I feel like this week or so has been two steps forward and eighteen steps back.

• The night before I was supposed to have my lesson with T3, when it was in the thirties, Archie was incredibly stiff cantering left and jack-knifed his front end a few times before coming to a stuttering break.  No problem on straight-aways or around the rail, just the one end that is sloppy.  I assumed this was arthritic pain, hard ground, cold temps, etc.  A fluke.  It repeated last night.  Before I assume it's him, I'm going to reassess my seat (again) to make sure that I'm not eight shades of fucked up.
• I got the text that he had broken the belly strap on  his sheet that I fixed.  Then another text the next day that he had broken the other strap and was walking with his blanket between his front legs.  This, of course, happens the day I place an order for a new sheet - which I've yet to get confirmation on shipping.

My little work station.

Just replaced the fucking old green straps.

And rather than connect at one point, I connected a couple of feet.  :)

Repaired the leg strap, too.

A little bareback ride in the rain.

I bought this thing used for $5.  I think it's supposed to be a stable sheet, but it was really absorbent, so I used it to dry him off.

• I hadn't pulled his mane since we moved barns and he was looking awfully homeless.  I pulled it last night and noticed that the middle was incredibly dirty.  Dirty pasture horse, to be expected, right?  Then I noticed that there was like... a ridge in the middle of his mane.  I separate the layers and it looks like flea allergy dermatitis.  Dr. Google, DVM, tells me that it might be sweet itch.  He's due for vaccines and I was hoping to wait until next month, so I could get him on the schedule with the rest of the barn.  This grossness might warrant an earlier visit.

Center is dirty.

See the weird layering?

And, BAM!  Vomit.



• The one kinda-sorta good thing?  That whole no-room-in-the-trailer thing for the XC schooling yesterday might have been a blessing in disguise:
• Archie was a little shit on our baby trail ride through the woods that he's been in dozens of times now.  I fear the thought of him out in strange, open spaces with a dozen other horses.

And the happy ears promptly stopped and we took several opportunities to practice our reining horse spins.

• I left the barn at seven last night and they hadn't returned yet.  I can only imagine what a horrible bitch a tired, cranky me would have been after twelve hours.  I'm already a horrible bitch when I'm happy.
• When I asked OR about it, her first response was "scary". Er?  The website for the location was misleading.  To quote, "from the smallest of logs to large Advanced size tables and questions."  She said that nothing was smaller than Beginner Novice.  I'm sure to the rest of the group there, this wasn't a big deal.  But it was her first time trying solid fences and she just jumped 2" in the ring on her horse a couple weeks ago.  No baby steps!  There was also a little issue about some airs above ground and eating dirt (not her - some more advanced people trying to help).  So, we've talked about trying to find something with tadpole fences, hopefully a little nearer.