Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And yes, I'm wearing green again... But it's officially autumn and therefore my farm colors are very much on trend for the season. Eros is our model today, so we'll start with his outfit. But um... I forgot a full body photo. Guess we'll just jump right into individual items.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Browband: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

Is there a handsomer face in all the land? No. No there is not. (Don't tell Al I said that. He is also handsome in his own way.) Anyway, still really liking these Pinnacle bridles for the price point. I think more than the old Camelot bridles I was so happy with. (I think I'll have a couple of those for sale soon, if anyone is looking.) 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes

Saddle Pad: PerfEq Pad by Anatomeq

These pads are pricey, but Taylor does run sales a few times a year when you can save a little. I really like them. They are very breathable and they do seem to keep the horses cooler underneath. They stay put really well too. If a pad doesn't move on Eros, it probably won't move on most other horses either. Al wore this pad in white for our two shows this year, and I really was happy with that pad too. 

Boots: Eskadron

I'm kind of loving this new color from Eskadron. They call it Cognac, but I call it pumpkin spice. I've been hunting for some tan boots, and I think these will fill that roll. 

So that's what E wore today, and here's what I had on:

It's a very autumnal outfit. For someone who doesn't really love fall, I do very much like the color pallet. 

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

I think it's kind of funny that One K made this helmet in gray and navy but not in brown. Odd no? I'd really like a brown one. Anyway, I wore the black one with the green and sand inserts. 

Top: MathCat
Vest: Ariat

I hope I manage to keep this vest in good shape for a long time. It's one of my favorites! I like it with this tan shirt; I wasn't sure if it would work, but it does!

Belt: Noble Outfitters

I have this belt in a few colorways as they are frequently a promotion at Dover. This is obviously my favorite of the bunch though. It's like it was made just for me!

Breeches: RJ Classics Harper

I scored these on Poshmark for like $60 and I don't think they were ever actually worn. I like the RJ breeches, and these Harper style are my favorite of theirs. 

Boots: Mountain Horse Sovereign Luxe

My zipper finally gave up the ghost on my black Celeris boots this morning, so these are officially stepping into the roll of "go-to boots".  I'd have worn them today anyway though, because they go best with this outfit. 

That's it for this week's outfit! Any favorites? Anything you want to see before we move back to the other barn for the winter? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

Today marks four years since I lost Rio. I hate to dwell on these types of anniversaries, but I also want to honor his memory forever and always. So that's why I make mention. I had a busy day, so I wasn't thinking about what day it was, but I felt a little off kilter all day. Not really in a bad mood per se, just a little less patient than normal, a little humbug-ish. You know? And then when I finally sat down this evening and saw what day it was, I was like Ohhhhh. That makes sense. So if you have one nearby, raise a glass to Rio tonight. 

Anyway, I do still have horses to love and enjoy so let's talk about them! There's been a lot of rain. So much rain. Always raining. I mentioned that yesterday. I'm still hung up on it. Despite all the rain, I haven't really missed out on any riding other than Saturday which was definitely more of a choice than a forced day off. I've felt like I haven't been quite as disciplined in our work schedule this summer, so the last couple of weeks I've been trying very hard to stick to a plan. I mean, I've ridden all the horses six days a week (with occasional weather interruptions) all summer, but I just feel like we've had more "easy" days than we maybe should have. And I haven't been consistent with our jumping schedule either. But now that everyone is feeling good, I'm trying to get back to our usual schedule. Which is roughly something like this:
Monday: off
Tuesday: Flat day- Stretching and working on forward! (We're all a little behind the leg at the moment. oops.)
Wednesday: Jumpies!!!!
Thursday: Flat day- easier day, make sure everyone is sound after jumpy day, keep working on forward
Friday: Jumpies!!!
Saturday: Flat day- lateral work!
Sunday: Sunday Funday! Light flatwork, usuallly bareback for Eros and Shiny

For the most part, we've been pretty on top of this the last couple weeks! Yay us! 

Al's been generally pretty good lately, though I think I've completely uninstalled his gas pedal. I am really struggling to get him moving. He's a little more willing when it comes to jumping, but on the flat? I'm DEFINITELY working harder than he is. He'll for sure see some training rides when we move to the other barn for the winter. At the end of the day though, I kind of prefer having to work hard for forward over trying to stay on the whirling dervish he can sometimes be... Of course, as I was singing his praises about not being so spooky, he was ridiculous today. He didn't feel wild at all, but he was VERY concerned about... well everything really. So much dragon breathing and threats to rapidly reverse directions. Which unfortunately led to me not jumping him today even though it was on the schedule. I'm hoping maybe tomorrow we can pop over a few fences instead. He did jump last week though, so we're not totally off track. 

Eros is perfect. I mean obviously. He was funny today too. Not spooky, and there weren't any torpedos! But he was jumping out of his skin! Over 2'6". Which makes me giggle every time. I just love him! He's been a little stuck on the right side, but we're overdue for our chiro visit. (Poor doc got struck by the Covid and had to reschedule.) He's not unsound but I can tell the flatwork is a little harder than usual for him. 

Shiny also is missing her favorite chiro doc. She might be about ready for another schockwave treatment too, but I'd like to try and hold off until we move. (Be nice to split the farm call, ya know?) She's been good, and she's able to get round both directions at all gaits. She's feeling sound and even in her movement. But she wants to pivot around the turns rather than bend through them (at the canter) and achieving a truly forward right lead canter isn't really a thing right now. The left lead though? That one is feeling pretty great. Celebrate the good, right?! But overall, she's doing just fine. 

In other news, as mentioned yesterday, I went to the fair on Saturday to visit my friend and her moo cows. She has Jerseys which I think are the cutest cows. They won some ribbons and had a good show.

I have no idea what they look for at a cow show. But it's fun to watch anyway. 

Other than cow watching, I didn't really do much other than eat. It was raining, so I was zero percent interested in rides or games. But I did eat. A lot. Before even finding my friend, I had a giant baked potato loaded with cheese, sour cream, butter, bacon, and broccoli. (Covered all the food groups in one!) Then I saw the cows. Then I ate pumpkin fritters. Then we watched some jumping bunnies (10/10, highly recommend.)

I got a real kick out of this burly, bearded man with a bunny on a leash. This was a young bunny, so it just went over small jumps. But some of the more experienced ones jumped bigger fences. 

After the bunnies I had this hot dog on a stick with a ribboned potato around it. 

It was just okay. The potato could have used a little salt and the hot dog was pretty stuck to the stick making it kind of tricky to eat. Probably wouldn't have again. After that, we went back to the cows for a bit and then I started making my way to the exit. (Had to get back home to feed!) Of course, I got some snacks to go too... I mean this was the last fair of the season around here. I stopped first for a lime rickey. I HAD to have one as my town's fair didn't have them this year and I was VERY SAD about that. And then as I continued toward the exit I stopped for a bucket of cookies. They were delicious, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't keep very well. I got the bucket figuring I could have cookies for the rest of the week, but they got hard really quickly. So maybe next time I'll get the small size.  I just love fair food. It's a good thing they only come around in the fall or I'd have some seriously clogged arteries. 

I think that's all I have to report for this week. Hope you're all having a good one! Did you get to any fairs this season?. What's your favorite fair food?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Guys. I think it's been raining forever here. I really hope this wet summer (and now fall) isn't going to be indicative of snowfall this winter... Yikes. Scary thought! Anyway, my confession today is that I took a rain day on Saturday. It wasn't raining that hard, it wasn't THAT cold (low 60's F), but I just decided to give my horses the day off anyway. And you know what? It was fine. They weren't crazy on Sunday. They didn't lose fitness because of a bonus day off. And I got to visit my friend who was showing her cows at a local fair. Which also meant I got to eat a bunch of fair food. Which was the perfect way to prep for my Yom Kippur fast! So yeah. Today's confession is that I chose not to ride in the rain on Saturday and instead ate my weight in junk food at the fair. And I'd do it again!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! And I have a fun one today! (I promised it wouldn't be green again this week, and it definitely is NOT.) Al wanted to model today, and since he's been the problem child of late, I figured this outfit was perfect for him! Here's what he had on:

Boy that's an awkward angle... It looks like two different horses welded into one. Lil' guy in the front and a behemoth in the back. Adorable though, even if the ends don't seem to match. 

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Look at that face! Love this roman nosed sillypants! That browband was a dog leash from Zazzle. I was able to make a horse sized and a cob sized browband from it. It's hard to see what's printed on there in this photo, but those are indeed F Bombs. Lol!

Saddle: Butet

Half Pad: Ippico

Saddle Pad: Dreamers and Schemers

Hee hee... I had to get this print. I thought it was SO punny when it first came out as socks, and it's even more punny on a saddle pad! I like these pads a lot. They don't seem to shift at all and while they are a bit thicker than I normally use, Al seemed perfectly comfortable in it. They do not have any keepers on them which I really like because I never use any of those anyway.

Boots: Premier Equine 

I mentioned a bit ago that I wanted a pair of interchangeable boots that weren't fuzzy lined for summer, so dug my Premier Equine boots out of the shed and made all the horses a pair! I got this fabric from Spoonflower for the straps. 

So that's what Al wore today, and here's what I had on:

Definitely no green in sight! Plenty of orange though. 

Helmet: Samshield

I was going to wear my blue helmet with this outfit, but it didn't really match, and I already had this one on from riding at the other barn this morning. So I just went with it. 

Shirt: Amazon

We've reached that weird point in September where it's not t-shirt weather, and it's not hoodie weather either. So I layered my tee over a seamless top. I'm nothing if not resourceful. 

Belt: C4

D&S collaborated with C4 awhile back for some sock and belt packs and this belt is from way back then. Hence the reason it's not the same color as the pad or the current edition of the socks. But I wanted to wear it anyway, because sometimes I just don't match. Okay? Okay. 

Breeches: Vestrum

I've been hunting for a very long time for the perfect shade of orange breeches. And I haven't had much success. Until these! I got them from my favorite breeches dealer (okay, it's a tack store) overseas, Riders House, for a great price. The first time I wore them I wasn't sure if I liked them. The fit is a little different than my other pants, but after today, I've decided I like them very much. My only complaint is that the pockets are useless. They're like an inch and half deep. Seriously. Why even have them? 

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

I did upgrade to the new socks. The old ones were the first generation material which I was not the biggest fan of. But I LOVE the current material they're using so I had to snag a pair to match my pad. Obviously. 

Boots: Celeris 

I'm still limping this pair of boots along! No holes yet! The zippers are nearly kaput, but they're hanging on for now! I briefly considered wearing my navy pioneer boots today, but I was spray painting some boards in between horses today, and figured I'd be less sad if I accidentally got paint on these, so I stuck with them. 

And that's it for today! Any favorites? Do you love the F-Bombs as much as I do?? (The answer is yes.)

What's Up Wednesday

 

Between outside activities and weather, the horses didn't do much jumping last week. But honestly, I think it's fine to have an easy week here and there. But we did do some quality flat work most days so all was not lost. (And you know... some days the flat work was lower quality, but that's okay too!) I'm trying very hard to stay on track this week though. So everyone put in a solid flat day on Tuesday, and today we popped over a few fences. I was a little short on time, and the windy weather was giving me anxiety (me... not the horses this time) so we kept it short, and mostly just popped over single fences. I didn't really put any courses together. That IS my plan for Friday, fingers crossed they're wrong about it being another windy day. I don't think we've had a still day the past couple of weeks. In the summer a breezy day is fine, but this time of year, the way the sun hits, we get some crazy moving shadows in the ring which is tough for Al. So far he's been trying very hard to be good though, despite the active shadows. Gotta give him credit when it's due!

I jumped Al first today. We avoided the spookiest jump which I stupidly placed right in the moving shadows... But we jumped most everything else. I had to tuck in some of the fill because of the wind, but I have a plan to fix that problem for next week....

Al was good, though surprisingly a little too quiet. I'm still taking it slowly with him as he lost a lot of fitness during his sore foot episode. He's probably my laziest horse, and I didn't realize how much I was letting him get away with not actually working in our rides. So the next few weeks I'm going to try and focus on getting more from him. I think he needs a training ride to re-install the go button honestly... But that's still several weeks away. My achilles heel is that I absolutely can create a horse that gets a little dead to the leg. And this is why I'm not a horse trainer! Anyway, despite him being behind my leg, and not really ever getting a quality canter, he still was honest and a good dude to the jumps. A positive day! 

Eros went second. I offered everyone a free lunge today before jumping (see note above about my wind anxiety) so E was actually pretty quiet for our jump school. I had to really push him to get down the line in four. But since he'd had some play time, he came right back to me despite being pushed down the line. If you know Eros, that's a big deal!

I love this horse so much. He can be a little silly, and sometimes he drags me around like a runaway train, but I just trust him so much. As long as I ask, he always tries. Even when I'm wrong. Even when I get left behind. Or jump ahead. He just forgives it and tries again. He's really a special guy. 

Shiny went last. I was starting to run low on time, so we didn't get AS much done as I'd hoped, but we still popped over a few things. She wasn't bad, but I really needed more time to get her going. I've found this summer that you kind of just have to keep jumping small things until she decides she's there to play that day. Once that happens, she will actually start to take you to the jumps and she's a really easy ride. Up until that point though? She sucks back at your leg, and chips to everything. And if you try to rush her through this silly process of hers?

You get all the sass! All of it! Lol! She's too much. I never fully achieved getting her to take me to the jumps today, but she gave me a few semi efforts anyway. 

She's a good pony. She just has a lot of feelings that we need to work around. But the nice thing about her, is even when she's throwing her feelings around, she's still never out to hurt you. She states her opinion and then it's over. You want to raise women who stand up for themselves, and well... I've done that I suppose. 

On Sunday, I actually got to have a lesson over at the other barn. I rode the most wonderful good boy! He's enormous. Even bigger than that tall guy I rode for spirit week's Thursday's Threads if you can believe that. But he's just as sweet as they come and honest as the day is long. No photos since I got no media and he's not mine, but we had fun! The flat part went just fine. I've flatted him a bunch of times, and while he is a challenge for me to really get put together (he is SO LONG!), I can do it, and it was actually a lot easier in a lesson setting. It took me some time to figure him out over fences. He's so big and long, I had two things to figure out. First, the correct distance always looked a little long to me. It wasn't, he was getting there just fine, but there was just so much horse in front of me, I was confused. There was a moment mid lesson, where I decided to try to hold for the add, and that was very much the wrong choice. But it did help me realize that longer one was actually correct. The second tricky part was in the air. It was hard for me to follow him all the way across the jump. It was like I ran out of arms to give with. So I would land a little discombobulated, and then it was a little hairy in the bending lines. But eventually we put it all together. I was in a lesson with 2'6" riders, so thankfully the jumps weren't so big that I was REALLY getting jumped loose! She did put the out of the last line up for my last time through, maybe to 3'? Nothing crazy. And it felt great, so that was a nice way to end. That horse was so kind and sweet to me, and it was really nice to get to jump around on something different. 

The week was busy outside of horses too. I attended the most beautiful fund raiser gala on Friday evening. One of the families at the barn have a son with a very rare form of Muscular Dystrophy, so they organize this fundraiser every year to benefit research for the disease. Not only was it a fun night out with the barn friends, but it was successful too, and they raised a lot of money. 

Thursday I had an old friend from high school stop by who is in town visiting from California. It's always great to see her, and one of our more local mutual friends came by too. Shiny wound up having a day off because I spent too much time hanging with my friends. But these things happen. And it was worth it. 

Saturday was Rosh Hashana dinner with the family which was delicious. So I've been very well fed this past week and all kinds of socialized. Clearly, it's time to return to my bubble and get back to a proper riding schedule! 

Did you all have a good week? Windy where you are? Is it COLD? Because it's getting chilly here for sure. The horses are wearing sheets at night. And I might even go throw on their 100 grams tonight. Boo. Summer is my favorite season, and fall is always kind of a bummer for me. But don't get me wrong, I love me some pumpkin flavored everything!

Truthful Tuesday

 

Hahahaha.... This is such a me problem. So I was putting away a massive amount of horse laundry on Sunday and was kind of losing my mind because I couldn't find my second green Mattes saddle pad. Not the ones with the sheepskin, but the plain pads I have. Or thought I had. So I found the one and it turns out I've never even used it. I was SO SURE there was another one floating around that I had used. SO CONFIDENT in that! So I went through a tack box that's in the barn where I thought it would be. It wasn't there. Then I went through several tubs in the shed. Then I went through the tack box again. And then I remembered that I only had one of those. That I've never even used. Doh. 

Almost every horse thing that I own I have at least two of because you know, I have two full sized horses. Most things I have two of in horse and one in cob. I have two BLUE mattes plain pads. So I figured I must also have two green. But I do not. Because I ordered them so long ago, I only had Pammon and Shiny at the time. We also had Eros, but he was my stepmom's then and I figured he wouldn't need the green pad since he'd never be at my house. Boy was I wrong about that! 

So anyway, that's today's confession. I have no idea what I do and do not have at this point. So get ready: tack and horse stuff sale coming in a couple months once the horses are settled at the other barn for the winter. 

Thursdays Threads

 

Um... soooo today kind of derailed, but not in a bad way. But as a result I didn't get horsey photos for outfit day. But honestly, it was going to be kind of a repeat anyway. But all is not lost, because I have a fun twist on Thursday's Threads instead for today. I got a few sneak peak photos from Tuesday's photo shoot, so Shiny and I are going to share one of our outfits from that today!

Doesn't she look AMAZING as a jumper?? I think she does. And her fall dapples are coming out which is always extra fun. Anyway, here's what we were wearing:

Bridle: Riviera Equisports (I still plan to sell this bridle, but I HAD to use the figure 8 for the shoot) 
Bonnet: The Hangry Mare
Bonnet unicorn pin: Pinsnickety
Saddle Pad: Mattes (I snagged this in a clearance sale at Hufglocken for a steal! I keep it in the trailer just in case Shiny ever actually does show in the jumpers)

Piggy number pins: Pinsnickety
Shiny's Boots: Equifit (another great find on Facebook Marketplace!)

Helmet: Samshield (This is the new one with the bling)

Shirt: Essex Classics

Jacket: AA Motionlite in brown
Breeches: Equiline
Boots: Celeris

For a little added fun, which is tough to see in the above photos, and since this shoot WAS for Pinsnickety, I replaced the buttons on this coat with pins for the shoot. I decided to wear my emotions on my coat so to speak...

The top and bottom are indeed chickens, and the center one is a dumpster fire. Because sometimes it's better to share your fears about showing rather than keep them bottled up inside.

And that's it for today! Shout out to Chelsea Lothrop Photography for all the amazing photos on here today (even if blogger makes them look dark and blurry...) and for getting some sneak peaks over to me today so I had something to share on the blog! 

Do you show in any of these brands? What are your favorites?

What's Up Wednesday

 

We're going to start with Al this week because he has many storylines. So many stories, especially for a short amount of time... Oh Al.... 

Who me? -Al (Probably)

My farrier and vet finally had a chat about what to do with Al. Though neither convinced the other of anything in particular. So basically my vet told my farrier, "this is the issue, I'll let you choose how to proceed." Which is nice because my vet obviously trusts my farrier to make good choices. Obviously I do too, or he wouldn't be my farrier. But still. It's nice when everyone believes in each other. The final decision was to put shoes on behind, keeping in mind that heel needs to stay open and not creep upwards again. I liked this decision because I don't mind having shoes on him, but I was really anxious about shoeing the fronts now that the quarter crack has finally grown completely out. So Saturday he got a trim up front and shoes on behind. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Doc was at the boarding barn Friday when I was there riding in the morning, and I popped on down the aisle he was working in to grab some med refills. He asked how Al was doing and said if he's feeling good we can pop some small jumps and see how he does. So obviously I did that immediately when I got home. He was so happy to jump again! We went over maybe five jumps total, mostly 2' and one 2'6". 

He felt just fine when we back to the trot afterwards, so I felt good about our session. Saturday, as mentioned, he got his new shoes put on. We just did a light flat so he could get used to his new feet, but all felt just fine! We did the same on Sunday. Monday he had off, and Tuesday he had a very short ride since we were busy being models. (More on that later.) So today was the first ride I really got to feel how he was doing with the shoes on. And he felt great. I'm feeling optimistic we're on the right path. Hopefully we'll get to jump around a little tomorrow. 

But none of that is the most exciting Al story of the week... (Those were the highlights. The most exciting story is more of a lowlight.) Monday morning, I get a text from my helper while I was being lazy and catching up on some lost sleep. Apparently, Al had gotten loose and was running up and down the street. THE STREET. Effing horses. So I threw on some jeans and ran out there, but apparently my helper didn't text me until after he had caught Al and had him safely back in his stall. Hopefully if that ever happens again, he either lets me know asap so I can help OR tells me in the text that the horse is caught. Would save me some panic. Anyway, I was about to lecture my helper (again) about why it's so important to keep the gate closed... when he showed me that Al had somehow knocked all the boards off the fence in one section of his walkout. So 100% Al's fault and zero percent helper's. But he does now understand why I'm such a psycho about the gate at least. Anyway, alls well that ends well as no one got hurt, and by some grace of divine power or whatever Al didn't run into any cars. 

Eros is doing just fine this week. He got to jump around on Thursday and was great. I was hoping to jump again over the weekend, but since they got shod Saturday, I wound up not doing that. His white line is doing better, but isn't completely gone just yet. 

I've been trying really hard to get him working more on the flat. We've slacked off a little this summer, and I can feel where it's time he gets a stronger again. Not just stronger, but also paying attention to me and not just to the monsters in the woods. I can already see a difference so I think we're back on track. 

Not too much is happening with Shiny. She's going well, today especially. She had both Sunday and Monday off because on Sunday it started pouring buckets after I finished with Al and it never stopped. Monday is her usual day off. Then Tuesday her ride was insanely quick (again, the modeling thing, I promise more on that shortly). So today, I was determined to get her back to working properly. Of course, that stuff is never entirely up to me when it comes to Shiny... So I had to wait for her to warm up before actually accomplishing things. But once we got there, she was actually amazing today. She did shoulder in, haunches in, EXTENDED TROT! I was very proud of her. 

Oh and she did get to jump around on Thursday too. We haven't jumped together much this summer, so I'm excited to get back to it with her. 

Okay, so that's happening with the horses. As for me, I've been keeping busy this week!  I had a horse to braid on Saturday night.

Then on Sunday I set a new course, and got some new fill organized to put out after the rain.  Which I did on Monday. 

New Course

Some new fill, courtesy of the dollar store mostly. 
I need to get more pumpkins and I also need to attach 
them to something as they keep falling over. I think I have 
broken fence board that will work.

And my favorite new fill! I need to get a few more of
these too, but my local dollar store only had these.

They're pretty amazing though, aren't they??

I'm very excited to jump around the new course! I just need to get the fill to stay standing up... Especially the trees. They keep blowing over when I'm on Al and you can imagine how he feels about that!

Oh, also on Saturday my fridge that I just spent a FORTUNE having repaired broke again and I had to throw out all the new food I just bought on Thursday. So that didn't make me happy. Like it's frustrating enough to have to fix everything I own this summer, but now I've fixed most of it twice... It could all stop breaking any time now...

Anyway, I spent literally the entire day on Monday crafting some fun things for Tuesday. Because on Tuesday, all of my horses (and I!) got to be models again for Pinsnickety! I rode in the morning at the other barn, and then got home and organized all of our outfits. Then I braided all three horses. Al dressed up like a hunter while Eros and Shiny dressed up as jumpers. Which is a little backwards, but Al has the most braidable mane so I picked him for hunter braids. Plus I do hope to eventually do some of the adult equitation and medals with him someday so it was good practice for him. Plus he got to wear my fake tail which was a first for him. 

LOOK AT THEM!!!  I cannot wait to get the sneak peak photos. We dressed up like we were at a horse show and it was super fun. Unfortunately, we lost daylight fast and didn't get everything done that we had hoped. So we're going to do another session next month to finish up. I won't be braiding all of them all over again, but it will still be fun. 

So yeah. This past week has been kind of a lot, but mostly it was good stuff. How was your week? Did you all get to do anything fun?