Randomness, Product Review, and Gratitude

I've got a few half posts written, so I'm just going to combine all the little updates and quick things into one (hopefully somewhat) interesting post.

-First off, if you're like me and forget to check the box to get follow up comments sent to you, I'll post here again how incredibly grateful I am, as always, for the advice, support and generally cool comments you guys write! It's so nice to feel like I can be completely honest and transparent about both the good and not so good horsey days I have (and of course how I second guess myself at every turn!)It's nice have a network of people here who've all been there. I've mentioned ad naseum how isolated we are here, so it's a really, really cool feeling to be able to read everyone's blogs and feel like I'm still part of a big, super awesome, barn community.

It's a big love fest

-Next up, Fructis Miraculous Oil. After reading a review  post over at Incidents At Guidance I was intrigued enough to buy some for my ponies on my last trip to the drug store.
Verdict: At first I was unsure - the texture is more like baby oil than the slippery detangler stuff. The results were sort of 'meh' when I first put it in, so I used it pretty sparingly and sort of forgot about it and continued on with life . However, about a week later my horse's manes and tails were still so shiny and tangle free I had to ask the barn owners whether they had brushed them out. Even today, at about 10 days out, my farrier asked if I use Show Sheen. I said no, in fact due to the weather, etc I haven't even been to the barn or groomed since Monday. He was wondering how my horses have such shiny and healthy looking tails and I was like, well, they ARE Welsh Cobs.  So there you have it...my very manly farrier who I've known for over 20 years and NEVER notices or comments on my grooming skillz was admiring my ponies pretty tails today and marvelling over how soft they are. This stuff really must be miraculous because when I got home and started thinking about it that's the only thing it can be...I hadn't even brushed the girls in days. While I don't think it's the best detangler out there, it's really made my horse's manes and tails noticably shiny and soft and I'd recommend it if you're looking for something different to try. I'm sticking with it, it's much cheaper than the Cowboy Magic stuff I normally buy!

Website HERE

-Next, Bridget. I love her. She was fabulous for the farrier this morning and her feet are awesome. She was itching to investigate all the farrier's tools and to introduce herself to everyone there, but still managed to stand and wait patiently for me to stop chatting for a good half hour after her trim. Truly a test for my busy little pony, who thinks she is a rock star and everyone is there to admire and visit with her. It was somewhat comical watching her struggle to contain herself and behave:)

Shiny little rock star

-Real life. Both of our houses (on opposite ends of the city) got flooded, but fingers crossed, the only expensive loss was some laminate flooring I wasn't really a fan of and some perimeter drains that obviously need to be upgraded anyways. A stressful and costly week that involved moving in to our new house as well, but I can't complain as many are much worse off than us. The horses escaped the storm unscathed but I see several of our friends properties are now lakes housing ducks and geese rather than horses, and a lot have tree squished fences to replace.

- I got a part time job, and start Tuesday! It's not in my normal techie realm, but should be a fun diversion and pays decently enough. It will be nice to have that cushion so I don't worry quite so much when the next contract is coming from my 'real' work. Of course, all of it is just more $ for the horses!

I'm hoping to get back on track with riding and horse time this weekend. I can't remember being more overwhelmed than I have been in the last month or so, and I happen to know horse time is a pretty good cure for that!