Author: Amanda C

I always try to get a little something at the holidays for barn friends, barn help, trainers, etc. Not really to say Happy Holidays necessarily… more like “Thanks for putting up with all my bullshit this year without stabbing me in the eye”.

I’ve almost always been at a barn with a resident trainer, and in those situations everyone has tended to pool their money to buy one bigger gift – new stall curtains for shows, a nice wooden bench for the barn aisle, really nice breeches, etc.

This year is one of the few where I’ve found myself at a barn with no resident trainer. I’ve worked with a few trainers throughout the year, although one in particular bore the brunt of my general tomfoolery and about 10 million text messages. Bobby and I split her gift (poor woman, she has to put up with him too) and it’s already on order. Of course, I can’t really share it here yet because sometimes she pops in here to read my blubbering in an attempt to figure out why the hell I’m so weird.

I went back and forth for a while before I ordered it… it’s hard to pick a good trainer gift. I wanted something that was a) affordable b) useable c) personal, not just a generic gift card or something d) from a small business. No one wants to choose wrong, but if you’re like me you feel like it’s important and want to put some thought into it. Granted, I overthink EVERYTHING, especially presents… I spent 3 hours researching stereos before I bought one of the SO’s presents. So I might just be insane in general.

Do you get your trainer a gift? If so, what’s your tactic – do you go for the pretty thing, the practical thing, the edible/drinkable thing, or the fun thing? What did you get your trainer this year?

 

I try to review things whether I like them or not, but the truth is that a) I tend to not be excited enough about things I don’t like to write a whole review post about them b) things that I don’t like are usually sold or flung to the far depths of my closet, thus promptly forgotten about. So I’ve tried to gather a list of all the things I can think of that I’ve had in the past couple years that I didn’t like, and write a very brief explanation as to why.

Clipmaster clippers – I’m pretty sure these things were invented by Satan. So heavy, so loud, and the damn vent blows the clipped hair right at you. They’re well made and do a good job, but so do other clippers without all the negatives. I’ll happily keep my Lister Stars.

Equine Couture suede belt – It’s a pretty belt, if you like the look of the TS suede belts but not the price. Sadly, mine started to fray and come apart within only a few wearings. When I contacted EC about it both via email and on facebook, I never heard back from them. Boo.

TuffRider/Smartpak breeches – I thought the TuffRider and SP breeches were very similar so I’ve lumped them together here. Aside from the fact that they didn’t fit me very well (really gappy in the waist yet tight in the thigh) I thought the fabric was too thick, heavy, hot, and sagged in the crotch. Of course, I’m used to something very different.

Rebound hoof pack – I saw lots of people online saying that they preferred Rebound to Magic Cushion, so when I ran out of MC I decided to give Rebound a try. It seems to work well, but it does NOT stay in the foot for more than an hour unless I wrap it. I had a lot more luck with the MC staying in. If it won’t stay in, it’s kind of useless.

Wilkers baby pad – My pretty navy and yellow Wilkers pad that I just got came apart the first time I washed it. It’s still usable, but about 2.5″ of the binding came unstitched in one corner. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Wilkers since I’ve swapped over to BobbyGee’s, and this makes me definitely want to stick with BG.

Ovation fuzzy dressage girth – This was one of the girths I bought while I was trying to find the right one for Princess Henry and god I hated this thing. It would bunch up at the ends, slide around, and generally drive me effing nuts. The elastic seemed a little TOO stretchy, so everything just moved around all over the place unless I over-tightened the hell out of it.

Total Saddle Fit leathers – I got these at a discount during a promotional deal that TSF was running, and I just feel kind of lukewarm about them. I don’t hate them… they’re fine.. but they’re a little bit wider and thicker than I prefer, and just have a bit of a cheap plasticy look to the leather. Meh. Definitely nowhere near as nice as my Schleese calfskin leathers.

Rider’s Sport sunshirt – Another “meh” for me. If I’d never had Kastels I probably would like the Rider’s Sport shirt, but in comparison it feels stiff, thick, and boxy, plus it’s a bit short in the arms and torso. Of all the sunshirts in my closet, I almost never reach for this one.

Every knock-off Ogilvy cover I’ve ever seen/tried – I tried several different covers and one knock-off pad from Etsy shops and didn’t like any of them. The materials aren’t even comparable and everything was either mis-sized (a cover that was huge, a pad that was tiny) or just did not wash/wear well at all. I’ll just spend a little extra $ on the real thing.

And not recent purchases, but since I’m on a roll of grumpiness now – general things other people love that I’ve always hated. I don’t get it. Explain these things to me:

Zocks – I understood these when we still had pull-on boots, but now I don’t get it. They’re so thin that they don’t last very long, they provide no cushion, and they feel slippery on your feet.

Show Sheen – Didn’t we realize many years ago that silicone dries out the hair?

No Knot Hairnet – If you do your hair properly, it takes 30 seconds and there will be nothing on your forehead (including knots) with just a regular Aerborn heavyweight hairnet. Plus it looks better. And you can get 6 Aerborn hairnets for the price of one No Knot.

Show Bows – I know it’s my h/j upbringing rearing it’s ugly head here, but I still get twitchy about a show bow. You used to see them a lot in eventing but now they’re fairly rare, most people seem to have gone the way of the hairnet. Granted, I am the kind of person who determines when to get a haircut based on how my helmet is fitting with my hair up in it. No way I could stuff it into a little bag on the back of my neck, I feel like that would drive me crazy.

Nylon Spur Straps – Stop it.

 

Okay, that was a little therapeutic.

 

 

Henry’s first year as an eventer (and my first since 2003) went a lot better than I would have ever expected. We moved up to Novice sooner than planned, we made it to AEC, and more importantly Henry gained a lot of confidence. We did 7 USEA events in total, and while no doubt some were better than others (ahem, The Greenwood Stadium Massacre) overall I can’t complain.

I know. I’m impressed too. Sometimes it’s no small feat to stay in the ring despite both my and Henry’s panicked desire to flee the horrors of the rectangle. Granted, there was the time that Henry knocked the chain down with his foot when he tried to prematurely exit at A…

But there’s one part he’s exceptionally good at:

Would have been double clear XC all year except for that one time my watch died in the startbox and I accidentally accrued 3 time penalties. Sorry Henny.

Somehow we managed to come away from every show with a ribbon (even the disastrous Fall Greenwood since they mercifully gave out dressage ribbons), which is now a nice pile of satin sitting on top of the dresser in our guest room. Aside from AEC it was a very Christmas color themed year. We should try for more blue next year. Maybe some yellow for contrast.

And last but not least, the emotional toll.

It’s been real 2015, let’s do it all again next year. I’ll try to push the right button this time.

How’s that for a weekend recap title?

Henry got his fetlocks injected on Friday afternoon. With a healthy dose of sleepy juice and a twitch, he was almost not that bad about it. Almost. Not stoic, this horse. Kind of a wuss, to be honest.

He was enough of a turd about the left one that the vet was concerned about the possibility of a hematoma, so we wrapped him in Cool Cast and left him bandaged for 24 hours. I’m always super nervous the first day or so after anything like this but luckily all looked great when I pulled off the mummy wrappings. $300 worth of lube successfully transported into fetlocks. At this rate my trailer is never going to finish being refurbed.

On Saturday afternoon I went to a baby shower for a very good friend (we’ve been friends for almost 20 years, how scary is that?). I don’t know jack squat about babies and 99.999 times out of 100 I’d rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than go to a baby shower, but I went because it’s her. If that’s not love I don’t know what is. Also I’m no expert but I feel like I nailed her gift:

On Sunday I got on Henry for a very light w/t to see how he felt and I think it’s fair to say he’s feeling mighty fine. Where’d this fancy trot come from?

I also decided to go ahead with clip #2 of the year, except this time with some added decorations.

Yes, we have butt unicorns amidst a field of dapples. Of course, I only got about halfway through the clip before he decided he was done cooperating, so I’ll have to finish tonight.

New shoes with a new farrier today, too! Hopefully that’s the last piece of the puzzle to get Henry feeling great and ready to go.