Winter Baby Ponies

 It's been a bit since I did a pony progress check in, but honestly this time of year I'm really not there as far as keeping any sort of structured or noteworthy progress. The boys continue to grow - I did actually measure and use a weigh tape on them in the beginning of December and they're both 14 hands-ish. Reggie is maybe a half inch taller than that, Buck slightly shy of the mark. Buck weighs a good 50 lbs more than Reggie. My tape says he's already 830 pounds, which is pretty darn close to Sophie's 850!

Is a solid little guy

 The internet says they're on track for 14.3ish, which is what their genetics say too. I think both Reggie's parents are 15hh and Buck's are 14.3. I'll be really happy with that. I know there are lots of really nice cobs that are bigger, but I do feel like eventually they start to be a different type to the more old fashioned ones I prefer for myself. If you've been here forever, you'll remember Ginger, who was my first cob and who made me quickly realize that my 15.3hh TBx who seemed just right the right size did not translate to me needing a 15.3hh Welsh D. Eventually 14hh Bridget came along and that was a much better fit (and still a 'bigger' feeling ride than that TBx mare!)

It's been so wet...we resurfaced this paddock last summer. The base is still solid but the top layer is not holding up and I feel guilty about having muddy ponies.

This winter has been brutal so far (I mean as far as winters go here, I realize this area isn't known for a typical Canadian winter). As I write this, the wind is howling, the ferries are cancelled, the airport is closed and I can hear the gutters overflowing outside the window. It feels like it's been storm after storm with very little break in between. I've had time off work, and even had some fun ideas for pony outings, but the wind, rain, and short daylight hours haven't cooperated with my plans. Our poor community horse facility had a tree come down and squish the jump shed and part of the arena, so it has been closed due to safety issues. The neighbourhood trails I use have also been off and on blocked or questionable as far as trees down and flooding, so in the end it's just felt easier to stay close to home. 

Spa days whenever I can. One of two sunny days so far this month, but those white socks don't clean themselves :)

This guy would love to be groomed for hours a day. I've never had a horse that truly enjoys being groomed (it's always been shades of 'tolerates it' to 'sometimes likes it, depending') so I'm fulfilling all my My Little Pony childhood dreams now.

The big silver lining is that while of course I miss socializing at the club facilities and having horsey things on the calendar, the boys aren't even two and don't need to be doing much of anything this winter except growing up. I'd hate to be in a position of trying to prep for spring shows or trying to keep a regular lesson plan. I've been saving my sanity by watching equine vlogs and videos from the southern hemisphere and enjoying their summer sunshine secondhand. I've even gone to the dark side and been envious of snow...Instagram has been baiting me with the winter sleigh videos and I watched a few so now that's all I get suggested :)

Worst Barbie Princess horse ever hates being pampered and groomed, but also does not like staying clean or dry in her stall. Luckily can be bribed to tolerate attempts at cleanliness with alfalfa

 Everyone here is getting their 3 or 4 meals a day, grass turnout as weather permits, and even twice daily mucking out and scratches (only because I am spoiled and G does paddocks mid morning most days if I'm working). But everything else? Completely up in the air. I try to prioritize a good grooming, especially if their coats are dry (no one is blanketed this year) and after that it's completely random. Most days I'm well and truly out of daylight and dry raincoats after just the basics, but that's one of the really nice things about babies. Yes, they thrive with consistent fair handling, but also their bodies and brains aren't ready for real jobs and a check in every day is more than enough.

Reggie did need a small groundwork intervention the other day and was horrified about it and spent a bit of time spinning around. Baby horse bodies and dramatics on a lead not a thing I want, but then I remind myself...

this spinning in circles trying to bite each other's legs is their number one favorite game of all time, so overreacting and spinning around me on a leadrope once better not break him

I try not to think too hard on how rough they play. The social benefits outweigh the risks, right? :)

Sophie keeps an eye on the boys but prefers to hang out up by the road and chat to the other adult horses across the street instead.

Despite my despair about us receiving an actual west coast winter this year, I do feel like progress continues to be made with baby pony training. They're both on the sensitive side, but overall good boys so it's not like there's any big milestones or drama I need to mention. Just little things, like how they were both unsure about their feet but now calmly offer them before I ask. I was trying to remember the other day which one I need to be gentle with as far as spray bottles, but I think I forgot because the answer at this point is neither. Things like that. 

Someone is still dramatic about deworming tubes but your hint here is that it's no longer either of the babies.

I'm unlikely to update again before New Years, so I'll wish you all the very best now. I'm opting for a very quiet season this time, likely just extra pony visits and some much needed rest. Netflix and Kindle subscriptions, I'm coming for you. It's been a lot the last few months with work, house renos, property acquisition stress, and arguably too many horses. I'm feeling ready for a slower week or two. I hope you're all able to spend your holidays however you'd like to and I'll see you again in 2025!

This week in the life

 Update to last post: the bear has not bothered us further, but he broke into a neighbour's livestock barn and did a bunch of damage so conservation service needed to be called. I'm not sure what the end result of that was (it's a bit of a divisive issue so public updates aren't always a thing) but I haven't seen him around for a bit. Maybe he moved on, maybe he is no longer. It feels mean to say but either way it would be a relief.

I'm struggling again with the weather and the dark here in the ever gloomy winter raincoast. The rain didn't use to bother me badly because I'm still happy to be out and about doing things and the temperatures are normally nice and moderate, even if a bit damp. The past couple of years though, the never ending rain has felt a bit more personal. Trying to maintain a tiny horse property of our own has me worrying about fun things like paddock footing and arena drainage, along side the 'normal' wet climate horse things like preventing mud fever and rain scald and keeping my tack from molding. 

Another dark and stormy night

It's more the dark days that really get to me, especially combined with a 9-5ish job that has me indoors while it's light out. I've shifted my hours to start earlier in the morning which means I can normally be done by 3:30. Having that little half hour to an hour of daylight this time of year really helps.  I'm forever grateful that my 9-5 office job evolved to work from home/remote with much more flexible hours.

pony grooming in the daylight, I love my weekends right now

attempting some cheer on a gloomy night

I know I said we were scrapping the idea of purchasing a bit more pony real estate, but the owners came back to us and it's back on the table. There are a bunch of things on their side that need to happen (planning approval from the city, for one), so we'll see. I know I should count myself lucky to have the option (and the support of G in this) and let what will be, be, but I'm finding it quite stressful. This wasn't on the bingo card at all and the timing honestly stinks, but it's just too perfect a situation to not at least try. 

When we bought the babies with the current space we have it meant Sophie would be moving to a new home eventually. I was OK with that, but now with more acreage possibly in the future, I've been holding off on that and found myself making tentative plans involving keeping Sophie. So, I feel like I've inadvertently wrapped some of the emotions around Sophie into things. I really am going to be OK either way. I'd just like to fast forward to the part where we know how it's going to turn out so I can start planning accordingly :)

In related news, Black Friday happened right when I was feeling very anxious about things, and I totally succumbed to some retail therapy. I feel sort of icky about that because normally I plan and budget purchases very carefully and I wasn't actually going to buy anything. But, for the most part it was things I had bookmarked as wanting/needing and they were on great sales. I got a nice longeing cavesson that I can use now for Sophie, but also will be really nice for the boys when I start ground driving them.

Kieffer lunge and ride cavesson I had this filed under 'nice to have but don't need' but after borrowing a friend's I was sold. It's so more stable than using a halter or bridle to lunge and nice for groundwork too. It comes with bit attachments as well, which solves my baby horse dilemma of wanting a halter to lead from and a bridle to ride with on ride and lead trail adventures.

Also acquired, better headlamps for mucking paddocks in the dark. LED spotlights for same. Haynets because a bunch have mysteriously disappeared. Waterproof saddle covers, because see above about wild winter weather and damp/moldy tack. There were some frivolous things thrown in though too - did the boys need fancy browbands at this stage of their lives? No, not really. But I'll be ready when they do!

Load of hay delivered too, which is the biggest expense these days. It's running about $1000 a ton and Sophie wants it, current fence testing situation below.

(Yes I know these taps don't need insulation but I'm baiting my stepdad ;) Relevant part of the story is that Sophie's door latch is to the right of this tap and she knows the door latches somehow...but she's not quite figured out how she's opened it herself previously. Does it relate to the tap? Hence the teeth marks and my sad little misting hose torn off - I think she's now decided pulling that potentially leads to releasing the door latch. She took it one step further hay delivery day and bit through (unplugged) electric fence wire and started pulling on that and then checking the section of wooden fence behind to see if it would open like a gate. Her brain is a funny thing.