Yep, more mini-reviews. It’s the only way to fit everything in without doing a review every day for a month. Just go with it.
Back on Track
I was a hold out on the Back on Track voodoo for a long time. It’s pricey, and I wasn’t blown away by the science enough to shell out that kind of dough. Then last fall we found some arthritis and remodeling in Henry’s hind ankles, so I figured “what the heck” and asked the SO for a pair of the Quick Wraps for Christmas.
Trying it out
I used those a few times and thought I noticed some difference (windpuffs were smaller, and he seemed a little more limber from the beginning of the ride) so when the Mesh Sheet showed up on TackDealz one day for $145, I couldn’t pass it up.
I started putting the sheet on before lessons, or in the trailer on the way to shows. Can’t be 100% certain that it did anything, but again he seemed more limber through his back and his hind end when he had worn it vs when he hadn’t.
Then I found myself needing a new dressage pad, and when Riding Warehouse had their Back on Track sale (I’m sensing a theme here) I decided to bite the bullet. I’ve only used the pad a few times, but Henry was good each time. Coincidence, yeah maybe. Tough to say.
Sadly, it doesn’t make me ride better
All three products are really nicely constructed with good materials. I won’t let Henry wear the sheet unsupervised, just because I really don’t want him to destroy it, but it fits him well. I’m still not unequivocally sold on the idea of Back on Track being magical, but I’ve seen enough to believe that it can definitely help. If you get a good deal or come across a sale, or if you have an arthritic horse or one with a tight back, their stuff is definitely worth trying.
Ice Horse tendon wraps
I honestly had a hard time coming up with a lot to say about these. I feel very “meh”. Don’t love them, don’t hate them.
fronts are Ice Horse, rears are Finn Tack (haven’t used those enough to review them yet)
I only paid $35 for the pair, secondhand. I don’t love the design in general, I think the little strap meant to hold the ice packs in place is a pretty goofy. Also the gel in the ice packs tends to settle toward the bottom of the leg as it warms up, so there isn’t even coverage of the tendon.
No gel pack ice boot will ever be as good as ones that use real ice. Those are quite impractical for me though, so being able to toss these in the freezer or ice chest then pull them out and put them directly on the horse definitely has it’s advantages. They’re convenient.
Either SO has not noticed this yet, or he noticed and chose not to protest. Either way, yes we have an ice boots shelf in our freezer.
I use them after hard gallops or XC schools and they seem sufficient enough for that. If my horse was doing harder gallops or higher level fences, I would want the cooling power of real ice. Overall, for what I paid I’m satisfied with them. If I’d paid the $100 retail price I probably wouldn’t be super thrilled.
Camelot contact anatomic girth
It’s much easier to come up with my feelings about this thing: it’s legit heinous.
normal girth on the left, Camelot on the right
The leather finish is pretty bad, it looks like it was dipped in colored plastic. The “leather” over the padding on the inside has the same yucky plastic look, except it looks thin and wrinkled and sad. Edges are cut unevenly and the stitching is crooked in spots. The color, which they call Oakbark, is kind of a sickly grayish brown and there’s no way that will change short of a deglaze and a re-dye. Honestly, I’m not even sure that would work.
I’m going to assume the person that cut this piece of leather did so with their teeth
To it’s credit, the elastic is thick and sturdy, the anatomic shape is good, it has 3 dee rings that are nylon reinforced, and it has roller buckles. Technically it has all the things a girth should have. So… yay?
yay elastic?
Functionally it’s fine, if you can get past how it looks and feels and how questionable the workmanship is. I used it once and just couldn’t do it. It’s cheap, in every sense of the word. But good news – I have a 54″ I’ll sell you for $40.
Traveling for horse shows is not a new thing for me. Growing up doing h/j shows, and now eventing, in a place where the closest shows are 2-4 hours… traveling becomes normal. Week-long h/j shows, those are pretty simple. Lots of supplies but not much tack and equipment. Weekend-long events, also pretty simple. Lots of tack and equipment, not a lot of supplies. But two weeks of eventing and 4 solid days of travel for Coconino? Sweet Jesus, the amount of crap we need is overwhelming. Add the complication that we have to fit it all into a 2 horse Brenderup and my regular size truck… I’m still not really sure how that’s going to work.
Like this. It’s going to work like this.
I’ve been keeping (and regularly adding to) a list of all the things we need to take with us. Priority one is hay, because in Arizona you can’t get the type of hay our horses eat, and I’m not changing their hay on a long trip like that. So, we shall load up the truck bed and stack that shit sky high.
seems reasonable
Aside from just figuring out what to pack and how, we have a lot of other stuff to get ready too. The truck and trailer need to get serviced and checked out before their 2,000+ mile round trip journey. We need health certificates to cross state lines and booster vax for our USEF paperwork. Our layover and pit stop destinations had to be checked out and planned (done!). The horses need to start on electrolytes and an immune booster, because Bobby and I are both paranoid and it’ll be hot. I already located a feed store in Flagstaff where we can buy Triple Crown in case we don’t have room to take enough with us, plus a laundromat to wash clothes in between weeks, a place where we can shower if our Plan A doesn’t pan out, and the closest grocery store and Walmart to the show grounds. I’ve stalked the hell out of Flagstaff via Google Maps.
Aside from all that logistical crap, we also have new tests to learn (Training B for Bobby, the N3D test for me. By the way we both hate our new tests. There will be much whining on the way to Arizona.) and extra stuff to acquire. I was down to just one pair of white breeches so I got two more (the really nice Winstons for when I want to look legit and a cheap, fun pair for when I need my butt to be inspirational)
Only Europeans would put quotes on the butt of their breeches.
plus I had to get jog outfits. I’ve figured out that jog outfits, which I was originally excited about, sound much more fun in theory than they are in execution. I still haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to wear but I have several options, so that’s what matters. I’ll figure out the rest later. I also got my awesome new custom belt from Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks in my colors that I’m more than a little obsessed with.
And – my Winston coat that I ordered a couple months ago has arrived from Belgium! I can’t wait to have it in my hands.
I didn’t really like using Henry’s navy and yellow bonnet for dressage (nothing says LOOK AT ME BEING UNSTEADY IN THE CONTACT like a bright yellow line across a horse’s forehead) but Henry is too fussy about his precious ears to go bonnetless at a summer show, so I got a monotone one – navy with navy beads – from If The Bonnet Fits. A little bit of sparkle but mostly very subdued, for a more elegant dressage look.
I also got an awesome box of stuff from Riding Warehouse with poultice, hoof pack, some Licky Things, a jacket, and some ice boots, PLUS a box of stuff from Teddy’s Tack Trunk with liniment, more of my favorite fungus spray, a couple more brushes, etc. I needed all of these things for our trip, so now I think we’re fully stocked on pretty much everything but fly spray.
The last thing I really wanted before we embarked on our journey was a custom helmet cover for my skull cap but I’m out of budget money for non-essentials now, so that won’t be happening. Gotta just suffer through with the plain navy one that doesn’t have a stitch of yellow on it. Sad story, I know.
I still have a few more odds and ends to pick up for Henry (Red Cell paste, Flair strips, etc), but otherwise I think we’re all set. Now if anyone needs me I’ll be playing a really fun game of How The Hell Do We Fit All This Crap In Our Tiny Amount of Space. Because I really don’t know. Anyone want to volunteer to rent and drive a U-Haul?
I think most of us have probably had THAT boyfriend or family member. You know, the one who insists they want to come see you horse show, but spends the whole time complaining. They’re hot, they’re cold, they’re bored, you aren’t paying enough attention to them, it smells, it’s dusty, they’re hungry, when are you going to be finished? After one or two shows of babysitting THAT person, you never want anyone you love to come watch you compete ever again.
I’ve had one of those. I’m not sure that I’ve ever wanted to murder someone more than I did that particular week, and the scars are forever on my psyche. Now when someone says they want to come watch me show, my immediate reaction is something like this:
It doesn’t matter how much you love someone or how great of a person you think they are, you just never know what they’re going to be like at a horse show. Let’s be clear – I show for myself. It’s fun for me, I have my own little social scene, and I don’t have to worry about anyone else or what they want/need. It’s a nice, albeit expensive, reprieve from the responsibilities of my “real life”. So if you march up in there and need to be babysat or ruin my otherwise good time with your whining and neediness, I just can’t do it. I’d rather you support me from afar with a few facebook likes and a really nice present on my birthday (hey, a girl can dream).
When my dad, uncle, and grandma said they wanted to come to Holly Hill, my first thought was “Oh god”. Nothing against them at all, that’s just my knee jerk reaction to anyone wanting to come to a show. My uncle is a character, he’s entertaining but you never quite know what he’s going to do. I was worried about the mud and substantial amount of walking for my grandma. My dad… he’s the most patient, sensible person I’ve ever known, so I had hope for him. Still, there was trepidation. That’s a lot of people.
My dad on the course walk
Turns out, though.. they were model citizens. By far the best “horse show spectators” I’ve ever had show up to watch me compete. They would arrive right around the time I was getting on (standing far enough back to not be in the way, but close enough to hand me things I needed), bringing food and drinks with them. That’s really nice, because I don’t ever remember to eat or drink appropriately at shows. Then they found their way down to wherever I was riding, stayed well out of anyone’s way, stayed quiet, and met me back at the stalls when we were done.
They even took pictures
They didn’t need to chat a lot, and they didn’t complain. Even when they accompanied me on the course walk they didn’t whine about the rapid pace, the crazy humidity, or the constant rambling to myself. And then, after I was done riding, they left! They didn’t want me to entertain them, they didn’t complain about the fact that I couldn’t come spend time doing other stuff with them. They just smiled, said good job, and went on their way. That right there is how it’s done. Best horse show spectators EVER.
My uncle listening to me strategize. He never said a word, just gave me the “you crazy” look with one raised eyebrow. I’m ok with that.
I see a lot of bloggers who have boyfriends or parents tagging along with them to horse shows though… how does that work for y’all? Are they all just really well-behaved or are you somehow able to keep zen long enough to not kill them?
Opening date for Coconino! Well technically the 3Day opened last Tuesday, but I was waiting for week 1 to open so I could send both entries together. Now we begin the really fun period between Opening Date and the show itself where every lump, bump, cut, scratch, and bite are legitimate reasons to panic. Still waiting for someone to invent a bubble wrap horse suit.
All kidding (and neuroses) aside, I’m pretty excited. Granted, it’s been raining a ton, our riding and turnout schedules have been all over the map, and there are more monsoons on the way, BUT we’ll be ready. We’ve been planning this for months and it feels like we’re finally in the home stretch. Most of the planning so far has been fun but now that we’re only 6 weeks out from departure, the more there is to do, so it’s starting to feel like crunch time. Making a 16 hour drive each way to spend two weeks eventing is no small task and there seems to be no end to the list of things we need to buy or do or remember to pack. That’s a whole ‘nother post in and of itself though. Maybe tomorrow.
feeling a little bit like this when I look at my To Do list
But today – today is kinda fun. I’ve wanted to do a 3Day for basically ever, so this will be a cool thing to check off my bucket list. And filling out the entry for Henry’s first Training was a little bit of a milestone moment. I’m 5% sad that I won’t be the one in the irons, just for sentimental reasons, but I’m 100% sure that having a pro up there is going to be the best thing for him. He’s ready, and I’m feeling really confident that he’ll do great and learn a lot. Plus it’ll be fun to just play Owner for once – all of the fun, none of the pressure!
So there go all those pieces of paper (seriously, so many) and all the checks and all my money. Yay, I’m poor again. But if the secret to happiness is spending money on experiences, not things, July should be a pretty damn happy month.
breedrideevent.com 