The only bad thing about buying a saddle from overseas is that crossing the pond isn’t always the fastest, and I’m an instant gratification kind of girl. Patience is not my strong suit when it comes to pretty things and the mail. It’s been 2 days and it feels like a week.

Also perhaps I’m weird (I am indeed) but the part I’m looking forward to most is giving the saddle a bit of a makeover. It’s got a two-tone look so I’m thinking it wants to be re-dyed to a nice even chocolate brown. And maybe this time I’ll play with a beeswax finish. It’s been a few years since I’ve dyed a saddle and I don’t want to admit this in from of witnesses but I find it really fun and gratifying. Crafting in general is not my favorite thing at all, but sign me up for some tack rehab. It’s possible that I grabbed all the necessary supplies already. Don’t judge me, it’s 2020 and I’ll get joy wherever I can.

I’m kind of hoping it won’t take that long to get here though. In all fairness the last two things I got – a rubber chicken from a place in NY state and a blanket from the UK – were interesting examples. The rubber chicken took 3 weeks and the blanket took 2 days.

The rubber chicken was highly amusing though. I figured if I was going to order a ridiculous toy for Presto, I may as well spring for the biggest one I could find, which was a 29-incher. When I pulled it out of the parcel locker the other day, I was cracking up. They had shipped it just in a bag, with it’s feet sticking out of the corner, which was hilarious in and of itself. It was basically folded in half to fit in the locker (thanks mailman!). It’s noise maker thingy is very sensitive, so any little bit of touch or jostling sets it off. And it doesn’t squeak, it MOANS like a dying cow. A very very loud one. Just walking back from the mailbox to the house, it was moaning constantly. I can only imagine it’s journey across the country to get here, with every truck driver, mail carrier, or sorter. Just stuffing it into the parcel locker must have been a sight (and sound) to behold. I was absolutely dying by the time I got home, tears of laughter streaming down my face, since it moaned loudly the whole way.

So far Presto seems pretty unimpressed by it (Henry is terrified) but hopefully it’ll grow on him. It’s a lot heavier than I was expecting and I think that makes it a little less fun for him to play with.

I also got a super sweet surprise in the mail from Michelle – a custom HERS Equine journal with baby Presto painted on the front!

HERS Equine does all kind of custom horse painting, on everything from decor to clothing. Not gonna lie, I kind of want a jacket with a jumping Henry on the back. Katie did a great job painting baby Presto, it looks JUST like him. Still hits me right in the feels to remember him as a foal. And what a great idea for a gift, who doesn’t like stuff with their horse painted on it? Now I just have to figure out what I want to use the journal for, because obviously I’ll want to keep it forever.

On the subject of Mighty Magic babies, I totally meant to post this the other day and forgot…. because I’m the ultimate stalker, I made a little compilation video of the ones that were at Grand Meadow. There were 2 in the 4* and one in the 3*, and all 3 were clear XC.

There were also some MM’s stretching their legs at Arville in Belgium last weekend – there were FOUR MM’s in the top 16 in the 2*. There wasn’t a live stream though, which was sad, but Figaro’s owner posted some video of him… he’s competed through 4* but hasn’t been out in a while, and it looks like he had lots of fun.

One of them in particular reminds me a lot of Presto. Which one do you think it is?