How to Have An Equestrian Wedding

I am finally engaged and planning a wedding! I explored many wedding themes, including the equestrian theme. I decided against a theme that was 100% equestrian theme but in the process I did find some great ideas.

One of the first places to start, the invites!

Obviously if you have an equestrian themed wedding you more then likely are having a wedding outside in a farm setting or even in a barn. Just clean up the barn real nice and be somewhat sensitive to guests with horse or hay allergies.

Some equestrian decorations for touch.

And of course if you choose to have your horsey friends there...

So you want to ride your horse into the wedding? Consider this: IT MAY LOOK A LOT BETTER IN YOUR HEAD THEN IT DOES IN PERSON. Here are some DONT'S for riding in the wedding...

No Pony Rides Down the Aisle: If you cannot ride your horse down the aisle without someone leading you then you probably do not need to be riding your horse in the wedding. I mean look at this video of the adult pony ride, it just looks pathetic.

Just Get There: If you choose to gallop in, just get there! Do not make it some long gallop where people are staring at you for minutes before you arrive, it ruins the excitement and also leaves more time to screw it all up. And when you do get there, get off! Do not parade around like a circus pony. Also avoid waving frantically, we saw you coming!

Your horse can easily ruin your wedding more easily then any family member could. Think runaway horse, trampling guests, or taking a poop as you are walking down the aisle.

This girl's horse spooked and ran, not to mention it was also a pony ride. So many things wrong here.

The more horses you have, the more risks you take:  The more horses you have the increased chances for a horse mishap. Even the Royal Wedding of the Century had a loose horse. They probably have some of the best behaved horses in the world and the entire wedding was practiced and arranged by top professionals. You won't have that. So, if they can have a loose horse, you could too!

Do not get all princess on us with the wedding carriage: Do not over decorate the wedding carriage, it just looks tacky!

If you really really want your horse at the wedding here are some DOs!

Keep your horse in the stall. Your horse is contained and no one is able to run away and trample guests or the cake. Not too mention if you horse has to take a poop it's not just out there in the open. Having poop at your wedding is not glamorous.

Keep your horse in a nearby field. It is elegant to have horses in the background and safest away from guests. Not too mention if they are munching on grass they are probably comfortable and less likely to make a "scene."

Stay simple with your wedding carriage. Simple is always classy, try to avoid over decorating it.

A few braids, a few flowers, or ribbons will link your horse to the wedding. Think how can I add a wedding touch to my horse. Do not place the horse in a costume.

I love my new boots!

I love my new winter boots! They were on clearance at Dover for $79.00! I have trucked through water, snow, and 15 degree weather and my feet have stayed dry and warm. Oh! And they were cute!They are suede with furry tops, reflectors on the back, and Horseware symbol on the side.

Mountain Horse Eclipse Mocca Boots

$79 at Dover

 

 

Other Horseware products I like.

 

 



All the barn complaints over the years...

Why is finding a horse boarding facility that meets your needs so hard? I would say it's a two sided street, no one side is to blame. Not all barns are perfect and not all horse owners are easy to please.

With that being said here are some "issues" I have had at multiple barns. I can not stress that this isn't one barn, all these problems were split between 6 barns! I've moved around a lot.

Forgetting to feed my horse. There have been a few times I have showed up to the barn and saw my horse sulking or trying to sneak hay from his neighbor...they forgot to feed him hay!

Not feeding hay is the worse, not feeding grain is not so great either, but missing hay causes the most distress for a horse. My poor baby!

Feeding really bad hay. Worse then cow hay and it has happened. I've seen mold in my TB's hay when I boarded out in Virginia...leading him to colic a few hours later. I have also seen trash in hay and thorns. Seriously what is with people...are they even looking at the hay?

Forgetting to feed supplement. Don't advertise you feed supplements if you forget every time. Supplements need load doses and constant feeding to be effective or it's just a waste of money. Luckily, this one isn't a deal breaker. You as the horse owner can always just do the supplements on your own once a day.

Bad trainers. To be around, to train with...yuck. There have been times I purposely go to the barn late or early to avoid the trainers.

Bad people. Same thing as bad trainers, just a bad vibe, or maybe the people aren't so bad but you just don't fit in and it's uncomfortable.

Kids running a muck.

Bad arena. If it's hard to ride my horse then I question why I am paying for all the facilities.

Uncontrolled barn sickness. If a horse shows up sick, separate the horse. It might hurt that horse owner's feelings but it's better then having everyone pissed off because now their horse is sick.

Too clicky. The barn seems fine, everyone get's along, until a "click" forms. Typically, the "click" is a group of young college or mid-20 year old girls, all good riders, who get to ride whenever they want and show all the time. They come together with other similar girls and follow the trainer around like groupies. When you catch one on their own, they are friendly, when they all group up they tend to act like you don't exist or you catch them gossiping. Typically, a click forms when people are young and immature...but I have seen them form with older ladies too. Just depends.

You can't ask for anything. Some barn managers take it personal when you ask them to change your horses feed or living situation. Instead of the manager taking it as a customer needing a service (basic business-customer relationship) they read too much into it. Next thing you know you are considered the unhappy boarder and the barn manager is complaining about you to other clients. Ugh...drama.

Too many rich people. Trust fund kids, girls with daddy money, rich clients are hard to be around when you aren't rich at all. I have been 100% paying for my horse since I was 18 and I have owned a horse since then. The median income, single girl, trying to make ends meet with a horse may be misunderstood. They may think you are not as into riding as they are because you can't own 5 horses, take lessons every week, or travel to all the shows. It's just not financially feasible for me. It's just a giant misunderstanding...I don't get their lives and they don't get mine.

Too much money. When you have one of the above, plus you feel like you are stretched financially immediate stress may set it and you have the urge to jump ship.

I always found it interesting that when you board a horse they have you sign all these papers saying you understand the rules but they don't have anything that states how they will care for your horse. Things could easily change. A perfect boarding situation can go from heaven to hell over night. Maybe that's why we are forced to move so much. We all dream of having our own horse facility, keep dreaming...

Do The Back On Track Products Actually Work?

One of my horses has a club foot. The club foot places a large amount of strain on the body, causing muscle imbalances and pain. I would say the two things that make the most difference with maintaining a club foot would be proper shoeing and quality arena footing. Both I try to practice, but I am looking for a little extra something to increase mobility, especially in the shoulder.

I see people using Back On Track products all the time...but do they work? Are there studies?

Back On Track claim: Back on Track's joint and muscle support are all made of functional textiles with heat reflective properties. The textile is a synergy of ancient Chinese experience and modern scientific textile technology. During the manufacturing of polyester- or polyester fibers, the ceramic particles are fused into the fibers. When heated, the ceramic particles radiate a heat back towards the body. This reflected heat is long-wave heat radiation, which is also known as long wave infrared radiation.

Most of us know heat does decrease pain and help loosen up joints. I use heat all the time and it does work. Being an athlete, one thing I do to help recovery is take a super hot bath and then elevate my legs...you can feel the blood flow. Increasing blood flow helps remove toxins and deliver nutrients to muscle, tendons, and ligaments to help with recovery. I am pretty sure sticking my horse in the hot tub and hanging him upside down isn't an option! lol. Do Back On Track products get hot enough to really help blood flow? Do they penetrate the muscle deep enough to make a difference?

The Back On Track website includes studies and veterinarian recommendations on the product. Even Olympian McLain Ward supports the product:

"Everything has been excellent, by using the Back on Track leg 
  wraps. We do a better job of the horse’s legs and we’ve stopped
  using poultice so it cuts down on the problem of drying out the   legs and skin irritation. When using the Back on Track
  blankets, we’ve noticed a great difference in the horses’ backs.
  We can go longer between the chiropractic treatments. This is a
  wonderful product that keeps our horses in great shape."

Other top rider recommendations may be found here: http://www.backontrackproducts.com/Testimonials-15.html

I do realize though that some of these people may favor the product because they are receiving free products in exchange for using them (or perhaps money). It's called being sponsored...but I also see a lot of normal, paying customers liking the product.

Average (ie paying customers) rider reviews:

"I purchased this for my 5 year old OTTB mare who has had a lot of body soreness over the past year since she started eventing after the track. For just the couple of days that she has worn in, she feels much looser in her body and her back and shoulders do not feel as tight or restricted during flatwork."

"She has been wearing the sheet now for about a month and half. After the initial two weeks of weaning her on to it, she has been wearing it every night. I have noticed that she is more willing to move forward when working and has a more pleasant demeanor in her stall.
She still needs regular visits from her vet for chiropractor appointments but it seems to have added another "tool" to managing the inflammation from her Kissing Spines. I'm thinking of getting the neck cover to go with it."

A lot of riders have good things to say and the fact that I cannot find any of these products on ebay used makes me think that many people don't give them up. Another sign they work. But what about veterinarian and scientific studies? There are some of those too...

Using thermography studies, there does appear to be a large reduction in inflammation. http://www.backontrackproducts.com/Clinical-Studies-14.html#vets

All their products..

One thing I am skeptical about...the product not being able to provide enough heat to penetrate deep enough to make a difference. Superficial heat helps calm nerves, but heat that goes deep into the muscle actually helps relieve muscle pain. I have heard (and experienced) that water heat therapy works best. Perhaps trying a damp, wet, towel application would be beneficial in combination with Back On Track products.

Brace yourself though, these products are super expensive! It's worth a shot if you can spare the money. Back On Track does offer 100% satisfaction and it seems like you can re-sell these things very easily so it is relatively risk free. If you want to try a cheaper version first, try the heated moist towel or the IR wand (you can get a human version for $25!) I may try these too.

 

Happy New Year!

The year of the horse. How fitting. It's going to be a good year for us equestrians! I hope everyone has a New Year's resolution?! Mine is to be on the internet less...and of course I am off on the wrong foot, lol.