enshittification

The idea that some aspects of the consumer experience are, erm, getting worse, is not new. The term “enshittification” was popularized back in 2022, but people have been talking about topics like “planned obsolescence” even longer. 

It’s been increasingly on my mind, though, and what happened to Dover Saddlery seems like a perfect encapsulation of a broader trend that’s only getting bleaker.

trying to find the path to good choices like…..

Dover was founded in 1975 and steadily grew into a dominant equestrian retailer, going public in 2005. I pored over their catalogs as a horseless kid growing up in Baltimore City — spending hours circling my favorite items, fancifully outfitting my imaginary ponies. That catalog was as engaging to me as all the other equestrian magazines like Equus or Practical Horseman. And eventually, much later in life, the actual bricks and mortar store in our area became a reliable staple. Our “big box” outfitter along with all the other local tack shops.

Unbeknownst to me, and probably many other members of the equestrian community (who may or may not be up to date with the pages of Forbes or Wall Street Journal), three private-equity firms took Dover private in 2015, and its ownership control changed hands at least once after that — with reports of debt, cost-cutting, store closures, and unpaid vendors. And, as many are aware by now, it was taken over again in 2026, and subsequently liquidated by a restructuring firm. 

grateful for the opportunity to unplug from the wider world and just enjoy the moment with our ponies!

This story is apparently being retold again and again across all industries and sectors: a trusted, recognizable niche brand becomes a leveraged financial asset, while employees, suppliers, consumers, and the broader market ecosystem absorb the loss.

The problem, to me, however, is that… the more aware I become of examples of this story, the more I realize just how enormous the private equity / conglomerate ownership model has become, and how deeply intertwined it already is with nearly every facet of my day to day life as a consumer and citizen.

The Guardian ran a story a couple weeks ago about how It’s not your imagination that consumer goods are getting worse. That article linked to a new favorite online publication, Worse on Purpose — authored by Keyana Sapp, who writes deeply researched investigative essays on brands, conglomerations, and the hollowing out of entire sectors.

doozy loves being able to follow along with the group!

For those interested, it’s worth browsing around the Worse on Purpose website… Tho this article about Whole Foods is a neat and tidy representative example of how private equity infiltrates familiar brands and disrupts entire supply chains (and the underlying ethos) quietly enough to avoid much scrutiny or attention, while still exploiting customer loyalty.

More topically for our purposes, however, is this article on pet care and the industry surrounding small animal veterinary care. Sapp promises at the end that a follow up specific to pet food will be forthcoming soon too. I’m personally looking forward to that, since suspecting that my cats’ increasing pickiness over the years may be driven by declining food product quality is part of why I started noticing generalized product degradation in the first place.

That article on vet care is interesting for other topical reasons as well — particularly as it is not especially flattering toward the Mars company. Which, for those unaware, is a massive privately owned multinational conglomerate with roughly $65B in annual sales. And, somewhat coincidentally, is owned and run in part by renowned equestrian enthusiast Jacqueline Mars, or “Mrs. Mars,” as she’s known to her riders. 

not a bad way to spend a day!

You may be familiar with that equestrian tie-in bc the Mars company has been an enormous supporter of major events in recent years, including both the North America 5* competitions. And Mrs. Mars herself breeds and owns a number of FEI horses campaigned by riders of all stripes — from up-and-coming professionals to US Team riders.

In other words, she’s been a major supporter of the sport in a number of critical, existential ways. Which… kinda runs counter to the company’s track record in owning and operating vet clinics and other consumer-facing brands, as outlined in the Worse on Purpose article. And… kinda makes you wonder exactly how reliable that support will be after Mrs. Mars is gone.

Not to be doom-y gloom-y, but isn’t that kinda the whole point? That the accountability for business decisions is increasingly flowing up the ownership chains, that success is metricized into the barest financial terms, at the expense of literally anything and everything else that doesn’t fit neatly into an expense report? 

Take away the individual passion, drive, commitment to community, the will to support…. and, what’s left? Board rooms filled with folks who are only interested in reviewing quarterly reports prepared by lawyers and accountants? 

“oh lawd, are you off ranting on the internet again about things you can’t change??” — doozy, probably

So… yea. You may be wondering what this all has to do with me and my horsey habits and lifestyle LOL, which. Ya know. Fair. And to be honest, I’m not sure I have a point or specific objective here today. Other than, this topic or issue or whatever you want to call it, has been on my mind lately. And I like to write about the things I care about, so here we are. 

I promise that I’m NOT going to try to assign any sort of responsibility or guilt or accountability of any kind onto our role as consumers in this whole situation, either. Bc let’s be real, we’ve been conditioned as a society since basically the 1970’s industry-backed anti-litter and recycling campaigns to view these problems as a failure of individual behavior, placing the burden on consumers while largely leaving the systems responsible in place.

But idk about you, but I don’t really believe that individual consumer behavior can have the same impact or influence as regulatory systems or legal structures. 

Even so, however, I’m still trying to be more thoughtful about my own consumer behavior — divesting where possible from private-equity or major conglomerate ownership structures. Whether that’s through being more selective of the specific brands I buy, or the platforms I use, or whatever.

“ugh i’m outta here, off to go enjoy my purina* snacks” — doozy, not interested lol
(*a Mars company, just so we’re clear on my own “purity” levels here!)

Tho, as ChatGPT informed me (no doubt through its own controversial network of resource and intellectual property consumption / subversion…), it’s better to think about my consumer behavior in this regard as more of a spectrum rather than a purity test. Not every system and supply chain is equally avoidable, ya know? 

But where possible, I’ve made a few small changes. Like my cat food purchases — bc again my precious pets and their increasingly picky tastes were what prompted some of this research in the first place. 

ChatGPT has been useful in researching independently owned and operated pet food manufacturers (tho definitely let me know if you have recommendations too!) and actually, retailers too. I moved my auto ship orders from Amazon to Chewy a couple years ago from a desire to divest from Amazon… But lately am looking to do better than Chewy too. Luckily in my area we have locally owned options like The Mill. 

One downside is in pricing, tho — as major retailers like Amazon or Chewy can often offer the “best” prices. Which, obvi this whole enshittified system shows that the lower prices come at their own costs too… But given that prices of literally everything seem to be climbing at the moment, ya know. Yea we all have to make the right choices for our own situations. No purity tests. 

“sometimes life is better with less thinking tho!” — doozy, philosophical

It’s worth thinking about, tho. Or at least, it’s been on my mind lately. Maybe not exactly a “solve-able problem” per se, but something I’d rather be open-eyed about when making my choices. 

Anybody else thinking about the state of these things lately? Or maybe you have your own private equity horror stories (lord knows I’ve heard all manner of nightmares about everything from fridges and washing machines that only last 2-3 years, to predatory mortgages, lost pensions, senior care disasters… etc, just to name a few!)? 

Or maybe you’ve always prioritized being a more conscientious consumer — and have horse- or pet-friendly recommendations in that regard? Or, lol, and no judgement here, but maybe ignorance is bliss for you when it comes to the darker machinations of the corporate world?

shawan preparations

It’s that most shawanderful time of the year again, when my local riding club the MDCTA starts gearing up for their annual recognized USEA Horse Trials at Shawan Downs!

Phillip Dutton & Fernhill Singapore jumping around prelim circa 2015

I love this event so much — for honestly a lot of reasons. It’s inexorably connected to my eventing history, as home of my earliest volunteer and competitor experiences. And it’s super local for me!

my third ever horse trial, with Isabel in 2015

Shawan Downs is an iconic venue, independent from just eventing too — they host a variety of timber and steeplechase races throughout the season. 

what Shawan Downs is really famous for: the Legacy Chase

Mostly, tho, my interests center on the eventing aspect. Especially bc it’s super easy to get involved with the club too! Their current competition calendar just uses Shawan Downs for the big recognized event and a follow-up unrecognized starter trial. So it’s always a big push for club members and volunteers to get everything set up!

trying to make sense of the annual jumble

All the portable cross country jumps are piled in an adjacent field for storage throughout the rest of the year, so it’s always a bit of a mystery puzzle sorting everything out — seeing what maybe got a bit broken in the transport, or perhaps succumbed to nature over the winter, vs what’s ready to go for the new year.

making a plan!

Generally it’s a multi-day job for the builder to move jumps from storage out onto approximate locations on course ahead of the final set with the designers. 

and from the woods emerge…. jompies!!!

Presumably this is the same just about anywhere, although at Shawan the storage field is a bit far so there’s a lot of time spent driving back and forth with the trailers and loaders. This year fortunately we had two trailers, so it went a little faster maybe.

however long you think it takes to move all the jumps from storage to the course, double triple it

It’s super satisfying seeing everything take shape tho. And for whatever reason, things are well ahead of schedule this year too! All tracks are officially set out with just some building (repairs / blocking / staking), mowing, painting, decorating, flagging, roping, etc, left to do.

and voila! a combination is born!

I mean, obvi that’s still a lot of work left LOL! Tho generally that’s how most members knock out their year-end awards eligibility hours, so it always ends up getting done.

next steps: painting + decorating + flagging!!
sign up here if you wanna join the fun!

I personally love getting to see more behind the scenes “how the sausage is made” eventing activities. It’s not that it’s all that complicated or unexpected, but it is A LOT. A lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of hands involved. Especially activities like mowing or flagging or painting, it all just takes the time it takes, ya know?

But it’s such a nice change of pace from my normal desk job haha. Honestly not a terrible way to spend a day! 

So ya know, if you need me, that’s where I’ll be for the next few weeks LOL! And if you’re local and interested in getting involved, come join us and sign up to slap some paint on a jump!

what’s in a name?

Kat wrote earlier this week about all the various names and registries for her sweet Butterball, and I’m shamelessly stealing the idea too — because as we all know, names and nicknames can be steeped in memories, lore, and love. And who doesn’t love getting into all that?

Mondeuse on the backside, circa May 2023

Doozy is registered with the Jockey Club as Mondeuse, a New York born Big Brown filly out of Toga Tiger (Hold That Tiger). There’s nothing obvious in her pedigree to say where that name came from, other than it’s actually a French red wine grape from the Savoy region. Perhaps they looked at her rich deep color with no chrome, and felt it fit?

my Pépé, also circa May 2023

Regardless, I’m notoriously not fantastic at choosing names for animals, so it’s generally my preference to stick with what they got. Especially with thoroughbreds, for whom so much of their lives is searchable via the various internet databases etc. 

And anyway, I happen to like the name Mondeuse and its link to French heritage. My grandmother was French, and the whole family lived abroad while my mom was growing up. So it was actually quite a fun little exercise to browse the Mondeuse wikipedia page with my oenophile grandfather looking for nickname ideas.

one of our earliest rides in the outdoor dressage court

Somewhat shockingly, there was nothing super obvious jumping out about the wine grape itself — neither a descriptor or alternate name or appellation or region or anything — that seemed to lend itself as a suitable nickname for this precious mare. 

But meanwhile, my grandfather proved quite useful in helping me with the correct pronunciation of Mondeuse: said like Mun-Duzz. Which… would not have been my first instinct, as a non French speaker… and is absolutely not what usually comes out from announcers either. Most common is something like ‘Mon-Dooze,’ although every now and again someone will try to be fancy with “Mon-Doo.”

lots of hacking out in the first month together!

Naturally, you can see how ‘Doozy’ then comes from all that (Duzzy doesn’t quite have the same je ne sais quoi!). ‘Monde,’ as she was called at the adoption facility, sounded a little too pedestrian imho despite its high society translations.

Which then gets into the litany of various nicknames… Most common among them being Mamacita or Señorita (I’ve been credibly informed that she does, in fact, speak Spanish!). Tho sometimes it’ll be “My-Dooz,” obvi. And naturally, Princess, Ms Thing, Ma’am, or MARE! when I really mean it LOL. 

looking formidable in one of our earliest off farm adventures!

It was perhaps a questionably bold call to name this fiery little critter “Doozy,” what with all the associated connotations etc… Google AI informs me that:

A "doozy" (or doozie) refers to something extraordinary, outstanding, or unique of its kind, often used to describe something very large, severe, or impressive. The term frequently denotes something "a real doozy" (e.g., a massive storm or a significant mistake). Synonyms include stunner, beaut, knockout, or corker.

february 2024, already starting to grow into her elegant frame <3

Not sure how “corker” fits into all that LOL but it did seem clear that this very sweet, pretty and highly engaging little lady needed a slightly nicer name for when she’s on her best behavior — thus, she can be, on occasion, a sweet little Biscuit <3

Tho lol… There’s also the name bestowed on her by the resident barn kiddos: “Troll,” because you have to pay the toll to cross the bridge pass by the mare in the crossties. Consider yourself warned!

reflecting

Happy Monday, friends — hope it was a good weekend for you all! Pro photos care of Erin Gilmore photography just arrived in the mail, so I thought it might be nice to reflect a bit on our most recent competition, Doozy’s official move up to BN!

sweet doozy trying her best to just…. trot on around lol

Obvi anybody who’s been following along around these parts for any length of time doesn’t really need to be convinced that I can occasionally over think things. ‘Self Doubt’ could quite literally be my middle name. And our weird roller coaster winter definitely didn’t help. 

Doozy had felt ready to think about moving up a full year ago. Remember we did a BN CT at Thornridge for *last* Halloween? Then she was stellar for the Sharon White xc clinic at BN, and I sent in an entry for one of Loch Moy’s winter derbies at BN thinking we’d never look back. 

my outfit choices were a direct reflection of me trying to manifest casual vibes lol, including opting to do all three phases in the same tack 

It’s funny, tho, bc after the wheels fell off this spring and we had to kinda break everything down into more ‘bite sized’ outings starting around June this year… Idk. It kinda forced me to reframe a little bit. Prioritize confidence building, not confidence proving — for BOTH of us. 

And when we did finally make it around a full three phase event in July, it felt fun and easy in a way I’ve never really experienced with eventing. Like, sure, everything is kinda hard sometimes with Doozy. **Mere existence** can sometimes be overwhelming, apparently. 

But the actual tests of the day? Especially the jumping phases? There were no questions in my head that we could just go out and put one foot in front of the other toward a completion. 

holy crap a pic of us cantering!! 

It’s like something clicked in my head. Like, OH. Ah. I see. It can be like this! And I basically spent the rest of the summer fully embracing the idea of getting out there and doing the things at a level that felt comfortable, easy and fun — while slowly but surely trying to smooth out all the other mere-existence-related wrinkles (like Doozy’s admittedly tough time in the warm up rings at Waredaca).

We did about an event per month this season, which is a bit less frequent than the typical area campaigners from what I can tell — but it felt / feels right for us. 

click for full size — also hit a new record for “obedient” comments LOL!

And I opted to splurge on an Area II Champs entry, knowing full well we weren’t really contenders or points chasers or anything. Historically with Charlie, I was always thinking about pushing ourselves at shows, vs dallying around for special classes or whatever. So this was a bit of a departure for me. 

oxers never looks as big in pictures as they do to me in person LOL

And it was great! Like, kinda a bit of a fussy experience with the multiple days of trailering etc LOL, and idk if I’ll do it again necessarily… But it was a great experience — I’m glad for the memories, and it was also just one more positive notch in the proverbial belt for Doozy. 

doozy being mature about jumping into our bending line <3

But ya know… It also kinda felt like time, right? Like, ok. We did a proper season. Did the recognized things. Qualified for and rode around the area champs… With still one good month left to go in the season. All signs pointed in the same direction: time to go for it. 

So I dutifully sent in an entry for the BN at Plantation Field’s starter trials, scheduled to happen the weekend after our lovely xc clinic with Sally at Windurra. 

Obvi, you’d be forgiven for not remembering reading about that event tho bc… Well. I scratched the night before for really no real reason at all, except that… idk. I didn’t feel right about it, didn’t feel ready, wasn’t in the right head space, had just one too many feelings of uncertainty bordering on that awful existential dread type feeling. 

strange little cedar oxer out of the water. i’ve seen it cause problems, but doozy clearly didn’t care

So yea. Fine. Scratch that, no big deal. Grace is a lovely gift that only we can give ourselves. 

I had just gotten so stuck in my head. Feelings of uncertainty about how the day would be set up — usually at least either sj or dressage is on grass, which one would it be? How would the xc course look — it’s normally pretty friendly looking but… it’s also been a while. 

And, in all honesty, I still remember Charlie’s somewhat uncharacteristically terrible day there back in 2018, at his second novice. If Doozy had the same type of atypical day, was our schooling level really ready enough to still get us around? And would I be emotionally resilient enough to not completely melt down if it went poorly? 

Basically. My answer to that question was, “No.” I thought it would cost me too much to have the same type of bad day Charlie had all those years ago. It also felt like I’d selected Plantation for not compelling enough reasons. Like, sure, a good event horse should be able to have consistent results at a variety of different venues and grounds. But… We already know Doozy thrives on consistency, so maybe choosing the familiarity of Loch Moy for a move up was ‘strategic’ instead of a cop out. 

i can’t tell for sure, but doesn’t it look like we might actually be stepping INSIDE the ditch????

Anyway. That’s a whole lot of navel gazing, let’s be real. But it’s also a fairly honest and accurate depiction of the mental hamster wheel going on inside my head. 

I felt instant relief after scratching Plantation… paired with a newer inner voice, quieter but equally persistent: I did want to try for BN, I did believe we were ready, and maybe all we really needed was a set of circumstances that felt more familiar, with fewer unknowns. 

So I sucked it up and sent in a (late) entry for the Loch Moy starter the very next weekend. Which, obvi felt possibly like throwing good money after bad since I’d literally just forfeited an entry fee lol. But ya know. Hurray for volunteerism guys bc BOTH these entries had pretty nice discounts applied anyway!

stunning mare + matching foliage <3 <3

I wasn’t quite finished with the mental hamster wheel, tho. In order to just keep the peace upstairs between my ears, I decided to ensure our entire approach to this event was suuuuuper low key and casual. No white pants — not even tan pants. Nope, went straight up with clothes I’d just as soon wear to a lesson. 

Ditto for Doozy — I only packed one set of tack. Not for any real reason other than: just not wanting to take it too seriously. Not wanting to even look too serious. We’ve gotten around just fine in our jump tack, and this would be no different. 

And ya know, it wasn’t any different — and we did get around just fine! Not perfect, obviously. But more than ‘just fine’ too, especially cross country! Doozy was such a super star! 

Ultimately, I’m super proud of both of us for keeping on with putting one foot in front of the other, all year long. My goal with Doozy has always been to continue growing my experience and education in this sport, and we definitely learned something deeply important this year about appreciating the scenic route <3 <3

the world according to

In honor of what would have been Charlie’s Sweet 16 tomorrow, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much he taught me. 

lessons from charlie: face hugs are best hugs <3

After the better part of a decade with the world’s best brontosaurus (not to mention drawing paychecks from various barn mgmt jobs for 15 years before that…), I was pretty sure I Had Horses Figured Out. 

charlie reinforced that curry = life
also, wow the shedding volume remains intense

And, well….. maybe that’s just the plight of your typical one-horse adult amateur. What I thought were deep truths in horse keeping and training were maybe just…. Deep Truths About Charlie. 

I’ve written chapter and verse of the Book of Charles on ye olde blogge, but now here we are in a new place, new time, and with a different leading lady who — shocker — is a very different type.

doozy thinks the tractor is fine. the bunnies that live in the shrubs tho? less fine
charlie liked tractors too <3

But ya know. When I step back and think more about the big picture, the journey, the purpose of it all… There are some pretty important truths from dear Sir Charles that continue to guide me in my decision making and approach to Doozy. 

He remains my beacon of wisdom <3

patient biscuit!!

You might remember the trials and tribulations from Doozy’s early days… her failed 30 day performance review and a probationary period that wasn’t immediately convincing about her longterm prospects as my riding horse. 

And that was after just 30 (thirty) days! You would be forgiven for wondering (passively or otherwise) why I haven’t injected any of that same prior pessimism again now, after a whole 3 months (!!) of similarly uncertain turbulence.

charlie loved planting his nose on a friendly butt to zone out for peaceful hacks. doozy is still learning to be polite about following, but she’s getting better <3

Again, tho, if there’s one thing Charlie taught me, it’s patience. Gray areas from Doozy’s probationary period — would she be sound? would she even like eventing?? — came into sharp focus last year. Doozy loves eventing* and was remarkably sound before this winter.** 

(*obligatory “excluding dressage,” lol except I’m honestly excited about our work there too!!)

(**ymmv but around here basically EVERYBODY agrees that this winter was particularly atrocious)

trees are blossoming!!!! the season of renewal is upon is

Charlie’s first few years with me were characterized almost entirely by this weird anxious urgency in my approach. I could see so clearly how capable he was, wanted so badly to be where I had gotten with Isabel, and experienced every setback (and oh lawd, did we have setbacks!) like an existential shock.

And looking back on all that… Well. While I believe with all my heart that I loved the shit out of that horse and never lost sight of how lucky I was to call him mine… It’s also clear to me that I robbed my own self of joy, satisfaction, and downright pure unadulterated glee in being so preoccupied with where I wanted to go, that I couldn’t appreciate where we were in some pretty special moments. 

my sweet wild child. everything is so different, but thanks to lessons from charlie, i’m feeling excited and peaceful about the future <3

Charlie’s final lesson to me, of course, was that we don’t in fact have all the time in the world. His riding career ended long before I quite realized it. And while I’m grateful that he got a properly pampered retirement, that too was far shorter than I ever expected.

But it’s not the moments of glory, the blue ribbons or the big jumps that keep his memory alive to me. It’s those same moments of joy, satisfaction, and deep appreciation — often from the quietest days together, or from those rides where everything felt present and connected and flowing… Those are the memories that stay with me. 

And those are the same memories that guide me in persevering through bumpy times with this sweet red mare who is proving to actually be an incredibly cool horse, one who will undoubtedly teach me a whole new education. The World According To Mondeuse. Should we all be so lucky, of course!

charlie's grooming essentials

I cleared my stuff off of Charlie's stall wall and from the tack room pretty quickly, since it was almost the end of the month and I know his barn has a wait list. 

They haven't actually filled his stall yet (<3) but obviously it's a business and boarding margins are tough. And I sure as hell wasn't going to put my barn manager in a position where she felt like she had to urge me along in what might be a delicate sad task, ya know? 

sweet beautiful charles <3

It took a little longer to gather up his grooming supplies tho... Mostly bc it was in more 'shared space' and therefore not likely to be in anybody's way. Plus. Ya know. Stuff like this tends to get a little bit "mousier" if ya know what I mean, and I didn't want to put it into my car until I could go directly to Doozy's barn to store it. 

'twas a LOT of real estate for a horse who knew how to get down 'n dirty!

Finally, tho, I picked it all up last weekend, and the last of Charlie's balancer -- which Doozy will polish off for him. (He bequeathed his equioxx to a barn buddy <3).

my shelf-o-supplies

A lot of you shared advice last summer about how to go about splitting supplies between two barns -- especially as it relates to items that should be duplicated, vs what should just stay in one place to be gathered as needed. 

the basket is nice for keeping everything together, but the zipper bag is essential for pest control

So. Eh. Let's go through my supplies and see where things landed, yes? I'll say right off the bat -- it takes me a LONG TIME to move into a space, and I still didn't really feel fully unpacked at Charlie's barn. Some of these items are mostly a reflection of our most immediate needs, vs what you'd expect after years in one place. 

the ickiest stuff stayed outside the bag

Case in point: Charlie had a few different hoof complaints in recent months. One very large abscess in a hind foot, and a smaller (but extremely dramatic one) up front. We ended up treating the hind toe with the iodine spray for quite a while after since the defect was huge and icky -- this spray helped to keep it clean and eventually harden up. 

The Kopertox was what eventually finished off Charlie's thrush from when he first moved. It's strong stuff tho -- toxic smell, I only handled with gloves and applied with the brush you see above. We used Tomorrow paste (which you'll see in later pictures) to get down into the deep sulcrus -- and that took care of the most acute stage of the thrush infection. 

pictured: our daily essentials

For day to day grooming, tho, my practice really hasn't changed in years. I like the cheapie old school curry combs to do all the big work, and then a natural fiber body brush (medium stiffness) to finish the job -- with some spritzes of a nice grooming spray for some shine. Tail Tamers paddle brushes worked best on Charlie's thick hair, and imho any old hoofpick will do.

smells sweet, keeps the dust down, and prevents accidental static zaps on that giant smooshy schnoz <3

The spray is maybe a newer addition to the toolkit, and was among the recommendations from y'all when I shared Charlie's extreme sadness whenever he got zapped with static. I liked this particular brand bc it smelled nice, had safe kid-friendly ingredients, and was inexpensive. Who doesn't love that? 

what you don't see: hours and hours of playful interactivity while grooming

Naturally, all of Charlie's brushes bear the telltale marks of what it was like to groom an interactive and mouthy horse haha. I know there are a lot of different opinions (and for a lot of very GOOD reasons) on these types of behaviors.... But let's be real. Charlie was my pet and I enabled the shit out of him lol.

looked a bit like this <3

Plus he was just fun to play with LOL -- can't you totally see how something like this could have evolved into painting pictures with the right training?? 

stuff that gets used often enough to be worth duplicating at each farm

I digress. Back to the supplies. Starting left to right: 

I finally brought dedicated saddle soap and a rag to the barn since Charlie was getting ridden more frequently and his tack had been neglected. I love this Belvoir stuff! Zip ties are always nice to have on hand. Alushield and Swat are sufficient for most minor wounds and abrasions imo. MTG is my favorite for skin funk, esp down the legs. 

I like the Cowboy Magic detangler for those long slow dedicated tail brushing sessions. HoofMaker Hand & Nail lotion is also necessary for reducing static zappage in the dry months. Gauze pads just have to get stored somewhere the mice can't get to. These curved tip flushing syringes are my favorite too. Hydrocortisone cream for those nasty bug bites that take forever to heal. And scissors, obvi. 

fun (in a loving sad sorta way) side story: the woman who handled removing charlie was literally the nicest person in the world. my barn manager coordinated everything (for which i'm eternally grateful), but i called her up after it was done to pay the bill etc and we ended up chatting for like 15min. we talked about charlie and his life and all the lovely things, and she mentioned that she saw i'd gotten his tail, and "some of his mane too." guys. no... i didn't take any of his mane, i'd just, ya know, done what i do to it a few days prior. omg. we had a nice little laugh about that too tho <3 <3

And we alllll know what I like to do with those scissors LOL....

again, not a complete medical cabinet, but stuff that's good to just have on hand

Anyway. With all the abscess shenanigans, I'd had to bring a fair amount of wrapping supplies to Charlie's barn. Duct tape, vet wrap, Elastikon (get the brand name stuff guys, just take my word for it). Plus Animalintex poultice pads and sponge gauze (for heel bulb pillows to prevent chafing).

Other odds and sods in the box include the aforementioned Tomorrow paste (it's technically mastitis treatment for cows, but is great for thrush and the long slender applicator tip gets it exactly where it needs to go), brown cling gauze, gloves, a pill crusher, and some other stuff that just lived in that box. Wooden sticks for mixing meds etc. 

last little bits of supplies

Rounding out the collection -- a giant fresh tub of Epsom salts**, more iodine scrub, and a bottle of shampoo. Plus Charlie's fly boots, bell boots, and the size 4 cloud boot that got him comfortable and back into a normal routine after the latest abscess. 

(**Pro Tip: don't buy horse-branded tubs like this, just get a bag from your local CVS or similar pharmacy, it's wayyyyy less expensive and exactly the same stuff!)

the wildest wallower <3

Not included in the above is my more 'complete' medical cabinet, which still lives inside my trailer, more or less. Obvi the barn had drugs available in case of urgent need, but for the most part if I needed bute or something I'd just bring it over in baggies. 

he loved to get dirty + he loved to be groomed, a perfect combination <3

Even so, it still feels pretty utilitarian. Especially considering just how much horse stuff I actually have, it's wild to me that we got by day to day with so few essentials. 

Presumably the collection would have continued to grow, tho --- like stable bandages / standing wraps are an item I would expect to eventually see wherever Charlie lived. And SMZs LOL.... Somehow homeboy spent his entire tenure at #ClubMed without a single stint on antibiotics, can you believe it?? 

I dunno tho. Anything missing from the above that you couldn't imagine going without in your day to day horsing?