Grace has been here for two weeks now, and we’re starting to get into a groove. I’ve been able to keep riding her regularly despite the fact that she sprung a shoe two days after she got them put on and stepped on the clip in the process. Which, the farrier was convinced it would abscess so he wanted to wait to put the shoe back on, but I had flushed the spot immediately and kept it clean and wrapped in Animalintex, so it was fine and we didn’t have a problem. I ended up riding her in a boot for almost a week before he came and put the shoe back on, and she was ok with that too. She seems good about just kind of rolling along with whatever.

I jumped her for the first time last Wednesday… just a handful of jumps because she still had the boot on, but Hillary and I had planned a trip to Pine Hill to XC school on Saturday so I was like “uhhh, I should probably jump her before that”. She’s got a very lemme-at-em type of approach to jumping, you can tell she loves it and she gives you the feeling like she’d happily jump anything you pointed her at. It makes her pretty fun. Sometimes she’s a little less keen to listen to your input about striding, but really she’s quite straightforward and honest to jump. I can 100% see why she was such a good event horse for an amateur, it’s the kind of horse you feel like will always get you to the other side and enjoys the job.

She’s also settled into the farm routine really well now. She’s quite a low drama horse (especially compared to a certain bay gelding we all know and love) and easy to deal with in the barn, aside from the fact that she refuses to poop out in her run like the other horses and poops exclusively in her stall.

She’s funny though, Grace snorts a lot, at a lot of things. Like… snort snort snort snort all the time. If you didn’t know her you’d think that a blow up was imminent, but despite all the snorting she’s only ever spooked maybe one time. She’s just snorty AF, that’s her way of saying “oh that’s interesting!”, which has become pretty entertaining to me. But we’ve already done farrier x 2, vet, trailering x 2, and body clipping, and she’s been extremely easy for everything. She snorts her way through all of it but she never even so much as flinches, just stands like a rock. It’s really amusing once you figure out that her snorts do not mean what normal horse snorts mean.

On Saturday when we headed out to Pine Hill a cold front had blown through overnight. The temp was actively dropping, the wind was howling… it was gross. But, ya know, Grace is Irish. Not phased one bit.

I didn’t do a whole lot with her at Pine Hill because she’s still just coming back into work and doesn’t have much fitness yet, so I didn’t want to make her sore. Plus I’d only jumped her once before, so it was kind of a learn-as-you-go type of thing. I could tell from the first little log I hopped over that I was indeed on a cross country horse and she was in Game On mode. We hopped over some of the stuff on the Novice course and she was very bold about all of it. A little bit looky about the bushes we had to canter past when we got back in the trees (to be fair, with the wind they were making all kinds of noise) but still jumped everything I pointed her at with no second thoughts.

She’s also really gotten onboard with the amount of cookies that are doled out around here. I definitely give all the horses way too many, but whatever. They’re cute. She tried Henry’s Oatmeal Creme Pie cereal and liked it, so I of course had to try a real OCP. She was a fan. I think she likes the German Horse Muffins (or the Beet Treat version) the most, but so far she’s eaten everything I’ve offered. Not a surprise, she didn’t get this stout by accident.

I’m enjoying having something different to ride and new things to work on, and having a chestnut around here has really grown on me. I’ve always been quite adamant that I’m a bay girl through and through, don’t really like chestnuts, definitely don’t want a gray or a pinto, yadda yadda yadda. I mean, part of the appeal of Mighty Magic is that he doesn’t have a red gene and therefore cannot produce a chestnut foal. Same with Diarado and a few of my other favorite stallions. Bay is my jam and always has been, it’s pretty and it’s easy. But… there’s something about the fiery red-orange that really grows on you. Especially the way it looks in the sun this time of year.

Am I becoming a convert? I dunno about that, but I’m finding the red ones to be more and more appealing. Or at least I no longer have the automatic “wish it was brown” reaction to seeing a nicely put-together chestnut. I mean… I stopped dead in my tracks at this mare in one of the OTTB groups yesterday. If it was 6 months from now, this one would already be in a trailer on her way home to me, chestnut or not. I’d strongly consider sawing off my right arm, and I don’t say that very often. She looks like a TB version of Grace.

Am I convert? I dunno. Grace is starting to convince me though…

Remember a few months ago when the foals were all cute and shiny and fancy-looking? Not so much these days… they’re looking decidedly more scruffy in all of their winter coat baby horse glory.

They’re still pretty cute though, if you ask me. None of them have quite hit the yearling uglies stage yet where you have to hide them behind the barn and pretend like you don’t notice that none of their parts match. Right now they’re chunky and fluffy and squishably adorable.

Some of them have been weaned now, which was fairly uneventful. They’re pretty independent by this point and have gotten good at entertaining themselves. For the most part they’re just hanging out enjoying being baby horses and growing up.

The two brothers and their antics are still one of the most entertaining aspects of the group. Obi and Patrick have only bonded more and more as they’ve gotten older, and are fairly inseparable at this point. They’re constantly antagonizing each other, chasing each other, biting each other, etc… all the things that colts do best.

They’re quite evenly-matched though, and seem to enjoy taking turns dishing it out. At least their winter coats seem to help prevent quite as many bite marks?

Wherever these boys go, they might just have to go together. I dunno if we can break up this comedic duo anytime soon.

I know they’ve got a Christmas shoot coming up, and after that we might be nearing the end of the Foal Friday posts for the 2021 class. I’ve stretched it out longer than usual because they’re just so entertaining. After we wrap with this year’s foals I’m working on an update post for some of the previous years’ foals so we can take a look at what they’re up to now… stay tuned!

Everybody likes to kind of make fun of the Spotify Wrapped thing (myself included) but I will also admit that I really like it. I especially love seeing other people’s, because I’ve always thought that the music people listen to when they’re alone can tell you a lot about a person… more than what they actually choose to show to the world, a lot of the time. Seeing the songs and artists and genres that people connect with the most is really interesting to me, so I love it when people post theirs. It’s fascinating. (also, I learned that I have massively underestimated how many Taylor Swift fans are out there, including people I never would have guessed)

Although I don’t like that it only uses January through October for it’s data. Come on man, I want to see how the holiday/winter/end of the year vibes factor in for everyone. Granted maybe I’m glad it stopped there because for the past couple months I’ve basically been doing nothing but binging Loveless and Billie Eilish’s latest album, or have had like the same 10-15 songs on repeat (especially Gasoline, How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?, Happier Than Ever, and Just Like You… it’s a whole-ass mood), so at this point Spotify would probably be like “bro, you ok?” and my musical aura would definitely be “broody AF”. Probably best if we just, uh… ignore that.

But I did kind of chuckle watching my little Wrapped video. Spotify’s got a sense of humor.

Seeing those little prompts immediately made my brain jump into equestrian mode and look at it from that point of view. To be honest, the reason why a lot of these songs/artists have been listened to so much by me is because of something horse-related. I’m very much still my 16yo self that uses music to set a mood or to cope with feelings (because I’m not sure that I ever developed real coping skills, so I bury things deep and let music deal with them). And, well, my life revolves around the horses, so it makes sense that my music tends to do that too. Even my playlists are telling… I have a playlist for conditioning rides, a playlist for horse shows, and tend to use my “Liked Songs” as a reflection for however I’m feeling about life in general at the moment (which is largely controlled by – you guessed it – horses). It changes a lot.

My horse show playlist is the crowd pleaser… it’s mostly a collection of fun, upbeat music that puts me in a good mood while driving to a show. It’s the songs most people know, that you can play while you hang out at your stalls or at the trailer (I mean, unless there’s kids around, then… whoops). I don’t think it’s really a good overall reflection of the music I listen to on a regular basis or when I’m alone, but it’s got a purpose and it works well for that.

But if I look through my top 100 most listened to songs of the year (or… Jan through Oct, anyway) I see a lot of songs that were added because of horses or some horse-related event. Sometimes because of the general feeling of the song, other times because of specific lines and lyrics. And some of them, well… they just plain fit the conditions.

High, by Young Rising Sons. Is there anything that better describes what it’s like to own horses? Highs and lows, man, highs and lows.

Just let it go enjoy the ride
Without the low there ain’t a high

‘Cause all we need is love
But love means sacrifice
But it’s sure worth the prize
If you get it right

abcdefu, by Gayle. Ok I have to be honest, this is what I imagine SafeSport says to every single perv and perv accomplice that gets banned. Bye pervs (we’ll keep your dogs and horses though)!

A-B-C-D-E, F-U
And your mom and your sister and your job
And your broke-ass car and that shit you call art
Fuck you and your friends that I’ll never see again
Everybody but your dog, you can all fuck off

meet me at our spot (I prefer the Loveless cover to the original). Because what is riding if not escapism?

Meet me at our spot
They can’t find us there

Caught a vibe
Baby, are you coming for the ride 

Carry On, by Young Rising Sons. (someone tell them they’re writing songs for equestrians) But like, is there anything that describes the horse and human relationship more than this?

And all you need to know is I’ll be there
When no one is, no one is, yeah darling
I’ll be there
And I’ll tell you

Oh my love, don’t you worry
When the world gets cold, I’ll hold your heart when it’s heavy

and last but not least

She’s Out of Her Mind, by Blink 182. Every poor horse husband, horse boyfriend, horse parent, horse wife, horse spouse out there could probably belt this one at the top of their lungs.

I’m in deep with this girl but she’s out of her mind

What songs from your Spotify Wrapped would make it to the equestrian mix?

Let’s dispense with all the preamble, eh? GUESS WHAT CAME???

Some of you may remember that I caved and ordered some Romitelli boots when we were in Ocala a couple months ago. They have a permanent store at WEC, and I guess 3rd time is the charm because I’d been in there twice before to drool over and pet all the boots, but this last trip was when I finally caved and ordered some. To be fair I’ve lost 25lbs this year and none of my other boots fit anymore, so… it was justified. Plus black glitter, need I say more?

While it’s too soon to give a full review (I’ve had them for two days and I’ve ridden in them once, so…) I figured I could at least relay how I felt about my trying/ordering/delivery experience and my initial impressions of the boots. I feel like ordering boots is sort of like ordering saddles – some companies just seem to have a lot more horror stories than others. Luckily this is not one of those stories.

As I said, I bit the bullet and ordered them at the WEC store. I walked in there with an idea of what I wanted, not sure if I’d have to go the custom or semi-custom route, and thought “Ok if the price they give me is under X dollars, I’ll get them”. I like to do that a lot when I shop, as if it leaves it up to fate or something. Just… pretend it makes sense, I know I’m weird. Anyway, I walked in the store and the saleslady (who’s name I wish I could remember but I’m terrible at names) took one look at me and pulled two sizes off the shelf to try. She’s good at her job, both pairs fit, but we agreed that the taller and slimmer pair fit a bit better. Luckily I am a pretty averagely proportioned person, so I wouldn’t have to go the full custom route, I could just order whatever options I wanted in the standard size.

And there were a ridiculous amount of options. Like a whole basket full to the brim of swatches, plus a big binder. It was overwhelming. I went in knowing that I wanted a sparkly black top, though, so it was just a matter of finding the right sparkly black. Which sounds kind of easy but still I was sitting there with like 6 different options after I’d narrowed it down the first time. And then once I’d decided on which sparkly black I liked, I had to decide what shape I wanted the top to be and how big (I went for the standard bow top) and then if I wanted any other detailing (I’m a sucker for a bit of brogue), and then what type of leather (I went for the regular, which is softer), and toe shape (traditional). It was really tempting to be a bit more “creative”, but I wanted these to be show boots that were a little bit fun but still classic enough to where I wouldn’t get tired of them in a couple years and they could still go with any outfit.

When I ordered she said it had been taking the factory in Italy about 5-6 weeks to get them to the US, then add another week or so to get them shipped to me in Texas. In my head I was like “yeah right, so maybe 10-12 weeks”. I don’t have a lot of faith in timelines right now and let’s face it, horse stuff has never been particularly stellar at on-time delivery even when there aren’t supply chain shortages and shipping delays. So I basically just forgot about them for a while, and then after Thanksgiving I got an email from UPS saying I had a package on the way. That was 8 weeks – not bad! Faster than I was prepared for, anyway.

Naturally as soon as I got the shipping notification I started to second guess everything. What if they didn’t fit? I was especially concerned about that part, because normally I wear a 39 but the boots I liked in the store were a 38… the website calls those 7-7.5 and I wear an 8-8.5, all of my boots before have been 39, so what if we had somehow messed that up and my feet didn’t even fit in them? I was just crossing my fingers and hoping they would fit as well as the ones I’d tried on in the store.

Luckily when they arrived and I pulled them out of the box, they were perfect, at least looks-wise. Everything I had envisioned, for sure. They looked a little small and slim to my eye though, so I was nervous. I tried them on with shorts and no socks the first time, and to my complete relief my feet settled right in and I was able to zip them up with only a moderate amount of effort. Tight in the calf, yes, as they’re supposed to be, and needed to drop a bit for sure, but… they fit just like brand new boots should! Maybe even better than the ones I’d tried on in the store.

I wore them yesterday to ride and while they still need to loosen up a teeny bit at the instep, they’re super comfortable already. I can walk around in them and ride in them without a problem. The left calf is still a bit tighter than the right, but I can zip it without too much strain. I think in a few more wears they’ll be absolutely perfect.

As far as my initial impressions when it comes to quality, they remind me most similarly of my Tucci boots. The leather is more rugged than something super thin/soft like Parlanti, and it has more structure than those do so it will likely wear a lot better over time. Clearly they’re still soft enough to break in easily and be comfortable, so I think the leather they chose strikes a good balance. They’ve got all the high end details like a zipper guard at the heel, the little zipper slot at the top to secure the zipper, the elastic gusset, etc. For the price point (under 1k) I’m pretty impressed with them so far. We’ll see how they wear over time.

Once my bank account recovers from all the blows it’s taken lately I definitely want to get a brown pair. Now that I know how well these fit and how easy the process was, I’d happily go back for a repeat experience, plus I’d like to keep these black glittery ones more for lessons/shows/etc, so a brown pair would be perfect for everyday. I couldn’t help but notice that they actually have a brown pair in stock in my size….

I will say that I think being able to go to an actual store with a good/experienced rep and try stuff on and see the options in person makes such a big difference. From measuring myself and looking at the size chart I would not have picked the size I ended up in… what I picked would have fit, sure, but not this well. If you ever find yourself near WEC it’s 100% worth it to go by the store and get fitted in person. Shoot, it’s a cheap/easy flight to Orlando from most places. I’m pretty sure Romitelli does virtual fittings, so that could be an option too. I’m really pleased with my experience with them so far.

It feels great to have some good-fitting and pretty boots again… they make everything better.

The old school bloggers will remember when the Family Tree series of posts went around the blogosphere, and I definitely jumped on board with Henry and then later with Sadie/Presto (he wasn’t even born yet omg). Now that Grace is here, which yes albeit it’s temporary, I figured we could deep dive a little bit more into her heritage as well. Plus, like… look at the title of the blog. You shouldn’t be surprised that I’ll take any semi-legitimate excuse to talk about breeding.

Grace is an Irish Sporthorse registered name as Kilpatrick Grace, and she was bred in Ireland at Kilpatrick Stud in County Kildare. Her sire, A Quidam M, was only 5 years old when she was born in 2010, and Grace was part of his first foal crop. While A Quidam M has not been used heavily for breeding (and his offspring are still fairly young by upper level performance standards) he does already have several competing at the upper levels. The most notable eventer is 4*L horse Global Orchid, with the most notable showjumper so far being Thebestof Dancer who is competing at 1.40m. A Quidam M himself competed through 1.30m showjumping, although passed away in 2020.

Looking at his pedigree is a bit like taking a tour through Europe. A Quidam M was born in the Nederlands, thus registered as a Dutch Warmblood, but his sire Quidam de Revel was a Selle Francais bred in France and his dam Minook was a Holsteiner bred in Germany. If you follow showjumping or eventing breeding even a little bit you’ve probably heard of Quidam de Revel, who was a top competitor as well as a prolific sire. If there’s a jumper with a Q name, it can probably be traced back to him (along with lots of others that don’t have Q names – depends on the particular registry’s naming rules). He also shows up in the pedigree of tons of event horses, no surprise since the QdR’s tend to be quick and bold and love to jump. The list of famous, top level horses with QdR in their pedigree is very long.

A Quidam M’s dam Minook is by Caretino, who was also a top level showjumper and excellent sire. Minook produced several foals, the most successful of which was 1.60m jumper Zaretino M (who was later imported to the US and turned into a hunter). Caretino was a good enough mover to sire some good dressage horses, as well as showjumpers and eventers… not many stallions can say that they’ve had offspring reach the top level in all 3 disciplines, but Caretino is one of them.

Grace’s dam is Kilpatrick Cavalier Clover, from the classic Irish combination of Cavalier Royale and Clover Hill. Cavalier Clover competed a bit herself in showjumping as a young horse in Ireland with Darragh Kenny, winning some 1.10m classes. She had her first foal in 2003 when she was a 4yo, a colt by Condios that was exported to Brazil as a showjumper and kept as a breeding stallion (he was the high seller at an elite sporthorse auction as a 4 year old).

After some time in the show ring she went back to the breeding shed and in 2008 produced a filly, Kilpatrick Duchess, by Kings Master. Kilpatrick Duchess has already proven herself to be quite a good producer… you may have heard of her oldest offspring, Cooley Moonshine (by Cobra), who has so far competed through 4* level with Liz Halliday-Sharp. Duchess’ next offspring, Global Theodora (by Albaran xx) has so far competed through 3* level eventing in Ireland with Brian Morrison (who also rides the previously mentioned Global Orchid – small world). Kilpatrick Cavalier Clover had another foal in 2009, and then her next foal was Grace, born in 2010. After that she was sold and produced two more offspring for another breeder.

Kilpatrick Cavalier Clover’s sire is the legendary Cavalier Royale, a Holsteiner stallion who was not approved for breeding in his home country of Germany but found fantastic success as a sire in Ireland. His record for producing top level eventers and showjumpers is matched only by his later success as a damsire – Cavalier Royale mares have proven time and again to be exceptional producers. You can’t throw a rock at a 5* event without hitting a horse with Cavalier Royale in the pedigree.

Kilpatrick Cavalier Clover’s damsire is Clover Hill, the only traditional Irish-bred horse in Grace’s pedigree. Clover Hill was by the thoroughbred stallion Golden Beaker xx, out of a mare by the Irish Draught stallion Tara. Clover Hill was one of the most successful traditionally-bred Irish stallions of all time, siring top level showjumpers and some eventers. He’s been particularly successful as a grandsire (both as a sire of sires and a sire of dams), with progeny at the highest levels of both showjumping and eventing.

That’s the, um… short version of Grace’s family tree. Maybe now you can see why we were so eager to add her to the broodmare band!