All of the updates

There hasn't been a lot to write about lately, but I think I finally have enough of a backlog of small news to be worth a whole post...

Apps

I've been using two apps for my horse stuff management so far, and I like both of them. I've been using HorseNotes for vet and farrier tracking, and like the aspect that lets me track the costs behind various things. I think it will really help me plan for future vet visits and budget. The application itself is a bit rough, but the online version is very usable. My one dislike, as the owner of several horses, is that I haven't figured out if I am able/how to make reports of multiple horse's vaccination records. In my frustration, I ended up creating a google sheet with similar information, and may end up abandoning HorseNotes for the most part. I like having everything in a nice app, but it may be easier for my sanity to only use Google Sheets, as I don't have to struggle with the reports then.

Bailey's Vaccination History from the app - I would suggest using the online version, but it's a good idea!

The second app I have been using is called Tally. Tally allows me to track and tally 3 items (free version) and view metrics on them, which is perfect so far for measuring hay and bedding usage. I am measuring in half bales and half bags of pellets, which is a bit annoying, but the best way to track my items. The app makes cute instrument noises when you tally something, which is amusing. It's easy to open the app and tap and while I still struggle sometimes to remember to do it, I could probably fix this with a phone reminder before bed each night.

I also still enjoy playing with Equilab, but have really inconsistent data, as some days it does not pick up the gaits at all, which denies me pretty modern art swirls. I do like being able to track my apps, and while I do miss "Track My Hack" from Woofwear, which provided less data but at least picked things up much more consistently, it's still fun to have the app when it works. I don't lose anything by turning it on, so I think I will continue to use it until something better comes along.

Arya

Arya's ground work continues to go well. I had a great session with her earlier this week and had her jumping over hay bales, which made me really happy. She is still very stuck on yeilding her shoulders and I'm struggling to find a way to explain it to her; my usual method of teaching a horse to step over works on her hind end, but I can sit and poke/tap/slowly escalate the cue on her shoulder and she just stands like a statue or backs up.

She has been less of a struggle to catch lately as well, but busted her record last night, so I had to remove all the other horses and was finally able to walk up and put her halter on with no fuss. I'm going to have to work on this every day, whether I like it or not, or I won't be able to put her out on pasture and be able to catch her. I also have spent a week being angsty about wanting to get her back under saddle and start enjoying her, and I'm hoping that with the snow finally melting I can start re-backing her safely. I have eyeballed some trainers to send her to, and have the blessing of husband to send her if I feel the need to, but I also am wondering if I just need to grow a pair and get back on the beast (perhaps with some Perfect Prep on board). Part of me thinks that I just need to get back on with someone to lead me around and stay out of her face, and try to make some tack changes to make her happier, and part of me thinks that I really need to find a way to be a more authoritative rider in general.

Other things to report with her are relatively uneventful - she's finishing her taper of Nexium this week, and I am still pretty happy with the results. She is always going to be a hot, excitable young horse, but I feel that she is easier to handle and her stall is still cleaner. Adding to her stall being cleaner, I think I am finally going to give in and move some things around in her stall this weekend. She likes to stand with her butt to the door of her stall, and I've noticed she's been eating less and less hay, so I've been hanging a hay net back where she stands... and voila, she eats more hay. This weekend I plan to move her hay hoop to the back of her stall so I don't have to deal with hay nets anymore and will move her buckets away from the door and her butt, so hopefully I have to deal with her pooping in her bucket less.

BB

Bailey and I have been slowly carving out rides on the road after trying to have a nice canter in the field last week and both of us taking a tumble in the snow due to some hidden ice that definitely wasn't there the last time we rode in the same spot. We had a great roading session a few days after the fall including some hand gallops and lots of trot work. Bailey actually feels pretty good - her buttons are all still there, and I don't think she's as out of shape as I like to pretend she is. We got hit with a blizzard last weekend, so I've been letting her sit again. This weekend we're being promised temps above 50, and I'm planning a ride this afternoon as the ring is partially melted out. Hopefully by the weekend I will have a (wet) ring back for full time riding! I'm hoping to do a light ride today to knock off the dust, and maybe do a few small jumps before the weekend is out.

Hopefully I'll have more writing-worthy items soon - I'm eager to get back on my girls and start getting back to it!