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Showing posts from January, 2017

Fashion Thursday: Like Candy

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1. The Gallop To Greatness Pink Polka Dot Pony Sweatshirt      customizedgirl.com/thegalloptogreatness 2. The Gallop to Greatness Ice Cream Pony Sweatshirt      customizedgirl.com/thegalloptogreatness 3. Fix Design Alcantara Beige Knee Patch Breeches      fixdesignhorses.it 4. White House Black Market Pink Skinny Belt      whitehouseblackmarket.com 5. Barney's Maison Boinet Belt      barneys.com 6. Tricoastal Stockholm Spiral Notebook      bloomingdales.com 7. Wilker's Hunter/Jumper Baby Pad      shop.wilkers.com 8. Fix Design Alcantara Blue Knee Patch Breeches      fixdesignhorses.it 9. Wilker's Hunter/Jumper Half Pad      shop.wilkers.com 10. Glitter Jump Bat      horsetackco.com 11. Kentucky Horsewear Half Pad Absorb      kentucky-horseshop.com 12. Torpol Active Basic Half Pad      torpol.eu 13. Joe's USA Baseball Belt      joessocks.com 14. Horze Darrel Jumping Bat      horze.com 15. Eclat Rose Dressage Whip      eclatequestrian.com

Begin Again

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Ah yes, another semester of suffering. Today marked my official start of architecture studio. I'm excited but also terrified; I watched fellow students and brothers go through junior and senior studio last semester. It was a trip, I'll tell you that. My less important classes will begin tomorrow, but one of them already has a reading to do before the first day. I also don't know when I'm going to get the book for one of my other architecture classes. Fun times, folks. The eq team had their first meeting yesterday. I'm pretty sure we've officially hit the 40 member mark, which is insane. We also got the lesson schedule, and I am on Fridays at 11am, which means I have to book it out of my 9am class that ends at 10. Also means I'll be wearing riding clothing early in the morning then have to bathe and change before studio at 2pm. I'm praying that we get back on time. already miss the old man I've put together a regular workout schedule, but

Like an episode of House Hunters

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If you've watched House Hunters, you know how an episode typically goes: a client (usually a couple) is looking to buy a house with amenities that include but are not limited to: a large kitchen "open concept" (Le Corbusier ruined architecture with this term) large master suite with walk in closets and TWO sinks in the bathroom a large yard other assorted large items updated appliances etc. And then their budget is the monetary equivalent of the burnt edges on baked mac & cheese: good, but not sufficient. image from Sizzle Sticker shock is a real thing, and it applies to leasing horses as well. My list of "amenities" didn't seem long: jumps 3'0", schools first level, at least 15.2hh, some show experience, and an owner willing to do an off site lease for no more than $300 per month. Not much, right? Well, the equivalent in terms of homes would be like trying to find a mold free studio apartment right next to Time Square with a p

New to the Shop: Geometric Horses!

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I actually planned to use these as part of my 2016 blog stats, but I straight up opted not to do those. Fortunately for y'all, that means more cute horsey things (click on the image to see the item page). I think I put these on pretty much everything Red Bubble has to offer. I might throw them into some other designs, but I'm on the fence at this point. The perfect look for those upcoming spring days (or, if you're from Texas, those 80° winter days).

A "Good" Note

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We had it, then we lost it. same (image from Know Your Meme ) But I'll admit I'm being a bit dramatic. This week in lessons saw one jump school followed by a Dressage lesson the next day. I wanted to school Silver over fences one more time, but I also wanted to switch the jumps up. The way they were set up made for almost only long approaches. Yah, well, fuck the long approach. I used my five jump set up, but I need to make some adjustments. With that set up, I typically make it so that everything can be jumped from either direction. Rolltop made things difficult. I'll likely swap them with the barrels next time. I moved everything then hopped on. Silver was just fighting me more than usual when we hacked, but physically, I still felt comfortable, and the good moments must have been pretty good. Trainer remarked that his soft moments were his best yet. We did our trotting on the serpentine, and then we did this fun exercise where we'd trot half a circle on a thr

Fashion Thursday: 24k

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Believe it or not, I made this set long before Bruno Mars released his song. 1. Markus Lupfer Wool Sweater     no longer available 2. Vince Camuto Gold Oversized Pyramid Stud Earrings     no longer available ( similar item ) 3. Tory Burch Gold Logo Belt      toryburch.com 4. HDR Pro Lexus Dressage Saddle      statelinetack.com 5. EHA Piaffe Chenille Baroque Dressage Pad      equestrianhomeaccessories.com 6. HKM Combi Bandages      hkm-sportsequipment.eu 7. Success Equestrian Dressage No-Slip Half Pad      shop.successequestrian.com 8. Gold Over Silver Snaffle Bridle Charm      horsecharms.us 9. Equine Couture Super Star Knee Patch Breeches      horseloverz.com 10. Samshield Custom Helmet      samshield.com 11. De Niro Custom Ottaviano Dress Boot      ruitersport-levade.nl

Wordless Wednesday: Watch 'n Learn

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Vlog #8: What's In My Barn Bag?

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There are two things I want out of 2017: 1) My camera to focus on my face (that's the important thing here, like it or not) 2) Someone who looks at me the way I look at my Bakugan Filmed 1/15/17

Highkey, lowkey

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Gotta say I'm pretty impressed with Ol' Silvie this week. It was fairly windy and warm on Friday, which I don't mind. Decent riding weather in the big scheme of things. I hopped on Silver while Miss El was tacking up another horse, and we walked around the field, no stirrups, reins dropped, not caring at all. Wonderful idea to ride like that when it's windy, you're on a sensitive horse, and there are cars passing at 40+ mph. I think his owner is out of town for the time being, meaning that the only rides he's had this week are the two lessons I took on him. Concepts are starting to stick, and things don't take as long to achieve. Also means that trainer is being harder on me now that I know things™. Still, I like being productive. Our focuses were softening, changing direction, and body positioning. On softening, he's still doing it. We don't fight as much, and he's holding himself properly for longer periods of time. This ride was more co

Finally made a New Year's Resolution

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As I got older, I realized that I don't like the concept of New Year's Resolutions. If something in your life needs to change, just change it, fam. Time is a concept. New Year's isn't real. As much as I don't like it, I made a (low key) life choice recently, and since it's still January, I might as well peg it as a resolution. the motto Guys, I'm going to do more push-ups this year. I hated the PE tests in grade school because 1) sit-ups suck, 2) my asthma was so bad back then I could never go as far as I wanted on the pacer, and 3) I could do, at max, five push-ups. 1 & 2 have been resolved. Now it's time for 3. The inspiration for this actually came from a workout set that I found on The Sun's Secret : 50 jumping jacks 20 squats 50 jumping jacks 20 push ups 10 jumping jacks 20 sit ups Squats and sit ups are nothing to me (except I do crunches, fight me). Still, I can only do five regular push ups before putting my knees d

Forward past the bridle

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When I first rode Silver, his owner remarked that I would need a whip because "you won't get anywhere without one." ha haha ahah ahahha Post ride, pre treats Silver is honestly one of the most responsive horses I've met. He doesn't always respond in the way you want him to, but he responds. Case in point, Sanibel has been on stall rest for a little while, and my trainer took her out while she was teaching me on Wednesday. Since Sanibel has gone stir crazy in the stall, Miss El joked that I would have to be the one to call 911. About 90 seconds later, I mounted up, and Silver took an unexpected bolt forward. No, my trainer didn't want to trade. Anyways, small horse shenanigans aside, it ended up being a really good lesson. We got caught in super nice weather, so nice that I had to shed layers while grooming because it was too hot. I opted to ride in Dressage tack since I hadn't done it yet on Silver. He walked fairly well, forward and relatively

Fashion Thursday: Men's Winter Collection

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Might have been a good idea to do this at the start of the season, but I didn't, so here we are. 1. Bugatti Aerolithe Chronograph Watch      prestigetime.com 2. Harry Rosen Current/Elliott Flannel Shirt      harryrosen.com 3. Harry Rosen Hartford Flannel Shirt      harryrosen.com 4. L. L. Bean Signature D Ring Webbed Belt      llbean.com 5. Tom Ford 3cm Brown Leather Belt      mrporter.com 6. Trouva Corkcicle Thermos      trouva.com 7. GPA Speed Air 2X Helmet      smartpakequine.com 8. Horze Grand Prix Extend Men's Full Seat      equestriancollections.com 9. Easy Rider Phil Knee Grip Men's Riding Breech      divoza.com 10. Ariat Extreme Men's Zip Paddock Boot      smartpakequine.com 11. Irideon Wind Pro Riding Breeches      equestriancollections.com 12. Horze Supreme Dorian Men's Long-Sleeved Functional Polo Shirt      horze.com 13. Horze Darrel Jumping Bat      horze.com

Wordless Wednesday: Ghastly Graphics

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An Open Letter to my Right Side

Dear Right Side, First off, let us both agree that I am painfully average. I am right side dominant. From the day I was born into this world, I have favored you. Right Side, I have groomed you and strengthened you all my life. 19 years I have spent giving you ample attention and praise while my left hand can barely open a door knob (it can, but I'm being dramatic here, just roll with it). Right Side, I have done everything in my power to give you the upper hand, and yet, you forsake me. Every time I get on a horse, you scrunch up and let my left side bow out, like it's the one that I've spent nearly two decades building up. And honestly, I don't get it? Where did I go wrong? Right Hand, you don't know how to let go of the rein. Right Shoulder, you're far too low. Right Hip, you're stiff, and you make Right Thigh incapable of support. Right Knee and Ankle, you bear no weight because those above you have distributed it elsewhere. Right Foot, you could ba

A fortunate snow day, believe it or not

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So, yeah, it snowed, and waaayyy more than expected. Forecast said we'd get 3"-6". Final totals were anywhere between 8" and 11" for the Eastern Shore. My Saturday lesson was cancelled, and the sub-freezing temperatures haven't let the snow melt at all. It's supposed to warm up tomorrow and Wednesday. We'll see. Still, it's fortunate because guess what's happening down in Wellington??? I'm still on Anne Kursinski's ride , but her horse and the information she's giving is a little bit more relevant to my current riding state than the whole session was last year. First, the horse she's on is quite similar to Silver. He's an apparently laid back gray gelding that, every once in a while, loses focus and gets dramatic. He's even weaker to the right and occasionally swaps off behind, just like Silver. Big difference is that Anne's horse is significantly less dramatic than Silver. He swaps off, thinks for a minute,

Independent Student

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Another day, another Dressage lesson on Roman (and possibly another one tomorrow if Silver isn't available). The day started with the usual trek across the pasture to catch him because the only place he likes to graze in that massive piece of land is the area furthest from the gate. Much to my delight, his saddle got passed around more than usual and ended up with a nice, sparkly pad. It would've gone nicely with my Horze chaps, but I prefer my Mondonis when I'm in Dressage tack. DQ mode enhanced While Miss El was warming up Artec, she had me do hip stretches and arm circles because these old joints need stretching. Believe it or not, Roman was actually a bit fresh, well, as fresh as Roman could be. He was a bit looky and dodgy at the walk, then we went to trot, and holy inconsistencies, Batman. I'm still not chilling with these stirrups 100%, Roro. Please don't make me have to half halt. Big, sweaty baby I did a lot of trot work with rather minimal dire

Fashion Thursday: Check Mate

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1. makeitmint Cable Knit Pullover      amazon.com 2. Zanzea Check Plaid Button Down      amazon.com 3. Le Frame Belt     no longer available 4. Horseware Polo Nina Knee Patch Breech      equestriancollections.com

Wordless Wednesday: Top 9

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Goals Part 5: Taking a Gander at 2017

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Ok, yes, I know, fourth post about goals in the past 6 months. Just bear with me for a minute on this one. Typically, I tend to pick 12 goals for the year for the whole "12 goals in 12 months" thing. Some are significantly more probable than others, some I'm very loosely attached to, and some are highly dependent on how my situation changes over time. I've actually never minded mixing everything in because the years were typically less stressful than this past year. I always aimed to accomplish at least half of my list, and I did do that the last two years. This year . . . 2/12 accomplished, and that's being generous. To partition my aspirations and also give some more leeway on certain goals, I've decided to divide my goals into categories. Without A Doubt Goals     For goals/items that I seriously need to work on and improve and cannot let myself slack on Improve my equitation Continue to open hip joint and soften ankle Strengthen my right s