aloha!!

I swear I never used to be superstitious. I never felt like I was gonna "jinx" myself, or anything like that. Back in the Isabel days I'd talk for weeks in advance about whatever plans we had coming up. And, to some degree, I've wanted to do the same with Charlie.

Except.... Well. Things have a funny way of coming between me and my plans with Charlie haha, and over time I've grown more pessimistic. A little less likely to lay it all out there exactly what I plan to do, esp in terms of concrete competition schedules. Bc ya know, it kinda sucks always having to turn around and say, "whoops never mind!"

But then it ends up being a bit of a surprise when I randomly post on a Sunday that, "Oh hey by the way, Charlie and I are making our recognized debut today!"

so festive, yes?

Still, tho. It's exciting. I'm excited. A little nervous and anxious. Not least because I failed to check the forecast until after I clicked "submit" on that extra pricey non-refundable po$t entry. And ahem, again, as has been a theme around these parts for the past week or so, it's worth mentioning that it's HOT out right now. Very very hot.

Definitely sub optimal conditions. But dammit, I don't really want to add "un-fair weather" to the list of disasters that have derailed our plans and forced the forfeiture of all those fees. So. As of this writing (again with the superstition!) we are gonna do it.

i love the decorations <3 tho considering our history, i won't believe we'll actually make it to this start box until it's actually literally happening haha. sigh.

Actually, it's entirely possible that by the time you read this, I'll have already completed my rides. HOPEFULLY with a number. Please sweet baby cheebus may we just get some numbers. I don't particularly care what they are, to be honest. I would just like to conclude the festivities in the company of my horse, without making any dumb mistakes to otherwise get us eliminated.

We'll see how it goes. I already walked the course and collected all my obsessive meta data haha. It does not look like a cakewalk. But it *does* look like a test we've studied for. And not like, "late night cramming and probably still needs a crib sheet" kind of study either...

No no, it looks pretty good. Hopefully. Due to the extreme weather conditions, organizers slowed the times wayyyyyyy down. So even if I cared about riding for time (which, I don't at this point), I'd still have no excuse for making a stupid mistake bc of rushing. We will have the time to tackle what needs tackling.

So we'll see. Should you share some of my own same stalkerish tendencies, I believe Event Entries will be running live scores for the show ;)

this sweet new power adapter is coming with us to hopefully allow a box fan to run off my truck's cigarette lighter 

Anyway tho, as with any show there's all manner of other uncontrollable environmental factors that can have a big impact even tho they're not necessarily related to the five minutes spent in the show ring or on course or whatever. 

This weekend's biggest unknown is the weather. It's fucking nasty out. We're riding early, which is nice, except the humidity will be higher. Bc of the way my division is run, there's a longer than normal gap between show jumping and xc. Something that typically is not good for my mentality bc I want to keep moving and not give myself too much time to think.

But.... On this day it's actually a welcome break. It means that I won't have to wear my vest for SJ, and can take some time to sponge Charlie off and offer him fresh water before xc.

I also popped by Home Depot to add some new accessories to the trailer set up. Namely, another canopy tent thingy for shade, a new cooler for ice (FINALLY), and a box fan + power adapter so it can run off my truck's cigarette lighter. I've been assured that this probably WON'T kill my truck battery haha, but just in case my jumper cables are coming along too LOL.

and bc horse shows are exciting / scary, here's some sparkly stuff! this browband is FOR SALE, y'all!!

So. We're as ready as we're gonna get, yes? Which means that there's nothing left to do (as of this writing) but sit around twiddling my thumbs, looking for bright shiny objects with which I might distract myself from brewing an ulcer haha.

And thank god for Amelia at Dark Jewel Designs, bc she had just the ticket!!

virtually all of Amelia's work is custom made to order, but every now and then she can offer some ready made pieces

Amelia makes made to order browbands featuring custom designed bead work. On many of her browbands, the bead strands are actually interchangeable, so you can have a show ring strand and a fun strand, for instance. Or, if you're like me and have both brown AND black DJD browbands, you can still easily move your favorite bead strands from one bridle to the other.

Possibly my favorite feature of these browbands tho (aside from the frequent compliments they receive!) is the snap-on functionality. It's gotten to the point now where I legitimately resent my other browbands that still require the crown piece to be threaded through before attaching the cheeks... Like, c'mon it's not 1936 anymore, folks! Snaps are the future!!

look at how colorful the crystals are tho!

Lol for real tho, esp for those of us who have different bridles for different occasions, it's super easy to just swap a single browband around for all your black bridles or all your brown bridles. I have two complete jumping bridles - one with just a loose ring snaffle and one with my KK Ultra elevator bit - and I use the same browband for each. It's a cinch, I like it haha.

so pretty

But anyway, again most of Amelia's work is custom made to order. RARELY does she have something ready made. But... Evvvvery now and then she'll want to test out a new a idea or new style of bead. And so she'll whip up yet another one of these gorgeous browbands, and then offer it for sale.

the swoopy shape allows the slightly longer browband to still fit like a normal full size

So, lucky us, this happens to be exactly one of those moments! The above browband is black with white piping complete with the snap loops. It's sized Extra Full 17", although Amelia tells me that the drop style allows for a more flexible fit and that this will still fit on a normal Full size horse.

The gems are Swarovski Rivoli Crystals in Crystal AB, Crystal, and special color Tears of Isis. Set in chain setting, with the crystal strand securely sewn into browband (this is not an interchangeable strand).

Amelia is offering this lovely browband for $90 free shipping in the US. You can find her on Facebook or Etsy, or email her at Amelia.Pitts at yahoo for inquiry or if you have any questions.

Hopefully somebody will snap up this lovely piece!!

And in the meantime, hope you all are staying cool and having a nice weekend. And doubly hoping that I'll have good news to share come Monday!! ;)

help me choose! body protector edition

Ok, confession time. Idk what it was about MDHT last weekend, but there was definitely some sorcery in the air.

Possibly induced by a day spent in the hot sun (but probably toooootally unrelated to all the day drinking, right?). Or the fact that a giant ass thunderstorm rolled through and we found ourselves cloistered up in the VTO tent, which happened to be running some killer sales....

fairly standard outfit. the shirt changes depending on my mood (and the heat, bleh), and obvi my boots have since been updated to something a little lighter in color (below), but typically we kinda ride the navy train

Regardless of the reason why, I ended up coming home with not one, but two Rodney Powell Beta3 certified body protector vests.

Which like, I already have a vest - my tried 'n true Harry Hall. And you might recall, the Harry Hall is also Beta3 certified. Beta3 being the extremely rigorous standard certification required for vests in the UK, and a higher degree of safety than we require here in the US.

Beta 3 Harry Hall

So it's a good vest. It's as comfortable and breathable as might reasonably be expected from body armor, and it's very safe.

My mom bought me the vest for my birthday the fall after I broke my leg. I was sad and depressed and not riding, and hungry for anything that made me feel like horse shows would again be in my future. And it's been a dutiful loyal soldier ever since. 

in action, also these are the color boots i wear now. oh and we've been doing the white saddle pad lately too, if that makes a difference

Plus, it matches my helmet cover perfectly, right? And Navy is kinda my jam. So it works out. I kinda wish the vest wasn't so bulky, but I don't know if such a thing exists with this level of safety certification haha!

But yea. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is now for some ungodly reason, I am the proud (?) owner of THREE vests. Each quite different from the others. I don't need three vests tho, I honestly don't even really need two... tho maybe it would be nice to have options?? Maybe? Idk.

So here's where I need your help. I probably should not keep at least one, but maybe two of these vests. Meaning the others will likely be offered for sale.

Beta 3 Rodney Powell in lavender

I'm terrible at making these types of decisions, to be honest. Mostly bc I tend to be a bit change resistant and am inclined to think my navy Harry Hall works quite nicely anyway, and that maybe the brand new Rodney Powells will be easier to sell anyway. But.... Sometimes I wonder if a zip closure up the front, like both the RPs, is more flattering than the buckle closure of the HH. 

And the idea of a paler color actually strikes me as a distinct advantage in hotter conditions, when I'll do literally anything to limit my risks of sunstroke. 

Also worth noting as you evaluate these images: in competitions (where we'll get the most photos, so obvi it matters haha) I wear a pinny that covers the majority of the front and back of the vest. See the pics above for examples. 

Beta 3 Rodney Powell - in black. sliiiightly different model than the lavender, too

I like the idea of the black bc perhaps of any color it's likeliest to be the most flattering and slimming fit, and this particular vest is also pretty streamlined. But that also means it's probably going to be the easiest to sell so.... Idk if I want to get that attached to it.

sorry the color isn't super balanced

It is a nice vest tho.... But do I really want to go any deeper into the Navy / Black depths than I've already gone??? (see the black half pad and girth in the pics above to see what I mean) It's hard to say, really.

So yea. I don't really know here. I can rationalize reasons to keep each of these vests, or, um, ALL of them haha. But that's not super practical haha. So I need to make a choice. What would you do? Or, conversely, if there's a vest here that you personally might be interested in, let me know that too (fraidycat.eventing at gmail). They're all more or less Women's Medium.

Any thoughts appreciated here haha!

wintry scenes + Ogilvy half pad FOR SALE

Happy Saturday, guys!! I always get kinda excited at the prospect of February. Sure, it's one of the nastiest months weather-wise in Maryland. But it's also the shortest, and gives me the feeling of time speeding up toward spring. Even if, ya know, March is also usually nasty and also literally interminable...

who doesn't love a little bit of shiny on a cold winter day?

Anyway. First on the order of business today is this lovely gray Ogilvy jumper half pad with pink trim and white piping. It's for sale :D

classy yet subtle gray and pink!

It's in virtually brand new condition, was used once and has since been kept in a climate controlled and smoke-free environment.

underside of the pad

It's size regular (fits 16.5 - 18 in. saddles, see below for more specs) with 1.25 in. memory foam insert.

inner pad and cover shown separately here

Asking price is $160, shipping not included. Email fraidycat.eventing at gmail if you're interested.

inner pad likewise in like-new condition

Prefer to ship in the US. Local pick up is also available within reasonable range of Harford County, MD.

specs + care instructions

If you have any questions, want to talk details, or see higher resolution pictures, just shoot me an email!

email fraidycat.eventing at gmail if you're interested ;)

And in the meantime, I mayyyyy or may not be eagerly awaiting the arrival of yet another trial saddle haha. Tis the season for gear checks anyway, right???

i spy: snow horses!!!

Considering our world is snow outside right now, there sure doesn't seem to be much else to do anyway haha.

aw chuck <3

Our region didn't get slammed too too badly by the polar vortex, but the front did blow in a lot faster / earlier than I expected. So I had to run out to the barn one morning before work (and before the snow squall iced over all our roads...) to sneak another layer under Charlie's blanket.

this is my favorite face, hands down

He was already turned out when I got there, and I kinda love seeing him out enjoying his pasture and friends. Also nice: he didn't seem the least bit cold or concerned about the snow. And was actually kinda nosing around all the frozen grass around the water tub when I walked in haha.

my phone came from my pocket. therefore my phone must be fud!! 

But of course he always has to come say hi (and check my pockets lol), and stood like a gentleman while I pulled back his top blanket to slide the Horseware 100g liner underneath. Guys that thing is SO WARM tho.

I sorta just unthinkingly kept it on the horse for our walk up to the indoor last week, then walked around with it tucked over my legs for the warm up. And WOW, I'm really impressed with it. Too bad Charlie's starting to shred that now too....

does anyone else get an anxious feeling watching your horse approach the herd at the bale?

Probably bc round bale season = horsey chew toy season, I guess. I'm always so so so extremely reassured to always see Charlie get a spot at the round bale. Mostly bc I worry about him staying warm and getting enough to eat. Luckily tho, that's been a non issue.

idk if it's just that charlie's such a big boy, or that he's generally pretty easy going, but so far he always gets a spot at the bale with relatively few dramatics (just, uh, don't look too closely at his neck, m'kay?)

But his neck is a freakin disaster. COVERED in little bites and bruises and sore spots. Ugh. I'm spraying so much alushield on him he's starting to look like an Appaloosa haha. They're even biting him through his heavy blankets. So now the Horseware liner has a big hole right in the middle of Charlie's rib cage, ugh, wtf.

stay warm, big guy!

Oh well, tho. Tis the season, I guess! He seems happy so that's enough for me.

Tho. Ya know. I'd probably be happier if the weather was a little warmer haha. Luckily next week looks to be ushering in some much more inviting temperatures. Hopefully to coincide perfectly with my saddle trial period!! We'll see if I can manage to capitalize on all that with maybe a little adventure ;)

In the meantime, happy weekend!

KonMari my tack trunk!

It's kinda amazing to me how much stuff we equestrians accumulate over time. The volume alone is absurd. Then you spread it around between various closets at home, the backseat or trunk of your car, the trailer, and your tack trunk at the barn (plus god knows whatever other storage there is... garages, attics, basements, what have you).

roller ball spurs that i bought and literally never used

It adds up quickly, almost without us ever really realizing it. For me, personally, the accumulation is all the more curious bc... uh, I only just bought my first own personal pony two years ago. So tell my why most of the stuff pictured in this post predates the horse?!?

why do i have so many nosebands tho????

I mean, obviously a lot of it was for Isabel, too. She totally counts. Although some of it also predates her, to be honest, but oh well.

and like... why so many spare flash straps? how did i not know that i had them before going out and buying moar??

There's so much stuff of varying sizes too. Like I guess I never wanted to get rid of anything bc who could know what my "future horse" would wear size-wise? And so I collected and collected. Really, it's kinda obscene.

the consignment shop was happy to take these, meanwhile i wasn't sure people even wore non-zipper tall boots anymore...

Lately tho, I've been hearing a ton about the new reality TV show "Tidying Up" with Marie Kondo. Whose ultimate mantra is that we should keep what sparks joy, and let go of the rest.

spare halter breakaway

It was kinda a tantalizing thought, tbh, haha. Was my massive collection of dusty musty moldy tack really truly bringing me joy? Every time I had to fight to shove my saddle onto its rack beyond all those extra boots and bridles.... was that really a joyful feeling?

one of many girths, and a whole bunch of narrow gullet plates bc of that one saddle fitter years ago who wanted everything in a narrow...

Plus, combined with my new zeal for budgeting ahead of a year that will be more expensive than in the past (if all goes to plan, at least)... Well. It got me thinking whether some of this crazy stockpile of equipment might actually spark more joy if I could transform or otherwise convert it into a couple greenbacks.

speaking of adjustable gullet plates..... my Bates dressage saddle is officially for sale

And so. Spring cleaning came early to 'Fraidy Cat Eventing haha!

it served me well over the years, i'll be sad(happy) to see it find a new home!

I went through all my little caches of horsey paraphernalia and pulled out all the stuff that I simply am not using. Much of which hasn't been touched in maybe years. All those spare nosebands. The old pair of fillis irons that were replaced by newer hi-tech gear... All those various styles of spur that I bought, when all I actually wear in reality are my tiny tom thumb nudgers.

comes with medium (black) gullet plate

It all had to go.

adjustable point billets + nice thigh block that won't push you around too much

I spent a couple hours over last week and weekend just sorting through the stuff and cleaning it all up. Then made a couple trips up to my local consignment shop at Maryland Saddlery to list everything with them.

anybody wanty? asking $800, all reasonable offers considered. email fraidycat.eventing at gmail ;)

I thought about offering it all here, but the idea of trying to figure out pricing plus shipping, and then making any trips to the post office.... Honestly that idea was kinda daunting and overwhelming to me. And possibly was why it had taken me so long to get around to organizing all this stuff anyway.

moar stuff for consignment tho.... they didn't accept that bonnet bc of the sun bleaching so i guess that's up for grabs too haha

Really, I just needed an escape. An immediate "eject" button. A way to quickly just jettison it all. And so off to consignment it all went.

why do i have so many spurs? and it's time to stop holding on to all these bits i'm never gonna use on chuck

Admittedly I made one feeble attempt to list those roller ball spurs on Facebook, but idk if it's my #cavetroll or #socialmedialessemma status or what but the post was immediately flagged as not in compliance with FB policies so I tossed that idea too haha.

oh hey look, here's more strap goods that make complete bridles with all those earlier nosebands!

We'll see if any of it sells at consignment over the next couple months. If not I'll probably pick at least some of it back up again (they donate unsold items to a therapeutic riding center, so I could just let nature take its course) and try other channels.

so. many. girths. why.

In the meantime, tho, it feels flipping fantastic to have shed so much figurative (and literal! those fillis irons and gullet plates especially were heavy!) weight.

that figure 8 tho.... well... 

And maybe if I'm really lucky, eventually all those odds and ends, bits and pieces, above will metamorphose into some new and desperately needed breeches haha.

maybe i'll hold on to this one for now ;)

The only thing that didn't go to the consignors is the Bates dressage saddle above. Hit me up if you're interested in any details on that saddle. It's a nice hunk of leather and has fit a wide variety of horses. Asking $800 but open to offers.

And who knows, maybe more stuff will get purged soon too. Bc god it feels good haha. Maybe KonMari is really onto something with the whole "keep only what sparks joy" idea. It's kinda invigorating to let this stuff go!!

Did you watch the show? Has it inspired you to take a fresh look at all your stuff? Are you like me in stockpiling all manner of horsey equipment on the off chance that "I might need this later!"?? Or are you really good at moving stuff out as soon as it's not useful to you?

will emma ever learn to sit a horse? you decide!!

Right around the New Year, Charlie and I were dealing with a lot of sour horse issues. He started back into post-surgery tack walking in October, and rehab really got under way in November. Things were well and fine and all, right up until they were.... not fine.

Charlie's always been the kind of horse to get sticky stuck and threaten to go up when something is buggin him. And at this point, something was definitely omg very much buggin him. And by December, we had one of our worst rides in terms of his behavior - tantrums, rearing, all of it. Something had to give.

Jan Hulsebos conducting field surgery on my beloved dressage saddle. Yes that is a razor blade in his hands haha. and Yes it was awesome.

I was able to isolate my Bates dressage saddle (a hand-me-down from Isabel) as the Source of All Charlie's Woes. And thus it was banished.... to Austen haha, bc even tho that saddle kinda sucks it's proven to be a reasonable fit for a wide variety of horses. #gofigure

And meanwhile, I made my first ever true high quality tack purchase: my trainer's custom Hulsebos dressage saddle made for her large thoroughbred. The horse passed some years ago, leaving my trainer with a saddle built for a large thoroughbred, but without an actual large thoroughbred. Meanwhile, *I* had a large thoroughbred, but no saddle. It was an obvious choice.

We tried the saddle on Charlie and it looked practically custom made for him. So after much arm twisting, trainer P agreed to sell it to me.

best picture i have of the saddle's thigh blocks pre-customization. you can see the block extends the full length of the flap, reaching to the billet straps. also, incidentally, this Eponia breast plate is no longer needed post-customization. it may be offered for sale. interested?

Peace was returned to the kingdom, and we returned to our endless pursuit of more and better in dressageland in our new chunk of leather and wood. All was right again!

And of course when the saddle maker himself, Jan Hulsebos, made his annual pilgrimage to our part of the world to service any saddles needing it, I added mine to the list so that we could get that expert finishing touch to make everything just right for Sir.

the blocks after Jan was finished with them. effectively retrofitted to half blocks.

I wrote a whole lengthy post on that experience - a saddle fitting with Jan is basically tantamount to a bio mechanics clinic, apparently. It was honestly kinda intense bc I was just trotting endlessly around and around in the oppressive July heat while Jan silently observed.

Finally, tho, he reached a verdict.

a nice example of me and charlie both trying really hard

In Jan's opinion, a few things had to happen with the saddle. First of all: we would reflock (as expected) but with the specific intent of lifting the front of the saddle, and slightly lowering the back. This made perfect sense to me, since even tho Charlie is not technically built downhill he can often have a downhill way of going.

possibly just a better camera angle, but definitely a better pelvis angle

Additionally, I had noticed that during the course of a ride, the saddle would slide back a little bit, dropping even more up front. Thus the idea of adding a breast plate* to the mix: it was my hope that the breast plate would keep the saddle from dropping backwards. This seemed to work, but Jan's flocking solution is obviously a bit more effective haha.

(*Incidentally -- after making his adjustments to the saddle he recommended I discontinue using the breast plate. I've held onto it tho bc.... wow it's really pretty. But am wondering if maybe I could use the money more and am debating offering it for sale. If you're interested let me know! fraidycat.eventing at gmail.)

leg position leaves plenty to be desired, but we try, we try

It was Jan's other observations that maybe made a bigger difference tho. Essentially, after watching me trot around for ages, he accurately identified my most prominent (and, frankly, well-known) positional flaws: I tend to tip forward in my pelvis and perch on my crotch, while pivoting and pinching with my knees causing the lower leg to curl up.

pretty standard emma perch with trademark pulled up leg

I've been working on fixing this for.... literal years. It's.... hard. And I do it in literally every single saddle I ride in, tho obviously some help or hinder more than others.

But Jan felt that he could improve the saddle's construction to help here. See, he thought the big giant visible-from-the-moon thigh blocks on the saddle were giving me something to brace my knees against, pushing my seat up against the back of the saddle. If he cut off the bottom half of the blocks, my knee would have more room and nothing to push against, so my seat could stay more neutral while my leg hung down more naturally.

gosh i wish we could have Austen taking pictures at every show tho.... instead you get cell phone screen grabs. half block is visible tho!

Seemed like a good plan, yes? And the cost was surprisingly affordable. Even better was that Jan could make all the alterations right then and there, with no shipping the saddle away or wait times.

leg still curled. always curled. bc reasons. seat potentially showing improvement tho?

Since then, I've felt pretty good about the saddle. Lifting it up front definitely helps with Chuck (even tho, call me biased if you want, he seems to be less and less downhill in his way of going every day) and I feel like it's maybe (?) been easier to keep my seat where I want it. Maybe.

the idea is that my knee can't jam into the block any more to push my seat backwards

I haven't had a dressage lesson in forever tho (sadness + woe) and opportunities for getting pictures of us in dressage tack are likewise sadly rare. Except at shows!!! So all these recent pictures from Jenny Camp are getting repurposed to help me better understand what changes the saddle has helped bring along, and what still needs work.

so even as i want to pull my heel up and cling with my lower leg, my seat is able to retain a somewhat neutral position

Obviously I'm ignoring things like my too-long reins and too-wide hands. Tho, uh, if someone could invent a saddle that reminds you to shorten your fucking reins that would be greeeeattt haha.

Rather, mostly I'm looking at two distinct tho closely correlated elements in these pictures. First: the general orientation of my pelvis. If I imagine the human pelvis is shaped like a bowl and filled with water, what would be happening to my water? Is it spilling out the front? Or safely contained in a level bowl?

so the refitted saddle isn't a miracle worker, but is a step in the right direction

For my own purposes, I've come to believe that my seat position is the highest priority among my special set of issues. Like, sure, there are issues in my torso, arms, head and neck and like... wow all of it, but I think a more correct seat position will make it easier to create effective change elsewhere.

The second priority, and the other element I'm looking at in these pictures, is how my leg hangs from my pelvis. Does it drape down? Am I able to utilize the length of my muscles independently? With the ability, for instance, to apply thigh pressure separately from calf? Or... ya know... am I just clinging with my heel?? lol...

And most importantly, do I see a difference in the set of pictures from Loch Moy with the full blocks, vs the set of pictures from Jenny Camp with the half blocks?

when you ride a bronto tho, you work with what you got lol

It's a tough comparison bc the quality difference between photos is so..... extreme lol. And also obvi these pictures were mostly the cream of the crop vs the uglier moments.... Tho I believe they're relatively honest representations of how I ride.

So... Overall? My impression is that I think the half blocks do make a big difference in how I sit. Taking away the ability to brace my knee against the block has in fact helped keep my seat more neutral. I still pinch with the knee tho, and still want to drop the front of my pelvis. A lot of that is muscle memory tho. Hard to fix. But worth the effort.

Ultimately I think the improvements in the saddle have helped a lot. Made a big difference. It's easier for me to be more correct, and I'm not fighting against the saddle as much. It's not a silver bullet tho. Alas haha. But is there even such a thing with horses? I think not.