Friday, February 20, 2015

99 problems & they're all cats

Guys I'm suffering from extreme first world problems right now. First off my chubby tubby kitty cats sat on my aging laptop and killed it. Wtf cats, really? So now I have the pleasure of procuring a new one... (thank god my saddle was well within budget!)

'we has no respect fer yer internet machine' - OG & Martini
'RIP Dell!!!' - me

Naturally the weather also continues to be unfavorable for even hauling out (what with questionable road conditions and all that fun stuff). Therefore I have no riding updates... 

picture is appropriately gloomy, tho it doesn't reflect the current snowy landscape.. 
(but check out that cute mare face!)

BUT!! Continuing the trend of getting unreasonably excited about very unremarkable things, I have alllll kinds of new hardware!!! So um, if you're into that kind of thing keep on reading! 

The ad for my new-to-me Bates saddle indicated that it was missing the left side head nail. I talked with our local saddle repair guy and he said it's not really a huge deal as far as damaging the integrity of the saddle, and is an easy fix. 


I emailed the folks at Bates too just to be sure - and they responded much along the same lines. The rep said it wasn't at all a serious defect but that he'd be happy to send along new nails anyway. Score! Also, it turns out that the Bates Saddle Company falls under the Weatherbeeta umbrella - which I was not aware of. Interesting. 

In any case, the saddle arrived and turned out to only be missing the decorative nail head rather than the actual nail shaft. So I haven't done the replacement yet as there's no pressing need, but am very happy to have the nails on hand all the same. 



And obviously now that I have a saddle of my very own I want a name plate for it. 

Fun side story: I bought my first saddle in college off a barn mate who bought it off eBay and didn't like it. Being quite poor at the time (college student problems) I could only make payments on it. And since even that was a stretch, extras like name plates were out of the question. That saddle (an HDR that I loved very much but sold as it was a laughable fit for Isabel) happened to already have a name plate - for someone named 'Bevin.' Not sure why I got such a kick out of that... but I did so I never changed the name plate. (also, a quick google search suggests that this Bevin still rides, which is cool too). 



Anyways, it's finally time to have my OWN name on my own saddle - and it's super exciting :). I also got a few other tags too - bc lesson kids know the lock combinations for all the tack rooms and things 'walk away' with alarming frequency. So there's a 1" 'dog tag' for my leather halter, and 3/4" tag for my new girth, and narrower name plates for my bridle and martingale. 

Part of me feels a little silly putting name plates on such cheap tack (my bridle is quite the Frankenstein's monster of different parts, the martingale is of the no-name variety bought off amazon, of all places) - but I don't plan to upgrade any time soon so... why not, right? 


isabel models my monogrammed cooler - never mind that it's not my monogram lol

I ordered the name plates from Smartpak, and am so far pleased with how they look (and the million little bits of hardware that came with them). But if anyone is interested I can report back later on how easy they are to attach to the tack, and how they hold up over time. 

41 comments:

  1. Exciting tagging times ahead :-)
    Hope the weather picks up and you can haul out again soon *hugs*

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  2. Everywhere is still covered in snow. I'm going to lose my mind! But those tags are all super nice. Where are you going to hook the girth tag on? I might suggest this to my trainer since finding girths seems to be an issue at our place.

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    1. ugh yea the snow is driving me bananas haha. i'm planning to attach the tag to a girth buckle, where it will still be covered by the little billet strap protector, but i have to make sure it lays flat enough to not rub a hole in my leather lol

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  3. Label everything, just because you can :) I think Weatherbeeta is slowly buying out the world. But I love their blankets so its not all bad.

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  4. I'm also curious about where you will put the girth tag. I ended up putting a Relatively Stable monogram on my leather girth since I didn't want to do a flat plate. I thought about on the ring between the legs but I imagined that jingling constantly.

    I hope the weather clears up soon so you can get some rides in!

    I've had smartpak hanging tags on my halters for several years. They are now scratched obviously, but still perfectly legible.

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    1. yea the monogram is another option if this tag doesn't work out on the buckle (which is my plan for now). i prefer the idea of an easily interchangeable tag, rather than a stick-on monogram, but the prices are at least low enough to test each idea out! glad to hear your tags are lasting well enough tho!

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  5. Yay tags!!! Hope your weather improves soon!

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    1. thanks - me too!! winter can't possible last forever :)

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  6. The title of this post made me giggle!

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    1. lol. sometimes it feels like i have sooooo many cats. i mean, there are only 2 - but it's still a lot when they're hellions haha

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  7. When I got my kitten he was like 1.5 pounds and fit basically in the crook of one elbow and I was like "why is it that everyone always complains about how much of a pain cats are in terms of getting work done? he's tiny! he fits in my lap WITH my laptop." Three pounds later, and a kitten who is an expert at de-activating the H key (integral to my login on the laptop) and activating Windows Narrator (SO ANNOYING) and I'm like OMG CATS SO INTERFERING.

    Regarding your new laptop -- last May I got a Dell with a touch screen. I'm not as in love with it as I thought I would be. I use it but I'm not sure it's worth the risk of cracking it -- which I did within three months of owning it in a totally freak accident that my old laptop would handily have survived. So something to consider. If you desire a touch screen though, go for it!

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    1. haha yea these kitties get big FAST and know exactly how to get right in the middle of everything lol. interesting about the touch screen - hadn't really thought about what specifically i'll get, as i don't need much computing power for a home computer (really i just need an internet machine with ms office lol)...

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  8. LOL I love that your cat was so fat that sitting on your laptop killed it, its just hilariously funny!

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  9. I love name plates on saddles! It's not a massively common thing here in the UK but I love the look of them and have requested one on my saddle, however I have requested it with Sunny's name not mine. I want to get a name plate on his leather halter too since they look super cute :)

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    1. oooh nice!! i've always coveted the name plates so it's pretty exciting. somehow, tho, i think it'd be a bit of a jinx getting Isabel's name engraved on my stuff since she's not mine... but maybe that's just being paranoid lol

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    2. That makes sense because I imagine if you were no longer to have Isabel the saddle is still yours because you can have it adjusted to another horse. Because I own Sunny and there will never be a situation in which I sell him but still need a saddle (I wouldn't sell him for another horse, if I had to sell him it would mean I didn't have horses anymore) it makes sense for him to have his name on it :)
      Also, I'm guessing your middle name is Louise? Perpetual middle name of probably every Emma in the world other than me lol ;)

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    3. I will probably be similar when I have a horse of my own (one day!!!) and will bedazzle his/her name errywhere lol. But for now, it's just my own name - and YES the "l" is for Louise haha- I'm always kinda tickled when ppl guess that (tho it is pretty common)

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  10. Hey, I will be pumped when I have my own name on my tack too. I somehow have a CWD saddle, but not a nameplate for it. Not sure how that works. I am excited for you!

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  11. Yay! Nameplates make tack extra fancy :)

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    1. Right?? I attached it all today and my POS martingale actually looks kinda nice now lol

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  12. Love the nameplates. Also, thanks for the cat PSA, my tiny one already views the laptop as a cosy bed and I cannot afford a new laptop lol

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    1. Haha yea these kitties seem to know exactly where we LEAST want them so sit. Tho I doubt a single cat could kill a laptop, as mine was already quite old and fragile....

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  13. Love the nameplates, they make everything look fancy! I still have to get one for my saddle and show bridle!

    Seriously LOLing at your cat breaking your laptop! Didn't think that was possible

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    1. The nameplates definitely add a bit of polish to my otherwise kinda mediocre tack. I like it! Lol ... But yea I think my cats were more along the "straw that broke the camel's back" w the computer. Still super annoying tho!

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  14. Label ALL the things! I have brass tags on all of my stuff.

    And I hear you on the cat problems! Aengus likes to jump on my lap while I'm at the computer so he can shove his head between my hand and the mouse, sticking his tail right under my nose, and then walking all over my keyboard... -_-

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    1. And Izzy looks seriously snazzy in that cooler!! Love the different shades of purple, violet and blue on her!

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    2. It's like cats just loooove being right in our faces haha. And thanks about the cooler - it's not *quite* the right shade of purple, but I kinda love it all the same, plus the fit on Izzy's odd body shape is pretty good, and it's not a material to zap her w static (quite unacceptable to the princess lol)

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  15. lol cats. they know what they're doing. totally did it on purpose. mine do stuff like that all the time... my husband sees the blue screen of death a bit more frequently than he used to. hehehe

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    1. lol right??? i have no doubt about the 'on purpose' bit too, as now they're happily taking up the lap space that was once reserved for the computer haha

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  16. Name plates on all the things! I approve.

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