When I showed up at the barn on Friday, the BO let me know that the dentist was coming that day for her horses. The really good dentist, one of the best in the country if not the world, who can sometimes be tricky to schedule because he travels (or used to, pre-covid) a lot to teach and work on special cases. It was ironic timing, because literally just a few days before I had thought to myself “I really should ask her when she’s planning the next dental so I can get my two in on that appointment”. But then I forgot to mention it, naturally. Luck was on my side though, because when he arrived he said he did indeed have time to do mine while he was there. Major score! The stars rarely align so perfectly.

I was grooming Presto while we waited, and I did a minor thing. I know that his crazy wild ombre forelock is part of his overall trademark chaotic look, but… I was at my wit’s end with it. For the second time in a week it was stuck in his eyeball when I went to go get him, and full of hay and burrs (where did the burrs even come from, I have yet to see them on a another horse). It was nothing more than dry gross sunbleached VELCRO and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I wasn’t really sure the best way to approach it, to be honest. Forelocks are much trickier than manes. I sure as heck wasn’t taking scissors to it. Nobody needs a bowl cut. But I didn’t want to pull it either, and lose any of the thickness. So I decided to run my little rake thingy through the bottom half and see what happened.

It worked really well. I used it a little higher on the sides to keep the natural tapered look, and it basically just removed all the gross fried orange hair on the ends. His forelock still goes down TO his eyes, but isn’t long enough to get stuck in them anymore. and overall looks much better. He looks more like an adult, somehow. Like a kid that got a proper hair cut and is ready to go to school. I mean he’s still super sunbleached and covered in bites and nicks and scrapes and the occasional cactus thorn, but ya know… the bangs are an upgrade.

And when it came time for his turn with the dentist, there was even more adulthood happening.

Overall his teeth look pretty good. Nothing crazy or super out of the ordinary. He was due for a float, but his mouth is developing well and properly. Somewhere around 3 1/2 is when they start shedding another set of caps, and he was right on the money for that. One of the front ones was so loose that Dr. Moore just tapped it with his tool and it fell out. Another front one took 3 taps. Basically all of his 3 1/2-year-old ones were in the process of coming out, so he went ahead and helped them along the way. Especially two in the back that were starting to pack food between the cap and the adult tooth – those were getting a little stinky.

While everything looked normal for his age, there is definitely a lot of tooth activity happening in there. He recommended that I continue to have him done every 6 months or so for a while, because of his age. Presto doesnt have too many more caps left to go before he will have a mouth full of just adult teeth! Pretty much all he has left are the ones that come out at 4 1/2.

Henry’s teeth were also a little interesting, although in a less normal way. His jaw doesn’t quite line up, so there’s always a little extra work that needs to be done with him, but also… he’s got another tooth that’s thinking about breaking. Ugh. You may remember we had to pull a very broken tooth last fall, and it was certainly NOT my favorite thing (nor his) and I don’t really want to have to do it again.

I wish I had taken a photo of the graphics Dr. Moore showed me because it explained pretty well why this is happening. I couldn’t find anything nearly as good on the internet. But in the simplest terms, horse’s teeth have these pillars running through them that are filled with cement-like material. On normal teeth, these pillars are fairly straight and even. On some horses, these pillars can be very irregular, super thick in some areas, super thin in others, or even have gaps where there isn’t any of the actual cement-like material in them. Henry is the latter. So as he ages and more of his tooth erupts, we’re getting to the areas that are very thin or that have gaps. This makes the tooth much weaker and more prone to breakage, especially in horses like him where their jaw alignment makes the teeth wear unevenly.

The good news is that this tooth hasn’t truly broken yet, and Dr. Moore is capable of a procedure that would most likely prevent it from happening. It’s basically like a human getting a filling – they drill out a little bit and fill it with some material to make it stronger and prevent it from breaking. It’s surprisingly not stupid expensive, definitely cheaper than what it would cost to pull a broken tooth, but it has to be done in the clinic, so I have to make another appointment to haul him up there.

So basically I have one horse with a normal but very active mouth because of his age, and one horse with a wonky weird problem-prone mouth that will probably always be high maintenance as he ages. Sounds about right. My wallet doesnt even weep about these things anymore, it has become accustomed to it at this point.

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice, non-laborious Labor Day! I’m off with Presto for an adventure early this morning so the real content will have to wait. But I’ve had a few people ask me if I was going to do a Labor Day Sales post, and I had no plans to do that but figured I’d throw together a list of the ones that have come across my feed. I haven’t been paying much attention to sales, so I’m sure there are lots more. If your business is having one or you know of some other good ones, feel free to drop them in the comments! Back to normal blog content tomorrow…

Riding Warehouse Bargain Bin Sale

Corro – 15% off with code 15CORRO2020

Shop Halter Ego – 25% off with code LABORDAY25

Decopony – 20% off in stock tack, pads, gloves, and coats with code 20OFF

Back on Track – 15% off with code LaborDay2020

Circuit Style – 20% off plus free US shipping, discount applied at checkout

Hunt Club – 20% off with code LABORDAY20

The Tack Hack – 20% off with code HELLOFALL

Gray Co Designs – 20% off sitewide

Tack of the Town – 15% off plus free shipping

An Capall Equestrian – 20% off with code LABORDAY20

Dover – free $50 gift card with $150+ purchase promo (code CMXSEP50)

Smartpak – 15% off with code 20LaborDay plus $50 gift card on orders over $200

Asmar Equestrian – up to 75% off select items

It’s a Haggertys – Read to Ship short sleeve and select long sleeve 20% off

Also for those who haven’t seen it yet, International Helmet Awareness Day is coming up this weekend Sept 12 and 13, if you’re in the market for a new helmet!

Ollie (aka Captain TwoHoles aka Mount Butt-suvius aka Dr. BootyZit) is back from the vet! His disgusting butt abscess continues to heal well and it doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all anymore. I also think he was really glad to be home. One week alone at the vet clinic with your boring mom for company when you’re as social and uh… outgoing?… as Ollie is – that’s not at all fun by his standards. Plus I think the rest of the baby herd just felt a bit incomplete without him. They were a little rudderless, and the chaos level was significantly decreased.

When Ollie showed back up, it seemed like the group was complete again. The fantastic four was back in action. Equilibrium had been achieved. Their diminutive leader had returned. And they were pretty happy to see him…

for a few minutes anyway.

There was a lot of really entertaining galloping to celebrate Ollie’s return, which was captured on video, so I figured I’d let that be the star of the show this Friday. Ya know, to make up for the gross infected second butthole pictures that y’all had to see last week. A few minutes of cute baby antics will erase that one right? You’re welcome.

Happy Friday!

This has been going around facebook among my breeder friends and I love it so much I really wanted to bring more attention to it and post it here. Do you know your horse’s breeder? If it isn’t registered, odds are you probably don’t. But if it is, you can find that information and track down the breeder. It might take some time and effort, but it’s worthwhile to try. Here’s why.

Written by: Brandy Brown

Stop and think for a minute about the beloved show horse you gush about regularly on social media. Do you know off the top of your head who bred that horse you love so much? If someone asked you at your next show, could you tell them where to go to find another horse bred like yours? Many cannot. But if you can, do you make an effort to help promote the breeder who brought your beloved horse into this world? If no, why not? Would crediting that breeder take away from your success? Would it take away from your trainers worth? I would contend no. But would it help to elevate a quality breeder and help others to find them when they are looking for a horse? Yes, hugely.

Even if you can’t name them off the top of your head, I can almost guarantee you that somewhere, there is a breeder who still cares about your horse. A breeder who spent hours planning for the perfect breeding cross. A breeder who crossed their fingers in anticipation that the mare would take and be in foal first try. A breeder who watched in anticipation as that mare grew round and heavy in foal, hoping for the perfect foal. A breeder who gave up many nights of good sleep to watch that mare closely to ensure a safe and healthy birth. A breeder who sat beside that mare while she labored to bring your horse into this world and maybe even gave it the extra pull. A breeder who helped to dry off that little miracle and watched in never diminishing awe as they took their first breaths and first steps. A breeder who taught your horse all the basics and instilled a trust in humans from the beginning. A breeder who loved this horse and cared for them from the first breath. A breeder who likely found it hard to say goodbye when the day inevitably came, no matter how good of a home the horse was going to. A breeder who probably still thinks about your horse from time to time and would love to know how they are doing. A breeder who watches from afar while those babies they raised go on to do great things and cheer them on with every success, even if they are no longer within that horses inner circle. A breeder who repeats the cycle each spring and keeps striving to breed the best possible horses, even when they know that they may not get any credit when those horses are out winning someday. Without that breeder, you would not have your horse. Stop and think about that for a second.

There is no horse industry without quality horse breeders. No matter what scale they operate- 2 mares or 20 mares- they are all valuable to the industry and deserve respect and recognition for their efforts. Breeding horses is not for the faint of heart. It is a tireless and often thankless endeavor. It can be as heartbreaking as it is exciting. Some years you bring healthy, beautiful foals into the world and their mothers get to raise them. Other years you may lose a foal or a mare or both and that is something no breeder can get past without a heavy heart. The average horse owner may not think or know of all that goes into breeding a horse while they are enjoying their equine partner. So I am here to shed a little light on the life of a good horse breeder. Most breeders love every horse they raise, do everything in their power to give them the best start possible and do their due diligence to get them into a good situation. I have been raised in this industry and can’t count the number of foals I have seen enter this world on our farm. So many have gone on to do great things and many times I am able to follow that progress and keep in touch with the new owners. That is best case scenario- to be able to stay engaged with a horse you loved from the first breath and know they have gone on to be someone’s beloved partner. Alternatively, many of the horses we’ve bred disappear and we are unable to keep in touch. This is the saddest part because you just don’t know. You hope the horse has a great life but you can’t be sure.

So here is my request: take a moment and figure out who bred your beloved horse. Often, breeders are fairly easy to find thanks to social media. If you can find them, reach and let them know that horse is loved and thank them for their part in the journey. I can guarantee getting a note like that will make almost any horse breeders day and it only costs you a bit of time and effort. I think it would be great for folks to also take it a step further- when your horse is out winning, make a point to give some credit to that breeder on social media or to the people who ask about your horse or admire them. If a breeder is breeding great horses, make sure people know! If people out there are looking for a horse like yours, help them learn where they can find another one just like it.

To all the breeders out there, big or small, I see you and I commend you. To all the horse owners, I set forth a challenge: when you post about your horse #tagthebreeder

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The breeding industry is a tough one. It’s expensive, it’s time consuming, and it’s fraught with heartbreak. Many breeders, especially smaller ones, struggle just to break even every year. Many years, they don’t. But they keep doing it out of love for the horse and passion for what they’re doing. If you know your horse’s breeder, try to find them. Friend them on facebook. Drop them a message. Tag them in your show posts. If you don’t know them, but know other good breeders that deserve recognition, sing their praises on occasion too. Share one of their photos now and then. Point people their way if you seen an ISO ad. A small and simple thing to you could mean a lot to them. We have so many quality breeders in this country that people just don’t know about because it isn’t talked about enough.

While technically I am Presto’s breeder on paper since I chose the sire and the dam, it was Willow Tree Warmbloods that really did all the work required to get him (and keep him) on this earth. Transporting the mare back and forth for breeding, keeping her in great condition, making sure she was taken care of properly day in and day out, foaling her out, and taking care of Presto for the first almost year of his life. None of that was an easy task AT ALL, especially given his rocky start to life. Breeders are heroes.

Okay, can we take a mid-week pause to talk about something that’s been driving me absolutely batty lately?

Yup, I want to rant. Specifically about when people deliberately tilt advertising photos to make a horse look more uphill (or it some cases, to just make it look balanced and level in general because it’s actually downhill or croup high).

To be fair, this particular thing has always driven me crazy, but I dunno if people have been doing it more and more often, or if I’m just noticing it more. Or maybe I’m just looking at more horse ads this year because what else does one do in 2020 with this extra time online? I’ve been seeing it EVERYWHERE. Sale ads on facebook, auction listings for foals, stallion ads, you name it. This isn’t a new phenomenon by any means, I used to make a game out of going through the COTH stallion editions (back when those were a thing that was really coveted every year) and tilting the magazine to level some of the stallions, but my god. It’s everywhere.

I didn’t want to throw any rando internet people under the bus so I tilted some of my own photos as examples of what I mean.

Gah. WHY. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?

Sometimes it’s purely accidental, and I get that. Unless you’re using a tripod or are very careful/deliberate, humans tend to not take perfectly level photos. And some riding spaces are not perfectly level. But those instances tend to just be slightly unlevel, not massively so, and also… it’s just not that hard to level them. Especially when there’s a clear guide in the background like an arena fence, or if the horse is standing on a flat surface like a road. For the love of all that is holy, level the feet.

I spend a lot of time leveling Foal Friday photos, and my own photos, probably because I’m hyper-sensitive to this. When I actually sat here and thought about it, I came up with two reasons why:

1. It seems disingenuous. A little bit of wonkiness here and there in the photos… ok sure. I can write that off as accidental. But if I’m seeing photo after photo at all kinds of crazy angles where the only thing they have in common is making the horse look uphill, it makes me wonder what else that seller/owner isn’t being 100% honest about.
2. It makes me think that they think I’m stupid. Like… I have eyeballs. I can clearly see that the photo isn’t level. I guess they’re hoping that I’m just gonna look at the horse’s topline and not notice that the front and back feet aren’t anywhere near the same plane? It’s brazen and obvious, assuming or hoping that the person looking at the photo won’t notice.

At least that’s why I’m so deliberate with those Foal Friday photos. No those aren’t ads by any means, and yes all of this years foals are already spoken for anyway, but I’m aware that the farm is still a business and I don’t ever want anyone thinking that the mares or foals are being misrepresented online in any way, even in a very casual setting.

I think what really set me off lately was a couple of online foal auctions where almost every single photo had been tilted to varying degrees. I get it, foals can be butt-high a lot, but a) still not a good excuse to try to cover it up b) when your arena surface or background fence is tilted at damn near 40 degrees, it just looks insane. I’m not even exaggerating, there was one online sporthorse foal auction in Europe in particular where only 3 out of 24 photos had not been tilted at least 20 degrees. It was enough to give you vertigo. And then hot on the heels of that I saw several successive posts on a stallion group with a major tilt to them too. It’s become a second hobby of mine to screenshot the photo and level it to see what it is they’re trying to hide (just like when I see conformation photos of stallions where there’s always grass covering his feet – makes me go hmmm…).

I especially don’t understand it when we live in the age of online videos. Like why the heck did you bother tilting all your photos when I can go play a video that shows the real story? GAH. My favorite is when I see a screenshot that has been majorly tilted, and then see the exact spot on the video where the screenshot came from and it’s perfectly level. Makes me chuckle. Just level your damn advertising photos people! Or at least don’t deliberately tilt them at crazy angles. That’s all I ask.

Does anyone else notice this stuff? Does it drive you nuts too, or is it just me?