Deathstorm Season is Here

Texas Deathstorm Season has arrived here in earnest this year, and early. Last week I had all sorts of blogging plans, yard plans, riding/driving plans.... aaaaaand then it rained solidly for a week and a half. Literally every day it poured and/or stormed. We had 5 tornados last week, and then another one this morning. Trust me, getting jarred awake at 6:15AM on your only day off because of the tornado alarm isn't really a fun way to wake up. Not to mention the fact that crappy satellite internet dies every time it rains two drops, so I've not been able to do anything important like blogging or, you know, taxes or silly things like that. 

Instead, I rode. I rode the pants off Dylan last week, I rode all week long and it was awesome.

Since my pastures are basically underwater at the moment with all the rain, I've been trailering to WD a lot. Last week in particular, we worked on trying to put together the dressage tests for Novice and Intermediate working equitation. I feel like I am actually starting to look like I belong on a real horse instead of a carousel one now... like my body is FINALLY starting to cooperate. I am finally starting to be able to sit the trot again without feeling like my ankle is going to break in half, our changes are coming much cleaner (since I am better able to sit them in all their enormity). The Intermediate tests have walk half pass, leg yields at the trot, flying changes and simple changes through the walk at the canter, and circles of varying sizes - all things we are capable of. Now it just needs finesse. 

I've been seeing my physiotherapist about every two weeks, which is expensive but effective. It's a slow process, but I am starting to feel like my body is actually working properly, and riding has become a lot less painful.

The first WE show around here is in mid-April at the Texas Rose Horse Park. It's just a schooling show, but the following weekend has a B-rated show somewhere else. That's not very far away! Entries for the first schooling show close on March 28th, so now I am left with deciding which division I want to choose. I need more practice with the obstacles, which will require either building them or seeing if I can trailer out to use some of them. I think it's perfectly doable to build several of my own things - putting down sidepass poles and the like will be super easy, and it won't be that hard to construct a gate, a barrel with a garrocha, a table with a jug of water.... etc. It's just finding the time to do these things which is proving to be difficult. Hell, I barely have time to blog much less do anything else! 

Muddy beast

It's been Hormone Acres over at my house this week. The mares are in heat, so Dylan is naturally going absolutely bonkers about it. He's back to stalking the fence and screaming instead of eating, which is driving me insane. He's dropped a bunch of weight in an extremely short amount of time, so I had to triple his feed in order to try and get ahead of it. I totally get why he was shut up in a stall all the time - because he literally does walk the weight right off of himself when he's in that kind of a mood.

Looking suddenly more svelte today, although the angle of this photo thankfully hides it for the most part. Shall we name it Fencewalking Fit?

To make matters worse, not only has it been pouring rain (which means I've been unable to work O at all), but yesterday O scraped up one of her back legs doing god knows what. She's in blazing, roaring, flaming heat, which also means she has been on a hunger strike (she literally can't function like a normal horse when she is hormonal). The scrape on the leg exploded today into a HUGE fat sausage leg, which is blazingly hot and super tender. Aaaaaaand we have a show on Saturday. Naturally, right? It figures. 

Are you kidding me

I'm about 50-50 on the fence about scratching from the show. She's not lame, and the only reason the leg is huge is because this is exactly what happens EVERY time she gets the most minor scrape or cut. I'm convinced this poor mare is made of paper and glass, seriously. A lot of the marks you see on the leg are old scars from previous small injuries, but you can definitely see the fresh ones. BUT, Sunrise Ridge is only two weeks away, and that's a big and important show. I don't know if I want to risk taking her, but I also feel like if I don't take her we will never get a really good warmup before the show. This small show was meant to be a warmup! Just like last year, I feel in no way prepared for Sunrise Ridge. Same as last year, she has scraped her leg up this month and given herself a fat leg, and had to have time off. Same as last year, it's been pouring and I've been unable to work her at all. It feels like deja-vu all over again!

I have a few things left to prep for Sunrise Ridge. My ear bonnet isn't finished yet, although it should be soon. I need to find an appropriate colored polo shirt for myself and for B2, who is navigating for me. I have gloves ordered that aren't in yet, and I also have ordered a wicket basket that is supposed to 'dress up' the carriage a little bit for dressage and cones (and also carry my spares). 

I have more to write about all of it but as usual I should really be in bed instead of sitting up writing! I have a full day of work tomorrow - really, really super full - and then when I get home I have to decide about the show. If I am going, then I'll need to stay up late trimming O, unloading my truck box, winching the carriage in, cleaning harness, cleaning horse.... then leaving my house at about 4am on Saturday to get to the show. It sounds a bit less fun when I write it out like that...! 

Oye. Between Dylan and O's hormonal problems, being tornadoed away every 5 seconds, working until I'm exhausted, and not ever being able to catch up with everything I need to do... I think I need a vacation!