey mommy points for being off gallivanting at a ride on the exact day…with another horse…the nerve!
I have a hard time believing this pony is actually 20 years old…she does not act her age most of the time. (Crunchy hocks notwithstanding.)
She was in quite a happy mood this morning and obliged me with several rounds of “The Many Faces of Mimi.”
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| itchy face! |
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| trying to figure out her reflection |
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| she does not do self-portraits (or she thinks my orange phone case is for her) |
And a bonus for me: New half chaps! My old ones are just about dead and can only be taped/repaired in so many ways before they just won’t work. They’re also getting a bit too big and baggy on me, so I’ve been having some challenges with them rotating around on my leg.
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| never too far removed from my show-ring background |
Saturday was definitely a Good Day at the barn. The pony and I had a very productive arena session, actively working for over an hour, without her usual ‘tude about the arena. The past couple of rides have been very good for her, both mentally and physically. Hopefully the imminent arrival of summer won’t do too much to dissuade people from wanting to keep getting out and trail riding some more.
And despite the threats…I didn’t actually give her a full soap bath. She got a thorough hosing down, and her hair coat is thin enough once again that I didn’t necessarily feel the need to break out the shampoo. (Just ignore the yellowish tail…)
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| I still think she’s world’s cutest little mover. |
Despite the fact she’ll be 20 this month, overall, she’s doing really well. The vet was out to do spring shots on Monday and he was happy with how she looks. She’s on a perpetual diet, but despite the fact her workload has been drastically cut from what I was several years ago, she doesn’t weigh any more than when we were competing. The biggest difference I see is a little more pasture belly and a few less toned muscles…but she’s earned her competition retirement.
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| Rockin’ her two-tones. |
I’m very excited to be testing an up-and-coming Renegade design. These are the bright green boots that have been seen in my (and some other Renegade endurance riders) ride photos this season. They’re currently being testing in the roughest conditions we can find — the endurance trail — and will be released later this year. The most exciting part is, they fit Mimi perfectly right out of the box. And boots that small? Adorable.
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| Drying out, post-bath. |
Finally, photographic proof that I’m pretty sure my luggage rack has never actually been used for its intended purpose. And while I might not necessarily recommend this for a weekend-long way to secure your pony at ridecamp, it does make a great temporary hitching post for the one who really only needs the illusion of being tied off, but will make a break for it on a ground tie if someone isn’t immediately in the vicinity.
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| Really, this pic and the title says it all. |
I made the Pony Girl’s day yesterday went we finally got to go out on trail again. She was absolutely thrilled to be out again, and there’s nothing quite like the view between my favorite pony ears in the whole world.
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| clear trail and happy ears |
A group of five of us from the barn went out and rode up at Usery Mountain Park. It was the first trail outing for barn “baby” Ava, and Mimi is the perfect babysitter horse for accompanying the greenies out on trail. As fussy as she can be about her (very large) personal space bubble, when it comes to guiding the youngsters and keeping track of the herd, she is amazingly tolerant and attentive. So, so proud of my girl.
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| leading the wagon train of: Ava – bay warmblood; Silver – white grey Arab; Legend – dapple grey Thoroughbred; Gypsy – black paint |
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| Superstition Mountains in the distance |
The cactus and wildflowers were in full bloom, since we’ve had a decent amount of winter/early spring rain.
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| bright pink hedgehog cactus |
As fun as it is to ride other people’s horses, there is nothing like my own pony. Especially one who is trustworthy enough to allow me to drop the reins and spend half the ride taking pictures.
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| transitioned over to the orange/black theme (that’s Renegade orange, not Halloween, thank you) |
She also taste-tested the new Purina ElectroEase electrolytes I got and deemed them delicious, to the point where she grabbed at the syringe for more, and wasn’t put off from continuing to eat her hay after dosing.
Go Pony • Go the Distance 