Month: November 2023

I feel like I’m emerging from the battle that is Black Friday, covered head to toe in soot and bleeding from multiple places, dragging an axe behind me. I’m never prepared for making that dang list and have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Alas, we survived another year and lived to tell the tale, and I don’t have to think about it again for like 11.5 months. Delighted.

I had to go back through my phone pictures to remember last week, it was a bit of a blur. On Monday Argo went on his first XC adventure, down to Naked Horse with Freya and Henry. The general plan was to walk him around, lunge him over some logs and ditches/bank/water, and see what his vibe was. True to Argo form, his vibe was “yes, and?”:

I mean don’t get me wrong, for him he was definitely on his toes in a new busy wide open environment, but his version of that is extremely mild. He walked and trotted over some logs, I led him up and down a bank, and popped across a small ditch. None of it was that interesting. Then I handed him over to my friend Lija, who was on Henry, so she could pony him through the water.

Admittedly I thought that the water might be the thing about XC that Argo wasn’t so sure about. He’s a clean horse, not particularly playful or overly curious, and those types sometimes just really don’t want to go in the water. So ya know… color me shocked when he eagerly took himself in. Not a single bit of encouragement required.

If anything he really seemed like he’d love to roll in it, so had to be encouraged to keep his head up and keep moving. Overall though, easy peasy, no hesitation. Good boy Argie.

After that I decided to hop on, since it had been so uneventful. We stood around and watched Henry and Lija for a bit

And went off exploring, trotting and cantering over some little logs, popping over the ditch, and trotting back and forth through the water. He was not impressed.

He was a little wiggly when it came to the stand-still-and-wait-your-turn part, but not bad. Stuff like that is to be expected. I thought that in general he handled it really well, especially because this venue is on a sorta-busy road and several times some very loud trucks rumbled by. No reaction. He cared more about what was going on in the barn behind the field and wanted to be a little nappy heading away from it, but there wasn’t much of an effort on his part.

On Tuesday we checked off another ArgoAftercare item with a visit from Auntie Jenn, the best and most favorite bodyworker. She’s married to Maya Black and they just came back into town for the season, so I had to have her out ASAP for Presto and Argo. She thought Presto felt great, strong in his muscles but not tight. Argo was obviously considerably more tight obviously, and she worked a lot on his neck, shoulders, and SI region. Argo slept through the entire thing.

I feel like every bit of work we do on him makes him look just a little bit better, so seeing the incremental improvements is nice. Confirmation that we’re headed in the right direction, at the very least.

On Thursday morning I took Presto over to Majestic to gallop, his first one since he’s been back in work. Because duh what else would you do on Thanksgiving. Mostly we just did slower gallops – slower and shorter than his normal peak fitness sets anyway – but at the end I let him sprint up the long hill. He feels great, and really propelled himself up that hill in a way I haven’t felt from him yet.

And then on Friday, Hillary and I left early early to head down to Wellington to visit some friends. You may remember that the owners of the farm where I lived in Texas moved to their Wellington property full time when I moved to Ocala, and I had yet to make it down there to visit them. What better time than a holiday weekend? The drive wasn’t too bad, about 4 hours (a lot by Florida time but a drop in the bucket for Texas time) and we rolled into town about mid morning.

I had not been to Wellington before but it was pretty much what I expected. Definitely horse world central, but a very very different feel and atmosphere to Ocala. It’s beautiful, for sure. When we got to the farm we got a tour, ate lunch while we watched Michelle Gibson school some horses, and then headed out to a couple tack shops. Because why not hit the Wellington tack shops on Black Friday?

First up was On Course Consignment, which was massive and overwhelming even without the added effect of all the people. So much stuff. So many people. I didn’t even know where to look. I tried on a shad that I loved but it was still a bit more than I wanted to pay, and a gorgeous Samshield show coat that I definitely would not let myself purchase but really wanted to. With an unlimited budget I could have done some real damage in there. Alas, we’re in frugal mode, so all I got was a pair of white Pikeurs for $20. Those were a steal.

Then we headed over to Tackeria, which is also A TON OF STUFF. I almost bought a dressage whip there but my brain prevailed and I put it back.

After that we headed back to the farm and I hopped on JB, who some of you may remember. He and Presto grew up together for a couple years in Texas and were the absolute Shenanigan Duo. JB is now huge and stunning and definitely seems to have retained some of his cheekiness. Sounds familiar.

The next day we had some breakfast, watched Michelle with another nice young horse, and then hit Tacknrider on our way out of town. They had a lot of brands in store that I’ve only seen online in Europe, so it was nice to get to see and touch things in person. Then we hopped back in the car and headed home, which took considerably longer with all the holiday traffic. Did not love.

To cap off the week, yesterday Presto and I had our first jump lesson in two months. He was very excited to be back jumping, but was overall a good boy.

Argo got a week off, with everything going on, so he’ll be back on the roster this week! And Henry of course, he’s still getting ridden too. You’ll be shocked to hear that this week is already full. At least there’s no time for boredom?

Hope everyone had a good holiday and scored some Black Friday deals!

Who’s ready to set some money on fire in the name of Black Friday???

Or, if you need to make it sound responsible and intelligent, we can call it “stocking up on essentials and buying holiday gifts while things are on sale”. Whatever you gotta tell yourself in order to feel less financially irresponsible. I’m not here to judge.

Either way, welcome to the Equestrian Master List of Black Friday sales for 2023. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Here we go with the usual spiel: some of these sales are already active, others won’t be live until later in the week. I’ve included date info where I can, but if you’re not seeing the sale yet, just try their page again later. What I’m publishing today (Wednesday) is very much just the tip of the iceberg – I’m tracking dozens of different sales that will be releasing their info later in the week. Keep checking back here, new ones will be posted AT THE BOTTOM BY DATE ADDED so they don’t get lost in the mix. Happy Shopping!

***Just a PSA, because apparently I have to say this… if you are a business owner who’s sale is NOT on this list and you would like it to be added, please just send me a polite email with the information for your sale and I will happily add it. I am just one person trying to do this as a public service in my spare time, so naturally there are plenty of sales I won’t see. Kind notes are always appreciated! Rude ones are not.

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If you value the (many days of) work that goes into making this list and want to help keep me caffeinated so I can continue to update it frequently (dopamine for errybody!), I appreciate you the extra mostest.

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Riding Warehouse – 20% off for horse and rider, plus various brands discounted and up to 75% off clearance items through 11/28.

Majyk Equipe – 25% off storewide plus free Santa bonnets with every order over $150 and some bigger discounts on seasonal items from 11/22 through 11/27.

Ride iQ – 30% off first membership payment for any membership type (so $90 off annual, for instance) on 11/24 and 11/25 with code TGIF30. Note – you must redeem this via the website, not the app.

Higher Standards Leather Care – EXCLUSIVE TO THIS BLOG get 20% off your order from noon EST on 11/23 through midnight 11/27 with code ARGO.

Trafalgar Square Books – 20% off storewide plus free shipping

Dark Jewel Designs – storewide discounts from 11/23 through 11/29.

Free Ride Equestrian – 15% to 50% off storewide

Corro – 20% off Veltri Sport, Horseware Ireland, EquiFit, Back on Track, Baker, Equifuse, Cavalor, Kunkle, and Walsh. Up to 40% off blankets. Buy 2, get 1 Free Infused Equestrian products through 11/24-11/27.

Remarkable Leather Goods – 15% off storewide from 11/24-11/27 with code RLGBF23

Retired Racehorse Project – 20% off storewide with code JINGLE (code stacks on sale items) and orders over $100 get a free RRP tote.

Arion HST – up to 50% off accessories starting 11/24

Vitalize EQ – 20% off Vitalize Alimend through 11/27

The Connected Rider – up to 70% off select items and free gifts

Stockbubble – 25% off stock pins

Ecogold – 15% off all saddle pads using code BLACKFRIPADS through 11/27

Hufglocken – 30% off storewide with code BLACK30

Equizone Online – 30% off storewide (some exclusions) with up to 77% off selected items starting 11/24

Cambox – various deals up to 50% off all week long

Eponia Equestrian – up to 50% off starting Black Friday

Decopony – 20% off custom stall swag and 30% off gloves, automatic discount at checkout

Fundis Equestrian – various deals up to 90% off during Black Week plus an additional $10 off with code BLACK10

Pivo Pod – up to 50% off sitewide

HLH Equestrian – 25% off storewide (excluding the already discounted pre-order collection) discount applied automatically in cart

Calverro EQ – 15% off the Perfect Show Jacket and 25% off everything else, discount automatically applied in cart

Dreamers and Schemers – storewide sale plus daily specials

Equestly – Buy one get one 50% off or buy two get one free

Royal Equestrian – 25% off anything already on sale with code BLACK25

Romitelli Boots – sale starts 11/24

Kastel – 30% off storewide on 11/22 and 11/23

Lumiere Equestrian – storewide savings through 12/4

The Urban Strides – discounts up to 70% off during Black Week

Anique – Buy one get one free

Espoir Equestrian – 50% off sale items, discount applied automatically in cart. Additionally, on 11/24 all Black items will be 25% off.

2point Eq – 30% off storewide, discount applied automatically in cart

Mrs Ros – up to 80% starting on 11/24

Equi In Style – Buy any shirt and get one of equal or lesser value free through 11/27 with code BUY1GET1

Nunn Finer – 20% off storewide plus free shipping on orders over $50 to Continental USA through 11/26

Pinsnickety – 20% off storewide from 11/24 through 11/27 with the code LOOKSHARP, plus free shipping on orders over $80.

Bridles and Reins – Buy one Get one free with code BFCMBOGO

HKM Sports Equipment – buy two products get 10% off with code BLACK-2, buy 3 products get 15% off with code BLACK-3, buy four products get 20% off with code BLACK-4

The Infused Equestrian – Buy 2 get 1 free with code BF23

Equisite – Lucille breeches 50% off plus get a free Otto belt; spend $300 get $50 off, spend $400 get $75 off, spend $500 get $100 off through 11/27

Anatomeq – 15% off Fit blankets, AirSupports, and PoloPillow liners, 10% off Perfeq jumper pads, dressage pads, Airguard brush boots, apparel, and more through 11/28.

Devoucoux – 25% off accessories

Leveza – various discounts storewide

Correct Connect – storewide sale starting 11/22, $20 off orders of $100, $40 off orders of $200, $60 off orders of $300.

Punk Ponies – 30% off storewide through 11/30

Gutzbusta Hay Nets – 20% off storewide through 11/27

Victoria Rose Equestrian – 60% off the Cassie Sanger collection, 50% off the core collection, and 40% off the Paige Ramsey collection starting 11/24

Manhattan Saddlery – 20% off Equifit, Baker, and Tipperary, and 15% off Kask, De Niro, and house-brand with free shipping over $99.

Pomme Equestrian – 30 to 50% off storewide during Black Week

Etalon Vert – 25% off storewide

MadBarn – free 1kg package of MSM when you spend $100 or more

Dy’on – up to 30% off from 11/24 through 11/27

The Collected Pony – 25% off storewide (clearance excluded) with code BLACKFRIDAY23 from 11/24 through 11/27

Kentucky Horsewear – 30% storewide and up to 50% off select items from 11/24 through 11/27

Design by Dalia – 20% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY2023

Voltaire Designs – 20% off select items from 11/24-11/27

Equilifestyle – 20% off with code EQUVIP23

Thinline – 20% off with code BFCM23

Ponyo Horsewear – up to 70% off from 11/24 through 11/27

Smartpak – 20% off storewide with code BF2023

Kentucky Horsewear – 30% off storewide with some discounts up to 70%, from 11/24 through 11/27

Fager Equestrian – 20-50% off storewide through 11/27

Ice Horse – 20% off storewide with code BF23 through 11/27

PS of Sweden – up to 70% off storewide

Veltri Sport – 20% off storewide 11/24-11/27

Equestrian Club Shop – Pre Black Friday sale get 20% off with code THANKS

Saratoga Horseworks – 30% off horse and dog clothing, 20% off grooming carts

The Brave Pants Company – up to 50% off storewide

LA Saddlery – 30% off storewide, discount automatically applied at checkout

EnviroEquine – spin the wheel on their website for up to 50% off

KMA Equestrian – Buy any full price pair of breeches and get a second pair free, plus free shipping with code BETTERBREECHES

Henry James Saddlery – up to 80% from 11/23 through 11/27

Kyro Riding Gear – up to 50% off select items

Levade Kentucky – Add any two items to your cart for an automatic 30% off your order through 11/26

RX Equine – 25% off storewide from 11/22 through 11/24

Botori – 20% off storewide from 11/22 through 11/27

100X Equine – up to 60% off storewide

Equipad – up to 50% off horse and rider equipment and apparel

Cavalliera International – 20% off storewide through 11/29

Adam’s Horse Supplies – up to 20% off various brands

Fairfax and Favor – up to 20% off

Haybales and Barbells – 50% off all programs

Le Fash – 25% off Le Fash 2023 shirts, Cavalleria Toscana, and Tee shirts with code Black25, 15% off Samshield, belts, home, outerwear, sweaters, and tops with code Black15, and an extra 15% off already reduced sale items with code Extra15. Some exclusions, and free gifts.

Horseplay Apparel – 25% off storewide from 11/24-11/28

Airstride Equestrian – $20 off black and navy sets plus $20 voucher with code BF20

LeMieux – up to 50% off select items

Old Mill Saddlery – up to 50% off from 11/24 through 11.27

PurVida Healthy Horse – 20% off storewide and free shipping on any order over $50 through 11/27

Maximillian Equestrian – 20 to 60% off storewide

Flexible Fit – 30% off sitewide from 11/23 through 11/27

Asmar Equestrian – up to 80% off sitewide

Bling Your Horse – up to 75% off

Counter Canter Designs – 25% off storewide from 11/24-11/27

The Tack Hack – 30% off storewide

FarmVet – 15% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY15 plus free shipping over $75

Sync Equestrian – 20-60% off storewide

Maya Delorez – up to 40% off storewide

Divoza – 20% off 1 item with discount code PREBF through 11/23

Stubben NA – 10% accessories and tack, up to 60% off used saddles, and free shipping on orders over $50 through 11/27

Gala Equine – 20% off storewide with code BLACK20

Derby Clothing Company – markdowns storewide, plus 20% off gift cards and an additional 10% off orders of 2 or more pairs of breeches.

Criniere – 35% off orders over $200 through 11/27

XLR8 Equine – 15% off through 11/27 with code BF2023

Noelle Floyd – $100 off All Access Annual Membership and a free Equestrian Masterclass journal

Horse Pilot – select items up to 70% off

Weatherbeeta NA – up to 70% off Weatherbeeta and Dublin in the Pre-Black Friday Early Bird sale 11/17-11/22

Kerrits – up to 70% off storewide

Fenwick Equestrian – 20% off storewide through 11.27

Lady Godiva Equestrian – up to 80% off through 11/24

Equiline America – extra 10% off sale items and 20% off early fall collection with code BLACKFRIDAY

Discount Equestrian UK – early bird deals up to 50% with more to come starting 11/24

Divine Equestrian – 30% off jackets, 20% off breeches and belts, and 15% off sunshirts

Masego Horsewear – 25% off all orders with code BW25

Equestriess Atelier – 50% off storewide with code HUNTMAS through 11/27

Yagya – 20% off through 11/27

Solo Equine – up to 30% off select items

FITS – 15% off Pre-Black Friday Sale through 11/22 with code FITS15

Gallagher’s Water – on 11/24 geta free contianer of Trace Minerals and free shipping with every order

Dancing Equestrian – up to 40% off through 11/28

Equestrian Stockholm – up to 50% off, free gift with every purchase, and free bell boots with orders over $150

Mochara – 15% off storewide with code BLACK15 and discounts up to 70% on select items from 11/21 through 11/27

Fit Equestrian – 25% off with code EARLY25

Horse and Country TV – 20% off from 11/23-11/27

Swanky Saddle – 30% off jewelry through 11/22 with code BIG30

It’s a Haggerty’s – buy one jacket get another item 50% off, 20% off all holiday lookbook items through 11/22

Saddle Mattress – $10 off orders over $100 with code HOLIDAYHORSE from 11/24 through 11/26

Hunt Seat Paper Co – 30% off bundles through 11/27 plus deals each day

House of Montar – 30% off select items

Smart Grooming – 10% off orders up to 50GBP, with code BLACKFRIDAY10 15% off orders from 50-200GBP with code BLACKFRIDAY15, and 20% off orders over 200GBP with code BLACKFRIDAY20.

Nupafeed – Cyber Monday ONLY get $39 off 5 liter Magnesium Daily Liquid, $27 off 3 liter, $22 off Magnesium Paste.

Laguso Equestrian – new deals each day during Black Week (check the scrolling top banner of their website for deal and code)

Rose Hip Vital – 50% off storewide plus free express shipping with code BFCM2023

Redingote Equestrian – 10% off storewide

Black Horse Clothing Company – 25% off sitewide (excluding sale page) through 11/27

Shop Hunt Club – 30% off storewide with code SHINE and free shipping on orders over $150

Kavallerie – up to 40% off select items

Hy Equestrian – up to 60% off through 11/27

Dover Saddlery – 20% off plus various deals and discounts through 11/26

Ikonic Saddlery – up to 50% off select items

Goode Rider – up to 30% off storewide with code BF30

Equinavia – 20% off storewide plus up to 50% off clearance

Pony Jet – 40% off

GG Equine – 20% off storewide through 11/28

Bit of Britain – discounts on various brands up to 65%

La Mundial Boots – buy two pairs get $400 off, buy one pair get $150 off

Ellany Equestrian – Buy one belt, get another belt 50% off

Horseloverz – various deals up to 80% off

Haygain – up to 10% off storewide

Schwarze Equestrian – up to 70% off storewide with code BW2023 during Black Week

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11/23 UPDATE (8AM EST)

Luxe EQ – use code BlackFriday23 at checkout for 15% off, plus up to 40% off sale items (Samshield, Animo, dada sport, Cavalleria Toscana, etc)

Ride Equisafe – 40% off Equitheme, 30% off Cavalleria Toscana, 20% off For Horses, TKEQ, and Weather or Not, and 10% off Penelope. Plus all purchases over $200 get a gift card for 10% of the total purchase price. Discounts applied at checkout. 11/23 through 11/27

Spot on Braiding Wax – 15% off 11/23 through 11/27 with code GOBBLE15

Hypostore – 30% off on 11/23 with code EARLYBIRD, some exclusions. Starting 11/24 get 30% off Kentucky and Dy’on, 20% off KEP, Trust, Ego7, Veredus, and Samshield, and 15% off Kask.

CANTER California – 30% off their eBay store from 11/24 through 11/26. All proceeds go to the care of the OTTB’s in their program.

Etalon Equine Genetics – 15% off Equine DNA packages through 11/27

Bow Horse USA – 25% off all blankets and 35% off orders over $500 through 11/27

Farmhouse Tack – 20% off storewide, discount applied in cart.

Grey Horse Candle Co – 20% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY23

Starpoint Horsemanship – 25% off orders of $100 or more with code BFCM25

Esprit Equestrian – starting 11/23 at 10pm get $5 off classic and kids tights, $10 off pro and winter tights, free shipping on orders over $100

Practical Horseman – 20% off Practical Horseman On Demand

Equivont – up to 50% off, various discounts and BOGO offers

Dubarry – up to 70% off select items through 11/27

Cavallo Hoof Boots – 30% off all hoof boots when you buy two or more pairs with code BF30, or 20% off one pair with code BF20

Dapper Horse – storewide discounts through 11/27

CWD Sellier – 25% off storewide

Ethos Equestrian – 20% off the cranberry Logan breech with code THANKS2U 

Shop USEF – 30% off storewide, excludes gift cards and Community Outreach Pins.

Weather or Not Equestrian – 30% off all orders through 11/25, discount applied at checkout

World Equestrian Brands – 20% off storewide from 11/24 through 11/27 with code 23BFCM20

Two Dark Bays Custom Tack – custom halters 20% off through 11/25.

Alpine Tack – 20% off storewide with code FRIDAY23

Omega Fields – on 11/24 get 25% off 9.5lb bags of Horseshine Complete, 3pack and 6pack of Canine Shine, 3.5lb peppermint and apple Nibblers.

Unicorn Grooming Spray – BOGO bottle refills from 11/23 through 11/26.

Spur of the Moment – 25% off pre-made browbands and spur straps, 20% off custom browbands

Ruff Riders Co – limited codes available: two customers get 50% off with code 50BF, three get 40% off with code 40BF, four get 30% off with code 30BF, and five get 20% off with code BF20.

Uhlan Equestrian – 25% off storewide plus up to 70% off select products

Arista Equestrian – additional 20% off sale collection with code BF23

Vanner House – 20% off storewide with code EarlyBird20

Stable Feed – 25% off select items starting 11/24

Horseman’s Pride – buy one get one 50% off through 11/27. Discount in cart.

Equus Now – up to 80% off various items

American Equus – get free black label signature gloves with the purchase of any stirrups

Devon-Aire – 25% off storewide starting 11/24

Stablewear – 20% off storewide with code BLACK

Mane and Tail Equine – $2 off everything in the store with code BLACKFRIDAY through 11/27

Rebel Equestrian – 30% off storewide on 11/24

PennyForever – buy 2 pads get one free, buy one browband get one free, buy 2 carrying bags get one free. Discount in cart.

Schneider’s Saddlery – various deals up to 70% off

All Things Equestrian – $20 off all sun shirts

Equilab – 50% off one year of Equilab premium from 11/24-11/27

Achieve Equine – Buy any Iconic Equestrian Original 2-IN-1 Saddle Pad and get a free Olympic White Original 2-IN-1 Saddle Pad now through December 31st.

Quick Knot – up to 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY2023

USEA – 15% off USEA apparel from 11/24 through 11/27 with code BLACKFRI15

Alympic Equestrian – 20% off jods and breeches with code HOLIDAY2023

Foxy Equestrian – 20% off from 11/24 through 11/27

Mare Modern Goods – 20% off with code BF2023

Riviera Equisports – 11/23 through 11/24 – Chelsea tops $35, mock neck $50, Monday collection sweaters up to 20% off

Callidae – up to 70% off sale items

Hound and Hare – 15% off through 11/30 with code USEAVIP

StressLess Supplements – 20% off with code BLACK23

Auven Equestrian – 20% off storewide with code THANKS through 11/26

Mane Event – 20% off storewide plus a free pack of stickers with every tumbler purchase

Breeches.com – up to 40% off store brands and up to 30% off other brands (some exclusions)

Ready to Ride Equestrian – 30% off with code BF23

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11/24 UPDATE (5:30AM EST)

Halter Ego – 25% to 55% off storewide, discounts appear in cart

Kentucky 3Day Official Store – up to 70% off in their Clearance Sale

Dapple Bay – 40% off select items, 20% off almost everything with code BFCM2023, and free gift with purchases over $200

Armateq – 30% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY (*prices are marked reduced up to 20%, get an additional 10% with code)

Emmers Equestrian – 30% off Kentucky, Dy’on, and Grooming Deluxe, 20% off Veredus, Trust, Ego7, KEP, and Samshield.

My Breeches – 20% off storewide (some exclusions)

Tried Equestrian – 20% off storewide, discount applied at checkout

Tacktical – 30% off with code TACK30 plus free gifts and free shipping over $250

FR Vincitore – 30% off all safety reins

Struck – build a bundle and get 20% off through 11/27

Rider’s House – 25% off Vestrum jackets and dog coats, 30% off eQuick and Back on Track

Espana Silk – 20% off all orders through 11/27, plus save $10 off Gift Packs with code BlackFriday23

Worldwide Tack – 20% off storewide with code SHOPPINGSPREE through 11/28

Agile Equestrian – Free barn store set up ($150 value) through 11/27. Trainers get 10% commissions back of profit. 15% off custom sunshirts (discount at checkout) and free shipping over $80.

Tack of the Day – up to 90% off various items

Fleeceworks – free shipping with code THANKFUL on orders over $100

Back on Track – 20% off storewide (dscount at checkout)

Secchiari Boots – 15% off with code BLACK23

Equestroom – 45% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY23

Old Mill Saddlery – up to 50% off various brands

Horseplay Bend – 20% off consignment

Euphorice Equestrian – 25% off storewide with code shopaholic

Eqyss – up to 50% off with code SAVEBF23

Cavaliere Couture – 25% off storewide with code BLACKFRIDAY

GhoDo – 20% off with code blackout23

Aisling Equestrian – 20% off storewide

Pony Macaroni – 20% off all quick ship items with code BF23 through 11/26

Natalie K Reinert, Author – 40% off all ebooks with code AWH23 through 11/27

Chicks Saddlery – various deals and discounts

Redpost Equestrian – various deals up to 50% off

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11/24 UPDATE (5PM EST)

The Posh Pony Boutique – Save 20% storewide with coupon code BF2023 at checkout through 11/27

Zandona – 20% off with code 20BLACKFRIDAY and get a free saddle pad on orders over 100 euros.

Harcour – up to 50% off select items through 11/27

Sporthorse Lifestyle – 30% off your entire order with code BLACKFRIDAY

Country and Stable – 15% off storewide through 11/27

Annie’s Equestrienne – 25% off storewide with code BLACKFRIYAY

Equine Velocity – 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY

Black Diamond Designs – free shipping on any product, just message them and mention Black Friday 2023.

Equifit – 15% off storewide through 11/27

Teddy’s Tack Trunk – 15% off bath and coat care products, 10% off Leistner brushes and brush sets

Thrifed Equestrian – consignment 25% off, Tidy Rider collection 40% off

FOMO body protectors – half price colored cover when you buy a black body protector

Fun Bonnets – 20% off through 11/26

geblingt – 20% off Animo wth code BL*FRIDAY*WKND through 11/26

If The Bonnet Fits – through 11/27 all custom crochet bonnet 15% off, all custom air mesh bonnets 20% off, all ready to ship bonnets 25% off.

Clip My Horse – 10% discount on the first year of every new premium or premium pro membership

The Barn Book – use code THANKSBB20 for 20% off

Novella Equestrian – up to 50% of select styles

Aztec Diamond Equestrian – up to 70% off select items

Zero Proof Horse Treats and Barn Dog Bites – offering 25% off with code AWH23

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11/25 UPDATE (9AM EST)

My Barn Child – 25% off storewide, discount at checkout

Spiced Equestrian – All polos, towels, and watches only $50 through 11/27

The Engraver – free nameplate with belt or phone case with code SBSFREENAMEPLATE

Clever with Leather – padded neck strap with attachment on sale

Shine Equine – 20% off storewide, discount at checkout

Pony Suds – 40% off storewide

Pioneer – 30% off with code BLACKOFF2023

Blossom Creek Equestrian – 20-60% off storewide

Chagrin Saddlery – various discounts up to 70% off

Bit Bank – 10% off with code BLACK23

The Faire Equestrian – 10% off orders placed on Small Business Saturday with code Faire10

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11/26 UPDATE (6AM EST)

Royal Equine – small business specials up to 70% off, plus on 11/26 get 15% off all show coats. Discount at checkout.

Ring 10 Equestrian – 30% off storewide, discount at checkout

MVP Horse Supplements – 15% off with code BF15

Sporthorse Essentials – 15% off storewide

Flair Strips – spend $30 and get a free red Flair strip

Silver Lining Herbs – 25% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY23

Riderzon – 10% off Flex-on, 40% off Seaver Air Vest, 60% off Fabbri boots through 11/27

Equestrian_Co – Spend $150, get $20 off. Discount in cart.

Oughton Unlimited – 25% off every style through 11/27

HayChix – buy two nets get 25% off, 4 for $100 on the Half Bale Original, free shipping on orders over $200

Seaver – 20% off with code SEAVER20

Top Reiter – 20% off with code BLACK2023 through 11/27 (some exclusions)

Equishop – up to 70% off through 11/26

Woof Wear – 50% off select items through 11/27

Monere Equestrian – 25% off storewide plus gift cards for orders over 170 euro.

Equine and Design – $50 off orders over $200, $75 off orders over $300, and $100 off orders over $400

in2green – 25% off storewide with code GREENFRIDAY25

Centerline Candles – sets are $35 each, or 2 for $60

Jeffers – various deals each day through 12/6 plus 60% off clearance

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11/27 UPDATE (8AM EST) AKA THE LAST ONE, PRAISE BE

Tack Shack of Ocala – additional 15% off their Amazon store

Ride Heels Down – 20% of with code RHDBF23 plus free shipping on all in-stock items

Aiken Tack Exchange – BOGO Fenwick products and 10% OFF Orders Over $500 with code 10%OFFBLACKFRIDAY

NRS – get $15 off $75 with code 6AV97W, get $30 off $150 with code 6PWJQP, and get $50 off $250 with code C8CHWY.

Kyro Equestrian – 45% off black Leo breeches today only with code CYBERMONDAY 

Saddlefit4 Life – $1,000 off The Equine Ergonomist saddle fitting course

Dover – cyber monday specials and get a free $50 gift card on orders over $150 with code CMCYBER

Hypostore – new code for 25% off, CM25

Equiline America – higher discounts the earlier you shop: 30% off through 10am, 20% off from 10 to 1pm, 10% off from 1 to midnight.

Onyx Equestrian – 30% off storewide and 15% off custom orders

Calevo – create an account and get 20% off with code CALEVO20

Emcee Apparel – various markdowns up to 50% off

Enviro Equine and Pet – 30% off orders of $300 or more with code CYBERMONDAYEE

Draper Therapies – saddle pad sale plus free shipping with code freeship

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Thanks for visiting! If you value the (many days of) work that goes into making this list and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate you the extra mostest.

Whew, what a week! Last week was jam-packed, in a good way, and we even got some rain in the middle of what is Florida’s dry season. Bonus.

Last Monday Argo had his first chiropractic appointment with our favorite sporthorse vet. She’s the same one that saw him week one for his gastric scope and she said she thought he’d gained a little bit of weight since then. I’m not sure I see it yet (he wasn’t particularly underweight to start with) but I’ll take it. I had a feeling the chiro would be very needed, given how tight he is, and I was correct. I’m not sure how much he enjoyed the appointment – he kind of just stood there with no comment – but the difference in the range of motion through his neck and body was immediate. He’s much less stuck in his front half now for sure. The notes for all his adjustments this time were “Left neck C3-C6BL. Right neck C3BR. APR. T14-T18 P, PL. LPI”. So ya know… basically all of him.

We were going to go for a hack afterward and I took a few minutes beforehand to trot and canter him to see how he felt. Definitely better. He for sure had increased range of motion through his body, and more suppleness from left to right. I think he’s still got a ways to go (and prob needs some massage to accompany the chiro) but it seems like we’re on the right track.

On Tuesday morning we went on a XC field trip to Majestic Oaks. I took Presto, Hillary took Freya, and Kathleen took Henry for a spin. He was delighted to snack on her offering of pastries (Honey Buns) and add a new fan to his club. She rode him great and he had a superb time bebopping around.

On the Tuesday trip I just hacked Presto and he hung out with Freya, who was a little excited to be there on a cool day. We went back to Majestic on Thursday with our friend Emily, and that time Hillary rode Henry. I popped Presto over a few things, mostly the ditches. He did the half coffin and then I turned around and went through the Modified route, which was ditch, 2 strides, bending line 5 strides to a corner. He was excellent and feels really good. Fingers crossed we can get back to lessons this week maybe.

The rest of the week I flatted Presto and just kind of played around with Argo. At this point we’re still learning each other, and I want to spend enough time with him so that he knows I’m his person and he’s safe with me and I’m the leader. We did some groundwork one day, he did some lunging another day to work on his voice commands (which are pretty darn super now, he’s a fast learner) but mostly we just… hung out. I groomed him, we meandered around the riding field handgrazing, and we walked around the property just investigating things. He walked over a tarp and through a puddle, and spent some time napping with his nose smooshed into my head. It’s important for me to feel like I have a good bond with my horses and that at the end of the day, we’re friends, so that’s what we’re doing – making friends. I think it’s time well spent.

On Friday Presto and I headed over to Steph’s to partake in a Smartpak photo shoot that was happening at her farm. Not gonna lie, I was dreading it. I do not like having my picture taken at all, despite having done a few stock photography sports modeling gigs in the past for running and cycling. I let myself be pressured into participating and strongly debated having an urgent illness instead. Alas, I did it, and it wasn’t that bad. I actually kind of liked the first shoot, which was mounted. We just walked back and forth from different angles for like 30 minutes. The second shoot I did not love, mostly because the pants for that outfit were about to crush the bottom of my ribcage. At least I had Presto with me for both, and he also got used in one more set of shots as well. The boy is gonna be Smartpak famous in the spring!

I can’t really share pics from the shoot yet since it’s unreleased items and new colorways, but here’s a pic of Presto between shoots getting a change of outfit.

Despite his face he actually LOVED this gig, he was an absolute ham for the camera and seemed to relish being the center of attention. A total shock, I know. Everyone was very nice and props to Smartpak for using some “real rider” models rather than just the standard professional models. And we got some gift cards and swag items, so ya know… bonus. After the shoot Presto and I went for a hack with Holly and Nacho where Presto strongly debated trying to eat Holly and/or Nacho but did not succeed. All around good day.

On Sunday I swung aboard Argo again (ride number 7, although two of his rides so far have just been hacks) and he was his super good self as usual. I think the groundwork and stretches, along with just time and settling in, are definitely helping, he feels better and better every ride. He had some really lovely moments coming down into my hand and carrying himself forward and light.

He’s not strong enough yet to hold it for very long but he sure is trying, so he gets a big shiny gold star. We walk/trot/cantered both ways (he got both leads first try) AND – he jumped!

First we trotted a pile of poles on the ground, then half a crossrail, then a full crossrail. After the second hop over the crossrail he landed in a nice canter so I just let him keep carrying it around and popped over the crossrail again, and he was really good. We ended with that and he got many cookies. I still haven’t quite figured out what his forte might be yet (we’re still solidly in the “discovery” phase)… part of me is leaning toward trying to aim him for the field hunter division for RRP, but it’s still too early to tell. I know he’s quiet and simple and has a super rhythmical and lovely canter, so we’ll see where that takes him.

As of today Argo has been here for 3 weeks! Tomorrow our favorite massage person is coming out to continue with Argo’s post-track care plan… I’m excited to see how that goes for him. It’s also Black Friday week, and yes I’ll have a list of sales up this year as well – probably with the first round posted on Wednesday!

Patreon folks, today is the last day to sign up for our group Secret Santa if you want to participate, and you have Argo’s week 2 vlog on your dashboard!

It’s possible that I got way too carried away using Bing’s AI image creator thingy. But like… tell me these aren’t absolute masterpieces.

or, alternatively for Argo, because I couldn’t decide if he should channel his CIA roots or his Greek ship roots…

Argo has been here for two weeks as of today! Time flies. Last week he celebrated his Happy One Week by getting something very exciting – his first set of sporthorse shoes.

His feet were lookin ROUGH when he got here. The hind shoes had already fallen off, one front shoe fell off 12 hours after he got here (he came off the trailer with a flip-flop. Luckily I was able to at least get it tacked back on the same day.) and his toes totally grown over the edges of his shoes. My farrier is exceptional though, and I was excited to start working on fixing the angles on Argo’s feet.

I’m still learning about Argo so I opted to hold him rather than put him in the crossties, but that definitely wasn’t necessary. Argo literally never moved. Not even when his feet started to smoke as his hot shoes were fitted to his feet. It’s pretty rare that we’d go ahead and hot-shoe one it’s first time being done off the track, but Argo was being so dang quiet we decided to try. And well… he didn’t care. Exceptional boy.

The before and after is just *chef’s kiss*. We’ve still got a little ways to go, but for one shoeing the difference is exceptional. No more aluminum racing plates – now he’s got some wide web steel shoes! He’s entering his SportyBoi era.

Presto also got a shoe put back on his naughty foot, and knock on wood, so far so good. The bruise seems to have resolved and there was never a sign of it wanting to abscess. I’m taking it slow getting him legged back up just to make sure, especially because this is our dry season and the ground is hard at the moment, but he’s felt really exceptionally good so far.

He has been an absolute pest though, and gets very offended if I do anything with Argo before I get him out. Like full blown tantrum. Banging his feet against his gate, throwing his ball up in the air or over the fence, tossing his feed tub around. It goes on for at least half the time I have Argo out. Maybe he should have considered his actions more thoroughly when he ran around like an idiot and hurt his foot and fucked the whole season.

I’ve done a couple more rides on Argo. We can’t do much before December 1 to retain his RRP eligibility (you can’t have more than 15 rides), so we’ve mostly just been doing some groundwork and lunging and stretching his body a lot on the ground. I did another ride at home though, in the field, and cantered him for the first time. He was – you’ll be shocked to hear – super good. That day I finished the ride by hacking him out down the road around the farm, and when we passed Presto, he tried his absolute hardest to rile Argo. Running up and down the fence, bucking, rearing, tossing his ball up in the air. It was a scene. Argo just looked at him like “so he’s the village idiot, huh?”. Totally non-plussed and zero percent interested in engaging in the shenanigans. Presto was furious.

The other Argo ride (for anyone counting, he’s 5 rides in now) was his first field trip. Lex was getting a trainer ride and I thought it would be the first little haul out for Argo to tag along. It’s just 5 minutes away, and her farm is busy but not like showgrounds busy. I tacked him up but planned to just let him hang out in the riding field if he was nervous (which I expected him to be). I brought my helmet and bridle but had no expectations of getting on. And, well…

He was curious and alert about everything, but not worried. I got on and let him just chill and hang out while Lex jumped (Argo was like what in the hell is he doing and why?) and then walked him over some cavaletti. I probably could have just flatted him some but I wanted it to be a very easy and chill experience, so we just stuck to walking and standing. Super well-behaved orange.

Also big bonus points for the fact that he loads and hauls like an actual champion. So easy. 5 stars.

I had started body clipping Argo during the week (it was in the upper 80’s here and he was HOT) but didn’t have time to finish it. Yesterday was finally the day – I decided to just rip off the bandaid by finishing Argo and clipping Presto in the same morning. What a joy. Just loved it. (heavy sarcasm)

But true to Argo form he was a super good boy and didn’t move a muscle the whole time. At the end I needed a bit better light/angle to do touch-ups and finish his head, so I just unclipped him from the crossties, turned him into the light, and left him standing there untied. Even clipped his ears like that… absolutely no problem. The only time he moved at all was to play with a saddle pad.

The Argo experience is definitely different from the Presto one. Presto was not still. He’s not naughty, but he just wants to either play with the clippers or have you constantly clip over his itchy spots, so he’s a constant wiggler. The only part he stands still for is his ears, and I’m convinced it’s because the vibration to his brain finally occupies it enough.

Now both boys are looking sleek and shiny and won’t be dying of sweat anymore at least! My arms are tired today, and my back is like “why tho”, but ya know… at least I’m done clipping for maybe a month or so…

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review, especially one of a bridle. But man… I love bridles. A statement proven by the fact that I have *mumbles an incoherent number* of them hanging in the tack room. The correct number of bridles is always One More.

And I’m particularly excited to show y’all this one, because it’s a 1) a newer, boutique brand 2) a small business 3) woman-owned 4) the owner is awesome. Extra special bonus that the bridle is actually stunning and at a reasonable price point.

The brand is called Black Diamond Designs (website and facebook), based in Chester County, PA. The owner, Amy, is an equestrian herself, and has been making her own specialized and custom tack as well as sidesaddle habits for quite a while. She is an avid sidesaddle rider, foxhunter, and horse show participant. Having seen Amy develop her business over the years, I know that she’s put a lot of thought, energy, and effort into getting everything just right, and her first big line of bridles is no exception. She is a stickler for details, and it shows.

As you can see, I’ve got the hunter bridle, specifically the Wide Noseband Show Hunter Bridle. It’s raised and fancy stitched, with padding on the noseband and browband. It’s also got a really lovely wide monocrown that’s well-padded for the horse’s comfort. Mine is in the new darker “havana” color, so it comes as a rich chocolate brown. These bridles are made of Sedgewick leather, which is very sturdy, hardy, and long-lasting. It takes a little longer to break in than French leather, but it’ll last forever.

The noseband is 1 1/4″ inches, which I think is flattering to the vast majority of heads. As a bit of a bridle snob, one of the first things I do when getting a new bridle is inspect the stitching… is it tight, even, and straight? That can tell you a lot about the quality of the manufacturing process, and there wasn’t a flaw to be found in the stitching of the Black Diamond Designs bridle.

And the fit on Argo – chef’s kiss. Perfection. As someone who also makes custom tack, Amy is always very focused on getting the best possible fit. You can tell, because she’s really nailed the measurements on this bridle. It always drives me nuts when the cheekpieces or the noseband are wildly out of proportion with the rest of the bridle (ahem… France…) but there’s definitely no such problem with this one.

You can opt to get the bridle with matching reins, too… these are laced like a traditional hunter rein but have rubber lining on the inside for extra grip, which is brilliant. She said those are her most popular, best-selling item, and I can see why!

The price point is really impressive to me for a bridle of this quality, at only $150 for the bridle alone or $235 for the bridle and the matching reins. There aren’t many well-made bridles available in that price range anymore!

Amy also works one-on-one with her customers to ensure that they end up with the right design and size, and has tons of measurements available – you don’t get customer service like that very often!

In addition to the wide noseband hunter bridle she also has flat hunt bridles (man I love that classic look) and one with a really cool diamond-shaped noseband, for those that are looking for something a little different.

Basically – if you’re in the market for a nice new bridle in a reasonable price range and want to feel good about the business you’re supporting, definitely take a look at what Black Diamond Designs has to offer! Two big thumbs up.

Argo has officially been here a week, and we’ve already ticked a few boxes. First and foremost, he got scoped for ulcers.

IMO ulcer treatment is one of those “to be expected” things when getting a horse off the track, and in the old days I probably would have just thrown some Ulcergard at it and not bothered with a scope. However, over the years I’ve learned that not all ulcers are created equal. The size, location, and severity all matter, and all of those factors can change the treatment, the duration, and the required medications. It’s worth taking a look to see what you’re actually dealing with rather than just guessing, throwing money at something, and not having it work.

So, after fasting overnight (I felt so bad, poor guy thought he was starving to death) we went spelunking. And really, we found very little of note. For a horse fresh off the track, his stomach looks quite good actually. A few small grade ones, but nothing glandular, his pylorus looked lovely, and his gastric emptying was good. The vet recommended half a tube of Ulcergard for a couple weeks, which was convenient because I happen to have recently re-upped my Ulcergard supply so I didn’t have to buy any other meds. I just knew that since I had Ulcergard already he’d have something pyloric and require Sucralfate/Miso that would cost me $$$ but thank goodness he didn’t. Way to cooperate, Argo! Just a few little grade one’s definitely feels like a win.

Presto has continued to look sound in his boot, no sign of abscess brewing. I’ve hacked him a few times because he’s getting hella bored (which is real bad for his general aura) and he’s graduated to paddock turnout. We’re gonna see today if he hoof-tests good enough to put a shoe back on that foot and start resuming more normal activities. I hope so, he’s becoming a major pest. Ok, even more of a major pest than normal. He’s also gained an absurd amount of weight in the past couple weeks. Like… he blew up. There are fat pads above his tail and very little definition in his flanks. I even cut his food in half! Gonna be super getting him back into shape (to be specific, a shape that is not a sphere).

It seems very on-brand for him if he managed to time this lameness juuuuuust perfectly to miss precisely all of the fall recognized shows, the last two of which are the next two weekends. Like, honestly, well done Presto. It’s like he has a calendar.

Argo also did a little ground work last week, moving his feet and working on voice commands, respecting my space, lunging both directions, etc. He says going to the right is confusing AF. He’s exceptional at standing still though. 10/10.

After a couple days of groundwork I decided it was time to get on. He’s a quick study and I didn’t want him getting bored, and he seemed like he wanted something to do. I don’t think he’s done much since his last official work on 10/9.

Bless him though, I just climbed aboard and went out to the field. He’s not the type that needs to move his feet first or wind down or take much time to settle in, so… why not. I tacked him up, went to the mounting block, swung aboard, and away we went.

He was a little confused at first about this weirdest AF track he’s ever seen “like… where do we run tho?” but he was really really super for his first ride. His head was on a swivel, looking around at everything, but not in a spooky way. He’s just curious and taking it in. I had to kick him a bit to get him going, and it became apparent pretty quickly that one of our first tasks would be working on steering from the seat and leg. Which… in true Argo form, he started to get it pretty quickly.

We trotted both ways for a while, made lots of circles, stopped and stood and watched his friends, and that was it. First ride in the books! He is a more whoa than go kind of guy, so we’re gonna work on the go button a little bit, but I was quite happy with how smart he is and how quickly he understood things. I think he’s gonna be a good one!

Right now he’s wearing one of Presto’s old Halter Ego bridles – that fits him great – and Henry’s old dressage bit. He’s sort of in between the fits of Henry and Presto’s saddles… the Arion fits him great in the shoulder and width but bridges slightly. The Devoucoux panel shape is better but it’s too tight in the tree. Luckily between Hillary and I we have about 900 million pad options, and her Winderen half pad with middle shims to fill in the bridging area seems to be the key to making the Arion work. He fits in the same girth as Henry and Presto and is wearing my Lady Godiva breastplate, so… right now, no new tack required.

However, I did acquire some new tack. To be fair, it was so cheap it was like theft.

One of the local non-profits was having a big fundraising sale at a feed store down the road on Saturday. From the pics it didn’t look like there was anything promising, but… ya know… worth the 10 minute drive to check it out. And man, after some digging it felt like winning the lottery! For a grand total of $18 I got:

• a brand new Adidas lightweight jacket
• A Success Equestrian jump pad which looks like it’s been used maybe a few times MAX (those things are $140 alone)
• a Nunn Finer bridge breastplate
• two pairs of the nice gummy pull-on bell boots
• two books
• a cool mane comb/clip combo
• a mane razor
• a Christmas bonnet for Henry to wear at the POP show next month

I have never been so psyched about deals. Mega-score!

Today we’ve got our farrier appointment to get Argo some new Nike’s (no more racing plates) and fingers crossed Presto’s foot is healed enough to put a shoe back on so he doesn’t tear this farm apart from rage-boredom. Then Argo will get some bodywork as we work our way down the list of aftercare stuff to get him settled into his new sporthorse life!

First order of business, our intrepid orange hero has gotten a barn name – Argo. We’ll talk about how I arrived at that here in a minute. First, we gotta start at the beginning. I gave y’all a very short TLDR one-paragraph version of Argo’s life story in his intro post the other day, but like… I’m a wordy bitch, and he has a cool story, so buckle up.

Argo was bred in California by Ray McCanna, who also owned his mother, Devilinabaydress. Ray actually just died a few weeks ago, unfortunately, and that was who owned him through last year. Ray’s brother, Tim, was also Argo’s trainer up until last summer. I looked for Tim on social media but couldn’t find him so (being a creeper researcher) I decided to try looking for a phone number next. Initial searches gave me a contact pretty quickly, but it was a landline. After considerably more digging, a Washington State racing directory pdf from a few years ago had a different number listed, and that one was a cell. Bingo.

I sent a text, hoping it was a good number, and about 10mins later my phone rang – it was Tim! He was a super nice guy and said he was really happy to hear that Shadrack had landed in a good home. Tim said he’d been a great horse for his family and everyone had loved him, he was sweet and easy, a great mover with a big gallop, “a great loper for the guys in the morning”, he always tried hard, and was very sound.

Tim also told me the origin story of the name Shadrack. A good friend of Ray’s was a WW2 veteran and worked for the CIA during that time. Tim didn’t remember the man’s full name, only that his first name was Guy, but his code name in the CIA was Shadrack. Ironically, Guy just died about a month ago at the age of 99, two days after Ray.

I tried Guy as a barn name for him but it just didn’t fit, so instead I fell down a major CIA-themed rabbit hole. After combing through a bunch of documents on the CIA website, I finally hit on a list of the most well-known CIA missions, and Argo was one of them. The original Argo was from Greek Mythology, it was a ship built by the gods. That name definitely clicked with him, and I like the meaning behind it, so there we go! Still gets a bit of a nod to the source of his registered name via the CIA connection.

Ray also owned Argo’s dam, Devilinabaydress, during her racing career. He bought her as a yearling for a measly 6k… not bad for a Tiznow filly, but she wasn’t a good racehorse. Argo also has a full sister, although she wasn’t much of a runner either. His dam produced one other really good racehorse besides him, a mare named Hal’s Buddy that raced a whopping 78 times before she retired at the age of 9. Tim said she’s now a broodmare in Northern California.

Last summer Argo was claimed for a 40k tag in a race at Del Mar by George Sharp, who is the man that I bought him from. While racing for George, Argo finished 3rd in a Stakes race and second in an allowance. His final race was a 50k claimer in July, where unfortunately he bled a bit and finished last. Since then he just hasn’t been running quite the same, and after his last work on October 9th, they felt that the only options were to either retire him or drop him down to cheaper claimers. I appreciate that the owner didn’t want to do go with the latter. Although I haven’t spoken to him myself (the sale was handled by the trainer’s wife) yet, I was told that George is excited to potentially have one of his racehorses at RRP next year!

Overall Argo ran 32 times in a 5 year period and earned over 200k. He raced on all surfaces – dirt, turf, and synthetic – and in four different states: California, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kentucky. He accrued 6 wins, 7 seconds, and 1 third, meaning he hit the board in almost half of his starts. His racing style was very much that of a closer… he was usually one of the last horses going into the first turn, and then made a big rally through the final turn. I’ve watched almost all of his races by now, he has some serious speed when he turns on the afterburners.

What’s been really cool about reaching out to these people and hearing his story is that you can really tell this horse was cared for and loved and appreciated. That’s always really nice to see. He tried hard for his people and he lasted a long time, which I think says good things about both him and them. Plus I know so much of his history now. Tim said next time he was at his brother’s house he would find some old pictures and stuff for me.

Shadrack’s mare family is 1-n, which sporthorse-wise has been pretty successful… it’s the same mare family as 5* event horses Liberty and Glory, Bogue Sound, and Superstition. For racehorses, 1-n is home to Genuine Risk, Smoke Glacken, Forty Niner, Americain, and Alphabet Soup.. His direct mare line (going back 5 generations) has produced a 3* horse and a 1.35m jumper.

I also reached out to the farm that stands his sire, Gig Harbor. Apparently he’s quite studdish, and the vast majority of his colts end up gelded (which apparently “solves the problem”). Gig Harbor definitely has not been a super popular sire and doesn’t have a ton of offspring, so I haven’t come across any others yet. But considering his stud fee was $2k the year Argo was created, you gotta admit he gave them a pretty good return on investment.

To me Argo has a very “old school” type of TB look to him, he’s the type of TB I remember from when I was a kid in the 80’s and 90’s. The only line breeding in the first 6 generations of his pedigree is two occurrences of Relaunch and two occurrences of Lyphard. He’s 16.3 and of medium build – not heavy, not light – with longer proportions and an ever so slightly convex face profile.

I might be biased, but I think he’s a pretty cool horse! Very grateful to his connections for trusting me with him as he enters his next career.

I accidentally did a thing. To be fair, I was deeply enabled (and it was joyous).

I’ve been saying for years now that someday I’d really like to find a project OTTB to do the RRP Makeover with. I think RRP is such a cool idea, looks super fun, and has been a really positive thing for OTTBs in general. I’ve bought their merch, I’ve sponsored an award with them, and I vote every year. Big fan.

Hillary got her new OTTB mare several weeks ago, not solely with RRP in mind, but that’s part of her plan. A couple other friends of mine have gotten OTTBs in the past couple months too, and are likely going to aim for RRP. It seems like 2024 is going to be the year of the ex-racehorse in my friend group, and I found myself like “dang, I wish I had something too, it would be even more fun to do RRP with friends.”.

But, ya know, I can give you about a thousand reasons why logic says that another horse is a bad idea. And then Presto hurt himself, earning himself a vacation and dashing all of our plans for the rest of the season. Before I knew just how badly (or not) he might have hurt himself, I did a rapid spiral and was like “would an OTTB really be that bad of an idea though?”. I have a very strong You Only Live Once mentality… none of us are guaranteed anything ever, and seizing opportunities as they arise has really been my modus operandi over the past several years. It’s led me on some pretty cool adventures, has it not?

I talked about the idea with some friends, who were super supportive, and scrolled casually through the OTTB facebook groups. I didn’t really see me being able to find anything promising for what I could afford (which was really pretty much the Henry price range)… thanks to things like RRP, Thoroughbreds aren’t as cheap as they used to be. Which I think is a really fantastic thing, but it does put the overwhelming majority of them out of my budget. I have other horses and their care to consider, as well as all the care a new OTTB needs, so I had to be pretty strict with the dollar amount I could throw towards a purchase price.

My sad lil budget was my sad lil budget, and it included shipping, so whatever I found had to be both cheap and close. Or free and less close. What were the odds? Slim to none, right? I was like well it’s very unlikely I’ll find anything I like (because we all know I’m also picky) that’s this cheap, so with all the audacity of a mediocre white man, I posted an ISO in one of the OTTB groups.

Here’s the viewpoint I had on the whole thing: if it was meant to be, the right horse would find me and things would work out. Leaving it up to Fate and all that. Which, I dunno, maybe that’s a cop-out, but I do a whole lot of things like that and it’s worked alright so far. I didn’t think it was likely that I’d find one I liked that I could afford, at all, but I threw it out to the universe anyway because you never know.

Most of the horses that I’d come across on my own that I liked were out of budget and/or far away and/or had major problems that I couldn’t live with. To be expected. But after I posted the ISO, the very first response was this:

Hmmmm. Tell me moooore.

Here’s my thing… what I was looking for with this OTTB wasn’t necessarily what I’d be looking for if I was shopping for a horse to keep and event long term to the upper levels. My priorities were a good brain, and I was really looking for the kind of horse that would be a fulfilling re-train. An older war horse, or a solid steady horse that had just never been much of a runner, something like that. Maybe not the most athletic or beautiful animal, but just a good egg kind of horse, if that makes sense. No offense to Presto but i am all full up on orangutans at my own personal zoo at the moment.

This chestnut, Shadrack, sounded like he fit the bill. He’d raced 32 times, earning over 200k, and had won on different surfaces. He’d even hit the board in a stakes race once, and over his 5 years in racing, he seemed like he was a tryer. For most of his career he’d been owned by his breeder and trained by his breeder’s brother and raced primarily in California. He was claimed for 40k last summer by another guy at a race at Del Mar, and then was brought east to Oklahoma and then Kentucky. The woman who had sent him to me was the wife of his current trainer, and she also rides sporthorses, so we got to chatting a bit and I told her a lot about me. She ended up offering him to me for 30% less than his listed price, which put him extremely near Henry’s cost, and within my budget.

The only problem is that he was still in Kentucky, 750 miles away. Dunno if y’all have looked at the prices for shipping horses lately, but it’s not cheap. Diesel is bananas. Shipping basically doubled his price, and that part put him out of my budget. Big sads. He looked and sounded like a sweet boy though, so I sent him to a couple friends, figuring ya know… maybe he’d be good for someone else?

One of my friends was like… I’d really like to be a part of this, so what if some of us from the Patreon group crowdfunded some money towards his shipping, and then he could be kind of like a Patreon group RRP-journey we can all go on together? A ShadrackShippingSyndicate if you will. I was floored that she would even offer to do that, and even more floored that when she suggested it in our Patreon Facebook group, so many people were eager to pitch in. People thought it would be fun to feel like they were part of the journey, and that’s just really freaking cool. My friends are bomb.

Things happened pretty fast after that. Shadrack himself was secured via Venmo on Friday, and pre-dawn on Monday he got on to a trailer and made the trip to Ocala, getting here that night. And well… he’s a stunner. Just a mega classy horse, and way better than I was expecting from the pics and video. How often does that happen?

Anyway – he’s got a really cool story (I’ll tell that in a separate post) and had a fun first day yesterday, and has a scope scheduled for tomorrow to check out his stomach and a farrier visit scheduled on Monday to start getting those feet addressed. Lots happening. Lots to share. Since the Patreon group was so instrumental in making this little adventure happen, all the goodgood behind the scenes stuff, video, and weekly training updates will get posted there. Hillary and I are gonna do kind of a whole “Road to RRP” series thing with both of our horses so hopefully it should be interesting and fun. Obviously I will still share him here too, just not in as much detail or as frequently.

I have no idea if Shadrack will want to event or not – we’ll see. I’ll let him decide what he wants to do, and hopefully we can get on the road to RRP 2024 so we can have an RRParty with all our friends!