Thursday's Threads: Caffeine required edition

 

Outfit Day!!! I knew we'd have a few questionable days for riding, so we prepared earlier in the week and took photos on Tuesday for Thursday's Threads. As you know, it's been busy around here, so there's been a lot of coffee imbibed. Hence today's fun theme which Al is modeling. Excuse the grumpy face, his ears weren't functioning for the full body photo. 

I know you can't tell what it is just yet... But you will in the next photo.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Home made

Do you see it?? On the browband? It's Dunkin'! I know the bit keepers are too low. For some reason on this bridle I can't put them in the right place, they don't reach. So they have to go lower, and then they slide down. It's annoying. I think I have longer keepers somewhere that I need to try. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico

Saddle Pad: Dreamers and Schemers

Obviously they can't use the actual Dunkin' logo for trademark reasons, but this is really cute. This one is a derp pad meaning it's a second and I got it super duper on sale. I haven't found the imperfection on it though, so I'm happy with it!

Boots: Premier Equine, embellished by me

I love that you can find fabric with pretty much anything on it. This matches the pad pretty closely!

So that's what Al is wearing, and here's what I wore on Tuesday:

I got these breeches earlier this year and they work with so many different outfit choices! Big fan. The color is pretty close to the pink shade in the Dunkin' logo. 

Helmet: One K

Obviously the coffee colored helmet was the choice for this week.

Tee: Horseplay Apparel

I hadn't wanted to buy this shirt because I don't want to encourage such behavior in my horses... But this was a must have once I started building this outfit. It's pretty cute anyway, even if it does encourage a rumpus.

Belt: Homemade by me

This is the same fabric I used for the boot tabs. I gotta tell you, I'm pretty happy with my interchangeable belt prototype. I think there are ways to make it nicer, like line it with leather, but for the time being, it's doing its job very nicely. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman 

This shade is called Pinkberry (like the yogurt shop) and it works with so many of my outfits! They match the stitching on my crazy green boots perfectly, so expect to see them again in the future.

Boots: Horka

Coffee looking boots were obviously required too. These were perfect! Celeris has a nubuck leather that's similar, so if and when these meet their demise I do have a back up plan. I'm sure you were all very worried about that. 

That's it for today! Are you more of a Dunkin' drinker or a Starbuck's drinker? I honestly prefer Starbuck's coffee because it has a bolder flavor. But I like Dunkin' well enough too. 

What's Up Wednesday

 

We had kind of a light-ish end of the week/weekend. Which was  actually fine with me because there was plenty going on! My new helper was off Thurs, Fri, Mon, and Tues, so I was on full time barn duty all six days. Shiny's kiddo was away too helping out at a horsey sleep over camp in VT. I can't wait to hear all about it! Her friend's family owns it, so she was working with her friend. Kind of like camp councilors I think. Anyway, she's checked in a couple of times and sounds like it was lots of fun.

As for me and the horses... Thursday was a normal day. We got chores done, I dragged the ring, and everyone got ridden. I think Shiny jumped? Who can remember. I feel like it was a year ago. Lol! Friday was a busy day! I got chores done and rode Shiny. Al had the vet coming for 2ish, but I knew he'd be late because he was going to a big barn nearby first and they always surprise him with extra horses. Fortunately he was only about an hour late. Not too bad as these things can go! I first had that front tendon looked at before riding. It's been totally back to normal, but you know, best to have a professional take a look if possible. Doc agreed that it's a non thing. So that was good. Then I got on for an evaluation and we decided on some maintenance for Al. 

Those maintenance naps... nothing like it!

I was getting a little nervous that he wasn't going to wake up in time though... Because I needed to feed, shower, and leave my house by 6pm. Thankfully, Al was ready to eat in time and I made it! My niece was performing in Frozen. She played young Anna, and did the most wonderful job! She opened the show with a solo, and I was so proud of her. It was a sold out crowd too!

Saturday was another normal day except that Al had the day off. He stayed in from turnout, but we had a nice hand walk in the late afternoon and some grass after that. It was a lovely day!

Sunday was beautiful. Like one of those top ten perfect weather days. It was sunny and warm, but not hot. No wind. After chores were done, we got to have a proper Sunday Funday. Well. Al was still on vacation but he had a nice hand graze. The other two did a short bareback ring ride, and then meandered out in the backyard with snackies mixed in. Eros even ventured out away from the barn which can be hard to get him to do. That horse really hates nature. 

Monday the horses had off, which was good because my chore list is out of control these days. I got the barn done in the morning, then took Rita for a walk, and finally got down to work on laundry and a few other things around the house. 

The weather people were all threatening that Tuesday would be wet all day, but for once I was thankful they were wrong! It actually was an okay day. No rain, just very humid. Which was perfect because I was DYING to ride Al and see how he felt after his vet work. He felt significantly better, and was actually a lot more willing to go forward. Though that might be a by product of his four days off. Hard to say for sure. We are definitely rained out today as it's been pouring since 5am here. But that's okay. We needed the rain. We've had some deluges here in the past couple of weeks, but when it rains like that the water just runs off the ring. It doesn't soak in. So we were getting VERY dusty. The rain today is more steady and should have a chance to soak into the ground. 

That's about it from here. I plan to probably drag the ring tomorrow and get everyone flatted, then maybe Friday we can jump around a little bit. If the weather allows of course. Hope you all had a great week/weekend!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession is that I still haven't brought out my jump fill. I put it all away for the winter in an attempt to extend the life of it all. And I just haven't had the free time to drag it all back out. Since we're almost to August at this point, I'm not sure it's worth doing this year. Maybe I'll just wait for next spring. 

What do you guys think? Should I drag it all out? We have probably three more good months of riding, maybe four if November stays mild... 

Thursday's Threads: Summer Party Edition

 

Outfit Day!!! Eros is getting his chance to model today, and I feel like he's the best one for the theme I've chosen. Which is Beer Pong! I don't think we've done this outfit in awhile, but it makes me giggle, so I'm happy to do it again finally. Here's what Eros had on:

All of the inconsistency we've been battling this summer after a long winter off has don't this horse's topline no favors. Ugh. Hopefully we're getting back on the right track and he'll be looking and feeling stronger soon. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling
Browband: Homemade by me

He was full on cheesin' today. I think he was disappointed he missed out last week. I made this fun browband from a dog leash. Hard to see in this photo a little, but it's red solo cups and ping pong balls.

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Saddle Pad: Equine Star

I had this made years ago. I don't love the pads from this company, but the print is perfection. 

Boots: Equine Star

Hee hee. These are hilarious.

Okay, that's what Eros had on, and here's what I was wearing:

I love that I have red solo cup colored breeches. They only come out a few times a year, but they are the perfect shade for this theme!

Helmet: Samshield

I'm so thrilled I was able to snag this helmet for such a deal. Even if it is a little older, it was brand new, a closeout at a tack store. 

Shirt: Red Bubble (I think...)

It's so perfect that outfit day is on a Thursday. At least for this shirt.

Belt: C4

This is probably one of my most favorite C4 belts. Beer pong just makes me giggle. And a little nostalgic for my wilder (ish) days. 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

As mentioned earlier, these come out a few times a year. Namely Christmas and 4th of July. But also for the beer pong outfit!

Boots: Celeris UK

These were demo boots that I lucked into. They've been the hardest to break in but I think that's because they aren't my exact measurements. They are beautiful boots though!

Okay, that's it for today. Were you as entertained by our theme as I was? It's okay if you're not. I know I'm a weirdo!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Oof. What a week! I mean, it actually was a very productive week, but not much riding was done. Wednesday and Thursday we had terrible air quality from the Canadian wildfires. Numbers in the 300's. I have asthma, and a couple winters ago Shiny had some breathing stuff going on, so I err on the side of caution with air quality. I know a lot of people were still riding and showing and what not. But eh. We have zero goals this summer. 

Sun spots aren't usually orange here.

Then we had a beautiful Friday! Clear skies, sun... So nice!

Which was promptly followed by torrential rain Saturday. Sunday was nice though, and Shiny's kiddo came to ride. So it as a fun day.

While all that not riding was going on though, I did get several things checked off my lingering to do list. The boys had their undercarriages cleaned which was much needed.

iykyk

I also cleaned and conditioned the majority of my tack. I haven't looked at my show tack in the trailer in like three years. Some of it was a little moldy so that all came in along with the leather leads for a good scrubbing. Then I tackled everything in the tack room.

Befores on the left afters on the right
Saddles were cleaned AND conditioned

Show Tack, one bridle was missing from this photo

I'm not sure why I have this many leads in the trailer

This all got cleaned!

And these too

I spend the Saturday rain day giving the floor some extra attention. Cleaned bird poo and hoof picked between the pavers in front of the stalls where the shavings tend to get extra stuck. 

Yesterday was ANOTHER rain day, but we spent the afternoon enjoying good groomies. Looks like things will be better for riding the rest of the week, so I'm excited for that. Shiny's kiddo is away this week, and my helper is traveling Thursday-Monday so I'll be busy. But it will be a nice change after all this down time. 

The horses are content despite the lack of work. They've had their turnout time every day, and the rain has happened around that, so they got to stay dry. Al bumped his eye last week, which coincided with the smoke days, so while he required a couple days off, he had them anyway. It's back to normal now thank goodness.

Stuck in a mask for a few days.

Monday I finally got my truck fixed. It's been sitting dead in the driveway since January. I tried jumping it with my jump starter last weekend but the batteries were too drained for it to work. So Monday I had AAA out to replace both batteries. I also finally sprayed the neutralizer stuff in the air vents to get rid of the rodent nest smell that's been plaguing it for years. I can now drive it with the windows closed again! That will be nice come winter.

That's about it from here. Nothing too exciting, but got a lot done that needed doing. Hopefully more fun with horses this week!

Hope you all survived the weather this week!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Oh man guys. My confession today is that barely any riding has been getting done around here lately. We had two smoke days last week (Wed and Thurs) and then Saturday we got rained out. Now today, storms again, this time with lightning. I thought we'd get rides in first, but I checked the weather just now and there's a 100% chance of storms between 1 and 5. I may be able to get one horse done. Fingers crossed. 

It's not really the end of the world to have days off from riding, but after such a long winter of not riding, I hate to miss it when the weather doesn't hurt my face. Can't change the weather though! So we shall do what we can when we can.

How's it been your way? Are you getting your usual rides in?

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day!!! I planned ahead this week and got photos on Tuesday. Which was good because we haven't ridden since and I don't think we're riding today either. It's so smokey out! Eros should have been our model today, but I forgot to take pics before I rode him, plus this week's outfit isn't really his colors anyway. So Shiny modeled instead. Here's what she had on:

She looks adorable in every color.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Browband: Dark Jewel Designs

My new helper had quite a few things already on her calendar when she started here, and Tuesday was one of the days that she needed off. I had a few distractions whilst doing chores (someone drove off the road onto my property but thankfully they were okay and no real damage) and had several loads of horse laundry to get done that day too. So it was getting late. I decided to ride everyone in side pulls so we could do a short Tuesday ride, then have some grass mounted, and finish with their showers. It saved me about 15 per horse to graze during our ride rather than post bath. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ovation
Saddle Pad: Weatherbeeta

I had gotten this saddle pad in the Forelock and Fringe box awhile back. I opted to use it on Shiny this week instead of one of the horses, but it doesn't fit this saddle at all. So next time I'll let her use the Ogilvy we have in this color and one of the boys can use this one. This Ovation half pad I was trying to sell forever because it was too small for Shiny's old saddle. But it fits great with this one, so now I'll keep it.

Shiny didn't wear boots this week since it was an easy flat day. So it's my turn! Here's what I had on:

If Eros had modeled like he was meant to, my saddle pad would have had silver trim, hence my teal and gray look today. 

Helmet: One K Avance CCS MIPS

It makes me a little sad that they don't have teal inserts for the OneK. Weird omission, don't you think? It's a popular color.

Shirt: Zengjo

I found this mesh top on Amazon last year and bought it in three colors. I keep trying to find other mesh shirts on there because I think they're cooler, but so far this is the only one. The equestrian brand ones are just too expensive for my liking. 

Belt: Mane Jane

I'm so glad Mane Jane brought the belts back! This is an old one, the new ones are just plain leather. I did love all the options they used to have! 

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

I snagged these gray breeches on Marketplace a couple weeks ago along with a charcoal pair. This pair though is pretty stretched out so they are a little big on me. That's a risk you take when buying used! Better too loose than too tight though, right?? They're in good shape otherwise. No holes or loose stitching anywhere.

Boots: Celeris UK

This was my second pair of Celeris that I ever ordered. Which makes them about seven years old now. Pretty good run! They're still in great shape, just the snaps get sticky so I leave them undone most of the time. 

And that's it for today! Any favorites? What are you waiting to see?