stuff i bought while my horse was lame (again)

Yes, my horse is lame again. No, I don't really want to talk about it. Yes, he will be fine, and no I'm not particularly amused that he came up lame on the same day that I joked about "jinxing" it.

Siiiiiiiiigh.

ghost of sound horses past

He appears to have put a limb in the wrong place at the wrong time, most likely sustaining a kick to a hind cannon. And it's killing him omg. #dramaqueen

dat's a fattie, charles!

True to form, his leg blew up and he was quite pitifully ouchie on it. But... ya know. It's basically just a big tender bruise, so by day two he was much less sore even tho the puffiness persisted.

poor Cos wanted charlie to pay attention to her over the fence line in the worst (x-rated) way

So I missed yet another jumping lesson where there was an awesome course and very fun and interesting jumps to be schooled. Blargh. But like, cold hosing and wrapping are fun too, right?? ....Maybe don't answer that lol.

In the meantime, knowing that we wouldn't be able to ride in the lesson, I preemptively hit up all our local tack shops for a little retail therapy. Both the big box store and the independents (including my favorite consignment shop!). Much fun was had!

pictured: retail therapy

Tho actually, in reviewing the purchases, it's maybe kinda glaringly obvious that even in my "splurge" moments I'm still kinda hopelessly practical.

A)      Polos that are a liner/bandage combination (consignment)
B)      Matrix dressage "liner" pad (consignment)
C)      Wahl mini cordless clippers
D)      Vet wrap
E)      Flat-backed wall mounting feed pan
F)      D-ring savers
G)     Tail Tamer brush
H)     Galloping boots
I)       Furazone
J)      Feed scoop
K)     Woof splint boots
L)     Hunt style 3pt breast plate (consignment)

Not pictured: Ice Horse ice pack (see below)

screwed into place bc sir likes to play with his food. we'll see how long this lasts!

Honestly I only decided to go shopping bc Amazon didn't seem to have anything that really fit my idea of a wall-floor-mounted feed pan for Charlie. He has to eat on the ground bc of his tie back surgery and tendency to aspirate food. And he has to have his feed soaked bc of the alfalfa pellets and to protect against choke.

But he also likes to paw all up in his food and fling it around his stall, then spend the next 20 minutes hunting and pecking to snarf up every last morsel. I honestly don't mind the pawing too terribly since he does in fact go find and eat it all... tho it's stressful when there are important meds in his feed.

when your tail is so luxurious you can't even see the wrapped leg behind it

The biggest issue tho is that his stall becomes a veritable fly haven with all the grain remnants everywhere. Like, it's buggy as fuck in there always. Same story at his last barn too - they'd routinely dowse his stall with Pine Sol just to try to control the bugs. It's nasty.

So my hope is that this wall-mounted, floor-level feed pan will resolve this. Except I'm about 65% skeptical that he won't just rip it right off the wall, perhaps taking down some of the boards in the process. And probably laming himself too just for good measure, bc why not, right?

this ice pack miiiiiiiight be filled with magic tho! i also like how you can't even tell that it's under the standing wrap on left

Speaking of lame, I also hemmed and hawed big time about picking up this freezer pack. I'm a big believer in just plain old ice - it's cheap, readily available, and I've got a great set of ice boots. But after going back and forth a little bit I finally bit the bullet, #splurge right??

And actually it made a huuuuge difference after just an hour on. The leg had been wrapped for two hours before hand (while the pack was chilling in the freezer) then I rewrapped it with the pack. It was super easy to wrap - you couldn't even tell it was in there. And then the leg came out looking actually leg-shaped after an hour (whereas it hadn't looked even a little bit different after 2 hours with just normal wraps). I like it!!

intriguing concept of a "liner" saddle pad!

Other odds and ends picked up were mostly all impulse buys. Like this white dressage pad. It's like.... the opposite of what we normally think of fancy pads -- most of which have all sorts of special built in padding.

This one tho assumes that you've already got a half pad that meets your needs, so the pad is extremely minimalistic breathable mesh under the saddle, and a nice crisp material that feels like it'll repel dirt and stains. It was an absolute bargain at the consignment shop ($10, tho it does not appear used) so perhaps it'll serve well as our new show pad. (if my horse is ever sound again wahhhhh)

really starting to feel organized!

And of course, with bringing all this stuff home it served as a perfect opportunity to check in on my new locker's organization protocol. And I'm pleased to say that so far I'm still feeling really good about the tack locker! Obviously I could fill whatever space is given to me (lol), but we're making do with what we got.

This hanging organizer is great tho, and holds most of my daily- or regular-use stuff that doesn't necessarily need to be mobile (and therefore included in my grooming tote for travel).

Hooks across top: extra bits, spare halters and reins, and Dark Jewel Designs hat

1st row of pockets: Mane 'n Tail shampoo, fly bonnets; polo wraps and ginger snap cookies.

2nd row: surpass and breath mint rolls; MTG and betadine sponge; keratex with brush; animax/dermalone and spare feed baggies; pair of brushing boots.

3rd row: Pair of brushing boots and pair of galloping boots; empty pocket (ooh the possibilities!); spare plastic bags; scoop; sweat scraper and bath mitt.

make good choices, charlie!

So ya know. In a way it's weirdly satisfying to get all my little odds and ends organized. To pick up all these new little extras for whatever may come in the future. I mean.... obviously I would rather be riding lol....

But at least it's fun to pick up new stuff with the prospect of future rides on my brain! I'm particularly excited about that hunt style breast plate lol. It's definitely the least necessary of all the purchases, tho I've toyed with the idea of popping a standing martingale on Sir Dinosaur Stuck in Tar Pits just to see what happens.

Mostly tho, the breast plate is for dress up. And I'm super excited about its classic look and brass hardware. Next time the horse is sound, y'all, there will be pictures!

me, wonderin when my horse will be sound again....

Until then, tho.... Wish me and my fragile little butterfly good luck in nursing him through yet another terrible, no-good bruise!!! Hope you all have a happy Sunday too!