Thursday's Threads: Thanksgiving Edition

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I didn't actually ride my horses today, but I planned ahead and dressed Shiny up in her Thanksgiving finest yesterday. She is our model this week, and here's what she wore:

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Homemade by me

I thought about making new funny beaded brow bands for Thanksgiving, but honestly, I really don't think I can do better than this one anyway. Also, Shiny got clipped last week, and she looks so cute!

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Equine Star

Turkey Pad! I think these came out so cute. And yes, Shiny is back in the belly band. She's a little more sensitive after being clipped and was starting to get a rub from my spur. 

Boots: Equine Star

Seriously, I think the turkey print is the best one of my Equine Star prints. Probably anyway. 

So that's what Shiny wore. I forgot to take pics of my outfit, but I do have a work around... First, this photo below is what I wore with Shiny's outfit, but I'm on Al in the screen shot:

I'm wearing the same Samshield as always and the newest De Niro boots. The breeches are ROMFH Sarafina Euro Grip and the color is maple. I REALLY like them. Highly recommend. I'm also wearing an old Ariat sweater that is olive with tan elbow patches, and it's all topped off with an Eddie Bauer vest that's black.

And to make up for the lack of outfit photos, I also have both Thanksgiving outfits that I wore today. First up is what I wore to the barn to take my ponies for a hand walk. 

That's a Tipsy Elves sweater, the jeans are True Religion, and the belt is Lilo. It's on sale right now over at Chagrin Saddlery if you want one!

And this is what I wore to my brother's house for T-day dinner:

It's pretty much all generic Amazon purchases. Except the shoes which are also generic but they came from Zulily awhile ago. It's tough to see in the photo, but the sweater has pumpkin pie slices around the sleeve and some acorns up at the top. It's pretty cute. 

And that's it for Thanksgiving outfit fun this year! Hope you all had a lovely day!

What's Up Wednesday

 

We are getting into a groove over at the winter home, and I got to lesson on everyone this past week. Only once each since the clinic was happening both weekend days, but I'll take it! 

We talked about Al's lesson last week already since it was on Wednesday. But we had another today, with one of the juniors. Her mom was there to watch and she was so sweet and videoed all my jumps too. Barn moms are the best moms. I haven't had a chance to make clips yet, so no video to share but I have some grainy screen shots at least. 

Al started the lesson being Al. He was spooking at pretty much life in general, but for whatever reason (which I really need to figure out) I was had my big girl pants on and just rode him through it. It wasn't easy. He was making me work ridiculously hard. But I did it, and I'm very proud of myself. If only I could do that every ride. Maybe he'd get better? 

(Side note: I ride with my physical therapist and we were chatting the other day about things that are a hinderance to our confidence. And I mentioned that my knee makes me more anxious because I worry that I'll do more damage if they spook and it wobbles like sometimes happens. She reassured me that since it is in fact ruptured I can't damage it anymore. She said unless I fall off, things like that won't cause any more damage to it. So that did give me a little more bravery anyway.)

Okay, back to the lesson. I just barely survived the flat portion because Al was really making me work for it today. But that's okay. Next came the jumping. 

Spoiler alert: we jumped at the scary end!

The course was still set from the clinic, so the outside lines were up against the rail. Which I think worked in my favor for jumping toward the scary end. Al's afraid of the doors in the center of that short side, so jumping against the rail meant we were facing into the corner and not so much at the doors themselves. So that was nice. Trainer wanted us working on the add stride today, and the courses were very basic. The junior riding with me is currently working on keeping all the strides the same length in the lines, so the add stride made that extra tricky for her. For Al and I, just jumping around the full ring is a pretty big challenge, so we don't really need super hard courses at the moment. Plus he was so behind the leg today, the add stride was pretty welcomed for me. I know Al has plenty of stride (when he feels like it...) so I'm not worried that I can't make the correct numbers. 

While I had to work pretty hard to keep Al moving throughout the course, I was pretty happy with our ride today. We used the entire ring, and I didn't have trainer get on and do it first. I did it all myself. Like a big girl. With big girl panties. The jumps stayed on the smaller side, but like the distances, I know Al can jump a big fence. Sometimes that's not the most important part of a lesson. Actually USUALLY that's not the most important part. 

I hope you enjoyed these blurry screen shots from our lesson today, because unfortunately, Eros and Shiny have lessons early in the day when no one is around to video for us. So I have pretty much no media for the rest of this post... Sorry! Enjoy the wall of text to come! 

Eros was my first lesson on Thursday. I was in a group with two other adults who are super fun ladies. One of them has a horse in his mid teens who has the same sire as Al. And he can be a bit Al like too... But at his age, he's starting to settle down. The other horse in the class is an older gentleman who actually belonged to a friend of mine before his current owners. The horse world is so small. Anyway, we're all in the same place fence height wise, meaning we max out around 2'3 with these horses. Eros CAN jump a little higher, but he doesn't need to all the time. So it's a great group for us. The only tricky part about morning lessons is that we're trying to lesson while head trainer and assistant trainer are doing their training rides. So it's kinda busy. Sometimes we have to circle mid course and what not. That's just how it is when it's winter and we're all stuck indoors. I have a hard time in traffic because I worry about where everyone is all the time and don't focus enough on what I'm actually trying to do. But despite all that, I had a great lesson. Eros mostly kept a lid on the zoomies and with his freshly injected hocks we had no trouble getting the correct number of strides this week. 

Shiny's lesson was right after Eros'. We had a private which was perfect since she's just kind of getting back into a groove. Also, it had warmed up enough that training rides went outside, so we had the indoor to ourselves. She's feeling great after her maintenance. (PLUS, our favorite body worker was out later that day, so now she's feeling even more extra great.) Anyway, we did some flatwork that really pointed out where she's weak, and I felt the same things carry over when we were jumping. This was really useful information for me, so we have some homework to get her stronger behind. I don't think there's any real problem, I just think she needs more muscle. 

We moved on to jumping, but we kept things small. I felt like she was ready to jump bigger, but she was also a wee bit spicy, and I had a feeling that if we put the jumps up we might also be turning up the sass. So, we stuck to cross rail courses for this lesson. She was happy to be jumping for sure, and after the first four fences of each course, she really started to take me to them. Once she starts taking me to the jumps, she becomes much more adjustable and it feels like we could do pretty much anything- move up, wait, roll backs. Whatever. I just wish I could get her there sooner in the course. She's just such an opinionated mare, you have to kind of make it her idea. And I have to figure out how to make that happen sooner. I think a stronger hind end will help though. Time will tell. 

On our ride today I reintroduced collected canter to Shiny. It's something I've been avoiding when I knew she needed some vet work because I knew it was very hard for her. But now that she's feeling good, it's time to bring it back. And it's still hard for her, but she did it! Both directions! Not only did she do it, but she was able to lengthen both into and out of the collected canter. It was hard to get her collected from the lengthen, of course, but once she really understood what I was asking, she was right there for it. She's really smart. It's just the opinions that sometimes get in our way. Thankfully, she kept those in check today.

In non riding news, it's been fun back at the boarding barn so far. They have a kind of happy hour on Fridays which I don't always attend, but we've had some birthdays to celebrate so I do try to show up for those. And yesterday we did a barn Thanksgiving potluck which was really fun. So it's nice to have a kind of social life lately. 

So that's pretty much the rundown on this week. Things are going well, and I'm happy with how the horses are going. How are things with all of you and your horses? Getting lessons in this time of year? 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Soooo... I had the opportunity this weekend to clinic with Nona Garson at the winter barn, and... I didn't take the opportunity. For one thing, I don't really have the cash in the budget at the moment. But also, I just didn't feel like we were in a place to really get the most out of it. If I were to ride in a session, I would have liked to do Al. But we weren't sure what the weather was going to do, and likely we'd have been riding indoors. You all know by now how things are with Al in the indoor... Not ideal. On the one hand, I might have gotten some new tips and tricks to deal with his behavior. But on the other hand, I might have wound up being THAT girl in my group. I don't ever want to be the one that takes up all the time because her horse is being difficult. As it turned out, what would have been my section did get to ride outdoors on Sunday. So I did have some mild fomo. I was able to audit that class though, so it wasn't a total loss of education. 

Could I have ridden either of the other two horses instead? Yes, I could have. Eros has very strong opinions about lengthy lessons however, and truthfully, the fun would have been all used up after the first half hour. And I haven't been jumping Shiny all that much lately, so I felt it would have been longer than is fair to her (classes were just about 2 hours long). And if I'm being honest, I have to be more careful with where my money goes, and I just didn't really want to spend that much to lesson anyone but Al. That's where the funds need to be directed at the moment. 

So that's my confession. I chose not to take advantage of a great opportunity because I decided instead to be financially responsible. I did the adulting. How boring.

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! This is my last pre-saved outfit to share. After this week, we'll have real time Thursday outfits. Expect lots of navy. But today? Today we have another cute autumn themed outfit modeled by Eros. Here's what he wore:

I dunno guys... I think the dad bod has slimmed down a little bit. Or maybe this is just his good side? Hard to say. Either way, he's the cutest chestnut I know.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Hand made by me

Okay, yeah, I've had way too much fun with these wooden beads from Amazon. They seem to make them for every season and every holiday, and I just think they are SO CUTE for silly browbands. Way more fun than the repurposed dog leashes I sometimes use. Or at least, I think so.

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Ogilvy, embellished by me
Half Pad: Ippico

I loved this leaf ribbon so much! I was trying to decide which ribbon to use for fall themed outfits, and I absolutely could not choose between this one and the pumpkin truck one we saw a couple weeks ago. So I just made both. Who needs to make responsible decisions anyway?

Boots: Eskadron

I really was torn initially on whether or not I needed these boots. But we used them a ton this fall, and I'm so glad I made the splurge. 

That's what Eros wore, and here's what I had on:

My barn colors just scream perfect fall outfits so it's really easy for me to just keep putting them together. 

Helmet: Samshield

I really can't get over how purple this helmet has gotten! It's very reminiscent of the old velvet helmets I grew up with. It was a real status symbol to have a properly faded helmet! And I guess I've reached that status level once again.

Shirt and vest: Ariat

Nothing new here today, you've seen these both before. But they are definitely a couple of my favorite things, so you will be seeing them again I'm sure. The shirt is a quarter zip base layer that is merino wool. I hope Ariat does them again one of these days. They're SO nice. And the vest is just so perfect with the hunt scene. I love it. 

Belt: Pony Locks

This is Jamp's tail hair belt. I'm really impressed with the quality on these belts. I wear it a lot, and it's holding up beautifully. Hard to believe it's already four years old.

Breeches: Horze Grand Prix

I don't give these breeches enough wear time. They're really comfortable. They do run a little big so if you're kind of between sizes, I'd go down. I generally wear a 28, and that's what these are, but the waist is a bit loose.

Boots: DeNiro

So I gotta tell you guys. I've had these boots about three weeks now. I ride on average four horses a day in them. I have already worn off part of the leather on the left boot. That's approximately 70 rides. To be fair, I paid very little for these boots since they were a closeout. But still. I do love DeNiro's for how comfortable they are, but the quality is really meh. If I could, I would wear nothing but Celeris. And maybe Romitelli. I need to try them again. 

Anyway, I got to rambling about boots again... Sorry. It's one of my favorite topics! So this is what I wore for my very last at home outfit. Any favorites? Do you have De Niro's? How did yours hold up?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Okay, I promise I didn't forget this time either. It was just a very long day! I rode horses all day, and then drove an hour up to Uconn to give a braiding clinic tonight. It was super fun. I think I should do more of them. 

There were actually a lot of people in attendance, about 20 I'd say. Which normally public speaking isn't my thing. but it's a lot less scary when it's something you actually know about. That's me in the back of the above photo brushing the horse's mane. In case you didn't realize how short I am, that's a Morgan. Maybe 15 hands. Ha! Uconn has a Morgan breeding program so most of the horses in their riding school are Morgan horses. It's actually a strong breeding business, and Uconn horses are successful out on the regular Morgan circuit. Of course, that doesn't lend to great manes for learning hunter braids on... But we did the best we could. Anyway. That's where I've been all evening instead of drafting this post.

The horses are pretty well settled into life at their winter home. Last week, I had lessons on both Eros and Al. I had one planned for Shiny on Saturday, but we were able to get on the vet list for Friday, so we wound up having to cancel that one. She'll lesson tomorrow finally though. 

Eros' first lesson went really well. He was nice and quiet and jumped around. But he was a little short strided, which I've been having at home too. I figured he was due for some vet maintenance though, so I wasn't too worried about. And still am not too worried about it. He got to see the vet Friday as well, and should be all lubed up and ready to go for tomorrow lesson. 

Sleeping off his vet visit

He had the weekend off, and has been a little spicy this week after all that vacation time. Spicy for Eros though? Generally not a big deal. I have a feeling that stride will be plenty open for our lesson tomorrow though. Hopefully not TOO open. Time will tell.

Al's first lesson went mostly well too. We rode with the assistant trainer as regular trainer was at a one day show. The jumps stayed small, but we managed to use the majority of the ring, and I think we jumped everything in there. I was happy with it. We had our second lesson today, and it went well too. He's still ridiculous about the end of the ring, and I asked trainer to hop on and jump him down the line that was headed toward the scary end before I did it. Because I was being wimpy. But she did, and then I got on and did it. And we jumped all the jumps both directions. Toward the scary end, away from the scary end. All of it! Jumps were still small, but a little bigger than the other day. Which, honestly, I don't need to jump big all the time. Neither does Al. He knows how. I think he gets easier the bigger the jumps are so that makes it not scary for me. I'd rather preserve the horse and work on all the things I need to work on over smaller fences. Come spring when shows are on the horizon, we can start jumping higher again. I will also note, that as silly as he is about the one end of the arena, he is a lot better than he was last year about it. Partly because I'm trying really hard to handle it better, and hopefully partly because he's growing up. Haha... Hopefully. He is such a child. I wish you all could meet him. He has so much personality, but it's the personality of your typical 6 year old boy. Must touch everything. Maybe give all the things a shove. Taste them. Knock them over. Paw at them. He's a lot. But I love him.

And then there's Shiny pants. I've been feeling for awhile now that she was due for some vet work, but I was waiting until we moved because it's easier to get an appointment at the bigger barn that at my house. To be real, my vet's business has grown a lot, and I am pretty aware that he's looking to phase out the smaller barns like mine. So I try not to rock the boat because I'm really attached to my vet, and the other options around here are not great. Anyway, we got on the list for Friday as I mentioned. She had her hocks and neck done and also got a shockwave treatment on her neck. On most horses, I don't really feel a huge difference after maintenance. But on Shiny? She feels AMAZING. Like so fluid and bendy and even more forward. Science rules. I can't wait to jump her around tomorrow. I think she's looking forward to it too. She gets bored just flatting all the time. 

I'm not sure how much riding I'll get done this weekend. There's a Nona Garson clinic at the barn, but I opted out of riding in it. I can't imagine she'll be all that understanding about my horse who doesn't use the entire ring WHERE HE LIVES, and it would just be spending a lot of money to annoy the clinician. I could do Eros, but he also does not thrive in the clinic setting. He likes a quick warmup, jump around a few times, and then put him back in his house. After about 25 minutes of work, he just goes about pulling me out of the saddle and complaining about how hard his life is. Again, a lot of money to spend to annoy the clinician.  I did do Shiny one year, but the jumps kept getting bigger, and she wound up over faced and started stopping. I don't want to put her in that situation again. It wasn't fair to her. So yeah. I'm sitting this one out! If the weather cooperates there should be an extra ring to ride in, but if it's raining or crazy cold/windy there won't be. So we'll see if I get them ridden or not this weekend. I'm not sure I'm motivated enough to start riding at 5 before the day starts. Depends how cold it is. I am that amateur. I'm zero percent a morning person, and when it's 20 degrees? I am like -1 billion percent a morning person. I don't plan to audit this year either as there is an audit fee, and with the holidays coming I really don't have the extra cash lying around. I've both participated and audited this clinician enough that I don't think it will be anything new. Not money well spent for me at this point. 

In other news, I got to have a little fun with braids on Sunday. My friend wanted to doll up her horses for Christmas photos with our favorite photographer (Chelsea Lothrop). And this friend is super fun, so there were tinsel extensions and pompoms involved. 

I cannot wait to see the photos! They had wreaths on of course and I think they looked ridiculously cute. 

And that catches us up! Things are going well so far. Hope you are all doing great too and having lots of fun with your horses!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Heh... Do you ever just not fully pay attention. Like you're SEMI paying attention, but not all the way committed to giving your FULL attention? That was me today. Here's what I did...

At the boarding barn, all the horses wear identical clothes (at my barn too!) so there's always a plethora of identical blankets hanging in the grooming stalls this time of year. I had ridden Al and Shiny, and both went back to their stalls afterwards in a cooler so their sweaty saddle marks could dry off before grooming and getting their blankets back on. So I got Al all groomed up and went to put his blanket on. I saw one of my blankets hanging up, saw my blanket tag, but did not flip it over to read the horse's name on it. Threw it over Al, and could not for the life of my figure out why I couldn't get the front buckled... Ha. Hahahahahaha! Yep. I tried to put Shiny's little 69" blanket on size 80" Al. It wouldn't go. Eventually I read the name tag and realized why. Ha. Tuesdays can be rough apparently. Anyone else do these silly things?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day!!! As mentioned, I have a couple of outfits that I pre-wore to stretch out fun stuff a little before it's just all navy all the time. So today Shiny is our model and I'm wearing a tee shirt even though it's effing freezing here now. Without further ado, here's what Shiny wore:

I could NOT get her ears up for this photo. I tried. I moved her. Tried some more. This was the best I could get. The outfit looks subtle from this photo... But wait till we look closer!

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Brow band: Homemade by me
Bonnet: Woof Wear, embellished by me

Pin: Pinsnickety

There's a LOT of rhinestones in this post. A LOT. But what better outfit for a pony named Shiny, than one that has LOTS OF RHINESTONES? There isn't one better. This is the pinnacle.

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: I can't remember the brand on this sorry! Embellished by me

Indeed, those are MORE rhinestones on the saddle pad. Like a lot of them. But I must confess, I ran out and could only do one side of the pad so far. Need to order more. 

Boots: Premier Equine, embellished by me

I think these rhinestone boot tabs might be my favorite set thus far. I mean, look at all that sparkle! Photos definitely don't do justice here.

So that's what Shiny was wearing, and here's what I had on:

There are less rhinestones on my outfit, but fear not, there's plenty of sparkle still!

Helmet: Samshield

I mean, this was the most obvious choice, was it not?

Tee shirt: Print on Demand by Amazon

I picked up this tee shirt for our Pinsnickety photo shoot, but we didn't really get the chance to shoot it yet since we ran out of daylight. But I wore it for an outfit day since it's adorable. 

Belt: Mane Jane

I'm pretty sad Mane Jane doesn't do belts anymore. And all their spur straps are black now which is kinda boring. But I still love their products. Even if they aren't as fun as before. Guess we all have to grow up sometime. Not me though. I'm getting less mature the older I get.

Breeches: Equiline

You all know my Equiline woes. I'm in between sizes. But they are still comfy. And I love this purple color!

Boots: Celeris UK

There's the sparkle! I love these boots. They're SO comfortable. And so sparkly. Sparkle is my favorite color. 

That's it for today! Any favorites? How about all that sparkle today?!