Welcome! I'm with you on the not wanting to look plump in my show breeches, plus losing weight has given me a lot more energy. I've managed to lose around 40lbs total, maybe 15 or so during the course of this thread. It's been slow going, but I've done so much of the yo-yo dieting in the past, I'm really looking to stick with it for the long haul this time. And at this point, although I'd like to lose another 10-15lbs, I can absolutely live with myself as long as I can just manage to keep it off!

Amazingly, I managed to stay the same weight this week despite stuffing my face nearly every free moment that I had. Helps that I haven't had much for free time, and I was good about what I ate despite being just ravenous. In my weekend snacking, I managed to consume two whole cucumbers, a head of celery, and an entire 2lb bag of baby carrots. Plus quite a bit of assorted fruit, bananas, apples, pears...

But I rode my horse alot, went out to a rather hilly park and spent the day there with Gem, a friend and her horse. Came home to find Stan 3-legged lame (fortunately just an abcess), worked on the house so we've finally got primer on the upstairs walls. Just crazy busy around here.

Peta, congratulations on the huge jump in weight loss, and the horse box! Hopefully now Henry won't rub his poor bottom!

I love the eventing world also but don't really get to follow it cause they don't have any big ones here, and if I read about it, it is in Your Horse that I get from england every month! I've always watched showjumping though, always admired the whittakers especially when milton was around. I am lucky to have such a big competition site so close to me and it is cheap, well we often get free tickets through work or in the power bill (the owners are a big wig in the electricity business!) even if you did have to pay it is like $5 so cheap!!
All that stuff with henry sounds like fun! It is good to practice dressage, that is why I am off to a schooling show this weekend, haven't learnt my tests very well! need to get practicing and my boyf is going to read them so that will help! Even if I do know them I go blank as soon as I get in the ring!! Good job the events I do I can have it read!!

Glad you had nice weather for Spruce Meadows, and no loss is better than gaining. I'm also quite stuck - think I've been running around doing things so much it makes me hungry!

Funny what sets our horses off. Gem hates water crossings, there were 4 on our trail ride Sunday. He's gotten to the point now that I can get him to go first if there's a good clean approach, and I can trot him at it, though if it's less then 3feet across, I can be guaranteed he's going to jump it. The first crossing was a bit muddy going downhill into the stream, and larger than the rest, and he took one look at it and made a concerted effort to go the opposite direction. Likes to make a small rear, and spin on his hind legs, hop about, shoot backwards, all sorts of drama. Though he was willing to follow my friend's horse in at the walk. So he's getting better - in the past there have been a few occasions where there was nothing for it but to get my feet wet before he'd go in. Always gets across somehow, though.

The bugs have started coming out here, but it was fairly cool last weekend, so they weren't too lively. Supposed to get warm again this weekend, though, and we had a wet spring, so they'll probably be out in droves. Ugh.

Well, glad everyone had a good time!

Urgh, don't talk to me about bugs. We have the horse flies out right now. They will be here till early Spetember probably. Mean little boogers! They have a visious bite which itches for days and swells up into a hard red blob. I have several on my arms - nice!

This is the same horsebox that Henry rubbed his butt in before! I am going to have a good look round some thrift shops and try and get some foam or something and somehow attach it to the side of the lorry to try and give him some protection. I'll take some pics and post asking for ideas next week!

Ouch! For the bugs and Henry's bum! At least now that you own it you can put something up to help his sore bottom out, which should help greatly. Have to put my thinker to work on that one, since I've never done it myself. They vinyl-cloth covered foam does seem to be pretty common around here in trailers, though. Good luck!

My horse show this weekend got cancelled. One of the boarder horses at the hosting stable had to go to the vet school with swollen glands, possibly strangles, so they cancelled the show to prevent the spread of disease. I very much appreciate that, since around here it's a non-reportable disease, so they did so on the honor system, and not because of any legal obligation. DH and I will probably go out Saturday night, so I better start saving up my booze calories, too!

Oh I hope it isn't strangles. Victor had strangles this time last year, luckily no complications frmo it and wolf didn't get it but it was sure yucky to look after. Sucks the show was cancelled but good on the other hand!
Well I am posting saturday night so haven't weighed yet but went to the dressage schooling show today and again wolfy was great took it all in his stride! Got some things to work on like going behind the vertical sometimes and unbalanced in canter, which is his worst! the judge said good potential! So we did two classes and came fifth and fourth!! very pleased with my boy as he has now officially done two shows!! and got three rossettes!! yippee! don't really have pics as my boyf videod it.

Good job!!
My horse has gone to 0 shows because of his trailer-phobia, but hoping to conquer it this summer and go to our first show this Sept.
I'll post when I weigh in on Monday

Monday morning everyone!! Weigh in was ok (stayed the same) considering the amount of pizza and wine I had this weekend! Friday I spent the entire day cleaning the house in preperation for my uni reunion which must have burnt up a lot of calories. Then met my friend and took the horse lorry over to my yard - hurrah, finally have my own horse transport!!

Saturday got up early and rode in a bid to avoid the flies, but they were already bad even at 8am. So just took Henry for a quick spin then hosed him off and left him in for the day.

My old uni buddies (4 blokes and a girl) arrived in the afternoon and we sat in the baking hot sauna otherwise known as my garden and drank Pimms - yum! Went out for a meal, more drinks and lots of dancing which was fantastic fun - I remembered how much I miss them all!

Sunday I actually survived without a hangover! I stopped drinking fairly early as on Sunday I had to drive my friends horse to hospital for his full body scan. My mates all left by 1 then we went to load Jack. Took one hour and 20 minutes to get him loaded!! He DID NOT want to get in the lorry - poor thing - everytime he's been loaded in the last year he's gone and had x-rays, scans, injections etc. Can't really blame him!

I finally got him in by his owner leading him, and me picking up each foot in turn and moving it forward up the ramp. he eventually decided (after I'd moved his feet about 20 paces) that he could do the last bit by himself

Anyway, it didn't take long to get him to the clinic which was a relief - it is the most luxurious place I've ever seen! HUGE stables, deep straw beds, lovely soft rubber floors everywhere. Jack has to stay until Wednesday (I hope he loads better then!) and by then we ought to have a better idea of what's wrong with him. Basically he hasn't been ridden in over 10 months due to unexplained lameness. His owner has had a really tough time of it

I'm hardly in the office this week - shooting off to Southampton tomorrow, got the afternoon off Weds to get Jack home, Thursday I'm in Shropshire, then I have Friday off to ride and generally hang out at the yard before cooking up a supper for a dinner party on Friday night. Plus my fiance is away all week with school, so I have the evenings to myself (NO FOOTBALL!! YEAY!!) and I plan to pamper myself!

well, weighed in, lost about a pound, fairly happy w/ it. I've been doing a lot more workout type stuff, so maybe a little more muscle mass in there?? muscle does weigh more than that. However, county fair today=funnel cake= OMG # of calories. I'm gonna hav to fast for the next 2 weeks, lol. Consider this my free day Hopefully work some of it off tomorrow at the barn

Congrats on the loss!

Muscle definitely does weigh more than fat, and it's possible to be leaner and not lose weight, too. Years ago when I went through boot camp, I went in weighing 152, and came out weighing 152, but I was definitely not the same size!

Now I'm stuck at about there, still. Didn't gain still, but not losing, either. Going grocery shopping today, so I'll be loading up on veggies and things. Running around like crazy this past week, I've sort of let things slide. Need to call the doctor today, too. I don't digest vitamin b-12, so I need to get injections of it periodically, and I'm about due. Which could explain why I've been really tired and hungry lately.

Sounds like a good week away from the office for you, though it's a pity about poor Jack. Hopefully they figure something out.

Glad you had a nice visit with your friends, and a nice ride. Hope you get lovely weather for your ride tomorrow!

i just read on the interent than if you reallly like ice cream exceptially loaded in fat Than there is a supstitute you can freeze a tub of low fat cool wip/chocolate cool wip. It doesnt get rock hard but it gets about the same consitinsy of ice cream and it has the texture of marshmellow. hehe its really good. just thought id share

No news on whether it was actually strangles or not, but they're definitely on a self imposed quaratine, so it can't be good. This is the same barn that had a rhino outbreak earlier in the year, and I feel bad for them, but part of the problem is that they have too many horses packed onto too little land.

Glad your schooling show went so well!

Had a lesson the day before yesterday, and it went fantastically. My hunter/jumper instructor is a caterer for her day job, and between weddings and graduations, and understaffing, we haven't been able to schedule a lesson for quite a while. She seemed quite impressed with how well Gem's doing- finally growing up!

Have a parade planned for this Sunday, so we'll see how that pans out. If worst comes to worst I know I can get off Gem and lead him without incident. Someone asked me why I wasn't taking Stan, since he's so much quieter. And while it's significantly less likely that Stan would fidget and spook, if he does, it's like trying to stop a freight train, and the odds of him squishing a spectator are much greater than Gem's. Gem's likely to jig and wiggle, but he's too obsessed with good footing to step on anyone!

Neat! I may have to try that someday. I usually go for the Edy's light, low sugar, or fat-free frozen whatever it is. It actually tastes quite good, but it does get a lot harder in the freezer.

Now that we're getting into strawberry season here, I've been known to treat myself to merenge shells with berries and lowfat cool whip, which isn't too hard on the waist line. Hmm, maybe I should dig that recipe out before I go to the store this morning. I seem to recall it was in one of my "diet" cookbooks.

Morning! you were busy writing today or yesterday!
I have slacked on writing since sunday! Well again at least you are not gaining so that is a good sign!
Sounds like the parade will be fun! I love your justification on which horse to take!!
No horsey plans for me this weekend, probably just go for a ride, might try come cavellettis (sp) that was talked about in PH this month.
I am at 134, so am quiet pleased, my original goal was 130, in a few months but it has taken longer, and yes I have certainly been slacking!! Have started going for a walk most evenings now so at least getting some exercise, and I like being nosey in yards as I walk past!!
My flowers in pots a blooming and really filled out the pots. 3/4 tomato plants are doing great and the one that has the most fruit seems to be turning yellow. Maybe I over watered it?? any ideas?? been giving them a bit of plant food, so now haven't watered it much and put it in the greenhouse, so will see if I killed it!!
How is you garden doing? got everything growing well? hwo about the fruit trees?
I need to find someone around me for lessons....which is easier said than done in an area that is predominately western!! but now I have a trailer it will be alot easier! I am hoping in a couple of weeks to go to another schooling show nearer home, so may put some feelers out!