Our Engagement Party With A Little Country Flare

My Sister and Mother put together a great Engagement Party with a little country feel to it! Not to much horse and not too much cowgirl, just right! Thanks Mom and Kritters! Countdown to the wedding, 2 months away on May 17th!

They made these cute champagne glasses with lace, roses, and twing on a burlap piece.

Cute lace place mats, gerber daisies in mason jars, and little party favors in a little brown bag.

Adorable and yummy dairy free appetizers!

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...

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.

Time to bust out the winter clothing: Day #1 Boots

With the holidays and winter weather right around the corner (if not here right now) its time to bust out the winter riding clothing...the boots, the gloves, the jackets, the list goes on and on.

What is so nice about being an equestrian is you can ride all year long, we just need to be better prepared for the winter. Warm boots are a priority for me. I have Mountain Horse paddock boots, which I love! Three tips for buying winter riding boots:

1. One thing to keep in mind is it's hard to find half chaps that fit around your thick winter paddock boots so I suggest tall boots.
2. Buy from SmartPak they have free shipping on returns for all sized items.
3. Look for thick soles, that's what will keep cold air from creeping into your boot.
4. If you plan on riding in temperatures 20 degrees or lower, consider purchasing a size bigger then your normal would so that you have room to move your toes with thick socks.

Tuff Rider Tundra Fleece Tall Boots: Thinking about trying these, they are such a good price! Only $89.95. For reviews there was 50/50 split between liking them and not liking them. Most everyone said they were very warm and looked nice. The con was the zippers were stiff and unzipping themselves.

Buy Here



Mountain Horse Tall Ice Boots: Did not receive very good reviews. Most riders complained about them being too stiff and for those super cold days (think single digits) most toes were cold in these boots. Price is okay at $134.95. Still leaning towards Tuff Rider Boots above.

Buy Here

 

Solstice Waterproof Leather Boots: They are so pretty, you could wear them around town if you wanted! $199.00. They received great reviews, especially for comfort. The boots are advertised as fall boots/winter boots so I am not 100% sure they are great for those super cold days, but probably are fine for fall riding and chilly days.

Buy Here



 

Solstice Winter Fleece Boots: $199.00, fleece lined. Great reviews on being warm. Riders did note that they ran a little small in sizing.

Buy Here

 

Dubarry Longford Boots: $520, rather expensive, but they get good reviews and most people say they are worth the money. Not a single person complained about these boots and all said don't hesitate on the price. I personally think you pay for what you get, however, $500+ is extreme. But if you can afford it, then go ahead and make the purchase.

Buy Here

 





Good Halloween Ponies.

It is amazing to me how much horse's will tolerate. I have never dressed my horse up in a Halloween costume. Even as a kid, my riding instructors were very traditional, working types, but I can see how this would be fun...for kids. I think it's kind of weird for adults to get into it, especially if it's a show and you are squashing the children competition. Can you imagine what George Morris would say?

Here are a few costumes that are pretty outstanding. Good ponies! Happy Halloween!

The wings would freak my horse out, we would probably take flight with those things.

 

 Super cute pony and not running away from his dragging tail, good pony!

 

 A grey or black horse would make a good poodle.

This seems acceptable, a cute little girl on her Halloween pony.

 

 This one is my favorite.

 

 This horse has got to be uncomfortable, all that costume followed by a larger human being plopped on his back gabbing on the cell phone. I feel bad for this one.

 

Really clever costume.

A Successful Weekend At The Colorado Horse Park

Early Sunday morning a friend and I heading down to the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO to watch our friends ride cross country in the Colorado Horse Park Fall Horse Trials which also include Region 9 USEA Championships!

A friend on her beautiful horse went Intermediate, her horse's first time. The horse had two refusals caused by a confusing flag incident in a combination, but finished strong in the cross country. Personally, I thought it was a perfect and successful ride for the horse's first Intermediate! My vet took second in Open Training with a clean and flawless cross country. The most exciting ride for me to watch was my friend, Angelika ride a clean cross country on her new horse! Her horse is the cutest (want to steal it) little 15.3H Swedish warmblood who was all knees jumping. She took first place in the Region 9 Training Championships! The second best thing to horse showing yourself is watching friends successfully horse show instead. I am really happy for all of them.

Angelika Beutel taking first in Region 9 Training Championships

@Angelika Beutel

 

I would not consider myself really into eventing compared to other things like show jumping, but it is so easy to be involved in eventing compared to other equestrian disciplines. The scoring system is easy to follow, it's kind of like a football game...you know who is in the lead but there is still that unpredictability of the last quarter or in eventing the last discipline as to who is going to win. The online, live scoring is so fun to keep track of on Event Entries.



CHP Event Results Posted on Evententries.com on Oct 13, 2013

Intermediate Championships
XC Optimum Time: 6:21
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Kathy Cain	Legal Limit	29.60	1	4.00	0.00	33.60	1	0.00	6:18	0.00	33.60	1
Hailey Rich	Kingfisher II	38.40	3	12.00	5.00	55.40	3	20.00	6:36	6.00	81.40	2
Martha McDowell	Nabouco de Lessay	30.00	2	4.00	0.00	34.00	2	80.00	0:00	R	R	R

Open Intermediate
XC Optimum Time: 6:21
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Amanda Hund	Pik Pilot	34.80	1	4.00	3.00	41.80	1	40.00	10:27	98.40	180.20	1

Open Preliminary
XC Optimum Time: 5:32
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Madeline Backus	P.S. Arianna	34.40	2	8.00	6.00	48.40	2	0.00	5:30	0.00	48.40	1
Hailey Patno	Syncotina	46.10	3	8.00	10.00	64.10	3	20.00	6:10	15.20	99.30	2
Christina Henriksen	Jos Calfun	30.90	1	8.00	1.00	39.90	1	60.00	0:00	E	E	E

Preliminary Championships
XC Optimum Time: 5:32
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Rochelle Costanza	Lionhart	31.70	1	4.00	2.00	37.70	1	0.00	5:20	0.00	37.70	1
Summer Peterson	Tim	35.20	2-T	4.00	3.00	42.20	3	0.00	5:29	0.00	42.20	2
Wendy Webb	T.H. Royal Flush	35.20	2-T	4.00	0.00	39.20	2	0.00	5:47	6.00	45.20	3
Amy Gilbertson	One Honest Man	43.90	5	4.00	11.00	58.90	5	40.00	6:18	18.40	117.30	4
Darlene McInnes	Warlord	40.00	4	8.00	3.00	51.00	4	0.00	0:00	W	W	W

Open Training
XC Optimum Time: 6:01
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Reed Ayers	De Rien	32.70	5	0.00	0.00	32.70	2	0.00	5:44	0.00	32.70	1
Nancy Carr	Wedgewood	24.10	1	8.00	2.00	34.10	3	0.00	5:56	0.00	34.10	2
Dorothy Hamilton	Cabrio	36.40	6-T	0.00	1.00	37.40	4	0.00	5:38	0.00	37.40	3
Nicole S Ackerman	Scarlett	29.60	4	8.00	0.00	37.60	5	0.00	5:10	0.00	37.60	4
Ashley Demander	BeBe LaRue	28.60	3	12.00	3.00	43.60	8	0.00	5:03	0.00	43.60	5
Nicole S Ackerman	Ringfort Fighting Chance	26.80	2	0.00	0.00	26.80	1	20.00	6:00	0.00	46.80	6
Alessandra Allen-Shinn	Zip Wyatt	36.80	8	4.00	0.00	40.80	7	20.00	5:28	0.00	60.80	7
Melissa Thorson	Master Plan	36.40	6-T	0.00	3.00	39.40	6	20.00	6:24	9.20	68.60	8

Training Championships
XC Optimum Time: 6:01
Rider	Horse	Dress Score	Dress Place	Stad Jump	Stad Time	To Date Score	To Date Place	XC Jump	XC Elapsed	XC Time	Final Score	Final Place
Angelika Beutel	Varekai	23.20	1	4.00	0.00	27.20	1	0.00	5:40	0.00	27.20	1
Madeline Backus	P.S. King of Hearts	29.60	3	0.00	0.00	29.60	2	0.00	5:39	0.00	29.60	2
Todd Smyrl	Gemini Tiara	36.80	5-T	4.00	0.00	40.80	3	0.00	5:27	0.00	40.80	3
Christina Henriksen	Princess Pavan	37.70	7	4.00	0.00	41.70	4	0.00	5:50	0.00	41.70	4
Heather Haubrich	Jasmine	36.80	5-T	8.00	0.00	44.80	5	0.00	5:45	0.00	44.80	5
Cynthia Moore-West	Zalig	45.00	14	0.00	0.00	45.00	6	0.00	5:20	0.00	45.00	6
Grace Simpson	Rapport	29.10	2	16.00	1.00	46.10	7	0.00	5:37	0.00	46.10	7
Tracey Dalton	Burgundy	38.20	8	8.00	0.00	46.20	8	0.00	5:43	0.00	46.20	8
Kimberly Hamilton-Wendel	Cool Cutie	44.60	13	4.00	0.00	48.60	9	0.00	5:26	0.00	48.60	9
Lorraine Barrows	Space Cowboy	45.90	15	4.00	0.00	49.90	10	0.00	5:35	0.00	49.90	10
Noelani Bevill	Weekend Edition	42.70	10	8.00	0.00	50.70	11	0.00	5:54	0.00	50.70	11
Kari Hall	Rigel	43.20	11-T	8.00	0.00	51.20	12	0.00	6:06	2.00	53.20	12
Summer Peterson	Jake the Fish	43.20	11-T	12.00	0.00	55.20	13	0.00	5:08	0.00	55.20	13
Nicole Musmanno	JHN Imogen	35.50	4	20.00	0.00	55.50	14	0.00	5:39	0.00	55.50	14
Eileen Galoostian	Ratifier	46.40	16	20.00	0.00	66.40	15	0.00	5:19	0.00	66.40	15
Anne Ladd	Proper Gent	41.40	9	12.00	40.00	93.40	16	60.00	0:00	E	E	E
Tashi Brundige	Ringo Star	E	E	0.00	E	E	E	0.00	0:00	E	E	E

Horse Crazy In The Home

There is a certain rustic charm about the "equestrian" themed home. I personally am heading down that route. These homes took it one step further with horse murals and wallpaper of horses throughout their homes. Pretty amazing, especially the wallpaper which is so life like.

 

Love your horse so much you want him plastered on your wall? Many wallpaper companies are able to create wall paper or murals of your equine partner for your home, like Murals Your Way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some advice for non-horsey boyfriends

Scrolling through facebook in the morning to see what everyone is up to is a morning habit of mine. It’s a great way to find horsey news and interesting articles. I smiled when I came across this blog post,

“How My Non Horsey Boyfriend Has Survived The Equine World.”

I immediately forwarded it to my boyfriend. Maybe it will influence him to hang around the barn with a six-pack? A win-win situation. Read here.

15 Unusual Face Markings.

A collection of some neat and different facial markings...

A little help for the flood victims...

Recently my life has been a little upside down due to the Colorado flood which impacted my small town of Lyons, CO.  Half of the town was destroyed.  I was lucky enough to not lose much, except for my horse clippers and my car.  Our home is 50ft from the river, but out of all the townhomes ours stayed high with only basement damage.  Some of our neighbors were not so lucky with up to four feet of water in their homes.

We made the decision to move all of our important belongings to the second floor and off the garage floor prior to the rush of water.  We were evacuated by the sound of sirens at 2am on September 12, 2013.  Later we were stuck without cell phone, electricity, water, and sewer for 2 days.  The town still doesn't have any utilities and will not be habitual until after the holidays.

My horses are okay, luckily they live away from the river, not at my home.

The town of Lyons is so small with little money to build repairs so please try to help if you are able.  A friend of mine is selling jewelry thorough Oct 2, 2013 and 10% of the sales will go to help flood victims. Lucky for us horse girls, there is a little horse action in her jewelry selection!  Check out her boutique.

Beautiful Horse...

Voted the most beautiful horse in the world, this is it a Akhal-Teke from Turkey! They are bred for endurance and commonly used for dressage.  The breed stands between 14.2H and 16H and is often known to be a palomino or dun type color. There are only 6,000 of these in the world.  I feel like we should have horse beauty pageants, those would be so fun. :)

I am not the only one...

This may better explain me...in fact this is me!  Lol, courtesy of Animo.

Bikes and horse stuff, YES!

I just love bikes, horses...and men!  

And yes, I do have another blog dedicated to cycling http://girlbikes.blogspot.com/