The main reason I haven’t written an actual blog post since April is thus: Aside from one camping trip to Cow Camp in Sisters, every horse related event I had planned or signed up for has been cancelled, either due to other people’s circumstances or horse injuries. I was so excited to take Kade to the Cross State Ride…then the horse he was supposed to ride was put on stall rest for a tweaked tendon (he’s recovering but it takes months), which also effects his conditioning for the endurance season I had dreamed of for both of us. I went off to Malaysia for a work trip, returned and had one rainy ride…then Tarma spooked at the mower and managed to slice a chunk of heel bulb off in her stall. There goes an endurance ride and a pack trip while she recovers, and the one clinic I signed up for had the clinician cancel for personal reasons.

Tarma’s injury is healing well (according to the vet, several vet med friends, and my lovely barn owner) but slower than I had hoped for. It’s still at the stage where I don’t want to ask her to do anything at all except be patient while I change her dressing yet again and stay calm in her smaller pasture turnout. All focused training and conditioning has come to a halt, so we’re mostly focusing on our relationship and just vibing together.

She’s also been on magnesium and raspberry leaves for two weeks and wowza, the difference! When I returned from Malaysia, she wasn’t comfortable in her own skin, couldn’t control a single emotion or hold a thought for very long at all. Now she’s happy to chill with me, back to her normal opinionated but not jumping around everywhere self. She was able to be clear with her HCP (hoof care practitioner) when she couldn’t handle her hurt leg being held in a certain way, but in a calm and non-escalating way, and accepted the HCP’s suggested alternate with grace. It’s a relief even as we still focus on getting her leg to close up again.

This leaves me grounded in the meantime, which gives me space that I did kinda need to once again kickstart my own fitness. I’ve started over at the beginning of The Sweaty Equestrian’s Endurance Rider fitness path, and experimenting with purpose to find a daily routine that fits in all the things: Caring for Benny, caring for Tarma, the new position at work, my fitness and nutrition as a rider, volunteering and trying to put out good things into a struggling world. You know, just the basics. I’ve rediscovered smoothies, getting up early to either do a gym workout or walk the dog in the cool of the morning, and apologizing to the void before cursing into it, all before 9am!

One thing I’ve had to give up except for a few minutes a day is reading any type of news. I used to be of the mind that at least being informed was a requirement, but I’ve given that up (mostly). Nothing coming down from the Feds is good news or even workable or influence by me. Maintaining current relationships, raising Kade, being thoughtful and calm when things go sideways, supporting directly the folks that most need it, those are the things I can focus on and have the most influence with currently. It’s not enough, it can’t be for this moment that needs so much more of us.

One moment to illustrate this in a small way (though I deleted and rewrote this several times): I recently became aware that traveling circuses are still a thing (in the US, in 2025? Wild, but are we surprised?) via someone sending me a photo of a kid riding an elephant. I did my best in how I communicated that this isn’t a thing to support, not in the here and now. It’s extremely difficult to near impossible to have working elephants ethically in this country, let alone in a literal traveling circus where their most basic of needs cannot be met and in an environment that’s ripe for abuse. Five minutes with the internet and I knew this particular outfit wasn’t licensed and had several violations in the past, as did the subcontracted outfit that actually “supplies” the elephants. I’m sad the only response was the equivalent of a shrug, but I’m past avoiding saying things that need saying. Don’t put me in your chat threads if you don’t want to be poked at and encouraged to take things at more than face value.

So, that’s the sit rep from this little corner of the Northwest: The weather is excellent, whatever blooms right about now makes me want to tear my eyes out, still gainfully employed with the shiny new position and buying new tack sets with different colors for my spicy chocolate lady, restocking the fridge at least twice a week (teenagers and their bottomless stomachs!), committed to avoiding cooking dinner for the foreseeable future, daily work debriefings on the car ride home with my husband, and constantly dreaming up new nicknames for the World’s Most Helpful Labradork.