Blog Hop: what did you GIVE for the holidays?

Published on by Amanda C15 Comments

Buying presents for people is one of my favorite things in the world, because

a) shopping for horse stuff (sorry non-horse people, you usually get gift cards or something easy, because I don’t understand your life) is fun

b) trying to find good deals is one of my favorite things

c) putting thought into finding the right thing makes me happy

d) my Mom always went crazy with the Christmas presents, so now I think the craziness is deeply rooted in me too

I also really love seeing what other people gave as gifts… it gives me ideas for next year (or birthdays), and sometimes I discover new businesses I haven’t seen yet. So on that note, what did you give as gifts this holiday season?

Significant Other – we’ll start with him since his are non horsey and therefore less fun. He got a new stereo, a fancy alarm clock, lots of weird Japanese graphic novels (thank you Amazon wishlists), a DVD collection of 50 classic horror movies, and random geeky and nerdy stocking stuffers (including my personal favorite – Star Wars light saber chopsticks).

the chopsticks are legit

My dad got a Yeti cup and some hard cider, and my brother and his family all got gift cards.

quite tasty

Bobby and I went halfsies on all the trainer gifts… we got Eventing Trainer a custom stall guard with her logo from Deco Pony and a Kastel shirt.

anchorstallguard

Dressage Trainer got a bottle of wine and some peppermint bark (because dressage people are sophisticated or something like that, I think?).

And we gave both trainers this card:

thankyoucard

Because let’s be honest.

Barnmates got custom ornaments from Hamer & Clay, which y’all already saw.

img_5053
Bobby’s dumb face

And the very lovely sweet woman who helps take care of the horses got a Noble Outfitters wine down hoofpick from Riding Warehouse and a bottle of wine.

The barn owner’s husband (aka our Handyman Deluxe) got Noble Outfitters socks and Noble Outfitters Hay Bucker work gloves from Riding Warehouse.

My friend/Sadie’s lessee Michelle got a custom browband from Dark Jewel Designs (because she rides a pony and it’s so hard to find pretty browbands in pony size!)…

xmas15michelle

plus a Kastel shirt, and a WEBSITE (FINALLY!) for her farm (mostly thanks to blog reader Marissa at Premier Equine Business Solutions)! Well… I paid for the hosting for 2 years anyway, after that Michelle is on her own.

WTFhomepage

As for the smaller 4-leggeds… Delia got a no-stuffing toy (which Stewie stole and ripped to shreds), Stewie got a rope ball, Quinn got a slow feed bowl, and all 3 of them got treats.

The big 4-legged got a bran mash, because food is all he cares about anyway.

And it was all SO FUN.

Post-Christmas sales

Published on by Amanda C18 Comments

If you’re looking for a way to burn that cash or those Visa gift cards you got for Christmas, a few of my favorites are having good sales!

Riding Warehouse (20% off automatically shows up when you add things to the cart)

Aztec Diamond Equestrian

PS of Sweden

Asmar Equestrian

Yes I’m sharing this because one of them already got me and I don’t want to be the only one. Who can say no to a $26 merino wool sweater? Not I.

Hamer & Clay wins Christmas

Published on by Amanda C25 Comments

I’ve talked about Hamer & Clay a lot on my blog. I first came across her ornaments last year and gave a lot of them (like 10) as Christmas presents. I forgot to order one for myself though, so when H&C opened up for orders this season, I made sure to get myself a Henry (and a couple for barnmates too). Of course, I also posted on here that orders were open, and you guys absolutely went nuts for these ornaments. Kelsey at H&C is one of my favorites, so many thanks to y’all for making this by far her busiest season.

When I got my package from H&C and very excitedly tore off the glittery ribbon to open the box, I think I squealed like a baby pig.


As usual, the details are just spot on. Look at his little beaded browband and Majyk Equipe boots! She even got the piping on the Ogilvy and my Roeckl gloves. Bonus points for glittery mane and tail and derpy overall impression.

The ones for my barnmates came out perfect as well… Sherri got a little ClayRheta

complete with C4 neckstrap and glittery mane/tail, of course. Because mares.

And then there’s Bobby. The ClayHalo I ordered? Nailed it. She even managed to make Bobby look just as dumb in clay as he does in real life. That’s true artistic talent.

Then there were the extra ornaments that I didn’t know about. Have I mentioned I love Kelsey? Because I do. These are perfection.

First, a magnet version of Halo with his AEC ribbons to celebrate his national championship win (yep, she makes magnets too).

Then I opened this little one and just about died laughing…

Yep that’s my trainer wearing Uni. Remember this photo?

It might be the best ornament I’ve ever seen.

But wait, there’s MORE! And was wrapped like this. Behold:

Ever seen wrapping that amazing before? Once I saw what was inside I understood that no other wrapping would have suited this beast.

That is without a doubt the most amazing, rainbowy, glittery, sparkly unicorn I have ever seen. LOVE doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings. It’s perfect.

Many eternal thanks Kelsey at Hamer & Clay for really going above and beyond. Not only are the ornaments I ordered just gorgeous, these extra AEC-related ones are now keepsakes that I will cherish forever. You win Christmas, my friend.

 

Majyk Equipe Gen 2 XC Boot Review

Published on by Amanda C8 Comments

Some of you may remember my original review of the Majyk Equipe XC boots that I did in the spring. I remain very happy with my ME boots, and my first set is still trucking along looking as good as new over a year after their original purchase. When ME contacted me asking if I’d be interested in trying out and reviewing their new Gen 2 version of the XC boots, I jumped at the chance. I’ve been very pleased with mine and wasn’t really sure what they could do to make them better, so I was definitely curious.


Straight out of the box I immediately saw a few differences between the new Gen 2’s (white) and my older Gen 1’s (black). The first most obvious thing is the logos – they used to be fabric and now they’re a rubbery/plastic. I’m definitely down for anything that is easier to clean. They’re also smaller and a little bit more conservative looking.

Gen 2 on the left, Gen 1 on the right

The second obvious thing was the design of the straps themselves. The Gen 2 boots have a little tab on the end of the velcro straps, making them MUCH easier to grab and pull off. This is awesome when you’re trying to untack a hot, prancy horse after XC, or on cold days when you’ve got gloves on. Very smart. Tip of the hat to you on that one, Majyk Equipe. I didn’t even realize I needed that feature until you gave it to me.

Old strap on the left, new strap with tab on the right

Once I started using them, I noticed that the strike plate on these felt a bit bigger and was easier to conform to the leg. The Gen 1’s require a bit of a squeeze so you can feel when the strike plate settles in the right place, but the Gen 2’s are more fool proof in application.

Old strike plate

MajykbootsGen1

New strike plate

A lot of the original features that I loved so dearly are still there – how super lightweight they are, how they dry so quickly, the tags under each tab that clearly mark left/right, and the durable yet very well perforated outer layer. I can still throw them in the washing machine to clean them (on the gentle cycle and then air dry, of course, which is great if you’re lazy and now own white boots). Majyk Equipe still pays close attention to technology, materials, and does research/testing on their products.

Gen 1 lining on the left, Gen 2 lining on the right. Definitely more and bigger perforations.

So what are the main differences between the Gen 1 and the Gen 2?

Upgrades to the Gen 2 boots:

  • 5 layer construction (for more durability). According to ME this provides 30% more impact protection without having a negative effect on flexibility.
  • eco friendly anti-fungal Gen II Hyperflex Foam lining
  • more extra large perforations to help keep the legs cool
  • stronger materials (including the fabric binding, which is now double stitched)
  • New strike plate design (4 way flex and covers a larger area)
  • improved strap design
you can see daylight through these new perforations!

I already thought that the original Gen 1 Majyk Equipe XC boots were the best on the market, and the Gen 2’s are even better. Especially when you consider that they retail at only $75 for the fronts and $82 for the hinds (not to mention that RW has free shipping over $50 and always has a coupon code floating around, which makes them even less).

A little hard to see, but double stitched binding on the Gen 2’s (left) vs single stitched binding on the Gen 1’s. The binding fabric also seems to be a thicker, tighter weave.

I’ve been using the new ones for a month now and find myself enamored with Majyk Equipe all over again. I even let the white ones get super muddy, sit in their own filth for a week, and then wash them. They came out sparkling and beautiful again, which gives me much hope for the longevity of the white.

Well done, Majyk Equipe. Well done.