Things that go missing.

I kid you not, this is actually July 2015. YES A SEMI RECENT PHOTO! THAT I TOTALLY FORGOT MY FRIEND TOOK... because it was during this ride I realized Digby was lame so I didn't ride. Ha.

I went to the barn to help with turnout, as I almost always do. I help turnout the 10 horses on the property for reduced board, with 2 nights off a week. It's hard now that I'm full time but I'll stop once the horses go back to day turnout sometime in September. I was running late (SHOCK. Haha.) and didn't say hi to Digby before starting to turn out. I grabbed two of the senior geldings and started putting them out in their field. The barn owner came over and asked what I did with Digby's halter. Now mind you, she had watched me pull in and immediately start turning out. I said something along the lines of "uh...?" and she said it wasn't on his door. He's a bit of a player, in that he'll grab his halter/fly mask/blankets/whatever he can reach and play with them and fling them around. The habit is somewhere between funny and irritating. I turned the older guys out and then went to look for Digby's halter. It was MIA. I checked his stall. I checked in front of his stall. I asked if she was sure he came in with it on. She was. I checked the bushes by his stall. Nada.

Hmm. I looked and saw that his turnout buddy, Ghost, had Digby's lead rope attached to his halter. I've been at this barn for around two months now and that has never happened. So that's odd. I also noticed that Ghost's lead, which is longer and thicker, was snapped to itself.... as if someone made a make shift halter out of it. I chuckled and realized the barn owner just probably didn't realize he, in fact, hadn't come in with it and she didn't notice because the guy who does stalls in the morning brought them in. While I have yet to track down Digby's halter in his field, I can safely assume it's out there somewhere. Luckily, I had a spare (two actually, plus a rope halter) so crisis averted. Digby and friend went out and all was well.

That made me start thinking about all the things that have disappeared at barns over the years. I've lost all sorts of things like a crop and a dressage whip, a saddle pad, a feed scoop, halters lost in fields or just MIA, bell boots (and not even in the traditional "in the field" sense, a person wandered off with my awesome Italian gum pull on bell boots which I have yet to replace) and a whole lot of fly spray and treats. I'm not sure what it is about barns that make other boarders think "well, this is here so I'll use it" and then NOT RETURN THE ITEM? I would not do that in a barn and I certainly wouldn't do it outside the barn either. I don't mind the occasional use of my fly spray or treats. I do however mind when someone uses my tack or equipment. I mind this even more when it gets returned dirty or doesn't get returned at all. Someone please explain this to me.

Blogs, by the numbers.

Sometimes, I don't feel like blogging. Other times, I'm too busy to blog.

Digby, 2010. He knows several tricks :)

Since I have been the latter as of late and I have time now, I thought it would be fun to list all the blogs I read regularly and how many blog posts I've missed since I haven't read any since the second to last week or the last week of July... Yeah. Admittedly, I MAY have read some posts on specific blogs and forgotten and my computer isn't the best for accurate posts (sometimes counts 2 posts on the same day as 1 post) sooo it might not be 100% correct. I didn't list anyone who's blog I follow if they didn't post since then. I don't want to make anyone feel bad because, you know, I've been there myself busy bloggers!!

26 - 'Fraidy Cat Eventing
26 - Bay with Chrome
26 - Behind the Bit
19 - She Moved to Texas
18 - Viva Carlos
16 - A Enter Spooking
16 - Hand Gallop
14 - Cob Jockey
14 - Sprinkler Bandits
12 - A Collection of Madcap Escapades 
12 - Paradigm Farms
12 - Smooth Strides
11 - Dandyism
11 - Hopeful Jumpers
11 - Ponytude
11 - Post Secret (not horsey, love it anyway)
11 - Zen and the Art of Baby Horse Management
10 - Back in The Tack
10 - Stories from the Saddle
10 - Wilbur, Ellie and Emily
9 - Oh Gingersnap
8 - Draft Mare
8 - Fly on Over
7 - Bringing Up Baby
7 - Four Mares No Money
7 - Guinness on Tap
7 - Poor Woman Showing
6 - Dotstream
6 - Eventing in Color
6 - Pony Express
5 - Bays over Baes
5 - Stubborn Together
5 - That Red Mare
5 - Jumping Percheron
5 - Weanie Eventer
4 - A Gift Horse
4 - All In
4 - EquiNovice
4 - In Omnia Paratus
4 - Incidents of Guidance 
4 - Life of Riley
4 - Me Jump Pretty One Day
4 - No Hour Wasted
4 - The Reeling
4 - The Owls Approve 
3 - A blonde, brunette and a Redhead
3 - Contact
3 - Flying Free
3 - If the Saddle Fits
3 - Peace and Carrots
3 - Stampy and the Brain
3 - The Polka Dot Periodical 
3 - Tucker the Wunderkind
2 - A Yankee in Paris
2 - Candyland
2 - Pia's Parade
2 - The Moody Mare
2 - The Poor Amateur's Almanac 
2 - The Young Horse Experience
2 - Wait for the Jump
2 - Walk, Trot, Canter, Banter
2 - We are Flying Solo
2 - Wyvern Oaks
1 - A Mare Called Lilly
1 - A Work in Progress
1- Alchemy Eventing
1- Breeches and Boat Shoes
1 - Confessions of an AA Event Rider
1 - Dressage Pony

Guess I've got some reading to do! I was done work at 4 and since it's raining, I find myself with NOTHING TO DO for once in what seems to be a very long time. This calls for some adult beverages, Netflix binging and blog reading. :) (Side note: if I missed your blog, spelled something wrong, or entered a hyperlink wrong, let me know! The adult beverages maaay have already started.)

Not dead.

Ah yes, I am alive. If you know me in real life, you know I regularly post on Instagram and fairly often on FB but I try to keep Digby related things here on the blog.

So, what's been happening?

Hmm. Ok. Digby's lyme test came back positive. We've started treating with Doxy. I give him a probiotic daily in the midday. He finished his course of Previcox but is still getting Adequan. He's also finally almost done his ulcer meds. We tapered them super slowly because of his move and that whole "acid rebound effect" that I've written about before but am too lazy to make a link for. I got him switched over to the barns grain, instead of buying my own. He's lost some weight as of lately which is a bummer considering how hard to worked to get that weight ON him. I'll keep tinkering with his feeding regimen. In a perfect world, I'd keep buying him the TC Senior but honestly, it's $22 a bag. This barn is nicer than my last barn and thus more expensive. I just don't have $22 a bag, when he eats several bags a month, in the budget when I dropped almost a grand in the past 2 weeks on him between the vet bills and meds.

Oh, and I blew a tire on my car last week. A tire that I had bought in July. It was just over a month old. This did not please me. More money spent.

Otherwise, I'm back to full time at my job (48 hours/week) buttt I wasn't supposed to be so I had previously made plans and got some pet sitting, dog walking, on the side jobs. So those plus my regular full time job? I'm busy. Like really busy. The hony has not been ridden since August 2nd. I feel guilty. On the positive side,  I'm making some serious cash! That vet bill will be paid off quickly. :)

I'm also super behind (haha weeks) in my blog reading. Sorry guys! I will catch up eventually.

Guess what?!

Begging face!

The hony went back to work today! I decided to do some hand walking up and down the hill that's next to the pond on the property and then sit on him. I'm not going to say he's 100% sound but he's improved since before his Previcox/Adequan. All in all, I was pretty pleased with him. There was no sass and he was happy to work. There's another heat wave but I'm going to take you guys' advice from the last post on how to deal with the wild temps. Annnnd, I will have a July recap/August goals for you guys soon. My apologizes for the quick, poorly written post! 

Adorable eating hony