Yep, that’s right… somebody turned 9 years old on Saturday.
9 seems so much older than 8. Henry is not really a young horse anymore, he’s in his prime. He can’t be particularly green anymore at this point. All of his growth plates are definitely closed. He’s been to a lot of shows and hauled all over the place since I got him. He’s quickly moving into “pro” territory.
Please stop torturing me. Put me back in here and take me home.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a horse this age. It’s kind of strange to no longer have the built in “baby brain” and “green horse” thing in the back of my mind all the time. But it’s also pretty fun to have one at this stage of his life/career too. Henry is very consistent, he’s gotten used to taking a joke, and he’s started to develop a bit of a been-there-done-that air about him. After so many young green horses, it’s nice to finally enjoy one that is a little bit past that.
He was a little mad at me on Saturday morning because I showed up to take him to our lesson right when all of his friends were getting turned out. I stuck him in the round pen while I packed the trailer and he ran around like a total idiot. Older, but not wiser.
Henny mad. Henny canter in circles.
He hauled like a champ though and is getting really good at hanging out at the trailer and being chill about the whole thing. Usually he lets out one big neigh when I unload him (to announce his presence, I must assume) and then he munches his hay.
The lesson went pretty well, I can’t complain about his performance, but I have no media and therefore will not bore you with a recap. The weather was GORGEOUS though… 75 degrees and sunny. To cap off his birthday weekend he’s getting drunk today… because he’s getting his teeth done. Happy Birthday Henry!
Welcome to a new series of posts called Brand Spotlight! As you may have guessed from the oh-so-clever-and-subtle name, these posts will be focusing on specific brands that are either lesser known or newer to the US market. There’s so much great horse stuff out there these days, we don’t have to settle for the same old boring, uncomfortable, impractical, or ill-fitting things anymore… it’s time to start calling attention to some of our new and better options. The first brand to be featured in this series is Winston Equestrian USA, and to celebrate the first Spotlight post there is also an awesome GIVEAWAY! Read on for more information, it’s a good one.
Some of you might remember me mentioning Winston USA last week after I perused the Luxe EQ trailer and ended up falling in love with (and ordering) a coat that I definitely was not in the market for but absolutely had to have. I suppose you could say I was impressed with the line! You’ve probably seen Winston before even if you haven’t realized it, on well-known Canadian Team riders such as Eric Lamaze, Tiffany Foster, and Kara Chad.
Winston Equestrian is a high end brand founded in 2008, designed in Belgium and made entirely in Europe from the best European fabrics. The overall feel of their line is very classic, but with modern touches and exceptionally high class execution. They have a full line of clothing for men and women including show coats, casual shirts, show shirts, breeches, sweaters, and more.
Let’s start with my favorite item – the coats. The first thing you’ll notice is that they’re made out of lightweight, stretchy, wool-based fabric. Forget everything you ever thought you knew about wool, because these are not your traditional heavy, frumpy, hot, hard to care for wool coats. First of all, they’re machine washable. Yes, you can put it in the washing machine and hang it up to dry! They’re also cut so incredibly well that they manage to be flattering on pretty much any body type – unlike so many of the modern tech fabric coats that tend to highlight every bump and bulge. They come in a wide range of sizes, including regular and tall, and the material is very forgiving, comfortable, and breathable. There are several different models of coats available within the Winston USA line, starting with the most classic style and working all the way up to full custom.
The Winston Classic is elegant and timeless, making it perfect for the hunter and equitation rings.
The Winston Chicago and Montreal are both more unique styles, featuring either pinstripe or tonal plaid fabrics in multiple colors in addition to the signature Winston elbow patches and Winston buttons.
Left, Montreal; Center and Right, Chicago
The Contrast coat is a creative twist on the Classic coat with the addition of a contrasting seam stitch and collar piping. This detail really stands out beautifully and is figure flattering.
The Winston Exclusive coat is the ultimate custom coat. You can personalize your own completely one-of-a-kind creation by choosing from an array of fabric, collar, piping and lining colors plus many different button options. The sky is truly the limit!
The show shirt that I tried on was just as nice, with the perfect weight fabric (not so heavy as to be hot, but not so thin as to be sheer) and an excellent fit. One of my biggest pet peeves is a shirt that is either super baggy through the body with a ton of excess shirttail to tuck in or one that is so short it doesn’t stay tucked in, but these were impeccably tailored and had none of those problems. It also seems exceedingly rare to find a shirt that fits well in the body without gapping at the bust, but Winston USA really nailed it. They’re flattering, they’re beautiful and they’re comfortable.
From left to right: Paris, Sydney, Vienna
Winston USA offers several shirt options from the more traditional look of the Paris, to the beautiful buttons and trim details on the Sydney, to the hint of color on the Vienna, to the sleek contemporary Mia and Lara, all available in both long sleeve and short sleeve. All of their shirts have stretch in the fabric to allow for more comfort and better freedom of movement in the saddle. Again, there’s something in the Winston USA collection to suit just about any style or size. There’s even a tall option on the shirts as well!
Mia shirt with an Exclusive Contrast coat
Winston USA’s breeches are made of high quality Schoeller fabric that give them an excellent fit and elasticity, but also means they won’t stretch out and sag as the day wears on. The breeches come in classic white and beige, plus a beautiful charcoal gray, navy and dark brown for the informal jumper ring or schooling. All of their breeches are available in low- and mid-rise, and with either fabric patches or faux leather knee patches. They also feature the ever-glorious sock bottom, for those of you out there who hate velcro as much as I do.
If you like having some casual wear options to go with your stunning show clothes, Winston USA has that covered too. Their Milan v-neck sweater is just the right weight to wear alone on mild days or layered over a dress shirt on colder days. Plus they have elbow patches – and there’s nothing better than elbow patches.
The Winston USA dress shirts have many of the same qualities as their show shirts: impeccable fit, classic styling, and just the right weight fabric. The two-tiered collar design is a super classy-looking and fun touch, plus looks great when layered underneath a coordinating sweater.
And of course they also have fun accessories like bamboo boot socks, saddle pads, and ties.
I had to put this beautiful white tie in here just for Bobby
Overall the Winston Equestrian USA line really has the feel of classic sophistication, but with more practical contemporary fabrics and exceptional tailoring. It is truly high end and luxurious, with something in the line to suit everyone. The brand is always expanding, adding more styles and colors, so keep an eye on their facebook page, Instagram, or website to stay up to date on their latest offerings. And of course, you can always find the Winston line at Luxe EQ at shows around the country, or on their website.
just a sampling of the Winston coats in the Luxe EQ mobile
Now that you know more about Winston USA, let’s get to the fun part: the giveaway!
What: There will be two winners! One will get a Paris show shirt (retail $189) and the other will get a Milan sweater (retail $169) in available sizes and colors.
When: entries are open from February 12-19th.
Where: here and Instagram
How: There are three different ways to enter (and yes you can enter each way if you’d like to stack the odds in your favor!). Note: you MUST be following both Luxe EQ and Winston Equestrian USA to win!
Re-post the giveaway photo on your own Instagram with #iwantwinston
Leave a comment on this blog post saying what your favorite Winston USA item is (style and color!). Please make sure to leave an email, full name, or blog link so we know how to contact you if you win.
I love going place with friends… that’s fun, of course. But I also like going places alone. I like driving, I don’t mind the solitude, and Henry of course is a bit more focused on ME when he doesn’t have any friends with him.
Last weekend I went to Houston for a jump lesson, and I’m going again this weekend.
Then the weekend after that is XC schooling.
Then the weekend after that is an indoor eventing thing. I’m intrigued by this concept, so I must go try it myself.
After that I need a dressage lesson (although look at all the other options that weekend…)
because next up on the docket there’s an eventing derby, which I’m pretty excited about
Here’s a hint as to why. Eventers will get it.
and a Combined Test the weekend after.
It’s kind of amazing how many things I can do now. I made a master list of every event, combined test, derby, schooling h/j show, schooling dressage show, open schooling, etc for the year within a 4 hour drive and it’s literally a 6 page Word document. SIX. That’s 6 pages full of things to choose from in whatever way my little heart desires.
Henry is a great traveler and I figure since we are only going to do one or two recognized events before Coconino, getting as many cheap miles as possible isn’t a bad idea. Especially right now when the weather is nice (the entire 10 day forecast is 73-83 degrees), because we all know how fast that can change. We shall go forth and conquer all the things and hopefully come out more seasoned on the other side.
When you’re suddenly handed the world and a bajillion different options, how do you choose what to do? Obviously budget is the limiting factor, but what about beyond that?
(and yes, you just got Zoolander’d and Aladdin’d all in the same post)
While standing in the booth at AETA watching the video for the Invictus pad, they flashed a pretty interesting graph. This one, to be exact:
Here’s the entire blurb from the Invictus website about their results (super complimentary of themselves, of course, but if you can set that aside the science is interesting):
We conducted the tests starting with 5 Joules of impact energy to determine the Peak Transmitted Force through the protective layers. (PTF is the pressure that can be felt through a material.) The impact energy was increased in 5J increments to a total of 40J. We show on the right side of the graph how we assign the impact energy in the tests to pressure that is felt under saddle. Pads, which reached maximum PTF at a given energy, were eliminated from further testing, because they could offer no further values. The tests were conducted under EN1621 tests standards.
In the range from 5J – 25J, the tested pads recorded from 123% to 329% more PTF (Peak Transmitted Force) than Invictus
In the range from 25 – 40J – the tested pads recorded up to 123% more PTF than Invictus
Our tests show that, while high quality memory foam pads like Ogilvy® and the Equi-Fit pad provide good protection at all energy ranges, both are considerably thicker and only conditionally breathable. This translates into diminished contact and a less than ideal heat/moisture balance. The Invictus pad showed the overall best protection values with the least displacement, convincingly delivering on all points, from superior all-round performance to ergonomic and sleek design.
Gel – both oil-based and regular – as well as the Thinline® material cannot come close to providing sufficient protection at the same thickness. Water based gel only performed to 20J before bottoming out. Oil-based gel did a little better, but also only showed low protection values and dropped out at 30J. Thinline tested a little better to 40J impact energy but it can’t come close to the standards of the Invictus D3O® XT Mesh with intelligent molecules.
This kind of information is far more interesting (and helpful) in my mind than things like The Truth Tack Review lady who likes to test impact protection by dropping a bowling ball on things. That irritates me. A lot.
Half pads are one of those items that people always seem to have strong opinions about and even stronger preferences for. Some people will argue for Thinline until they’re blue in the face, and the same for Ogilvy. Or the reverse – those who absolutely hate a certain pad with a fiery passion. If you’ve ever been to a horse message board, you’ve seen it.
I personally used Thinline for years and had no complaints, then decided to try Ogilvy. Henry the princess said that he preferred the Ogilvy (which should surprise exactly no one) so that’s what I’ve stuck with. I have no passionate feelings either way, personally.
Pony says what Pony likes. I obey Pony.
Side note: wouldn’t it be nice if some tack shop set up a half pad trial program so you could demo several different ones? How do we make that happen? They do it for bits and stirrups so surely half pads wouldn’t be much different. I digress…
I have always wanted a comparative study between the different pads, so the Invictus one has got me pretty fascinated. Mostly because of two main things:
It makes the Invictus pad look pretty intriguing (of course) especially for those that don’t have a saddle with enough extra width to accommodate something thick like the Ogilvy.
Memory foam seems to offer way more impact protection than I might have thought. I mean… Henry’s positive reaction to the pad told me that he preferred it, but seeing numbers to back up my own personal observation is captivating. I want to see more. Also interesting that the Equifit didn’t perform all that differently considering how much thinner it is than the Ogilvy.
So, half pad users, what say you? What do you think of this study and it’s results?
If you want to buy yourself something nice for Valentine’s Day, now’s your chance. Luxe EQ almost never has sales, so this is a rare opportunity to shop their final clearance and Not-So-White selection, with prices up to 75% off. This is the only place you’ll find the list!
Here’s how it works:
For questions or orders, email megan@luxe-eq.com or message Luxe EQ on facebook.
If there’s something you want in the Not-So-White sale, you can post a photo of the item (stock photo is fine) on Instagram with the hashtag #notsowhitesale (make sure to @luxe-eq so they see it) and get free shipping!
All items are on a first come, first served basis. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!
All sales are final.
Please read descriptions carefully – not all photos are of the exact colors available.
Italian sizes are as follows 38IT=24 US, 40IT=26US, 42IT=28US, 44IT=30US
BREECHES
Mastermind Breech Navy/Orange sizes 32, 34(2) originally $280 sale $168
Esperado Ischgl breech black size 24, 26, 28, 30 originally $228, sale $99
Anna Scarpati teal bit breech Italian sizes 38, 40 originally $300 sale $160
Animo Naky breech black Italian size 42 originally $479 sale $200
Animo Nando Jean breech Italian sizes 38, 42 originally $360 sale $150
Animo Nonus breech grey Italian sizes 40, 44 originally $380 sale $99
breedrideevent.com 