Cob Jockey

I don't know, but I'm going to find out.  It's been nearly a week since I saw Connor last, and it's hard, but the data is increasingly showing it's the right decision.  No matter how careful you are, any place where people congregate, even with social distancing, is a hotspot. 

CrossFit continues to be my source of mental stability

My trainer continues to send photos and video of the horses (plural, which means I assume I'm not the only person staying away even though the barn hasn't issued a statement saying it's closed), which I am so grateful for.  In one particularly funny one, she videoed herself walked down the outside of the barn petting the horses over the Dutch doors, but Connor came only close enough that he could sniff her and not close enough that she could pet him.  My anxious pony, the original social distancer.

He let her get this close but she was still never able to touch him, lol

It's not really horse related, but I've started keeping a private quarantine diary, and I'd encourage you guys to do the same, especially since, as bloggers, we're used to collating our thoughts and writing them down.  I realized I'm already starting to forget some of the details when every week seems like a month, and I have a feeling this is going to be something that our grandchildren ask us about someday.  "Hey Grandma, I have to write a report on what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic, can I interview you?"

How's everyone holding up?

Unlike other states, Indiana no longer has a statewide horse council to phone the governor's office and clarify whether horseback riding counts as an outdoor activity now that our statewide stay-at-home edict went into effect yesterday, or what, exactly, about caring for sporthorses is "essential".  We've had a state horse council for the past 30 years, but it got formally disbanded on Monday of this week (yes, really.  Long, drama-filled story).

My obnoxiously loud co-worker

That said, even though my barn is still open, I've made the decision to voluntarily stop going.  Yes, it's hard, but nothing that I do for Connor is essential, and I can't trick my brain into thinking that it is.  Riding is not essential.  Even keeping him legged up isn't essential, he can have a letdown period and will be fine.

It's true that no one will arrest me or stop me from going to the barn, especially since my barn is still open to boarders.  But it's also true that as much as I want everyone around me to be a f****** adult and obey the lockdown rules so this thing ends as soon as possible, I need to also do the same.

Cannot say being away from this snoot is going to be easy

I am lucky.  I have a barn staff that I trust wholeheartedly.  I have a horse that gets a full day of turnout, every day.  I have a hardy pony who is the same regardless of if he gets ridden 7 days a week or no days a week.  My farrier is completely self-sufficient and does Connor in the crossties.  We just got shots, coggins, chiro, and teeth done in the last two months.  And CrossFit provides me just as much of a mental reset as riding does, so I can't even say I'll be psychologically hurting, even if emotionally being away from him is hard.

My garage has been preparing for the coronavirus for YEARS

I'm not posting this to guilt trip any of you for visiting the barn.  If your barn staff isn't as attentive as mine, or your horse doesn't have a turnout option unless you visit him, that's a lot more essential than my "show up to feed him a peppermint, ride him, feed him another peppermint and go home" routine.

My trainer sent me this photo of Connor happy, healthy and appropriately unblanketed for the weather today, and it made me so happy.

We are all in different situations.  In my barn, there are people that come to my barn who support elderly relatives, who have relatives that have recently had cancer, who have other types of immuno-compromised relatives.  And not to mention, we'd really be up a creek if my trainer or her assistant came down with it.  One less person coming to the barn is one less opportunity to pass this bullshit virus onto those people.  And frankly, if I did get it and they asked me where I had been as part of contact tracing, I would be embarrassed as hell to say I continued my very non-essential barn trips during the lockdown.  So, I stop.



I don't anticipate I'll stay away entirely - maybe once every couple weeks or a month, depending on how long this goes on.  And it's not easy.  But it's the right thing to do.

How's everyone else holding up with this?

It's really a shame we didn't get video of my lesson last night (I'm not using the Pixio until this blows over because I don't want to have to disinfect a million pieces of plastic), because we had such a fantastic lesson!  In the trial saddle, too.

Tacking up at my trailer bc social distancing #2020things

My trainer really focused in on keeping me firm in my torso, keeping my shoulder blades slid down my back and making my arms move separately from my torso.  That's on top of last week, in which we had a great lesson focusing on bend and really getting my knee snugged into him, which the CWD Dressage makes a lot easier than the CWD jump does.

Not knocking my jump saddle at all, it's just not a Dressage saddle

In fact, the CWD Dressage makes EVERYTHING about riding easier.  I am really starting to like this saddle.  The blocks keep me in place without being annoying, I don't notice them except it's like "Huh, I am really not moving around up here and it's not even hard!". 

The short flap gives me just enough skin-boot contact to feel close to him.  I can move my pelvis around without feeling like the cantle is all up in my business.  The monoflap and the complete lack of knee pad behind the block make it easy to snug my leg into him.  The wide twist takes up the space between my legs completely.  I just feel STABLE in the thing.

"This is highly irregular" - Connor

I don't have to make a decision for basically as long as the state shutdown lasts, however long that is, so it's another extended trial, although I'm keeping a close eye on Connor's back to make sure we don't have back soreness round 2, since this one isn't flocked right for him.  So far he's going amazing in it though.

Truly not horrible even though it's not right

So after starting this saddle search nearly a year ago "knowing" I wanted a CWD Dressage saddle just like my jump saddle, waiting four months for a custom one that didn't work (on my birthday!), being heartbroken and deciding to see what else was out there, having a budget for custom, trying over 50 saddles from many manufacturers, and paying let'snottalkaboutit in fitting fees, I may be ending up exactly where I started, with a CWD Dressage saddle.

Life is weird.

Last week, my local tack shop (which is run by a college classmate of mine) put up a picture of a consignment Dressage saddle on their Facebook page that looked like it might work for me and Connor.  What else am I going to do with my quarantine time?  May as well try a saddle!




This little fella is a 17" 2008 CWD SE05 with a short/forward flap, listed for 25% of what they go for new.  Before I went to pick it up, I sent a picture of the stamp to Connor's Aunt Mary to see if she thought it might work for us.  She thought it would, but she didn't recognize the third panel number at all, even after referencing her former CWD saddle fitter books.  Turns out that may be because...

Yeah I know worst picture in the world

It's wool flocked!  I was shocked, but also happy, since that opens up fitting options immensely if I do like it.  Mary thinks there's a chance it came from the factory this way, given the weird panel number and the fact that CWD has been known to do a one-off in wool from time to time.

No bridging

What do we think so far?  I find myself liking it more and more with each ride.  Any smaller in the seat or any bigger in the blocks and it would be too small, but as it is, I find it supportive without being in my way, especially in the canter.  It doesn't have a knee pad, and I love the way my leg nestles into Connor without effort in it.



I don't notice it beyond the fact that riding seems easier in it.  I'm forcing myself to think about that logically though: is riding really easier in it, or am I just excited to be doing Dressage in a Dressage saddle again, because that is DEFINITELY easier in general.

Would Mary raise my stirrups a hole here?  Probably, and that would be a dealbreaker for this saddle.

As for fit on Connor, it's definitely too narrow in front, but I've had two saddle fitters look at it and tell me it appears that the tree shape is right, it's just the flocking that needs adjusted.  Tara in particular told me this saddle was likely flocked for something more uphill than Connor. 


The net result is that it pops up in the back as soon as it's girthed, but there are no pressure points anywhere.


My big question is, if we do fix this with a flocking change, am I still going to like the balance?  I'm inclined to say yes, because the change we'd make would be similar to what we did with my Adam Ellis a couple of years ago in which we lowered the front of the saddle, which had the net effect of giving me the sensation of more space in the seat, which I think would be a good thing here.  I know it would be worse for him fit-wise, but I might do one ride in it with the back shimmed to see if I still like the balance when it's level.


 I was supposed to have it for a week, buuuuuuuuuuuut then the governor shut down our state four days into my trial.  I texted my college classmate to ask what she wanted me to do and she said "Just keep it, if the seller wants it back sooner we'll figure something out."  So, it's now with me for an extended trial.

At least it's something exciting!

I promise I won't make every post about COVID-19, no one wants to (or should) hear about this 24/7.  But I am uniquely suited for thinking through disaster preparations down to the most minute, most remotely possible detail, as well as staying calm and pragmatic in high-stress situations thanks to my career in high tech, so I'm going to continue to share things I think are important.

Me handling stressful situations at work by kicking ass and then drinking afterward, like a true high tech employee, lol.  My boss sent this to our team chat recently.

Two days ago, Ontario Equestrian announced that they had sought legal advice and determined that boarding facilities were included in the definition of "indoor recreational facilities" that legally had to close their doors to everyone but employees.  To ensure compliance, the boarding barns insurance companies won't cover them for liability insurance if they continue to allow non-employees on the premises.  Again, this is just in Ontario right now, to be clear.

Finding truck parking at this time of day downtown is usually impossible :(

That lit a fire under me to actually take most (though not all) of my GP trainer's recommendations seriously.  Those Ontario owners had almost no warning before being cut out of their horse's lives entirely for an indefinite amount of time, and I don't want to be caught flat footed if the same happens here.  So I:

- Wrote up a list of all the things I do for Connor that our staff doesn't generally do, including blanketing rules, muzzle maintenance and protocols, what's in his supplements, whether I authorize colic surgery, who Connor's emergency contacts are (me and his breeder) and some general health and maintenance stuff

I know Blogger makes pictures slightly blurry in RSS feeds so you may need to click through to my actual site to see this clearly if you're interested

- Replenished my Thrush treatment (I use Tomorrow) and scratches treatment (max strength Desitin, triple antibiotic ointment and hydrocortisone) since it's going to RAIN EVERY DAY FOREVER

- Put a full bottle of fly spray on his stall door even though it's not fly season here yet, because it will be 30 days from now


- Put his backup muzzle straps and breakaway halter crown in an easily accessible location, along with electrical tape

- Made up 30 days of supplements in Ziploc baggies, in addition to the week's worth in my usual tubs I already have done


- Brought his backup sheet out to the barn

I'm gravitating toward old, familiar comfort food music right now

One other thing I'm doing right now is changing what I'm willing to deal with under saddle: you do NOT want to be in the hospital right now, not with resources as low as they are for the patients that need them most already.  Now is not the time to take risks on horseback, y'all.   Keep that in mind the next time your horse is feeling frisky on a chilly day.

So I guess, bottom line, boarders, we can't predict ANYTHING right now, not even that we will be allowed to see our horses tomorrow.  Don't freak out, but don't be caught unprepared either.  For me, preparation is soothing, and it's greatly contributing to lowering my stress levels right now, hopefully you feel the same!

There's a lot of uncertainty out there right now surrounding this pandemic.  And I don't know about you guys, but nothing makes me feel better than preparation.  To that end, on the horse front, we need to be prepared to be away from our horses for an extended period of time.  Yes, even in the fully locked down Bay Area the rules state they're still allowed to travel to get to pets, but what if it gets tighter than that?  Or what if you're in the hospital on a ventilator for four weeks?  There are too many unknowns to assume we boarders are going to be able to continue business-as-usual.

To that end, my GP trainer sent out an email last night with her barn's COVID-19 policy, and I thought it was great and wanted to share it with all of you.  She's very thorough and meticulous about these things, and it includes some things I would never have thought of. 

Really can't imagine staying away from here for four weeks

There's a lot that could be said about the COVID-19 outbreak as it relates to the horse world, but today I'm going to focus on one part of it: supporting local and small businesses.

The last decade has been good to small businesses, but that's rapidly changing.  It's true that this recession could be worse than 2008.  In 2008, spending slowed, but it didn't come to a complete screeching halt like it has now.  This is uncharted territory from an economic standpoint.

Fuzzy things: making serious blog posts better since the dawn of time

Your local restaurants, bars, and yes, tack shops are going to be hit hardest by this.  Without foot traffic (please #staythefuckhome, as the kids say these days), sales are going to dwindle.  First it'll be hard to pay their employees, and next they will outright close.  This outbreak WILL end, at some point, and I personally don't want to come out on the other side of it without my favorite restaurants and tack shops. 

(And yes, you need to worry about YOU first.  Make sure to cut back unnecessary spending and beef up your emergency fund right now, but if you do find yourself with a few extra dollars to spare, the rest of this post is for you).


What to do: VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLAR!

- If you live in Indiana, Grand Champion Tack and Saddlery in Indy will deliver for free within 15 miles of its store, or if you're outside that radius but still in Indiana, they will do free shipping with no minimum.  They have a great selection, and can order anything you might get from SmartPak, Dover or Riding Warehouse (except house brands, probably).  Also, they're offering 20% off through Tuesday for St. Patrick's Day

- If you don't live in Indiana, check with your local tack store for delivery and shipping options

- Don't need anything right now?  Consider buying a gift card to help give your favorite local tack store/restaurant/other small business a cash infusion.  Call it "pre-paying for essentials" or "buying a slightly delayed shopping spree"

- Is your gym closing?  Many will suspend or pro-rate memberships right now, but if you can, consider continuing to pay your membership during this time - especially if you go to a local outfit like most CrossFit gyms that generally don't have large cash reserves like a corporate mega-gym will. 

This picture courtesy of my momma.  Which one of these is not like the other one, which one of these just doesn't belong...

- If it gets to the point that your trainer stops teaching lessons, consider continuing to pay for lessons.  Pre-pay for lessons, or take video lessons.  I've had some very valuable lessons in front of a laptop, analyzing previous lessons or trainer rides with my trainer.  Trainers do not get paid sick time and stand to lose a lot of income if lessons have to stop.

Bottom line, you do have to take care of your own family first, but please take care of each other too.

Last weekend my BFF Mary and her daughter came to visit again, and this time she brought her husband along!

Not horsey, but a good sport

Even before I'd pulled his blanket off, Mary said "His neck looks so different from October!  There's so much more muscle over the top of it."


After I warmed him up, she got on him and had the best ride she's ever gotten out of him.  She was amazed at how different he was even from four months ago, and said his relationship with the bit has changed for the better.  She said he felt like he had a lot more pushing power, and I talked her through capturing and recycling that energy.  Turns out I'm a lot better at telling other people how to ride my horse than I am at actually riding my horse.

Gotta work on that wicked left drift

It was great to hear validation from a much better rider than me that he's changed quite a bit since she last rode him in October!

I can't say I went into this week expecting I would come home with a new truck, but when life hands you a great deal and your savings account is ready, you jump!  And I thought I'd share my decision-making process in case it helps out future horsey truck shoppers.

No filter - it was a gorgeous evening with big rainbows over the truck when I test drove!

After I paid my last truck off three years ago, I kept on paying that car payment every month, only I paid it to myself instead of a bank, into a high yield savings account I opened specifically for vehicle-related finances.  If my current truck needed a major repair, I pulled from that fund, but otherwise, money was slowly accumulating in preparation for buying my next truck, even though I was in no hurry to replace my 2005 GMC Sierra Denali.

Old truck next to new truck

Since I wasn't in a hurry, I could afford to be picky (and I was - I've been casually keeping tabs on the truck segment I've been interested in for a couple of years).  I knew what I wanted: a 2015+ Sierra with low miles, one owner, the tow package, the 5.3L V8 engine, heated seats (duh) and the upgraded 3.42 rear axle (which will give me slightly worse fuel economy, but more towing power).  

Old truck had fold flat seats.  New truck has fold up seats.  Keys for scale.

There's a bigger engine available, the 6.2L V8, but it requires premium gasoline, which is no small expense for a truck!  Plus engines have advanced so much in the last 15 years since my 2005 was made - the 2018 5.3L V8 puts out 50 more HP than my 2005 6.0L V8.  PLUS I tow the world's tiniest horse trailer and I only tow east of the Rockies, I want a big heavy truck but I don't necessarily need an overkill engine.  So I decided early on to rule out the 6.2, but if you're towing a 2H with dressing room or bigger, and/or you live in hilly terrain, you're gonna want as much engine as you can get.

Testing out that Bose system with Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars

Everything I'd seen in my price range had 50-75k miles on it, but then something totally surprising showed up in my saved searches.  A 2018 GMC Sierra Denali 5.3 with 29,000 miles and the 3.42 real axle, off a one-owner lease, with all service records.  And it'd sat in the dealer's lot for a few months, giving me some delightful leverage.

Have I mentioned I enjoy the negotiating game?

TWENTY NINE THOUSAND MILES AT THIS PRICE \ARE YOU KIDDING ME

When it was all said and done, I'd gotten the truck for almost $5k under the KBB value, almost half of its new price, plus they'd given me $1800 more for my trade than I thought I'd get based on KBB. 


Now to see about getting that GMC multi-camera trailering package added...

On Monday, my Pilates instructor had me do exercises that only engaged one side of my body at a time, and during them she had to keep squaring my hips up for me - as in, she had to take my hips in her hands and move them for me.  I didn't have the self-awareness to know when they were out of level myself, but the left one was constantly lower than the right (as in, if you were facing me, my left hip would be closer to the ground than my right hip).  And it's not a leg length problem, it's a physical imbalance that has almost certainly developed over time.

Unrelated, hit a 200lb deadlift at 115lb bodyweight yesterday!  My first ever 200lb lift of any kind.  I don't normally do this but since it was a lifting workout and work scheduled a mandatory webinar during my noon class time, I watched it during class 😂  With the coach's permission!

All week since then, I've paid attention to that.  And  I've noticed I stand with the left hip lower than the right.  I've noticed that I run with the left one lower than the right (hello, possible cause of the left hip socket pain I get after I run more than a few miles?).  I noticed it in air squats, I noticed it sitting in my office chair.  I noticed it walking, which explains why my shoes wear totally differently.  I pointed it out to my husband, who told me to walk toward him, and he was like "Holy COW I've never noticed it before but there's a huge difference between your hips when you walk."

I also noticed it in the saddle.  And a lot of things started to make sense.

I know he's standing like a total goob here but LOOK AT MY HORSE'S ABS AND BUTT!!!  He's starting to look like a Quarter Horse.

Remember when JenJ pointed out my floating right hand in January and I filed that away for later because I didn't know what was causing that?  Turns out I only feel the need to do that when I'm tipped off to the left with my left hip lower than my right.  And what about my trainer telling me to lengthen my right side, dating back to, oh, years ago?  My saddle needing reflocked on the left side?  The feeling that I get in my seatbones, where my right one wants to glide along on a level plane, while my left one sort of rotates forward and down?  Our left bend struggles and trouble getting the left hind under his body?

Oh look, it me, sitting to the left with my right hand floating across the neck.  Bet I can find dozens of pictures just like this one (sorry, Griffy)

I put this to the test in a ride last night, although it was difficult and required a ton of concentration since I clearly don't have great proprioception for this.  But getting my hips level and my torso centered over him turned him into putty underneath me at moments when I'm used to a struggle.  It's not like it fixed everything, but a lot of things went from "straight up difficult" to "easier" immediately, and I could feel him relax, especially on the left rein, when I put my body "over the right side" (to my brain, which really meant straight and level).

Take me baaaaaaaaaaack.  Oh wait, just sent my deposit in for May!  I AM going back!

Based on what I know about mobility from CrossFit, I would guess that when I'm doing my bear down properly, my core tension doesn't allow my hips to go crooked, which is one reason Connor goes better at MW clinics and during GP trainer lessons, where we typically start with evaluating the bear down.

Lots and lots to unpack here, I'm really looking forward to tackling this imbalance and figuring out where else it has been causing me problems!

My winter riding wardrobe has been pretty well set for years at this point - and if you remember, my winter wardrobe is extra important because I have a condition that causes my hands and feet to go numb easily, and then causes me to nearly pass out when the blood comes back to them. 

Socks are always coming and going though, as socks do.  I've never been truly impressed by any winter socks I've tried (and I have tried THEM ALL), which is why I always supplement them with disposable whole-foot foot warmers if I'm riding below 30, or if I'm sitting still outside and it's below 60.

That is, until I took a flyer on these when I needed to hit a free shipping threshold a few months ago:



Guys.  These socks are my holy grail.  They are so warm, they've actually pushed back the threshold at which I need footwarmers.  They're so warm, I wear them for our 10 minute walk to our favorite bar downtown and find my feet getting warm during dinner, something that normally doesn't happen  when I wear other winter socks there.  And they're so light, I don't even notice I'm wearing them.

Why are they so good?  Alpaca fibers!  Alpaca fibers "have an advantage over wool though because of the extra hollow space in the fiber. This additional space creates a greater thermal capacity and allows for more warm air to fill the textile and provide extra warmth over its sheep’s wool counterpart....Alpaca fleece offers equivalent softness, more warmth and higher wicking properties than merino wool, and is also hypoallergenic and eco-friendly."

"Yeah what up, the superior sock producing animal here checking in"

I've been wearing them all winter, and they've washed up well and held up great.  The only thing I don't like is that they're crew socks, so they tend to slide down my legs a bit when I'm pulling breeches over them.  But, if these were knee high, they'd probably be prohibitively expensive, so there's that.  At any rate, I still love them so much I've since bought a total of six pairs for me and two pairs for gifts!

They're tough to find online - not sure if they're being discontinued, if it's just an end-of-season thing, or if most riding apparel companies just didn't pick them up - so if you are interested in trying them, jump on it!

Bottom line: These outperform wool socks, hunting socks, ski socks, shiny reflecting-your-body-heat socks, men's socks, Canadian socks and literally every other sock I've ever tried, and I'm obsessed with them.

What: AriatTek Alpaca Performance Socks
Price: $16.95 on RW or $13.95 direct from Ariat (free shipping at Ariat too)
Size/color options: RW has black/grey in XS/S (up to women's size 8) and M/L (8+), as well as navy/red in XS/S.  Ariat has beige/rose in XS/S.
Where to buy: Riding Warehouse | Ariat