Month: June 2021

I managed to sell a lot of stuff last week just listing things on my Instagram stories (because it’s easy and I’m lazy) but I still have more leftover that I really need to sell. Both to get it out of my t!ny h0use and because I need to replace the breeches with new ones. I can take PayPal or Venmo and shipping is about $7-10 depending on the item(s)… although obviously more for the saddle.

Shirts

Kastel long sleeve sunshirt, medium, teal. This is one of the ones I dyed and it’s really pretty but I just legit never wear this bright teal, it’s not really my thing. SOLD

Dover sunshirt, very pale pink and white, size Medium. Has a very handy pocket on the lower back that’s convenient for trail riding. $20

Hy Equestrian Roka Rose show shirt from the UK, with navy and rose gold gems on the front. Short sleeves, size Medium. Measures 18.5” across the bust. New with tags. $40

Breeches

My most favorite pair of breeches EVER, green Horze Grand Prix knee patch size 30. I haven’t had these for very long so they’re in great shape, and this color is pretty much sold out everywhere (so, um, if anyone finds them at a US shop in a size 28 please send them to me, I can’t find any and I’m extremely sad about it). – $70

Horze Grand Prix knee patch, chocolate brown size 30. A little more wear than the green pair but still in really good shape. $65

Cavallino Marino Venezia Eva white knee patch breeches with some silver piping around the pockets. German size 42 which is a US 30. Nice stretchy tech fabric. New with tags. $70

Levade Equestrian tights size Large, navy knee patch only worn a couple times, has belt loops and four pockets. $70

Coats

Hy Equestrian Roka Rose show jacket purchased from the UK, navy with rose gold and navy gems on the collar and pockets, size Large (measures 20” across the bust), New with tags. Material is pretty stretchy. Has a zipper and 4 buttons. $150

Tack

Black Doda hind ankle boots. Someone traded me something for these forever ago and I never actually used them myself. Used but good condition. $70

And last but not least… my dressage saddle needs to find a new home. It won’t fit Presto and let’s face it Henry is done doing any kind of “real” dressage, so I’d rather use the money from it’s sale to go toward finding one for Presto. It’s a Devoucoux Loreak size 18, on their normal tree (so fits like MW) with D3D pro panels. It’s in really good shape and is a gorgeous saddle. Comes with the Devoucoux cover. I’m happy to do local trials (near central TX, or I’ll be in the Atlanta GA area in a week), but I’m not really set up to be shipping it back and forth for people to try. Happy to send whatever pics or videos you may need. $2000

It was a very small field at Luhmuhlen this year, with only 24 starters and 15 finishers. At first I was like meh why even bother doing anything pedigree-related for this field, but then I thought… maybe this actually gives us a unique opportunity. With only 15 finishers we can do a bit of a deep dive into each one, plus I feel like we got a pretty good variety within those 15. A small group, for sure, but still very representative of what is typical at 5* these days. Plus, ya know, the winner is by the same sire as Bobby’s new dressage horse so I would be remiss not to mention that, right? Family connections and all.

Instead of the usual format of averages and worthwhile mentions, lets just do a quick summary of each of the finishers, shall we? This is the kind of information I normally compile anyway, I just toss it into a spreadsheet and summarize it all for these posts, and this time I won’t have to.

Charly van ter Heiden – his sire Contendro’s Bube was shown in dressage and used largely as a dressage sire, but obviously he’s by the jumper stallion Contendro, also one of the most successful eventing sires of all time. Seeing Contendro in a 5* field is pretty much a given by now and Luhmuhlen was no different. What is a bit different about this particular Luhmuhlen winner is that he has a very low blood percentage for an eventer – 24% – which you could see a bit by the end of the cross country course. Clearly not lacking heart though, and still an excellent jumper on the final day. His dam, by Escudo II, also produced a couple showjumpers (one went through 1.45m) and a dressage horse, so clearly there’s some versatility in this family. Charly also competed in young horse classes earlier in his career.

Carjatan S – another horse who’s breeding is very typical of what we see a lot at the upper levels, by a Holsteiner showjumping sire on a high blood mare. His sire Clearway jumped through 1.55m level and has been an extremely successful breeding stallion. Carjatan’s dam is by the thoroughbred stallion Galant Vert xx, which contributes greatly to his overall blood percentage of 60%.

Leamore Master Plan – who says you can’t breed event horses? This one was born for the sport, through and through. His sire is the legendary Irish thoroughbred stallion Master Imp xx, and his dam is by the equally legendary Holsteiner stallion Cavalier Royale – both of whom have produced an absolute legion of successful top level eventers. Leamore Master Plan has even more TB blood on the bottom of his pedigree thanks to Golden Bash xx, making up his 80% blood.

Troubadour Camphoux – there are two generalizations about the horses ridden by Frenchmen that are almost always true in eventing: 1) the horse they’re sat on was most likely also born and bred in France, 2) it’s probably got some blood close up in the pedigree, usually French Anglo Arab. This horse ticks both boxes. His sire Idem de B’Neville is a Selle Francais who showjumped through the 1.60m level. His dam is a French Anglo Arab (by Veganum X) who also produced a 1.40m showjumper. The model of SF stallion crossed on a high blood mare is pretty classic of the French event horses, probably because it works. All of the blood in his pedigree – 62% – combined with the jumping ability serves him in good stead for eventing.

fischerWild Wave – from a typical French model we move straight to a typical German model, with a horse by a thoroughbred stallion out of a jumper-bred Holsteiner mare (spoiler alert, you will probably be very tired of the TB + Holsteiner thing by the end of this post). Wild Wave’s sire is Water Dance xx, who actually competed through 1.45m level showjumping in addition to dabbling in eventing and dressage. He’s from the Sadler’s Wells and Blushing Groom lines, which are probably quite familiar to any TB fans. Wild Wave’s dam Uquina (by Acrobat II) showjumped through the 1.40m level herself before becoming a broodmare. fischerWild Wave comes in at 64% blood. He also competed in young horse classes earlier in his career (and went to the world championships for young event horses at Mondial du Lion).

Gortfadda Diamond – this one is an Irish horse, which is far from rare in eventing, but he’s a bit atypical in that he’s actually a real IRISH horse, with zero continental warmblood breeding to be found. He’s mostly TB (78%) with a traditional Irish Sport Horse sire line of successful showjumpers. His sire Watervalley Cool Diamond showjumped to 1.30m level, and his sire Coolcorron Cool Diamond showjumped to 1.60m level. Gortfadda Diamond’s dam was a full TB from familiar sport lines such as Arctic Tern xx and Strong Gale xx. He also competed in young horse classes earlier in his career.

Ricker Ridge Rui – You guys are never gonna guess how this one is bred. Add another one to the list of horses with a Holsteiner sire out of a high TB blood mare, although this one is a New Zealand-bred. Ricker Ridge Rui’s sire is the Holsteiner stallion Littorio sire of successful showjumpers and eventers who spent much of his breeding career based in New Zealand (where Rui was bred). The dam is by another NZ based jumper-bred stallion Corlando, out of a full TB mare, giving Ricker Ridge Rui a blood percentage of 66%.

Vegas des Boursons – Another shocker here: it’s a French-bred horse that’s by a Selle Francais stallion out of a high blood mare. Vegas is by the showjumping stallion Allegreto, who competed through the 1.60m level. His dam, Clio des Boursons, is by the thoroughbred stallion Tin Soldier xx out of a Selle Francais mare. Vegas has 67% blood. Vegas des Boursons also did compete in young horse classes earlier in his career (and went to the world championships for young event horses at Mondial du Lion).

LEB Lias Jewel – Am I the only one who loved seeing Cathal Daniels on another quick-footed little mare? He clearly has a type. This horse is an Irish-bred by the Holsteiner stallion Limmerick, who should be pretty familiar to anyone who follows sport breeding, as he’s sired a ridiculous number of top level showjumpers and eventers in Ireland. Lias Jewel’s dam is an Irish Sport Horse from traditional Irish lines on top, with the TB stallion Imperius xx (sire of aforementioned Master Imp xx) appearing on the bottom. The very bottom of this horse’s pedigree isn’t recorded, so best guess is that she’s got at least 43% TB blood, likely more. Lias Jewel’s dam has also produced one other FEI level event horse, a 7 year old that’s currently competed through 2*L. LEB Lias Jewel also did compete in young horses classes earlier in her career.

Carneyhaugh Rua – Yet another Irish-bred horse, this one by a Selle Francais stallion out of high blood Holsteiner x TB mare, giving him a blood percentage of at least 57%. His sire Harlequin du Carel has been a fantastic and popular sire of showjumpers and event horses in Ireland through the highest level. His dam is by Cavalier Royale, who we’ve already talked about, out of a mare who is at least 3/4 TB (the very bottom of her pedigree is unrecorded). The dam has also produced another FEI level event horse who is currently competing at the 3* level. Carneyhaugh Rua also did compete in young horse classes earlier in his career.

Commander VG – This one’s a little bit more unusual in that he’s Danish-bred… don’t see too many of those. Really though he has a lot of (surprise) Holsteiner blood. His sire Come Back II is another stallion that was bred to showjump but ended up in the dressage ring, showing through Grand Prix level. His dam is by Abantos out of a Flemmingh mare, giving him a lot of jumper-bred-but-good-at-dressage horses in his pedigree, and he still manages to have 58% blood. Commander VG also did compete in young horse classes earlier in his career (and went to the world championships for young event horses at Mondial du Lion).

Shannondale Quest – hope y’all aren’t tired of Irish-bred horses with a lot of Holsteiner yet. This one is by 1.60m showjumper Cascaletto (Cassini x Caletto) out of a Clover Hill mare with good bit of Thoroughbred, giving Shannondale Quest 52% blood. His dam has also produced a 1.60m showjumper and another FEI level eventer (2*).

Barnahown Corn Hill – This one has one of those extremely incomplete Irish pedigrees that makes me totally twitchy. We know that Barnahown Corn Hill is by a TB stallion, Chinook Eclipse xx (who has a decidedly American pedigree), and out of a mare named Mats Lady, but unfortunately her breeding is completely unrecorded. So the horse has at least 50% blood, likely more but who knows, and your guess is as good as mine on the mare. Barnahown Corn Hill did compete in young horse classes earlier in his career (and went to the world championships for young event horses at Mondial du Lion).

Shanaclough Contadora – I’m out of unique ways to say this… look, it’s another Irish-bred horse with a lot of Holsteiner. This one is by 1.35m showjumper Contador (another Cassini son) out of an Irish Sporthorse mare by Coevers Diamond Boy, but still clocks in at 54% blood. Shanaclough Contadora did compete in young horse classes earlier in her career (and went to the world championships for young event horses at Mondial du Lion).

Burry Spirit – Last but not least, the lone Dutch-bred entry, but guess what that pedigree really contains? If you didn’t say Holsteiner I’m not sure you’ve been paying any attention at all. Indeed this horse is by the Holsteiner showjumper stallion Casco, who competed to 1.60m level, and out of 1.30m showjumper mare by the Holsteiner stallion Indoctro. His dam has also produced 5 other horses with showjumping results in the database, with two at 1.40m and one at 1.50m. Burry Spirit has only 39% thoroughbred blood.

All in all it was a pretty typical field for a 5*, as far as breeding goes, with a lot of the same lines and same trends that we’re used to seeing at that level. Hopefully you guys liked the slightly deeper dive/more detail on all the horses so you can kind of see why I say or point out the things that I do on these posts. Let me know what you think!

With all the horse show recap stuff last week it’s been a while since I updated on any of the general goings-on around here. There’s no particularly big news but there are a few fun things in the works, like…

I got my Maryland 5* tickets! Whether Presto ends up there for YEH Championships or not, I still really do not want to miss the inaugural 5* at Fair Hill. It’s so exciting to have another American 5* on offer, and I get the feeling that it might draw a pretty good field this year. All the updates they’ve been posting on facebook look pretty good, and naturally I’m really looking forward to all the vendors. After all the cancelled plans and not getting to go to Kentucky for the past two years, I’m itching to get back to a big horsey event. From the way tickets were selling (I got mine 30 minutes after they opened sales and most of the cheap seats were already gone!) I think everyone else feels the same way. Plus a friend of mine already secured a rental house that’s just a few miles away from the show grounds, so that works out extra perfectly. It feels great to have another horse trip booked again, even if it’s not quite the Ireland funfest we were originally working on pre-covid.

Speaking of horse trips, Presto’s Chatt entries are officially in. He’ll be trying his hoof at his first YEH classes there, which I had to send pics of his papers to prove his age (although he has his age recorded with USEF and USEA already? whatever.).

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good sized YEH4 class at Chatt though, which is exciting. It’s always good to see these programs thrive and gain some popularity, and now that we’re getting a little later in the year more 4yo’s are starting to show up. Which is good, because as of right now only 18 horses are qualified for East Coast 4yo YEH Champs. Of course, the bummer about waiting until the second half of the year to do a qualifiers is that the heights and technicality increase a bit, but I don’t foresee Presto having any real problem with it (knock on wood of course, because baby horse). Megan has been preparing him for that and he’s shown zero issue with anything that’s been tossed at him. Chatt does have a lot of atmosphere though and things there always ride/look big, so I think it’ll be a good test. The YEH classes happen on Friday before the horse trials start, and he’s doing both, so if nothing else the YEH class will at least serve to let him see a few things in advance, like the dressage rings and the water jump. More bang for your buck as far as miles go with a baby horse!

Originally I was going to fly into Atlanta and stay with my brother (who conveniently lives about 20-30mins away) for Chatt, but now Hillary decided to take the WonderHony so I’m going to drive there and back with her so she’s not hauling alone. I cancelled my flight and will just use the credit toward getting to Fair Hill in the fall. I can still stay at my brother’s house and use his WiFi for work and his truck to get around, so again that all fell into place really well. I’m looking forward to a bit of a groom-cation and a change of scenery, plus it’s been a couple years since I’ve seen my brother.

Other than all the trip planning I did have some fun new stuff arrive too. First and foremost, our couch for the tiny house, which we ordered EIGHT MONTHS AGO, was finally delivered last week.

I do really like it, the color is exactly what I wanted (its a little darker than the pic shows) and I think it looks really good. I’m already kind of regretting the black pillows though, they’re a velvety fabric so legit everything sticks to them. I’m looking at dog hair and hay on them as we speak. I have a feeling the pillows might end up elsewhere, or with new covers. But now that we’ve FINALLY got the last real piece of furniture, I feel like I can actually start putting up some decor and shit now too. I literally haven’t put a single thing up on the walls yet to this point, but I did order some shelves yesterday so I can get rolling on putting those up above the couch. Then I probably need to put something on the wall in the bedroom. After that though I think she’ll pretty much be complete! Slowest move-in ever.

I also got my summer reading books that I talked about a couple weeks ago, all primed and ready to go. I already skimmed through Ride Big a little bit and it looks promising. I think the Jimmy Wofford book will make the trip with me to Chatt, seems apropos.

I also caved and got the giant Kong Equine that’s been advertised all over the place the past few months.

I’ve really wanted it from the first time I saw it, but I was also like “ain’t no way in hell I’m paying that much money for a horse toy”. And then I had to kind of laugh at myself because between the giant Jolly Balls, hanging treat balls, lik-its, and various other things, I don’t really even want to know what I’ve spent on horse toys in the past year alone. I think I’ve bought at least 10 balls and another 10 hanging treats, if I was guessing, so… don’t do the math. Either way, I’m the last person that should be scoffing at what is at least an indestructible toy/treat thingy that you reuse over and over over. In the end I caved and found a coupon code and ponied up, trying not to feel too ridiculous. I’ll do a full review of it after Presto has it for a couple weeks at Chatt, but I did give it to Henry one day to test it out and indeed it kept him occupied for quite a while. So far I’m kind of obsessed with it, and I think I’ll get my money’s worth out of it so… I really have no regrets. Make fun of me if you must.

Otherwise life around here has been pretty much business as usual. We did switch the horses over to nighttime turnout finally, because the days are just getting way too hot. We also rotated them to a different pasture which has been resting since the fall, so they’ve got lots of good grass at the moment, plus that pasture borders my house. I’ve got ponies out every window again.

This schedule works out really nicely. The horses get a little more time outside, and since they’re inside all day we clean stalls in the evening, freeing up my mornings for riding. I can do my spin class, feed, ride Henry, and still be back inside in time for my first meeting of the day. I have zero complaints.

I do have Henry signed up for a couple jumper classes at a local show this weekend, so we’ll see how that goes/if it actually comes to fruition (since nothing really has with him lately). Then next week we leave for Chatt already, and Henry will get a couple weeks vacation while I’m gone. Time is passing quickly, even when it feels like not much is happening.

I think we’re well past due for a Percy update! And instead of just showing you pictures and telling you how he is, I figured we’d let him show you for himself in his own little video.

As you can see he’s doing great, looking loads better, and is super super sweet. It looks like he’ll be just fine.

This week has been super busy at WTW with mares getting bred (it’s pretty much the end of the season for us) and foals getting body clipped (100 degrees is no fun when you’re covered in a thick foal coat) so hopefully next week we’ll have lots more updates and some sleek looking, magical color-changing foals!

I’ve always had pretty good luck with ordering things from overseas, at least when it comes to fit. Saddles, breeches, bridles, coats, shirts, boots… you name it, I’ve probably taken a blind leap of faith. My success rate is probably because I’m really annoying, and if I don’t trust a size chart I’ll email and ask, and/or do some deep dive googling. I did the same thing for this last batch of stuff too, especially the pretty blingy coat that I’m so obsessed with.

The size chart seemed a little wonky so I messaged the shop that had them and asked how the sizing ran. I gave them my measurements and asked which size they’d recommend, since the size chart put me in between sizes. She said that they run small and I should size up, but I was still kind of waffling on it so ultimately I decided to order both sizes and just sell whichever one didn’t fit.

Well, joke’s on me because neither of them fit. I’m not sure why one would recommend sizing up, because IMO they run big. Like bigger than the Motionlites, which are very “American” sizing in a world where most stuff is smaller European sizing. Even the medium coat was super baggy. I laid it out and measured it across the bust and it was 19″… REALLY big for a medium in any kind of equestrian clothing. My bust measurement is 35.5″, so… yeah, 38″ is a no. In the shirts (which had a different size chart?) I had ordered a small and a medium. The medium was definitely big, but the small sort of fit. The body was about right, but the arms were quite tight (maybe I should stop lifting weights lol). Honestly I struck out with all 4 pieces, despite thinking I was so smart for ordering two size options of each. Total fail.

I had also ordered a shirt and a pair of breeches from Germany, and the shirt fits great (and I LOVE IT) but the breeches are too big in the waist. Being in between sizes is getting really annoying. I was hoping a true European brand might fit a bit smaller but no.

One other thing did fit, and that’s the set of boots that I ordered for Henry. I tossed them in the cart on a whim because I really wanted some navy everyday brushing boots, and these Weatherbeeta ones were only $25 a pair.

Their size chart was also a little weird, and the internet said the straps run long, so I ordered a pair of cob size for the front and full size for the rear. The straps are a little long but they fit well otherwise, and so far so good. They’re actually pretty nice little lightweight brushing boots and I love the color. We’ll see how long they last.

The downside of buying things from overseas is that returns aren’t really feasible, so now I find myself with yet more clothes to sell. The medium coat got scooped up fast but I still have the large (it’s 20″ across the bust) that I’d sell for $160 USD and the medium shirt (18.5″ across the bust) for $45 USD.

Plus the breeches (white with silver piping, knee patch, size 30) which I’ll sell for $75.

I also have some other show shirts to sell, all around a 37″ish bust size, but I still need to go through and make a list. If you might be interested let me know. Oh and a couple pairs of Kerrit’s Icefil tights in size Large, navy and black.

In the meantime, if y’all see any good deals (new or secondhand) on Horze Grand Prix or RJ Classics Gulf breeches in size 28, send them my way please! I also like Montar, size 40. I’ve been strongly considering trying the Struck, since they have in-between sizes (I wish more breech manufacturers would do this, like jeans sizing), but they’re really expensive. Like… really expensive.

Oh yeah, also I have my dressage saddle for sale too – an 18″ Devoucoux Loreak. I have not yet summoned the energy to list it anywhere but my personal facebook page, but… I really do need to get on that.

I really hate selling shit, buying it is more fun. Well… usually, anyway.