Christmas Presents!

As a break from all of the goal setting and goal recapping posts I thought that this might be a nice post plus, technically, this is a 2018 recap right?

First let's start with presents from other people.

Presents from my Parents:

In the past I've typically stuck to Amazon items for my mom and/or dad since it's easy and they have Prime so they save on shipping. This year though I sent items from The Collected Pony, Riding Warehouse, and PS of Sweden. My mom knocked it out of the park and even though I didn't let her know what my preferences were for my list she ended up giving me two of my favorite items!

I got the HKM pad that I'd previously posted about from the Collected Pony and I adore it! I've been really into floral patterns (especially with roses) this year. It's just as pretty in person as it is on the site and it's the perfect size for Katai. She also got me the Eskadron bandage liners that I asked for. She did get them a size too big (small horse instead of small pony) so Katai looks very European with them on, but they still work and are another awesome bandage liner option. Wait until I put both of these on her with her pink polos ;)

All the pretties

From Riding Warehouse she got me more low sugar horse treats and a pair of Dreamers & Schemers socks. It was a great horse related gift Christmas :)

From my dad I got an Amazon gift card and got a couple of necessities for Katai including more flax seeds and Vitamin E but I also picked up Jec Ballou's new book and some new stirrups. Jane had a thing about metal stirrup irons so I had swapped out my Composti's for some plain irons (and then sold the Composti's since I'm a minimalist). The rubber pads on my current stirrups has been falling apart though and when I went to look for replacements these came up. I've wanted to buy Composti stirrups again and thought that the wide beds might be worth a try. Of course I needed to get them in pink :) Also this Jec Ballou book is amazing so far and I'll be posting more about this soon.

From my bf's mom I got a pair of awesome unicorn socks and a bandage storage bag like this (that was on backorder so we're still waiting for) that she adorably refers to as "the pocket bag" :)

Dreamers & Schemers socks on the left from my mom
Middle unicorn socks from my bf's mom
My lucky unicorn pooping rainbow "show" socks that are much loved
I feel it's important to not take oneself too seriously when one is an adult who rides a pony 

Sort of horse related we did a secret Santa gift exchange with other members of my bf's family and I'd put picture frames as a hint since I want to print more pictures of me and Katai for our apartment and my office. The amazing person gifting these to me sneakily found out my favorite celebrity and found these awesome pictures of Charlotte and Carl which just made these pretty frames even more awesome.

Then there's the stuff that I got for myself. I'd previously mentioned that for black Friday I'd picked up a couple of things including the Lemieux bandage liners and Eskadron pony polos in black and pink. I also picked up an Asmar long sleeve shirt and a couple of other misc items. That was all I'd planned to do except for the couple of items bought with Christmas money above, however, then I saw the PS of Sweden after Christmas sale.

*headdesk*

I really hadn't planned to get anything, much less as much as I did, but I couldn't say no to such amazing things at 50% off and picked up two saddle pads (since they're currently my favorite pads), two sets of polos, a browband, and a jacket. I did need a second jacket since wearing my regular jacket to the barn causes people to stare and point when I'm out in public. Ok, maybe it's not that bad but it's pretty barn smelly. They shipped today and I'll share more pictures once they get here. I didn't really need the other items in any way but that sale totally got me and I can't wait to have all of my pretty new things. More on my 2019 goals for budget soon ;)

Black Friday Shopping

This Black Friday was pretty boring for me. I got the fantastic grooming bag that I mentioned in my previous post but otherwise I didn't get much that was especially fun.

I did finally get a couple of Eskadron pony polo wraps in black and light pink. I already love the length, softness, width, and velcro set up but I'll do a review after I've used them for a while. I now have polo wraps in all of the colors of saddle pads that I use regularly so I can match #dressagequeen.

I also finally got a couple of sets of LeMieux bandage pads one set of four in black and one in white. Since Katai can't stand boots and polo wraps alone don't offer that much protection I decided that it made sense to upgrade and see what I think of these. I got each set of four for only $24 plus some change when normally on most websites they would have cost me $50. Not bad at all really!

Like these

We'll see what I think once I've had a chance to use these more as well.

I also picked up a set of, what I thought were, winter breeches but turned out to be summer breeches. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that assumes the word thermal means winter gear. Oh well, I'll just exchange them for the same Horze pair that I have and love.

I also got a planner specifically so that I can plan out my rides better. I feel like at this point in our training it's taking more planning to actually accomplish what I want to between lessons and I'm hoping that having it laid out at least in a framework in a planner will help. It should also help me plan out when I'm going to ride better since I can make sure I don't run into conflicts like I have been a lot this past couple of months.

In pink of course

I also got a package of Lexol tack wipes. They aren't my preference for tack cleaning but for in between wipe downs of my saddle and bridle they'll work great. I've been using a damp cloth but I don't have a good place to put it now with the unheated barn where it won't freeze.

Last but not least I picked up another Asmar long sleeve tee. Awhile ago I snagged a bright orange one while I was checking out tack stores in WA or OR (I can't remember which) that was on clearance. I love it but also wanted one that was, you know, a more normal color. These were on sale at RW so I got the heather grey one and I'm already looking forward to wearing it more. At some point I want the black one and the navy blue one but this is a good start!

Overall I'm really excited about my purchases (other than those darn breeches) and will share more pictures and maybe a review or two soon!

2016 Shopping Goals

Ok, so I'm sure we all have them. I've always loved shopping for my pony and it's sort of like a side hobby to the actual riding hobby. What I've been surprised about, especially this year, is that as Katai and I progress and as I ride on a more regular basis I've become less and less interested in buying things for her.

It's almost like I was living vicariously through the nice dressage stuff that I was buying and now that we're doing well I don't even feel like I need to do that. Of course it's not that I don't like shopping for her it's just that I've got a set of tack that I love and other than a few items (PS of Sweden bridle, sparkly browband, a set of navy dressage boots, and a show appropriate dressage saddle pad) I just don't have that much on my wish.

However, that doesn't hold true for stuff for me. I've decided to focus on myself this year and one of my goals is to get myself more riding clothes. I've got a few things I love such as this Kastel Denmark sun shirt,

This Asmar Equestrian jacket,

and this pair of Horze breeches in burgundy.

But that's about it. I have a few pairs of schooling breeches but I'd like to have more to rotate through since now that I'm riding 4-5 days per week I go through them pretty quickly.

I have a pair of great tall schooling boots, Ariats, in a field boot that are great and a pair of Roeckl gloves that I adore but those are wearing out and are going to need to be replaced this year. That's it! Seriously, how can I possibly survive with only 4-6 pairs of breeches.

One of the big things on my list for this year was a new helmet. My old one was over 4 years old and although I've never fallen in it (knock on wood) I know that they're supposed to be replaced every 4 years or so either way. Thanks to my Christmas gift money I got this!

Sorry for the spots, our barn drips in a couple of places in the arena from condensation and I thought I had wiped it off. Apparently I hadn't...

I was really tempted by the matt Navy one but decided to go with the traditional black since I think it will give me more options for everything else. Plus the last thing we need is to stand out even more ;-)

The other main items on my shopping list for this year are breeches, all of the horze breeches please, as well as more riding appropriate tops (fitness tops from target or polos from Goodwill probably but I would like a few more sun shirts) and of course schooling show appropriate clothing. I don't think that boots will be on the list for this year but I will be replacing my Roeckls at some point probably. Now I just have to pick a color!

Maybe the black and brown ones since that will match my tack best? I LOVE the blue ones though. Damn they would have been cute with the blue helmet.

Road Tripping 2: In Which The Shopping Happens

Ok, so really, when you go on vacation in a new place why wouldn't you visit every tack shop possible? 

I had the opportunity to visit three between yesterday before seeing my sister play in her recital and today. I did some googling and found a few likely paces.

First, the Schneiders.

I honestly didn't realize they had any retail locations and when I asked I was told that this is the only one. 

It was large and lovely inside and was split pretty evenly between English and Western tack with lots of horse care supplies. I bought healthy horse treats and whitening shampoo, it is mud season :(

Second was Chagrin Saddlery.

This one was smaller and recommended by my sister's horse owning friend. If anyone reading this is ever in the Cleveland area I HIGHLY recommend that you visit them. It was small but the people were extremely friendly and helpful without being at all pushy. Plus, they had Asmar products!!!! I've been wanting to try on their clothing for a long time now because while they look really excellent on models I wasn't sure if they would look good on someone with curves. Even better, one of the jackets that I had my eyes on was 40% off 0-0 I totally lucked out and really couldn't leave without it. I will probably even do a review since it is one of the best purpose made riding jackets that I've ever tried. I also bought a pair of Asmar socks to add to my sock collection :)

Last but not least I went to Clippity Clop.

 It was the most western of all of the shops and I picked out a pink nylon halter since I no longer have a spare that fits Katai and since my main halter is leather and breakable it would be good to have a spare.

So as you can see it was a fun productive day :)

If you want more information about Asmar or haven't heard of them I highly suggest you check them out here -> http://asmarequestrian.com