It’s a bit earlier than I normally start this, but the sales this year have been starting earlier too. Welcome to everyone’s favorite online shopping time of year!

Here we go with the usual spiel: some of these sales are already active, others won’t be live until later in the week. I’ve included date info where I can, but if you’re not seeing the sale yet, just try their page again later. What I’m publishing today (Tuesday) is very much just the tip of the iceberg – I’m tracking dozens of different sales that will be releasing their info later in the week. Keep checking back here, new ones will be posted AT THE BOTTOM BY DATE ADDED so they don’t get lost in the mix. Happy Shopping! Buy me something pretty.

Riding Warehouse – sale starting 11/25 up to 30% off – build your cart now so it’s ready to go on Friday!

Ride iQ – 30% off either the monthly or annual membership (applies to the first payment – this takes $74 off the annual membership!) with code TGIF30 through 11/28. If you’re looking for a great gift for someone, this is my 5-star pick! I can’t even tell you how life-changing this app is.

Higher Standards Leather Care – EXCLUSIVE to this list, get 20% off through Cyber Monday with code Unicorn2022.

Halter Ego – up to 40% off sitewide (including 30% off Pikeur)

Arion HST – 40% off various accessories starting 11/23

Trafalgar Square Books – 20% off sitewide and free shipping from Black Friday through Cyber Monday

Horse and Herd – pre-Black Friday sale with 25% off storewide through 11/22

Spot on Braiding Wax – starting 11/24 get 15% off with code Gobble22 starting 11/25

Remarkable Leather Goods – 15% off sitewide 11/25-11/28

USEventing – 15% off apparel and free shipping on orders over $50 through 11/28 with code BLACKFRI15

Pivo – up to 50% off sitewide

Cambox – up to $50 off helmet cameras plus discounted bundles. Use code BRE5 for an additional 5% off!

Euphoric Equestrian – 25% off sitewide

Pinsnickety – 20% off storewide with code JUMPOFF from 11/25-11/28, with free shipping on orders over $80.

Free Ride Equestrian – Pre-BF 15% off site wide and various daily specials

Maya Delorez – up to 30% off sitewide

Pomme – 30% off breeches during black week

Pony-O Horsewear – up to 80% off from 11/25-11/28

Dancing Equestrian – 20% off orders $100+, 30% off orders $200+, 40% off orders $300+ through 11/30

Equisite – up to 50% off select items

Tredstep – up to 50% off starting 11/24

Equus Now – up to 80% off pre-Black Friday sale items, additional discounts coming later in the week

Country & Stable – pre-Black Friday deal of an additional 50% off clearance items with code WOW50

Victoria Rose Equestrian – 40% off sitewide from 11/22 through 11/25.

Equestrian Club – Pre-Black Friday deal, $20 off $100+ purchase with code TWENTY.

Equipad – up to 30% off saddle pads and up to 40% off rider wear through Black Week

KMA Equestrian – 25% off breeches with code FRIDAY25 or buy 2 get one free with code BUY2GET1

Henry James Saddlery – various deals all week

Equestriess Atelier – up to 40% off various items through 11/28, no code needed

Rebel Equestrian – 20% off sitewide 11/25

Equestly – various BOGO daily deals all week long

Epplejeck – various items up to 75% off, or 25% off your item of choice with code BLACKFRIDAY

Fundis Equestrian – various deals up to 70% off

Lumiere Equestrian – Up to 30% off select items through 11/28

Black Heart Equestrian – up to 60% off select items 11/23-11/27

LA Saddlery – 30% off sitewide through 11/28

Sync Equestrian – 20-50% off, no code needed

PS of Sweden – 50% off most items (you can also stack the code KELLY10 on top of this for an additional discount)

Haygain – 10% off hay steamers, forager, and comfortstall during Black Week

FitEq – 25% off sitewide with cod BF25

Fairfax and Favor – 20% off selected styles

Redpost Equestrian – various deals during Black Week

AYR Equestrian – various deals up to 50% off

Asmar Equestrian – up to 75% off select items

Etalon Vert – 25% off

Equestrian Collective – 15% off with code CYBER15

Ippico – 30% off sitewide at checkout

Flexible Fit – 30% off all orders over $75 (excluding sale items) through 11/28 with code BLACKFRIDAY22

FarmVet – 15% off various items with code BLACKFRIDAY15 and various other deals/discounts

Equestrian Stockholm – up to 50% off sitewide during Black Week

Kastel Denmark – 30% off sitewide 11/24 through 11/28 with code BKF3022

Horseware – 20% off regular price items with code VIPACCESS or 30% off sale items with code BONUS

Divoza –  20% off item of choice with code PREBLACK and various early deals

The Horse Bit Bank – 15% off sitewide through 11/24 through 11/28 with code BLACK22

La Mundial Boots – $150 off one pair of boots, $400 off two pairs

Haybales and Barbells – 50% off sitewide

Nunn Finer – through 11/22 get 50% off the clearance section (discount in cart), more deals later in the week

The Tack Hack – extra 25% off clearance, 30% off sitewide (some exclusions) through 11/28 with code BLACKFRIDAY22. 20% off English Riding Supply products on 11/24 and 11/25.

Mane Jane/Dreamers and Schemers – 30% off sitewide (some exclusions)

Pixio – $100 off Pixio and Pixem

Discount Equestrian – early deals up now, more to come

The Drillshed – various deals up to 50% off

It’s a Haggerty’s – up to 50% off ready to ship sunshirts

Maximilian Equestrian – up to 60% off sitewide

Anatomeq – 20% off polos, 15% off the Fit blanket, BOGO 25% off saddle pads and apparel. Additional 10% off AirGuard brush boots and Outlet items with code EXTRA10.

Fager – 20-50% off

Punk Ponies –  Use code BLACKFRIDAY22 for 30% off full price Open Front Boots, Bell Boots, Gloves, Bags & Luggage, and Stirrups (excludes Safer Stirrups).

Parlanti – up to 20% off through Black Week

Bridles and Reins – 50% off sitewide starting 11/23 code BLACKFRIDAY25

Dover Saddlery – various deals and discounts up to 50% off

Adam’s Horse Supply – up to 20% off select brands

Hunt Club – 25% off your order with code BLACKFRIDAY22

Schneider’s Saddlery – various deals up to 65% off and $20 gift cards with purchases over $100

Animo – up to 70% off select items, 30% off sitewide with code BFSALE22

LeMieux – up to 50% off

Buckwild Breeches – all breeches $99

Equiport – various pre-Black Friday deals up to 30% off select items

Kerrits – various deals and discounts

Weatherbeeta – various deals up to 25% off

Big Dee’s – various deals and discounts

Derby House – up to 50% off

EQUIS Boutique – up to 60% off various items

Chick’s Saddlery – various deals up to 90% off

The Connected Rider – various deals up to 70% off

Retired Racehorse Project – 20% off outerwear and 25% off when you buy two or more tops or t shirts

FITS Riding – 20% off with code BF20 through 11/26

Black Horse Clothing – 20% off sitewide

The Pony Jet – 40% off Pony Jets

Ethos Equestrian – 30% off sitewide

Incrediwear – buy 1, gets 2nd item 70% off

Mochara – up to 60% off select products and 15% off sitewide with code BLACK15

EquesPante – up to 50% off all Pantes through 11/30, discount at checkout

Equishop – 20% off breeches and socks through 11/24 with code PROMO20, then more deals to come

Swanky Saddle – 25% off sitewide with coupon code HH22

Edgemere LTD – 20% off with code BLACKFRIDAY20

Spiced Equestrian – up to 50% off select items plus free shipping on all orders with code BLACK22

Rose Hip Vital Equine – 50% sitewide with code BF2022

StripHair – 20-40% off plus free shipping on orders over $45

Equiluxe Tack – 15% off with code BLACKFRIDAY

Wednesday 11/23

Gallagher’s Water – buy one 12 pack, get the second 12 pack for 50% off with code BLACKFRIDAY through 11/28

Dark Jewel Designs – 15% off the entire shop through 11/28

Smartpak – 15% off select brands with code BF2022

Dapper Horse – up to 40% off through 11/28

Horseloverz – various deals and discounts

Dapple Bay – 15% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY

Mary’s Tack – various deals up to 50% off

Equinavia – 20% off sitewide and up to 70% off sale items

Ecogold – 15% off anything blackwide code BLKFRI15

Le Fash – 10% off orders up to $250 wide code 10OFF, 15% off orders $250-599 with code 15OFF, 20% off orders over $600 with code 20OFF, and an extra 30% off clearance with code 30OFF.

Royal Equestrian – extra 25% off sale items with code BLACK25

My Riding Boots – 10-20% off Kask, KEP, DeNiro, and breeches.

Ronner Design – 30% off sitewide with code BLACK

Goode Rider – 25% off with code BF25, and orders over $300 get 30% off automatically

Fluff’s Saddlery – Buy one get one 50% off custom boots, or free stirrups and Comfy Seat with custom saddle orders through 11/27.

Annie’s USA – 20% off sitewide with code festive

Thursday 11/24 (Happy Potato Day! Potatoes are the real hero of the holiday and I will absolutely die on that hill.)

Breed.Ride.Compete. – 10% off gift certificates for custom pedigree reports – discount in cart – while supplies last (very limited availability!)

Espoir Equestrian – 30% off sitewide through 11/28

Somerset Equestrian Trading – 30% off sitewide through 11/28

Vox Imports – all accessories and in-stock boots 30% off using code BFCM

Breeches.com – 50% select brands today, tapering discount throughout the weekend

Romitelli Boots – 15% off in stock boots through 11/27 (I’m a 38 SA, look how many gift options you have available for me)

70 Degrees – 20% off Laser cut sunshirts with code GIFT5

Standard Issue Equestrian – $110 matchy sets, $115 for 3 mystery pads, and 20% off everything else.

Dubarry – extra 10% off sale items with code SALE10

Levade Kentucky – up to 40% off through 11/30

My Horse’s Closet – 22% off sitewide with code BF22

Saddle Mattress – $10 off any customized saddle mattress through 11/27

BARE equestrian – 20% off sitewide, discount in cart

Equizone online – 30% off sitewide (some exclusions) starting tomorrow with code EZOBLACKFRIDAY2022

Hufglocken – 30% off plus free shipping

Equestrian Collections – discounts on various brands

Fenwick Equestrian – 22% off (discount in cart) through 11/28

Cavalliera – 20% off sitewide through 11/27

Farm House Tack – 20% off sitewide (some exclusions) discount in cart

Jeffers – various deals up to 50% off

Finish Line Horse Products – get a free 30 day supply of U-7 Gastric Aid with the purchase of a 32 ox Easy Rider. Use code easygiving2022 for free shipping.

Tried Equestrian – 20% off sitewide (excluding saddles) with code BLACK20

The Urban Strides – 40% off (excluding cashmere sweaters)

Ride Heels Down – 20% off plus free shipping with code RHDBF22

Horse Lover’s Outlet – 15% off sitewide plus free shipping on orders over $100 with code THANKS15

Hy Equestrian – up to 60% off various collections

Ride Equisafe – 15% off all items in the Holiday section (discount in cart)

Shop USEF – 30% off sitewide with code BF2022

Friday 11/25

Majyk Equipe – 15% off sitewide with code BF15 plus a $20 gift card on orders over $120.

Fleeceworks – discounted black products, up to 40% off

Sporthorse Essentials – 15% off sitewide

Correct Connect – $20 off when you spend $100, $40 off when you spend $200, $80 off when you spend $300+

The Bling Bay – 15% off orders over $120

Voltaire Design – accessories 20% off, free shipping on orders over $150 USD or $500 CAD.

Kavallerie – 20% off sitewide

The Equine Warehouse – up to 90% off selected products

Uhlan Equestrian – 20% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY

Anique Equestrian – sitewide BOGO free

StressLess Horse Supplement – 20% off StressLess for Horses with code promo bff22

Just Riding – 30% off sitewide

Barnes Tack Room – 20% off with code GRATEFUL

Decopony – discounts on horse boots and bridles

Stable feed – 25% off 3lb purchase of loose chia products with code THANKFUL

Montar – 20% off sitewide

Lara Tweedie – 25% off sitewide

CWD Sellier – 25% off all accessories

Equishopper – various discounts up to 90% off

Hunt Seat Paper Co – up to 40% off

Tack of the Day – up to 50% off

Redingote Equestrian – up to 50% off

Schultz Equestrian – 30% off orders on 11/25

Esprit Equestrian – $5 off tights, 20% off accessories, and free gifts on orders over $200

JC Saddlery – up to 25% off

Iconic Equestrian – $20 off 2-in-1 saddle pads

World Equestrian Brands – 20% off starting 11/26 with code 2022BFCM20

Struck Breeches – orders under $100 get a $10 Gift Card, $100- $250 get a $25 Gift Card. Buy 50 Series breeches, get a $50 Gift Card, buy 55 Series breeches, get a $55 Gift Card, buy 60 Series get a $60 Gift Card, buy 80 Series get an $80 Gift Card, and purchases Over $400 get a $100 Gift Card. First 50 orders will receive a FREE Struck toque!

Hypostore – 25% off with code BLACK

Divoza – 30% off an item of your choice with code BLACK

Aztec Diamond Equestrian – up to 90% off

Super X Country – discounts on select lines/items

The Collected Pony – 20% off storewide (clearance excluded) and a free gift with orders over $250.

Ikonic Saddlery – 20% off strapgoods

World Wide Tack – 20% off through 11/29 with code SHOPPINGSPREE

EQU Lifestyle Boutique – 20% off sitewide

The Infused Equestrian – free shipping with code blackfriday through 11/28

Saturday 11/26

If the Bonnet Fits – 10% off new orders and ready to ship bonnets through 11/28

Mare Goods – 20% off sitewide through 11/27 with code BF2022

Equifit – 15% off sitewide through 11/28

Devoucoux – 25% off all accessories through 11/27

Style by Starbound – 10% off with code BESTARBOUND10

Belle & Bow Equestrian – 20% off with code TURKEY through December 1

Neighborly Tack – 20% off sitewide with code blackfriday20

HaHa Whatever – Discounts on various items

Kathryn Lily – up to 50% off select styles and free gifts with purchase

CMW Tack – 20% off sitewide through 11/27

Equesun – $10 off breeches through 11/26

Clever with Leather – $10 off neck straps with code JUMP10

PonySuds – 35% off with code BLACKFRIDAY22

HorsePreRace – 30% off sitewide

Equestroom – 25% off sitewide with code BF22

When we left off last week, some particular noodle had been an absolute wretch for our jump lesson on Wednesday.

On Friday (aside from being a bit on his toes because it was BRISK out there for Florida) he brought his best kiddo behavior. Well I mean did he jig off the trailer and into the barn? Maybe. Was he a moving target while I tried to put his bridle on? Yes. Did we snort the whole way out to the ring? Indeed. Did a horse get loose and come galloping out towards the ring while I was walking and did I just choose to jump off and hold my spinning noodle until that horse was caught rather than potentially add another loose horse to the mix? Yes. But I mean once the lesson started, he was all business.

It’s been a hot minute since I had a dressage lesson (ok months, it’s been months… jumping took priority) so it was definitely needed. I feel like he’s made a lot of progress as far as getting more adjustable in his gaits (Steph agreed), more consistently into the outside rein (Steph agreed) and his canter has gotten stronger (Steph agreed). But ya know, good professional eyes on the ground with the flatwork are so important, because I can take the homework I’m given and plug away at it pretty well, but I’m not always the best at pushing on to the next step.

So what we did a lot in this lesson was push the boundaries and ask him for more. More trot, starting to play with the medium and get him lifting his front end up more/coming through his knee and shoulder. This is hard for him, he’s lazier in front than he is behind., but he did give us some solid efforts.

We also worked on being able to move his shoulders a bit more, which is kind of a constant with him since he loves to get stuck in the base of his neck/shoulders. And then when we moved to canter she was like ok this definitely looks way stronger/better but now he needs to do it more on his own with less help from you. Turns out I’m helping him every single step, which of course I know that but also at no point did my brain go “maybe it’s time you stop holding his hand and ask him to do more of this on his own”.

So that’s what we did. We’d get the canter forward, get his back swinging, and then I’d slowly stop helping him as much and ask him to do more on his own, letting my leg hang more passive. To the right it wasn’t too bad, he broke once or twice out of confusion (she stopped holding me up, that’s weird) but to the left, his weaker direction, he def wanted to fall apart more as soon as I wasn’t actively holding it together. There is some homework involving all of that, for sure. Which is good… that’s the whole point.

On Saturday I spent all day jump judging at the classic 3-Day here in town. It was such a cool event, with a whole week of various clinics/demos and lots of educational content from top pros. They did a great job with the course design too, everything looked fantastic, with good challenges but also some softer options for the people that needed them. For personal reasons I’d love it if they moved it to a different venue – then I’d 100% put it on my bucket list.

What did blow my mind, as someone from Texas where people do not drive vehicles onto courses and if you’re jump judging you basically just have to walk your happy ass and your lawn chair out to whatever far reaches of the earth you’ve been assigned to, was that we could just drive out to our jumps and stay in our vehicles. When everybody got in their cars and drove right out onto the course my brain exploded a little, I think I amused all the Florida people. Wait, you mean I don’t have to hike 3 miles and sit in a chair in the sun being miserable/cold/hot/wet/sunburned all day? Not that 8 hours in my car is comfortable but it beats the hell out of a lawn chair. That was like a VIP jump judging experience compared to every other I’ve ever had. It was fun watching everyone with the classic format though, I love that they offered Starter through Training.

Yesterday was disgusting by Florida standards: 48 and drizzly rain all day. Hard pass. Hard hard pass. Today it’s sunny and 70 so… I don’t have to suffer thanks. Our barn group went to brunch instead, and then Hillary and I recorded a podcast (the first of hopefully many) with Steph for our Patreon people. I’m pretty excited about this one, she’s so interesting with her teaching philosophy and how she approaches coaching different people/personalities.

I’m also now full throttle into Black Friday mode, getting the first version of the list ready to post (hopefully tomorrow, but if I can’t make that happen, Wednesday for sure). So many places have started their sales early, so it looks like my list will need to start earlier too. My mission this year is new blankets for Presto, since his lil butt is now hanging quite a ways out the back of his old clothes. Which makes me sad, because they’re great. If you see great deals on any fun prints in an 81/82 (I think, I need to measure him today) , send them my way!

I was kind of hoping today would be a fun lesson recap, since I made it over to Steph’s on Wednesday for a jump lesson. And I mean, it can be a bit of a lesson recap I suppose. “Fun” is not the word I would use though.

Presto is… an interesting animal. What I’ve discovered about him over the past few months is that while he’s actually great when he travels solo, he’s a complete idiot when he goes places with friends. He marries them in the trailer, dedicates his entire being to them, and legit cannot focus on anything else once we arrive at our destination. I know this about him. But that doesn’t mean that he can spend the rest of his life going places and doing things alone. It’s not realistic. We slowly but surely have to start chipping away at that particular issue. So when Hillary set up a lesson for Wednesday morning, I was offered the time right after it, and while there was a whole lot of internal groaning on my part, I took it. Can’t avoid the situation forever, and better to do it in a regular lesson environment vs xc schooling or at a horse show.

When I went to get him before the lesson he came galloping up to me like a lunatic, complete with a sliding stop about 2″ away from the gate. Cool cool. Presto with excess enthusiasm rarely bodes well but sure. We got the horses ready, loaded them up, and off we went. Hillary rode first, so while she was putting her bridle on I took Presto away to the other side of the barn where he wouldn’t be able to see Lex leave. That would create an instant meltdown. He wasn’t pleased when I took him away from his favorite hony, but he wasn’t too bad. After Lex was gone I took him back inside to the crossties, but then all the other horse slowly started leaving, and I knew that if we got to the point where he was the only one left in the barn that would be the spark that ignited a real problem. I can only take on so many problems in one day. So I put his bridle on, figuring I’d just go hack him around the back field for a while and then warm up a bit before our lesson.

He was fine walking out, and for the first few minutes, but then he started trying to make a break for it back toward the ring. Naughtiness ensued. Not constant, but enough to where I had to put him to work or else he was going to keep escalating. So we spent 40 minutes trotting, cantering, going back and forth toward and away from the ring, and doing whatever more complicated flatwork was necessary to keep his attention on me – with random bouts of spinning and napping punctuated throughout. He did finally settle, but by then we were both tired and annoyed.

By the time we walked into the ring for our lesson we really had nothing left in the tank, mentally or physically. And well… when we tried to start putting some jump exercises together, it went about as well as you’d imagine. I can say without a doubt that it was the worst jump lesson we’ve had yet. Presto is just a walking temper tantrum of feelings sometimes, and he had all of them that day. By that point he was just mad and told all of us to get fucked.

So ya know… we made an attempt at things. We went through the course a few times until he actually decided to put in some kind (ANY kind) of effort at paying attention and listening, and then we quit with that. There was really no point. He did stop being a turd long enough to make a decent-ish pass through, and some days that’s just the best you’re going to get. He’s not the type of horse you can just keep nagging away at when he’s in that frame of mind. Some days you have to accept any kind of try and let it go at that, because if you pick a fight he will absolutely throw down. If you make it a thing, it will become A Thing. If you make it just a day in the life, then that’s all it’ll be.

So ya know, that was… um… a time. Not a fun time. Or a good time. But such is life with horses. I think what we’re going to do for a while is every time Hillary has a lesson, Presto will come along and just go out to hack by himself while she’s having her lesson. He has to be able to go places with friends and not turn into a raging butthole. And clearly we are not at the point where he can handle doing that for lessons, but if he can just go hack out, do some trot sets, and work through his feelings… hopefully that will help him figure out that he still has to mind his own damn business even when a friend is present.

I have another lesson today (a dressage lesson, which I haven’t had a dressage lesson in months… whoops) that he is attending by himself, so hopefully we can actually do something productive this time.

I always have intentions of Monday posts to recap the previous week. Those posts do not always happen these days.

As already mentioned, last week was spent working in the Luxe EQ trailer at WEC. I forgot how mentally exhausting retail is, even when it’s not busy. It takes all of my little introverted brain cells. These November shows at WEC are pretty small – there’s supposed to be double the number of horses in December – and for that I was kind of grateful. I mean, not the best thing for business, but whew. It’s been years since I did this.

I did have fun perusing everything in the trailer though, and trying on like… dozens of things. I discovered that Samshield clothing seems to fit me like a dream (naturally, because it’s effing expensive) and that no matter how hard I try or how badly I want it, Kask helmets don’t fit my head. Which is probably good for my wallet, because I looooved this one:

On Saturday night I stayed after close and had dinner with some barnmates, and got to snuggle what is now I suppose my emotional support weiner, Olive. She also helped me make a TikTok for the shop, because this is definitely a dog worthy of social media fame.

I was still able to ride Presto during those days, by getting up extra early so I could be done with him by 8am and then jet off to WEC. He has been pretty darn good lately, and is filling out a ton. You can tell that 6yo year is just around the corner – he’s a different horse now than he was in May. We’ve got a jump lesson today and then a dressage lesson on Friday, trying to get in all the prep and tune-ups before we hit all the shows in December. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through November. What the actual heck.

This week I’ve been making videos for clients, prepping the breeding data for the live stream of the PetersonSmith Barnstaple Educational 3 Day Event (I hope y’all have heard about this, it’s SO COOL), and getting a couple breeding consultations prepped. Also Megan is at the Goresbridge sale this week and she’s been sending me some of her favorites to get my thoughts on their pedigrees. I have some peak FOMO about Ireland at the moment.

I did get myself these super glittery spur straps though, which def helped me feel better.

One other thing – massive shoutout to Bobby who absolutely SLAYED at Nationals with Carlson. National Champion 2nd Freestyle AA, Reserve Champion 2nd AA, Reserve Champion 3rd AA, and 3rd place 3rd level Freestyle AA. He’s a pain in the ass but he’s my pain in the ass, and I’m so happy to see him doing well with this horse.

I’ll be back later this week with more updates, when I have a little more time. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Yes it is indeed Friday night when I’m writing this. Or rather, when I’m finishing writing this. It was Wednesday when I started. That’s just kind of how things have gone this week.

On Monday I clipped Henry. Which was not at all my intention for the morning, but he was hot and I did that thing where I was like “I’ll just clip part of him for now” which I don’t know why I tell myself those kinds of lies because that’s never what actually happens. I did everything but the very bottom of his belly, which is currently still hairy because I haven’t had time yet to finish him. It’s a look. He’s much happier though, so that’s all that matters.

I had plans for Wednesday through Sunday, so I had to squeeze a jump lesson in earlier in the week than usual. Luckily Trainer had time on Tuesday, so we went on over. I actually hadn’t jumped Presto since the POP show a week and a half prior, but much credit to this horse – he’s showing more and more maturity lately by just getting right to work and doing the things. It’s very sus sometimes.

But since we have now actually penciled in (very much penciled) a potential move-up, Trainer ain’t playing. A few warm-up jumps and up they went to height (with a few a bit over). Which, the good thing is, my eyeballs are getting used to the jumps being a little bigger again. I have no hesitation about anything looking big. It also helps that Presto is still just absolutely loping over these with minimal effort. I’m not sure at what point he’ll have to start trying, but we haven’t found it yet.

Perhaps the most exciting part about the lesson (to me) was when I absolutely biffed the distance to the Swedish oxer off of the short turn and he just pretzeled himself over it like “weird choice mom but okey dokey”. He is so non-plussed and does not get rattled by mistakes. The natural self-confidence level of this horse is really high. Very different from Henry… I always had to be very aware of keeping him confident and willing to put up with my mistakes, and he can get offended by them sometimes.

Presto on the other hand legit could not care less. He doesn’t really get rattled, he’s not worried about what I do or don’t do or what happened or why… it’s interesting. I mean, yes he might spook at a rock and drop me on my ass at any given moment, but he’s super reliable in other ways. I still keeping learning more and more about this horse of mine, week in and week out. He’s kind of fucking cool, y’all.

So I entered Rocking Horse, which will be our first recognized event and possibly our last Novice. We’ll see how it goes. Apparently their showjumping is known for being tricky, so goal is not dying. Of course, as soon as I entered I remembered that recognized means I have to do things like wear a coat (not so bad, I’ve been looking for a reason to debut my light blue one anyway) and braid my horse. Ugh, BRAIDING. This horse is the actual least fun to braid, 0% looking forward to that. I also only have one pair of white breeches (this is a two day show) and never did buy a white shirt to go under that light blue coat, so… cool. That’s fine. I’ll just… I dunno. Whatever. I can’t brain about it right now.

And then yesterday we had another hurricane pass through. Honestly this one brought more wind and rain to our area than Ian did, even though it was just a weak Cat 1 when it made landfall. It was WINDY. Not really a big deal though luckily, just lots of little branches and limbs down, but no loss of power or anything major. The horses just hung out in their stalls and ate their hay. Rough life for them.

This week/weekend I’m also working at WEC in the Luxe EQ mobile shop. That’s always a fun time for me, although it was perhaps less fun to get everything battened down for a hurricane. It survived though, and I was back out there today. Things are a bit slow, seems like a smaller show, but if you’re around, come say hi! It’s the tan trailer in the vendor area next to the hotel, closest to the patisserie.

I also made the mistake of trying on a bunch of Samshield clothes in there, which might solve my lack of horse show clothes problem, but at the extreme detriment of my wallet. Send help.

In other news, BRC has donated a pedigree report to EN’s 12 days of Christmas giveaways, so make sure you’re following them in preparation for that! I’ve also already started gathering info for Black Friday sales (can’t believe it’s that time again, omg) so if your business is doing something, feel free to drop me a message so I can add you.

Oh and best of luck to Bobbert and Carlson this week at USDF Finals!