Truthful Tuesday

I alluded to today's confession a few times... It's that I had put a deposit on ONE MORE pair of Celeris boots back at holiday time. They had a chance to win a free pair, and I just couldn't pass that up! I didn't win the free boots, but I did win a nice discount. But here's part two of my confession: I haven't actually ordered them yet. I seem to have what I can only refer to as Boot Block. It's like writers block, but for boot design. I think I've got all the colors covered at this point.

Green

Blue

rose gold

more green

purple

teal

brown

pink glitter

silver

more pink and purple

Moooo cow and more green

You get the idea. Yes there are others. One of these weekends I'll get all the boots together for a photo shoot and you'll get that post you've all been waiting for. But we're not here for that today. Today we're here to discuss my Boot Block.

I got really excited yesterday when they posted some ridiculous hologram spur straps and was like YES! (Not for full boots, I'm not quite that tacky, just the accents!) But alas. That was a special order they had done and they can't get more of that leather. Boo. So I'm stuck. What I probably should do is just get plain black boots for my next show pair. But my Parlantis are still fine for showing. And let's be real, the chances of me showing this year are once again quite slim. So fun boots would make me much happier I think.

So what would you do if you were me? Any color(s) you think I'm missing? I'm not a red/burgundy/orange person so not those please.

Thursday's Threads: The one with the recent repeat

Outfit day! I have a classy (ish) riding outfit and a REPEAT work outfit... kinda. It's more of an improved variation on something you've seen before... Let's start there today.

So, the sweater you saw just a few weeks ago, but I wasn't really happy with what I put together that day, so I had to try again. Maybe it's too soon... but it's my blog and I can do what I want.

Sweater: John + Jenn

I almost paired this with some awesome acid wash jeans but I thought maybe that would be taking it a little too far back to 1986. Expect to see those pants soon though. Also, I don't care what anyone thinks or says, neon will always be in my wardrobe.

Belt: Mane Jane

This is one of favorite Mane Jane straps, but it doesn't really go with a lot, so it doesn't get a ton of wear time. Kinda perfect with this sweater though!

Jeans: Kut from the Kloth

It's a challenge finding jeans in my closet that aren't ankle length. I had sorted them at one point, but they've since jumbled themselves back up again. Fortunately, these are full length and work great for this outfit.

Sneakers: KangaRoos

These are the shoes I was thinking of for this sweater the last time, but I didn't remember them when I got dressed that day. I've been organizing the shoe hoard in my house, and was SUPER excited when I dug these up. Most of you are probably too young to remember KangaRoos, but they were super popular when I was a little girl. All the cool kids had them. And what made them different from other sneakers was that they had pockets! They started making them again a couple of years ago, complete with pockets! That flap that says ROOS is where the pocket is. These pockets velcro but back in the 80's they had zippers. I think the remakes have both, depending on model, but I'm not positive on that. Anyway, I love them. The color is a little off in this photo, but they actually match the sweater PERFECTLY!

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is wearing these fun stretch bracelets along with the trusty watch.

Righty:

Righty went full neon today! First up is a bangle bracelet from Rustic Cuff, followed by that inital bracelet that's either from Fornash or C Wonder... I can't remember which. I got it second hand on Poshmark though. And last is my Fitbit in a fun neon pink band.

So that's my repeat sweater outfit, but I think it worked out much better this time around. I mean... the shoes, right?! Anyway, I have a really cute and mostly classy riding outfit to share too.

There's some fancy stitch... you just can't see it here.

Helmet: One K

I ALMOST brought my navy helmet, but I was lazy. So old faithful it is!

Sweatshirt: Horseplay Apparel

This cute fancy stitch top popped up on my Instagram feed one night when I should have been sleeping, but instead was scrolling through social. Total impulse buy, but it's super cute. The hood and the sleeve cuffs are lined with that gray and white striped fabric. Plus it has thumb holes!

Belt: Rebecca Ray

Made the most sense to pair this top with my navy, fancy stitched belt, right? I love this belt, and I wish I had also gotten it in black to show with. If anyone sees one in their travels, let me know, as it's been discontinued.

Breeches: RJ Classics

These get a fair amount of wear time. They are incredibly unflattering in that you can see all the lumps and bumps. Ew. But they're also super comfortable and sometimes that wins over looking nice. I like the color a lot too.

Boots: De Niro

As I mentioned last week, I swapped these navy boots out with the black ones I've been wearing to test the longevity on these zippers. We'll see how they do with daily wear! Hopefully they hold up just fine.

So that's it for today. Any favorites? Thoughts on neon? And fancy stitching?

What's Up Wednesday

Despite an almost total lack of media save for a couple between the ears shots, I actually did have a busy and fun weekend. Apparently, I need to remember to take more photos. Anyway, let's look back.

So unfortunately, Wednesday when I rode Eros he was noticeably off trotting. Especially tracking right. I was hoping it was stiffness and tried to see if a little light canter would ease it, but alas. It was still there. So the rest of the week we tack walked. My vet actually happened to call me on Thursday to talk about Pammon (more in a minute) and so I let him know about Eros. (And also picked his brain a little about Shiny.) Fortunately, he's able to come out this Friday to see Eros, so I'm postponing my panic for the moment. I trotted Eros a little last night to see if the rest had helped at all. He was maybe slightly better than last week, but still definitely nqr. Hopefully it's nothing major. Fingers crossed!

Nice view though. I started pulling his mane this weekend. Hoping to finish this coming one.

So that's what's up with Eros this week. On to Pammon! When my vet called with an update a month ago, we had seen HUGE improvements in the ligament. This month however, the gains were much less significant. This isn't bad news. And there WERE gains. Just not as big as the month prior. So we chatted about what's best for him at this point, and we decided he will stay with the vet for at least another month or so. While there, we will see how he responds to some laser treatments. Hopefully that will help get things healing more quickly again. Time will tell. Cross some other fingers for him too please!

Which leads us to Shiny's update for the week. As of Saturday, she's been back under saddle for a full week! We're still using a little bit of ace just to be safe (there is some sass in there!). I was kind of winging her rehab since this is kind of a weird case. She didn't actually hurt any soft tissue, but we also don't know how that coffin bone with its bone loss will feel for her. So baby steps (pretty literally). I had decided on five or so minutes of walking when we start followed by ten of trot, and then five or ten more minutes of walking. I asked doc what he thought and he said that was a good plan. I can build a little each week, and eventually add the canter back in. She has had some heat in that foot, and the leg still stocks up some. Both of which I mentioned to doc. He said that's all pretty normal. There is still healing going on in the foot, and also that bone loss could lead to some heat. So I just need to monitor for now. As long as she's moving evenly and seems comfortable we continue on. I'll have him come out and see her once we're a little further along in our rehab.

This mane though... Now that will be a project.

I was expecting to just have my kids to ride this weekend, but one of the amateurs at the boarding barn offered me a lesson on her horse. I'm not the type to say no to that, so I hopped right on! (He was tacked and everything!) I had a super fun lesson. He's an older horse, and only jumps 2'6" these days, which is just fine with me! He was a lot of fun. Point and shoot type, but does take a TON of leg. I was pretty exhausted by the end. And Sunday my ass and thighs were SORE. It was great to get to ride something extra, especially a confidence builder like that! I wish I had gotten some video or photos. Sorry guys.

That's all the tall kids reports. On to the dogs... Artie is great! He's always great. Poor P though, she had a UTI this weekend. Which sorry, but is also kind of a drag for her human. I noticed on Thursday evening that this was probably happening after I came home to pee on the floor. And then Artie sticking his nose all up in P's business. (Seriously, he's like a UTI sniffing dog, he always knows!) So I called the vet first thing Friday and they said to just bring a sample in. Fortunately, my vet was working that Saturday, and she said given the looks of the sample and P's history, we could start her on the antibiotics right away while we wait for the culture. So we did, and then the results seemed to follow our suspicions. She's definitely on the mend now. Thank goodness. Because Friday she peed on my carpet twice (I literally have ONE rug in the house, and she insisted on using it for a port-o-john), my bedroom floor once, and the dining room for good measure. I mean I get it girl, but just tell me you need to go out! Sheesh. Exciting Saturday for us.

Sunday I actually had social things to do. I know! Shocking. So I was at the barn early to walk/trot Shiny and tack walk Eros. They were both good kids. It was my first ride with Shiny with other horses in the ring (since she's started back, not ever), and she didn't try to kick anyone. So that was good.

After ponies I was off to Galentine's Day brunch at a friends house. She hosts us every year and it's really a lot of fun. Nice to catch up with friends on a Sunday and drink mamosas.

I had some time in between Galentine's and my next plan, so I went home and hung with the pugs a bit while doing some laundry. Then had dinner with the barn girls to celebrate the assistant trainer's b-day. Long day! But it was fun, and kind of nice to do something other than go to the barn and go home for a change.

And that's about it from here. How was your past week? How are your horses? Sounder than mine I hope! Ha! Ha... Ugh. Anyway, did you get to do anything fun? Lessons, shows, tack shopping?

Truthful Tuesday: Some ramblings

I've got some random thoughts on a Tuesday, and figured this was as good a place as any to work through them... Join me, won't you?
So recently, Amanda posted about being more true to herself and living the life she really is meant to live. (I think it was that post linked... maybe it wasn't. Whatever, she did, trust me.) And it got me thinking about all kinds of stuff. It's no secret I'm a borderline hoarder. I love my stuff. I mean, I don't need to keep random stacks of newspapers or anything creepy like that... but I have a LOT of shoes, boots, horse boots, belts, saddle pads... I could go on. You get the idea. And I started thinking this is maybe a little bit generational? I'm a little older than a lot of the people I spend time with these days. Since I'm an old spinster most of my age group is home tending to their kids, going to soccer practice, etc. So the people who have free time when I do, tend to be a little younger. Also, most of them are horse friends, and so I guess our free time is really just barn time. Whatever. Anyway, there's definitely a difference in how we feel about "stuff". And that had gotten me feeling kind of extra. And a little like maybe I should rethink my ways. Like having all this stuff is a negative.
Oddly enough though, Amanda's talk about being true to who she is (despite the fact that she was talking more about living closer to a minimalist lifestyle, while clearly, I am not) got me thinking differently. It's okay to be me. To enjoy my stuff. I mean, I wouldn't be me if my shoes didn't match my outfit, right?

Any excuse to drop these boots on the blog, I will use.

Which leads into the next topic. Despite my love of stuff and shopping, I also hate clutter. (I'm definitely feeling angsty about the clutter in my house right now. Goal is to declutter and have it straightened up and super neat by end of winter.) I've been going through the house and purging what doesn't fit, I don't use, etc. Wonderful feeling! I send some things to ThredUp, but really, they've gotten SO cheap about what they give you back, that I don't think I will anymore. I'd rather just donate. But that's for human stuff.

Once it warms up a little, I plan to go through the horse stuff and weed that out some. And I'm not sure completely what I want to do there. I was sending things to Used Horse Stuff, but the bags they send are pretty small, and I'm not sure they're doing that well as they take forever to send a bag lately. I tried shipping to them on my own dime, and it was ridiculously expensive. And I haven't gotten any money from them in a long while. So probably not the way to go anymore. Should I just do a for sale tab here on the blog? Or a Facebook album? I would only be able to ship on Saturdays, would that annoy people and potentially make it less likely to sell? What do you all do with horse stuff you're not using anymore? Mostly it will be saddle pads I think. I don't really use them much, mostly just baby pads for us. And Shiny has her special pads. So I'll have a bunch of those to unload. Probably some schooling bridles. I'm not sure what else. Maybe some horse boots. Anyway, suggestions welcome!

What about you guys? Stuff or no stuff? Anything you've struggled with about yourself that you're finally accepting? Or changing?

Thursday's Threads

I was dreading this morning's commute because all week they've been making us panic saying we were going to have ice to deal with. Well, I woke up and it was just regular, wet rain. Phew. I like when they're wrong about things like that! Anyway, I nearly forgot outfit photos last night, so my riding outfit is, well... dirty and tired looking. But I have one!

Definitely the post ride, about to get ready for bed look here...


Helmet: One K

We'll just use this photo again... Same One K, different sweatshirt.

Top: Herd of Zebras

This is probably the softest thing I've ever owned. I think Herd of Zebras stuff can be a little pricey, but that's because it's a small biz. But they do have promotions pretty regularly. I think the logo is adorable. Pastel colored Zebra? Yes please.

Belt: Mane Jane

This is the navy croc strap with what is actually the gold colored buckle, though it looks rose gold here. That's the hue of darkness my friends.

Breeches: Dover

Breeches with a coating of pug hair! My go to outfit... Anyway, these are navy with lilac piping and stitching. Very similar to the Piper breeches, but ten thousand times better fitting. And also cheaper. I got these for $30.

Socks: Dreamers and Schemers

Several months ago I was left unsupervised and designed myself lots of socks on the Dreamers and Schemers website. These are Pammon's. Not sure why I made his pink and purple... but I love them!

Boots: De Niro

Update on these with the zippers. First, I've still been able to zip them which is nice... but those days are numbered.

I reached out to De Niro who seemed like they were going to help me, but then stopped replying to my messages. So instead, I went to the store I ordered them from, Discount Equestrian. They were VERY helpful. Highly recommend their customer service there. And they have decent prices on things too. Anyway, De Niro offered DE the following options for me: 1. they could send me a new zipper and I could have it replaced locally, 2. I could send them back to De Niro and they could replace them. The issue was, De Niro would only pay postage to and from the UK since that's where I purchased them. It seems to me it will be less expensive to find someplace around here to get them fixed than to send them to and from the UK. So I have the new zippers coming to me. I'm not sure if I'm fully satisfied with that resolution. But it is what it is. At least it's something.

I just have no idea where to get them fixed in my area. Maybe I'll wait and just take them to Florida if/when I go back. Being that the boots are only three months old, I'm pretty disappointed. I'm going to start wearing the blues ones regularly and see if they hold up better. If not, I'll have to be honest and NOT recommed De Niro's anymore. Hopefully it's just a one off issue because they are ridiculously comfortable. For the price though, they should last a lot longer than the Tuffrider Regals that these boots replaced!

Sorry, I got a little ranty there for a minute... back to outfits! Here's what I'm wearing at work today:

Keeping it casual... I was wanting to wear some really cute booties, but they are suede and it's pouring. So boat shoes it is!

Sweater: Tory Burch

The Tory Burch outlet down in Florida has really amazing New Years sales, and this was one of my splurges when we went this year. It's cashmere and I got it for nothing pretty much. I LOVE the color. This is my favorite shade of green. If any of you come across a pair of cute boots this color, please direct me to them. Or else I'll just start wearing my green riding boots to work. It might happen.

Belt: Tory Burch

I also got this belt on the same trip. And matching sunnies. And maybe a purse. Shut up.

Jeans: True Religion

You guys have seen these before. They're super comfy and relatively flattering. I love the contrast stitching on them.

Shoes: Sperry

You have seen these ten million times by now probably. Definitely one of my favorites. And yes, those are horse socks.

Arm Party!!!
Lefty:

Full disclosure: Today's arm party is basically what I wear everyday. I don't always have the time or energy to match to my outfit so this is my go to set up. That said, I do have great bracelets to match today's outfit and I'm a little annoyed that I was late this morning and didn't find them.
Anyway, lefty is wearing the bit bracelet my dad and step mom gave me for Chanukah along with my new apple watch that I gave me for Chanukah.

Righty:

Righty is wearing one of the Hermes "Clou De Selle" bracelets (named such because that button is the same as the nail heads on the saddles), along with my most favorite Dee bit bracelet and the fitbit in its brown strap.

So that's it for today! Any favorites? Thoughts/opinions on De Niro boots?

What's Up Wednesday

The weeks are kind of all the same lately, but that's not a bad thing! Barn owner left for Florida last Sunday, and this past weekend the boarder horses that are going headed south too. So it's a little quieter at the barn these days, which is lovely. Assistant trainer is around to teach, though she is going down for a few days next week. The barn manager will be teaching though, so I'll still get some jumping done, fear not!

Clearly worried we might miss a lesson.

Anyway, things are plugging along with Eros. I've jumped him in the Segunda a couple of times. I hate that bit passionately, but he really goes nicely in it. I just got the Bombers version though, which seems less angry, so I'm interested to see how he likes that. I have a lesson Thursday so I'll try it then.
I also found a bit that he's really happy in on the flat. Or maybe he's not at all happy, but he is SO soft and responsive in it! And he's wearing his ears, so I don't think he's pissed... It's a two ring leather mullen mouth from Sweet Billy's bits. I had ordered it awhile back for Jamp, but never got around to trying him in it. Rio really liked the loose ring version. I just ordered a Dee to try Eros in, but I don't think it will be the right bit to jump. We'll see though, you just never know!

Anyway, we've had some good lessons. I continue to get frustrated with the lesson structure here though. They always want to do half flat work and half jumping each lesson. I'm not at all opposed to having flat lessons, but I like them separate. Why you ask? Eros is a very different horse flatting versus jumping. As such, the bits he uses are very different for each task. On the flat, I want something that he's more willing to take a feel of so I can help him flex at the poll, and lift through his back. Jumping though? I need something to lift him up off the bit. He LOVES to lean and drag when we're jumping. I'm not sure about you, but I certainly would have zero interest in accepting the Segunda bit for flat work. It's entire purpose is to get my horse OFF the bit. Not on it. So needless to say, the flat work portion of our lessons is pretty terrible. He does everything asked of him, but with his nose out and his back a little hollow. He's the most broke horse I've ever ridden on the flat, so even with the incorrect shape, he can still leg yield like a champ. It's kind of impressive honestly.

With the bigger bit, he's really been listening well over fences. I can make all the bending four stride lines happen, and he's not dragging me through the corners like an equine race car. Very nice change indeed! Despite our struggles figuring each other out, I am so completely enamored with this horse. He's really been my rock the past year, and I just can't get enough of him. Such a nice feeling to look forward to riding every day. I didn't always feel that way with Jamp and it really is something special.

Anyone else just melt a little when your horse wanders over unprompted?

Exciting things happening for Shiny here this week! Tuesday she started having turnout. Initially we gave her half a med paddock, just to be sure she wasn't going to be too nutty out there. She wasn't. Not at all. So from Thursday on she's had a full med paddock to play in.

And by play, we mean stand around and eat hay. But outside!

The weather here has been warmish and wet, so the nice grass turnouts are all sitting vacant. Too wet for use unfortunately (or they'd get destroyed). So the horses are stuck in med paddocks for awhile. Most of them are handling it okay. A few are a little kooky. Eros is pretty adaptable. We let him have a free lunge once a week in the indoor to get his fresh out, but otherwise is his usual chill self. Since Shiny has been cooped up for so long with that foot, she's happy with whatever she can have!

Anyway, she's been very happy to get back outside. And on Saturday we started riding again!

It's a weird restart for me... Normally I'm rehabbing a tendon or ligament, and there's a pretty strict schedule to get back into work. But in this case, there's nothing in particular we have to be especially careful of, other than her lack of fitness. I'm still taking it slowly though. No free lunging for a few weeks, that's for sure. So far, I've ridden her three times. We do about five minutes of just walking, then maybe ten or so of trotting and another 5-10 of walking. I'm planning to stick to this for two weeks, then add a little more trot. Eventually we'll add the canter, and then she can have her free lunge. I know she's dying for it! Sassy girl. She feels pretty sound, so I think we're going to be just fine. Thank goodness!

That mane though....

It's nice to be back on her. She really is a sweet little pony (most of the time) and though she has many opinions (for example, steering is stupid) she is a ton of fun. Especially her ridiculously slow western pleasure trot... Hilarious!

I gots jokes Mom!

And that's about all that's happening here. I'm making gains in getting the house more organized and cleaned up. It's a work in progress, but it's coming along! So that's what most of my free time has been dedicated to.

How are things going with all of you? Horses doing well? Do you try to take advantage of winter by organizing and purging your house? Or maybe your tack room? (That's next... but maybe waiting for Spring when it's a little warmer.)

Truthful Tuesday

Today's confession is that some really ridiculous things drive me absolutely batty. Like people who confuse a stomach bug with the flu. The flu, no matter the strain, is a respiratory illness. Strain B, can also have stomach symptoms along with it, however, if that's your only symptom, you don't have the flu. I don't know why I take this so personally. But I do. I feel like it's an attack on science. Which, I'm not a scientist. I sell gloves. Clearly, I'm a weirdo.

I get equally worked up when people think they got sick because they were out in the cold. Or they had wet hair outside when it was cold out. It doesn't work that way! You get sick from germs.

I also get a little worked up when people don't put things back where they found them. It's not hard to do. You have to put the thing somewhere, why not return it from where it came?

What about you guys? Anything kind of random and not at all related to you really that drives you nuts? Or am I the only weirdo?