Author: Amanda C

It’s already Monday again. That keeps happening at rapid speed. It’s to the point where I always have to go back through my phone’s pictures to see what happened and when, because hell if I know.

I feel like I’ve spent the last 900 years doing spreadsheets but really it’s been like 3 days. Last week I was researching the Burghley finishers to get a wrap-up article done for EN (I think it’s being published today maybe?), knocking out a couple pedigree reports (I got to do one for Hunky Hanoverian‘s Hugo, which was fun!) and now I’m deep deep deep into the rabbit hole getting the WEG spreadsheet ready. I’ve committed to several EN articles for WEG, plus we’re going to have the super detailed deep-dive spreadsheet available on the BRC webstore, so I’m doing that thing where I check every fact 500 times, fall into a rabbit hole looking up something adjacent or trying to confirm something, and before I know it I’m somehow spending 30 minutes on each horse. I have problems. But I will tell you that I find so many mistakes in the various pedigree databases, or missing information (I’ve filled in giant chunks of missing pedigree info on two 5* horses just yesterday alone), or really interesting little tidbits, so a lot of times the rabbit holes are worthwhile. Just, uh… perhaps not the most financially wise way to spend my time since I’m certainly not making money by the hour. I can’t help it.

I also spent a little time sprucing up the BRC website a bit, because we are providing live stream data for PF next week and they’re hopefully going to give us some little blurbs and pop our logo up sometimes. I didn’t want it to be quite as paltry looking just in case someone googles.

At this point if I’m not behind a computer I’m on a horse. Or feeding horses. Or cleaning stalls. Or, ya know, meeting the farrier so he can put Presto’s shoes back on, since apparently that’s his new favorite pastime.

He pulled a shoe on Friday, and the farrier came out at 7:30 on Saturday morning to put it back on. After he left I rode Presto out in the field and I shit you not:

He pulled the OTHER one. Seriously it had been like 30 minutes since the farrier left. Poor guy came back AGAIN the next morning and put a new shoe on. Presto is now living in bell boots, which would perhaps be more effective if he didn’t keep insisting on wearing them like this.

All I’ve really done is put toys on his feet, he finds it quite fun.

Other than those particular shenanigans, he’s continued to be really good. Is he maturing? Is he lulling me into a false sense of security so he can stir up some epic Fuckery? I’m still not sure.

The other horses have been good too. I mean Henry is always good, because King. Gemma hasn’t been BAD per se, although we didn’t get her a new bottle of Regumate when the last one ran out because I wasn’t convinced it was really doing anything. Turns out I was massively fucking wrong, because about a week ago she came into a heat so incredibly raging that I swear you could smell her from 30 feet away. She was squirting so constantly that she got me in the mouth (IN THE MOUTH. IN. THE. MOUTH.) when I was picking her feet. I stood up and immediately texted Hillary to tell her we needed to get more Regumate.

Lucky we seem to be done with that particular heat cycle, and the Regumate will be here soon, so… chalk that up to a lesson learned on my part. To her credit Gemma wasn’t all that different under saddle during that time, maybe just a tad spicier and less relaxed over her topline. The squirting though. Gods.

We also had some visitors over the weekend, and Presto had a lesson, but I have too many pics to put them all here so we’ll talk about that tomorrow!

Oh, btw, has anyone seen how freaking batshit and unprofessional Helite (the air vest company) is on their TikTok, especially in the comments? It’s popcorn-worthy but also super cringe, as if they gave the controls to a 15yo with an attitude problem. Not a good look. Entertaining, though.

After I posted that little review showdown a couple months ago with all my gloves, it really stuck in my craw that I didn’t think I’d really found a truly exceptional pair of summer gloves yet. My Sweet Iron Co ones were definitely the closest, but… the quest did not feel sufficiently completed. So it’s possible that I may have acquired some new ones over the summer in an attempt to find Mr. Right (and Mr. Left…. ha see what I did there? God I’m so sorry, it’s 5am.).

The first ones I ordered were the Roeckl Moyo, which they advertise as their ultimate summer glove. The back is a very very light mesh, with the standard Roeckl material on the palm. I tossed these into an Epplejeck order so I got the Europe price plus they were on sale so I only paid $25 for them.

These are definitely lightweight and breathable, there’s no arguing about that. However… they just aren’t very well made. I knew that the mesh was going to be delicate due to how thin it is, so I’m very careful putting them on – I don’t tug on them, and am very gentle with the mesh. Despite that, it tore a little bit near the cuff on wear number 3. The palm material is also a bit stiff and almost crunchy feeling, like something I would expect from a cheap knockoff. And while we’re at it please tell me who decided to put white detailing on a black glove? These are just meh for me. Yes they’re definitely cool and have good airflow, and they dry pretty quickly, but… the execution and materials are lacking. If I’d paid the typical US retail price of $50 I would be annoyed.

While I was waiting for those to show up from the Netherlands I picked up some Cavalleria Toscana mesh gloves from the Luxe EQ trailer when it was here at WEC.

When I spotted these from afar (I have glove-dar… for some people it’s saddle pads, for me it’s gloves) they looked super lightweight so I tried them on without even really taking note of the brand. And then I loved how they felt – really stretchy and cut slim to the hand – and was scared to turn the tag over to see the price, fearing it would be like $100. They’re $59, so not cheap, but not nearly as bad as I had feared… pretty much the going rate for a lot of glove brands these days. I like that they’re cut a bit shorter at the wrist so that they don’t touch my watch, and they’re super super stretchy and lightweight. I was worried that the silicone grips on the palms would wear off quickly but its been a couple months and so far so good. They’re comfy and dry pretty quickly and can go in the wash, so… bonus. These are almost always the ones I reach for every day because they’re just so comfortable and light. More colors please, Cavalleria Toscana.

And then I was in Tack Shack a couple weeks ago browsing the glove wall (as one does) while the SO tried on breeches. What did I spy with my little eye? NAVY GLITTER.

These are the Roeckl Lorraine, which come in black and white and navy, with a glitter stripe on the back of the hand. The back is a really lightweight spandex type material, and the palm is the same as on the Roeckl Mayo. I wish they had a little gusset or something at the wrist so they were easier to pull on/off, but I have big hands. The color is pretty, they get an A+ for look. I still don’t love that palm material but these at least seem like they’ll definitely hold up better than the Mayo. They aren’t my everyday favorites but they are the prettiest… I will definitely show in these.

And then last week I was at WEC (god, here we go again, this never ends well) in I Love My Horse, which has proven to be an extremely dangerous store for me. I wasn’t actually looking for anything but I just so happened to notice that they now had the MacWet sport mesh gloves in navy. Shit.

To be fair I didn’t get these to be specifically summer gloves, I got them to be XC gloves (and also to be fair, I didn’t buy them, SO bought them for me) because I’ve heard such good things about how grippy they are when they’re wet. I live in Florida now so… that’s actually a legit concern. The back of them is a nice mesh though, so despite being a more substantial glove than the others, they don’t seem that hot. I haven’t had them long but so far I’ve worn them XC schooling on a very very moist and sweaty day, and in the rain, and I do think these will be my new go-to XC gloves or rain gloves. They’re nice, dry well, and are only around $50.

So, ya know… I’m pretty happy with 3 of the 4 latest acquisitions. A good pair of comfy everyday gloves with the CT, a pretty pair of lightweight show gloves with the Roeckl, and some nice grippy XC/rain gloves. That’s not a bad summertime collection.

As I teased in yesterday’s post (sorry, it was just getting too long to fit everything in) Noodle kiddo and his sidekick Hangry Mare went XC schooling on Sunday!

It was a bit of a landmark occasion for me, since we were meeting Steph there for a proper, coached XC school. When I took him to Sweet Dixie a couple months ago with Hillary and another friend it was just a fun casual day, and I only hopped him over a few things. Now we have an actual trainer and have taken lessons and all that stuff, so ya know… first “real” XC school I guess you could say.

It’s a short hack from the parking area to the XC field at Magnolia Sands, and we let Gemma lead the way since I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this but Captain Chaos tends to cause Problems even when there aren’t any. If you let him lead he will 100% pretend to spook at things just because he takes extreme glee in watching other horses scatter and participate in Fuckery with him. So… Presto doesn’t get to lead.

We got out to the field with no drama (thanks Gemma – yes my chestnut mare is less dramatic than either of my bay geldings) and started warming up. Presto was a bit excited at first, as he tends to be, but he kept his head on. He wanted to spook at a few jumps around the edges of the field (he wasn’t scared, it was Fuckery… I can tell the difference) but I just kept my leg on and kept circling around the areas he wanting to be dingy about, and he settled.

We popped over a ditch and a couple logs while we waited for Steph, and walked through both waters. As soon as we started jumping things he settled more. That brain of his is just too busy, he’s always better when things are harder.

One yucky habit he has that I’m NOT a fan of is that he shows nappiness when having to leave the group in a setting like this. He wants to prop and (in extreme cases) pop his front end off the ground a bit and spin. What I’ve learned from prior outings is that if I nip it in the bud immediately and with decisiveness, it stops. So, when Steph sent us out to go canter some smaller fences and he decided to prop and spin, he got two good “I ain’t fucking playing” whacks on his bum. Fixed the napping, but he was a bit mad about it and wanted to ignore my half-halts at the next few jumps. Hard life being a noodle. He leveled out after that though, and we were able to get to business. Sometimes this horse has a lot of opinions, plus he’s 5 (which I call the “fuck you fives” because it’s literally the worst age) so he thinks life is real unfair sometimes and mom is really mean.

Once we had warmed up over some simple stuff we headed over to the bigger water, which was dyed a nice bright turquoise. Presto is good with water (I mean aside from the fact that if you let him put his head down so much as an inch you run the risk of him trying to lay down in it) so we strung together a jump before the water, then turned and came through it and jumped a little rolltop after the water. He was actually jumping really well, I’ve noticed over the past couple weeks that he’s feeling stronger off the ground and using his body a lot more/better than before. Maturity is a great thing.

Then we went over towards the crater and put a little course together over there – a small log stack to a little table on a bit of an angle, around into the crater and up over a blue house at the top of the hill, then on to a little lattice hammock. He was really super for all of that and stayed nicely balanced up the steep hill to jump nicely out of the crater. Honestly once he’s pointed at a jump he’s not hard to ride – you just have to keep him in front of your leg, keep your hands down, and keep the balance up. The jumps are the easy part for him, and he’s more rideable to the XC jumps than he is in the ring.

After that we went over and walked up/down then trotted up/down the banks. He’s not always the most coordinated going up it (shocking that 17h worth of gangly noodle finds all of his legs hard to manage at times) but he got better every time. There was some FuckeryLite the first time up it when he landed and pretended to spook at a banner on the fence. A kick and a growl later he was like “well you don’t have to be mean about it, I was just joking!” and that was the end of that. I swear, when I fall off this horse on XC, because it will happen, it’ll be because he spins out from underneath me pretending to spook at something stupid that he’s not actually scared of at all.

We let them be done after that since it was hot and we’d accomplished all we needed to. It gave us a few things to work on but also let me know that we’re on the right track. I left there feeling like he’s going to be really fun, and looking forward to actually getting to some shows this fall!

I seriously need to find something else to say to start off my Monday recap posts other than “last week was busy”. All weeks are busy. And they somehow seem to be even busier now that I’m unemployed (self employed? partially? I have no idea.), but in a good way I think. At least the things I’m doing are things I enjoy and am interested in rather than dedicating my life to someone else’s dream. There’s definitely freedom in that. We’ll work on the money part.

Anyway! Let’s try to recap this in a way that doesn’t require a novel.

Last Monday I had my second jump lesson with Presto. He was really good, like… almost surprisingly so. The day before he’d been a bit of a terrorist so I wasn’t sure what I was walking into, but honestly he was pretty much foot perfect, easy, and chill. We’re slowly figuring things out together, and I definitely have fun riding him. He’s going to be a really cool horse eventually, I’m pretty sure of that.

On Tuesday Hillary flew in. It’s not too hard to twist her arm to get her here, but we had some business things to take care of and some networking opportunities, so she hopped on a plane and came out. She hasn’t been able to ride much back in Texas, with Lex being here in Florida, so naturally I started shoving horses at her immediately and suggested she take Henry over to Steph’s for a lesson.

On Wednesday afternoon I was covering Windfall’s Century Ride for Eventing Nation (look for that article this week!) and brought Hillary with me. I wanted to try to get both photos and video, which is obviously not possible to do alone, plus I’d been invited to the dinner afterward and thought that would be a good opportunity to chat with some folks about BRC. Hillary is a much better socializer than I am, she’s less awkward in that setting, so getting her to come along (again, very little arm twisting was required) was fantastic.

We didn’t even make it all the way in the front door before being introduced to the Trakehner breeder contingent – who knew of me, which is always slightly alarming because my first thought when that happens is always a panicked “oh god wtf have I said” – and we spent most of the evening talking to them. Well, ok. At one point I did what is standard for me at parties: I plopped myself in a corner and immediately made friends with the dogs.

It was fun to bounce ideas and thoughts off of the breeder group though, they were fun, and I finished my interview stuff after we ate some barbeque and cake. I’ve certainly had worse Wednesdays. Super nice of Windfall’s owners to include us.

The rest of the week was knocking out business stuff for us, working the horses, and moving Lex over here to WTW from the training barn he was at. There must be some kind of aura of chaos that horses have and can sense in others, because Presto took one look at Lex and lost his shit trying to get over to him to be best friends. As entertaining as it would be to turn those two out together, I don’t think the farm could survive it. I can’t even imagine Presto’s level of chaos and mayhem combined with Lex’s ponytude and additional chaos and mayhem. Good god.

Hillary fit in a lesson with Steph on Lex last week too. Nothing like not riding for weeks and then showing up anywhere near me where I’m like HERE RIDE THIS LETS GO DO THIS WHY NOT ALSO THIS OMG I HAVE ANOTHER GREAT IDEA YOU TOTALLY SHOULD. She went home sore AF and slightly broken so ya know… job complete.

The only one she didn’t sit on this time was Presto, mostly because I hogged him all to myself. Sorry not sorry. I think she already had more than she wanted to ride anyway though, and Presto is… a lot. According to my abs he is the grand consumer of strength and energy.

Hillary’s daughter also got to take a turn on Henry, because duh. The man. The myth. The legend. The king. Gotta start them out on good horses while they’re still young and set the bar high.

The horse part is the more interesting stuff to talk about here, but in reality it was a smaller portion of what we were up to. We also got pretty much everything done that we needed to, business-wise, which was definitely much easier with both of us together in person. We also had some good brainstorming sessions and I think we now have a pretty solid, cool, exciting plan going forward. We would both really like to be fully self-employed, and together we’re stronger, so I’m excited about some of the things we have in motion at the moment. We’ll see how it all pans out!

She did extend her trip by a couple more days to stay the weekend, which gave us the chance to go XC schooling. More about that tomorrow…

The next batch of horses arrived in Florida from WTW West yesterday! Pippa, Teddy, Inca, Quinlee, Vee, and Peyton.

They got here late yesterday afternoon (just before a storm came, naturally) and are settling in well. I don’t think Peyton has lifted her head from the grass since she got here. The yearlings went into their own turnout last night and today will move over to the field with the TB yearling fillies.

This, unfortunately, probably marks the end of regular Foal Fridays for this year. I’ll do my best to get some pics for the next couple weeks, but then it’ll be weaning time for Quinlee, and any pics after that will be on Patreon.

In a few more weeks a couple more mares will join us from Texas, and then it’ll be sBs inspection time! I’ll definitely get and share pics of that.

Happy Friday!