I figure it’s probably time to upgrade from my 15 year old brushing boots. After much internet research I think I’m down to the Majyk Boyd Martin boots or the Premier Equine boots.
Input on either? Is there another brand I should give a serious look at? Would like to stay under $200 for the full set. Horse is pretty typical medium TB build, if anything his cannons are a bit on the shorter side.
More about that next week. For now, on to the blog hop.
Blog Shoes and Boat Shoes asked: What are some quirks, naughty or nice, that your horse has and do you love or hate them?
Everyone knows that my horse is a weirdo. Eccentric doesn’t really begin to cover it. He’s never really particularly naughty (although he isn’t shy to express his opinion, so if he’s bored he’ll paw a little or if you’ve done something to irritate him he might pretend nip at you) but he’s an oddball. He’s plays with his tongue/mouth obsessively, pretty much all the time.
He’s not a very touchy feel lovey dovey type of horse, but he is highly food motivated. Give him plenty of treats and you’re golden. No treats and he’s a little bit like a grumpy old school horse. I don’t mind any of that, I just keep the treats flowing. Love via bribery is still love.
Otherwise he’s just your typical sensitive horse. Treat him fairly and he’s perfect. Treat him unfairly and he will certainly tell you how he feels about that. Hmmm… that actually makes him sound like a mare… 😉
One Horse is having another 24hr flash sale – 50% off all sale items! That makes some shirts as cheap as $8… time to stock up but you better do it quick.
Otherwise it’s kind of a slow week here. My PS of Sweden bridle has been sitting in US Customs since the 5th and I’m getting exceedingly grumpy about it. GIVE ME MY BRIDLE!
But at least American Horror Story is back… that eased the grumping for an hour and a half last night.
I’ve been giving a lot of thought in the past few weeks to what my long-ish term goals are for Henry. I of course bought him to be a jumper, which he is perfectly fine at. He’ll probably never be fantastic – he’s not a super quick, super athletic horse – but he could do ok in the 1m at the local level, and I was fine with that.
And then we went XC schooling. And then we did an eventing derby. And then we went XC schooling again. He is a horse that has always done whatever job I’ve given him in a very polite yes ma’am kind of way, but he’s never really “lit up” and seemed enthusiastic about anything before. It’s pretty hard to ignore his affinity for XC.
I’m not one of those people who goes tottering around sprouting things like “Schnookums LOVES ____”. It’s a horse. It loves food. But I do think that they can absolutely enjoy some jobs more than others, and Henry’s happy XC ears speak volumes.
My friend Michelle accompanied us on last week’s XC school and she too was super floored by Henry. She’s been there every step of the way since even before I got him, so her opinion means a lot, and she said “He wants to event”. Eventing trainer that took us on our first XC school says “He wants to event”. After a few weeks of stewing on it, well, damn it… let’s give it a go. Not a half-hearted go like I was thinking before, but a real go. Let’s set some goals and lets see what we can accomplish.
He is admittedly less enthusiastic about dressage
So we’ve come up with a plan. We’re going to try to qualify him for AEC’s next year, just at BN. There’s really no good reason for that goal other than 1) AEC’s are definitely still in Texas next year, and it seems a shame to miss out on them being basically in my own backyard 2) It would just be a fun experience to GO. I don’t even care if we do really well (that’s a lie, but I know it’s pretty unlikely we’d actually be competitive and I’m ok with that). Let’s face it, first and foremost this is supposed to be fun. I want to do things that I will fondly remember for many years to come. Pretty sure this would be one of those things. Or at the very least, more memorable than a year of random local level h/j shows in the 3′ jumpers. So why the hell not? Let’s do this and give it 100% commitment and see where things go from there.
Okay perhaps you don’t need to own it, but you at least need to SEE it. For as little as I care about regular I fashion I’m always so excited to see new collections and products from my favorite equestrian brands plus cool new companies. I already covered Mango Bay’s fantastic new fall line, but I figured I’d throw out a few more gems that I’ve come across lately that have really stood out in my mind.
Renard et Cheval – I’m madly in love with this new company’s show coats. They’re classically elegant but have really cool details that make them fun and unique.
They also aren’t afraid to step outside the box for custom creations.
Bow tie = brilliant
I might not always like them (ok to be honest I hate this next one) but they’re definitely BALLSY, and I can always appreciate anything ballsy. I mean – who else has dared make a moto style jacket with zippers and red leather accents? What do you think of it? They also make maroon breeches that are a dream come true.
Kastel Denmark – my adoration for this company’s sunshirts is no secret, so seeing a new line-up of colors in their f/w catalog got me pretty excited. They’re more of a summer only item for most of you, but it’s hot enough here that I can live in them for at least 7 months out of the year. In fact I wore one last night. Plus if you stock up on them in the off season you’ll be all set when summer rolls back around.
Then they posted on their facebook page about their new line of polo shirts (ineedthese), and a prototype for another future style. I’m interested to see what they come up with next year with these!
Mountain Horse – While I’ve never been a big Mountain Horse fan, you have to hand it to them… these new brown Sovereign boots (available 2015) are pretty on point. They managed to make a really beautiful boot with enough detail to be interesting but still stay classy. With a rumored MSRP of only $369, MH is really stepping up their game. The black version is pretty too!
Cavalleria Toscana – Ok maybe I love jackets too much, but… this jacket. I have no words.
I had to put this shirt in for consideration because when I scrolled past it in their new f/w collection I stopped and stared for a minute. I couldn’t figure out if it was the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen or the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
With white breeches it could totally work, but to be honest I still can’t decide, and that alone makes it worth throwing in here.
Equifit – finally something for the ponies! Their new D-Teq boot line is so cool, especially all matched up with a half pad and ear bonnet.
Aztec Diamond – My new favorite (or at least co-favorite) breech maker finalized the beginnings of their upcoming ’15 collection and I can’t wait to get my hands on those top middle breeches. Also pretty interested to see what comes out of that little color swatch collection on the bottom left.
Swanky Saddle – for those of us who like to monogram all the things, these are a really pretty way to do it. Their custom metal saddle monograms are really classy.
And the colorful monogram bridle tags are fun too.
breedrideevent.com 