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?

my wild orchid

We’re supposedly finally getting a reprieve from the intense heat dome that’s stretched across much of the country this past week… And not a day too soon, either. Endless days of triple digit ‘real feel’ temperatures are exhausting for everybody, bleh.

bunnies. bunnies everywhere

Well. Almost everybody, LOL! 

I like to joke that Doozy is impervious to heat, that she IS the heat, she is one with the hotness haha. The rest of us might be wilted and begging for mercy, but not Doozy!

106*F put the kibbosh on basically all riding tho
(also, feel free to ignore my tire pressure warning, as i do every day!)

Tho a friend was talking about how the orchids she planted outside were thriving and going wild with all the heat and humidity, and I was like, Aha! Maybe that’s the perfect analogy for Doozy!! I mean, we always knew she was a hot house flower anyway, right???

“garçon, my snacks!” — doozy, impatient

Anyway, she might not mind the conditions, but even I have my limits, so it’s been a fairly quiet week around these parts. Not really the worst thing in the world, given her current rehab status. 

Like, sure, I’m still all inspired from a lot of the conversations, feedback, and ideas I got from Windurra camp — and actually a few preliminary sessions prior to the heat dome felt really really promising in terms of getting us back on track on a more traditional rehab schedule. The mare actually trotted 4 whole minutes under saddle with zero shenanigans, no tiny circles required!!

sample serving of purina replenimash came in the windurra camp auditor’s goody bag

But all the same, time is still our best medicine for any sort of recovery, so a week off is just fine.

Tho obvi I’m still out to see Doozy every day just to check on her, scratch her bug bites, and feed her fancy snacks. As one does! That’s perhaps my favorite thing about being a thoroughbred person: it’s easy to just keep plugging her full of foodstuffs without really having to think too deeply about it lol.

doozy was a fan!

Like this fancy Purina RepleniMash that was part of the Windurra Camp swag bag. It’s marketed as basically a wholesome mash with ingredients like electrolytes and their Outlast gastric support product, intended as a supplement to regular feed, or quite literally, to “simply let your friend know you care.” (assuming, hopefully, that your friend isn’t an air fern!)

she’s still loving her triple crown stress free fortified forage too

Does Doozy already get a lot of gastric support from me? Do I already give her electrolytes? Yes and yes lol… But, eh, Doozy thought it was delicious, plus a nice big sloppy mash when it’s a million degrees out seems nice too, so I ordered a bag LOL. 

stübben grooming spray + a baby pelham in their fancy flexible plastic composite

I’ve also been eager to play with some other goodies from the camp swag bag — like this fancy grooming spray from Stübben! It’s different from other grooming sprays I’ve used bc alcohol is a main ingredient, but it’s supposed to make them super shiny and dirt repellent. So we’ll see!!

Oooh and the bit I ordered arrived too. It was not part of the swag bag, tho we did get a nice discount code to use. The baby pelham cheek pieces are apparently among Boyd’s favorites for a variety of reasons, but I’m also really interested in this mouth piece too. 

reader poll: is my bebe kitten already giant? or is this the littlest yeti you’ve ever seen?
(trick question, the answer is yes to both… they grow up so fast!)

Only time will tell if it goes into regular rotation for lessons or shows, or if it’s more of a specialty use bridle, like our hackamore. Time will also tell if this fancy flexible plastic material holds up any better than the rubber nathe Doozy chewed through in just a few short months, too.

“garçon! it’s spa time!!” doozy, itchy, ready for a cool down bath!

Regardless, I’m eager to give it a try, and get back to riding again too. We’re hopefully signing up to lesson with Matt Brown again in the near future, and ideally I’d like to show him a slightly… more civilized version of how we go this time around. 

this stuff usually lives in my trailer for rinsing off after lessons, but it’s the perfect refreshing rinse in these oppressive heat dome conditions

The new approach we started experimenting with prior to the heat dome includes a bit more ground work — a mishmash actually between feedback from Matt in our last lesson and also some pointers from Peter Wylde and Steph Simpson at the Windurra camp. And you already saw a few pictures from Doozy’s first foray into our at-home round pen. 

probably a lot of you are already familiar with this stuff, it’s got great ingredients

None of it is necessarily groundbreaking stuff in the grand scheme of things, probably it looks like exactly the type of routine practice and work that most people do with young or green horses.

kitten is trying to create his own spa day too,
natch by making a mess of my AC tower’s condensation drainage…

I’m learning with Doozy, tho, that so much of our success (or lack thereof) in deploying any given tactic or technique is honestly rooted in my own understanding, framing and approach. That it’s not enough for me to just do it with this horse, but I have to have a really clear sense of why, how, and for what purpose. 

#loveabletrouble

Bc at the end of the day, this horse is too sensitive to distinguish a muddled signal from all my noise, ya know? She hears it all, whether I mean it or not.

We’ll see, tho. Hopefully this week will be a bit more normal conditions, at least normal for July. So probably still moderately malevolent mugginess lol. I’ll take it, tho. We’re officially half way thru the year and I’m eager to keep chipping away at our 2026 goals! 

windurra: the unmounted sessions

The Windurra Camp curriculum was truly designed to be a 360* immersion into the performance ecosystem. Because as we all know, there’s more — FAR more — to success with horses than just what happens in the saddle. Arguably, a solid comprehensive system will get you sustainably farther than just talent or resources alone.

As performance coach Natalie Hummel said in her kickoff keynote session “Think Like A Champion,” Boyd’s system is set up so that it would literally take more work for him to stop, than it would to keep executing the plan to be World #1.

Natalie Hummel opened the camp with a group session on framing mindset

So she opened the camp with a talk intended to provide riders and participants with a framework to establish sustainably healthy mentality, accountability and intentionality. 

The material would be familiar to anybody who has listened to Natalie’s podcasts or RideIQ sessions, but essentially she focused on shortening emotional recovery time. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s inevitable — and the temptation to get stuck into the drama is hard to resist. But that drama, or the dwelling, is basically just wasteful consumption of what may be limited resources of energy, attention, stamina, etc.  

ah yes. all my red flags LOL

So she talked about the “Notice - Reset - Recover” process, comparing it to “how many strides does it take to bring your horse from an extended to collected gait (Editor’s note: this is a major recurring theme across the whole camp). Specifically, “Feel your feelings, then carry on” and stay in the moment.

Her C.H.A.M.P. framework is designed to help riders recognize and name the common pitfalls or emotional obstacles to improve awareness, recovery and resetting to: Composure, Humility, Alignment, Mastery, and Performance Standard. Scan the QR code below if you’re interested in more material.

scan the code if you’re interested in more material

For me, and actually for many session participants, that “Composure” element is a pretty big one… And not gonna lie, when I got back to the barn later that evening, I explained very carefully to Doozy** that “Composure” would be our vocabulary word of the day for… ever, probably LOL.

And another little mantra from Natalie: Taking feedback is not the same as dwelling or fixating. She suggested asking ourselves in a difficult moment, “WWBD” (what would Boyd do?), with the answer: “Win this Moment.” You can’t carry a mistake forward, you can’t ride yesterday’s round or yesterday’s horse, you can’t be stuck on the last jump when another is right in front of you. Whether we like it or not, our horses demand that we stay present in the moment with them.

(**Who was a hot fucking mess bc her fields did a normal rotation but she had ended up turned out alone in a new paddock for a couple hours in the changeover and was very very sad about it…)

 

Xander from Stübben led a deep dive session on bitting

Obviously readers won’t be surprised that the sports psychology session resonated with me, as that’s an area I’ve personally spent a LOT of time working on in myself over the last few years… But let’s keep moving through this 360* ecosystem, shifting gears to the Stübben session on a key piece of equipment in our sport: bits. 

Boyd tag-teamed this session with Stübben product designer and internationally recognized bitting specialist Xander Boere, with demonstrations conducted by a working student whose name I missed (sorry!) but who has started the FEI eventing levels with his thoroughbred gelding.

one of boyd’s working students did the bitting demo ride on a sensitive slightly insecure but lovely and very willing thoroughbred gelding. 

Boyd talked a lot about his own favorite bits, and especially the reality that while he may have literally hundreds in his collection, he probably uses the same three or four 95% of the time (regular snaffles, twisted snaffles for jumping, and a baby Pelham). Xander, meanwhile, emphasized that your bitting solution needs to support a good contact, and that without that contact and connection, you lose the body of the horse.

He advised riders to use bits they like the feeling of, that the horse also likes. Realistically some horses will just get offended at some bits or some points of pressure, so a little trial and error may be needed. 

A general guideline he offered was that a smoother reaction that takes longer to work is “better” than the alternative of a quicker reaction that’s less smooth, bc you can always keep finessing and refining the training from there. 

boyd, looking deep in thought lol

Key topics in the talk included reviewing cheek piece styles, mouth pieces, materials, and best practices for fit. For example, a loose ring bit wants a finger of space on either side of the mouth to avoid pinching, but an eggbutt can be much closer. 

The baby Pelham is one of Boyd’s favorites — especially for his working students who might be hacking or exercising his horses — bc its action helps bring the horse’s head down and back up without a lot of fussing or tinkering in the connection. Alternatively, the three ring can help with raising a horse’s head up, tho you may sacrifice some hollowness in the back. 

Most of Boyd’s horses will flat in their ‘normal’ bit 90% of the time, but there may be certain scenarios where it’s helpful to change it up. For example, after a show when the horse is feeling tight in his back, or before a show during ring familiarization — these are both examples of a time where you can move back and forth between bits to help the horse understand and achieve the beneficial posture with minimal fuss.

doozy is clearly so excited to put my takeaways to work as we keep chugging along in the rehab

Xander also highlighted a new plastic compound Stübben is using for their bits. It’s his feeling that rubber as a bit material is basically outdated technology — that rubber is actually too drying and too prone to wear and tear. The plastic, on the other hand, encourages a wetter mouth and is less likely to get chewed up. 

I actually ordered a baby Pelham in the plastic material (with the same mouthpiece as the kimberwick Boyd’s holding above) using the clinic discount, and will report back!

(Editor’s note: another major theme from the clinic — an ever-growing shopping list LOL)

head groom / operations manager / boyd’s-right-hand-man Steph’s personal horse was an extremely willing participant as demo horse in Dr Kevin Keane’s session

As with anything with horses, there really aren’t any hard and fast rules or requirements here — the horses haven’t read the textbooks and all our experiences will vary slightly. If you’re interested in getting more personalized feedback or even a fitting, it might be worth reaching out to either a rep or independent fitter in your area!

And same caveat with the next session, “When do you NEED the vet?” with Kevin Keane, DVM. He was crystal clear that these are really just informal guidelines and helpful highlights based on the experiences of the professionals leading these sessions. When in doubt (or in urgent need!) — turn to your trusted tribe.

Kevin’s an accomplished vet and also an accomplished eventer in his own right!

Apparently Boyd’s head groom* Steph suggested this topic to Kevin, so he put together a remarkably concise and clear list, and talked through each aspect — including why it matters to his practice.

The session started with a review of measuring Temperature / Pulse / Respiration (TPR), the relative normal ranges, and the circumstances where variance is totally ok and non-emergent. His main point was to encourage folks to be comfortable enough with these metrics to be ready able and willing to provide them in a call to the vet should a situation arise, so vets can triage their response. 

(*A wildly underwhelming title for the person who by all accounts is a major driver in overall program operations…)

great session on when do you NEED your vet

Then he went through his emergency list — specifically, the situations where he feels it’s appropriate for a vet to make an emergency visit to see the horse immediately, vs scheduling an appointment. The list is:

1 - Eye: pain, tearing, shut, discoloration. Especially if you live in a warmer climate like Florida, apparently the fungal pathology can get very bad, very fast.

2 - Uncontrolled bleeding. The blood vessels get larger higher up the leg, as does the scale of blood loss. He reminded the audience that in emergencies, you want to do what it takes to save the horse first — and worry about complications later. Example: use the tourniquets or vet wrap around delicate structures etc. if that’s what it takes to save the horse

3 - Lacerations need stitches if the skin edges are separated. K.I.S.S.

#justwindurrathings

4 - Colic: painful abdomen. Again, he reminded the audience that there are a LOT of other organs in the abdomen beyond just the guts, and that uncontrolled pain can be a big deal. You’ll want to be able to tell the vet your horse’s TPR (prior to administering banamine or any other drugs!)

5 - Choke: food material coming out of nostrils. Horses that are choking for a long time are at increased risk of dehydration, compounding the emergency. Soaking food is a good way to reduce risk.

6 - Lameness: affecting horse’s mobility. The distinction between an emergency call and scheduling an appointment can be fuzzier here, but is basically related to whether the horse can actually get around or not - esp to get to the water bucket. When in doubt, make the call.

7 - Neurological status change. Biggest issue here is safety to the humans and other horses who may be in the same space as an ataxic horse.

the conditioning pond: shallow water, peacefully ensconced within some shrubbery, best enjoyed as a quiet group activity

It’s probably a safe bet that if you pinned Kevin down to keep meditating on this question for another couple of hours, days or weeks, the list might get a little longer… Or maybe there’s something you would add to or clarify about that list, based on your own experiences??  Honestly, tho, I appreciated the simplicity and focus on the most common situations. 

Ultimately, his most emphatic advice to the audience was to develop a good relationship with your team — your vets, farriers, trainers, etc., so that if the unthinkable happens, you’ve got the resources you need.

i would like to please special order an exact copy of this round pen for doozy LOL

Whew, ok, are you still with me? I know this is a lot of information packed into a single post, but hang in there — we are shifting to the last topic addressed in the various unmounted sessions, which you may have guessed based on the last few pictures: Conditioning!

I saved this for last because I’m honestly most interested in adapting or modifying to fit my situation, vs trying to replicate a 5* fitness program for Doozy. Thanks but, uh, no thanks!

doozy’s first time in our home round pen — complete with chicken coops LOL

The horses at Windurra spent a LOT of time conditioning — the vast majority of their ridden time falls more into this category than “proper schooling.” A typical session for a horse could include hacking out with a working student for 20min before being delivered to Boyd for a dedicated ~20min schooling ride, flat or jumping, then picked up by another working student for a second cool down hack.

Very rarely would a horse go straight from the arena back to the stall — they’ll at least walk the drive way or do a loop around the fields. Something. Variety in location, footing, terrain — it’s all part of the program.

For more intentional conditioning hacks — let’s say an hour of walk/trot out in the woods and fields — the horses trot on the flat and uphill sections, walk on downhill. Boyd said he’s not too insistent on frame through this work, only that the horse isn’t upside down or inverted. He wants the back to be soft, but the work is more about the heart and lungs vs muscles.

“what the fuck with that rooster tho” — doozy, being tall but composed

Peter Wylde offered some perspectives on connecting the conditioning to the schooling in his various sessions (more on all that in a later post!). He said he’s fond of free lunging a horse (if you have a safe secure space like a round pen) for ~5min each direction in loose relatively passive side reins — either connected to the side or just down to the girth. Then remove the side reins and do another few minutes each way. 

He also likes integrating more passive conditioning style work into his warm ups — including getting up off the horse’s back and letting them go 3-4 times around the ring. Not running or chasing, just a low frame, free back, sending the horse forward but letting him take a deep breath. This is apparently an approach Michael Jung uses even in his dressage warm ups.

and then off on a semi-serene hack! better than fully-feral, amirite?

Steph Simpson added some additional nuance to those thoughts in what turned out to be a 1:1 discussion on conditioning on the last day when a lot was going on and I was the only one who showed up LOL. It was super cool tho bc we really got into the weeds on my own special critter, Ms Mondeuse. 

And, well. Basically, Steph said her impression of my description of where we are with the rehab (on one hand progressing slower bc we don’t have a ton of control; on the other hand introducing more complicated flatwork sooner for… the same reason LOL) was that it sounds like a “Hostage Situation,” except she’s not sure which of us is the hostage. Oh. My. God.. haha…hahaha??

doozy maybe you’ll be grown up one day

She talked about the slow canter / galloping program they use to leg up the horses in the winter, and wondered if a similar structure (in concept if not in intensity) might suit Doozy? 

Basically, all along I’ve had this idea that Doozy doesn’t need to be fit. I don’t WANT her to be fit. Thanks, but dear god no thanks… Except, that approach might be missing a key concept that was another major recurring theme throughout the whole camp: You have to find ways to let the horse succeed, let them do what they’re good at, find salvation in the forward. 

And guys… Well. Doozy is good at running lol. It’s like her lungs are in her feet, she never really takes a breath until we’re settling in at canter. There’s a reason cross country is our easiest phase, ya know?

So Steph suggested adapting their slow canter (aka quasi gallop) program into my work — as appropriate with the rehab schedule — starting with 2-3 minutes of continuous canter in week 1, sticking with it long enough to get over the “hump” of what might an explosive start lol. Then for the next couple weeks, adding in a second 2-3 minute interval. Then increasing again to a third interval for another few weeks, etc. Eventually their horses get up to 5 intervals of a mile each, tho obvi that’s not my goal. 

Rather, Doozy’s goal would be to integrate this type of work into our system to 1) alleviate the hostage crisis; and 2) create a more productive connection for practicing the “forward and back” that will be a major theme in the Dressage and Show Jumping posts.

We’ll see lol — does any of that conditioning work align with your program? Or any thoughts / ideas / comments from the other sessions on sports psychology, bitting, or vet work? Or maybe you’re just waiting for me to get on with the good stuff — the ridden sessions?? lol… 

feeding frenzy

Happy Monday, friends! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind around these parts for… hm, basically the last full month. I actually straight up cancelled all my plans this weekend to just chill out and slow down. It was super nice, not gonna lie!

doozy is obsessed with these specific leaves and legit drags me to them
srsly tho, look at those flared nostrils!

And gave me the perfect opportunity to get a whoooole bunch of random photos off my phone and recorded here in ye olde blogge for posterity, if not exactly for some sort of cohesive story line lol. So, uh, brace yo’self for the randomness!

new tailgate spot this year!! 
(purple dot)

First up, obviously my friends and I had our big annual To-Do at the Maryland 5*!! I always love making a whole big thing of it — with volunteering Thursday and Friday at the YEH Championships, then tailgating Saturday, and then show jumping / shopping on Sunday.

Allison Springer & HTS Jenson in the 3* at our prior tailgate location

And this year did not disappoint! Every year is a little different, It’s still a very young event and they tweak and change things with each running. For example, our tailgate spot of the last 2 years was absorbed into another area, so we relocated up the hill to the Sunken Road complex. 

Monica Spencer & Artist in the 5* at the new spot. not bad!

And guys, it was a fantastic spot! A super cool (and influential) combination to watch, plus a big screen to follow along with the action. AND a liquor store literally directly across the street — convenient when I realized we needed more ice + coolers. Plus, this tailgate section is on the opposite side of the ropes from the normal spectator paths, so we never had to deal with crowds. 

It was a great day with a wonderful melting pot of so many horsey friends over the years, including our core original group, friends from the last boarding barn, Charlie’s barn, Doozy’s current barn, and even some folks from the Isabel days. So fun, I’m already excited for next year!

and meanwhile, doozy <3 <3

Per usual, I did all my shopping on show jump day too. Unfortunately didn’t get pictures of everything yet, but am pretty pleased with my haul. Biggest priority was a shimmable half pad, since Doozy and I continue to be frustrated by weird fit issues related to our combined crooked mechanics.

new shimmable half pad from shopping at the 5*

Like, both saddles fit the horse. But they also both shift in exactly the same way over the course of a ride bc Doozy and I are both dynamic and moving beings who apparently don’t adhere rigorously enough to postural ideals. Womp. 

brand is ErrePlus, comparable to the Mattes pads

This particular half pad appealed to me bc it’s predominantly natural fibers — with the sheepskin lining and wool shims. But it’s also extremely non-bulky. So it can be as “barely there” as you want it to be, with a nice progressive set of shims for precision adjustments. So far, so good, I’ll keep you posted. 

also got a few new pairs of breeches at the 5* — finally, purple pants!! and green!!

Other shopping items were maybe less exciting — I got a couple pairs of Romfh breeches from the same booth I always pick up a pair or two. For whatever reason they always have the inside line on Romfh deals, legit maybe the only good “deal” to be had in the entire vendor village!

equine artist Darlene Ivey had the most incredible prints, you should follow her on insta if you’re into that sort of thing!

Tho independent small business Sona Equestrian definitely won the award for best prints used across the most inspired selection of products! I picked up a pair of socks, but was also completely smitten with her charming shower curtains, notebooks and notecards, tumblers, totes, and so many other items, definitely check her out!

all the better for our low key schooling practice on terrain in random paddocks lol

I’m also working on getting Doozy back onto the cross ties reliably in our grooming bays at home, and picked up some really really cool rapid release devices from our friends at Nunn Finer. I’ll get actual pictures + thoughts when I’ve got them properly set up.

pictured:: mare who ignored the nets when they were full….

Ok. Whew. So yea the 5* took up a lot of time and energy (and miles driving LOL), but life goes on and Doozy naturally requires her due as well! Obvi we had our big Windurra outing a couple days later, and I was slightly miffed to observe that… Doozy wasn’t really touching her hay nets in the trailer.

musical chairs hay piles!

I’d noticed the same at the Area Championships, but thought maybe it was just a funny weedy bale or something, so I filled another couple nets for the trip. Obvi the idea of a 3 hour round trip without palatable hay doesn’t sound great to me, so when she left basically all those nets untouched after Windurra, I opted to dump them all out in her paddock and start from scratch.

apparently much more palatable when not in a net…

My very first riding instructor (at whose barn I first learned chores) always said to leave a hay pile for the “invisible horse.” As in, enough piles for however many horses are in the group, plus one. Her rationale being that the dominant horses will always push around the meeker horses, and you want an obvious open spot for them to go.

good girl, eat your vegetables!

Doozy is such a tyrant with her ponies, tho, that I opted to leave enough piles for **two** invisible horses LOL. And somehow, go figure, the hay was much tastier when she didn’t have to fight a net for it. Ugh, horses. 

so you can grow big and strong for our adventures!

In the meantime, I picked up a bale of timothy / orchard mix from the local feed store. At ~$14 a bale, it’s more expensive than just buying a regular bale from my barn as I’d been doing… But, eh, peace of mind, right? It’s hard to ride an unhappy belly.

i might be biased, but i think she’s extremely handsome <3

So that brings us up mostly to real time. Doozy and I had a bit of an uneven few schooling sessions post-Windurra. Not ‘bad’ rides, per se, but probably the ‘least good’ since we started using our recorded ride guides. I think my most recent version is just a little too long, making it more likely that I’ll deviate from the plan and possibly tune it out a bit. 

and so is our hacking buddy Dante! 

Plus, obvi, it seems reasonable that we might both be a little tight after such a big cross country schooling session! Fortunately it worked out that we were scheduled for another body work / chiro / acupuncture session. 

Doozy still doesn’t love these sessions as much as Charlie did, but she’s getting better. And the practitioner seems really pleased with the mare’s development and condition, so that’s always super reassuring!

good mare, always marching eagerly ahead haha

Anyway. We closed out the weekend with a lovely hack through the fields and woods. Our foliage is finally peaking and daytime temps are still super mild in the 60s, what’s not to love, right?

as a reward for making it thru all those pics, here’s my cat,
as he discovers the radiators are on for the season!

Not gonna lie, it felt super nice to have a relatively quiet weekend. This time of year I’m always so tempted to get swept up into a whirlwind of trying to do all the things bc “winter is coming!” But ya know. There’s still plenty of the fall season ahead of us!!