First order of business: did the baby boys’ blankets survive the cold snap? I know, y’all are probably just totally on the edge of your seats about this. The answer is, shockingly, yes. Both blankets are still in tact even after several days/nights of wear. Although I think perhaps it’s a testament to the blankets more than it is a credit to the boys.

But yesterday I found a Unicorn blanket and now I really really want it so I need to find an excuse. Henry can’t wear it, since it’s not a HUG, but Presto could. I mean… I guess I could just get a bigger one and keep it for Presto for next year. Does he need another sheet? No. Not right now anyway. He probably will next year since I don’t own anything bigger than a 78 and there’s no way he’ll still fit in a 78 in a year’s time. So technically I kinda need it but not right now. But… unicorns. Rainbow unicorns.

Speaking of unicorns, the vet came back out this weekend to check on Henry’s mouth and do some annual maintenance. Having a big hole in his head (ok fine it’s in his mouth) is still freaking me out. Despite flushing it twice a day with the hose he still had some chewed up hay stuck around there, and the vet got it flushed out then checked the hole. Seems to be healing as expected. I don’t think I’ll relax about it for another like… year, probably.

Henry seems to be feeling fine though, considering he spent Saturday morning’s ride squealing and crowhopping with his nose planted between his knees. I’m totally okay with it though, because my cool weather horse is so much happier than my hot weather horse. It was a gross summer. I think we’re both more than ready to get back to our regular schedule, even if it means I’m riding a cracked out dolphin.

Henry got yesterday off, so I brought Presto in for his weekly “remember you’re not feral” session. He still comes to the gate and happily marches away from his pasture without a peep, so I’m pleased. I haaaaate herdbound shit, so I’m glad to have avoided any issues with that so far, knock on wood. Presto has always been pretty confident in himself, though.

I brought him up, brushed him, and threw a saddle on him. Fun fact: he fits in Henry’s girth now. It goes up to almost the highest holes, but still… it fits. Ha. Hahahahaha. Helpme. Anyone want a used twice 22″ FlexRider girth? I will add it to the pile of things I need to sell.

I didn’t really know what else to do with Presto at that point, he stands in the crossties pretty darn well and was half asleep, resting a hind foot. So we went around the barn investigating everything, sniffing all the cool stuff, and looking at the other horses.

It was uneventful. He’s the same dude he’s always been, which is a really freaking nice quality to have in a 2yo. I bred for the brain first and foremost, and he hasn’t let me down yet.

I also finally caved to the peer pressure and put a stick on him for the first time in months. I have regrets. He’s 16.2h at the wither. The butt is higher so I didn’t put a stick on that because I just can’t. I thought we’d agreed that he wouldn’t be bigger than 16.3h at maturity but I’m starting to think he’s not going to keep his end of the bargain. But hey, until he actually passes 16.3 I can still pretend it’s not going to happen. Denial, it’s my chosen coping mechanism.

When he was sick so much as a foal I was worried that he might end up stunted. I’ve changed my mind, some stunting would be fine. We’ll also ignore the fact that the saddle actually sits much taller on him than it does on Henry because this creature’s withers haven’t really popped yet, therefore his back is actually like SEVERAL inches higher than Henry’s. My eyeballs are solidly at mid-knee pad level. Maybe I should have bred Sadie to a Connemara stallion instead.

This really just reaffirms that my highest priority Black Friday purchase will be a bigass mounting block. Definitely feeling reaaaaaally glad that I’ve already done lots of mounting lessons with this giraffe, otherwise I’d be dreading the idea of trying to climb on it come spring. Maybe I should just stop feeding him? Joking. Sort of…

Some of you may remember my post back in the spring where I introduced our French friend Mimi, and spoke of the… um… special bond she has with Presto. They haven’t actually met, but they’ve become internet friends of sorts, as Mimi has been recreating her own versions of classic Presto pictures for most of his life. As their relationship has evolved, we’ve discovered that Presto and Mimi really are kindred spirits, sometimes so alike that it’s borderline creepy. Like that time Presto ripped out his braid and, turns out, Mimi already had a similar tuft of hair from too many straightening treatments.

Plus they share a bit of a French connection, with Presto’s sire living in France just a couple hours away from where Mimi lives. They also have kind of an eerily similar personality, energetic and perky with lots to say, and because of that, Mimi really seems to “get” him. The Mimi recreations of Presto pictures is definitely one of my favorite things ever, and endlessly entertaining. She manages to nail it pretty spot on every time, in a way that only those with a true spiritual connection could pull off. We’ve even had thoughts of making a calendar or a coffee table book and donating the proceeds. Working on it. Sort of.

Until then, enjoy round two of Presto and Mimi!

It’s not just the clothes in the mouth, it’s also the devilish expression. Nailed it.

Mimi’s very unwilling husband also nailed his role as Henry for this shot, even though he didn’t mean to. See, Presto and Mimi both have the same effect on those around them.

What, you don’t eat salad in front of a fan on the regular? Judging.

Soulmates.

Ah yes, elegant Presto/Mimi basking gloriously in the sunlight (we’re working on Mimi’s ear hair, it’s not quite up to par).

Turns out they eat cookies the same way too.

Clearly they detest being roused unexpectedly from their naps.

And of course, they both agree that hydration is very important.

What kind of shenanigans will Presto and Mimi (Primi? Mimo? Misto?) get up to next? Only they know. Guess we’ll just have to stay tuned to find out!

It’s Halloween, my most favorite holiday! It’s socially acceptable to scare children. There’s tons of candy. You don’t have to buy anyone a present. What more could you want from a holiday? The arrival of Halloween also means that we’re now less than a month out from Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday. I know, I know… it’s a little overwhelming to think about.

People can hate on the gross consumerism of the whole thing, but the truth is that there are great deals, and I have horses that love the vet, so… there’s a lot to like about a good deal, if you ask me. I’ve been bookmarking sites over the past few months, specifically to wait and see if they offer any specials or discounts. Partly so that I don’t forget things in the onslaught of emails and social media posts, but also to help prioritize things. I always have a little bit set aside to spend, but I sure can’t buy everything. There are the high priority items, and then like… dozens of “I WANT IT” items. The I WANT IT’s don’t happen unless the sale is just way too tempting to pass up and there’s room left over after the NEEDs. How does that shake out this year? Let’s take a look…

Nebulizer

I’ve been thinking more and more lately about trying a nebulizer with Henry, since he struggles so much with his breathing in warm weather. I had a hard time justifying the cost of the Flexineb though, not knowing how much it may or may not really help him over time. My vet said you can make them yourself, but… I don’t trust myself on that one when it comes to medical equipment. Seeing that Riding Warehouse just started carrying the Jack’s version, which is less than 1/3 the price of a Flexineb… hmmmm. There are a few other cheaper brands out there too, so I need to look more closely at all of the ones near that price point and compare them.

Coveralls

Ok I know, all the northerners are laughing at me because I live in Texas so I’m being a BIG BABY, but since I’m going to be on my own out at the farm this year I think I want some coveralls. It would be nice to be able to have my house clothes on, pull on the coveralls, go out and do chores, remove said coveralls, and still have clean and wearable house clothes. Especially since I go in and out a lot. It just seems easier than keeping track of multiple jackets and sweatshirts and constantly having to change. Also I am lazy. Also it was 33 degrees this morning, wtf. I haven’t decided which ones I want, gonna keep my eye on the sales.

Big mounting block

You know why I need this. His name starts with a Pest and ends with an o. Hoping Tractor Supply has a coupon so I can just go pick one up at a bit of a discount!

Horse Vacuum

Well realistically I’m thinking more along the lines of a quieter shop vac, since they’re considerably cheaper and can do the same job. The great thing about the new farm is that the soil is very sandy, much sandier than anywhere else around here. It drains well and doesn’t get nearly as hard. But, it IS sand, so the horses get it down in their coats and it’s hard to get out. Also have I mentioned I’m lazy? A vacuum sounds nice. I could use it on my sheepskin pads, too. I’ve done a lot of googling about different shop vacs, but I’m definitely open to suggestions on what other people have liked and used!

Fuzzy show pads

I’m loving my everyday navy ones, so it’s time to pick up some white ones for shows. I’m definitely leaning towards the merino wool pads from Premier (especially if Premier has a more sitewide sale, since I also want to try a few of their other things… we’ll get to that…) but I’m open to Mattes too if there’s a too-good-to-pass-up sale somewhere. Definitely keeping an eye on Hufglocken.

Those are the higher priority things on my list. All pretty practical. Nothing that exciting. But you know me… you KNOW I have all kinds of stuff bookmarked that I don’t need but has caught my eye. My Riding Warehouse wish list (I both love and hate whoever decided to add that feature to their website) is looking a little ridiculous. The New Items page right now is enough to short circuit my brain completely.

And look, I just… I WANT TO TRY THE SPACE BOOTS. I’m so intrigued. Plus if I had these Henry could go as an astronaut for Halloween. Dual purpose.

Back over at Premier Equine there are a few things I could “add to cart” and not be sad about. I really want to try their breeches, and I don’t have any burgundy in my collection anymore, which seems borderline criminal when you have brown boots.

I also really want their shipping boots, in navy for Henry and green for Presto (because color-coded horses, naturally).

Waaaay on the other side of the world, Australian company Black Horse Clothing continues to make shirts that I want.

Like this perforated zip top

and this sunshirt

and also there’s NAVY LACE.

Blogger Meg has got me a little obsessed with eGlove, who makes a dark green glove. Those are so hard to find. I did promise myself that I wouldn’t buy anymore gloves, since I have like 6 pairs right now and still only one pair of hands. I don’t have any green gloves though, so does that count as a loophole? I really love gloves.

What companies or items do you guys have your eye on this year?

Last winter I had the sneaking suspicion that by this winter Presto would be wearing Henry-size blankets. Instead of buying all new blankets for Presto, I decided to pass Henry’s old ones along to Presto and buy Henry all new ones. He is the goodest boy, he deserved new blankets. Plus it finally gave me a good excuse to get Henry out of those ugly 3 year old teal HUG’s and into some pretty new navy ones. So Presto got a 72 last year to hold him over (which he wore… twice…) and Henry got new 78’s in navy. The old teal 78’s were washed and stored for Presto to wear this year.

I have a major obsession with these HUG blankets, and they’re getting harder and harder to find. But they’re the only ones I’ve ever found that don’t rub Henry, and I like how much shoulder freedom the horses have in them. I’m convinced it has to be more comfortable when they’re walking or running around. Considering how many horses I see during the winter with shoulder rubs, I’ve never understood why the HUGs aren’t more popular. I have five of them now. Shoot, I even considered buying the fly sheet even though horses can’t really wear fly sheets here in the devil’s armpit. Anyway, moral of this part of the story: I love my HUGs. I am a devotee.

It’s supposed to get down near freezing for the next couple nights, so last weekend when I had Presto up in the main barn I tried Henry’s sheet on him for size. Yup, as suspected, 78 it is. I went to my blanket bin in the garage, pulled out the stored teal 78 sheet, and took it to the barn. I brought Presto up to his shed so I could put it on him and get all the straps adjusted to fit him before he actually had to wear it for real. And that’s when I realized that this poor, precious, hideously teal HUG has basically a 0% chance of surviving the week, much less the winter. Why? Let me show you why.

They just could not keep the damn thing out of their mouths the entire time I was trying to adjust it. At one point I had to tug-o-war a surcingle strap away from Presto, only to look up and find JB pulling on a leg strap on the other side. Omg. Baby horses are the worst.

I’m gonna be really mad when they both destroy their (or each others?) blankets. This is why they can’t have nice things. Unappreciative little turds. And destroying one of my beloved HUGs, no less. I’m mad at them in advance. Because let’s be real, it’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when”.

What Presto doesn’t know is that when he destroys this one, he’s going back in his 72 from last year. He can just have a cold butt hanging out the back. That’s what he’ll deserve.

I feel like we should have some kind of death pool for the poor HUG sheet so it can go out with a bang. How long do you think it’ll last? How exactly will it die? Which baby idiot will kill it?

Stay tuned to find out…

Between Burghley, Fair Hill, and Pau, I feel like it’s been a particularly dramatic fall season for eventing. The sport is in the spotlight in a way it really hasn’t been before, and everything is on public display. Hopefully that will be for the overall good… time will tell. I am a fan of upper level sport, so I sure hope so. In the mean time, it’s led to a whole lot of chatter.

Anyway, we already talked about Burghley a little bit so I won’t go into all that again, but I’m interested in some discussion about Fair Hill and Pau.

The big thing at Fair Hill, of course, was the flag penalties. A new FEI rule for this year, riders can be assessed 15 penalties when:

“A Horse is considered to have missed a flag if the
Horse jumps the dimension of the obstacle and the majority of the Horse’s body
(as defined above) passes through the flags. This means that some part of the
body is not inside the flags (e.g. one shoulder, or one shoulder and part of one
hip).”

As may be a surprise to precisely no one, this rule has been super confusing in it’s actual application all year. There’s even a very lengthy explanation with pictures and a flow chart here. The first time we saw it used in the US was at Kentucky with Will Coleman and Tight Lines, which led to mass confusion and a lot of disagreement. A few days later the FEI released a clarification which included the following:

The Eventing Committee has agreed that the following considerations must be taken into account when judging the run-out /flag situation on Cross Country:

1.    The Fence Judge is responsible for taking a decision as to a penalty to be awarded to the combination

2.    Knocking down a flag will not entail an automatic penalty

3.    The Ground Jury will only review any specific requests for clarification made by a Fence Judge or an Athlete after the penalty has been awarded

4.    Video reviews should be done immediately by the TD and/or GJ if there is a doubt, not left until after the XC so scores can be published and updated during competition

5.    When reviewing a video, it must be easy to decide if the horse is inside the flags, if it is necessary to review several times, the decision should be made in favour of the rider.

6.    As always if there is a doubt give the benefit of the doubt to the competitor.

7.    15 penalties on Cross Country will maintain the MER on Cross Country

At Fair Hill 4 of these penalties were assessed, two of which went to horses that would otherwise have been first and second after cross country. Kind of a big deal.

I know that at least one of these was not put up in the scoring system until hours later, because I was watching the scores and saw it myself. I was surprised by this, considering the above FEI clarifications regarding the timing of the penalties. The real controversy though, came over whether or not the penalties were warranted, or if the guidelines were correctly followed. Doug posted footage on his facebook page that spurred a lot of discussion, as did Will Coleman. Neither of those are considered official video evidence, therefore can’t be taken into consideration, but… they do a good job of casting doubt on the 15 penalties.

To me they’re tough calls. Did the horses’ hips and shoulders pass between the flags? Were the penalties given in a timely manner? Was the benefit of the doubt given to the rider? I’ll be honest, I’ve seen a few instances where people have been much more deserving of 15 penalties at internationals this year and they were not assessed. So – is the rule being applied consistently and fairly across the board? The spirit of the rule is really meant to be addressing the intent of the horse – did they INTEND to jump the jump with their entire body, or did they try to evade and only get partway over – in which case are the penalties really being applied following the spirit of the rule?

Moving on to Pau…

I’ll be honest, I’m a bit incredulous over the fact that the biggest drama to come out of Pau is surrounding Jack Pinkney and his broken rein/eventual fall/reaction to said fall. For those that missed it, Jack’s rein broke (further back in the rubber part) around fence 10, and he managed to jump most of the course that way before having the rein pulled out of his hand at fence 27, resulting in his horse careening into, and trying to jump, a giant decorative wall. The horse bounced off it, Jack came off, and then he proceeded to throw his whip and air vest on the ground and appear to have a bit of a temper tantrum before his horse was caught and brought back to him.

Was it scary? You bet. Maybe, in retrospect, trying to jump a 5* course with a broken rein wasn’t the best idea. To be fair to Jack, as soon as the horse was brought back to him he immediately set to checking him out and offered no signs of anger toward the horse. He also immediately took himself to the stewards to own up to his mistake and issued a public apology admitting he was wrong. While he didn’t handle the situation well at the time, he was all class in the aftermath. I have to give him credit for that. Otherwise, I really only have 2 thoughts on this one:

1. Honestly, this is kind of what happens when we glorify things like people riding an entire course with broken equipment, be that a missing stirrup or a flapping breastplate or a broken bridle or whatever. It’s happened before, plenty of times, often becoming the stuff of legend. When it ends well, we talk about how amazing someone is and what a great job they did to get the job done despite the adversity. When it doesn’t end well, we vilify the person for making a dangerous, unsafe choice. Maybe we (the collective “we”) should pick a stance on this.
2. I’m relatively convinced that his horse read that wall as a brush fence or a bullfinch, with how he tried to jump it. He clears the bottom section of the wall but almost looks as if he’s expecting to brush through the top. Would make sense if he’s been out hunting. Either way, how honest is that guy, what a trier. Glad he’s ok.

Jack drama aside, to me the real issue at Pau (that I haven’t really seen anyone talking about) is what happened in the last water.

Three horses fell at this combination, completely unrelated to either fence. I saw at least two other horses stumble in the same spot where the other three fell, which was past the log but before the skinny, near the entrance to the water. Was there something going on with the footing here? Was it a lighting thing where horses weren’t reading the water? Was there something about those 3 rides in particular that led to the horses having trouble? I don’t know, but 3 falls and at least two other stumbles in the same location, one of which led to a broken shoulder that was ultimately that horse’s demise, raises red flags for me.

We can’t control broken tack, or how people react when things go wrong. But we can control courses, and footing, and design. Why are we not talking more about THIS part? What happened there? Was it just a freak thing that at least 5 horses had trouble in the exact same spot, or was there an identifiable reason? If so, what was it?

Let’s discuss!