Princess and The P(olos)

She's just the cutest princess ever :)

Katai is most certainly a princess and most certainly very, very clear about when she doesn't like something. When she was younger I mostly just made her deal with it and she got lots of tough love. However, as she's grown and developed into a really well behaved riding pony who pretty much deals with everything I throw at her I've started to take a softer stance on the things that she still doesn't like. For fly spray I just spray it on a mitt and rub it on her (which she still objects to but not as much) and there isn't much else she doesn't like.

However, she was occasionally objecting to her PoH dressage boots. I always figured it was more due to them meaning she was going to be doing work or that she was too hormonal to handle them. When I started using the Hufglocken boots she clearly wasn't a fan and would pick up her feet or move away like she used to with the PoH boots, however she did that every time I put them on rather than more randomly like she was. I kept on using them figuring she'd get over it but her behavior kept getting worse to the point where she was nipping at me and pinning her ears.

Exactly how I feel after a big meal

I finally wised up, took the hint and stopped using them. In fact, I don't think I'll be able to continue to use them with her so I'll probably need to find them a new home which is so sad because they are so cute!! Since that point I was so sick of dealing with her being unhappy about her boots that I've started to use polos with her and it's made a HUGE difference. She's entirely stopped objecting to me putting them on and her riding is calmer as well. Every once in awhile when we transitions to canter she used to leap forward or kick out, probably because she caught the boot on her other hind leg or something (sounds like something I'd do when I'm running really) but now thats stopped. I will still use the PoH boots but mostly I'm going to be using polos with her since that's clearly what she prefers.

Then there is the whole sensitive princess ulcer thing.

*Public Service Announcement* I realize that she's not being a sensitive princess and that she was hurting. The thought of that hurts me. I'm really glad I figured it out (finally) and am doing something about it so please don't take this the wrong way. *Public Service Announcement Over*

The ulcer meds have been making a HUGE difference. Katai has been completely back to her sweet self and the constantly pinned ears, reactivity to being touched, and general crabbiness is gone. Or was until tonight however I'm pretty sure that she was both in heat and maybe feeling like this was going to be a lot of work since this was her third ridden day in a row. Yay for goals!

I'm hoping that she's back to being her happy perky eared self for my ride on Thursday.

Hufglocken Dressage Boot Review

Sorry for all the clutter on my desk but aren't they cute!
Also gotta love my grandma's wallpaper ;)

I picked my package from Hufglocken up on Thursday from the post office on my way to H's lesson which you can read about in my previous post. From date of order it took 8 days for them to attempt deliver but since they required a signature and I was at work I didn't get them until 9 days after I ordered. Really good for free shipping from Australia in my opinion!

I opened them up in the parking lot of the post office but didn't have much of a chance to examine them. I will say that I really dislike stiff boots and have always felt like they would be uncomfortable or even bad for horse's legs. However, I would classify DSB boots as stiff and many, many people use them and love them so I think it's just a personal thing. The softness and flexibility of my POH boots is probably one of my favorite things and I do hope that in the future I can own another set the price on those is just tough to swallow.

First Impressions:

So, back to the Hufglocken boots. When I first opened them up I was concerned both about how stiff they are and about the size of the XS that I ordered for Katai's front legs. The stiffness is due to the foam they use and while I'm sure it will soften up and break down a bit over time it was quite stiff out of the package. I bent and manipulated all of them a bit and fastened them like you would on a horse's leg but I was curious how they would work on Katai's little legs. Regarding the size there's a fairly significant size difference between the XS and the S boots so the S actually looked like they might be slightly large and the XS looked like they'd be way too small.

That small looks pretty small even for my pony

Fairly large size difference

I was actually quite convinced that the XS wouldn't work and was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to try them out until the next evening. However, my other impressions of them were great! The fleece does a great job of giving the impression of fleece and it's nice and soft. The stitching and construction is at least close to the POH boots and I really love how thick and strong the elastic is with very sticky velcro. Plus, the boots are very accurate to the pictures they had on the website with colors matching (the blue is a little bluer which I'm really happy about) and the textures and patterns match as well.

Compared to the POH Boots:

Sorry for another not so great picture
and yeah, those POH boots really need to be cleaned.

The size was a bit different but not as bad as I was concerned about. However the velcro/elastic length is very different which we'll get back to later. Also, the real sheepskin in the POH boots is so plushy and wonderful, however, I'm not sure if I would pay for just that. Katai has good, sturdy, hairy, pony legs so I doubt she could tell the difference. On a thin skinned horse it might be a different story.

Not as much size difference as I'd feared

On the Pony (or But Would They Fit?):

I held my breath when I put them on and I honestly didn't think they'd fit at first. With a bit more manipulating/softening of the foam I got them to the point where with a small amount of pressure I was able to just close the velcro. That was the worst part of it. The POH boots have at least another half inch of velcro so they're more forgiving plus the elastic is a bit softer so even if they were exactly the same size they'd closer easier than these. However, they did work and stay on for my ride and I think they're really cute. I'm also certain that they'll soften and stretch with time.

Cute and the length is good but you can see
that they don't meet up completely

So cute!! You can see that the back boots wouldn't fit
if they were any bigger and they certainly don't fit her front legs

Final Thoughts:

I really like these boots and will probably order more boots from them in the future. I know that the fit will only get better as they soften up and the elastic stretches out a bit. Also, during the summer when she sheds out a bunch of her leg fuzzies they'll fit better as well. With that being said, if money weren't an issue I'd probably buy another set of the POH boots instead. The only thing that's better with these is the extra patterns or colors that they have and of course the price (plus that little logo is adorable). Otherwise the sheepskin, softness, and fit of the POH boots is just tough to beat.

Also, completely unrelated to this post but I made some of my most beautiful vegan sushi to date!

Of Monsters and Retail Therapy

Yeeeaaaahhhh...

So I probably didn't need to buy anything else horse related for maybe at least a year but when I was so sick I did end up doing some shopping and bought a set of these beauties!

aaaaaannnnnnddd a set of these...

But really I'm just  counting it as improvement that I didn't buy a set of these gorgeous things...

Things like this are why everyone should own a pony

I did actually "need" another set of dressage boots. Polos don't work because of the small size of Katai's legs and the fact that I'm incapable of putting them on well, even though I know how. Also since I only have one set of boots it's been tough to keep them clean and means going for a week at a time without leg protection. It's hardly the end of the world but I'd really rather have a different set to swap out when I'm washing them.

I LOVE the pastel pink set of boots that I have (and I'm sure you're all familiar with) which are from People on Horses. I've had them since just after I got Katai, so about four years, and they still look nearly like new. However, unfortunately at nearly $200 for a set (including shipping) I just haven't been able to stomach the thought of buying more even though I really wanted them in navy patent

First time in her boots, crazy to think this was only about 4 years ago!

Instead I found Hufglocken through Instagram and once I found out that they had free worldwide shipping on orders over $150 I decided to order some stuff. It just so happens that two full sets of boots from them cost about $180 with the difference in exchange rate so I went for it. They shipped today and I'll share more once I get them. I'm really looking forward to trying them out and excited that I'll have full matching sets of navy blue, brown, and pink tack now. It's the little things :)

Also, while I was sick this adorable jacket showed up that I bought for Veggie over Christmas. Watching him play with his tennis ball as a little monster certainly did a lot to make me feel better and I'm almost back to 100%. I should have a lesson recap soon!