horse cookies

Horse Cookies #2

Amanda4 Comments

So, attempt #1, a peppermint oatmeal cookie, was a mixed success.

For attempt #2, I went even further into modifying my basic oatmeal cookie recipe. I replaced the butter and the eggs with unsweetened applesauce, I swapped the white sugar for brown, I used whole wheat flour, and I played with the proportions of both the flour and the rolled oats.

Straight up applesauce and brown sugar to start.
Mixed all together; a bit more moist than I wanted, but the flavor was there.
Out of the oven.

Last time, some of the horses weren’t wild about the cookies because they were too chewy. This time, I did a double bake, sort of like biscotti: I pulled them out of the oven, let them cool on a drying rack, and then put them back on the cookie sheet at a low temperature for another 15 minutes.

This resulted in a cookie that was definitely not chewy – but it was a bit too crunchy. They were basically inedible for humans they were so hard. However, they were a huge success on the taste test.
Several horses completely lost their minds when presented with their cookies, and that included Tristan. He whickered at me from his stall while I was doing taste tests with all the other horses, and scarfed as many as I would give him. Only a few horses weren’t wild about them, and it seemed to be a texture question – they had to move the cookie around in their mouths to get a good bite on it. No one had the reaction they did to the peppermint cookies – everyone ate them and was glad to – but not everyone banged the stall door for more.
Getting closer! I think my next step will be to figure out how to keep the good things about this attempt the same – the flavor, simple ingredients, and whole grain components – but lighten them up a bit, so they’re not as dense and hard. I might try upping the baking soda component, or playing with cooking temperature & time.
This has been a fun experiment so far!
blanketing · stupid human tricks · winter

Best Laid Plans

Amanda2 Comments

Yesterday was going to be so straightforward: a quick meeting at work (on my day off), followed by a short bareback hack in the new snow, followed by a productive afternoon cleaning the apartment and working on Christmas baking.

That began unraveling with the meeting, which ran long, and then turned into a second, longer meeting, during which I lost my voice several times despite sipping tea constantly.

Then I headed to the barn and found that my idiot pony had shredded his midweight sheet. He only wears it when it’s below zero, which unfortunately means he’s been wearing it a lot lately. Best theory is that he laid down in the night and upon getting up again tangled a hind leg in the surcingle, and ripped the buckle clean away from the sheet, along with a nice rip along the seam. It was torn in such a way that it couldn’t be stitched up easily and quickly by a conventional sewing machine.

No way is the average sewing machine going to punch
through that buckle.

I did get my hack in, though, down and around all the summer paddocks, and it was a beautiful crisp day. The snow was still so new it was clinging to the trees, and the air was clear and thin all the way to the mountains. We forged through fresh drifts and Tristan was happy and cheerful, though not thrilled to be working so hard on a restful walk.

Uncle Tristan babysitting.

Yak or pony?

Can you spot the bridle path?
Yeah, neither can I.

Looking toward the Monroe Skyline,
with Mad River Glen and Sugarbush
ski areas anchoring the ends.

After the hack we fitted him for a borrowed blanket from the barn, because it was due to start dropping in temperature as the sun went down and go as low as -10 up at the barn. It was that cold the night before and when the barn staff took his blanket off in the morning to go outside, apparently he shivered a bit until his coat was roughed up.

So of course now I am questioning myself and wondering if he should be blanketed more; if perhaps the threshold is no longer 0 but 10, and if I should get a stable blanket to add underneath his midweight, and aaahhh. He’s just not holding warmth as he used to, and he went into the winter with less weight than I wanted.

Winter legs – this was AFTER a good brushing.

In his borrowed blanket for the night.

After I left the barn, I stopped by a sewing and alterations store, and showed them the blanket. They said they could definitely fix it, and described a plan of action that made a lot of sense and would reinforce the area going forward. The only catch: even though it was really in good shape for a blanket, it would still need to be cleaned before they would accept it.

Cue a frantic dash to the laundromat, a high capacity washer, and the discovery that the washer had not gone through a proper spin cycle, leaving the blanket dripping wet, and the office at the laundromat had closed at 2pm – 10 minutes before I discovered the problem. Of course. I squeezed it out as best I could and put it in the dryer and stopped it every few minutes to rearrange the blanket so the wettest bits were on the outside. Eventually it got dry enough and I dropped it back at the sewing store.
I then returned home and made a batch of cookies for a work cookie swap, wrapped presents with Lawrence of Arabia in the background, and halfway through realized my cheeks and forehead were much warmer than they ought to be and I was dizzy and a bit disoriented. Great. Perfect way to end the day.

This morning:

So no barn for me tonight! Hope pony stayed warm in his borrowed blanket…

colic · nutrition

The Equine Digestive System

AmandaLeave a comment

Last winter, the barn lost a horse to a long slow colic, and during the two awful days where we walked him and groomed him and changed IV bags and sent him off to the vet hospital, and then got the news and mourned, I remarked to the barn manager my long-held theory that the equine digestive system is proof against intelligent design.

The more I learn about horse digestion and anatomy, the more I hold fast to that theory. The Vermont Large Animal Clinic, the lovely people who did Tristan’s surgery, posted this really fascinating article in which the author sources various items from Home Depot to explain the makeup and progression of the equine digestive system. It’s fascinating and horrifying in its complexity.

The blog that posted the article, Equine Nutrition Nerd, is on my must-read list now. I’ve been meaning to learn more about equine nutrition for some time now to really carefully assess what Tristan is eating and how it can help him.

What resources do you use to understand nutrition? How involved are you in planning and tweaking your horse’s diet?

accountability · physical fitness (human)

Accountability, Week 2

AmandaLeave a comment

As I mentioned, I’m keeping track of my own exercise and of Tristan’s work here to keep myself accountable to the wider world in hopes of getting our winter fitness on track.

Sunday
Me: 45 seconds planking, 15 leg lifts R&L
Tristan: 40 minute road hack (hills!)

Monday
Me: walk downtown (20 minutes)
Tristan: 40 minute lesson

Tuesday
Me: 45 seconds plankinig, 15 leg lifts R&L, walk to work (20 minutes)
Tristan: Rest

Wednesday
Me: 45 seconds planking, 15 leg lifts R&L, walk to work (20 minutes)
Tristan: 30 minutes longeing with resistance band & cavaletti

Thursday
Me: 45 seconds planking, 15 leg lifts R&L, walk to work, ride back (10 minutes)
Tristan: Rest

Friday (aka the day of utter fail)
Me: Nothing. Nada.
Tristan: 15 minutes longeing

Saturday
Me:
Tristan: Rest

Uncategorized

Etsy Guide: Three Shops to Watch

Amanda2 Comments

I did a post previously on some gorgeous vintage horse items on Etsy, and now I want to focus on three different shops. I know the owners of each shop, and like them enormously as people AND as artists. Win-win. So if you’re still searching for something horsey for your trainer, barn owner, or best riding buddy, check these three shops out.

Bright Strange Things

Mackenzie is so wildly talented, I can’t even fathom it. We first met actually through fandom but quickly realized that we both owned roan mustangs with independent streaks. She’s since rehomed her mare Juno, but she still blogs at Bright Strange Things and takes the most amazing photographs. She also continues to produce astounding equestrian art, including this series of eventing ink drawings that I commissioned from her a few years back.

She makes these lovely wire ornaments, seen at left, and really lovely jewelry. She’s always working on something interesting and new, so check back regularly. Even the things that aren’t to my taste are beautiful!

Crystalline Horse

I am biased in this recommendation as well: Lindsey used to be the barn manager of my former boarding barn. She’s now doing the pottery thing more or less full time, and you can see why. She is talented and hardworking and she produces unique, wonderful things. Her horse mugs are really terrific: beautiful, functional, and artistic. I have a dressage mug and a jumping mug that are in regular rotation for my morning tea, and my preferred choice for evening tea. They hold a lot of liquid, they stay hot, and they are beautiful.

Lindsey also makes Raku horses; an example is at right. Raku is a specific type of glaze and way of firing that creates the beautiful shiny style. I have a Raku from Lindsey that looks like Tristan and is one of my most treasured possessions. They are expensive but absolutely stunning – photos doesn’t convey how wonderful they are.

Polar Square Designs

Kate makes really, really lovely stuff. I also own one of her signature pieces. In fact, it’s the one featured on  her custom saddle pad order page. It’s pictured left in all its glory on my roan pony’s butt. I. Love. It. People notice it wherever we go. It reminds me to be bad ass on cross country. It’s a quality saddle pad and the design is just phenomenal. The picture doesn’t really convey the subtleties and shading and intricacy of it. I feel confident in saying that she could pull off any design you wanted.

She also does portraits, photo shoots, and these adorable ornaments, customized to look like your horse – and, of course, she blogs at The Adventures of Lucy.

winter

GMHA Events

Amanda2 Comments

Note to self: stuff happens in the winter, too!

Here’s a great list of upcoming events at the Green Mountain Horse Association through the winter. I’m hoping to go to at least one of the Winter Warrior events (weather allowing) and one of the sleigh rallies. it’s a bit far to go all the time, unfortunately, but that January 8 evening on conditioning programs is calling my name.

Winter Warriors

Join us on December 11!

Sign up and put the following dates on your calendar to come and enjoy a ‘horse-lovers’ evening where we can exchange news, share stories, plan for the coming season and learn something too.

The GMHA “Winter Warriors” Club is free, and open to current GMHA members. Members are welcome to bring guests – no charge!  Those attending are encouraged to bring and share nibbles and drinks that we can all enjoy.  Meetings will be on Wednesdays in the GMHA Members’ Room at 5:30pm.

December 11: Breed Versatility: Pros and cons of different breeds for different disciplines       
Bring along: Photos of your horses (past and present) and stories of their accomplishments.

January 8: Conditioning Programs, Interval Training & Cross-Training    
Bring along: Ideas to share about how to promote fitness and minimize injury risk

February 12: Ask the Guest Experts: Panel Discussion    
Bring along: Questions on training problems you would like help with

March 12: Rider/Trainer Psychology
Led by Jane Rodd Ph.D. Bring along: Pen and paper to complete a fun psych evaluation to learn more about yourself.

April 16: Topic TBD by Members             

Come Sleigh with Us!

Join us for our annual Winter Sleigh Driving Series:

January 4: Sleighing Combined Test
January 5: Sleigh Rally
January 18: Sleighing Combined Test

meme

Happy Friday!

Amanda1 Comment

Just in case people haven’t seen this going around Facebook:

Well, which one would you get?
I vote something on endurance lines; maybe an Australian stock saddle. I’m very happy with the saddles I currently own, so no need to get a custom everyday saddle.

(I would not mind a few hours with that guy, though he looks high maintenance to keep around for much longer than that.)

Uncategorized

It’s here! It’s here!

Amanda8 Comments

I signed up for Tracy @ Fly on Over‘s horse blogger gift exchange and waited on pins and needles to get my gift…and it arrived yesterday!

It’s a gorgeous fleece turtleneck with “heat tech” technology and I can’t even tell you how delicious it feels just wearing it around my apartment. Here I am wearing it after I opened the box; please excuse the idiot grin and helmet hair (I had just gotten back from the barn):

(Boyfriend, as he’s taking the picture: “Don’t you want to take the tags off?” Me: “No, I’m preserving the just-out-of-the-box feel.” Him: “Ummm…ok. Sure.”)
Miraculously, it also fits better than some clothing my mother has bought for me, and she’s known me for 30+ years now. I can’t wait to wear it to my lesson on Monday. This is especially timely, since, well, take a look at the weather prediction at the barn for Monday:
The package had a real name but not a blog address on it, so I can give a shout-out to Elena but I don’t know where she blogs! Mystery Elena, if you’re reading this, could you comment so I can give you the credit you well deserve.
ETA: Tracy tells me that Elena blogs at Out of the Box; go and read about her eventing adventures. I’ll be over here on the other coast, jealous of her warm Southern California temperatures. Thank you again, Elena!
I ordered my gift for my recipient a few days ago and it has already shipped; I keep clicking anxiously on the tracking to see when it will get there. Hope you enjoy it, Mystery Recipient!

mustangs

Lazy by Design

AmandaLeave a comment

Stacey at Behind the Bit linked to this article from Equus Magazine, which is a roundup of interesting tests done on horses to see what they prefer.

This line in particular stuck out to me:

One horse chose to exercise on the treadmill on two out of three of his trials. While that one horse may have had some predilection for exercise, the overwhelming preference was for “absolutely no exercise.”

 Of course, working on a treadmill is very different from running free. But this result does correlate with how horses behave in nature. Feral horses spend less than 1 percent of their time moving more quickly than a walk, and they pick up their pace in only one situation: when they are being chased.

Tristan says “I FREAKING TOLD YOU SO, CRAZY LADY. I will go willingly forward when there is a mountain lion in the ring with us, and NOT ONE SECOND BEFORE THEN.”

horse cookies

Horse Cookies: Test 1

Amanda6 Comments

As I mentioned, I’m going to try my hand at baking horse cookies over the winter. I’m reading through recipes I find online, applying my own knowledge of baking techniques, and taste-testing them on the horses in the barn

Test #1: Peppermint Oatmeal Cookies

Tristan’s favorite flavor in the whole world is peppermint, so I thought I’d start there. Many of the recipes online seemed to be based on an oatmeal cookie recipe, and I have one that I love, so I went over its ingredients and modified them slightly.

Chiefly, I swapped in crushed starlight mints for the white sugar, took out the cinnamon and vanilla, and halved the recipe (since it makes close to 100 cookies).

I first tried crushing the peppermints with my immersion blender’s processor attachment. No dice. It wasn’t nearly strong enough; it mostly bounced them around and chipped them a bit. Duly noted.
Go ahead, be jealous of my c. 1975 food processor. It was new in the box when my mother gave it to me; my grandmother had bought it on sale, stored it, and promptly forgot about it. It is retro and it worked much better than the immersion blender.
This was about the consistency of the crushed peppermint; in retrospect I might’ve done them a little less.

Swapping in the peppermint for white sugar.

All mixed up – I don’t know if it comes through here, but the dough ended up almost pink, and much more moist than it usually does for these cookies, so this was where I started to worry.

Baked! The crushed mint melted a bit, which surprised me. Not too badly, luckily, but those white spots you see on the edges of the cookies are melted peppermint. It did make the pan a bit sticky to clean.

So: the taste test!

Tristan chewed his cookie and then spat it out. So I stuck it back in his mouth. And he spat it out. Whoops. He repeated that three or four times and then I gave up and dropped it in his bucket, just in case.

I got worried, and promptly tried feeding them to several other horses. Luckily, Tristan was the outlier. Here’s how it worked out with the other horses:

Justin, Willow, Twinkie, Prince, Carousel, Brody: LOVED IT. Carousel in particular whickered at me for the rest of the time I was at the barn.

Rain, Skip, Monty: Meh. They ate them, but they weren’t enthused.

With the horses that either really didn’t like it (Tristan, the goober) and the rest that were kind of meh, it seemed to be a texture issue. These cookies were chewier than I had hoped for, which is a great quality in a human cookie, but not in a horse cookie.

My final test is to see how they store; they’ve been in a sealed container in my kitchen for a week since this initial baking and taste test. I’ll do a second round of testing and then report back.