The chronicles of a Friesian mare who happened upon an owner who lives outside the show ring....

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Summer on the farm

Yes, summer.  In May.  Not spring, but full-on summer.

I just wrapped up a weeks vacation and every day was hazy, hot and humid!  Very much like July it made working outside challenging (one day I went through a 2 liter bottle of water in a few hours!).

My week off from office-rot was spent trail cutting, manure pile moving, chicken coop foundation building, horse back riding and general do-whatever-the-hell-I-feel like doing bliss.  I could very easily be retired now and never have a dull or boring moment.  Working for a living is such a buzz-kill.  Anway....

We started off by getting new iPhones. :)  Just the 5s, but coming from the 4, it's a pretty substantial jump in technology!  I discovered the "pano" camera setting.

The view from the back of the property
The view from the manure pile
Turn around and you see this.........40 loads and I'm only about 1/2 way through.  I cannot wait to have the money for a proper tractor!


I took the horse out twice, once to Bradley Palmer State Park and another to the fire trails in Auburn.  Fabulous rides, very relaxing, just the way we like it.
Bradley Palmer
More at Bradley Palmer
I got a new pair of brown boots for the August cubbing season, so I thought these rides would be a good time to break them in.  I remember now why I hate new boots.  They are so much work to ride in! 

So much time has gone by since my last post......our well pump died, so we had to have a new one put in.  Add a well cap extension and new pressure tank to that and there goes $3,000.00.  So much for showing this year! 
There goes my show season.....but we have water!
It's ok though.  I was really stressing out about how the heck I was going to have time to ride and school for dressage amidst all the yard and house work that needs tending.  Plus I want to get her driving and I don't have time for that *and* riding!

Hubby helping with a lining/drag pulling session
The last lining session ended with me putting her between the shafts of my cart.  She honestly could care less.  I'm still going forward with a few more in-between steps (breeching training and training shafts) but I really thing she'll be just fine. 

On top of everything else, I've been maintaining my lifting schedule of every-other-day for about an hour.  I've been taking progress pics.  Here's the start back in December 2014:
December 2014
And now:
May 2015
 


Which reminds me....I haven't lifted yet today and I'm running out of day!  Gotta go lift, then make dinner then it's unfortunately back to the office-rot tomorrow!

Till next post.....

12 comments:

  1. P.S. If I might give any advice,(on the carriage driving. I don't know anything about weight lifting) do, please, let me know.

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  2. Absolutely none of my business I know, Sarah, but please make sure that you go through each stage of breaking your friesian to drive, thoroughly, before moving on to the next. If you don't, and fail to embed each lesson, it may well cause problems later on.

    Long rein. Drag a tyre. Drag a small log. Drag a branch travoir; and don't be tempted to 'Put to' until your horse is ready. Here lies the road to ruin.

    I am certain that you will have a wonderful time driving your horse, and will see a whole different dimension to her, once between the shafts. Your area seems to have great potential for driving too, and I look forward to reading of your adventures.

    Not at all sure why women should want to 'Muscle Up, but that's none of my business either, so good luck with that too.

    With best regards,


    Julian Schmechel.

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    Replies
    1. Hey Julian, I appreciate your concern but don't worry, Daatje is not the first horse I've trained to drive and I'm very familiar with all the steps before a horse is ready to put-to for the first time. As for the weight lifting.....I can think of a million reasons why a woman would want to be strong and fit, but I'll let you keep on wondering..... :)

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    2. I admire the fact that you have the energy to lift weights, Sarah, as my wife Emma, and I, seem to find ourselves constantly knackered from all the jobs around the farm, and by day's end, can barely muster the strength to blink!

      Could I put in a request for a few more of your filmed trail rides through the woods, please, as I really enjoyed those.

      Thanks.

      Best,


      JS

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  3. Daatje is so gorgeous!! I miss reading posts about her, but I totally understand being busy. We've been so busy catching up on yard/pasture maintenance (because a month straight of rain gets you really behind) that I haven't been able to ride much. I'm glad you're getting to ride and work on driving training. It sucks you can't show, but at least you have something super fun to focus on! :D

    Good job sticking with the lifting. I have to get back into some sort of fitness routine. You would laugh watching me try to open a jar of pickles lol. I'm so weak! Keep up the good work!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's not so bad that I'm not showing this year. I'm really busy and don't have the time to put into the driving training and dressage schooling so it's really just as well. :) There's always next year!

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  4. Yeah, great job keeping up with the fitness on top of everything else! Good luck with everything that's coming up! Ever in Ireland? Stop by - https://www.maceoinltd.com/

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    ReplyDelete
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