Wishlist

In the spirit of my last post, it's time to make some strategic updates. I've had it on my goals list for the past two years or so to upgrade my riding gear. Fortunately, 2020 actually saw some improvements including a new half pad that I genuinely love and the Bobby's Tack breastplate. Btw, for inquiring minds, the LeMiuex boots just arrived back at Riding Warehouse and shipped to me this week. Mind you, I ordered them on November 30, and it is now the beginning of February. I came very close to getting these Harry's Horse boots to use in the meantime.

With the possibility of showing in the near future, I have also been looking for a new show habit. After combing through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and several online tack shops, I have almost everything. The remaining piece is a new helmet. I've had my Ovation Sync Helmet for years. It was purchased along with my original equitation show gear back in 2014. It has also seen a head first fall . . . back in 2016 . . . and it was hard enough that I thought I had a mild concussion. To be fair, I have been looking for a helmet since then, but I was super attached to Samshields, which I now realize is ridiculous considering the fact that they cost a whole month of rent. Now as a real adult with real responsibilities, I have turned my interest to TuffRider's new helmets because wowza, these are pretty!

I'm still on the fence because they look a little bit bobble heady, but it's my favorite option thus far. Other than a helmet that desperately needs to be replaced, I have also for some godforsaken reason rationalized that my half pad collection just ain't big enough. I want to add a basic, decent quality, fleece lined half pad and replace my Padded Ponies pad with a higher quality correction pad. This might lead to me eventually getting rid of the Horze Half Pad because even though I like it a lot, once I have a more reliable correction pad, I won't really need something that only offers a front riser.

Jango will also need to fill out more before I can even think of plopping my medium-wide tree directly on him, hence my desire to pad out with some good quality sheepskin. Also, unrelated, but the goofball shoved his leg through the stall wall in an effort to attack his neighbor and was sentenced to stall rest for his civil dispute.

Depending on how I like the boots, I might spring on some LeMieux pads

On the topic of pads, I'm also more interested in therapeutic saddle pads such as the Back on Track products and the new SmartPak knock off. Both Blackjack and Liberty have me worried about their backs. Blackjack just has a long body and needs some extra care, and Liberty, as a hot headed performance horse, requires regular stretching to counteract the full body tension. I think both would benefit from some preventative care along with the proper riding and bodywork that they already receive.

Last desired item is those freezable ice boots. I'm already in the habit of cold hosing legs after any "regular" ride, but, as I said before, the water doesn't feel as effective as icing and our wash racks hold water way too easily. Ice boots are significantly more practical.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm also fully open to recommendations for any of these products. This is my first time delving into ice boots and therapeutic saddle pads and all these other things that I definitely could not justify or afford up until recently. If it makes the ponies happier, I'm all for it.

Also, in the process of writing this post, the LeMiuex boots arrived. God works in mysterious ways, I guess.