Category: Uncategorized

Oh, Horze. That company name, it’s so bad in the American market. But initial awkwardness aside, my experiences with the company’s products in the past have been a bit hit or miss. The prices were always right, but sometimes the quality left me wanting. I had only tried one pair of their breeches, and that was a couple years ago. The fit was weird on me and I didn’t like the fabric, so I sold them and that was the end of my Horze breeches experiment.

Lately I’ve noticed that it seems as though they’ve started upgrading the fabric on some of their basic models. The Horze Grand Prix breech, which used to be a cotton blend (which I hate with the burning passion of a thousand dumpster fires) was now showing as 93% polyamide, 7% elastane – very similar to a lot of my favorites. They also upgraded to a silicone knee patch, another favorite feature of mine. Ok Horze, you win… I’ll give you another shot.

The price for the Grand Prix breech is really reasonable at $99 from Riding Warehouse (or $89 each if you buy 2 or more) for the knee patch or $109 ($99 each if you buy 2 or more) for the full seat. Plus you can get 10% off those prices with coupon code FB10, or 15% off for USRider members with code USR15 (you have to supply your member number to use the USRider code!). Solidly in the under-$100 category! I went with the knee patch, because I’m always a bit worried about silicone full seats being TOO sticky for me, and a nice chocolate brown since it’s one of the few conservative colors I didn’t already have.

My first impression was that the fabric is VERY similar to the Romfh Sarafinas. It’s nice and stretchy, not too thick, not super thin, and quite comfortable. I like the fit a lot too, it’s more of a mid-rise and nicely tailored for the female figure – NO WAIST GAP. I got size 42, which they equate to a US 30, and the sizing is right on par with all of my other 30’s. At 5’5″ with a very average length inseam, the hem hits right above my ankle. Very short-legged riders might find them to be a touch long, but they could be a good option for those with a longer inseam. The breeches have a stretchy panel built into the bottom that allows them to be nicely fitted to the lower leg. Extra fabric on the lower leg is a huge pet peeve of mine, they absolutely must be smooth under the boot, and these are.

They have a euro seat, which is basically a must-have feature these days, and to my relief the branding is VERY subtle. There’s just a small flag looking tag under the waist on the back, a small metal tab on the front that says Grand Prix, and the metal buttons at the fly have a Z on them. Don’t worry, they don’t say Horze anywhere visible. The styling really makes them look a bit Pikeur-esque (ie more expensive than they are!).

I’ve been using and abusing these breeches A LOT, and they’re holding up remarkably well. They wash well, and the fabric helps them stay pretty clean between washes. They’re quite comfortable both in and out of the saddle, and they don’t sag or slide down or get funky in the crotch. So far they show zero wear.

I also like that the silicone knee patch is quite mild. It’s made up of a bunch of little dots of silicone, which makes the grip less intense than a larger strip of silicone. I doubt the full seats would be overly sticky. The grip on the knee patch version feels quite similar to a regular suede patch when you’re in the saddle.

If you’re in the market for a good budget breech, I’d definitely give these a shot. They’re not far off the price of something like the ever popular Piper breeches, but they are light years better in the quality and fit department. The fact that they come in white and tan make them a great low-budget show breech option as well. I definitely want to add a white pair to my collection next!

Well, a half sister anyway. How freakin cute is this little nugget?

Madeline WTW was born on Tuesday evening at the extremely reasonable hour of 6pm. That makes Sadie 3 for 3 with foaling during daylight hours! Clearly she isn’t reading the mare handbook, but it’s really convenient actually. Guess she wants to make extra sure that no one misses anything?

Last night they got to go out in the paddock and explore/stretch her legs. Sorry I couldn’t pick just one or two of my favorite pics of the ones Michelle sent, so here are… 8. Not sorry.

Not gonna lie, I have some serious “grandma” pride right now. Baby is ADORABLE. She definitely seems to have Diarado’s head for sure, and the same big sloping shoulder and super long legs as Presto. The rest we’ll have to see as she unfolds and fills out more. Michelle reports that she is very friendly and people-oriented, too. Typical for Sadie’s foals, they’ve all been comfortable with people from the very beginning. I love Madeline’s two little diagonal white socks and star, and those big fuzzy ears. This is the most white any of Sadie’s foals have had so far. She’s also very very bouncy. Like I’m not sure that she realizes she can actually canter without bucking. And yes, I spend way too much time watching them on the cameras.

Sadie as usual is being a fantastic mom. She was noshing on hay within minutes of giving birth (just like last year) and doesn’t mind all the humans coming in to mess with her baby. I think she’s got this broodmare thing down pat now. I love my “little” mare so much, and it makes me happy to see her enjoying her life and being so good at her job. She’s special to me, she’ll always be my first homebred and my best girl.

As for the Baby Bets contest, this year REALLY went down to the wire. After Laken’s foal, Amelia was way out in the lead with 15 points over the next closest competitor. But Anne B rallied hard with Sadie’s foal, guessing EVERYTHING correctly except for the foaling date – she was only one day off. That’s some mad skills right there. And no one actually guessed the foaling date correctly on this one, believe it or not.

So, we ended with Amelia and Anne in a tie, with 30 points each.

Edit – we’ve had a bit of a complication. Will update winner info later!

Many thanks again to Riding Warehouse for sponsoring this contest, can’t wait to do it again next year! And of course thanks to so many of you for participating. Baby horses are so fun.

But for real how freaking cute is Madeline?

Pretty bummed to be missing Not-Rolex (how long will it take my brain to reconcile the fact that it really ISN’T Rolex anymore? I dunno, years probably.) this year. For the American eventing community, this is basically like Christmas level of importance. But better, because there are horses and bourbon chicken. If you’re going, please note that I’m really jealous. Also if you see anything in the trade fair that I need, send it to me. No please don’t. But yes, definitely do.

But just because I won’t be there doesn’t mean I won’t be watching. I already had a USEF fan membership, so I’m geared up and ready for the USEF Network live stream, but if you don’t have one and want to watch, you can get a FREE fan membership with the code LRK3DE. Get it. Watch. It’s worth it. Then you can commiserate with me about how sad you are to not be there in person while still cheering on your favorites.

And even though I won’t be meandering through aisle upon aisle of vendors myself, I’ve still had my eye out for some specials and deals and must-visit vendors that will be happening over in the trade fair and sponsor village. Cuz ya know… it’s… applicable? I’m always interested in specials and deals. Especially when some of those specials and deals will also be available ONLINE for those of us who aren’t attending.

The first (and ok I’m biased – best) notable deal is from my friends over at Majyk Equipe. No I don’t work for them, no I’m not an ambassador or anything, I’ve just been a ME fan from the very beginning, love their products, and have yet to be disappointed by anything I’ve had from them. Just so happens that they always have some really awesome LRK3DE deals too! Majyk will be at 4 different booths: Horseloverz, Smartpak, One Stop Equine Shop, and Wise Choice Tack, and the promo stuff this year is awesome! Polo wraps or a boot organizer – both super useful.

They’ll have their new pad line available, too. Great opportunity to see the new products and get some useful free stuff (no dinky keychains here) with purchase. They’ll also have two raffles running this year – one for the boots that Boyd will be running XC in, and one for a Luxury saddle pad. LRK3DE goers, stay tuned to their Insta and facebook for details on those, as well as other giveaways and flash specials.

For those of us that are stuck at home, some of the same promo deals will be offered through online retailers as well, including Riding Warehouse. I’ll post details on those as soon as they’re available. Either way, don’t think your credit card is safe just because you aren’t going to LRK3DE. I’m here to make sure of that (if I’m going down, I’m taking all of you down with me).

One of my other favorite booths last year was Devoucoux. Not just because it smelled divine (ok that was mostly it) but also because Cambox was hiding in there. It’s still one of my favorite gadgets so if they’re there again, go check it out. I didn’t have enough in my spending budget last year to actually buy anything from Devoucoux though, which was too bad because they had an awesome prize wheel that you could spin to win additional stuff, and it looks like the prize wheel will be back again this year too! It’s kinda like crossing The Price is Right with a tack shop. I’m into it. Also the person who finds a Devoucoux jump pad for me is my new hero.

Ride Heels Down is giving away a free gift to anyone who shows up in their booth wearing RHD apparel. The owner of this company is a fellow amateur eventer, so it’s a really fun one to support. Her designs are cute and affordable, if you’re looking to do some lower budget shopping or pick up a gift for a friend. Don’t own anything from them yet? You can share their Insta post to get a free gift at the event, too!

For the thoroughbred lovers out there, the Retired Racehorse Project is having a 10% off sale in their booth. I picked up a couple shirts from them last year and still love them, plus it’s another cause/company that I really don’t mind giving my money to. You just gotta rep that OTTB pride sometimes, and even better if you can do that while also supporting RRP.

And last but certainly not least on my must-visit list, make sure you swing by and say hi to Pam at Mango Bay. Pam has always been a great supporter of my adventures, Presto, and this blog, and she’s always so incredibly generous with her time and donations to worthy causes. Plus – cute shirts and belts and shirts that are very affordable. What more do you need?

 

There are lots of other vendors having specials and giveaways and raffles, too. I’m sure there will be a million shopping guides on social media, I just really wanted to mention my favorites, especially the smaller companies, since they can kind of get lost amidst all the other chaos.

To everyone that’s going – have fun, take lots of pics, eat lots of food, and buy lots of stuff! Everyone that’s stuck at home like I am – enjoy the free live feed, and don’t think you’re escaping unscathed from this whole shopping extravaganza… I’m not done with you yet.

For me, it’s always seemed like making plans either results in fortune or folly. Usually folly, when it comes to horses. Sometimes things work out (like AEC’s, or the Classic 3-Day) but a lot of times they don’t. Horses don’t know anything about the plans, dreams, or agendas of humans. It’s simultaneously one of the best and worst things about them, IMO. As long as they’re fed and safe, they’re happy. There’s a beautiful simplicity in that, even if sometimes it can make them really frustrating creatures to the humans who laid grander plans upon their backs.

Despite having been a multiple-horse owner for the majority of my adult life, Henry has been a one man show for years. My brain is still re-adjusting to having more than one animal to train, consider, take care of, and plan for. And since my budget is pretty tight, it takes a little more thought. I can’t just do All The Things, so stuff has to be prioritized, which requires looking more at the long term big picture. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I really WANT to do, and when those things have to be done.

The big unmoveable future thing is really Presto’s 4yo (ie horse show debut) year in 2021. Whether he’s mature enough to start a legit eventing career that year or not, he’ll still be under saddle and he’ll still need to start going to horse shows in some capacity. That’s a really important, must-happen thing. Of course, showing two horses at the same time will be financially pretty damn difficult for me, so it’s likely that either both of them will go to schooling shows, or one of them (ie Henry) won’t get to show. 2021 will be the year of Turning the Baby into a Show Horse.

From there we start working backwards. In his 3yo year (2020) I’d like to send Presto to my cowboy/colt starting guy for 2 months in the spring – the same guy that started his dam. He exposes them to a lot, which I like, and he’s been doing this FOREVER, which I also like, and he’s gotten pretty involved in the english world so he understands what we want from our horses. Of course, he’s expensive, so all of my extra money that spring would go toward that. No recognized shows for Henny.

Once Presto comes back from the breaker he’ll really just trail ride or hack out a few times a week during the summer. Of course, it’s too friggin hot here for me to show Henry in the summer, so either Henry isn’t showing or we’d have to go out of state. Unless my financial situation changes or I got pretty lucky, I don’t really see that happening. In the fall of Presto’s 3yo year I’d like to send him for a month or two of dressage training, then bring him home and give him the winter off before his 4yo “first season” starts. Sending him off for more training is more $$$, so let’s go ahead and write off any recognized shows for Henry for the remainder of that year too. 2020 will be the year of Baby Training.

When you look at it that way, that really leaves us with the remainder of 2018 and 2019 for the primary focus to remain on Henry. Just boarding two already puts a pretty significant dent in my show fund for him, but when Presto is actually in training or needing to go to lots of shows himself, the Henry show budget will be almost non-existent. I don’t really know what will happen once they’re both rideable and showable. Selling Henry is not on the docket ever, but would I lease him to someone? Would I just keep him and not show him? Or would I find a way to show them both, albeit very sparingly? I don’t know that part yet. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

But thinking about all these things did kind of make me feel like, if I have other things that I really want to accomplish with Henry, now is probably the time to lay it out. To be honest, I never had ideas for us beyond getting to Training level. And that was a huge, far-reaching idea that seemed more like a joke than an actual probability. So we got there, and it’s been great, and I’ve just kinda been like “Ok well here we are, achievement unlocked, ta-da!”.

Figuring out Presto’s grand plan and realizing just how little time I have left with Henry as my sole focus kind of prompted me to think… do I want to try to keep going? Do we ever want to make an attempt at Prelim, or do we just live at Training and have fun? Both are appealing to me in their own way. I didn’t start out ever wanting to do Prelim, to be honest. I feel like that’s the level where things start getting stupid, and more dangerous, and the difference between Training and Prelim is huge. My horse does not have endless scope, or easy speed. He’s Prelim-capable, but it really is nearing the the limit of his natural ability. Then again, we’ve schooled Prelim stuff and done a couple CT’s and both of us think it’s pretty damn fun. And I’d love for Presto to eventually be a 1* horse for me, so it’s obviously not like I’m saying I’ll never consider it. If Henry is sound and happy and fit, is there a real reason to NOT at least try to work towards it and see what happens?

In my mind there are kind of two Prelims… “Legit Prelim” and “Prelim Lite”. There are a couple venues where I feel like the courses are a lot easier for my particular horse, and the P wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for him from where we are now – Prelim Lite. Other venues have monster courses, less suited to my horse, and I just really don’t have much interest in running them on him ever – Legit Prelim. Prelim Lite seems reasonably doable, with a lot of work. And those venues even have some schooling shows. That would take away the pressure added by spending more money and having the results be on the horse’s USEA record, which in turn makes it sound like a more interesting proposition to me.

So after texting with Trainer, the plan is to spend the rest of this year cleaning up our showjumping, stretching the comfort zone, and getting more miles. We’ll see where that leads us. If things stack up to where Prelim Lite looks doable at some point in 2019, we’ll give it a go. If not, we’ll keep having fun rocking around Training and that’ll be that. If I can’t step my game up, or if Henry seems stretched beyond his ability, then we’ll stay where we’re at. That horse owes me absolutely nothing, and the most important thing is for me to feel like we’re doing right by him. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy. So we’ll let the horse dictate our future, and see where it takes us. It’ll be a lot of fun, either way.

You know what’s cuter than watching my two boys interact? Nothing. Literally nothing.

On Saturday I was in a hurry trying to beat the rain, so both boys just got worked separately and briefly. But Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day, so Henry did a conditioning ride first, then we went back up to the barn and grabbed Presto.

I wanted to revisit the ponying lesson that we had started the weekend before. I didn’t have time to work on it at all during the week, and it’s not something I want to feel like I have to rush, so I wanted to wait until we had plenty of time. I wasn’t sure if either of them would retain the lessons from the first session, or if it would be like starting over again. I didn’t have anyone around to hold Presto for me while I got on Henry, so challenge #1 was mounting one horse while holding the other (and not getting tangled or have either of them head in separate directions). Challenge #2 was getting them both through the gate, into the arena, and closing the arena gate behind us. Or at least I thought it would be a challenge. They both complied with no issue, like they’d actually been trained or something. How bout that.

I made a few laps of the arena, stopping and starting and turning, walking over the poles and between some narrowly placed barrels. It was all super easy. Both boys started out even better than we had ended the weekend before. So I figured hey, let’s just leave the arena and make a couple laps around the barn and see what happens. Answer: nothing. I opened the gate from Henry’s back, we walked out, and marched around the barn. Easy peasy. At that point I just kinda shrugged to myself, thought “well, why not”, and headed out to the field. I wasn’t planning on going out there until we had another ponying session or two under our belts, but they were both being great… may as well.

Presto LOVED it. He was looking around at everything, but in an interested “WOW THIS IS AMAZING” kind of way, not in a spooky way. In fact, he never spooked at anything. Not the rustling field of corn that we had to pass on the way, not the trees and bushes blowing in the wind, not the birds that always fly up out of the tall grass. He just calmly took it all in and stayed very well behaved. For a yearling I continue to be really impressed with his brain.

I have to give Henry a ton of credit, he is a great horse to pony off of. If Presto starts pushing into him or getting too far ahead of his shoulder, he pins his ears at him and puts him back in his place. A couple of times we halted and Presto didn’t notice for a few steps, which earned him a “PAY ATTENTION” nip from Henry as a correction. He’s the one teaching the kid to pony, I’m pretty much just holding the lead rope. Henry acts super grumpy about it all, but I think he actually really likes it. Being bossy is his favorite thing in the world.

We made a lap of the jump field, then walked around the edge of the pond through some scrub before heading back. I could have stayed out there forever, but I figured it would be wise to keep the first field adventure to a 20 minute max. On the last stretch before the barn, all the mares in the mare pasture decided to gallop up to the fence to see us as we passed, which was exciting for about 2 seconds before Henry and his grumpy ears put the kibosh on that nonsense from both sides. God I love him. If we hadn’t had Presto with us he would have been prancing and acting like a total idiot, but he absolutely knows the difference in those situations.

I tied Presto in Henry’s stall while I untacked Henry in the aisle, letting him supervise the “stand tied” lesson. If Presto moved, Henry pinned his ears at him. I stood there in the aisle giggling for a lot longer than I really should have. Man its a lot easier to outsource all this baby training.

Since Henry seems to be such a good influence on Presto, I took them both out to the washrack together. I hosed Henry off while Presto watched, and then hosed Presto. He wasn’t thrilled, but he didn’t protest.

They both seemed happy and chill, so I let them stand there and graze for a bit. Once they were outside of what I assume Henry deems “working conditions”, Henry was less grumpy towards Presto. I swear I think he knows that this is his little bro and it’s his responsibility to make sure Presto doesn’t end up a heathen. Probably because he doesn’t trust me to accomplish that on my own.

Everything went a lot better than I expected. Presto is proving that he’s got a good brain, and Henry is proving (once again) that he’s worth his weight in gold. That horse, he is one of kind.

A friend is going to let me borrow her Western saddle for a while, which should help make our ponying a little bit easier. Juggling that lead rope in an English saddle is certainly doable, but it would be really nice to have a saddle horn just in case. Plus I can’t wait to throw that thing up on Henry and take a bunch of pictures of him REALLY looking like a quarter horse.

Once we get some more ponying experience I’d like to haul them off property and do some trail riding, especially during the summer when it’s too miserably hot to do much else. These two are so much fun.