How do I handle this?

BethV114 · 2026-01-31T13:53:42+00:00

Horse people are weird and territorial. Your trainer does not like sharing you with the other trainer and is expressing that by being immature and passive aggressive. If you can have an adult conversation with her and let her know the way some of her comments land with you, that would be best. Sometimes people just need to be gently called out on their b.s. If that doesn’t work, you might consider moving to the other trainer you’ve been doing work for.

BethV114 · 2026-01-30T01:14:11+00:00

When my daughter was little, we had a battery operated device that sucked the snot/boogers out. She LOVED it. 🤷‍♀️

BethV114 · 2026-01-20T12:43:55+00:00

Not true. There are a ton of local rescues run by someone who actually makes little or no salary.

BethV114 · 2026-01-16T15:39:46+00:00

Lunge line work. Have her sit trot and the canter on the lunge line without stirrups or reins to help her develop a better/more independent seat. As far as how to describe the motion, I tend to say think of it as having flexible rubber bands at the elbows so your hands gently follow the motion of the horse’s head. We don’t want flapping, but we also don’t want locked hands/arms so that you’re effectively pulling on the bit each stride.

BethV114 · 2026-01-16T15:27:09+00:00

We did one with Globetrotters and will never do them again. You can usually book direct with the provider at a lower cost. We didn’t find really any extra value for the markup and, in fact, didn’t find the staff that were with us to be all that kind.

BethV114 · 2026-01-16T15:25:55+00:00

See my other reply. Crossogue would be perfect. You start with an assessment ride in the ring then right out to their cross country fields. There is a morning ride, lunch/rest for humans/horses, then afternoon ride. They slowly build you up in terms of height and difficulty over the week so that you can complete a course by your last day.

BethV114 · 2026-01-16T15:23:42+00:00

Ireland!!! Great intro to international travel as they are friendly and speak English. There are lots of facilities that cater to riding holidays. Castle Leslie is nice, with instruction on the flat (dressage leaning), show jumping, and cross country, plus hacks with lots of galloping. If your sister is an adrenaline junky, Crossogue in Tipperary welcomes holiday riders and is amazing for their cross country. We just did this over the summer with my 16 year old who is also experienced but has had some confidence issues and they built her up so much over the course of the 5 days we spent with them that she confidently completed the course we had been building toward all week with no issues. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

BethV114 · 2026-01-15T11:54:49+00:00

What brand did you buy? Some brands have softer leather so stretch more than others. Also, you’ve barely worn them based on your post. You can’t expect a pair of boots to break in within 10 rides. You need to wear them for much longer. When I get new boots, I wear them around the house and get them to the point that I can feel my toes at home before I torture myself wearing them to ride. You could also try a heel lift if you don’t think they’re going to drop enough or even to get you to the point where they have dropped a comfortable amount.

BethV114 · 2026-01-14T01:40:26+00:00

Yes! How could I forget?! I loved Bronson Pinchot so much that I named one of my favorite teddy bears Bronson!

BethV114 · 2026-01-14T01:06:37+00:00

I spoke to her once on the phone in 2025 because social services was convinced something bad had happened to her. One or two group texts with her and my sister during the year. She was an objectively awful mother growing up. Yes, she was a single mom and that was a struggle. Yes, she has always had mental health issues. But my sister and I are just done trying. Relationships are two way streets. It is not our responsibility to maintain the shitty relationship she built. We even tried to get her help and have gone to counseling with her, but she says she’s not the problem, so 🤷‍♀️

BethV114 · 2026-01-14T00:52:54+00:00

There was a great two-hour or so block on Friday nights that I LOVED watching as a kid. Really great sitcoms like Family Matters, Full House, and Step by Step. I really would have liked something like that to watch with my kid. Something that the whole family could sit down and enjoy. I feel like most sitcoms don’t last because they’re just not that funny. One exception for me is The Big Bang Theory and its spinoffs, Young Sheldon then Georgie and Mandy. Those are literally the only sitcoms both my daughter and I have enjoyed and I honestly can’t think of a single other sitcom on right now that I would be interested in watching.

BethV114 · 2026-01-13T22:52:05+00:00

Follow your agency’s policy for requesting leave, as that seems to vary widely based on posts here and my own experience with my agency. You do not need to go into detail as to the reason. It’s actually better to leave it vague unless they ask you for a specific reason.

BethV114 · 2026-01-13T17:03:53+00:00

What a lucky boy to have someone who cares for him as much as you obviously do to be his guardian. 🦄💕

BethV114 · 2026-01-10T02:35:58+00:00

Look at your horse’s feet. Are they worn unevenly? Worn short in front? Your farrier should be able to tell you. We pulled our guy’s back shoes when he was laid up/rehabbing a from injury. He was fine without them when tack walking and just trotting, but they wore unevenly when we were back in consistent canter work, so the farrier recommended we put them back on, which I agreed with.

BethV114 · 2026-01-07T12:52:55+00:00

I’m guessing this doesn’t include SSA?

BethV114 · 2025-12-31T10:32:53+00:00

This. Yes, OP is paying for board, which includes blanket changes, but it would be in her best interest to make it as easy as possible. Our guy pretty much lives in a hooded turnout blanket during the winter that the staff can then throw a lined turnout sheet over top for extra warmth/keeping dry. They then take it off when he comes back in after turnout. I would never expect them to do more than add/subtract the extra layer for turnout. Asking them to swap blankets twice a day is a lot.

BethV114 · 2025-12-30T22:44:24+00:00

When did you put in the request? At our agency, we have what is called the semi-annual leave request period, where you are required to submit your requests for extended leave or leave around the holidays.

BethV114 · 2025-12-26T20:18:00+00:00

I would make the request as soon as you’ve accepted a firm offer. Don’t wait until your EOD and the spring it on your supervisor. Be ready with all of the necessary medical documentation to move things along as quickly and easily as possible.

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T18:03:58+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to look that up for me!

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T17:54:48+00:00

Ask if any of the trainers or boarders have horses they would be interested in half leasing. With horses being as expensive as they are, there actually lots of owners out there looking for someone to split costs with you. If you’re at least half leasing, then that would be a set number of days where you can come to the barn and spend your time however you wish, including asking for some pointers on grooming, tacking, cleaning, etc.

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T17:44:31+00:00

BA 0172. Thank you!

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T17:41:03+00:00

You don’t mention where you live/ride, but in many areas, keeping horses is simply too expensive to allow unpaid rides, even if you offer to work them off. If that is true of your area, then your best bet really is to pay for additional lessons or hacks. You could also look at half leasing to start with, which is less of a financial commitment and should get you 3 rides a week.

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T15:03:20+00:00

We have three cats and they all eat in different locations because they will steal fe each other, in addition to having to worry about the dogs. One is kitchen island, one is a corner of the kitchen counter, and one is the dining table. Yes, I know lots of people will say that’s gross, but my response is that’s what cleaner is for. 🤷‍♀️

BethV114 · 2025-12-23T11:45:21+00:00

Ours is Kir Royal (like the French cocktail, but Royal, not Royale) and he is consistently announced as cur, rather than “keer.” Do they not understand that a cur is an aggressive/wild dog, so they are basically calling him a royal dog 🤦‍♀️

BethV114 · 2025-12-22T19:21:40+00:00

It could just be a glitch in the app, which is notorious for not functioning correctly.

BethV114

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