Shoot for the moon... socks

Also love these! Also from blueq.com

Love these socks that hate everyone!

I don't even remember how I stumbled onto these great socks from blueq.com.  This little girl is leading a pony and telling him "I hate everyone too" (see photo below for better detail).

This may be my new line of favorite socks, for fun and irreverence and oblique reference to kids books of my youth. I also like these: http://www.givesimple.com/images/photos/hate-lifestyle.jpg

Hi, Hi Waister!

While I'm not fond of the extremely low rise pants/breeches, these breeches would come up to my armpits. It would not be a good look for me, or for most women, I think, but on the right person, it could be adorable.  Called their silicone breech from Olvossa.org.uk -- comes in "nude," even more flattering! 

Before the 30-mile ride!

A friend of mine organized this 30- and 100-mile "Tour de Tush" to benefit colon cancer awareness in our region. It was a gorgeous day and many of my co-workers were there. Over two-hundred riders participated, and Olympus was the big sponsor (the CFO of Olympus was there!). We had a blast.

The end of a 30 mile bike ride!

A hilly ride too, from Alle town to Kutztown. Some people do a lot more than 30 miles -- not sure how...

Tori Colvin and Way Cool Upperville Score of 100

I know, this is a dressage blog, but it is worth taking a look at this PERFECT SCORE ride by Tori Colvin.  Watch it before reading more...

Talented rider, gorgeous horse that is good 'n fat, the way I like'em. 

Here is what I take away from this ride, as a dressage rider (who probably doesn't know what she is talking about!)...

• This is an equitation class -- back "in the day" (the seventies?) you wanted to be, or at least appear, motionless in the saddle, heels driven down. Look how relaxed this rider is through her leg and hip -- not floppy (obviously) but not perched either. She's actually moving. It's just a really beautiful, fluid, effortless look.
• The reins -- softness of the hands and in the horse's topline.
• Balanced turns! 
• Energy and lightness and perfect relaxation. A look and feel to aspire to in dressage.

The one thing I notice is something in the landing of almost every fence. Do you see it?  Maybe this is not such a big deal, especially in the hunter ring.

What a joy to watch.  

Home from a conference!

My own little welcome committee...

2014 Chattahoochee Hills International CIC - Elisa Wallace & As You Wish

Paint Pony love! Elisa Wallace amazes me again and again. One of those people you want to have lunch with...

CoolBlast ombre shirt from Dover

I just got this ombre Coolblast shirt from Dover Saddlery. LOVE IT, with one caveat. I was urged by the rep to order a size larger b/c the shirts run very small. Strangely Dover said they could not check sizing or provide a measurement, so I had to go with their advice.

Well, I ordered the large, and it arrived, a full 42" across the chest. WAY too big. The Dover rep explained that this company has traditionally run very small but the manufacturer may have changed their sizing. She indicated, too, that they can check on sizing. I got a call within 24 hours about the measurements.

 Anyway, Dover is doing a quick exchange for a medium -- still 40" chest but way better, and I like things roomy. In the meantime I can tell you that the colors are gorgeous and the CoolBlast feature, mesh underarm insets, are subtle and indeed, cool.

Dark Horse wine -- nice wine great logo!

A wine brand and logo that caught my eye -- look closely at the blaze. Neat, huh? And the wine is good.

New browband style -- Love the dragonfly!

Riley's new shoes

Talking about horse shoes is sort of like waving a red flag in front of a bull -- some people's opinions are very strong on the subject of horse shoes! But heck, I'm going to write about it anyway. If it's about hooves, you know it is about Riley :-).

After two years of completely routine hoof care and problem-free feet, the humid, hot weather has taken a toll.  At the last shoeing, we saw the return of the "hoof hole" at the two o'clock position in Ri's right front-- the result of surgery for a traumatic injury when he was three years-old. Oh well, we had a good run, I can't complain.

To be safe, the yucky chalky bits were pared away on the toe, and Ri was temporarily put in an alternate "new style" glue-on polyurethane shoe. These shoes are really interesting! The Sound Horse FLEXX®, is a new cuff-less glue-on from Sound Horse Technologies, the same company that makes the Sigafoos shoes. The FLEXX shoes look more or less like a regular shoe, and when I first saw Ri in them I thought the farrier had changed his mind about using glue-ons.  When I saw the product off the truck, it looked just like a regular shoe, but no holes, and black. I think they are polyurethane, but I don't know that for sure. What the brochures says about the shoes:

• 40% lighter than forged aluminum shoes
• Built with abrasive grit concentrated at ground surfaces for wear and traction (patent pending) (Therapy does not include grit)
• Better wear than forged aluminum shoes
• Better concussion reduction than aluminum and steel
• Bio-mimics™ the natural hoof wall

"All Sound Horse FLEXX® shoes are built without a toe grab or hardened wear plate, allowing our unique urethane shoes to protect the natural hoof wall and bio-mimic™ normal wear patterns.

Each shoe also features a thin, metal wire that provides additional shaping and support while retaining flexibility."

I like the idea of having more give and flex in a shoe, without compromising the protective features that shoes offer I've ridden Riley three times since he's had them on, and he feels pretty darn good. 

I joked that with these lighter front shoes we should have no trouble with piaffe! Riley, I suspect, will opt to "go like a hunter" instead. 

Forever in the mood, someone snap this one up!!!

Saw this one on Facebook -- i want someone to buy him, or to buy him for me!!!

Forever in the Mood-15.2 h 5yr appaloosa gelding
$3,000

Forever in the Mood is a lovely 5yr 15.2 h registered appaloosa that is nicely started on the flat and over fences. He started life as a western horse but a horse who moves like this needs to go english smile emoticon Has been ridden out of the ring and learning about ditches, water and more. Great brain and will be easy to bring along. Quite a lovely mover with a super nice mouth. Kind, smart and fun to ride. Sound with no vices. $3k obo located in Delaware.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o1--IXnYYc

Posture in a bottle, at last!

I wish. Probably the single most important thing for improving one's riding, certainly my riding, is sitting up straight with good posture.

Full frontal Harvey

Things are a little hectic, not much time to post.

Hope you don't  mind some Harvey-love.

Harvey -- another view

Cute from any angle

Dollar Store equestrian find

Not sure if I would buy it for Bob, but it is a nice cover, yes?

Lavendar legs! Harv's favorite leg treatment

I mix Desitin and BlueCote for a lovely lavender look -- his legs are free of scratches for the first time in many months...

Hang onto those reins!

Even during a fall, her hand position is good...

Don Juan De Hus: Tres talented

I read on an online forum that this horse was "marked down" in breed/stallion shows for his canter -- too extravagant, bordering on artificial, something like that. It is remarkable. His breeding is pretty impressive, too.

Cool Footage: Secretariat vs. American Pharoah

What a difference. What a horse Secretariat was...

Riley and I, May 31, 2015

As the result of this footage (and all of the past footage of me and Riley!) I'm using a neck strap now -- not so much for balance or to prevent a fall, but to get my hands forward and down and quiet.

This not only gets my hands out of Ri's face but it puts my upper body in a better "stacked" position.

I'm happy with this footage -- it could be more forward, but this is a place where we can both stay in balance better.

Bees, who knew?

I've always liked bees in theory, from afar, but never dreamed of up-close and personal encounters. Through a confluence of events, I'm getting involved with bees at Lehigh University where I work. I'm participating in weekly, or bi-weekly, beehive checks, and pretty soon we'll be planting bee-friendly plants near our Lehigh hive.  The bee population is growing pretty rapidly and we're seeing nectar. The challenge will be winter, but we're taking steps to keep them protected. And hopefully we won't have a winter like 2014 -- UGH. 

The bee club students and advisor are super-enthused, and university administrators have been un-BEE-lievably supportive and helpful with this project. Exciting!

cookies

Not only are they cute, but they are no bake: From Savory Experiments...

Eoc-Vet fly spray -- chemical free

The Eco-Vet fly spray was featured in Horse Journal last year, and this year the product maker -- a vet in Seattle, WA -- asked me to try it. I got it in March, but the flies did not get really bad till just recently, so I've just begun to use it. Some observations...

• I like the aroma!
• It does not irritate Harv's sensitive parts -- his nether regions.
• It has an ever-so-slight oily feel but does not make the coat feel like an oil slick.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY -- it seems to work at least as well as the standard products. 
• It lasts. 

I sprayed EcoVet into one bug-ridden dirty stall, and another standard product into the next stall. Both stalls looked about the same, maybe one-two flies remaining -- but Ecovet is not a pesticide.

It is also supposed to be very effective for sweet-itch...

Eco-Vet is a tad more expensive than other fly sprays, but the "green advantage" (no pesticides on my horse) is significant enough that I'm willing to pay more.  I would definitely buy it. I'm told that the product is about to be rolled out to a national suppliers -- I don't have a full list of companies that carry it,  but Dover Saddlery does.

My new favorite browband...

I made this browband for a black mare -- how perfect is that? The beads are vintage, one-of-a-kind, faceted czech glass givre beads in pale pink and indigo, and the floral beads are tierracast. The cool thing about these beads are how they react to light -- sometimes you see monstly blue, other times pink. I would love to find some orange versions of these beads for Ri...

Leave it to Eventing Nation to find the cool non-traditional horses. They have an article about a CurlyxHolsteiner stallion, Spartagon, competing in eventing, but he looks totally dressagey to me! Note that the rider is 6'4" and the horse is 17H, unusual for a curly-bred horse. This pair completed their first Intermediate at River Glen in November 2014.