Thursdays Threads

Outfit Day! It's been relatively warm here again which makes me pretty happy. If the sun would just make an appearance ANY day now, that would be the icing on the summery cake. We dodged a bullet with Jose staying off shore, so while we've had some wind, it's been mostly dry here. Just gloomy. I've dressed accordingly today:

Fall colored PONY DRESS! Yesssss! I figure I should wear sandals and dresses as much as possible since the misery of winter is just around the corner.

Dress: Peach Love

I actually have this dress in 4 different prints. Most I got on sale, one I got secondhand from Poshmark, and this one I paid ((GASP)) retail for! They were already sold out of size small, and I couldn't risk missing out on the medium. So I splurged. Pony dresses are worth splurging on. Plus I think I can make this one work through fall by adding leggings and a cardigan. So it will get plenty of use.

Shoes: Soda

As each season draws to a close, Modcloth offers Stylish Surprise. It's sort of like a grab bag, except you just get one item. Shoes are all ten dollars. Sometimes the risk does not pay off and my local charities get some new shoes. Other times I get some good finds. I once got a pair of Irregular Choice shoes which retail for around $250 for $10. So that was definitely a win! Anyway, these were a Stylish Surprise order at some point. I liked them well enough to keep, but probably wouldn't have bought them on my own. I'm glad they found me though because they match this dress PERFECTLY! If you know me at all, I was pretty stoked to have a great pair of sandals already in my possession to match my pony dress.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is still missing the pretty leather band. The orange sport band doesn't quite match today's outfit, but hey, what can you do? Next to my bright watch is a vintage bangle. It's blue snakeskin on the band, and the clasp has some pretty blue rhinestones.

Righty:

Righty got all covered in Swanky Saddle today! I thought horsey themed bracelets only made sense to wear with my pony dress. In order: brow band cuff (fancy stitched, OBVIOUSLY), rein cuff, and curb chain bracelet. All of these are also available in silver tone at Swanky Saddle.

Boy, Thursday's Threads is really short when I wear a dress, isn't it?! Ha! Fear not, I have a riding outfit to share, despite that fact that some yahoo lighting off fireworks canceled my rides last night (only AFTER I was already on of course. Sheesh.) I guess I got all dressed up to hand walk them both. Always better overdressed than under though I say.

Yeah. These breeches are weird.

Helmet: One K

The One K has been getting a lot of rides lately! It fits a lot better with the XS liner in there. I'm very impressed with the ventilation on this one! I could really feel it last night since it was pretty windy out.

Shirt: Adult Ammy Strong

I love what Adult Ammy Strong stands for, but I especially like the logo. It's such a happy looking pony, I just want to smoosh its face!

Belt: Noble Outfitters

I forgot to grab a photo of my belt, but it's this one in this stock photo I stole from the Noble Outfitters website. It was the EXACT same shade of teal as my breeches. Pretty impressive.

Breeches: Ariat

I got these from Horseloverz not too long ago. They were marked WAY down, and generally I really like Ariat breeches so figured I'd grab a pair. But I didn't realize there were those stripes down the side. Not sure I love those. They're SUPER comfy though, more like wearing tights than breeches. Which normally, I don't DO tights. But these are technically breeches, so they can hang around. I love the color!

Boots: Tuffrider Regal

These guys are down to their last rides! My replacement pair JUST arrived today! No time to spare as I think I'm about to blow through the bottom of these.

Socks: 5 Below

I wore these awkward length Mermaid socks last night too. I got them from 5 Below, and I have a sneaking suspicion they're meant to be children's size knee socks. They're still cute though. And also perfect for when I wear my too short purple boots!

That's it for Thursday's Threads today! Have any favorites from today? How's the weather where you are?

What's Up Wednesday

Ugh. You know what's NOT up this Wednesday? My fence. That's what. I won't bore you with all the details of this project. But suffice to say it's going far too slowly, has been an epic disaster since the start, and I'm not at all happy. Neither are my horses who've only been turned out in a tiny little medical paddock since last Friday. Ugh. The place looks super weird without all the fencing up though, so here are some photos to stop me from whining:

With the fence down and the post holes not filled, riding has been a little challenging. Rio of course is just fine, but Jampy thinks his entire world has been turned upside down. Fortunately by Sunday he was feeling more agreeable so we had  a little fun cantering in and out of the ring. Might as well make some lemonade out of these lemons, right?!

I didn't feel like trying to jump would be a good choice with sir-spooks-a-lot. My luck he'd pull the runaway Jamp impression and run right into a hole. So no fun media this week. Hopefully we'll be back to our normal routine soon though. I hate to waste the last bit of riding season!
In other news, I nearly blew this little guy away with the blower. Once I realized he was clinging to the floor in the wind, obviously I stopped and let him hop up on my hand. Poor thing was missing a leg and STILL managed to not get blown away.

The puggers had a big weekend though. They got their fall shots Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the weekend like this:

They really know how to party. The highlight of my weekend was probably when I found an unopened box of Samoas hiding in the back of the oven.

Needless to say, they're gone now. No regrets. I guess that's it from here for What's Up Wednesday. Hopefully by next Wednesday the fence will be what's up!
What's up with you guys? Do anything fun this weekend?

Truthful Tuesday: The one where I'm a semi quitter

I mean... I'm not a quitter. If I was, I definitely would have given up horses long ago! But I'm not. If I say I'm going to do something, I do it. Usually at least. But when it comes to running... Sometimes I AM a quitter. Or maybe slacker is a better term.

 Months ago, I signed up for half marathon number 7. It's called the Steam Train Half Marathon and has a fun little bonus prize if you beat the spectator train back to the finish line. I chose this race because it's brand new, local to me (just two towns away!), and is in the fall so it shouldn't be too hot. As the months of passed by, I've found myself not at all prepared to run 13.1 miles. Not even a little. I started running again, but I've been shamefully inconsistent. And I haven't logged more than 3 miles at a time yet either. NOT good for half training, clearly.

Steam Train Half Marathon and Relay logo

My best friend since we were little kids has been thinking about joining me on this torture journey against the train, but she too has been struggling with the training. Shocking because she's like mega runner extraordinaire! But with work and having a family, time for training can be stressful to find. She hasn't registered just yet, and suggested doing the relay as a team instead. I wasn't sure they would let me switch, but they did! So this is why I'm a semi quitter. Instead of running 13.1 solo miles, I will be running only a portion (we haven't discussed who's running which leg yet). While I'm kind of being a quitter, I'm actually SUPER excited to run this relay with my best friend instead.

I love this graphic, totally borrowed it from the race site...

I've run a couple of relays before, and I love being part of a team. Obviously that will call for matching costumes... You'll have to wait for my race report to see what we run in. But I'll give you a hint: rainbow tutus.

Have you ever had to adjust your plan for a competition? Obviously I have many a time with the horses, but I think this is my first time with running.

Thursday's Threads

Happy outfit day everyone! This might be a first... Might not, but I think it is. Today you're going to see a repeat outfit. We were told to not look homeless today at work because corporate was coming for something or other. And I didn't really plan ahead, so I went with something easy to compile. Here it is:

Sorry about the poor lighting. But you've seen it before anyway! I'll do the run down again though, or this will be a very short post!

Top: Cabi

This is a REALLY thin knit. It's perfect for this time of year when it's cool in the morning and then oddly enough climbs into the 80's. (Also we're sitting at 75% humidity, so it's kind of unseasonable. No complaints here, this is my weather!)

Belt: Ralph Lauren

I found this belt on ebay awhile back, and I'm so happy I did! It's a croc embossed leather and the buckle there is half of a bit. Super cute.

Pants: Seven For All Mankind

I've not really been a floral person in the past. But for some reason, I really love these pants. They make my thighs look enormous... but they're pretty at least!

Shoes: Sperry

Earlier this year I realized I didn't have a nice blush colored shoe for any season other than summer. I was pretty excited to discover Sperry had me covered!

Arm Party:
Lefty:

Something look different to you guys? My trusty Hermes apple watch is currently incognito. The keepers broke on my leather band, so my parents are taking it with them to New York this weekend to get repaired. In the meantime, I borrowed this fab orange sportband so I can keep tracking my exercise. Since the orange doesn't QUITE go with my pale pink outfit, I tried to make it relevant with some coral toned bracelets. The first is from Ettika and the smaller friendship bracelet is by Pura Vida.

Righty:

Righty is wearing the most awesome Kate Spade cuff to ever be made (UNICORNS!) and a wide H bracelet.

I managed to sneak in a ride last night, despite being told at 4 PM we were celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday at 7. It was quick, and I only had time for Jampy, but that does mean I have a riding outfit for you!

I'm kind of a sham wearing OTTB stuff since I no longer have an OTTB. Oh well. Maybe I'll have another one day!

Helmet: Charles Owen AYR8

Greenie. <3

Shirt: Barn Dog Apparel

You guys, when I saw this Notorious OTTB shirt, I thought it was PERFECT to wear with my little biter Romey. I still think it's perfect for him. Even if he's not here anymore.

Belt: Ariat

Clearly, I have a thing for exotic leather accessories. Tack of the Day had these Ariat belts on sale awhile back and I was excited to have a brown crocodile belt for the collection. Bonus points for it being patent leather. And having a spur buckle. Oh, also? It reverses to just a plain brown belt. Two for one!

Breeches: Unbranded

You've seen these before. I got them at Equine Affair a few years back. I tried to get more last year, but they said the company had just made a bunch of breeches the one time out of random fabrics they had taking up space. So there are no more to be had. Very sad. I'm hoping it might happen again though!

Boots: Tuffrider Regal
Spurs: Evoequine
Spur Straps: Stacie Originals

Nothing new here! Just the old standyby boots and some pretty rainbow spurs with matching straps.
Jampy matched me too last night!
Here's what he wore:

I am not actually remembering any of the brands... Sorry. Well, the halfpad is from Horze, and the saddle is Hermes. But the rest, I couldn't tell ya!

I may or may not have some new crocodile embossed outfits for both boys... I was in a hurry so they aren't debuting yet, but you will see them soon I'm sure!

That's what's I'm wearing today! (And yesterday.) What about you? Any new riding clothes you love? Have a favorite from today? Let's chat below!

What's Up Wednesday

Soo.... this is my current situation...

Watching the American Gold Cup while I work. I imagine it won't be the most productive of days... There are some ridiculously nice horses at Old Salem this week. #jealous
First and most importantly, Badger made it through the hurricane unscathed! There were some trees down and some fencing will need repairing, but otherwise everything at trainer's is a-ok. Other than having no power, but I am pretty sure they have a generator. Hope so anyway!
This past week was pretty average. It wasn't especially busy, and I had time to ride both boys most days. Jampy had a really fun jump school this week AND I got to sit on my friend's horse this weekend. Lots of fun to be had.
My neighbor was kind of in and out this weekend because her sister got married, so I got to spend some time with her fur kids. They're so cute, I almost can't stand it.

Saturday morning there was a HUGE bike ride across the state to benefit the Yale Cancer Center called the Closer to Free Ride. It's 100 miles long, which is pretty crazy to me. One of my coworkers was doing the ride, and it happens to go right past my farm. So the pugs and I decided to hang out for a bit to cheer on the riders.

Unfortunately, my coworker was moving a lot faster than he expected so we missed him. But this one rider actually stopped to pet the kids. He said he has pugs too, and couldn't resist getting in a quick snuggle. Said we made his day! Imagine that? Here this guy is riding 100 miles on a bicycle to benefit cancer research, and WE made HIS day?

My observations from cheering on the bikers is that they are a much less miserable group than runners. When you cheer for bikers, they actually thank you and ask how your day is going. They do not at all seem like they may die at any moment. Thus I think bicycling may be better than running. I'm afraid to ride on the road though, so I guess I'll never know for sure.

In horsey news, I don't have any photos of  Rio from this week. Odd I know! Rest assured, he is doing just fine and has actually been a little sassy for our rides!

Jampy had another day of big jumping this week! He was so sound after last week's school that I felt ok about putting the jumps again. I set two at 3'3" and a couple at 3'6" and the others were all around 3' ish except for the little x into the combination.

The first time around after I raised them, he jumped fantastic! Unfortunately, I couldn't get any screen grabs at the right moment to prove that. After jumping around once though, he didn't jump that great. In his defense, I wasn't finding the best distances. I was having a hard time really getting him engaged and getting the impulsion I wanted to have an adjustable horse. Instead I had a mediocre canter and wound up only having a close option to leave from. It was a little warmer than it's been, so I think he was just a bit tired. He was no worse for the wear the next day or since so I don't think the height is too much for him physically. Though admittedly he could be a touch more fit. Anyway, here are some screen grabs from our school:

Lots of pets for the good pony! I wish he'd wear his ears better over jumps. He pricks them right until he leaves the ground and then they just flop back. Unless we're jumping toward the other end, then they stay up. But my camera is on this side! Oh well. Grumpy face it is I suppose.
My weekend helper invited me to her barn to sit on her horse Bug on Sunday. Bug is older, the same age as Rio at 21! He's an ex medal maclay horse AND an ex school horse. When I first got on, he acted like he had no idea how to give through his poll, but after some warm up laps at the trot, he came around. Literally and figuratively! Ha! I crack myself up. He was a little more tough at the canter, but I honestly think it's not easy for him. He probably has some hind end stuff going on at his age and experience level. When things got really hard for him though, he opted to shut down and go back to walk. I felt a LITTLE like an idiot a few times! Next time I carry a stick or a dressage whip. It was really fun to sit on something different. It's been awhile since I've done that, and it's always reassuring to see I actually do know what I'm doing. When you only ride your own horses all the time, you start to question that. I'm sorry I didn't get any photos of Bug!

And that's all that's up this Wednesday! What's up with you? Did you do any showing this weekend? Have a lesson? Something else entirely? Tell me about your weekend in the comments!