Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit day! It's a boring one today because I was feeling uninspired. So you get to see Eros' workout outfit today! (It was band day for him.) We'll start with what he had on today:

That band definitely accentuates his hay belly. Looks like he's about to birth a set of twins. Sheesh. 

Bridle: Pinnacle
Brow band: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

I love this bridle on him. I usually prefer a darker brown, but on him, this one looks so lovely!

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Catago
Half Pad: Ippico

I just told you guys all about this pad and bands yesterday, so I won't be redundant. But here it is again!

Wraps: Eskadron

These are the Eskadron polos, not the pads and wraps that you've seen a bunch. I had forgotten I even had these until I discovered them a few weeks ago when I was looking for something else. It was a nice find!

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

I love pink and green together. I've been wearing some iteration of this color scheme all week.

Helmet: Samshield

Since the outfit was boring, I added sparkles. That always makes it more fun.

Shirt: Luyaa

It was warm enough for short sleeves today, and that made me very happy. I want summer to stick around as long as possible.

Belt: Tory Burch

You guys have seen this one a bunch. I got it at the outlet in Florida one year. I love the shade of green.

Breeches: RJ Classics, Gulf

I like the RJ breeches. I've said that before. Ha! I think I like the Harper model a little more than these, but these are just fine too. 

Boots: Celeris UK

I had to bring a little more sparkle to the otherwise yawn worthy outfit. I love these boots. They're insanely comfortable and so fun with all the sparkle! I had to acknowledge when I ordered them that this leather was better suited for trim and that I understood they might not hold up as well as some of the other options. But I've had them for years now and they're still going strong! Granted, I don't wear them every day, but still. I'm happy with how they're holding up. 

And that's it for today! Any favorites?

What's Up Wednesday

 

It was a pretty low key week around here. We're just puttering around as we tend to do this time of year. The weather is up and down. Mornings are pretty cold, low 50's and then afternoons are pretty nice. Thankfully this week we're heading up to the 80's again, and I'm here for that! Hope it sticks around for a bit. 

Shiny's kiddo was only able to come out once last week, so I actually got to jump Shine on Thursday. I like to keep them to just two days of jumping per week so I haven't jumped her in quite a few weeks. It was fun! Look how cute she jumped:

I was concerned the last couple of weeks because she's been kicking out a lot for the canter transitions. And now that I've started this story, I think I might have already told you guys this... But I let her have a free lunge Wednesday and the kicking out has mostly disappeared. So I'm feeling confident she was just trying to tell me she needed a little run and buck. 

Eros has graduated to jumping mini courses. And by that I mean three or four jumps strung together set just below 2'. We do a couple warm up jumps then one mini course. I'll probably keep him at that for a few weeks before we add more. Baby steps! He's feeling good though and is definitely excited to jump again!

He's also been wearing his Contago version of the EquiBand twice a week. I'm just using the belly strap on him right now, and it's making a big difference.

Though I do think the band could be farther back. Maybe I just need to shift the pad back a little. It's doing the job though, so I guess it doesn't matter too much. I like this pad a lot more than the equiband pad. It's softer, and it has ceramic fibers in it, similar to Back on Track. Also, it's not a bizarro shape so it actually fits the saddle fairly well. 

Al is feeling much better the last week or so after his abscess debacle. I let him pop over a few tiny jumps last week too. He's definitely distracted this time of year with the leaves changing color and all the wind... But things are mostly going fine. I haven't felt super comfortable jumping him by myself, so we're just plugging along, keeping the jumps tiny, and trying to refill that confidence bank. 

It really doesn't matter how big we jump. I just want to get to where we are having fun and enjoying each other. The rest will fall into place. 

And that's really about it from here. We're just doing the things, a little at a time. Enjoying the rest of summer and start of fall.

Truthful Tuesday

 

Oh boy... This is a good one for you guys. So a week or so ago I was blowing the barn aisle as I do at the end of the riding day. And just as I was approaching the end of the aisle, my blower just stopped working. This happens. I've had this on for many, many years, and it hadn't been sounding quite right for a little bit. So I ordered up the newer version of the same blower. I took the extension cord I was using with the now broken one, and hunt it back on the hook to use with the new one and since the next day was trash day, I threw the broken blower in the trash can. I mean, I did some mild trouble shooting first. Made sure I hadn't accidentally opened up the bottom like I sometimes do. Turned it off and on. Checked that the plug was fully attached. Made sure the outlet was working. That sort of stuff. 

So two days later the replacement arrives, and I go to use it at the end of my riding day. Take down that old extension cord, get it plugged in, and... Nothing. Guys. Know what I never checked when I was trouble shooting? The effing cord! It was the cord that was bad. Possibly the blower had been fine, and I will never know because I tossed it. So moral of today's story, check the cord first. 

I'm not that broken up about it though. The newer model blower has more power. So that's a win at least. And it was on sale. Also good. But still. What a silly thing not to check. Sheesh. 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! We have a fun one to share today. It's not new, but I don't think I've shared much of this stuff in quite awhile. It was Al's turn to model this week, but he was... not thrilled with the job today. In his defense, the flies are relentless this week. Let's see what he was wearing!

The tail though! Poor Al.

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Brow Band: Dark Jewel Designs

I asked him repeatedly to wear his ears, but he just kept saying "NO!". So this is all I got today. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Ippico
Baby Pad: The Barn Closet

Pins: Pinsnickety

I'm having fun using all my number pins just as accessories since we haven't ventured to any horse shows. It's silly to just have them sitting around collecting dust. How adorable are these foxes?

Boots: Premier Equine, embellished by me

Aren't these foxes adorable? I decided a little last minute to do this outfit, so I didn't have a lot of fabric options that would arrive in time for today. Fortunately, this one is perfect! 

Charm: Pinsnickety

We also used our adorable fox charm from Pinsnickety. I put it on his martingale strap rather than the bridle. I kind of think bridle charms can be distracting to the horses. I mean, I wouldn't want something flapping around by my eyeball. But the martingale seemed like the perfect place for this little guy.

That's what Al was wearing, and here's what I had on:

Another cute fox! Fox themes feel autumnal to me, so I figured now that the days are noticeably shorter, it was the perfect time to wear them. Full disclosure though, it was sweater weather this morning when I first headed out to the barn, but I ditched the sweater before riding since it actually warmed up pretty nicely today. Thank goodness.

Hemet: One K

I don't think I've worn this one since fourth of July! I was worried the liner would be stretched out since I made my little brother wear it when he hopped on Eros that day. Happy to report it still fits just fine! Could use a little dusting off though... 

Sweater: The Loft

I've had this sweater for ages. At least seven years. I still think it's adorable. It's very light weight, so perfect for fall. 

Belt: C4

I really thought I had a navy C4 fox belt, but I was wrong. Just this black one. But it's doing the job just fine. Especially since the saddle pad is gray. Kind of ties it all together. 

Breeches: Vestrum

It was fun to wear the orange breeches on a day other than Halloween or Thanksgiving. They were perfect with this sweater. And with the saddle pad. I really was worried I would regret buying these, but I have no regrets. They are so fun! 

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

This is a terrible photo. Those are cute little foxes al over the socks which are black. They match pretty nicely with the saddle pad and belt. 

Boots: Celeris UK

I was undecided what boots I was going to wear today because I nearly forgot I had these... Ooops. They were perfect with this outfit and are nearly done with the break in process. Nearly. But not quite yet. I'm really happy with them. For demo boots, they fit me perfectly!

That's it for today. Like the foxes? Any favorite things from this outfit? 

What's up Wednesday

 

Wednesday already. Where does the time go? I can't believe summer is basically over. It went just as fast as this past week! 

We had a pretty quiet week with not much at all on the calendar. And it was much needed! It takes me awhile to get back into a routine after the marathon braiding weekends. So I was happy to have nothing to do but horses for a few days.

Shiny had her usual rides with her kiddo last week (Wednesday and Friday) but this week her kiddo couldn't make it today. I think she'll be here either Friday or Saturday though. I'm actually kind of excited to steal Shiny back for a jump school tomorrow. I haven't jumped her in awhile, and neither of the boys have been jumping either... I fear I'm becoming a dressage rider.... Which, nothing against dressage, but I'm not sure I have the attention span for it. Anyway, I'm excited to jump a couple little courses with Shiny. 

She's been going great lately for the most part. But, I was a little concerned because she's started kicking out again for the canter transitions. Then I also noticed she's been a little looky at things and not spooky really, but kind of looking for an excuse to think about spooking. These are Shiny's little tells that she needs to have a little gallop and buck. So I let her have a free lunge today, and when I rode her later she didn't kick out at all. So hopefully that's all that was about. The weather has definitely changed, so I'm not surprised she was feeing a little spicy. 

I mentioned on Thursday that Eros is trying out Al's saddle for the time being. He's also started using the equiband once a week. Just the belly band, not the one around his bum. Between those two things, he feels like a whole new horse. Like the horse I had before the latest injury. It's lovely! He's more forward, he's lifting his belly (and his withers!), and he just feels a lot better overall. So I guess I need to get the fitter out sooner than later. I really had hoped I was done with saddles for awhile! But horses, amiright? You'd think at his age he'd be done getting wider... The dad bod strikes again!

I'm planning to jump him a little tomorrow, and will bust out the Pivo so maybe next week we'll actually have some media. He's not doing much with jumping just yet. I'm taking things really slow. Last week he trotted four single jumps (two each way) on two different days. This week, I'm hoping to maybe do a little mini course. But we'll see how excited he is. I plan to have the jumps small, like under 2'. So nothing exciting... but sometimes E brings his own excitement. Fingers crossed it goes well and he stays sound. 

Al was not sound last week. He seemed to get a bit better as the week went on and by Sunday, I thought he felt pretty good. I had touched base with our vet I think on Friday and let him know we'd probably be scheduling an appointment. By the end of the weekend though, I was feeling more hopeful. On Tuesday, I decided to tack him up, but throw him on the lunge line first so I could see what he looked like. He looked good. Like really good. Both ways. So I hopped on and he also felt good. Yay! I noticed too that getting on after he was warmed up, he was much more willing to move forward. So my current plan is to toss him on the lunge line for a few minutes before riding. Let him warm up without me. Then I can get on and put him to work and he's already loose and ready to go. (I think he's been talking to Shiny... they both come out like they couldn't possibly be expected to move their legs.) We'll see if it holds up as successful. You never know with Al. 

I popped him over a handful of raised cavaletti today and that went very nicely. So as long as he's on the same trajectory tomorrow, I may hop him over a few jumps too. Nothing crazy. Little ones like Shiny and E are doing. Baby steps. 

Speaking of jumps... I'm not making any new fill this year for fall. I'm pretty happy with what's in the ring for this year. But I did find something I couldn't resist adding to the skull jump... 

Do you see what's new? HANDS! Joann Fabrics had a sale email go out with Halloween decor, and I couldn't resist the hands. They're perfect!

And that's about it from here! Did you all have a good week/weekend with your horses? Anything exciting on the horizon?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Today's confession? I'm ridiculously excited for Snoop Dogg on the Voice. I've always had a weird interest in Snoop Dogg since forever. And I'm fully loving his latest iteration as Grandpa Snoop. He was everywhere during the Olympics and I imagine that was to draw people over to watch him on The Voice. It's an NBC show and here in the US NBC has the broadcast rights to the Olympics. So that makes sense. Anyway, I would have been excited either way, but having watched him all over the Olympics, I'm doubly excited now!

Do any of you watch The Voice? Or have a weird love of Snoop? No? Just me? Fair enough.