A recent post brought to my attention that we might not all be on the same page about what a hunter is. For my blog, when I say ‘hunter’ I’m referring to a USHJA style hunter that is judged on style, manners and soundness. A lot of people show open shows like 4H or generic schooling shows, where the term ‘hunter’ can be a lot more open. I’m going to focus on the under saddle portion in this post, since that…
I’m being brave and taking Pascale to the horse show with me this weekend. Typically Eliot is my go to travel dog, but he came within milimeters of biting a child in the face at the last show I took him to. I wish I was joking, but it’s the truth. Also, he get super anxious during the packing up period (which can take hours). I think it’s better for everyone that he stays at home in an environment where…
Usually I have blog posts written for here about a week in advance, or at least a decent queue of pre-written posts to pull from when I’m not feeling creative. Maybe it’s the winter or some other stuff going on, but lately I’ve had a hard time writing as much for the blog. I’m not giving up my Monday – Friday posting schedule, but it is a bit more of a struggle. However, I do want to share a little…
It seems like we can’t get through a winter without some people having really extreme opinions on blanketing. Don’t blanket your horses! It’s better for them to be all natural! Clipping them is basically the same as BREAKING THEIR LEGS!!!!!!! Only a foolish over protective person would blanket their horse! Don’t leave your horse out to the cold! Horses have no natural defenses to the cold and the wind! I would never let my horse out without a blanket if it…
Let me start off this lesson recap blog post by noting two very important things. One – my trainer said that if we had been able to ride consistently for the past two months, we wouldn’t be having any of the problems we’re having. Two – a barn friend’s boyfriend took pictures of our lesson, and he’s basically the best person ever. I owe him brownies. With that being said, I’m going to keep this on the shorter side today…
Valentine’s Day is almost here! Many of us horse lovers will secretly hope for an equestrian themed gift for us. Some nice pony themed jewelry, a new saddle pad or halter… all great options for the horseback rider in your life. However, I think we are grossly under looking the gift potential for our husbands. Open any equestrian catalog and you will find a plethora of horsey gifts to get your husband for Valentine’s day this year. You know, to…
I haven’t written about my rides much lately for several reasons. At first, they were super bad. Simon was protesting the inconsistent riding and lack of jumping in the best ways he knows how – being super anxious and rushing through everything. No listening to my seat. No softening at the bit. The wonderful flatwork we had worked so hard to get last fall disappeared, so I got super down about it. Obviously he has ulcers. Needs a chiro visit….
When the saddle fitter told me that I needed to ride with thinner baby pads that had wither clearance, I hit the online tack stores to shop. Unfortunately, most baby pads are square with no room for Simon’s shark withers. I still want to order a custom Ogilvy or two for showing, but in the meantime I decided to hit up my sewing machine to get some baby pads for schooling. I started with 1 yard of quilted cotton fabric,…