Okay, so I didn't ride for two weeks. We know this. And I live in Georgia and we've had a bout of heat, rain, humidity, heat and rain.
You OCD types might find this photo graphic. You might blow chunks and start cleaning things. I just wanted to give you a warning.
 | ||||
| Barf. |
I freaked out, grabbed his bonnet and started wiping the mold off everything. IT WAS EVERYWHERE!
After the condition of the bridle and saddle were tolerable, I tacked up the Kid to ride. I learned from BO that his princess toes weren't shod on Thursday, like I thought, but rather on Friday because of weather. He'd already thrown a shoe by that point anyways.
I spent ten minutes walking him around and I felt like he was moving that body off and bulging less on the right side. I don't need to mention that el leggo was completely normal, do I? It was. He was stepping off it just fine.
When it came time to really work, trot and canter, I had a hard time remembering exactly what it was that I was supposed to be working on. I kept that right heel into his side (spurs ordered!) and at no point did I tap his mouth with my fingers to do that false frame. Instead, we trucked around at a fast trot and I felt like I was on a racking horse. I'm not complaining. We'll get there.
Because of all the rain, the little ditch that he actually will cross was full of water. I took him a different route and he really just questioned everything. We worked through it and got to a decent point. All in all, it was a nice little 35 minute ride.
With the in-laws here today, I knew the likelihood of riding was slim to none. And then it rained. So, I was a grown up and spent a couple hours thoroughly cleaning and oiling my saddle and bridle. I'm wondering if a dehumidifier would help the mold factor in the tack room.
.JPG)
10 comments
Ah! My saddle does this a bit when I leave it in my car for just a few hours (while I'm at work). Just the billets but it freaks m out every time. I keep my saddles at home in a humidity controlled environment because they were insanely expensive and I can't risk anything :(
ReplyDeleteA handy tip that my local leather dealer mentioned to me that I tried and it seems to work, is cleaning with a mixture of lemon juice and water. It'll help prohibit the mold from growing back.
Huh! What's the mix rate for the lemon juice and water? And do you just spray it or wipe it on? I might try that in the hard-to-reach crevices. Thanks!
DeleteOh the horror! My saddle did that when I lived in NC but not anymore here in Texas
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've never experienced this before. I thought we were "on the marsh" at the last barn, but this place is literally marshland. Oodles of humidity.
DeleteAye!! That would freak me out!! Lol
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, I panicked a little. I love my Collegiate!
DeleteHave you tired those moisture absorbing crystals? We use them in our tack shed, I think they're called shelf camels or hippos or something. Of course, they may not work for your level of humidity and it would depend on whether your tack room is fully enclosed.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the prospect of googling "shelf camels" and "shelf hippos." Thanks for the tip! I can at least do something for my own stuff, even if I can't improve the situation for the entire tack room.
DeleteHeel! Holy mold! The ac in the tack room at my old farm broke and talk about disgusting. I was so glad to get my tack out of there. Pretty much unless you rode everyday mold was growing on your tack. Scared to know what the inside of my saddles might look loos after that experience.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a dehumidifier would help? Don't know how much those things cost though.
A/C?! Fancy! I was excited when I found out this place had hot water!
DeleteYeah, I'm going to see if I can find a dehumidifier, with BM's permission, to set out there. Figure used, since it's not going in my house. :)
Thanks!