Quinniepants McStumpers says Happy Holidays, everyone!
He’s been waiting under the tree for Santa.
He also says he should get at least 15 treats for making him wear that hat.
Month: December 2015
Hamer & Clay wins Christmas
I’ve talked about Hamer & Clay a lot on my blog. I first came across her ornaments last year and gave a lot of them (like 10) as Christmas presents. I forgot to order one for myself though, so when H&C opened up for orders this season, I made sure to get myself a Henry (and a couple for barnmates too). Of course, I also posted on here that orders were open, and you guys absolutely went nuts for these ornaments. Kelsey at H&C is one of my favorites, so many thanks to y’all for making this by far her busiest season.
When I got my package from H&C and very excitedly tore off the glittery ribbon to open the box, I think I squealed like a baby pig.
As usual, the details are just spot on. Look at his little beaded browband and Majyk Equipe boots! She even got the piping on the Ogilvy and my Roeckl gloves. Bonus points for glittery mane and tail and derpy overall impression.
The ones for my barnmates came out perfect as well… Sherri got a little ClayRheta
complete with C4 neckstrap and glittery mane/tail, of course. Because mares.
And then there’s Bobby. The ClayHalo I ordered? Nailed it. She even managed to make Bobby look just as dumb in clay as he does in real life. That’s true artistic talent.
Then there were the extra ornaments that I didn’t know about. Have I mentioned I love Kelsey? Because I do. These are perfection.
First, a magnet version of Halo with his AEC ribbons to celebrate his national championship win (yep, she makes magnets too).
Then I opened this little one and just about died laughing…
Yep that’s my trainer wearing Uni. Remember this photo?
It might be the best ornament I’ve ever seen.
But wait, there’s MORE! And was wrapped like this. Behold:
Ever seen wrapping that amazing before? Once I saw what was inside I understood that no other wrapping would have suited this beast.
That is without a doubt the most amazing, rainbowy, glittery, sparkly unicorn I have ever seen. LOVE doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings. It’s perfect.
Many eternal thanks Kelsey at Hamer & Clay for really going above and beyond. Not only are the ornaments I ordered just gorgeous, these extra AEC-related ones are now keepsakes that I will cherish forever. You win Christmas, my friend.
Majyk Equipe Gen 2 XC Boot Review
Some of you may remember my original review of the Majyk Equipe XC boots that I did in the spring. I remain very happy with my ME boots, and my first set is still trucking along looking as good as new over a year after their original purchase. When ME contacted me asking if I’d be interested in trying out and reviewing their new Gen 2 version of the XC boots, I jumped at the chance. I’ve been very pleased with mine and wasn’t really sure what they could do to make them better, so I was definitely curious.
Straight out of the box I immediately saw a few differences between the new Gen 2’s (white) and my older Gen 1’s (black). The first most obvious thing is the logos – they used to be fabric and now they’re a rubbery/plastic. I’m definitely down for anything that is easier to clean. They’re also smaller and a little bit more conservative looking.
The second obvious thing was the design of the straps themselves. The Gen 2 boots have a little tab on the end of the velcro straps, making them MUCH easier to grab and pull off. This is awesome when you’re trying to untack a hot, prancy horse after XC, or on cold days when you’ve got gloves on. Very smart. Tip of the hat to you on that one, Majyk Equipe. I didn’t even realize I needed that feature until you gave it to me.
Once I started using them, I noticed that the strike plate on these felt a bit bigger and was easier to conform to the leg. The Gen 1’s require a bit of a squeeze so you can feel when the strike plate settles in the right place, but the Gen 2’s are more fool proof in application.
Old strike plate
New strike plate
A lot of the original features that I loved so dearly are still there – how super lightweight they are, how they dry so quickly, the tags under each tab that clearly mark left/right, and the durable yet very well perforated outer layer. I can still throw them in the washing machine to clean them (on the gentle cycle and then air dry, of course, which is great if you’re lazy and now own white boots). Majyk Equipe still pays close attention to technology, materials, and does research/testing on their products.
So what are the main differences between the Gen 1 and the Gen 2?
Upgrades to the Gen 2 boots:
- 5 layer construction (for more durability). According to ME this provides 30% more impact protection without having a negative effect on flexibility.
- eco friendly anti-fungal Gen II Hyperflex Foam lining
- more extra large perforations to help keep the legs cool
- stronger materials (including the fabric binding, which is now double stitched)
- New strike plate design (4 way flex and covers a larger area)
- improved strap design
I already thought that the original Gen 1 Majyk Equipe XC boots were the best on the market, and the Gen 2’s are even better. Especially when you consider that they retail at only $75 for the fronts and $82 for the hinds (not to mention that RW has free shipping over $50 and always has a coupon code floating around, which makes them even less).
I’ve been using the new ones for a month now and find myself enamored with Majyk Equipe all over again. I even let the white ones get super muddy, sit in their own filth for a week, and then wash them. They came out sparkling and beautiful again, which gives me much hope for the longevity of the white.
Well done, Majyk Equipe. Well done.
Blog Hop: Hoarding Confessions
I’ve never really thought of myself as a collector. I don’t like clutter in my house so I don’t keep knickknacks or things like that. My horse stuff is generally the same way – I try to sell as much as I buy to keep everything “even”. Of course, sometimes I don’t succeed at that. And sometimes I like things so much that before you know it you open your closet/tack truck and you’re like “How the heck did I get 10 of those?”. No idea how that happened.
So – what do you seem to collect?
Judging by the sheer amount of Kastel clothing present in my closet, it would appear that I might have a little bit of an addiction problem happening. 6 sunshirts (pink, blue, coral, white, gray, yellow), 2 merino wool sweaters (green and gray), a puffy jacket, and a hat. Look, I just really like Kastel okay?
Which leads us to the one thing I’ve actually knowingly collected – hats. I have no idea why I collect hats or when it started, but I just like having them. It’s nice to be like “Hmmm which awesome hat am I gonna wear to the barn today?”. If I like a brand, I want a hat with their logo on it. Think of it as free advertising on my massive forehead!
I might have 12 pairs of Sock it to Me socks and at least 10 Mango Bay belts too, but I consider those life essentials so they don’t count.
PS – I still want the forest green and navy Kastel sunshirts.
PSS – Need moar hats.
Jumping bigger sticks
On Sunday Bobby and I trailered to a farm a little over an hour away so we could have a jumping lesson from our trainer. Bobby is about to move up to Training (I gave him balls) so he wanted to jump some big-ish stuff, and I’m taking every opportunity to a) get a jump lesson b) jump in a larger arena than at home. Our problems tend to be exacerbated greatly when we have more space.
At Trainer’s suggestion I switched Henry to a full cheek Dr Bristol. I needed a little bit more respect and something that he couldn’t just lean on and drag me through the corners. I tried it out o/f on Saturday at home, doing some of the exercises Buck recommended, and Henry was actually quite good. Normally he’s a drama queen about any new bit, but he was fantastic in the Dr Bristol. I got more respect but he never tossed his head, curled up, or seemed pissed. Kind of amazing for Henry, usually he has an opinion about everything.
On Sunday when we got on and started warming up for our lesson, Trainer immediately said that she noticed a big difference in how Henry was moving. The magic fetlock juice plus new farrier are definitely helping. She set the fences as we warmed up, and had them at about 3′-3’3″ to start with, which we’re pretty comfortable with right now. We warmed up, did a couple courses at that height, then she started raising the fences. Bobby and I both looked like this
Trainer cackled (she’s evil, so she cackles by default) and said “We’re gonna put a few at Prelim height so Training looks small!”. Great. Super. Sure, why not? Seems like as good a day as any to die.
It took me most of the lesson to remember what our “right” pace is, and I really had to ride every step, but Henry was great. Very honest a couple of times when he totally didn’t have to be (sorry bud) and just quite rideable in general. A total turnaround from the horse I’ve had all fall – this is my normal Henry, back in business.
At one point Evil Trainer had us jump the big square oxer, bending 5 strides to the last big oxer of the triple. It was a bit of a wonky line that required you to jump the second one on an angle, and bless Henry’s golden little heart, he was super game.
The key points were pretty much exactly what Buck said (Trainer is evil but she is wise) – always keeping him bent around my inside leg, making sure to keep the power in the canter, and getting him more comfortable jumping from the base. It’s a work in progress of course but it was light years better than what’s been happening lately.
Dare I say that I think I have my horse back? BRB, gotta go find a shit ton of wood to knock on…
breedrideevent.com 