September photos

September is supposed to be spring, but even though the frost is over, it always feels like the last month of winter to me - dry and windy and gross, with alternating days of a weird, tired sort of heat or bitter cold. We didn't get any rain this September, unusually, but we did enjoy plenty of riding on the nicer days.

Ladybug with a kiddo on board. She gave me a few good rides this month, too, with especially nice canter work. Her canter is natural and easy.

Anke (EM's Friesian) and a little kiddo who begged to be allowed to cool her off after her lunge session. Anke is super kind and this kiddo is our newest - and just as cute as a button.

Sahara starting to look a bit fitter now that she has a boy to gallop around with.

Enjoying our letterboard to the full. It featured in the engagement shoot, of which I'll post pictures when I get the USB with all of them. Tanneth from Fine Photography bent over backwards to get us the first few photos for our save-the-dates that very afternoon, and suffice it to say they were worth every cent. Precious memories perfectly immortalized - she is brilliant.

My two hunks 💜 Thunder still looked so dull and skinny here. Spoiler alert: the change to Equifeeds Racehorse Meal worked like a charm.

This adorable calf was born with lots of chrome! They're all beautiful, but normally they're just cute little brown babies. This one has three socks and a star and a white tail.

Getting the garden started. It's taken the back burner now as wedding planning intensifies (five weeks to go! eek!) but always brings us joy.

I help this kiddo who lives on a farm with her pony just down the road. She rides him five days a week (and rides Midas the days that she's not riding her pony). Luka is only five but he's a fabulous little guy and she puts so much into him. He may not get the best care (which I'm working to rectify) but continues to impress with his sturdy native capabilities - this guy has never seen a farrier and his feet are like this. Natives are the best. He's some sort of Boerperd/Nooitie pavement special.

This one didn't do very much in August/September except for staying fit with some lungeing, the odd schooling session, and plenty of outrides. Nothing of note to report, but many many moments of amazing joy. He's the best boy.

Old charger Skye has a new thing where she pushes past Thunder when I lead him out of the arena in the mornings and then gallops around stiffly in the cows' night camp, for whatever reason. She reliably comes straight to me if I offer bribery in the form of carrots but will evade being haltered with great gusto. It's safe to say she's come through the winter well, if a little thinner than I'd like. At her age, we take what we can get.

The sweetest eye of the goodest little Lancey 💜

We got the garden started! Few things are more fun than putting on some worship music and playing in the soil.

Wynnie was weaned, most uneventfully, in mid-August and Arwen came back into work in mid-September. She was pretty chill at first, but when a little fitness began to creep in, this changed lol. She's more supple than before but still so, so stiff compared to the boys.

Thunder and I continued to jump once a week or so. He did the Wheel of Death like a proper dressage pony - perfectly. At little crosses for his mother's sake, of course.

So much weight put on in a matter of weeks. As an aside, EM bought me possibly one of my favourite gifts ever - a Waldhausen shedding tool. Wow. It is AMAZING. Thunder's coat SHONE through his entire shed, and he shed out faster and with less effort than ever before in his whole life. What's more, he loves the feeling of the tool, so that's a win-win.

I took my unfit sixteen-year-old broodmare for a nice gentle walk to stretch out her legs as we started to put her back to work. The joke was on me. I returned on a rearing, plunging fire-snorting dragon. Excuse me, madam, even if you appear to have aged backwards, I have not.

Lancey took my sister and her bestie out for a nice ride with Flash and Sahara, who were both perfect, obviously.

Did I mention that half of the farm burned down in August? Most of the horse fields were spared, but the woods and cows' grazing all burned down. God has been so gracious. The cow fields needed a burn anyway, and everyone was safe and OK. I just need to replace some fences. No biggie. This tree fell down like a week later, having been smouldering on the inside for days.

The Lord entrusted us with this special soul, Xena, for a few short weeks. We did everything we could, but she eventually went septic and passed on. She was a fireball and purred more in her few weeks of life than most kittens ever purr. I loved her fiercely and I miss her so much.

Rene approaching her third trimester with another foal by Dakota. We're hoping for a bay colt for her lessor this time.

Lancey working his lil butt. I say that he hasn't been working hard, but he's certainly looking the best he's ever had, muscle-wise. He's a chunky Arab now!

Another day, another outride for Sahara. She's turned into such a solid little schoolie.

More soft pony eyes 💜 Thunder has been working steadily since we got home from holiday in July. No lessons of late, but plenty of strength and suppleness being built. I'm working hard on on his tendency to lock his underneck when things get a little more difficult for him (possibly linked to my tendency to just pull the reins when things get difficult for me, right?).

He is just the handsomest 💜

Red! I would have liked a few more kilos on him, but he's as fat as I can feed him without getting his child launched into the stratosphere, and his coat looks incredible for the first time since he came. He's turning into a very, very nice young man.

Thunder had a nice bath and was not amused about it. I can't remember when last I had time to bath my own horse with my own hands and it feels good.

Every kid wants to ride the fancy new Friesian, and EM is very generous with rides on her glorious steed. This little kiddo was a bit nervous but all smiles on board Anke.

The fiance (squee!) got started on making some wedding things. We're not DIY'ing too much of it, but since the ceremony is on the farm, there are a few things we need to do.

My favourite goofball.

Second favourite goofball.

This kid needed to feel what a dressage horse feels like so I put her on Thunder, who bucked her off for whatever reason. This horse has never bucked anyone off in his life, and he then tore around the arena continuing to buck madly for like five minutes afterwards, causing utter pandemonium in the middle of a busy lesson afternoon. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile. He chilled out after a few minutes and carried on as usual once I put her back on again. I did find a bump on his neck the next day so I'm almost certain a bee or a wasp or something must have stung him because he's never tried anything like that before or since.

More wedding things being done.

Muscly he may be, but it seems the Arab neck is here to stay.

The broodmare bod still very much in evidence here, not helped by her magnificent pose.

SANESA Nationals was in the end of September, and while I failed to grab any photos of Bullet and his kid that don't show kiddo's face, they were fabulous. Isaiah and I grabbed an ice coffee afterwards to round off our September.

We had a fun show in the first week of October that deserves its own post, and I'll put some of the engagement pics up when I have a minute.

God is good!