Christmas Shopping List 2016

I've discovered/realized over the years that however amazing the intentions of my family are, they just don't like to get horse stuff for me (at least not any form of tack) and it's just better if I get that stuff for myself and let them get me things that they enjoy shopping for more.

With that being said, most years I get myself something for my birthday (December 11th) and something for Christmas, usually after Christmas with any money I got for Christmas.

This year though, thanks to aggressively paying off debt and putting some money in savings I've got a nice little chunk of money to spend so I'm having a great time shopping! There are so many options and since I don't have an limited budget I'm having fun picking out what I can put together that's fun and purely gifts for myself.

The Item(s) I'm Getting for Sure:

PS of Sweden Flying Change bridle - 

I've been talking about this one for a long time and I finally get to purchase it!! 

Broadband

Throat latch

Then, since I'm ordering the bridle and having it shipped I"m going to also get the throat latch so that I know I can show with it and of course I need a sparkly broadband. They're out of stock on the one I really want so I'm hoping it will be back in stock when it's time for me to get it.

My plan is to try to get it during their Black Friday sale so that maybe my money will go a little further!

The Tentative List:

Total Saddle Fit Girth:

I've already got a TSF girth but it's brown and it's always gapped at the front. Katai has never been girthy with it so I haven't worried much but now I'd like to fix that, plus to get a black girth that matches my saddle. Also, my current girth is a 24" because of how short the billets on my brown saddle were but my Prestige has normal dressage length billets so I want to get a shorter girth as well.

White Breeches:

I'm slowly putting together a show outfit. My goal is to do a rated show by the end of the year so I'm trying to pick up the things that I'll need as I go rather than waiting until I need it this summer. I'm planning to get a decent but not extremely expensive pair of white breeches I just have to figure out which ones!

Show Shirt:

I'd also like to get some sort of show shirt. The one in the picture is only $35 from Horze which is about what I'd like to spend on a show shirt at this point so I may just go with this one. I'm also going to pick up a couple more cheap ($10ish) polos from Old Navy for schooling shows but that's not what I'm getting myself for Christmas.

Other Stuff:

I'm also shopping for other non-horse stuff but most of that will probably end up on my christmas list for my family since they'll appreciate having some stuff to shop for.

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.

Viva Carlos’ Magical Blog Hop: Our Commercial Moment

After, unfortunately, having to sit out for the last few blog hops due to my impending but again delayed move (a topic for the next post) I was really excited to see another VCMBH that I could participate in!

What are you buying next? Not your "Wish I could" list but your actual practical pony shopping list. And if it’s a high ticket item you are saving for what is it and when do you expect to order/get it?

1. Sponges: Yay right!?! Well I do need them both for tack cleaning and for pony cleaning which leads me right into the next item on my list…

2. Grooming Products: All of the grooming products, all of them. I have seriously never even owned a bottle of Show Sheen that’s how sad my grooming product supply is. In fact, other than the copious amounts of Cowboy Magic I needed for Sora’s long mane, I’ve never bought much other than fly spray and maybe some fly lotion. I can count the number of times that I’ve bathed a horse that I’ve owned (over that last 16 years even) on my fingers. I seriously have some catching up to do and it’s not so much that I need to IMEDIETLY start putting products on my pony, it’s more like both of us should get used to it because of the shows I hope to do and the fact that there are actually people who know how to use grooming products at the new barn. Specifically I’ve got Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover in my SmartPak cart and I’m looking for a good mane and tail conditioner. Does anyone have any good grooming product suggestions for a mostly white pony?

3. Brown Paddock Boots: I had a really cute and extremely comfortable pair that I found used for $5 but unfortunately after two summers of abuse the zipper in the back of one died. I’m still wearing them since they stay shut with my adorable matching $8 brown leather half chaps on but the zipper digs into the back of my heel so it’s time to find a new pair. Yes, I’m cheap.

4. Show Clothing: I will seriously be hitting up as many local thrift shops (we have lots of riders in the area), used tack swaps, and sales as possible because I need everything. I do have a couple of pairs of breeches that would work for schooling shows but that’s about it. I’m sure I won’t do anything other than schooling shows this year, and that’s if I show at all, but I’d rather not wait until the last minute to find what I need since that means I’ll spend more than I want.

5. The painful one, I may need a saddle :( I HATE saddle shopping and find it to be a miserable experience. If I had all of the money in the world and could get an adorable, custom dressage saddle in contrasting leather colors from Custom Saddlery it would be fun but saddle shopping on a budget for a tough-to-fit pony is not an enjoyable experience and it always makes me hurt in my brain and my credit card.

Luckily I don’t have any other high ticket items that I want/need right now and although I’m sure I’ll find something to spend my money on at the upcoming MN Horse Expo but I’m going to try to stick to the stuff listed above.