Catching Up With Old Friends

When we last left off I had a ton of interest in Sophie's ad but no one who A) seemed like the perfect home AND B) was ready to purchase. So, I let it sit. At some point in the 'letting it sit for now' process G made it known he actually really didn't want to sell her and wasn't changing his mind on that. He's retired now and I think I've mentioned he's the one doing pony chores in the morning while I work. He's also Head of Apple Acquisitions and Purchasing. He's pretty involved. I waited a day or two until I innocently asked if he had any change in his pockets, to which he responded with a quarter. I snatched it, "congrats on the purchase of your new pony!" HA! 

Her face when she sees him coming

Anyway, in all seriousness I'm sick of myself waffling. I can't even imagine how annoying it must be reading this saga. Normally I'm quite a decisive and logical person, but all bets are off when it comes to horses and pets. Unfortunately I think it had to be one of those exercises where I had to go through the process before I realized how wrong it felt. So, she stays, even though that makes minimal logical sense. We should note she officially belongs to G any time she's being annoying. She's always an absolute an absolute angel for him though!

                                                 

Extra costs and accessories now on my wish list may or may not include: 1. A three stall barn, 2. A three horse trailer. 3. An extra 2.5 tons of hay/year

In related events (that tie in surprisingly nicely with the above tale of indecision) let me tell you a story. Wayyyy back in the day in 2004, when I was first dating G, I had a little sorrel QH weanling that was the saddest neglect rescue case you've ever seen. Said little guy defied the odds and survived, and at about a year old, needed a friend to play with. Along came another rescue, a little black colt of unknown breeding rounded up in an SPCA seizure from a neighboring province. It was actually a perfect situation for the both of them. The little black morgan-y type ("Stormy") quickly became a favorite with G. 

Sophie's current barn was built as a bachelor pad for those two. 

"It's my house now!"

A couple of years passed and eventually it was time for both the boys to find their forever homes. I was finishing round 2 of university and due to start a new job in another province. Both the boys had a solid start in life and were good guys. This blog was maybe a couple of years out. The timing felt good, and neither were meant as long term horses for me. I was really sad and ridiculously attached to both, but logic ruled the day. Off they went to their new homes while I did career things without horses for a couple of years.

If you've been with someone for any length of time, you'll know there's often that ONE thing your partner opines you should have never done. In my life, in G's opinion, for 18 years I have been hearing about how You Should Have Never Sold Stormy. 

The above story also may or may not be relevant to the story of why G picked out a little black cob colt - poor Buck's not unfamiliar with being compared at every stage to the apparently forever perfect Stormy.

Buck gets more handsome by the day tho

History repeating where the baby horse needed a friend horse and then we had two of them

Recently, a friend mentioned the new therapeutic riding horse at our local barn. Name was different but description and rescue backstory sounded awfully familiar. Wait. WAAAAIIIITTT. Is he black? 21 ish? 

And so, this weekend, I got to say hi to him again after almost 20 years (and you better believe I got G a meetup too!) It actually felt really emotional to see him again after so many years. I'm incredibly grateful he indirectly found his way back to our small and remote town - the odds of that feel so tiny. He, of course, was politely like "Who is this strange human who is so obsessed with me?"

the famous guy himself. We did the math and he just turned 22.

In a really fun case of it's a small world, this spring break, he's sharing a paddock with Bridget <3 I haven't seen them hanging out, but they're similar people and I wouldn't be surprised.

Not B's best angle, but I'm forever amused that my antisocial pony has chosen a Sophie look alike as her first BFF. Plus, B actually came to say hi to me and that never ever happens, so I felt redeemed after Stormy's dismissal.

I went to watch B in her clinic with her little rider this weekend and had all the feels there too. What better semi retirement job is there for Best Pony than babysitting a good kid that loves her more than anything. It's absolutely the most perfect thing.

Anyway, to wrap this up, using entirely circular horse person logic, keeping Sophie = many years of hay bills, but potentially saves a lifetime of hearing about that horse I should have never sold. 100% a logical decision if I've ever made one. Never let it be said I didn't learn my lesson the first time :) (But also, No More Horses. No more 'projects'. No more baby horses just to keep other baby horses company.) I'm self excluding, I am incapable of logic, incapable of selling anything anymore.

Emergence

  Myself (and the local bears) seem to be emerging from hibernation at the same time. We've had a very mild winter, which means no snow or ice, but also means lots of dark, dreary rain soaked days. No matter how many winters I spend here, I don't ever seem to adapt fully. I might be intended for sunnier climates.

Lucky for all of us, sunshine and warmer weather has started appearing. I'm still working far too many hours, but it's starting to feel more established and the plan more secure. I've found a zone where I'm not feeling worried about finding time again for fun and self improvement. The horses have been getting more and more grazing time and are almost ready for full days out in their big borrowed field. With the climate here meaning sacrifice paddocks in winter, most of us have to monitor grass intake in the spring. They get grazing for at least an hour or two all year no matter what, but there's a difference between that and a big lush field that's rested all winter.

This about sums it up: Sophie just wants to visit, Reggie is happy to eat grass, and Buck needs zoom time

I took some time and audited a few hours of a clinic last weekend. It was exactly what I needed to get some motivation back. That, and the fact the boys are going to be three in about a week! Three feels like I better get my butt in gear, the boys won't train themselves. (Although they are incredibly smart and observant so sometimes it very much feels like they do!) A couple of the clinic lessons I watched had baby horses much younger than my two who were exceptionally well behaved and started. I know there are many roads to Rome and all that, but it did serve as a bit of a wake up call!

OK, we need a plan for both of you

Is itchy but feels the need to pretend grooming is highly inconvenient for him and has to sulk

I've been back to playing with tack and gear, and the basics of ground driving. G's been walking with me this week as an emergency brake because Buck is feeling pretty wild and worried about his friends and Reggie forgot how to turn right. They've both been excellent considering how little I've done this winter and how naturally sensitive and overachieving they want to be - not a foot out of place despite a lot of prancing and snorting. It's a long weekend coming up, so I'll have some time and we'll aim to get back to ground driving without our helper. It's all very boring and slow. I love this part of babies - they're so keen to learn and the progress occurs so quickly.

Happier ears when we're going to go do things

All dressed up

As an example of very boring but exciting baby horse news, Buck was absolutely terrified of blanket and blanket like things as a weanling. So, I wore my raincoat often and it happened to brush along him now and then, then my arm ended up over his back. Then the rainsheet kept ending up in the strangest places - like on the fence or under his hay pile. Everyone else started wearing them too now and then this past winter. Then a saddle pad touched him one time. Then finally it went on his back. Then a surcingle. Then a saddle, And, just when I was secretly thinking blanketing this horse was never going to be comfortable thing for him, he almost suddenly decided it was completely fine last week. 

Look! (That's G hiding ;)

The back is very short, the pony is an actual potato :)

An Unexpected Gift

 This was a surprise announcement! Why am I so excited? Besides the obvious convenience of not having to change clocks backwards or forwards by an hour ever again, this means an extra hour of afternoon daylight on those dark winter days. No more 4:15pm darkness - our shortest winter day will be 5:15 sunset - meaning for me, I will have time in the daylight after work every day of the year for hiking, running.... RIDING! I'll happily do morning feedings in the dark for an extra month or two for that tradeoff :)

Bonus pictures of ponies in the moonlight this week

Full moon Sophie (actually very sweet, does not seem affected ;)

Feels Like Spring

 Here I am again, where it feels like I don't have much to say besides the standard small talk about the weather. The normal rhythms of horse keeping at home continue on. 

Mow that yard

Weekends of filling the barn with hay, farrier appointments, pony grooming, fence and yard maintenance, and of course the never ending paddock picking and muck heap spreading.

On a nice sunny (spring like, even) winter day, the horses running and loving life, me picking away at chores, truly I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be or anything else I'd rather be doing. 

Winter hibernation mode is slowly receding, it's even still been a little bit light outside a few times this past week when I've fed dinner. I'm still working a lot of extra hours, but outdoor time is calling my name more and more and it feels like spring is on it's way.

Happy muddy creature. The other two are equally filthy, but being paddock dirt colored naturally lets me trick you into thinking I groomed them prior to photos. No such luck with Sophie.

So, a quick check in. We're here, we're happy, we're all just a bit content and boring. We're commencing End of Winter Motivational Boost now :)

Intermittent Progress

 Sorry for the January radio silence. Honestly, the horses got slightly put on the back burner (or as much as they can when they live at home) while I let work and the weather slow down my outdoor time. 

It feels like it's always dark when I take a time out

                                  

I've already made some little steps towards some of my plans for 2026, so I do have some small updates.

I tentatively listed Sophie on a regional facebook page and had a ton of interest, but it's 2026 and everyone wants extra videos of all the things. I advertised locally enough that I think anyone truly interested would just get in their car and come visit. I wasn't feeling the joy for all the extra media right now, and I'll take accountability for that. So, I reevaluate. Do I send her to a trainer this spring for a refresh and professional marketing in a more equestrian area (big $$$$ given where I live) or just keep the odd ad out there and get more videos when the weather improves, in hopes the right person will come along at the right time? I think the second choice is the one for now. As nice as it might be to distance myself from the actual sale process, I will feel better meeting her new people. The not so secret part is that we like her just fine. She doesn't *need* to go anywhere soon, but I think I've finally wrapped my head around the idea of it. We'll reevaluate the trainer option if nothing happens here.

She's worth a visit

The boys continue to grow like weeds. It's a near daily occurrence where I'm questioning if they're taller/bigger  than last time I looked (which of course in 24hrs the answer better be no!) but the overall trend is that they're starting to seem Large Grown Up Pony instead of Baby Pony. 

This guy was dramatically lame one weekend but it was luckily an abscess that resolved fairly quickly. Was he really going to be ok with me fussing and wrapping and soaking his foot? It felt like a bit of an escalation from our normal hoof picking routine. All these little 'firsts' the pop up when you don't expect them.  But of course he was fine! Good minded ponies for the win.

Meanwhile, his friend is apparently grown up enough to wash his own dishes now.

I haven't signed them up for any outings this winter, but I do have a couple of clinics coming up that I'll go audit so I can learn. I'm feeling a little guilty about just letting them sit, but I try to remind myself that come spring there will be ample opportunities (and daylight) to get them out more. They're only just coming 3, so while seeing the world is valuable there's not much else I want to ask of them yet. Picking and choosing a couple of good outings this spring or summer makes more sense right now than clinics for the sake of clinics.

I have about a million variations of this picture, I think G feels obligated to send me a proof of life pic or video every morning when he feeds :D

Work is work. I've mentioned I want to expand out to more contract and freelance opportunities, and the last couple of months have been heavily focused on creating a good base for that. I've basically let that goal take over my life. It feels a little like I'm putting out maximum effort for minimum financial gain at the moment. I struggle to put myself out there too, so I find some of the networking and interviewing a  little anxiety inducing. I'm pretty grateful I didn't scale back the day job. While it makes my hours crazy right now, the sense of security having that paycheck definitely is worth it. I put way less pressure on myself knowing there is no great financial loss if this doesn't pan out.  Slowly but surely small contracts are finding me and my new barn/truck savings account is seeing it's first small deposits funded by new adventures. That feels like a positive! 

Further excellent media brought to you by NoTime TM and overly friendly horses

                                             

The better physical and mental health thing took a bit of a hit at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026. Nothing dramatic, I think it's just a tough time of year and the lack of sunshine gets to me too. Plus, the extra hours working at a desk don't do anyone any favors. The days are getting longer again and it's easier every day to fit in more outdoor activity, which feels like the key to it all for me.

Moody fog bitey face games

                                     

Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later. I've lost my riding and horsey mojo a little, but it's still such a joyful thing to have the horses at home. They feel a little more like an every day part of life rather than an "I went to the barn!' event I should blog about, so for now I'll probably just continue on with the general updates spaced over the winter.

Welcome 2026

Tis the season, for retrospection and new beginnings.

 I'm once again not here to set goals, but I find value in documenting the good things I'd like to bring forward from 2025 and continue to gain momentum on in 2026.  I should also acknowledge the things that weren't so great and how I'd like to move on from those.

These two keeping life fun no matter what else is happening

Starting with the not so great, at some point I have probably mentioned horses being a saving grace in the context that being a kid/teen otherwise wasn't fun times. 2025 brought some events that opened the box I'd stored all those not so great times away in. After so many years of peace and then suddenly being confronted with some final drama, it finally became obvious how not normal any of it ever was and how I probably needed a way to actually process it somehow. It's fun how good are brains are at normalizing things and 'forgetting' others. To keep this on a horse relevant tangent: Me, prior to 2025: "Horse shows make me so anxious and I have no idea why!" "That coach gave me a panic attack, but everyone else likes them. I don't know why they bothered me so much". Even "ha ha why am I so weird, that smell makes me really uncomfortable".  So, that is a work in progress, and much of my energy was put towards bettering both my physical and mental health through most of 2025.  I am already seeing improvements in my anxiety levels and enjoyment of things like lessons and clinics. Just having a better understanding of why I might feel emotional or uncomfortable in some situations and that it's a completely normal reaction is huge, that almost solves a lot of things on it's own. 

it sort of snowed over Christmas (then immediately melted)

Moving on from the heavy, not so great, and into the realm good - I've kept so active the past year. Funnily enough, the extra weight I was so worried about gaining in 2024 ended up barely on my radar in 2025 and so naturally it just disappeared back to the void. I feel like I need a disclaimer here where I say the number on the scale means nothing, we're all different and beautiful people, but keeping it real - as the adult pony rider, yeah I do get feelings when it's not within what I feel is a fair range for my equines to carry. But while I do need to be aware of it, I focus on that number as little as possible, because hiking, running, just moving and feeling good with what my body can do is where the happy feelings come from and I'll be continuing that into 2026 (and onwards).

getting large and in charge

As for the really, really good - the baby cobs! Not so baby these days- they'll be 3 come spring. Mr Bakari was seeming awfully large the other day and I weigh taped him right at 1000lbs. He's a little tank. Even Reggie is suddenly filling out and pushing 15hh. I'm not sure my photos ever show it, but his build from late summer to now looks noticeably wider in person. I'm only 5'1" so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but both these guys feel bigger than they are, and realistically are going to be a little larger than I had hoped, more at the top end of what we might have expected genetically.

10/10 nosy and friendly

My end of year break was spent doing lots of incremental pony training and both are now happily ground driving. New Years brought further wild neighbourhood fireworks and we're all still a little on edge from that, but we made it safely through to 2026. I'm feeling like the boys are already fairly well prepared to transition to riding life, so come summer/fall of 2026 we'll have hopefully kept up the positivity and it will be no big thing for them (but obviously feel like a huge milestone for me). Current situation with Buck is that I've (as I knew I was but couldn't help myself) spoiled him a little so he's going through a bit of a pushy/testing phase so I'm here dealing with the consequences of my own actions with a not so cute full sized cob (in good humor, he's a good guy and not his fault the rules weren't stated clearly by me, just maybe I don't let my coaches or clinicians see what I've done until the evidence is gone lol).  Reggie gets a 5* review, he's generally lighter and more sensitive and honestly probably a little more suited to my horse handling strengths. I think Buck is going to be a very special pony, though and I'm really excited for the future.

getting dressed like a grownup

this guy struggles more with flappy things like saddle pads or blankets so this felt like a good milestone

While I said I wasn't setting goals for 2026, I would like to set out a few intentions. I think my wellbeing is going to continue to need a bit more attention than I'm used to giving, but I'll be consistent until that feels normal. I'd like to have some first rides on the cob boys, but if they're not physically or mentally ready that's good too. I'll put the work and the lessons and clinic time in regardless so whether milestones happen in the next 12 months, or further along it's going to be fun and enjoyable.

 

Reggie ticking "learn to reliably untie self" from his 2026 goals

loving that he leans into it and backs up to save time on adjusting his grip on the rope end

I'm going to continue with the extra contract work in pursuit of affording a new to me truck to tow those ponies around to the fun things I want to do. I know I talked about it this summer, but the right one didn't appear locally, the old truck is still doing the job, and personal stuff took priority a little bit so it's still top of list as far as finances. I think 2026 will be the year to find Sophie a new home, she's wasted with me and honestly I'm finding three equines is too much for me by every metric long term. Fingers crossed there's a perfect person out there, I'm not looking forward to it, but hey, it can't all be completely happy things.

Probably won't put this pic in the ad. This is her daily routine of trying to entice the boys to come play with her, but they say she's too scary

happy winter potato

In relation to downsizing a little, I have some new small barn plans done up since the boys have outgrown sharing their pony cottage and I don't trust Sophie's/the old barn to hold up to their roughhousing :)  Whether that will be an autumn 2026 project or a spring 2027 one isn't decided, just don't be surprised if I'm still blabbing on about property improvements over here for the next couple of years..

best of friends and happy to share hay and sleeping space, so it still works for now

I hope everyone enjoyed a little downtime in the past week. I appreciate this community, and I hope you all have a 2026 filled with wonderful things.

Still Raining

 It's been some weather. For once in my life I'm grateful to not be in a more traditionally horsey flat agricultural area. I feel so sorry for the Fraser Valley and Washington State, I can barely watch that news coverage with all the poor farm animals trapped or drowning. 

We aren't doing badly here. We got the edge of some of those recent storms rather than all direct hits, plus our little place is up above a big lake on one side and the ocean on the other so the water has somewhere else to go. While we are definitely very waterlogged and have some tree branches to clean up, but it's not so bad compared to many.  I suspect without the recent property upgrades and ring install we'd have standing water and basement flooding right now. It's wild that not so long ago we were worried about drought and forest fires.

"Excuse me? Can we come back in now?"

The ponies are stir crazy, but also don't really want to go out in the awful weather. So I've just been giving them a free pass on staying in and have been buying bedding pellets in bulk. Sophie's the only one who still goes outside for any length of time. The boys are quite happy to create a disaster zone and fill up their house with urine and manure. The most I can do is room service twice daily and I'm all twitchy about how gross it still gets. I've been kind of spoiled with neat horses. The boys don't make a mess of their stall if the weather is reasonable, but if it's really raining Buck in particular is very quick to let the standards slip. They are 2 year olds and really want to play but also the outdoors is apparently lava right now so they basically have cage matches inside all day and stir everything into one big mess :D

"Let us in please?"

"excuse me, the man cleaning my stall said I need to be out here still? I think this is a mistake? Please can you tell him?"

I've been fighting a nasty bug this past week, so with that and the weather there's been no horse training, no property upgrades, not even any hiking. I missed our equestrian club holiday get together and one with my previous coworkers. Bah humbug! Silver lining is that I have been putting in a lot of extra work hours. The contract side is busy right now, and I feel like I want to take advantage of that while I can. I'm not feeling secure enough about it to quit the day job just yet, so I'll continue to balance two jobs for the time being. It's honestly a little overwhelming and with the weather I have been questioning life choices in having three equines at home rather than just being sensible and having one leased or boarded riding horse. What if it was a hobby and not a lifestyle? While there is certainly room for improvement and change is possible, we all know nothing that drastic will occur  :)

"Pass"

"Nope"

I have a couple of weeks off my 'real' job over Christmas. I should get more time with horses and I'm really looking forward to that. It's almost 2026, and while I'm not setting any big goals or plans, it will hopefully be a big year for the cob boys (first rides? yay!) Coming ever closer to those milestones feels very exciting, especially since they've been here since they were 6 months old - they very much feel like a long term part of our lives and not just fun training/riding projects. 2025 was personally a really awful year, so I'm excited to draw an imaginary line under that and have a bunch of fun things to look forward to.

Sophie doing her rain day gallop lap

and roll. Then she goes back and hides in her house. It's kind of cute

If I don't check in before the new year, I hope everyone is able to have a little time spent doing what makes you happy.

TL;DR: It's Winter

Q: Our clinic series keep being postponed or cancelled due to weather, so why not just do my own boot camp?

A: My motivation is lacking, lol

OK, for real though, while boot camp might not be the best descriptor for my...ummm...lackadaisical schedule, "I did a week of pony training in 8 weeks of west coast winter dark and rain" doesn't have much of a ring to it either.

The state of things at 4:30pm in an 'atmospheric river'. I promise there are two welsh cobs in this photo ;)

This winter in general is bookmarked for doing a bit of riding prep with the boys, and pony manners with everyone. Sophie is an absolute menace if left to her own devices. I know I used to be all about mares, but at this point in life I am very much appreciating the geldings who are content to trust me to run the show, even with an inconsistent schedule. Both boys have plenty of thoughts and questions, and are very open to finding trouble where they can, but appear to lack any agendas for world domination. They aren't in any rush to full in for any apparent weakness or potential vacancies in my schedule - unlike pretty much every mare I've owned. 

Mares testing for weakness also the main reason for the arguably overbuilt new paddock fence with multiple electric wires. I have a hedge planted on the 'house' side of the fence that should get fairly tall, so hopefully in future years we'll have a more definite visual division between backyard, garden, and horse spaces.

It makes the paddock fences look bad and not matchy so now we play the game of how long my brain can handle that ;) I have some longer term barn and footing replacement plans in the works so things might look a little patchwork for a bit while I ponder a new layout.

Anyway, the boys. They're both absolutely fine with an inconsistent schedule. In fact, I think it suits them at this point in life - those people that leave them alone in the field until two or three might be on to something. At 2.5 years old they're both still a bit mentally immature and so short sessions with minimal plan or agenda keeps everyone happy. They both pick things up quickly and retain everything forever, so from a learning perspective there's not much point in repetition, let alone drilling. Once they know the age appropriate thing I'd like them to know, they know it. 

Step 1 is learning the new thing, step 2 is doing the thing reliably, finally step 3 is where it's confirmed - they are reliably offering the thing anywhere, in less than perfect conditions. Little cob sponges don't seem to need much of step 2 or 3 currently. Once they understand they are solid, and they are OK to sit with it for a bit until the next time I get ambitious. Of course, the flip side to them learning everything so easily is that they really do retain everything, good or bad, and I know that's going to catch up with me eventually. 

Top notch media for you this week. I'm pleased to have paddock lights this winter, would recommend if you would otherwise have to pick poo in the dark.

Currently, everyone is good for all things grooming, vet, farrier, leading, trailer loading. Both are happy to wear some tack in the form of a surcingle and pad, plus some long reins attached to a cavesson.   Reggie is fine to ground drive in my ring space, although I keep it to walk and trot with the odd ground pole. Buck is a little behind, but he's getting there. He's still a little more immature and inconsistent mentally so I pick and choose tasks for him based on energy level. It's not fair to expect much when he's just REALLY REALLY EXCITED to do things. (Honestly, half the time I'm there to grab Reggie but it's not unheard of for Buck to to try to herd his 'brother' out of the way and stick his head in the halter instead lol) I'm still dropping the ball as far as getting them out more (my trailer is currently full of hay I pretend is waiting for a dry day to unload so it's not even like I have a plan) but we'll get there eventually. 

There's only one yard pony most days. Reggie isn't weather averse but he'd rather stay in front of the hay bag in their paddock no matter what this time of year. Buck IS a baby when it comes to weather, so he only wants to stay in the pony cottage if it's raining. Sophie is very active but has been disappointed no one wants to play so she just does a few laps and if the boys don't seem interested she goes back to her house/paddock. I'd LOVE more/bigger turnout but it's kind of amusing to me the horses don't seem like they actually want it right now - some days judging by the poop and hoofprints they barely leave their houses. I show up and feel like the parent insisting the kids go outside and play.

On the human front, I've been doing OK. Again, the weather and darkness puts a bit of a limit on some of the things I like to do.  A desk job/sitting still is a challenge for me at the best of times but winter is where I really struggle. I'm OK when I can still get out and be active for a few hours, but this time of year limits that. There isn't a lot on offer as far as organized activity and the running track/playing fields don't have lights. So lately I'm just out walking with a headlamp after dinner, or doing at home fitness classes. Not overly exciting but so far I am doing alright. I think I'll feel a little less lost once I can put riding (and an indoor arena membership) back into my schedule.

Back to the drama: The face of a mare who touched the newly repowered electric with a stronger charge (bear proof apparently?). "Ha!" I thought, "that will stop her constantly testing the fences." Not pictured is that she went back and tested the same spot again because she couldn't believe the fence would treat her so. Getting zapped again was followed by angry mare squeals and fence post kicking (of course targeting that newly replaced one on the left of the picture). She's easy to have around 99% of the time, but ugh, she has her moments. 

I have a couple of weeks off for the holidays, so hopefully I'll be back then with some more interesting updates (and better media). Fingers crossed Santa brings us a day or two of sunshine :)