Truthful Tuesday

I have a few random confessions today. First, I finally shortened the boys' manes this weekend. They may be mostly retired now, but that doesn't mean they need to look feral... But they really were starting to. That's not my confession though. My confession is that I got a blister cutting manes! (And yes, I cut them. There are rules for cutting. Horses that get braided only get their manes cut if they are thin. Jumpers can have them cut any time since I don't have to braid that mess. And retirees are also allowed to pass on the pulling. I'll share photos of their new 'do's tomorrow. But here's my booboo:

Thankfully that won't interfere with my braiding this weekend. THAT would be annoying.

My next confession is that I unintentionally bought something ridiculous last week. I already mentioned that I ordered the boys new turnout fly sheets for next year. Well, when I was checking out, they had another fly sheet on sale for 19.99. It's not a turnout one, just like a scrim. I've been wanting to get one for hand walking since the flies are getting ridiculous and I figured $20 is the right price for such a thing. And it came in hunter green! What I didn't read was the description. You guys. It has BLING on it. Lol. Sorry boys.

That string of bling goes all the way down the side... On both sides! Hahahahaha! It's hilarious. I mean, we all know I love sparkles and glitter... but not really for the boys clothes. Oh well. It will still do the job. I could probably remove it if I was feeling so motivated. But I'm not.

And lastly, speaking of shopping... I'm the sucker that falls victim to all the crap they put by the check out at Marshall's. Or Walmart. Or the dollar store... Wherever really. This weekend's round up of things I absolutely should never own but do:
A cactus pen

I mean it looks right at home on my work desk right? Clearly a useful thing to waste my money on. It actually writes nicely though... so I mean... I'll use it at least?

A fake cactus in a dinosaur

Also fits in perfectly on the work desk... My t-rex highlighters definitely needed an herbivore to prey on, am I right?

 <<sigh>>

I'm not sure I'll ever be a responsible adult. I mean I'm middle aged, and I still buy this crap on the regular. But that fake cactus/dino make me smile every time I look at them, so I guess it's money well spent?

Do you ever fall victim to this crap? What's the silliest thing you've ever bought that makes you really happy still? Or just the stupidest thing. Whatever. Commiserate with me in the comments!

Thursday's Threads

It's OUTFIT DAY! It's also a half day for me, because I'm heading up to Equine Affair to empty my bank account watch my friend do the Andalusian and Lusitano demonstration. I'm also hoping to talk to the trailer people a little bit about potentially upgrading Sally the Sundowner maybe to Felix the 4-Star.... We'll see how that goes! Anyway, back to outfit day... It's effing cold here today. I didn't even look at the temp in the car this morning because I just really didn't want to know. There was frost everywhere though. A heavy one. Looked like the S word. Gross. It was also freezing last night, so there are lots of photos for today's Thursdays Threads to accommodate all the layers. Let's start with last night since horse outfits are more fun!

Purple again! But just a little on me... There's a bunch more on the horses. It's a miracle they still love me honestly.

Helmet: One K

Gotta be honest, all that ventilation is less welcome when it's 36 degrees out.

Sweatshirt: Under Armour
Jacket: Eddie Bauer

It's hard to see because they're both just plain black. Nothing exciting, but perfect for the conditions. I've said it before, but I'm gonna keep saying it: GET YOURSELF SOME PACKABLE DOWN! If you live anywhere cold. It's the best layering system. It's not bulky and doesn't inhibit your movement when you're riding, but it's super warm. The Eddie Bauer ones are probably my favorite. They're not quite as light weight as some of the other brands, but I do think they're a bit warmer.

Belt: Mane Jane

Did I wear this last week? I think I might have. I also wore it today flipped over, so you get to see both sides in one post! I know how exciting that is. I won the Mane Jane Instagram contest this past month too, and for my prize I got to pick a new belt strap. I can't wait for it to arrive!

Breeches: Just Togs

You've seen these breeches before, but I still REALLY like them. They came from a British website, and I wish I had gotten the blue ones too. They just fit really well, and they've held up great in the wash. My only complaint is that they're a bit big on the calf. Not a big deal once I put my socks over them though.

Boots: TuffRider Regal

I can fit two pairs of socks in these quite comfortably. I swear, they're just my favorite boots. And I own a LOT of boots!

Spurs: Evo Equine
Straps: Stacie Originals

Still rocking the rainbow spurs and straps on the Regals!

So that's what I wore last night, but wait till you see what I did to the poor horses...
Rio:
 Boots: HKM

 I have these in a bunch of colors, and I really like them. I think they probably shouldn't go in the dryer because they crack a little on the edges, but I'm lazy so I dry them anyway.

Saddle: Voltaire Stuttgart
Pad: Lettia
Half Pad: Rhinegold

 I really like the Lettia pads. They stay put pretty well. Plus they make most of them in both saddle pads AND baby pads, so my boys can match. The Rhinegold pad I gotta say I don't love. It doesn't have the higher wither my Horze pad has, and it just felt like it was sliding around. But it's purple, so there's that.

Bridle: Unbranded
Hackamore: Punk Ponies

Yeah... Rio got a rainbow hackamore! Actually he got two, but the other hasn't come yet. I found this bridle on ebay for stupid cheap, but honestly, it's terrible quality. I think I'm going to get another bridle that's slightly less awful and just keep the browband and reins. The reins will probably snap in half on me but where's Rio going anyway? I love the purple lacing, so that's totally worth a near death experience.

Jampy:
Boots: Punk Ponies

 I have a few of these boots also in different colors. I don't actually love them, except for their fun colors. The elastics are a little short, so I have to stretch them out before I can use them. Jampy has decent sized legs, but not huge or anything. I think these are made more for a Thoroughbred type leg.

Saddle: Voltaire Stuttgart
Baby Pad: Lettia
Half Pad: Rhinegold

 Jamp and Rio have almost the same saddle set up. Jampy uses a thinner pad, and I used to use a small lift back pad on him. The lift wasn't fitting right with this saddle, so while at Equine Affair I'm going to see if I can find something else.

Bridle: FSS
Bit: Evo Equine

I gotta say, for the price these FSS bridles aren't the worst. But the wide noseband doesn't really fit Jampy quite right. And it definitely wasn't working with the dutch gag, that's for sure! So I think I'm going to do like I plan with Rio's and find a black figre 8 bridle and just keep the browband and the reins. The reins and the bridle have matching lilac rhinestones. That's something! OR I might try the wilkie bit on this one because the noseband looks pretty awesome. Maybe I could remove the bottom padded part and it would fit better? I'm not sure, I don't ride dressage and these dressage bridles are confusing! But so sparkly...

Ok, that's it for the barn last night. Now on to today's outfit!

And this is the outside portion:

Cause it's effing cold out. Ugh.

Sweater: Listicle

I've worn this before on Thursday's Threads. I still am not sure I love the way the sleeves are done. I like the idea, but I think it could have been executed better.

Jacket: Ci Sono

They call this Vegan Leather. I call it pleather 'cause I grew up in the 80's. Either way, they've made great strides in the fake leather department over the years. I just really liked the stars on this one and since it was $20 on clearance, I had to bring it home. I figured it would match this bag I already owned.

Bag: Pink Cosmo

Although I was only sort of right. The stars on the jacket are silver (as are the findings: zipper, etc), and the bag has black stars and brass findings. So it's a close match, but not perfect. Good enough if you ask me though!

Belt: Mane Jane

This is the same belt I wore last night, but flipped to the other side. I love that these really are two belts in one. You can order stock options which have two colors already paired for you, or you can pick any two you want and have it made just for you. That's what I did with this one. The cost is the same.

Jeans: Seven

These jeans are so fun! They have little stars cut out just in two spots, so they're not overwhelming. I thought they were fun to pair with the jacket and bag.

Shoes: Lucky Brand

I splurged on these a couple of years ago, and I'm so glad I did! I wear them ALL the time! I love the studs, and the color, and pretty much everything about them.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is sporting a beige and olive bangle from Spartina along side my trusty apple watch.

Righty:

You're not surprised I have a leather and rhinestone star bracelet are you? Of course I have one to match my bag! (And pants, and jacket...) I paired it with this black rhinestone bracelet.

And that's what I'm wearing this week! Any favorites from today? Thoughts on making that bridle fit Jampy? How's the weather where you are?