princethepon

[princethepon]

Prince was feeling his wheeties after his farrier appointment on Saturday 🤣

[princethepon]

I haven't updated on The Goob in a while- thing have gotten kind of busy for me (I got a new full time job and I recently started a second part time job since everything now costs so much all the time).

Prince had lost weight over the winter, and finally had to be put on senior feed as well as a vitamine E and Selenium suppliement since her lost some muscle too- he's now back up to a good healthy weight and looks fantastic!! He's also feeling a lot better too! The barn I board at told me he actually CANTERED to prevent the gator from getring in front of him the other day! He hasn't cantered in a long time. It gives me hope that I may be able to get him back to light riding someday; we're going to take things slow for now though, I was able to find a surcingle in his size and plan on doing some ground driving to start. I'm looking forward to working him this summer!

This week though, he got a much needed bath and his mane braided since I was feeling fancy.

[princethepon]

Haven't updated in a while since work prevented me from getting to the barn much- but I've got anew job with better pay and better hours, so I finally got around to deep cleaning the Boi and giving him a much needed hair cut!!

Accidentally screwed up his bangs so he looks like the boy who likes berries and cream, but hopefully it looks better once it grows back out lol

[princethepon]

Prince's new stall sign came today!!

[princethepon]

I was finally able to have a chiropractor come out and work on Prince! He's also a sports medicine vet, and he thinks Prince could possibly have Sweeny; I did some research after and ill-fitting harnesses can cause it, and he definitely has rub scars from too small harnesses all over. He wants to do a Bute Challenge to verify, so I'm gonna ask my GP vet for some when they come for his vaccines on Wednesday. If it does end up being sweeny there's not too much they can do to reverse it, but we can do some better targeted care and he can possibly made light riding sound which is a bonus. It's nice to be possibly getting closer to some answers

[princethepon]

His fancy new halter fits him so well!

[princethepon]

I realized I don’t dislike English riding I just dislike the style of English riding taught at showbarns

[princethepon]

Send me a horse breed and i will rate it and tell you how i feel about it/ if i would own one.

[princethepon]

I splurged with my tax refund and finally got prince a fancy halter! Now I just gotta wait for the stall sign I ordered to come in and he'll be at peak fancy!!

[princethepon]

time to get a pony

[princethepon]

Prince has mastered the boop! (Still werkin' on the grabbies though lol)

[princethepon]

Had a good time at the barn tonight. I was able to do a little clicker training in the arena while everyone else rode and he was calm and listened very well, even when horses were cantering close by! And he did so much better targeting my new target stick too (I think he can also see it much better compared to the crop handle I was using as a target stick lol).

In other news, Prince has finished his Lyme treatment and his lyme titer was negative so no further treatment necessary for now! He still limps at the trot though, so we're looking at other ways of getting him comfy. I called a chiropractor/DVM that was highly recommended at my barn to see if that helps, just waiting on a call back to see if he's OK with working on Drafts. Hopefully it helps him start to feel better!!

[princethepon]

Will pose 4 pepermintz

[princethepon]

Reblog with a pic of your horse, unflattering angles ONLY

[princethepon]

a concept

[princethepon]

Up here in NY I have been having an absolute bitch of a time battling thrush in Prince's hooves, so yes mud is already an issue 🙃🙃

Is anyone else having WAY worse mud issues this year than normal?

[princethepon]

Omg I feel all of this stuff in my bones! Usually when I'm able to get to the barn it's like 7-8pm, and when I worked night shift it was the ass crack of the morning when I was there, so on the rare instances I meet another border they always think I never visited my horse. Sometimes I have to skip going to the barn if I have to work late, and people at the barn will guilt trip me for that, too. It just kinda creates a whole foreboding mood about going to the barn, because the people who can afford to be there all day like to judge those of us who can't. Not to mention all the people who think you're abusing your horse if you don't ride in a custom built saddle. It really makes me wish I could afford my own property to keep him on so I can avoid the rich people interaction all together 😔

Let’s talk about privilege baby

Welcome to another ramble fresh off the press that you may or may not want.

Outside of money, there are a few other quiet ways that privilege exists for equestrians that I feel like are not discussed as often, but still have large impacts.

1. Time. Working class equestrians often cannot afford full training or full care board which means that they have to do all of their horse care themselves. Even for one horse, this can mean hours of work a day and most of it not being in the tack. You have to make time to buy feed, catch the horses, clean stalls if you have them, schedule the farrier, schedule the vet, and maintain your own life on top of it.

In a regular workday, I have to schedule 2-3 hours just for the barn (which includes driving out there). This is already on top of working 6-8 hours a day and then still having to find time to keep my house cleaned and cook dinner.

Someone who can go to the barn and have their horse already up for them and does not have to deal with menial tasks automatically has more time just for self-improvement. I have talked with some riders who use their extra time to visit the gym and do focused exercises to improve their riding. Focused exercises that people who have to schedule every minute of their day do not really have time for.

2. Location. Locations that are cheaper for equestrians also have fewer opportunities. Growing up, there were never shows anywhere near me so there were also no trainers of merit in the area. Because there wasn’t a market, there also weren’t as many suitable horses for sale when I was looking for one and there is not easy access to fitters, tack stores, etc. Every piece of tack I bought had to be ordered and shipped in which sometimes lead to ill fitting items and an overall loss of money.

Areas away from show venues also have fewer opportunities. If there is not a barn to be a working student for, then you cannot be a working student and learn under others. I was never given the opportunity to learn braiding or other menial things.

What other things would you add to the list?