Alberta Equest

"A" over at The 900 Facebook Pony started this Blog Hop and at first I felt a little bummed because once again, I feel like I had an incredibly unproductive horsey-year, but once I clawed my way out of my Pity Party for 1 I decided a lot of really fantastic things DID happen this year, and they're worth highlighting. Favorite Show Picture, I didn't show *really* this year (I did an Online Show but I don't really count it), but my husband got his green OTTB out a few times so I chose my favorite of them instead.  This photo was taken at a Jumper Jackpot at an absolutely ridiculously busy event where our oddly shaped ring was sandwiched between Tractor Pulls, the Barrel Racing Arena/Warm Up area and the entrance for trucks/trailers/campers/etc.  Banks was such a rock star. PS they have a Facebook Page & IG following their journey to the Canadian Version of the OTTB Challenge, follow "Bankin The Gold". Favorite Non-Show Picture, As a ...

While i'm proud to say I absolutely crushed my admittedly easy attainable December Goals , the past few rides I have been trying to go against my natural nit-picking perfectionist personality as a rider, and just working on me - both my confidence, and my feel. While people say riding a horse is like riding a bike, perhaps there is some merit in that for the weekend cowboy or casual pleasure rider, but for those who ride with purpose it is a gross miscalculation of what actually goes into a schooling session.  I know this, because I literally feel like I was in a car accident since getting back in the tack and putting the focus on my own body.  When your body is flabby and loose in all the wrong areas and it wants to naturally do the opposite of what you're telling it to, it makes it really frustrating.  My body and I have some pretty heated conversations, especially while tracking to the right, sometimes they're even out loud.. I'm not crazy, you're crazy. ...

In light of my recent post, I have found a glimmer of motivation to get my butt back in the saddle.  Sierra's adjusted to being barefoot, I've slowly chipped away at improving the footing at the barn, and her weight is back up (ahem, she's quite round now) and as such, it has improved my saddle fit so we will hopefully alleviate sore shoulders as a result.  In addition to all that, we have had a weirdly mild winter.. like, it's December and I considered taking off my over-sized sweater and stripping down to my spaghetti strap tank top while I rode last night and I took the hood off my clipped horse before I turned her out.... usually by now we would have experienced at least one -40C (-40F) snap and I think the coldest it's gotten has been -25 with the wind overnight.  Weird, but definitely not complaining! It's Wednesday today and I've ridden twice in the past 4 days.  I had hoped to ride one more of those days, but with an unexpected Vet visit with ...

As promised, I have decided to attempt monthly goals as a means of holding myself more accountable.  2018 has been tough and I need to find my groove again, so I will be starting relatively slow and while may seem 'easy' to some people, the plan is to develop motivation through success... playing tricks on my own mind, if you will.  While I think goals are crucial to remain on track, I found my attempt at Quarterly goals too easy to 'put off' as I would convince myself next month would be better - but before I knew it, the year came to a close and I'm left feeling as though I haven't accomplished anything which is just one small part of this large, endless circle of self destruction that I am the current Ring Master of.   I'm starting a little late for December (ok a lot late), so I have adjusted my goals as such while also considering the amount of holiday-related engagements I have to attend over the next few weeks... BUT, I get 13 off work around Chr...

2018 has been a really tough year for me, and while I know i'm not alone it feels like 2018 was a real doozy that has me feeling lost in a haze as we move into the Holiday season.  I'm trying really hard to fight the uphill battle to general happiness, and i'm clinging to the hopes of a prosperous and productive new year.   In early 2018, I put Kidd back into work after a sale fell through, and after a few weeks of perfection, I started noticing problems that I thought were long-since resolved (years prior), and I decided to have him Vetted.  What turned into a simple Vet trip and the thought of maybe starting something like Legend, resulted in a downhill mudslide of chaotic events that just seemed to gain speed as time went on.  After months of Vet appointments, experimental injections, and multiple consultations with even more qualified Vets, my bank account had put it's foot down and I decided to take Kidd home and give him a year off.  It hit me li...

As many of you know, I used to feed two common products but when Sierra began to drop condition, I switched her to Elite Three . I really wasn't sure what to expect, but in a short period of time she began to pick up in condition and I was sold on the product.  I have been loosely tracking what I spend (vs what I spent previously), and was shocked at the results, so much so I had to share!  Before reading further, please keep in mind this is in no way a 'bash' to what I was feeding before - every single one of my horses looked absolutely fabulous on it, however it did not work well for Sierra.  Due to my findings as outlined below, I have since switched all my horses to the E3 program with the exception of my hubby's OTTB gelding still being on Canpressco. Often I hear people say "E3 is so expensive" and you're NOT wrong.. but the difference is how long it lasts.  While it's expensive up-front (when I do a feed run it's usually at least $200,...

While I have a few drafts started on various topics, I've decided to update my blog for the sake of having something to look back on.  The angel on my shoulder says in doing so, I can look back on where we 'were' and laugh at the struggles - while the devil on my opposing shoulder says "document the struggles so you appreciate how minor they are when sh!t really hits the fan!".. joys! As previously mentioned, I lent Sierra out to a friend for a lesson which went horribly, horribly wrong.  Since then, I have been having some issues with her myself (although not to that magnitude - not even close!) that has left me frustrated and throwing a hissy fit in a corner on various occasions.  At this point, I think I have narrowed it down to knowing that although I've only had Sierra a short period of time, this behavior is so uncharacteristic for her.  If I were on the ground evaluating the symptoms, I would recognize that all signs point to a horse in pain and up...