Weekend doings

The plan for the weekend was to thatch (or is it dethatch?) the second half of the back yard and other more fun stuff. We were on our A game on Friday after dinner and got it all done. All of the offending moss was loaded onto the trailer before 9pm. That left Saturday open to dump the moss at the transfer station and play at the dog park that is next door. I took a deliciously long nap, and then we went downtown for the Procession of the Species. Freki had the best seat in the house. He was a little scared so I let him sit in my lap- it was alright with me because he was warm!

this whale was made from recycled materials

haha, gorilla piggy back ride!

There was also time this weekend for puttering around the house, putting rollers on the raft trailer, and playing games.

Another project done!

And it works great!

the blue riding breeches I'm wearing, yup made those too!

For the dog that has to stay with you . . . only the best will do.

We were extremely lucky with our last dog.  We knew this fully when we talked about getting another. Don't get me wrong Freki is a great dog. He has never put a paw on the counter or table, doesn't raid the garbage, is not a shoe / house eater, and is incredibly patient with Odin. There is however, a but. . . he cannot be left alone (yet). Like many shelter dogs he suffers from Separation Anxiety. We think there is hope for him and we are working with a trainer and helping him with it. In the meantime he is always with us. He likes riding in the car and he is fine in the car or even the RV so there is hope for him. I think we have figured out a solution for the in between time.

Tonight was the first time we tried it and he seemed to enjoy it. We are going to find a way to clip him in for safety and yes John normally wears a helmet when he rides bike.

D.I.Y.

I have always preferred to do things myself rather than pay someone else to do them for me. Partly because I often know exactly what I want and it is either cost prohibitive to have someone else make/ do it the way I want OR my standards are so exacting that nobody would make things my way. For my last few projects I have noticed that in the end the cost may be about the same as just buying the item. For instance, in the fall I made a pair of riding breeches. They are exactly what I wanted. They cost about the same as buying a new pair, but they fit me so much better than any others that I have tried on. I adore them.  They are worth every penny and more importantly every ripped out stitch I did whilst sewing them.

I am currently making myself a new bridle. I could have just bought one. But all the ones that I looked at had things I did not like. The less expensive ones had places that I thought might rub the horse's head. And the more expensive ones were, more expensive. I have just finished the top half of my new bridle, and am quite pleased. More hardware is on the way to enable me to finished the noseband and cheek pieces.

This is an endurance based design of a side pull, a type of bitless bridle. I am making it in hopes that it will fit both of "my" horses. It is made out of a urethane dipped nylon webbing. Yes it is bright green. All the hardware is brass and it just looks lovely.

The strap at the left side is the chin strap. It will have a 2 part noseband.

detail of the headstall

Back in the saddle

Our move to Washington has been great for many things. Mostly for me is has been great in that I have found a way to be involved with horses again. The farm, where I work and play, is such a great fit. It took me a while to find it, but they are going to have a hard time getting rid of me.

A group of us has been getting ready to do a Limited Distance endurance ride in May. The ride we are hoping to do is a 25 miler. Small peanuts in the endurance world, but for us a great goal. I have thoroughly been enjoying our training rides.

In perpetration for the ride, I have been working with a different horse, in addition to Zarah. Zen (on the right) is an Arabian and is much more mentally sound. I hope to be able to do a ride like this with Zarah someday, but she needs more time undersaddle.