My Horse Life Post-Baby

My life is so different now.

My life used to revolve around, well, me: my job, my horse, my exercise routine.  You get the idea.

My life now revolves around Sweet Pea. I have had to streamline my life to meet the needs of this adorable little person.  This means that I do not have hours of time to dedicate to myself, which also means that my horse life has taken a serious hit.  I cannot visit Harley everyday.  I cannot spend four hours straight at the barn.  Hour-long grooming sessions are out.  My schedule is so tight that I do not have the patience for most groundwork.  There really isn't time for "training" my horse or preparing for the next level or goal or what have you.  I AM riding, but my riding activities are so different.

Years ago, the idea of having to give up or reduce so much horse time would have been completely abhorrent to me.  Even last year, when I first returned to work and Sweet Pea was barely out of the newborn stage, I thought that I could get it back.

But then I realized that being a Mommy and parenting the way I want to parent is very important to me.  I realized that being there for Sweet Pea and watching her grow and change is as wonderful and amazing as my passion for horses.

I know what some horse girls will be thinking right now.  Oh, that could never be me.  But what you have to understand is that I was that girl, too.

I have a friendly piece of advice that you might not want to hear.  If you are thinking of starting a family and there is something that you want to do with your horse, do it now.

If you decide to have children, you will have to make choices and you might not be able to fit it all in.  That is okay.  You might just surprise yourself.

For example, you want to know what I love the most about riding right now?  The creak of the saddle leather when I first get on and the contented way Harley marches past the riding ring and towards the woods and field.

We have given up the ring for the time being.  I don't have the time to ride consistently enough to train in the arena and Harley does much better away from the dust. I have discovered that the grassy area next to the paddocks is level enough for riding, so we walk, trot, and canter out there.  Once the ticks die, we will hit the trails some more, too.

I ride Harley once or twice a week. I still trim his feet, which can be a challenge to keep up with, and I manage his allergies as best I can. I am very grateful for any ride that we have together, because last year he was not rideable for many months.

So my horse life is not just different because of Sweet Pea. It is also different because Harley is different; he cannot work as hard as he used to.  He wants to move forward, but sucking up his own dust while practicing on a circle is not good for him (he coughs).  He still loves to canter and listen for little cues to change bend or step sideways.  He is 16 and a half years old, but I cannot detect any stiffness or soreness in his body.  Our years of dressage work are paying dividends now as we ride without fences and with the unpredictability of nature (we see deer, squirrels, turtles, hawks, snakes, and other horses).  I ask Harley to stay balanced, on my aids, and off his forehand not because it is the proper way to ride, but because there could be uneven ground under our feet or the need to slow down or move over without much notice.

I am over the moon that I have a horse who can chill in the paddock all week and then go out for a ride on Saturday with no fuss.  My lifestyle and my horse's health have changed, but Harley has found himself a new niche.

And don't get me wrong, I am still a horse girl.  I still get the impossible-to-ignore itch to go ride, but nowadays, I will be home before dinner.


P.S. If you know of a user-friendly blogging app for the andriod tablet, please share.

Guess what? No grain.

Harley is a hardkeeper and always has been.  So I am almost in disbelief in writing this. 

He is no longer receiving a grain ration.

For years, he ate lots and lots of expensive, high-calorie grain (Ultium) and it kept him in weight, but I was never comfortable with the quantity he was consuming.  If we tried to reduce his feed, he would lose condition and we would have to bump him up again.  We tried different strategies like supplements, beet pulp, and alfalfa pellets, but all of them failed or were rejected by him.  He eats very slowly and has to finish so much food that it would take forever for him to eat his meals.  I am glad that he doesn't bolt his food, but I always worried about how much concentrate he was packing away.

So why the change?

Well, like many things with Harley, he initiated it himself.  He has been eating haystretcher pellets with his grain since last fall and he loves them.  He also loves hay.  So much so that he started leaving his grain before it was finished to eat his hay.  At first this was alarming, but his appetite was clearly fine and his weight didn't drop even over the winter.  I have been riding him much less so his caloric requirements are less than they ever have been since I have owned him.  The barn owner systematically reduced his grain over time and little by little he stopped eating it altogether.  I found a sugar-free ration balancer to add to his evening meals and that was that.  I have a grain-free horse.

We are keeping a close eye on his weight, but so far so good. He has been off grain completely for two weeks now.  He looks great with dapples and shine.  He feels good AND my board bill is considerably cheaper.  I was paying extra for all that grain.  I would be very happy if he stayed off grain for the rest of his life.  I think that it is safest for him, given his respiratory condition, and I have a plan in my back pocket if he starts to drop weight during fly season or with the light riding I hope to do this summer.

This is a post that I never thought possible for my sweet Harley.

The dapples are back!

 

This was how we spent part of Mother's Day.

Good boy, Harley

Pony time is awesome!

Farewell Helmet, Hello New Blue

Recently, I conducted a little helmet research.  I visited a couple reputable sites and learned that the life of a rider's helmet is about five years or one fall from a horse.  Since I have been riding Harley lightly this spring, I determined that a new helmet was most likely in order.  I figured that my helmet is probably about five years old by now and should be replaced.  So I checked the date of manufacture on the inside of my helmet and was surprised to see these numbers:

2007

Oops.

It looks like my trusty helmet has surpassed its life expectancy, which is not entirely a good thing.  While it does mean that I never bit the dirt in my buckskin-colored helmet (a very good thing!), it also means that the years of heat, sweat, and grime have taken their toll and possibly left my head not as well protected as it should have been while astride my horse.  I probably bought that helmet some time during 2007, during my first year with Harley, so although it may not have survived seven years exactly on my head, it has certainly been a part of me for more than five.  With this revelation, I embarked on a new helmet search.

My priorities for a schooling helmet are simple: safety, comfort, and room for my long hair.  I selected my last helmet, because it had an adjustable fit and a "pony-tail port".  This was a wonderful solution to the problem of having one's hair get tangled in the helmet dial.  While I like the option to minutely adjust the fit of my helmet, there are some really nice helmets out there that do not have dials and I am not exactly sharing my helmet with anyone, so I branched out to some brands that I have never worn before.

New brand, style, and color on the left!  My old helmet on the right.

I decided to give the Tipperary Sportage a whirl.  I selected size medium in navy blue and waited axniously for my new helmet to arrive.  In less than a week it was in my hands and on my head in the kitchen. 

My first impression: I love it!

The helmet was comfortable and fit my head right out of the box.  No adjustments of the padding were necessary.  Although the helmet lacks a pony-tail port, my hair can be secured just below the helmet with no problem.  I love how this helmet covers more of the back of my head and fits snugly, but without pressure points.  It almost feels like I am wearing a pillow on my head.  Seriously.

Evidence of the test ride.

Harley approves of rider safety.

With two rides under my helmet, I can honestly say that my first impression is sticking.  I think this helmet is more comfortable than my last one ever was, even when new.  We will see if I miss the larger visor when the sun is high, but, so far, I am really liking my new "head pillow"!

In the new helmet!