Thursday's Threads: animal print edition

I mean... I couldn't NOT wear my new cow boots for outfit day this week, right?! So we should probably start there.

Seriously. Just look at them!

Helmet: one K

Recycled photo, I forgot a helmet pic, sorry! But it's the same old here... I thought about wearing greenie, but the green is not the same as the boot green, and also... that might be too much.

Top: New England Equitation Championships

Picked this hoodie up about 200 years ago when I showed at New England finals. It's hardy. I wear it all the time.

Belt: Tory Burch

I grabbed this belt at the Tory Burch outlet in Florida this year. I walked out of there with a belt, a sweater, and sunnies that day. And they were all the exact same color. I have a green problem apparently.

Breeches: Harry's Horse

You guys have seen these before, I've had them a few years now. They're not usually so dirty though!

Boots: Celeris UK

There's not really much to say here... They're amazing. Perfect in every way. And literally felt like I'd worm them 100 times straight out of the box. I do plan to get some green spurs for them from Punk Ponies. But I have to wait until next month as I'm currently horse poor.

I almost wore cow print to work today too, but at the last minute I switched to leopard.

Leopard is also fun.

Sweater: Brodie

Dad and Stepmom gave me this one for Chanukah this year. It's super soft, and I love it.

Belt: Fendi

I couldn't for the life of me find a plain brown belt this morning. I know I own one. Probably more than one. Who knows where they are hiding. This one is doing the job though.

Jeans: Hudson

Wish these were a size bigger... It was a workout getting in there. Hope I can get back in after I use the ladies room later.... Wish me luck.

Shoes: Kensie

So several years ago there was this website called Little Black Bag. You would buy an item and it would come with one or two other surprise items. Then you had a certain amount of time that you could trade items with other users. Or you could just ship what you bought. Whatever you wanted. It was a lot of fun, and I was able to make some pretty great trades. But eventually they went out of business. I snagged these shoes in their closing sale for $5. They're actually really nice, leather even! I love the horse bits on them too. Anyway, it was a good deal. But I still miss that site, it was really fun!

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is in charge of tech today. Fitbit in the leopard band and the apple watch.

Righty:

Righty is wearing a stack from Rustic Cuff. Perfectly matched buckle bracelet and wrap bracelet!

And that's it for today! Any favorites? I mean, probably the boots... Thoughts on animal prints? I think they're having a moment right now personally. Or maybe it's just me.

What's Up Wednesday

This week has been nutty at work. I'm sure you've heard about the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. Well... when you sell PPE (personal protective equipment) things get a little cray cray. We've about sold out of masks, and China won't sell us anymore for at least five months. We have some on the water, but only enough to fill our regular orders. It stings an awful lot to turn away business, but what can you do? Can't sell what you don't have! Basically we spend 80% of our days right now saying no we can't sell you 300 cases of masks. No, not even for triple the regular price. (Though that is tempting! It's also price gouging which is kinda illegal.) Anyway, I could probably just make a recording to play into the phone and take the rest of the week off...
Things have been fairly quiet around here still. I somehow caught another cold, which I think is finally going away. So annoying.

Basically how I spend my free time these days. 

In horsey news, Eros had his training ride last week. Barn owner wouldn't use my two ring on him because I don't have bit guards on it. (Eye roll, it doesn't pinch him, if it did, I would use them.) So instead she used her three ring. And she got him round and under himself pretty easily. I was feeling like kind of a shitty rider when I saw that, but then I put a three ring in his mouth and had the same reaction. So evidently that extra ring really helps. I found a french link two ring that I rode him in last night and really loved. I didn't like the three ring so much. It made it easier to get him round, yes, but he was kind of pissed at it, and it felt a little fake. The two ring lets us have a conversation, and I liked how he went in it. I was using just a single jointed two ring previously. What I've learned in the last few weeks of playing with bits is that he's okay in a single joint, HATES a Dr. Bristol, but seems happy enough in a french link. As for jumping, I tried the Peter Pletcher bit on him for a couple of lessons, but didn't really love it.

I stole this photo from Farmhouse Tack's website

He listened better, but I had no shape to him, which still made it difficult to place him where I wanted. It was  better than the pelham we'd been using though.
So for my lesson on Saturday I put him in the bit I hate. The leather segunda. He goes really well in it. But like... it's a segunda. Ugh. Why does this horse like this bit? It's kind of awful if you ask me. But he does. So odd. I mean, he's terrible to flat in it. But he's wonderful over fences. And I still hate it. Horses are weird.
Sunday after we finished our work, my friend and I took our horses for a walk outside. The property is pretty amazing at the boarding barn. There are two large ponds, a beach, and lots of trails right there. Since Eros hasn't been ridden outdoors in months, we opted just for a short walk out to the beach and back. He started to get a little fresh toward the end, but he was pretty perfect otherwise.

Shiny is doing well with her foot. Everything seems to have hardened up at this point, so today she is having turnout in a quarter sized med paddock for the first time in over a month. I'm sure she'll be very happy to have some freedom outdoors! We walked outside on Sunday, and she was a good girl out there. I'm really impressed with her attitude honestly. She's been stuck in a stall with just hand walking and she's really been fine with the whole thing. I haven't had to give her any sedatives to walk, even outdoors. I've walked her by herself in the indoor. I imagine if there were horses working that outcome might not have been the same. But still. She's been a very good patient.
With one exception... And this is HILARIOUS! So last week, Eros had his training ride at 7 am so I could come watch before work. So we're out in the indoor doing that, and I hear assistant trainer yelling heads up! I look up at the door and in gallops Shiny. Or rather, in trots Shiny really... She was having her stall cleaned, and pushed the door open and walked out. She is SUCH a typical pony, it kills me! Anyway, she trotted around the ring once (looking fantastically sound) and then went up to Eros, who stood like a statue while we caught her. Assistant Trainer was super apologetic about the whole thing, but honestly, I thought it was pretty funny. I know how Shiny is. Nobody got hurt. Alls well that ends well. I'm glad it was just Eros in the ring though! He's so chill. I'm planning to get back on her this weekend. Fingers crossed the tripping problem is a thing of the past and we can get back to work!

Pammon has no updates. I think he's doing fine though, and I am happy with the care at the vet clinic. I do miss my boy though! I haven't been to visit him. It's a few hours away, and I know he's in good hands. Plus I've been sick like every weekend. I feel a little guilty for not going up there though. I mean, when Rio was at Cornell, I was up there every weekend. And it was a four and a half hour drive! But also, I wasn't completely sure Rio was going to come home from there. I know Pammon will. When though? I have no idea. I'm guessing maybe March sometime.

Not much else to report other than my ridiculously expensive bareback pad arrived. I haven't used it yet, but it's gorgeous!

Did you all have a good week? Do anything fun? Get anything new?

Truthful Tuesday

Do you guys ever do something when you KNOW it's going to go badly? Not something major, but just like, something really stupid? Well I do.
I needed to find some bits in my bit trunk this weekend. My bit box has "feet" on the bottom that are basically just small boards that run the length of the short sides of the trunk. So one on each side. The one on the left is not attached anymore, but it's wide enough that it stays upright when the trunk sits on it anyway. Can you see where this is going?
So while my horses are away, I have my helper doing a real deep cleaning of the barn. He's been scrubbing all the walls and washing the floors. Even moving the trunks out out of the tack room to really clean the floor. But when he put them back, he put the bit box too close to the wall. I needed to pull it away a little to unzip the cover and open it up. Now. I KNOW that one foot isn't attached. And I KNOW that pulling it sideways would make it tip over. But I did it anyway. Because sometimes I make poor life choices. The trunk wound up tipping over into the box next to it and squishing my finger in between the two. And of course the side that tipped was the side with ALL the bits in it. So it was HEAVY. It really hurt! I shook it off though and went about my day. It was the kind of hurt that was bad initially and then was mostly fine. I didn't really look at it again until the evening when I discovered my finger is a total drama queen.

(Please excuse the fact that I'm still hanging on to those bits of my new years manicure....)

I mean, if I looked at that finger, I would think, "probably a little broken." But it feels like nothing, just maybe a slight bruise. It's almost back to normal today anyway.
So do you ever do stupid things like that? Basically, I was too lazy to trouble shoot how to move it over without crushing my hand, so I just let it happen anyway. Genius.

In other news, I can't save this till tomorrow... I got my cow boots from Celeris on Friday!!!

I ordered these at the same time as the pink ones, but they took a little longer to get made. They are ridiculous in the best way. And the most amazing part is that they are so soft, they didn't even feel like new boots when I rode in them on Sunday.

Alright, that's enough confessing for one day. Anything you need to get off your back? Share in the comments!

Thursday's Threads

Outfit Day! AND I remembered riding outfit photos! Yay me! Good blogger! So we'll start there.

It's been arctic around here this week. Yesterday was the warmest day and the high was 31. Of course, by the time I rode it was back down in the low twenties. I need to do laundry, so I had to wear regular breeches instead of winter ones last night. But paired with the super warm boots it wasn't too bad.

Helmet: One K

Same old... Sorry guys. Peep the new eye wrinkles though. Hello fortieth birthday, I see you coming...

Top: Herd of Zebras

Admittedly, this thing would be kind of awful in the barn if I had to do chores or had a particularly shavings covered horse. EVERYTHING sticks to it. But it's so cold my coat doesn't really come off, so it was fine. Plus it's so plush and cozy.

Belt: C4

The colors on this C4 belt are perfect with the cozy top! This belt is a mane full of hunter braids! I belong to a braiders page on Facebook and they're kind of a mean bunch... they were making fun of this belt saying what a mess the mane was and they would never leave a horse looking this... But I dunno. I don't think it's so bad, and I love the idea of the belt. So eff them. I bought it, and I'm wearing it proudly!

Breeches: Dover

I know we all have our opinions about Dover. But I gotta tell you guys. I love their breeches. I mean truly. They fit SO much better than the pipers. No falling down. And they have sales that make them super cheap. I stocked up when they had then 2 for $59. I mean, that's like $30 for breeches. They run a little big so if you're in between sizes, definitely size down. I wear a 28 Tailored Sportsman, but a 30 in most other brands, and the 30's at Dover are a little big. I got one pair of 28 and that's what I would do next time.

Boots: Tredstep

Warmest boots ever made. If you have to ride where the air hurts your face, you should ride in these. Are they perfect? No. They're a little slippery, but nothing a little GutterSitz won't fix. They're otherwise comfy, and the tongue comes up high on your knees keeping those warm too. Assuming you're not super tall. Then that might not happen for you. I'm short, but my lower legs are normal length for reference.

So that's what I rode in last night!
And here's what I have on at work today:

I left super early to go watch trainer school Eros on the flat. Hence why it's practically still dark out behind me.

Sweater: Max Studio

I found this sweater in Florida at Marshalls on super clearance. Florida is the best place to find warm sweaters on sale, because they so rarely need them. South Florida anyway. It's a chocolate brown, but has blues in it too. I love the color!

Belt: Not sure on brand

I snagged this fun belt when I was in TX in November. It might be Nocona brand, but I can't remember. Sorry!

Jeans: AG Jeans

These are oldies. I needed a really thin pair of pants as my boots are a little... snug. So they're kind of like jeggings.

Boots: Lara & Lillian

These are a pair I got at the end of last year, and completely forgot about them until I was organizing shoes this weekend. They're GORGEOUS. Buttery soft. Dark, chocolate brown. And they're leather, so hopefully by mid day they won't be tight anymore... Hahaha.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is donning all the tech, plus the yellow bit bracelet my dad and stepmom gave me for Chanukah.

Righty:

Righty is channeling the bay boys today. Jampy's cuff, then the other two are Rio's. I was going to wear another Jampy one too, but it was a little too much.

So that's it for today! Any favorites? Is it arctic where you are too? Favorite winter riding apparel?

What's Up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday all! It's been relatively quiet around here. I spent my non horse time this weekend organizing the shoes in my house. If you think I have a lot of tall boots, it's nothing compared to the hoard of shoes I own. And they're utter chaos at the moment. I even discovered I had bought the same pair twice. THAT is when you know you have a problem. I just ordered some new storage solutions from Amazon, so I'm guessing this weekend will be similarly spent. But you're not here to talk about shoes! So let's look back at the last week.
The vet was out Friday to recheck Shiny pants, and he was really pleased with how she's healing. It had been two week since he discovered that giant splinter in her hoof, and everything is healing up nicely. There's just one little spot that is still a little soft, but once that hardens up she can go back to her regular life. She is all too ready. Poor thing hasn't had a turnout in just over a month. But she will soon. Yay!

Also, my vet posted her initial photos on his Facebook page and it legit went viral. Figures THAT is what would get us famous... ha! He didn't post who it was though, confidentiality and all that.

I also got a glowing report on Pammon. Doc ultrasounded him about a week prior to Shiny's recheck, and showed me how much healing has taken place. The ligament was a complete mess when he went to the clinic, with huge disruptions to the fibers pretty much throughout. It was bad. And now there's a lot of filling in going on. Doc is really confident he'll be back to jumping and at the heights I had bought him for. So that's fantastic news. There's no time line yet, which is fine with me. I'm not rushing this. I need him to get fully healed. Only then will we worry about getting back to business. And though I'm smart enough not to count any chickens before they hatch, I am feeling cautiously optimistic.

But then there's Eros... My perfect boy Eros has decided he no longer needs to, you know... travel correctly. He has concluded that he is perfectly content to trot and canter (and walk, I guess...) with his head up, back hollow, and completely locked up from poll to tail. So that's been fun. I'm going to get him on the list for doc to look at him, but since he was JUST here, I'm not sure yet when he's back next. Eros does not feel at all unsound, so I don't think we have something major going on. But never hurts to check anyway. He is doing all kinds of lateral work to evade doing what I'm actually asking for, which kind of suggests to me something is bugging him that he's trying to avoid. I still think getting a body worker out would do wonders for him, but for whatever reason, barn owner is dragging her feet on finding someone. We had briefly discussed injecting his SI the last time he had a lameness exam and we decided to wait. So it's entirely possible the time has come. I'm guessing the very cold weather (it was 18 degrees last night when I left the barn) probably isn't helping to loosen him.Other than being kind of inside out though, he's still his perfect self.
So we had some snow on Saturday night, which meant Sunday there was snowing coming off the indoor roof. The trainers opted to give the young horses the day off so no one would die (probably a good choice) but I figured I'd take my chances, and stuff the ears just in case. Now, I'm pretty confident I had stuffed Eros' ears more than a few times last year. If you recall, he was on light work and no turn out around this time last year for that sore foot of his. And he was quite spooky, and I'm really sure I used ear plugs more than a few times. But you guys... when I put them in on Sunday, this was the face I got:

 Unless something caught his interest, he ears stayed like this the entire time he had them stuffed. On the way back in from our ride, he literally was shoving his ears in my face asking me to take them out. (And I mean literally... I definitely got an ear in the mouth.) As soon as we reached the crossties I removed the ear plugs. He was very grateful. Such a drama king.
We had a butt kicking flat lesson last night. I'm definitely sore, though he's probably not since I was certainly working harder than he was. I finished that ride up with some really nice canter work, but the trot never really came together. We will have a lighter flat tonight and tomorrow he's getting a training ride. Trainer didn't think my timing was bad, and wants to see if she can feel what's causing this sudden resistance. And/or if I'm just doing something to piss him off. Not impossible! I really think some vet and/or body work is the answer but in the meantime, it doesn't hurt to have a different human get a feel.

That's about all that's happening with the horses. But I have a few other interesting odds and ends to mention. First, I bought a pair of boots off Ebay before the holidays. Not riding boots, just regular ones. Anyway, I pulled one out and tried it on when they arrived, but was in a rush and didn't check both boots. One was good, so you would assume they both were fine right? Never assume my friends.

 Whilst doing my shoe organizing this past weekend, I pulled those boots out to try on, and realized they had sent me two right boots. I don't have two right feet despite what my dancing skills may suggest. So I messaged the seller asking if I could swap one of my rights for a left. I mean, chances are good they have a pair of lefts sitting around, right? Well seller messages me back three days later that they can't help me because I'm outside the return window. Seriously? Fortunately, the negative feed back I left combined with my going to Ebay for a resolution got me a refund fairly quickly. But I still have two right boots. Someone suggested finding a charity that collects for veterans, so I'll look into that. It sounds awful, but amputees sometimes just need one shoe. And they're very nice!

Next, I had a little tack-cident over the weekend when I saw the Motion Lite coat I've been drooling at was on sale. So I ordered it. I now own almost all of the colors. Which wouldn't be SO bad except that I don't even show right now... But I WILL show this summer. It will happen. It has to. Eros even has a show bridle now. So things are getting real. Anyway, this is the jacket:

Obviously it's better suited to the jumper ring with Pammon... But doc says we'll get there. So I'm just preparing. Ok?

But then Amanda of 900 Facebook Pony fame made my buy a new bareback pad.

Which then meant I needed girths because I don't have a dressage style girth. So I had to get two of these (one for the horses, one for Shiny):

So moral of the story is... Amanda's the worst and she makes me things I can't really find an excuse for. Which wouldn't be that bad, except I buy a lot of things on my own that I can totally find excuses for. And now I'm broke. Good thing I'm not trying to show yet!

Ok, that's really it from here this week. I shall leave you with this confusing photo of Pia staring at me through the door to my living room.

Did you all have a good week? Did Amanda make you buy anything?

Truthful Tuesday: The one about retail therapy

You all know when things get rough around here, I tend to seek out new boots for comfort. But sometimes, I seek out other things too. After I lost Jampy so suddenly last year I focused my energy on picking out a belt and some bracelets made from his tail hair. I didn't plan on losing another horse so soon, so I went ahead and got whatever I liked.

Belt from Pony Locks

same belt, different angle

bracelets from Horse Hair Creations, Pony Locks, and the Sugar Lady

Same bracelets, different angle

So when I then lost Rio also suddenly, later in the year, I wasn't really sure what to do with his tail right away. I knew I wanted bracelets and a belt again, but the problem was, he and Jampy had the same color tail. I didn't want identical items, as I wouldn't be able to remember who was who. So I diverted my grief into designing similar yet different pieces.
These arrived first from Horse Hair Creations:

I decided it was okay for the green bracelet to be the same since it has a nameplate, so that will be on its way soon. Along with that I'm getting a thin wrap bracelet in black leather with a small round braid to match my new watch.
But the belt was the most tricky. Pony Locks has a few different but very similar designs. I asked if I could get one done in green leather, but she wasn't able. So I went on Etsy and talked to my leather working friend at The Sugar Lady, and we came up with something really fun. Based on a belt she made once before, we did some tweaking, added a nameplate and green leather, and we have a design we think will be really pretty.

Top is what she has made before, bottom two are options for mine. We're going to go with the top green one I think. Also the green will be a deep forest/hunter color, not this bright.

All of this was a great divergence to actually, you know, dealing with my feelings. And they're wonderful ways to remember my boys and carry them with me.
Plus these that you all did for me:

I wear them everyday. It's possible I've turned the corner into full on crazy horse lady. It's cool though, I've come to terms with that.
But I still had one more thing I needed to figure out. And that was what to do with the beautiful wooden urns that hold my boys' ashes. Currently, they are still sitting on the bench in my barn. But that's really not the ideal spot. I finally decided to have a shelf made for them above the bench, and for the wall between that shelf and the bench I had some art created. These beauties will hang there holding the boys' leather show halters:

They were done by Alpha Mare, and you should definitely check her out. Her work is incredible. I can't wait for these to arrive and get them on the wall. I hope it doesn't come across as shrine like... I'm not THAT crazy... Or am I?

Anyway, today's confession is that I spent a LOT of money memorializing these two guys. And I think it was worth every penny.