I have to admit, one of the cons (in my mind) of bringing Presto home is that I wasn’t sure I’d have much time to do anything with him. Sometimes doing stuff with babies on the ground can turn into a big time and attention suck, and I was worried it might take some of my focus off of Henry.

Turns out though that I have a greater capacity for focus than I thought, because now I’m just super obsessed with both of them. I absolutely love working with Presto every day, even if it’s something as simple as a quick grooming session. I think part of it is that every day I can see how much more educated he’s getting, how much more he’s bonding with me, and how much more self-confidence he’s gaining. At this age, and with these types of tasks, it’s a pretty slow but steady increase. That’s always fun. He also seems to really thrive off of having something to do, and having expectations to meet.

I don’t find his baby moments to be frustrating or annoying, I see them as teaching opportunities. If we can iron that stuff out now, all the better. And every time he has a baby moment, and I correct him and show him what I want, he grows a little bit more mentally. He clearly sees me as his leader now, and he seems pretty content in my company. Also adorable that he keeps coming up to me when I go to get him every day. Not gonna lie, it’s cute. Especially because I know that at some point the Arrogant Phase will come upon us and he will start testing his boundaries more. For now though, this stage where the growth is evident day after day, is really rewarding.

Really, the ultimate goal is to build the horse that I want for myself for the future. A confident one with a good work ethic that’s happy in his work and trusts me. Every single thing we do is laying the ground work for that, brick by brick.

Being able to pony him off of Henry (and use Henry as a “demo horse” to introduce things that Presto has been a bit unsure about, like fly spray and baths) has been really awesome. Yesterday we did our 3rd ponying session, our second one outside of the ring. This time we covered pretty much the entire property – both of the big hay fields, the corn field, and walked around the front of the barns up by the owner’s house. We walked through brush, up and down hills, through some deep sand, in between rows of tall corn stalks, over a natural ditch, near the road, and even paused to walk over a piece of a plywood a few times.

Aside from the fact that I love being able to expose him to this stuff at an early age, I feel like the physical conditioning is important too. His pasture is not super big, it’s pretty much totally flat, and he is not very active on his own. Event horses don’t get to spend their lives on perfectly groomed footing (especially not one of mine) so I want to make sure that his bones and tendons get a little bit of easy conditioning while he’s still growing. It’ll make him a stronger horse later on. We did do a couple one minute spurts of trotting yesterday too, including one go up the big hill and through some tall grass. We won’t do this more than once or twice a week, but I really love that we have the opportunity. I didn’t have the right situation to be able to do any of this when Sadie was this age.

The ponying has also seemed to make his tying skills pretty darn solid. He learned on day 1 that resistance was futile, and he was going to end up following the pressure whether he wanted to or not. He doesn’t even question it now. Glad we learned that lesson while he’s still small.

The ponying is also getting him used to having me above him, directing him, patting him, and giving verbal cues. We’ve mastered the cluck, and are about 60% there on the “whoa”. Sometimes he’s not as keen on that part. Yesterday he also got a lesson in learning to move away from leg pressure when he tried to lay his body a little too much into Henry’s sides. I reached out with my leg and moved his body back over into his own space.

Henry continues to reprimand him with pinned ears or a snaking head when appropriate, but he’s remained super rock solid in his ability to put up with nonsense, and he seems to understand that this is a baby. I got really lucky on that one.

On the other days when we’re not ponying, we work on crosstie manners, grooming, farrier-related stuff, bathing, loading, tying, or in-hand work. The sessions stay short, and we alternate what we work on. Turns out there’s plenty to do with a yearling.

The most fun part, though, is how much I’m starting to understand his personality, and how much he’s starting to come out of his shell. He was so reserved and guarded at first, but now I’m starting to get some interaction and see what he’s really like. We’re starting to understand each other and speak the same language. No matter how many horses I’ve had or how many times I’ve done this, building the relationship with the horse is always the most fun part for me.

Tomorrow is Presto’s big ChopChop appointment – he’s getting gelded – so cross all your crossables and offer a few firstborn children to the Horse Gods that everything goes okay. I’m extremely nervous, because I’m just nervous about anything even remotely medical with this horse. Surgery… EEK. Hopefully it’ll all be fine.

So, funny story about Sadie’s filly, Madeline.

In that, well… it’s not. Because it’s a colt.

Poor Michelle. She’s never living this one down. I’ll make sure of it.

After everything that happened last year with Presto, anxiety was high this time around. I think she was so focused on getting and keeping a healthy foal that she never went back to verify her first cursory glance at the plumbing. And, in her defense, he IS a very pretty colt.

So imagine her surprise when she finally happened to catch him peeing, and well… there was a ween. Hence how Maddy is now Manny.

The new registered name options kept flowing all weekend, with such favorites as:

Misleading WTW

Misinterpreted WTW

Miss-ter WTW

Misconception WTW

Madeyalook WTW

Mansplained WTW

Mistaken Identity WTW

Masquerade WTW

Misunderstood WTW

I have to be honest, she told me this on Friday and I’m STILL having random hysterical fits of laughter. To the point where I’m crying and can’t breathe. Like I laughed so much that first day, my abs hurt all weekend.

Again, poor Michelle. She wanted a filly so badly so that she could keep it. But I can guarantee that from now on she’ll not only check, double check, and triple check under the tail for the number of holes, she’ll be on definite lookout for dangly bits. It’s a good thing that she has such a good sense of humor about everything and can laugh at herself too, cuz I’m sure as hell laughing.

This does change the results of the baby bets contest though. The winner never actually contacted me to claim her prize, so I went back and re-calculated things and this bumped the runner-up into the winner’s spot. That works out.

And of course this makes Sadie 3 for 3 on colts, and means Presto has a little brother. So, uh, welcome Manny!

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.