Fail Friday: Leadropes

What you don't see is the horribly unraveled lead rope here. I can't seem to find a new *unique* one that I like. Any suggestions? 

P.S. BF found my doppleganger! 

Review: Goode Rider Iconic Breech

Clearly I need to work on getting better pictures

Goode Rider Iconic Breech $179.99

I bought these last June at Mary's Tack and Feed in Del Mar, California. During my shopping trip I was telling the saleswoman about my favorite pair of breeches (Animo) when she convinced me to try on a pair of silicone full seat breeches by a brand I cannot remember (I want to say Struck but they aren't a retailer so I'm so lost). Whatever they were they were around $400-600 dollars. I didn't mind trying them on because lets be real I don't have that kind of money. 

And somehow that turned into trying on TS (for the first time!), Ariat, Pikeur, Cavallo, and these bad boys. 

Fit

These breeches fit very snug. The wide waistband is very comfortable and helps hold them up on my hips. My body type is more hourglass/pear where pants can be too snug in the thighs/butt yet too wide in the waist. These breeches are tight enough on my hips/waist and not too tight on my thighs/butt. The bottom leg of the pants are very contoured with a lycra like material that is stretchy enough to put on easily but also don't bunch up in the ankles. I would say they run true to size as they were the same size as the TS Trophy Hunters I tried on. The rise fits very comfortably on my hips, Not quite a mid, but not so low that I feel like I can't bend over without a belt. 

Fabric 

I ~adore~ the fabric on these. They are sport tech but extremely comfortable. I find some sport tech fabrics can be itchy but these are not. They are stretchy yet tight in any loose spots. I find the fabric to be very flattering and covers *flaws* in my body (i.e. no cottage cheese shows). 

Style 

The navy color really pairs well with a lot of outfits. If I plan on going somewhere after the barn these are my go-to breeches as I think they are very stylish with street clothes as well (not that not being stylish has stopped me from wearing breeches in public before). There is nice detailing on the (fake) front pocket that is a snaffle bit. The tan contrast stitching is also very coordinating. I like the euroseat design and the back pockets. The back pockets have a raised "spur design" that is a nice, small detail but isn't obnoxious. 

Summary

Overall I would rate these breeches an 8/10. The price point is on the higher side for me, but I think it is a great price for the quality. They wash fabulously and still look brand new. The fabric does not seem to stain or get very dirty at the barn. The fit, fabric, and style are exactly what I look for in a nice breech. I've had them for over 6 months now and use them more often in my regular breech rotation. They still look and feel brand new. I do wish they had a front pocket and I prefer full seats in my dressage saddle. However, I would not hesitate to pay retail price and buy another pair (hopefully full seat!) this summer.

WW: Coloring

Viva Carlos Blog Hop: Planner Peek!

Shout out to Viva Carlos for not only this awesome blog hop but also for reminding me I need to actually use this planner. ha. 

My Planner: Lilly Pulitzer hard back weekly planner. I've had an assortment of planners but I really like the size of this one. 

much pretty

The quality is very nice on it as well (as it should be!). It definitely isn't the cheapest planner but I found it pretty comparable in prices to the nicer ones at office supply stores. 

How I plan monthly:

All the colors!

In the beginning of each month's weekly section there is an entire month calendar. I use this to write down general things I need to know such as due dates, house sitting dates, and sometimes I pretend to plan dinner ideas and put it in there. I try and color code different items. For example anything school related (that is normally a due date) I put it red (it used to be orange but I lost that pen). Color coding gives me a better idea of what my month looks like at a glance. 

How I plan weekly: 

I take items from the month calendar and elaborate on them more in depth in my weekly section. Due dates will have a time they are due in the planner in this section. I'll also put more "to-dos" on my weekly agenda rather than monthly. In the Sunday section in black I write things I want to get done for the week. This planner isn't perfect and it would be ideal to have a set of lines on the side to put this information. 

It isn't as organized and my life isn't as planned as much as I would like, but it is something I am working on. I try and sit down once a week to plan the next week and see what I have accomplished from the current week. Even if I don't take a second glance at my agenda after planning things, just the act of writing stuff down really helps keep me on track. 

My goals are to have more of my life planned out and to use my planner daily. 

Why I said no

As much as a fabulous opportunity it was to start my breeding career I had to say no.

Why?

1) the mares werent the breeding quality I wanted

Della the Hanoverian has very good bloodlines. Unfortunately she also has OCD. While it hasn't been directly confirmed it is genetic and it isnot exactly something I can forget.

The second mare, Emmy, was of breeding quality and was ok to breed and create an RPSI baby, however she was unregistered. Her mom was a fantastic Grand Prix jumper and her father was excellent as well but she wasn't going to be able to create a well registered baby.

2) Im poor

It is unfair for me to say that I can support two more horses. Sure I have the hay but if one of them required medical attention I wouldn't be able to afford it. And that isn't fair to the horses.

3) I can't gauruntee a home to the babies

Yeah I have pasture at my house but other than that I don't know. Im still not 100% in my TB Riesling. I need to be able to support him fully (rather than my mom having my back in an emergency) before I can get another horse.

Sure it would be fun to have babies and the thought of making money and starting my career would be great, but that isn't realistic. I thought about it long and hard (trust me this is all I've ever wanted) and it just isn't the right time in my life, I'm only 20, my future is still unwritten. 

Mr. Grumpy Gills

Ries wants cookies-not hugs

So I believe I can convince BF to come out once a week to take pics! wohoo! 

The walk has improved a lot in the past few days. We start very forward and on the bit. I still want to work on stretching down into the contact. Yesterday we tried adding spiral in and out at the walk. I haven't done this before and actually found it to be a great exercise. It required us to maintain bed while also being straight in the shoulders (he likes to dive in), and we struggled the most at having forward energy in this exercise.  

In order not to over nag him in the walk I worked on myself at the same time. I tried to keep an open hip, following seat, and following elbows. The more I relaxed into the position the better our walk became. 

In the trot I really wanted to focus on a low stretchy trot while maintaining contact. We weren't able to get very long and low but we maintained contact and rhythm the whole time. I thought he was reaching a lot more but you can see in the pics he isn't stretching as well as he could. I'm taking this at baby steps because his reaction is to drop on the forehand and speed forward (very flat) when I ask for a lower frame. I am hoping little encouragements will help him understand to stretch down and out, stretching his topline and lifting his ribcage. 

Sass

He was very sassy this ride ad tried to use his energy to go up/explode. He responded very well to me reminding him that we use our energy to go forward and was mostly well behaved. He is a big anticipator and during a canter transition tried to leap in the air (lol his baby leap is kind of pathetic). I wasn't too worried about a pretty transition because we haven't cantered in a few weeks. As suspected, he balled up and was doing the weird dolphin canter. I lengthened my reins and squeezed him forward. He relaxed and was able to open up his stride. It is my goal in the next few rides to have a more appropriate canter transition and start out more relaxed and forward. Poor guy gets very sensitive as the work gets more complicated. 

Riding update

Ries coughing and throwing me out of the tack. Much derp

I finally convinced the bf to take pictures of me. He still grumbles and says they all look the same to him. 

Ries finally accepted the stretching back! We worked on our walk for quite some time and only when it was good did we move up to trot, and the whole time I encouraged him to stretch. In the walk he is very short strided and avoiding contact. I'm still trying to get him to reach out with his nose more but at least we are moving in the right direction. By the end of the ride both the walk and trot had much more swing in it as well as forward energy. I tend to tense up with my seat and it prevents round energy. I was able to recognize this somewhat quickly and relaxed my hip and seat which made for a much better gait.  Time for a lesson to get back in the groove!

Dreams

 

Besides all the Star Wars dreams lately, I've had the same hopes for my future since I was a little girl.

When I was in elementary school I was drafting plans for what my barn would look like and be called. 

When I hit middle school I was requesting course catalogs from equestrian colleges all over the US.

I've always wanted a future with horses. But in 8th grade my hopes and dreams of going to school for equestrian studies was smashed when my mom told me I'd never make it as a trainer and I should be a vet instead. I determined I could make this work. But I just couldn't be any farm vet. No; I was going to aim to be a vet for the United States Equestrian Team. 

Then my second semester of freshman year in college happened. And I failed so hard at bio and chemistry. I had a breakdown. It was at this point in time my parents told me "Well, Micaylah, I'd much rather see you take a large loan and build the boarding facility of your dreams than go to vet school." Wow. Thanks guys. This information would have been way more useful before I started school. 

So a roommate at the time convinced me to try seeking out a business degree. I pursued this for a year at my university and have been happy. I also enrolled to Dickinson State University to get an online associates degree in Equine Management. All was right with the world. *besides not having enough financial aid to start my associates 

Then I had to take the first semester of my junior year off to have surgery on my tonsils and adenoids. Its been a very rough time. After everything that has happened I lost it again. This time (after enrolled in this spring semester) my parents told me I could take a break from school and work full time. Great timing. Since I'm a little over half way done and already in student loan debt I'm not going to drop out by any means. I'm going to get my BBA.

But I had an interesting offer. My horse trainer no longer wants to continue on her breeding business. She has 2 teenage broodmares left (that live at my house) and wants to sell them to me. She would include breedings to her friend's RPSI stallion that just produced two gold babies at inspection last year. 

Financially and responsibly it is a dumb idea. But I've been reaching towards my dreams for so long, and to have an opportunity to start my life is all I've ever wanted. I'll elaborate more as I investigate further. I won't come up with an answer until I am fully 100% educated on what I would be getting myself into or giving up. But that is where I am standing. 

New Years

So it took me until today (1/10) to feel like a new year. I didn't get home from San Diego (which just felt like a horrible nightmare) until the night of the 3rd, slept all day on the 4th, and had a complete mental breakdown on the 5th. I'm finally feeling normal and can function like an adult.

So per life's usual routine, while trying to get through my massive mountain of laundry my washing machine broke. Awesome.

School is officially starting tomorrow which is terrifying.

If you have a chance to make one of your life's dreams come true but you aren't in the right part of your life, do you fight to make it work or hold out knowing something better might come along at the right time in life?

Offended

Riesling decided yesterday that poles are very offensive. He would be trucking along at the trot and see them, stop, rear, and run away. Like what? 

I ended up having to handwalk him over them once and then he was cool with them. I think he doesnt like them because he shuffles his feet and hits them a lot. Which means more poles in the future. And a sassy horse who is going to demand cookies for my abuse.

But he was ~finally~ able to roll and that made him happy. He got winded pretty fast so we are going to be starting work up slowly. Probably another lunge today so he can get any feelings out.

Brother

Last Wednesday I left for San Diego with my mom to go check on my brother in the hospital. December 17th he was hit by a car while on his motorcycle. He suffered from a broken femur, shattered ankle, shattered foot, broken hand, and collapsed lung. The first two days he was sedated and intubated. A chest tube was put in afterwords and he just got that out a few days prior to us arriving.

He has had countless surgeries and his entire foot is being reconstructed. The Tuesday before we arrived he had an 8 hour long surgery where they took muscle from his stomach and integrated it on his foot. 

He has only one more surgery left that will hopefully happen tomorrow or Thursday. They will be putting a plate into his foot and doing a skin graft.

Aside from all the physical pain, I didn't anticipate all of the emotional pain. I thought going down there would be fun and I would have fun hanging out with my brother. Instead I had to be the support for both my brother and my mom. I am so emotionally drained. This process is going to be life changing for everyone involved in my brother's life. 

I am so happy to be home. I cried all night on Sunday, didn't sleep, and slept all day on Monday.  I can't wait to go give my horse a hug tonight. Prayers for emotional support are incredibly needed.