Beware the Chestnut Mare

Our First Episode Is LIVE!

On this day, 19 years ago, we began to write our first ever story together. It seemed very fitting that the first episode of our podcast should come out today!

In this debut episode, join Emma and Esme as we dive headfirst into the world of youthful storytelling. We kick off with our very first book that we wrote together, which began 19 years ago on this day. It's called Living 2 Die and yes, it is every bit as ridiculous and melodramatic as the title suggests. In episode one we start with the prophecy that isn't really a prophecy and puzzle over vague world building and entertaining typos.

Tune in now to listen to our inaugural episode and embark on this exciting journey with us!

You can listen on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Podcasts and pretty much anywhere else you get your podcasts. Or you can listen directly from our website!

Question for peeps. Toto has this big hard bump, I think a swollen parotid gland? Very hard, I thought it was actual bone at first and was very confused. I can feel it on the other side too but it’s much smaller.

Google = could be a sign of strangles or ‘grass mumps’ but he has no symptoms of anything. He’s bright and cheerful and eating, no snotty nose. He’s not sensitive here, doesn’t bother him when I poke it. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s new or I just never noticed, but I feel like I would have noticed.

One Google result suggested horses can get swollen parotid glands from being worked improperly. Obvs Toto is not in ridden or hard work but he has been very upside-down moving for a long time, default posture is head stuck up high. When I go to do jaw flexions with him (like the cession de machoire) I get no results, no ‘release’ and no chewing. He’s also just very very stiff through his whole head and hard to get any sort of significant stretch/wiggle/adjust that isn’t just his entire neck. So I’m wondering if maybe it’s just his longterm bad posture that has contributed, and maybe our recent lunge work made it pop up.

So my QUESTION: any of y’all know of a horse who’s exhibited swollen parotid glands related to musculature/training/inflexibility, or other mysterious causes that didn’t seem related to illness?

Saddle club reunited at last <3

What's this? Actually riding the wee beastie??

Last week I managed to do a lesson with the Pivo, and it actually worked really well. Which got me all excited. Because if it means i don't to float Boo a 5hour round trip, then it means I will be able to get lessons a LOT more frequently!