Category: Uncategorized

Aaaaand here. we. go. 2020 Black Friday sales – equestrian edition!

Some of these sales are already active, others won’t be live until tomorrow or Friday. I’ve included date info where I can, but if you’re not seeing the sale yet, try their page again later. I’m tracking many more that haven’t announced specific info yet, so I will keep adding to this list as more details are announced. 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! Buy me something pretty.

Riding Warehouse – 20% off sitewide from 11/27-11/30

Luxe EQ – various discounts up to 50% off brands like Asmar, Cavalleria Toscana, Essex, Kask, and more. Check back daily for more deals!

Cambox – up to 30% off plus NEW V4 Pro bundle marked down to $485

Higher Standards Leather Care – EXCLUSIVE COUPON CODE get 20% off with code PRESTO! from 11/26-11/30

Levade Kentucky – 20% off from 11/25 through 11/30

Spot On Braiding Wax – 15% off (applied at checkout) from 11/24-12/4

Dark Jewel Designs – 15% off browband orders, plus a few special sale items from 11/27-11/29.

The Herbal Horse – 30% off with code BFCM from 11/26-11/30

Horse and Rider Books –  20% off sitewide through Christmas, plus each week’s orders are entered to win an additional $50 gift certificate

Standard Issue Equestrian – 25% off any single set with code BFCM25, 35% off any order of two or more sets with code BUYMORE35. Free mainland US shipping.

Teddy’s Tack Trunk – 10% off with code HOLIDAY10 through 11/30

The Printable Pony – 20% off sitewide plus free shipping

Hands High Fly Bonnets – 15% off custom orders on 11/27 (not for Christmas delivery)

Ponyo Horsewear – 20% off from 11/27-11/30

Rowen Ahearn Photography – central Texas folks! Now until Dec 20th book Christmas mini sessions for $95 (20 minutes, 5 images).

Anatomeq – 15% to 20% off holiday bundles with promocode SUPPORTSMALLBIZ

One Horse Threads – 40% off sale items through 11/30 (discount applied at checkout)

Majyk Equipe – free christmas bonnet with every $75 spent through 12/16. Free shipping and flash sales on certain items 11/27-11/30. $25 gift cards on orders over $150.

Blake Goods – 30% off with code AUTUMN30 through Nov 30

Blanket Safe – 50% off orders $75 or more on washes, waterproofers, and sets with code BlackFriday

Remarkable Leather Goods – free nameplate with halter purchase with code Holiday from Nov 28-30, 10% off Lovestruck leather lead and lead shank on 11/28 with code SBS2020.

Equizone Online – 30% off sitewide plus various discounts up to 70% off

Henry James Saddlery – starting 11/27 up to 40% off select products, plus 25% off purchases over £250 20% off purchases over £200 15% off purchases over £150, or 10% off with no minimum

Free Ride Equestrian – 10% off with code Merry, 15% off orders $180+ with code thankful, 20% off orders of $400+ with code 40020, and 50% off Last Call items

Equestriess Atelier – Breeks + Brata $40 off if purchased together with code BREEKSXBRATA, Trews + Brata $40 off if purchased together with code TREWSXBRATA, 20% off Trews with code EquestrianChic, and 10% off Breeks with code BreeksBrigade through 11/30

Hay Where’s That – 25% off 16oz bottles with code 25OFF, 15% off gallons with code 15OFF

Mare Goods – 20% off sitewide through 12/4 with code BF2020.

Ride Heels Down – 20% off with code 20RHDBF through 11/30 plus free shipping on in stock items. Save $5 on ear warmers, beanies, and jump flag earrings. 50% off zip sportpacks. Some exclusions.

Pixio – $70 Pixem + tripod bundle

Equisense – 50% off Motion until 11/30

Horseloverz – daily deals up to 90% off

Horze (Equinavia) – 20-70% off breeches and tights, other various deals, plus daily giveaways

Buckwild Breeches – $99 breeches, $79 tights

The Tack Hack – extra 25% off at checkout through 11/27

Equestrianista – free $25 gift card with any $100 purchase

Hunt Club –25% off with code BLACKFRIYAY and up to 50% off sale items

Point Two – 25% off black Pro Air jackets

Asmar Equestrian –  various items on sale

DecoPony – 15% off sitewide with code Black15

DecoDarling – 35% off with code BLACK35

Spur of the Moment – 25% off all stock and premium options

Big Dee’s – various sales up to 30% off plus daily deals

Grey Horse Candle Co – 10% off with code HORSEGIRL 11/27 through 11/30

It’s a Haggerty’s – buy 2 get 1 free on 11/27, 20% off sitewide 11/28-29 with code SAVEBIG, and buy 1 get 20% off ready to wear on 11/30

Enviro Equine and Pet – Buy one get one free on various products from 11/27-11/30

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

Voltaire Design – 20% off accessories plus free shipping

Total Saddle Fit – 20% off sitewide on 11/27 with code BLACK

C4 belts – 30% off sitewide

Pur vida Healthy Horse –20% off site-wide, 40% off ANY order over $100 USD until 11/30

JODS online – 20% off through 11/30 with code SAVE20 (some exclusions)

Horsemen’s Outlet – 20% off any one item 11/27, 20% off gift cards 11/30

EQU Lifestyle Boutique – up to 40% off various brands

Equestroom – up to 50% off select items

Dreamers & Schemers – daily deals

Schneiders – up to 75% off various items

Criniere – up to 25% off and free US shipping on 11/27

Seaver – 20% off CEEFIT or CEEFIT Pulse + ECG plus free 6 month premium subscription with code BLACKFRIDAY20

Saratoga Horseworks – Get 25% off purchases of 2 or more items and free shipping on all orders through 11/30

Equiport – new deals daily during Black Week

Topline Leather – 50% off unicorn bits

Aztec Diamond Equestrian – up to 65% off various products on 11/26

Adam’s Horse Supplies – up to 60% off various items

Manhattan Saddlery –20% with code FALL20 (some exclusions)

Barnes Tack Room – 15% off through 11/30

Dover Saddlery – up to 40% off select items plus various daily deals and free shipping on orders over $35

Animo – up to 70% off sitewide

Equestrian Stockholm – up to 50% off various items

Sporthorselifestyle – 20% off with code Black Friday through 11/27

Arista – up to 45% off all cool clothing through 11/30

Mary’s Tack – up to 50% off various items

Al’s Equine Conditioner – 25% off through 11/30

LA Saddlery – various sales and discounts sitewide

Equiderma – 20% off sitewide with code BF20 through 11/29

Huff Equestrian – up to 40% off select items

Hay Chix –discounts on all hay nets, free shipping, 2 for and 4 for deals starting 11/27

Parlanti Boots – 20% off items under $1000 and 15% off items under $1000

Rose & Lace Equestrian – 25% off with code Blackfriday

Horseplay Apparel – 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY plus free shipping through 11/30

Dapper Horse – up to 30% off and free shipping starting 11/27

Belle and Bow Equestrian – 20% off with code FRIDAY

Sync Equestrian – 20% off any purchase of 2 or more items with code BUNDLEUP

Flexible Fit – buy any bridle, get reins 50% through 11/30 or 30% off order of $75 or more with code SMALL50.

Macrider Saddlery – 20% off all bridles through 11/30 with code Sale20

The Equestrian’s Concierge – use code SMALL at checkout for free shipping

Smartpak – 15% off with BF2020

Equus Now – up to 40% off

Ayr Equestrian – up to 50% off select brands

Rick’s Heritage Saddlery – various deals up to 50% off 11/27-11/20

Collegiate Saddlery – up to 70% off various items

Fager Bits – 15-25% off 11/27 through 11/30 with code FAGERBLACK

Equifuse – free shipping with code SHIPCOUPON on 11/27 plus special deals on 11/30

The Collected Pony – from midnight 11/27 through 11/30 get 20% off with code BLACKFRIDAY20

Nunn Finer – 15% Off Everything + FREE Shipping Over $150 with code BF2020

Bit by Bit Apparel – 15% off through 11/27

HLH Equestrian – 15% off orders under $100AUD with code BFCM15, 20% off orders between $100-300AUD with code BFCM20, 25% off orders over $300AUD with code BFCM25

EQU Lifestyle Boutique – 20% off Parlanti, GPA, KASK, Grand Prix, Pikeur & Essex Classics

Hufglocken –25% off with code MERRY

Country and Stable – various discounts and deals

Ippico – $20 off brushing boots

Kastel Denmark – 25% off sitewide starting 11/26

Vision Saddlery – 20% off sitewide plus 30% off belts, show shirts, men’s clothing, and summer gloves, and 35% off Vision girths from 11/27-11/30

Toklat – 10% off and free shipping with code BAOD85GJ10

Goode Rider – 20% off sitewide with code BF20, or 25% off orders over $175 (no code needed) through 11/30

Dublin – 20% off Weatherbeeta and Dublin

Fair Hill Saddlery – various deals up to 50% off

Ronnar Design – 30% off already on sale items

Black Heart Equestrian – up to 70% off starting 11/26

Leveza – various items on sale through 11/30

Equestrian Fashion Outfitters – up to 70% off sitewide 11/27-11/30

Equestrian Coach – through 11/30 get 50% off a one year membership when you become an annual member, plus lock in $99 renewal rate for life.

Espana Silk – sale starts 11/27

Eponia USA – sale starts 11/27

Dalia Lehmann – various items up to 70% off

The Equine Edge – 15% off through 11/30 with code NOV15

Redmond Equine – various deals sitewide plus free shipping on all orders

Oaklyn Tack – 20-50% off select items on 11/28

The Horselet – 30-70% off PS of Sweden

The Connected Rider – up to 70% off select items

Hunt Seat Paper Co – various discounts on gift sets plus free saddle pad with $125 purchase

Chillout Equestrian – up to 80% off starting 11/26

Amare Equipment – various items on sale 11/27

AmazeBrush – up to 15% off through 11/30

11/25 Evening Update

Halter Ego – 20% off sitewide (some exceptions) and 15% off custom orders through 11/30

Olson’s Tack Shop – 20% off sitewide through 11/30

Swish Horse Rugs – various items up to 50% off through 12/2

Halo Joint Supplement – buy 3 get 1 free

Devoucoux – $150 off bridles and $75 off reins 11/27-11/29

Tailored Equestrian – 20% off with code BLACK20

Saddle Box – 50% off with code BLACKFRIDAY

Joules – up to 60% off various items

Great British Equinery – 15% off with code AEC15 through 12/1

Revita Vet – 25% off with code USEA

Retired Racehorse Project – Tops buy one get the rest 30% off plus 10% off outerwear 11/27-11/30

World Equestrian Brands – 20% off with code BFCM20 from 11/27-11/30

Cross Country App – 33% off 11/27-11/29

USEA – 15% off all apparel, free shipping on orders over $50 from 11/27-11/29 with code BLACKFRI15

Vencedora Eq – up to 75% off sitewide

Equi-prism – 20% off sitewide 11/27-11/30

Joshua Jones UK – 10% off sitewide 11/27-11/29

Shop USEF – 35% off regular items, 75% off sale items through 11/29

Hannah Childs – Use code BF20 for 20% off $150, BF25 for 25% off $250 or use code BF30 for 30% off $350

The Distance Depot – $20 off tack sets through 11/30, and 15% off sitewide including clearance with code 15THANKS through 11/30

Bravo’s Book Nook – discount on exclusive autographed copies of Horse Crazy by Sarah Maslin Nir with code BLACKHORSEF

FITS Riding – 20% off sitewide with BUYNOW20 through 11/28

Charlotte’s Saddlery – various brands discounted through 11/30

11/26 Morning Update

Pearlescent Pony – 20% off bridles, browbands, and stirrups through 11/29

Pivo – up to 35% off pods, up to 50% off packs, and up to 35% off accessories. (if you’re using it for riding, get the Silver, you can read about mine here)

Lady Godiva Equestrian – up to 20% off on 11/27 only

Maximilian Equestrian – up to 40% off various items 11/26-11/27

Gray & Co Designs – 20% off sitewide through 12/4 with code THANKS2020

Carolina Hemp Company – 25% off sitewide 11/27-11/30

Urban Horsewear – 20% off sitewide plus BOGO 1/2 price custom tall boots starting 11/27

Foxy Equestrian – 10% off from 11/27-11-29 with code BLACK FOX

Swanky Saddle – 30% off entire store with code BIG30 through 11/30

Lumiere Equestrian – 20% off bridles and breastplates, discount applied at checkout.

Royal Equine – 10% off with code thanks

Herd of Zebras – 25% off all orders and free gift on orders over $150 with code JOLLY25 from 11/27-11/30

Breeches.com – 40% off sitewide with code THANKS40

Arista Equestrian – up to 45% off sitewide through 11/30

Equishop – up to 70% off 11/27

Hay Gain – Free starter pack plus 5% off on every hay steamer purchase

Ellany – 25% off sitewide with code HOLIDAY20 through 11/30

Snaks 5th Avenchew – 5 days of deals, buy one get one 50% off with code GOBBLE15 or check their Instagram daily for specials/codes

Sweet Iron Co – 20% off sitewide with code cyber_sale

The Simple Equine – free shipping on orders over $50 plus stocking stuffer mini-bundle specials 11/27-11/30. Instagram jewelry sale 11/28

Farm House Tack – 20% off with code Holiday20 through 11/30

The Tried Equestrian – 15% off on 11/27, Spend $150 – Earn a $25 gift card Spend $250 – Earn a $75 gift card Spend $500 – Earn a $150 gift card on 11/28-11/29, free gifts with purchase 11/30

11/27 Morning Update

Corro – 20% off and free shipping through 11/30

Myst Equine – 25% off through 11/30

SD Design – 20% off with code BF20

Ethos Equestrian – $10 off plus free shipping

Two Bits Equestrian – 50% off through 11/30

Thinline – 20% off plus free gifts with code CyberMonday20 through 11/30

Sporthorse Essentials – 15% off through 11/30

Cavallo Hoof Boots – 40% off all boots with code BLACKFRIDAY40

Arion Tack – 10% off through 11/29 with code blackfriday

Eglove – up to 50% off certain colors/styles

Coast to Coast Equestrian – 15% off through 12/1

Circuit Style – Buy 2 get 1 free plus free US shipping on all apparel

Equestrian AF apparel – 15% off tees through 11/30

Eliza T Equestrian Apparel – 20% off sitewide with code BLACKFRI

American Equus – 10% off sitewide with code HOLIDAY2020

Draper Therapies – 15% off plus free shipping with code happygiving through 11/30

HERS Equine – 15% off all dresses and skirts on 11/27

Hyaluronex – $50 off your first half gallon order with code NEW50

Divoza – 27% off any item with code 27BLACKFRIDAY plus discounts on various products

Belle Equestrian – 30% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY30 and 40% off accessories with code ACCESSORIES40, and free bridle bag with orders over $300AUD

Equestic Saddle Clip – 25% off

Forestier – 20% off accessories with code SOLIDAIRE20

Kerrits – Buy 1 get 1 50% off Fleece Lite tights, additional 10% off clearance items, 25% off EQL gift box. 40% off EQL candle

Ecogold – up to 15% off anything black plus more pads on clearance

Kavallerie – up to 25% off with code BFKAV25

Espana Silk – 20% off all online orders and $10 off gift sets with code BlackFriday112720 plus free shipping on orders over $99 through 11/30

Evo Equine – up to 40% off select products and 10% off browbands with BROW10

Jeffers Equine – 10% off with code BFSALE through 11/30

EQUUS – up to 50% off select brands

Redpost Equestrian – various deals up to 70% off

Worldwide Tack – 20% off with code SHOPPINGSPREE through 12/1

Practical Horseman Magazine – 1 year gift subscription for $15

Super X Country – up to 50% off various items and free UK shipping with code BF20

Just Riding – 30% off sitewide and various discounts up to 70% off through 11/30

Naivo Equestrian – up to 70% off through 11/30

Canter and Sea – Buy one get one 25% off Technical Riding Tights or Base Layers

Horse Scents – 20% off through 11/30 with code BLACKFRIDAY20

Equine and Design – 20% off with code HOLIDAY2020

Equisani – 25% off with code blackfriday through 11/30

Back on Track – 20% off through 11/30 with code HOLIDAY20

Equestrian Collective – 15% off with code BF15 through 11/30

ReRide Tack – up to 30% off various brands

11/27 Afternoon Update

Incrediwear – 25% off sitewide

If the Bonnet Fits – Buy one custom bonnet get the second bonnet half price. Only open for 20 people. Offer valid until 11/30 or until limit is reached. Contact on fb or Insta to order.

Anique – buy one get one free 11/27

Horse and Country TV – 25% off H&C+ annual pass with code 25OFF through 11/29

Equinutrix – 10% off with code THANKS10 through 11/30

Pony Suds – 40% off orders of $15 or more with code BLACKFRIDAY on 11/27

La Mundial – 20% off custom boots

Redingote Equestrian – 15% off from 11/30 through 12/6

Alympic Equestrian – up to 30% off sitewide

Pure Harmony Equine – 15% off with code HOLIDAY2020 through 12/5

EquiRelease – 60% off massage gun

Custom Equine Nutrition – 20% off 25lb bags of Vermont Blend, Vermont Blend PRO, and Vermont Blend No Selenium

Equiline – 10% off regularly priced items with code BFSAVE

Annie’s USA – 20% off with code CHEERS through 11/30

Struck Apparel – get a $50 gift card with every $300 spent. First 30 orders also get a free mask.

Wallace Eventing – 15% off sitewide with code BFCM2020

Alessandro Albanese – buy one, get one half price through 11/30

CWD – 25% off all horse and rider equipment through 11/29

EquiRibbon Creations – 20% off pillows, stockings, stuffed animals, and ribbon art through 11/30

Noble Equestrian – 20% off most items with code CMXBF through 11/29

Makebe – 20% off sitewide (discount at checkout)

EquiInStyle – various items on sale and free shipping in the US

Equifit – 15% off sitewide and free shipping on orders over $150

Dark Horse Equestrian UK – 20% off sitewide with code BLACK20

Rebecca Ray Designs – 40% off with code HOLIDAYJOY

Bare Equestrian – 15% off sitewide through 11/28

Husk Equestrian – various discounts on most items through 11/30

Toujours Equine – up to 50% off select items

Equine Velocity – 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY through 11/30

Equine Culture – storewide discounts

My Barn Child – 15% off sitewide and free shipping on orders over $100

Stablewear – sitewide discounts

Bonjour Tack – through Dec 1 use code Black for $200 off $2000+ saddles, free bundle of tack, and free shipping

Equine Exchange – 20% off sitewide (some exclusions) plus extra discounts on sale items through 11/30

Orchard Equestrian – 10% off sitewide with code BLACK20 through 11/29

Valley Vet – various deals up to 20% off, gift card specials, and free shipping on most orders over $49

Horseware – 20% off plus free shipping through 11/30

Performance Equine Nutrition – free shipping on 11/27 with code FREESHIPFRIDAY

Botori – various items on sale plus free US shipping on orders over $50

11/27 Evening Update

The Infused Equestrian – 30% off through 11/28 with code MY INFUSED DAY

The Posh Pony – 20% off sitewide and free gift with every purchase

Ice Horse – 20% off sitewide with code BF2020

Red Gorilla – 20% off sitewide with code BFCM

Maelort – 20% off with code BLKF

Traumavoid – 20% off through 11/30

Bit and Bloom – 20% off with code THANKFUL

Breeches and Bays – 30% off with code BLKFRIDAY

Fenwick Equestrian – 30% off LT, Softshell, and EquSuede blankets plus free shipping on US orders

Stick and Ball – buy one get 20% off, buy two, get 35% off, buy three + get 40% off through 11/30

Pink Equine – 15% off all sale, in stock, and christmas gifts

An Capall Equestrian – 20% off when you spend $145 plus, 25% off when you spend $300+, 30% off when you spend $450+, 35% off when you spend $650+

StressLess Horse Supplement – 10% off with code SL2020

11/28 Update

Reigns by Savannah Fellers – 50% off with code SAVANNAHSMILES

Silver Oaks Farm – various items up to 40% off

Rivet Leatherworks – free shipping with code ship4free through 11/28

Stylish in the Saddle – 20% off sitewide plus free shipping on orders over $100

Centerline Candles – 20% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY through 12/1

The Cheeky Gelding – 20% off through Dec 2nd

Clever with Leather – 15% off belts on 11/28 with code SBS15

Premier Equine – £10 off any £50 purchase with code FESTIVE2

Alberto Fasciani – 30% off with code BLACK30

Nupafeed – Cyber Monday sale on 11/30, lowest prices all year

Cavaliere Couture – 30% off sitewide wtih code BLKFRIDAY30

VTO Saddlery – 30% off Bargain Basement with code CLEARANCE

Rideaway Equestrian – various deals up to 30% off

Huntley Equestrian – 40% off with code BFRIHAY through 11/29

The Tack Room – 20% off with code TACK20

My Horse’s Closet – 15% off on orders over $50 through 11/28

Horseplay Apparel – 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY through 11/30

Equestrian Wellness – get free Stable to City cleansing towelettes with the purchase of Essential Helmet Spray

Mango Bay Design – 20% off belts and fall shirts with code SBS20

11/29 Update

New Vocations – 50% off adoption fees through 11/30

Horse Health UK – discounts on select Le Mieux

Kahm CBD – sitewide discounts

Somerset Equestrian Trading – 25% off sitewide through 11/30

Epplejack – up to 50% off

Walsh Products – 15% off with code WALSH15 through 11/30

SoCali Equestrian – 35% off sitewide (discount automatically applied in cart), $25 gift card with $100 purchase, $50 gift card with $200 purchase

Accuhorsemat – 50% off with code BFAHM through 12/4

Uckele – 15% off sitewide and free gift over $50 with code TURKEYDAY2020

Equi-Resp – up to $150 off kits plus free shipping through 11/30

Equipad – up to 25% off sitewide

GhoDho – 15% with code black20 through 11/29

For once I feel like I come here with updates of solutions instead of problems. For now anyway. Knocking on wood for the second post in a row. Well ok, ants did try to invade the kitchen on Sunday, which was met with full-on warfare. Did I go get 5 different types of ant killers/repellants? Yes. Did I use all of them in various ways? You bet your ass. It was mass genocide. I’m not messing around. They haven’t been back since though (probably because they’re all murdered).

Anyway, the good news is: water leak is fixed! I had to be kinda rude in an email to finally get a response from the warranty contact, but then he did send a team over on Saturday. I knew it was leaking from the water line coming in, so they were able to peel back the underside barrier on that side, find the leak, fix it, and replace the wet insulation in about an hour. So, yay, water in the house again. Annoying that it took a week to get fixed but relieved that it was relatively easy. I had visions of them having to crawl all underneath the house (which isn’t easy with the tires and shit in the way) and peel back/replace everything, which would have been a nightmare. Definitely glad that wasn’t the case.

The timing was good too, because yesterday the skirting guy arrived to start closing up the bottom of the house. It’s taken longer than I wanted to get someone out here for that – closing up the underside to keep critters out was a top priority – but it was ridiculously hard to find someone to come do this. Or to get people to call/email me back at all. Then he had to order the skirting, which took another couple weeks. I guess it’s kind of fortuitous how it worked out though, because if we’d gotten the skirting on right away we might never have seen that water leak, which would have been really bad.

He got half of the skirting done yesterday and will be back today to finish and build the stairs off the back porch. That’s the last of the major, expensive things on my list (hopefully, since my truck needs tires ($) and we’re carrying two house payments ($) until the house in town gets fixed up ($) and rented out). Over the winter I’d like to put a little very low-key landscaping around the front but that won’t be as big of a project or nearly as expensive, nor is it as important.

So now I can start to focus a bit more on the furniture and decor again. The couch is purchased of course, although it wont be here for a couple more months, so that really just leaves a coffee table, a bookshelf for the reading nook, a couple wall-mounted shelves for the living room, and some rugs. And furniture for the back porch, which I’m leaving to SO to pick out. I already got the one thing I wanted for back there, my hanging egg chair. I don’t care about the rest.

Speaking of which, last week when I dropped the dogs off for their grooming appointment, I decided to hit up HomeGoods to kill some time. I’ve never been in that store before and it was a little dangerous. Mostly in the pet section when I saw that they had miniature hanging egg chairs for cats!!!

Not gonna lie, almost bought one. Still might, eventually.

For Black Friday though my priority item is a coffee table. We want a lift top, of a relatively specific general size, black or gray. I have my eye on a few already, so I’ll spend some time digging through the sales later this week and see if I can find a promising one.

It feels like everything is starting to settle and come together, finally!

Alright, that’s it, I officially hate 2020. It can fuck right off and go back to the hell whence it came. The good news is, neither of the boys are injured (knocking on every bit of wood I can find because omg fml), but now I’m the one down for the count.

The week started off pretty well, aside from dealing with the water leak in the house and the warranty people being unresponsive to my plight. But ya know, the weather was pleasant and work was ok and I was able to ride, so by my definition things were good. I rode Henry and lunged Presto the first couple days of the week, then on Wednesday I rode Presto for the first time in almost 6 weeks. He picked right up where he left off, like he hadn’t missed a single day. We just did some w/t work in the arena for about 10 minutes then I hacked him out in the field and he was a super good boy. My plan was to start riding him more like 3 days a week after his break was over, and that was ride #1 in the books, kicking off his winter schedule.

And then the next morning I tried to rip my foot off. What had happened was…

I woke up and put the dogs out, putting Quinn in his wheelchair, then went back in to use the bathroom. I came back out to get the dogs, lifted Quinn out of his chair, took a step, and my sandal got caught on the latching arm of his chair. We both went down, me twisting to try to break his fall. I was so worried I hurt him that I got up, kicked the chair off my foot, picked him up, and went and sat on the stairs to make sure he was ok. My foot was stinging but I figured I just scraped it or something, so once I verified that Quinn was indeed fine, I got up and went in the house. I carried him straight back to his bed, then went back to the door to take my sandals off. I looked down and saw blood. Blood everywhere. A trail of blood through the house, a pool of blood in my sandal… just blood.

My first thought was “well fuck, that’s definitely gotta be from me”. I looked down at my foot and just about passed out. I’m not particularly squeamish, I don’t have a problem with blood or things like that, but there was something about watching the blood pulsing out of my own very cut foot at 5:30am that almost did me in. I grabbed a paper towel to staunch the flow and sat down on the bed for a minute until I was sure I wasn’t gonna hit the deck. I didn’t have any bandaging stuff in the house except for bandaids, which WERE NOT gonna cut it for this injury, so I taped a panty liner to it and rode my bike down to the barn.

Once I fed the horses I went through the med kit and grabbed stuff to clean and bandage it, and… it was pretty borderline for needing stitches. Just the thought of it made me woozy AF again, so I just cleaned it really well, bandaged it up, and have been careful with it.

So far it’s healing well (I’m def anal about keeping it clean) but god it’s in a really uncomfortable place. Wearing shoes hurts. I can only sleep on one side. I have to walk a little funny to compensate, which has made my old bad ankle sprain flare up again. Getting old is stupid and having a sliced up foot is just freakin irritating. I was putting my foot in a barn boot to clean stalls the first couple days, but afterward it was so aggravated I kinda gave up on that, put a bag over my foot, and put a flip flop on. Problem solved. Looks janky as hell but it’s much more comfortable. I’m trying to do the smart thing (for once in my damn life) and rest it as much as possible so I don’t just keep ripping it open, thus I haven’t been riding. Putting it in a boot seems to piss it right off and doesn’t feel particularly nice either.

It’s definitely a lot better today. I’ll probably give it at least one more day out of a boot lest I prolong this agony any further than absolutely necessary.

So anyway, all my riding plans quickly went kibosh. Presto got… a ride… and then it looks like another week off. I guess at this point it clearly doesn’t matter much, but I was trying to take advantage of the good weather while it existed. Some rain (which we desperately need so I won’t complain) is popping up in the forecast, along with cooler temps. I was hoping to have him fully back in the swing of things before the weather started to turn a little more frisky, but oh well.

Henry of course has decided he’s a feral retired horse now and has been a complete moron about everything. He’s already had almost a week off and it shows. Hopefully this foot will be ready to go back in a boot by tomorrow! We’ll see.

On to our next Glamour Shots installment! Er, well… sort of Glamoury. Glamour-ish. I love Ellie to bits and she’s very sweet, but she’s not particularly interested in dressing up and showing off for photos. She’s 0% diva and it shows. She did get braided up though, and the effort was made, and honestly… I think you can see a lot about Ellie in these, even if they aren’t particularly fancy pictures.

Like the fact that she was far more interested in shmoozing with the humans than anything else. She lives for rubbies and pets.

Or how, even though this was meant to be an ELLIE photo shoot, she really seemed to be more interested in hamming it up with her friends.

And while trying to get her to fancy prance around didn’t really amount to much, she did give it a little bit of a try. For a few seconds anyway. She does like to gallop sometimes.

She also rarely misses an opportunity to remind everyone (ok, Ollie, mostly BFF Ollie) that she’s the biggest.

She did humor us by throwing in some very noble headshots too. They even make her ears look normal-sized.

Mostly though, this girl likes to eat, and photo sessions are no exception. She’s always here for the snacks.

She’s just a low-drama, jeans and t-shirt and pizza kind of girl. Glamour shots maybe aren’t really her thing. Glamour-ish is good enough.

All we’ve got left is Ollie’s glamour shots and then that’s a wrap for the 2020 foals!

If there’s one thing Presto’s got, it’s persistence. And chutzpah… pleeeeenty of chutzpah. Therefore it should be no surprise that he’s started to tear down Henry’s extra spikey walls, and while I wouldn’t quite say they’re friends yet (does Henry really even have actual friends?), there has definitely been a truce. This time last week Henry was chasing Presto around, trying to pin him in a corner and murder him. Now… Henry’s being civil at least.

A big part of it is that Presto stopped running from him, and stopped trying to hide behind Quinnie. He’s got a lot of bite marks to show for it, but it was a wise choice to be brave and take a stand. Henry is a bully to the worst extent, and only respects other horses if they don’t seem weak. If they run from him, he is brutal and unrelenting. So as long as Henry said “move” and Presto said “yes sir” with fear, Henry was just the worst kind of asshole. Somewhere over the weekend a shift began in their dynamic, and Presto stopped running. Henry would come at him with teeth bared, and Presto would take a step back, but he didn’t run and hide, and as soon as Henry relented he would step back up again. Kiddo decided enough was enough I guess. Henry has decided maybe this kid isn’t such a weak sorry excuse for a horse anymore after all. He’s earned some respect.

I mean, don’t get me wrong – they aren’t buddies. Henry has just moved from outright disdain to mostly just pretending that Presto doesn’t exist. I’m not sure if y’all know a damn thing about Presto, but… he is hard to ignore. That kid is in-your-face, and he’s persistent, and he’s not the best at taking no for an answer when he really wants something. And what he really wanted was to play.

Presto loves to play. Bitey Face is his game of choice, but he’s also really into Chase. He and his buddy JB would play a lot, all throughout the day, and I think now that JB is spending the winter in Florida, Presto is missing having a play buddy. He knows better than to try with Quinnie – she is NOT messing around – but he’s thinking there might be a chance with Henry. So Presto did what Presto does best: antagonized the shit out of him.

To Henry’s credit, he put up with it for a while before Presto finally broke him down. It’s hard to ignore a giant bouncing baby horse that’s trying to bite your face though. Subtle, Presto is not. After a few minutes Henry finally reacted, and while he wasn’t quite sure he really wanted to play with this BabyIdiot, he did humor him a little bit at least.

Since then they seem to have come to an agreement. Henry still makes grumpy faces and pretends to hate him, but it’s all empty threats. He’ll bite Presto at night check when I’m giving out cookies and Presto puts his face in Henry’s stall, but it lacks the viciousness it did in the beginning. Plus Presto doesn’t seem to mind, which apparently takes all the fun out of it for Henry. I’ve even caught them playing actual Bitey Face a couple more times. It’s not at the level that Presto and JB played, but it’s something. Dare I say that Uncle Henry might be developing a bit of a soft spot for the kid that just won’t take no for an answer?