Whew, what a week! Last week was jam-packed, in a good way, and we even got some rain in the middle of what is Florida’s dry season. Bonus.

Last Monday Argo had his first chiropractic appointment with our favorite sporthorse vet. She’s the same one that saw him week one for his gastric scope and she said she thought he’d gained a little bit of weight since then. I’m not sure I see it yet (he wasn’t particularly underweight to start with) but I’ll take it. I had a feeling the chiro would be very needed, given how tight he is, and I was correct. I’m not sure how much he enjoyed the appointment – he kind of just stood there with no comment – but the difference in the range of motion through his neck and body was immediate. He’s much less stuck in his front half now for sure. The notes for all his adjustments this time were “Left neck C3-C6BL. Right neck C3BR. APR. T14-T18 P, PL. LPI”. So ya know… basically all of him.

We were going to go for a hack afterward and I took a few minutes beforehand to trot and canter him to see how he felt. Definitely better. He for sure had increased range of motion through his body, and more suppleness from left to right. I think he’s still got a ways to go (and prob needs some massage to accompany the chiro) but it seems like we’re on the right track.

On Tuesday morning we went on a XC field trip to Majestic Oaks. I took Presto, Hillary took Freya, and Kathleen took Henry for a spin. He was delighted to snack on her offering of pastries (Honey Buns) and add a new fan to his club. She rode him great and he had a superb time bebopping around.

On the Tuesday trip I just hacked Presto and he hung out with Freya, who was a little excited to be there on a cool day. We went back to Majestic on Thursday with our friend Emily, and that time Hillary rode Henry. I popped Presto over a few things, mostly the ditches. He did the half coffin and then I turned around and went through the Modified route, which was ditch, 2 strides, bending line 5 strides to a corner. He was excellent and feels really good. Fingers crossed we can get back to lessons this week maybe.

The rest of the week I flatted Presto and just kind of played around with Argo. At this point we’re still learning each other, and I want to spend enough time with him so that he knows I’m his person and he’s safe with me and I’m the leader. We did some groundwork one day, he did some lunging another day to work on his voice commands (which are pretty darn super now, he’s a fast learner) but mostly we just… hung out. I groomed him, we meandered around the riding field handgrazing, and we walked around the property just investigating things. He walked over a tarp and through a puddle, and spent some time napping with his nose smooshed into my head. It’s important for me to feel like I have a good bond with my horses and that at the end of the day, we’re friends, so that’s what we’re doing – making friends. I think it’s time well spent.

On Friday Presto and I headed over to Steph’s to partake in a Smartpak photo shoot that was happening at her farm. Not gonna lie, I was dreading it. I do not like having my picture taken at all, despite having done a few stock photography sports modeling gigs in the past for running and cycling. I let myself be pressured into participating and strongly debated having an urgent illness instead. Alas, I did it, and it wasn’t that bad. I actually kind of liked the first shoot, which was mounted. We just walked back and forth from different angles for like 30 minutes. The second shoot I did not love, mostly because the pants for that outfit were about to crush the bottom of my ribcage. At least I had Presto with me for both, and he also got used in one more set of shots as well. The boy is gonna be Smartpak famous in the spring!

I can’t really share pics from the shoot yet since it’s unreleased items and new colorways, but here’s a pic of Presto between shoots getting a change of outfit.

Despite his face he actually LOVED this gig, he was an absolute ham for the camera and seemed to relish being the center of attention. A total shock, I know. Everyone was very nice and props to Smartpak for using some “real rider” models rather than just the standard professional models. And we got some gift cards and swag items, so ya know… bonus. After the shoot Presto and I went for a hack with Holly and Nacho where Presto strongly debated trying to eat Holly and/or Nacho but did not succeed. All around good day.

On Sunday I swung aboard Argo again (ride number 7, although two of his rides so far have just been hacks) and he was his super good self as usual. I think the groundwork and stretches, along with just time and settling in, are definitely helping, he feels better and better every ride. He had some really lovely moments coming down into my hand and carrying himself forward and light.

He’s not strong enough yet to hold it for very long but he sure is trying, so he gets a big shiny gold star. We walk/trot/cantered both ways (he got both leads first try) AND – he jumped!

First we trotted a pile of poles on the ground, then half a crossrail, then a full crossrail. After the second hop over the crossrail he landed in a nice canter so I just let him keep carrying it around and popped over the crossrail again, and he was really good. We ended with that and he got many cookies. I still haven’t quite figured out what his forte might be yet (we’re still solidly in the “discovery” phase)… part of me is leaning toward trying to aim him for the field hunter division for RRP, but it’s still too early to tell. I know he’s quiet and simple and has a super rhythmical and lovely canter, so we’ll see where that takes him.

As of today Argo has been here for 3 weeks! Tomorrow our favorite massage person is coming out to continue with Argo’s post-track care plan… I’m excited to see how that goes for him. It’s also Black Friday week, and yes I’ll have a list of sales up this year as well – probably with the first round posted on Wednesday!

Patreon folks, today is the last day to sign up for our group Secret Santa if you want to participate, and you have Argo’s week 2 vlog on your dashboard!

It’s possible that I got way too carried away using Bing’s AI image creator thingy. But like… tell me these aren’t absolute masterpieces.

or, alternatively for Argo, because I couldn’t decide if he should channel his CIA roots or his Greek ship roots…

Argo has been here for two weeks as of today! Time flies. Last week he celebrated his Happy One Week by getting something very exciting – his first set of sporthorse shoes.

His feet were lookin ROUGH when he got here. The hind shoes had already fallen off, one front shoe fell off 12 hours after he got here (he came off the trailer with a flip-flop. Luckily I was able to at least get it tacked back on the same day.) and his toes totally grown over the edges of his shoes. My farrier is exceptional though, and I was excited to start working on fixing the angles on Argo’s feet.

I’m still learning about Argo so I opted to hold him rather than put him in the crossties, but that definitely wasn’t necessary. Argo literally never moved. Not even when his feet started to smoke as his hot shoes were fitted to his feet. It’s pretty rare that we’d go ahead and hot-shoe one it’s first time being done off the track, but Argo was being so dang quiet we decided to try. And well… he didn’t care. Exceptional boy.

The before and after is just *chef’s kiss*. We’ve still got a little ways to go, but for one shoeing the difference is exceptional. No more aluminum racing plates – now he’s got some wide web steel shoes! He’s entering his SportyBoi era.

Presto also got a shoe put back on his naughty foot, and knock on wood, so far so good. The bruise seems to have resolved and there was never a sign of it wanting to abscess. I’m taking it slow getting him legged back up just to make sure, especially because this is our dry season and the ground is hard at the moment, but he’s felt really exceptionally good so far.

He has been an absolute pest though, and gets very offended if I do anything with Argo before I get him out. Like full blown tantrum. Banging his feet against his gate, throwing his ball up in the air or over the fence, tossing his feed tub around. It goes on for at least half the time I have Argo out. Maybe he should have considered his actions more thoroughly when he ran around like an idiot and hurt his foot and fucked the whole season.

I’ve done a couple more rides on Argo. We can’t do much before December 1 to retain his RRP eligibility (you can’t have more than 15 rides), so we’ve mostly just been doing some groundwork and lunging and stretching his body a lot on the ground. I did another ride at home though, in the field, and cantered him for the first time. He was – you’ll be shocked to hear – super good. That day I finished the ride by hacking him out down the road around the farm, and when we passed Presto, he tried his absolute hardest to rile Argo. Running up and down the fence, bucking, rearing, tossing his ball up in the air. It was a scene. Argo just looked at him like “so he’s the village idiot, huh?”. Totally non-plussed and zero percent interested in engaging in the shenanigans. Presto was furious.

The other Argo ride (for anyone counting, he’s 5 rides in now) was his first field trip. Lex was getting a trainer ride and I thought it would be the first little haul out for Argo to tag along. It’s just 5 minutes away, and her farm is busy but not like showgrounds busy. I tacked him up but planned to just let him hang out in the riding field if he was nervous (which I expected him to be). I brought my helmet and bridle but had no expectations of getting on. And, well…

He was curious and alert about everything, but not worried. I got on and let him just chill and hang out while Lex jumped (Argo was like what in the hell is he doing and why?) and then walked him over some cavaletti. I probably could have just flatted him some but I wanted it to be a very easy and chill experience, so we just stuck to walking and standing. Super well-behaved orange.

Also big bonus points for the fact that he loads and hauls like an actual champion. So easy. 5 stars.

I had started body clipping Argo during the week (it was in the upper 80’s here and he was HOT) but didn’t have time to finish it. Yesterday was finally the day – I decided to just rip off the bandaid by finishing Argo and clipping Presto in the same morning. What a joy. Just loved it. (heavy sarcasm)

But true to Argo form he was a super good boy and didn’t move a muscle the whole time. At the end I needed a bit better light/angle to do touch-ups and finish his head, so I just unclipped him from the crossties, turned him into the light, and left him standing there untied. Even clipped his ears like that… absolutely no problem. The only time he moved at all was to play with a saddle pad.

The Argo experience is definitely different from the Presto one. Presto was not still. He’s not naughty, but he just wants to either play with the clippers or have you constantly clip over his itchy spots, so he’s a constant wiggler. The only part he stands still for is his ears, and I’m convinced it’s because the vibration to his brain finally occupies it enough.

Now both boys are looking sleek and shiny and won’t be dying of sweat anymore at least! My arms are tired today, and my back is like “why tho”, but ya know… at least I’m done clipping for maybe a month or so…

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review, especially one of a bridle. But man… I love bridles. A statement proven by the fact that I have *mumbles an incoherent number* of them hanging in the tack room. The correct number of bridles is always One More.

And I’m particularly excited to show y’all this one, because it’s a 1) a newer, boutique brand 2) a small business 3) woman-owned 4) the owner is awesome. Extra special bonus that the bridle is actually stunning and at a reasonable price point.

The brand is called Black Diamond Designs (website and facebook), based in Chester County, PA. The owner, Amy, is an equestrian herself, and has been making her own specialized and custom tack as well as sidesaddle habits for quite a while. She is an avid sidesaddle rider, foxhunter, and horse show participant. Having seen Amy develop her business over the years, I know that she’s put a lot of thought, energy, and effort into getting everything just right, and her first big line of bridles is no exception. She is a stickler for details, and it shows.

As you can see, I’ve got the hunter bridle, specifically the Wide Noseband Show Hunter Bridle. It’s raised and fancy stitched, with padding on the noseband and browband. It’s also got a really lovely wide monocrown that’s well-padded for the horse’s comfort. Mine is in the new darker “havana” color, so it comes as a rich chocolate brown. These bridles are made of Sedgewick leather, which is very sturdy, hardy, and long-lasting. It takes a little longer to break in than French leather, but it’ll last forever.

The noseband is 1 1/4″ inches, which I think is flattering to the vast majority of heads. As a bit of a bridle snob, one of the first things I do when getting a new bridle is inspect the stitching… is it tight, even, and straight? That can tell you a lot about the quality of the manufacturing process, and there wasn’t a flaw to be found in the stitching of the Black Diamond Designs bridle.

And the fit on Argo – chef’s kiss. Perfection. As someone who also makes custom tack, Amy is always very focused on getting the best possible fit. You can tell, because she’s really nailed the measurements on this bridle. It always drives me nuts when the cheekpieces or the noseband are wildly out of proportion with the rest of the bridle (ahem… France…) but there’s definitely no such problem with this one.

You can opt to get the bridle with matching reins, too… these are laced like a traditional hunter rein but have rubber lining on the inside for extra grip, which is brilliant. She said those are her most popular, best-selling item, and I can see why!

The price point is really impressive to me for a bridle of this quality, at only $150 for the bridle alone or $235 for the bridle and the matching reins. There aren’t many well-made bridles available in that price range anymore!

Amy also works one-on-one with her customers to ensure that they end up with the right design and size, and has tons of measurements available – you don’t get customer service like that very often!

In addition to the wide noseband hunter bridle she also has flat hunt bridles (man I love that classic look) and one with a really cool diamond-shaped noseband, for those that are looking for something a little different.

Basically – if you’re in the market for a nice new bridle in a reasonable price range and want to feel good about the business you’re supporting, definitely take a look at what Black Diamond Designs has to offer! Two big thumbs up.

Argo has officially been here a week, and we’ve already ticked a few boxes. First and foremost, he got scoped for ulcers.

IMO ulcer treatment is one of those “to be expected” things when getting a horse off the track, and in the old days I probably would have just thrown some Ulcergard at it and not bothered with a scope. However, over the years I’ve learned that not all ulcers are created equal. The size, location, and severity all matter, and all of those factors can change the treatment, the duration, and the required medications. It’s worth taking a look to see what you’re actually dealing with rather than just guessing, throwing money at something, and not having it work.

So, after fasting overnight (I felt so bad, poor guy thought he was starving to death) we went spelunking. And really, we found very little of note. For a horse fresh off the track, his stomach looks quite good actually. A few small grade ones, but nothing glandular, his pylorus looked lovely, and his gastric emptying was good. The vet recommended half a tube of Ulcergard for a couple weeks, which was convenient because I happen to have recently re-upped my Ulcergard supply so I didn’t have to buy any other meds. I just knew that since I had Ulcergard already he’d have something pyloric and require Sucralfate/Miso that would cost me $$$ but thank goodness he didn’t. Way to cooperate, Argo! Just a few little grade one’s definitely feels like a win.

Presto has continued to look sound in his boot, no sign of abscess brewing. I’ve hacked him a few times because he’s getting hella bored (which is real bad for his general aura) and he’s graduated to paddock turnout. We’re gonna see today if he hoof-tests good enough to put a shoe back on that foot and start resuming more normal activities. I hope so, he’s becoming a major pest. Ok, even more of a major pest than normal. He’s also gained an absurd amount of weight in the past couple weeks. Like… he blew up. There are fat pads above his tail and very little definition in his flanks. I even cut his food in half! Gonna be super getting him back into shape (to be specific, a shape that is not a sphere).

It seems very on-brand for him if he managed to time this lameness juuuuuust perfectly to miss precisely all of the fall recognized shows, the last two of which are the next two weekends. Like, honestly, well done Presto. It’s like he has a calendar.

Argo also did a little ground work last week, moving his feet and working on voice commands, respecting my space, lunging both directions, etc. He says going to the right is confusing AF. He’s exceptional at standing still though. 10/10.

After a couple days of groundwork I decided it was time to get on. He’s a quick study and I didn’t want him getting bored, and he seemed like he wanted something to do. I don’t think he’s done much since his last official work on 10/9.

Bless him though, I just climbed aboard and went out to the field. He’s not the type that needs to move his feet first or wind down or take much time to settle in, so… why not. I tacked him up, went to the mounting block, swung aboard, and away we went.

He was a little confused at first about this weirdest AF track he’s ever seen “like… where do we run tho?” but he was really really super for his first ride. His head was on a swivel, looking around at everything, but not in a spooky way. He’s just curious and taking it in. I had to kick him a bit to get him going, and it became apparent pretty quickly that one of our first tasks would be working on steering from the seat and leg. Which… in true Argo form, he started to get it pretty quickly.

We trotted both ways for a while, made lots of circles, stopped and stood and watched his friends, and that was it. First ride in the books! He is a more whoa than go kind of guy, so we’re gonna work on the go button a little bit, but I was quite happy with how smart he is and how quickly he understood things. I think he’s gonna be a good one!

Right now he’s wearing one of Presto’s old Halter Ego bridles – that fits him great – and Henry’s old dressage bit. He’s sort of in between the fits of Henry and Presto’s saddles… the Arion fits him great in the shoulder and width but bridges slightly. The Devoucoux panel shape is better but it’s too tight in the tree. Luckily between Hillary and I we have about 900 million pad options, and her Winderen half pad with middle shims to fill in the bridging area seems to be the key to making the Arion work. He fits in the same girth as Henry and Presto and is wearing my Lady Godiva breastplate, so… right now, no new tack required.

However, I did acquire some new tack. To be fair, it was so cheap it was like theft.

One of the local non-profits was having a big fundraising sale at a feed store down the road on Saturday. From the pics it didn’t look like there was anything promising, but… ya know… worth the 10 minute drive to check it out. And man, after some digging it felt like winning the lottery! For a grand total of $18 I got:

• a brand new Adidas lightweight jacket
• A Success Equestrian jump pad which looks like it’s been used maybe a few times MAX (those things are $140 alone)
• a Nunn Finer bridge breastplate
• two pairs of the nice gummy pull-on bell boots
• two books
• a cool mane comb/clip combo
• a mane razor
• a Christmas bonnet for Henry to wear at the POP show next month

I have never been so psyched about deals. Mega-score!

Today we’ve got our farrier appointment to get Argo some new Nike’s (no more racing plates) and fingers crossed Presto’s foot is healed enough to put a shoe back on so he doesn’t tear this farm apart from rage-boredom. Then Argo will get some bodywork as we work our way down the list of aftercare stuff to get him settled into his new sporthorse life!