What's Up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday all! Things are plugging along over here. Last week we had spirit week at the barn and as promised, here are all of Pammon and my outfits:

Tuesday: Tacky Tourist Day

I learned after this day to make sure I had someone grab a photo with my phone... cause this one wasn't. Pammon wore a palm frond baby pad from Lettia with a light pink sheepskin half pad and pink polos. Also his sunnies of course. I wore a palm frond top, pink breeches and boots, and a pin sparkly helmet. We felt very tropical.

Wednesday: Larimar Wednesday

Today we were to wear the barn colors and/or logo. Fortunately, I have these Ariat breeches that are perfect and I made this shirt, belt, and Pammon's half pad with my Cricut. He also wore am appropriately colored bonnet and boots. Also, my boots and helmet were navy.

Thursday: Throwback Thursday

I already shared this outfit on Thursday's Threads last week. It was fun!

Friday: Color wars!!!

My quadrant was assigned yellow which I really wasn't sure I could pull off. Fortunately, I remembered I had these neon breeches from Tuffrider. I had to get creative with boots though. I only had gold for Pammon and my logo boots are done with a gold logo. Close enough. It's yellow gold! My pad and half pad were a pale yellow also. I thought I had donated them, but was happy I didn't!

Saturday: Free for all

I love putting ridiculous outfits together, but I struggled at first with Saturday without a topic for guidance. Ultimately, I decided to just go for whatever I could really go all out with. And that's unicorn colors obviously. Pammon wore this pad, bonnet, and polos set from Hopeful Equestrian. We topped him off with the unicorn beaded browband from Dark Jewel Designs and the unicorn bit from Punk Ponies of course! I wore a black helmet and boots, purple Hadley breeches, and a running tank from Fabletics.

We only won the first day, but some of the kids went all out with costumes and decorating their horses. So that's fair. I wound up not partaking in stall decorating Sunday but everyone did a fabulous job with those! Sorry I forgot to take photos. I'm the worst. I hope we do spirit week again though, it was lots of fun!

So I have to share this story... I get on Eros on Friday and I notice there's ropes all over. Some tied to the walkouts, one on a tree, and a couple across the manure bin. 

At first I was thinking maybe Shiny got loose and my helper decided to tie her in to catch her? But that wouldn't make sense because these ones across the dumpster were attached to my hay barn with screw eyes that hadn't been there... (Don't get me started on people putting holes in things without asking me first.... GRRRRR....) So I sent a text to my helper, like what's with the ropes. And you guys. Oh my. His intentions were good of course. But OH MY! He had put them up to contain the horses when he let them loose in my yard! You guys. SO NOT OKAY. The entire far side, while it has a tree line, does not have any sort of fencing and is basically a cliff. His reasoning was that the horses liked to eat the grass (of course they do) and while Shiny's paddock has some grass in it (okay weeds... but I "seeded" it with their hay so it's yummy weeds) Eros turns out in the ring which is obviously not grass. BUT I do hand graze them most evenings and on the weekends. Not to mention they are both morbidly obese quite chubby. I hate having to be a jerk, but I told him it's much too dangerous and we can't be doing that. And then I had to take down all the ropes. On Friday night. After riding at 7:30 AM, working all day, then riding two more. Sheesh. I mean, I appreciate his intentions, but why can't he ask me before doing something like that?!

Okay, rant over. Back to the fun stuff! It's been pretty hot and humid here. This morning, while cool (74 at 7:30 am!) was 91% humidity and 71 degree dew point. Sticky. 

I've still been sticking with Eros' and Pammon's prescribed rides since those aren't particularly strenuous. Pammon's kind of are just given length of time, but it's cooler when I ride him, and he seems to handle the heat like a champ. But Shiny has gotten off a little easy. We rode every day of course, but her jump school Saturday was very short, and Sunday we played around bareback.

I was also kind of lazy about media this weekend, and only used the Pivo. I was excited to try out their new Beta Horse version, and it's pretty fab. I have the red, but if you're thinking about getting one, definitely go with the silver as it is able to react a little faster than mine. 

So here are some clips of Shiny jumping around Saturday. She was great! But we have a lot to work on. I need to set up a grid at some point to get her rocking back more, and not just pulling us past the distance and jumping over her shoulder. I'm sure part of that is simply that 2' is easy for her and partly just that she's still green. I think there's a cute jumping pony in there, but we have to do a little work to get her to come out.

Eros is up to 15 minutes of trotting this week, and I've started to ask him for a little contact. Mostly just to get his attention back on me, but also it's probably time he start using the proper muscles. I don't think he's 100% yet as far as soundness, but I know he's due for some maintenance. Not to mention, he's never been 100% sound. He and Pammon will both have a recheck I think next week. So we'll see what doc thinks. But here's a little clip of Eros trotting around.

Oh and I made my hair purple again. It seems sweating like an animal all over it fades it much faster though.

in process purple hair

That's about it from here. How's your week going? Did you do anything fun last weekend?

Truthful Tuesday

I've been trying to tame my shopping habit of late since I want to have funds to start showing Pammon (and eventually Shiny). But not shopping is so BORING. I mean, I haven't quit altogether. Let's be real, this is me. But I'm trying to stick with things we need (like supplements and horse treats) and not ordering things I don't need like saddle pads and more belts.
Getting the mail is completely unexciting. Nothing but junk mail and bills. Even the UPS deliveries are boring. Smartpaks and horse meds mostly. Ugh. So boring.

I do have a few (mostly unnecessary) orders in the works though that I placed before I told myself to stop being so wasteful.

The first is from Hopeful Equestrian. I ordered a couple baby pads to match my Celeris boots. Shiny doesn't need them since she uses her sheepskin lined pads, but I got two of each color way (one for Pammon and one for Eros, of course). One set will be black with metallic rose gold trim and the other is gray with metallic turquoise. I can't wait for them to get finished!

The other order is from Hufglocken, a smaller Australian company. They have really good pricing on Mattes products. AND they offered a 20% discount site wide, including custom orders. It's hard to say no to that... I have a wish list of things I want from there. Mattes has brushing boots you can customize (though they're VERY expensive).

Definitely a wish list not an anytime soon item

They also have a neat cooler system that I'm definitely going to order for the winter. It's called the Mer system, and attaches to the saddle pad. No bulk from your quarter sheet wrapping around your saddle! And you can get a chest piece too for those really cold days. The negative is that it's made of fleece. Wool would be better. But I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll just keep some anti static spray on hand.

photo borrowed from the Hufglocken site

I'm not sure why this lady in the photo is wearing a tee shirt and her horse is covered up like it's the middle of winter... But whatever. Anyway, you have to get the saddle pad from Mattes for it to work. It attaches with buttons so you order the pads with button holes.I didn't order either of those things, but I did go ahead and get a couple pads (with button holes in preparation for my future order). I got one for Shiny in our barn colors with the sheepskin underneath since that's been working well for us. And Pammon got just a plain pad in our colors with no sheepskin on it. I already have a half pad from Mattes he can use that will match. So while I was bad in ordering pads... I wasn't as bad as I could have been? Right? I want to get Eros the system too, in the barn's colors. But I didn't! Yet....

Do any of you go ahead and make lists of all the things you want to buy even though you can't? No? Just me? That can't be true. What's on your wish list currently? Has anyone tried the Mer System? Yay or nay?

Thurday's Threads: Chanukah Edition

Happy Chanukah Outfit Day!!! I decided that I would wear ugly Chanukah sweaters to work every day this week, and so far, either no one has noticed, or they just haven't said anything... I saved my new favorite one for today though, so I could share with all of you! But fear not, yesterday's sweater I rode in as well, so you can see that one too. We'll start with today and work backwards.

It has TINSEL on it! I know. It's definitely something.

Top: Tipsy Elves

I don't know how they come up with this stuff! I will say, I hope Tipsy Elves has some new styles next year for Chanukah. I own all the current styles that I liked, and there are far less options than for Christmas. So I'm hoping for some new hilarity next year. Though this certainly does not disappoint!

Belt: C4

I only have one Chanukah belt, so you'll see this again shortly... Maybe C4 could do a new one next year too...

Jeans: Hudson

Love these! I wish they were a tad longer. The ankle length isn't ideal once it's sock weather. But they'll be great with tall boots too.

Socks: not sure where I got these

Menorah socks are always a good idea for Chanukah time!

Shoes: Blowfish

Can you believe I don't have Chanukah shoes?! I know. I couldn't quite believe it either. Apparently, there's not a large market for them. Come on designers! We need some Chanukah shoes!

Arm Party:
Lefty:

Lefty is wearing this dainty leather bracelet with a star of David charm along with my trusty apple watch.

Righty:

Righty is donning a beaded snowflake bracelet from Pura Vida, along with this adorable stack from Alex and Ani that my mom gave me last year. So festive!

Bag: Betsey Johnson

I mean... no Chanukah outfit is complete without a dreidel purse. Right? Check out the gold gelt for the zipper pull! So cute!

That's what I have on at work today, but Eros and I both have riding outfits to share! I'll go first.

It's blurry to show you how effing cold it was last night. I think that comes through...

Sweater: Tipsy Elves
Jacket and Vest: Eddie Bauer

My dad actually ordered a jacket and vest for my step mom and for me with the barn logo on them, but they aren't here yet. They would have matched better being Navy. But these are warm, so I don't care if they go or not!

Belt: C4 (again)

It's adorable. I don't really need a second one.

Breeches: Ovation

These are the "curvy" cut Ovation breeches. I really love them, as they are made for girls like me with THIGHS. But they weren't really warm enough last night.

Boots: Tuffrider Regal

I know, I know. Boring. But they have plenty of room for extra socks.

That's what I rode in, so now it's time for what Eros wore... I didn't get a full horse shot, so we'll just do the individuals. (Also, the trainer over there hates color and thought he looked ridiculous. She's boring.)

Saddle: Hermes
Pad: Hopeful Equestrian
half pad: I can't remember this brand, so sorry!
Girth: Jack's

Part of me wishes I had done the Chanukah set in blue, but I do love this purple. Maybe next year we'll do a blue set.

Polos: Hopeful Equestrian

For some reason, the velcro never hits quite in the right spot. But they're adorable all the same.

Bridle: Spare parts... mostly Royal Sports
Browband: Southern Sweet PGH

I snagged this browband on Etsy for a STEAL! ($35!) and though it does work for Chanukah colors, it's also similar to the barns colors, so he'll wear it for schooling year round.

And that's it for our Chanukah edition of Thursday's Threads. Any favorites from today? Do you embarrass your horse with theme outfits? If not, you should. They don't usually buck you off in retaliation... only sometimes.

Thursday's Threads

Happy Outfit day everyone! It's pretty chilly here today, but hopefully will be enough above freezing to get to ride tonight. Fingers crossed! If you follow my Instagram or personal Facebook accounts you've already seen a sneak peak of last night's riding outfit, so let's start there!

So fun fact about me: I don't particularly like the color red. I tend to avoid it 98% of the time. The other 2% is when it's buffalo plaid because for some reason I LOVE red and black buffalo plaid.

Helmet: One K

This one's been getting a lot of wear time lately! I just saw that Samshield makes a winter liner, anyone know if One K does too?

Quarter zip fleece: Avalanche
Vest: Chaps

These plaids are SLIGHTLY different, but when you're riding outside in the dark, it's not at all noticeable. I was excited it was warm enough for my first horse to not need a jacket over top. Too many layers and I can't really move my arms.

Belt: C4

This C4 belt gets a fair amount of use since it matches all of my buffalo plaid. It's starting to show some wear though which is kind of a bummer.

Breeches: Smartpak

You've seen these before. They're a nice dark denim breech. I had wanted to wear black breeches, but they were all dirty. Or I hope so because I couldn't find any!

Boots: Tuffrider Regal

I still think they're the most comfortable. I stole my "keep in the trailer pair" to send to Florida for the winter and they were perfectly comfortable the very first ride. I wish all boots were this comfy out of the box.

Ok, enough about my outfit, wait till you see what the boys wore!

Truth be told, we nixed the quarter sheet because it wasn't that cold out. I thought it was going to be worse than it was. Their entire outfit was custom made for us by Hopeful Equestrian. You can find her on Etsy, and she's awesome. I can't wait for the Chanukah outfit to come for our holiday card photos! (Shut up, yes I know it's late... But also, if anyone wants a card email your address to me: seseidman@gmail.com I order lots so don't be shy!)

Bonnet: Hopeful Equestrian

The ears are a little too long on the bonnets, but whatever, they're so freaking cute!

Saddle set ups:
On Both: Voltaire saddle with Evo Equine rainbow gloss stirrups
On Jampy (first photo): Baby pad from Hopeful Equestrian and half pad by Dura Tek

 On Rio: Saddle pad by Hopeful Equestrian and half pad by Le Mieux

Polos: Hopeful Equestrian

I got a set of four so they could each wear two. Their legs are SO FURRY! Ugh... Time for some clipping I guess.

Quarter Sheet: Hopeful Equestrian

We wound up taking this off, but it's really cute. I kind of like that the sides are a bit short so he will feel my leg.

I would be lying if I didn't kind of want the same set in green buffalo plaid... Maybe next year!

Ok, on to today's outfit!

It's a sweater and jeans kind of day!


Sweater: Elsamanda

I can't photograph this sweater and do it any justice... It's a chunky knit sweater with teeny tiny little sequins throughout. Just enough to be cute and fun, but not so much that it's gaudy and I can't wear it to work. It's stupid warm too.

Belt: Mane Jane

This is the gray side of the belt I won from Mane Jane. I've worn this so many times already! So excited about it!

Jeans: Twenty One Black

These are the fancy brand from Rue 21 which isn't terribly fancy. But they're very soft and stretchy and wonderful in their own right.

Shoes: Joe's Jeans

I still haven't switched my summer and winter shoes over, so these have been getting a ton of wear. I found them last year in Florida at Marshall's for some crazy low price. I like the chain detail, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how comfy they are despite having pointy toes.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Left is wearing a sparkly cuff from Express. It's tough to see, but it is gunmetal, and super pretty!

Righty:

Righty is donning two Stacie originals. I made these a few years back, I think during one of the hurricanes. I love them, and I really wish I had more time to work on new arm candy. Purchased bracelets are nice and all, but I love wearing something I've made myself.

And that's it for today! What are you wearing? How's the weather where you are? Any favorites from above? Ever dress yourself and your horse in matching outfits? No? Why not?!