New England is great because we get all the seasons and for much of the region, we have easy access to oceans and beaches. But because of all that, we also have a lot of humidity. And with humidity, comes mold. For the most part, my tack doesn't really get moldy since I use it regularly. But this year, I have a few saddles that aren't getting use. They hang out in my tack room with their covers on, so while I was aware that was some mold on the saddles (I could see it on the bottoms) I didn't realize how icky they really were. Until yesterday.
I had decided over the weekend that I would clean and condition all my saddles on Monday. That meant I had to take the covers off and face the horror of those unused saddles. I didn't think to snap before pics, but trust me when I say they were DISGUSTING. Even the covers were moldy and had to be washed. But the fact that my tack was moldy is not my confession (though perhaps it ought to be).
My confession is that I'm kind of an idiot and only realized after cleaning two of them that I should be wearing a mask while I do that. I'm pretty allergic to mold (and hay but who's keeping track...) so I should have thought of that before I even started. But I didn't. Anyway, P had been out in the barn with me for the first two, but she was bored and wanted to go back in the house, so I took a break then and brought her in. I did put a mask on for the last moldy saddle, but here is where you can feel free to laugh at my idiocy. Once the mold was off the last unused saddle, I removed the mask since the toxin was eliminated. But you know what I forgot? I hadn't yet put the covers in the washer. When I did that, a big cloud of mold dust puffed out the door, right in my (now maskless) face. Like I didn't know that would happen?
Fortunately, the universe really wants to help me learn from these mistakes so I had a lovely ocular migraine this morning as a reminder to keep my face out of things I'm allergic to. I hear you universe. Hopefully lesson learned... (No promises though.)
On the bright side, all five saddles are now squeaky clean and nicely conditioned. So at least there's that!
I've been trying to share this outfit with you guys for two weeks, so I'm excited to finally have it ready for you guys! I think it's it's pretty funny, but sometimes, I'm the only one who gets my jokes... Lol. Anyway, this outfit is in honor of all the college kids heading back to school this year for a somewhat more normal college experience. Without further ado... here it is:
I know, it's hard to see. So let's look closer!
Bridles: both are wearing Joseph Sterling with browbands made by me
So I seem to have found a relatively economical solution to wanting browbands that match my ridiculous themes. DOG LEASHES! Yes. I made browbands from dog leashes. You can find pretty much any theme you could imagine on Etsy and the leashes are usually under $20. I was able to make two full size and one cob sized from each leash. So that's pretty cheap. Plus it's simple. Just cut to length, punch some holes, add some snaps. Easy peasy! Also, it may still be hard to see in this photo what the pattern is, so let me just drop this close up for you:
Yep. Beer Pong. That is today's theme. I'm sorry. I'm a perpetual college aged child.
Saddles:
Eros- Butet
Shiny- Custom Saddlery
Saddle pads:
Eros- Equine Star pad, and Ippico half pad
Shiny- Hufglocken
I think Eros' pad is fantastic, and you can't change my mind. Shiny's is lovely too, but in a much classier sort of way.
Boots: Equine Star
Of COURSE the boots have the same pattern. Cause it's fun! Plus it's appropriate for all seasons since beer pong is played year round.
And here's what my portion of the college fun outfit:
I like to go all in.
Helmet: One K CCS MIPS
I went with the blue one to match the background on the print.
Tee Shirt: Unbranded
Heh... remember Thirsty Thursdays? I'm too old to participate now, but this was perfect given outfit day is on Thursday.
Belt: C4
C4 made these a couple of years ago and I was weirdly excited to own it.
Breeches: Tailored Sportsman
I really wasn't sure which breeches to wear with this outfit. Navy would have been way too much blue in one outfit. I have a pair of red breeches, but meh... wasn't in the mood for them. So I went with these that are kind of a burgundy color. I snagged these second hand for stupid cheap because they needed a small hole sewn up.
Socks: Living Royal
I'm surprised Dreamers and Schemers hasn't done any party cup socks. Fortunately, these work just fine.
Boots: De Niro Salentino
I'm so excited I was able to snag this closeout pair of De Niros in my new smaller size awhile back. I loved my navy ones I had before, but they had gotten so big they were sliding down when I rode. These fit MUCH better and they were a steal.
This week was busy! Some days I kind of miss when we couldn't go places and do things... I mean, not really. But this week was a little too busy for my liking. Anyway... The horses both jumped on Wednesday as usual, and Mr. Eros got to jump a few 2'9" fences which has been super fun and exciting. He was perfect as expected and most importantly, sound afterward!
Shiny, on the other hand... I think she may be in heat. I've noticed when she's in season she gets tight feeling behind and is very reluctant to move forward at the canter. And we're in that phase at the moment. She also likes to speak out when I request that she move forward:
I did still jump her over a few fences, usually that helps to energize her. But I kept them low and didn't do very much.
Thursday we were rained out. It was one of those days that I fully expected to ride at some point. Even put breeches on! But the couple of breaks in the rain were very short, and I just wasn't feeling getting wet that day. Sometimes we ride in the rain. Sometimes we don't. Since we didn't, I just flatted on Friday, and pushed the second jump day to Saturday.
I decided not to jump Shiny a second time this week. I don't think she was feeling it and clearly we had other things to work on anyway. But Eros? He definitely got to jump Saturday and he was SO PERFECT. I put most of the fences up to 2'9" and he just clocked around on the most perfect canter. I'm so proud of him.
Of course, I have a little video too. I can't help it. It was so fun!
You may notice that the blue and white oxer is now a blue and white vertical. I've sadly lost another of my old wood standards. RIP standard! Hopefully next spring I'll get a few more jumps to replace all the ones that have rotted over the past few years.
Bellino was away at a show this past week, so I didn't get to lesson with him. Looks like he was pretty good though, he was reserve champion in the 2'9" hunters and was 10th in the 2'9" derby which was the first time he's done a class like that. Good boy!
In non horse news, I finally got my car through emissions after another stay at the mechanics, and nearly having to go do the dealer. What a nightmare! And the truck is squared away with new brakes and an oil change. I was feeling pretty good about that until the water guy came out to service my well and told me I needed a new pump. He quoted me way too much money so I called a local guy and got it done for half of that original quote. So glad I had all that braiding a few weeks ago, as it covered a most of the well issue.
I also had a horse to braid Saturday night. So nice to have a little income when life gets expensive! This was a new horse for me to braid, and is probably my favorite client now... His mane was SO easy and braided quickly.
He is a bit of a tail rubber, so his tail was a little fuzzy looking, but he was a good boy for it at least.
And his mom not only was there to keep my company while I braided, but she brought me a six back of hard seltzers. Not a bad gig!
Pammon was alone in his field for a few days last week as his buddy had some cuts on his legs that needed a little help healing. His two girl friends were in the field right next to him though, so don't feel like we left him all by himself! He doesn't really like his buddy that much anyway, and didn't seem to miss him at all. But his friend has returned this week, and I had fun hanging out with them both again.
The weekend was pretty busy outside of the horses. I had dinner Friday with my family for Rosh Hashana (which was really late, as the holiday ended Wednesday, but we do what we do). Saturday, I spent the morning and early evening at the camp that shares my woods! My good friend used to work there when he was in college, and they were having a reunion there. It's the 100th anniversary for the camp this year, so it was a big celebration. I was hoping to climb the rock wall there, but didn't end up getting the chance since I had to leave for awhile to go ride. But it was a lot of fun anyway. I didn't attend camp as a kid since I was riding and showing back then, so it was fun to see what camp is all about! After sitting by the campfire and learning all of these silly camp songs, I went and braided the horse mentioned above.
Sunday I had to, unfortunately, attend a celebration of life. An old riding friend of mine sadly lost her husband to Covid complications. He contracted it before vaccinations were available, and while he did manage to survive the worst of it, months later his body couldn't fight anymore. It's so sad. When he was sick initially, he was intubated and in a coma for quite awhile. He came through that, and even was back home after re learning how to walk and do basic tasks. He was doing pretty well, until he wasn't. Only 48 years old. So very sad. My friend is doing well though. She's a very strong person. But I feel for her.
After attending that, to lighten the mood, I visited with Pammon, and then the house horses enjoyed Sunday funday. And I ordered pizza. It was a good day to binge eat pizza.
Monday was the day I got my car through emissions. I had to first stop at the mechanics to have him scan it for codes one more time to make sure it was going to go through. Then I headed straight over for the test and was SO excited when it passed! It's really been stressing me out. I do need a new car, as this one is starting to have lots of little problems (in between all the emissions repairs, it sprung a leak where the coolant goes. And it only sometimes is able to detect the key...). It's served me well for 11 years (and 172,000 miles) so it owes me nothing. But I was feeling like I might have to rush into the task of finding a new car, and now I feel like I can do that on my own time line. Also, as an aside, why couldn't the car and the well pump crap out while I had a job? Sheesh. Anyway, once that was done, Pia came out and helped me set a new course.
I'm excited to jump it today! And that's it from here. It was a busy week, and I'm glad this week so far is a little quieter. Did you have a good week and weekend? Do anything fun with the horses?
I am having my well pump replaced this morning (oh the joys of homeownership...) and so I went out to the barn early to let my helper know that the water would be turned off later this morning. (Just in case he needed to use the facilities!) He was dragging the ring when I went out, and Eros was turned out in the ring too. (Eros could care less about that, he just stays out of the way.)
Anyway, my helper stopped to chat with me, and I look up to see Eros just casually putting his leg through the fence. He was completely calm about it. Just putting it through there to see if we'd notice. We did indeed notice. So once he got the attention he was seeking, he just as calmly removed his leg from the fence.
Seriously though, why are horses like this?! Why do they want to break themselves and everything around them all the time? Fortunately, nothing was broken this morning. As mentioned, it was all very calm and deliberate. But sheesh. At the very least he could do these things when we aren't looking!
When I started Thursday's Threads so many years ago, the focus was on whatever I wore to work that day. It only later became about equestrian fashion. Let's be real, equestrian fashion is way more fun than work clothes. BUT, I don't have a riding outfit to share today for multiple reasons. First, the item I've been waiting for is shipping back and forth across New Jersey for the last week and half and still has not arrived. I thought there'd be a chance it would arrive yesterday so I didn't bother snapping outfit pics yesterday. And then today, it's pouring rain, so riding didn't happen. So this is kind of a throwback to the early days of Amateur at Large with a non horsey outfit! Here's what I'm wearing on this rainy New England day:
Pretty simple. I don't have much on the agenda today other than feeding the horses and doing some clerical stuff, so comfy casual was the way to go!
Top: Ralph Lauren
I like the shoulder detail and the faux leather elbow patches. Makes this otherwise simple tee shirt a little more exciting!
Belt: Sandy Duftler
This olive belt with the rose gold spur buckle was a birthday gift this year from my dad and stepmom. They have great taste!
Jeans: True Religion
True Religion jeans seem to fit me really well, but they're often stupid pricey. Fortunately, there is an outlet near my house so (pre-covid) I was able to stock up on reasonably priced fancy jeans. I like the heavy stitching they do also. I mostly wear breeches all day every day these days, so it's nice to put on a pair of jeans now and then.
Sneakers: Fabletics
I used to be on a test panel for Fabletics and actually got these shoes for free in exchange for testing them out and reporting back on them. They're not sneakers I would use for running, but they're great for walking in, or wearing out in the rain to go visit Pammon in his field. I know that last one for sure since that's what they did earlier today.
So that's it this week. Sorry for no horsey clothes, but hopefully my meandering item will arrive soon and I can show you guys my homage to back to school outfit next week. It's pretty silly, I think you'll all find it entertaining!
I spent most of last week attempting to recover from my braiding marathon weekend the week prior. Guys, I'm still tired! I don't know how people work the night shift regularly. My first few rides of the week were pretty light since I was dealing with a very sore knee from tumble off the ladder. So annoying.
I did have my Bellino lesson on Thursday though! He was a little strong, and while it wasn't the smoothest lesson I've had on him, it was a good one. I felt like I actually was riding him instead of just being a passenger and hoping things worked out. He's a little tough to try and ride because he likes to make his own decisions. So it's a bit of a balancing act. He's the most mare-ish gelding I've ridden!
I got to have a second lesson with on Sunday which was great. He had a free lunge in the morning so was much more rideable. We even did some hard things and they worked out pretty well. A little clip here:
My horses at home only jumped once this past week. But they were both fantastic! Shiny has developed this swap off though... She only does it coming out of the diagonal line so I think she's just anticipating landing the correct lead. But it's something to work on. Otherwise though, she was great and was MUCH straighter after the jumps. I think a few light weeks were good for her.
Eros was absolutely perfect. I spoke to my vet the other day and he said Eros can absolutely start jumping a little bigger, I just have to be really careful about footing when we do it. So that's pretty exciting! Hopefully the weather keeps my ring nice this week and we can jump a few 2'9" jumps.
I have clips of both below too:
In other news, my basement flooded (as it typically does) from the remnants of Ida the other day:
AND I have to replace my well pump (and possibly the sump pump based on the above photo) soon. Ah the joys of home ownership... Sheesh. Always something to deal with!
That's about it from here though. To summarize, the horses were great despite some easy days and the house is expensive. How was your week? Do anything fun and exciting? Have some lessons? Go to a show?
I may have posted about this before, I'm not sure... But today's confession is that I am the SLOWEST stall cleaner on the planet. Seriously. It takes me like 45 minutes to clean a stall thoroughly. Why am I like that? Shiny's stall is faster for me because she's fairly neat. She poops in a few places, but pees in one and she doesn't drag anything around. Eros, however, is a terrible housekeeper. He poops wherever, pees everywhere and mixes it all around. Basically, his stall gets practically stripped everyday. On top of all the mess, he likes to throw his water buckets around so even the clean shavings in the front get wet. I'm not sure if he likes a damp house or likes to get fresh shavings everyday? Hard to tell. Maybe it's both.
What about you? Are you one of those super efficient people who can clean a stall in five minutes? Or are you like me and it takes a short lifetime? Tips to speed things up?
