All the Changes

Just a quick catch up post for today!

So, I had mentioned that I had something exciting going on and that is that I'm officially dating someone. He's completely amazing :-) Seriously the best guy I've ever met much less had the honor to be in a relationship with.

I'm clearly spending lots of time with him but he also really supports my riding/horse time and tonight I was extremely happy to have him at the barn with me. He grabbed one quick phone picture and even though the lighting just isn't that good at the barn I think I can see improvement in both me and Katai. Best thing is that he doesn't know what he's looking for so this is a completely random picture, not the one great moment that we had or something!

We're improving I think!! 

It was amazing to have him there and he was very patient as I went through my routine and even walked with us while I cooled her out. I can't quite believe that I got this lucky.

Scratchies: Lesson Recap 10/11

I seriously have the cutest little nugget
In other news, winter is coming and it was time for a clip!

Exciting things are still in progress but I should be able to start blogging a bit more again so it's time to catch up with another lesson recap! This lesson was action packed enough that I don't have anything really specific, just more of the same but I still want to have these notes for myself.

I still can't believe how much consistent improvement we've still been making. I feel like I've sort of hit a small wall with my improvement from a position standpoint but Jane is not to be deterred. She is   still making improvements and won't let anything go, thank goodness!

She's still trying to get me to turn my torso but I'm on the struggle bus there. I'm working on it but until I can get there she's having me adjust my rein length a bit more to correct for it. We've uncovered some issues with my right leg since I have to pull in with the back of my calf to be strong enough to get Katai to do something rather than the side of my leg. I'm dropping my right shoulder, giving too much with my right hand, when I put my leg's back I get a donald duck butt, I post ahead of the movement...

I LOVE dressage!

Thank goodness that Jane has the patience of a saint. Plus I'm getting way more consistent with my posting, relaxation, not leaning forward, not rushing Katai, and my canter seat is way better other than the fact that I can not turn enough to the right.

I brought veggie to a doggie playdate
and someone got some great photos of him!

I'm so excited to have these things identified for me. I can't even tell you how empowering it is that she can tell me this stuff, help me figure out what's correct and then allow me to figure it out myself while never letting up or giving me the impression that it is until it's actually right. Seriously the best feeling ever.

For this lesson we got the consistent trot, went to work on leg yield (which is coming along!!!) and then worked on canter again. I was so so proud of my pony! There was very minimal fussing and when she got tense as we changed directions Jane had me give her a little scratch on her neck and she relaxed and went right back to work. That night it was seriously like a magic button.

Now we just need to find my magic button, if only a scratch on the neck would fix my position issues!

Couples Therapy: Stubborn Together Blog Hop

I’ve had this idea for the past couple of weeks but finally decided that I was curious enough to make it into a blog hop.

Basically, I’m curious what role your trainer/instructor plays in the partnership between you and your horse. I’m not talking about unicorns and the Black Stallion here, just good common sense instruction on how you work with and ride your horse beyond the technical aspects of dressage. Is it something they feel strongly about either way or something that they just don’t work with at all?

My experiences have been very interestingly different. When I started with J (not Jane, past instructor who I dislike) I was surprised at the amount of animosity that she approached riding and coaching with. Anytime the horse wasn’t immediately doing what the rider asked it was “giving them the middle hoof” and was being uncompliant. She used a lot of force and even when I would specifically tell her that I thought something was just physically or mentally tough for Katai or that Katai didn’t understand something she would brush it off and say that my pony did understand and just wasn’t listening.

Then I worked with L who had very similar feelings about that relationship/partnership that I do. At first she made a big impact because I was coming from J’s antagonistic approach but ultimately both L and I were kind and fair but removed from really engaging in that partnership. Both of us have lost animals, and in her case people, that we were very close to and I think it made it tougher for us to really connect and come at this topic from a loving place. Instead it was more of a kind, fair, but casual sort of feeling which is how I’d initially worked with Katai and my past horses.

Now with Jane that’s completely different. She is working a lot with me on the technical pieces but I feel like some of the work she’s doing with me that’s had the biggest impact is on my partnership with Katai and how I function in that partnership. Jane has been doing this for a long time and owned and trained a lot of horses but it doesn’t feel like she treats this like her job. While she’s extremely professional about it, she also acts more like a coach, or as my friend says about her instructor, she’s my Yoda. Everything from the terms that she uses, to the way that she teaches and how she expects me to make changes with Katai is different and I’m learning so much. She uses terms like “hug” when she refers to leg contact, or tells me to take time to get her flexed correctly on the side where it’s tougher for Katai. She also LOVES mares which is nice since I also love them but I’m realizing that I don’t always know the best way to train/ride them.

I can’t believe how much this has all impacted Katai and the way she is to ride. She’s gone from tense and dramatic to loose, stretchy, relaxed and thinking in the time between when I ended with J and now but the biggest change has been in the past month. It’s been an interesting and amazing journey and I can’t wait to see where we are in the next couple of years!

So, how does your current (or past) trainer manage the partnership/relationship between you and your horse(s)?

Catch Up: Lesson Recap 10/4 and Other Catch Up



Sorry for the recent lack of posts but something really exciting has been going on in my personal life. I may be a little quieter for a while but should be back in full swing soon! At any rate I want to recap this week’s lesson before I entirely forget what we talked about.

The focus this week again was canter. Later in the lesson Jane said something that made me so happy and that’s that me and Katai’s trot is really good, our walk is mostly controlled (when we don’t have angry mare hormones to deal with), and our leg yields are getting really good so she wants out canter to catch up. This is so, so encouraging for me because we’ve never been at a place where we have such consistently good trot much less actually even having any sort of lateral work at all. With that being said we’ve worked through the worst of the flailing at the canter and it’s starting to get consistent as well. The amount of change in Katai (and let be honest, in my riding) is just amazing to me and I’ve only been at this barn for a month now. I can’t even imagine where we’ll be in the spring!

 

She's just totally amazing

To start off we worked on getting Katai to really bend all through her body on a loose rein and to take the contact down. She tends to be tight through the back and in her neck so this is really good for me to learn. What was really interesting was that after doing this in each direction, when we switched back she did this quick, little shake a few times with her head and neck and swished her tail around a couple of times. She was clearly releasing something and she has NEVER done anything like that before. We did each direction again, got a few more twitches out of her, and then went to trot.

We focused on getting my body in the right place and getting me to bend my knees as I sit. I have ALWAYS struggled with being in a chair seat and now to try to correct that I’m compensating by perching since it feels like that will get my legs more under me. On Tuesday when Jane had me correctly sit back more on my pockets my legs shot out in front of me again so we focused on that for a while. As that was getting better she had me do some leg yield down the center line and really focus on staying behind the movement and not trying to ride too much when I feel Katai quitting. I need more practice with this but it got a lot better during this lesson! Then we took a walk break and Jane helped me re-arrange my body again before we went into canter. 

It really is getting to be fall!
This tree is outside my work and it's so pretty

Katai did really well going to the right (my tough side) and we discovered that I’m turning my right toe out and squeezing with the back of my calf rather than the inside. We think it’s a flexibility thing and I also think it’s a strength thing. I’m going to work on that. When we switched to go in the other direction Katai just refused. No, this is hard work I don’t want to don’t make me I’m done I want my dinner please thank you. So, I picked up a dressage whip for the first time in a long time just to help reinforce my forward leg aid since pony was being very ponyish and just stopping and digging her heels in. She wasn’t happy about it but when I asked gently with the whip she did go forward and we got some great canter in that direction.

After a little trot break we went back to canter again. Just like T, we’re at a place where we just need to canter so we’re really working on doing it a lot, for short sections of the ride. Once I had the dressage whip I only needed to use it a couple more times and then Katai got the memo and started to just listen to my leg.

Being a dressage pony is hard work!

Just like last week I decided to lunge on Wednesday since it’s a good way to give her a lighter day but still get her moving so she doesn’t get too stiff. Jane came and watched for a bit again and really likes this as part of my riding schedule so Wednesday Lunging Day is officially a thing now. Katai was quite stiff to start off, she had gotten a good workout the day before, and was a little crabby. I let her take her time moving slowly and gradually as she softened up we went back to the canter on the lunge, in side reins.

She started off a bit sluggish but really started to get it and maintain her own, slow momentum after a bit. After a trot break and some walk we switched to the other side and did a bit more. I stopped before she got too tired and when we went over to talk with Jane, Jane mentioned that Katai’s eyes were so much softer and she was quiet and relaxed. She’s really appreciating our new routine and I’m learning how to help with that relaxation which is amazing! I plan to ride tonight, Saturday, and Sunday and can’t wait to see my amazing mare 

Slow it Down

I went to check out a new dog park with Veggie.
This one has a really cool view of the St. Paul skyline.

I've had a great weekend for rides mainly because I feel like Katai and I are really figuring out what we need to do at the canter.

Friday my amazing new farrier was there so I worked from home but only got to the barn just as he was getting done. I was able to pay him, important :-), and then spent some time with her in her pen sort of doing some free lunging but mainly just pushing her away when she got a crabby expression.

Not sure if that stuck or if she just has been thinking about things on her days off but Katai was doing her very best slow, relaxed canter on Saturday and was really working to figure out what I was asking. It was so amazing and, honesty, out of character for her that after one canter in each direction I did a bit of trot and then ended.

Using my Apple Watch to take this picture.
I just wish I could use it to start video!

Today I planned to do some lateral work after the canter to really mix things up. To start I did a bit more trot and then cued for the canter to the right. She did so great! The previous day I had gone right from one direction to the next via some trot across the diagonal but today I took her down to a walk to let her catch her breath and give her a bit of a break.

When I asked for the trot again to the left she was having none of it. I was excited though because I found a hole. As long as I keep trotting she didn't resist but when I walk after canter she thinks she's done. Now that I know I can work on it! However, after a bit of resistance I got her into a trot, got a good trot, and then with just a slight leap forward she went right into canter when I cued.

Monthly tack cleaning time.
This time the movie was Love Actually :)

Because of some of the remaining tension she was more resistant going that way but we still had some REALLY good moments which was really encouraging. I got her back to trot after a bit of work and then kept the trot for awhile on some large 20 meter circles and finally did some lateral work. She was so good the first time I asked for a leg yield off the centerline that I called it right there and she got to be done.

You mean not everyone sets their saddle on their bed
while they're getting ready to clean it?
Also, Where's Veggie ;)

I feel like recently my biggest takeaway is that with my incredibly intelligent mare I just need to mix things up every ride. I just can't do the same thing, the same way more than once in a row or she'll figure it out and then be resistant. Of course we're going to work on getting her to understand that sometimes she just needs to do these things but for now variety will be really important. It is totally on me that I was doing a very similar ride format for months and months and now that I'm asking for something different it makes perfect sense that she thinks I'm nuts. I'm just really proud that she's figuring things out as quickly as she is!

Anniversary

Baby Katai was a baby

I can’t believe that today is my 4 year anniversary with Katai! Four years ago today I actually, after nearly 3 hours, got her loaded in a trailer and home to the place I was living/boarding at the time. She proceeded to run through every wire fence on the property and even visit the neighbors within the first 20 minutes that she was with me. She also came up to me, let me catch her, and that whole adventure didn’t end in any sort of disaster because I feel like we already had some sort of connection (all of the treats I’d given her when working to get her loaded probably helped).

The next year and a half were a lesson in patience for me since she wasn’t completely convinced that she wanted to be a riding pony, or a pony that listened to people in general. She was rude, pushy, jumpy, naughty, aggressive, couldn’t be tied, couldn’t be blanketed etc. I kept on working and seeing small glimpses of how amazing she could be and only once in a while lost hope that she would be an amazing dressage partner. Then during our second year together we started working with a dressage trainer that ruined her relaxation and my confidence in my pony. I nearly sold her and doubted that I had ever seen any real talent in her but for some reason I couldn’t actually ever list her for sale and so after about 6 months with that trainer we “escaped” to a temporary barn where I painstakingly started to put things back together. Katai was still anxious and didn’t trust me on the ground but I very slowly started to get my pony back under saddle.

Then during our third year together we found L. I started to take twice monthly lessons with her and eventually went back to weekly lessons. She believed in us and started to help me believe in us again as well. She slowed things down, helped teach me how to get Katai more relaxed, and fundamentally changed the way that Katai moves and the way that I ride. Katai and I slowly started to get our connection back on the ground and under saddle.

After a tough year of work and slow improvement I needed to move Katai for my own financial reasons. For some reason the universe conspired to get me to exactly the right place at exactly the right time and I’m now working with an absolutely incredible instructor who not only is continuing to improve my riding and Katai’s way of going but is also actively working on our relationship as horse and rider. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever worked with including the professors I worked with as I was obtaining my BA and MA and all of the music teachers I had from when I was 5-24.

Here’s to another 4 years with this amazing little mare.

She doesn't look it, but trust me she's enthusiastic about this

Contact: Lesson Recap 9/27

Yesterday I was REALLY dragging all day. I was so tired that I felt like I couldn’t keep my eyes open and my head hurt all day. I made it through work, barely, and left about an hour early. I used my extra time at home to make some good food and make sure I just sat and rested for a little while and then I headed to the barn for my lesson.

I struggled to stay awake on the drive there but once there as soon as I started moving I felt better. Because of traffic I was running a little late so I tacked Katai up fairly quickly. As I was getting her ready both Jane and I noticed that she was being quite sassy. There was a lot of ear pinning, ugly faces, and she even nipped at me when I went to tighten her girth for probably the first time ever. I’m going to consider treatment for ulcers but also I’m sure it’s her time of the month. She was touchy about her lower back and was so, so, stiff that she turned around without bending her body at all, like a 2x4.

Poor mare! I really like Jane’s take on this though and that is that riding can be the best therapy if you take the horse’s needs into account and ride them correctly. Instead of saying poor baby and leaving her in her stall to be stiff, we headed to the arena to help her get moving correctly and feeling better.

We started off focusing on a nice relaxed, regular walk rhythm while doing 5-6 loop serpentines up and down the arena. Jane wanted me to really focus on the bend and think of my inside arm like a piston that I draw straight back to keep/get/enforce the bend to the inside. After a few of these going both ways in the arena we moved into a trot around the full arena. With big circles focusing on almost overbending her at each end and in the middle.

She started off very choppy and stiff but as she worked out of it we started to do some leg yields down the center line. I’m still a little ways away from really getting these but I’m so much closer than I ever have been and was very nearly there towards the end yesterday. As usual, as soon as I figure out my body and stop doing wonky things Katai is actually able to use herself and do these correctly. Jane is having me focus on keeping her straight and wants me to think about almost having her haunches lead. She also wants me to stop flailing getting ahead of the motion.

After that we took a brief walk break and then went to canter. For some reason our transitions are good but Katai’s canter has fallen off the rails a bit. Not sure if it’s #hormonalmareproblems or if it’s one of those things were it’s going to get worse before it gets better but at the very least it’s a change and that’s always interesting/encouraging. She’s having trouble maintaining her canter in both directions and it’s really flat but she’s transitioning into it well, that is when she doesn’t get extremely tight and tie herself in knots like she was tonight. I’m going to start working her at the canter in side reins to see if it helps her to figure it out without me up there also flailing trying to figure out where to sit.

Jane said something really interesting to me though. Basically that I have very light sensitive contact, which she likes, but that sometimes I need to have more contact to get her to the right place and then immediately lighten. That makes perfect sense, and I’d like to think that I’m aware of that, but what I realized as we were talking is that I’m actually, finally RIDING the trot right now. Very actively, keeping/putting her where she needs to be and making quick effect corrections to get her to a good place as needed and then being soft and steady. However, I am NOT doing that at walk or canter. In both gaits because of her fussiness Katai has turned me into a passenger who tries to just be quiet and not upset anything so that she doesn’t freak out. It’s not effective, it’s not helping, and I need to just RIDE both gaits like I am at the trot.

Something to think about/work on during my next few rides anyway!

A Very Busy Weekend

When your owner gets out of bed and you're not ready yet
I would have liked to join him

I've been quiet because I've been feeling a little like crap all weekend. I think it's partially the weather and I'm wondering if with the recent colder temperatures I might be fighting off a cold.

On Friday I still had some energy and after a couple of days off I made it out to the barn to ride. Katai was sassy but pretty good and her canter transitions were continuing to improve. I had a friend at the barn with me and we tried to get some pictures but the lighting is just too dark so the only pictures we got were really blurry.

On Saturday I did a 5K with my work colleagues. They're amazing and we all just walked, solidarity for those who aren't runners, but it was a great albeit cold way to start the day. Since it was near the barn I had decided to go there next but the walk took a little longer than I expected and I had an apartment viewing scheduled, more on that later, so I was short on time at the barn.

Caught this picture on the way home from getting sushi
'Merica...

I pulled out all of my tack and went to get the pony. Just like what you would expect, she was lit up and didn't want to play along. I tried to put her in the crossties and groom her but she was having none of it so instead of fighting with her I decided to just lunge. She was doing all sort of crazy out of character things so I was really glad I didn't ride. She kicked out multiple times at the line, spooked and bolted twice (which she NEVER does), and did lots of head tossing and porpoising.

I had her do lots of, on cue, trot/canter transitions going in each direction. I didn't have her work that long, just until she was able to settle a little. I walked her for awhile, let her eat some grass and then left.

Don't worry, I was stopped. This is why I've been tired recently,
this picture was taken during the day.

I'm looking at apartments with one of my three roommates. In our current situation our landlord has all of the decision making power as far as who roommates are and this last one isn't someone I'd chose to live with. Since I now know someone in this area that I'd like to live with we're looking at 2 bedroom apartments where hopefully we can save some money and not have random people cycling through without our say. Unfortunately on Saturday the owner didn't show to give us a tour. However, that roommate and I went out for sushi and only got slightly sidetracked at an amazing local farmers market that I'd never been to!

I got tons of cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, and baby bok choi for only $9!!! After putting our amazing groceries away at home we went back out for sushi at our favorite sushi place. It was amazing! My favorite is their sweet potato role but I always love cucumber/avocado roles. Finally we went for groceries and got some coffee. I cleaned and did laundry when I got home so by the time I sat down to watch a movie it was almost time for bed.

Sunday I rode in the morning and although I didn't feel the need to lunge before I rode she was even more sassy than normal. She was full of herself and determined that she gets to make the call on when she's going to canter. I was really proud of how I handled that ride and we ended with some really nice, slow, stretchy trot but it took awhile to get there. Im thinking that she is also struggling with the new, colder, darker weather just like I am.

She got today off and I'm hoping that she feels more like cooperating at my lesson tomorrow!

Blog Hop: Horse Thief

I love this idea for a blog hop!

However, I had a tough time thinking of who I'd steal. I think that based on the rules of this blog hop I'd probably steal my friend H's pony. He's around 14.2 and quite a sassy, sensitive gelding. He's also got amazing gaits and he is fun to ride. I've only had the chance once or twice but I would steal him for a joy ride if I ever have the opportunity ;)

I would also really like to steal my co-student (C's) horse Sasha, for a day. She is a 14(ish) hand Arabian who is showing 3rd level. It would be very, very cool to see what that feels like!

My runner-ups are Ozzie, L's horse, and Jules, Jane's PSG school master but I honestly just don't think I could go back to riding tall horses. I do enjoy riding Ozzie occasionally and it sounds like I may have the opportunity to ride Jules at some point which is so, so exciting!!!

Bounce: Lesson Recap 9/20

After my ride with Katai on Friday last week I started feeling more positive because everything Jane was telling me to do was so clearly working that I just kind of let go of my need to try to figure this all out and was able to convince myself to just sort of go with the flow. Because of that I was relaxed and feeling really positive on Tuesday which isn't normal for me since I normally have a good amount of lesson anxiety.


We started off working on my position. I've always had a really tough time keeping my leg back and my conformation hasn't been helping me. We spent around 10 or so minutes at a halt with Jane putting my body where it needed to be and then explaining to me where I should have tension and where I shouldn't we talked a bit about some stretches and exercises that I could do.

Then we went to walk and after a bit of walk in each directly, mainly working on me, we went to trot. This lesson was pretty much more of the same as my last lesson with some additional specifics and just focusing on giving me more time to get things right. I'm still really struggling with getting my body turned enough to the right. I feel like I'm turning all the way around but Jane says that I'm still barely turning. Plus, my right hand has always been better at releasing than holding and I'm having a tough time keeping an appropriate amount of contact when I turn her in that direction.

Playing with running water in the tank is better than Netflix

Katai REALLY likes the new rider that I'm turning into. She's moving SOO well through her back, I've got good connection on both reins and I'm starting to have proper bend about 90% of the time. Because of her amazing new relaxation she's moving so, so well. It's so fun to ride her and feel her so traveling so through, it's a good step up from what I've ever felt from her before.

Then we went to canter. Jane is such an amazing calming influence on me. I'm not that nervous about cantering but Katai is such a little firecracker and add the fact that I want to do a good job in front of my new instructor and it makes me tense up which certainly isn't good for actually getting a good trot/canter transition. One of my friends always refers to her instructor as "her Yoda" and I feel the same way with Jane. Initially there were some fireworks and Jane was working on describing to me how to sit differently. We had talked about how I push my right leg out in front of myself in the canter so we worked on that first and then went the other way. Jane was trying to get me to sit differently and I kept trying different things and then I got it!

She wanted me to stop moving my torso as much and allow myself to feel like I was bouncing straight up and down. As soon as I got it I felt it and Katai's canter slowed down, she re-balanced herself, and it just felt magical and amazingly controllable. I felt sort of like I was sitting on a yoga ball (her hindquarters) and there was this light unweighted yoga ball in front of me that I could have steered anywhere. It was the most amazing riding moment that I think I've had.

Jane got all excited and we quit there. Now I just need to try to replicate that during my rides this week!

My Breeches Collection

I thought it would be fun and possibly helpful for me to share my current breeches along with details and some pictures to show fit and what they look like on a non-model. I'm going to share these in order of cost just because I think it makes the most sense.

As a note, I'm currently in between a 24 and 26 but closer to a 26 and I'd rather have breeches a bit too loose rather than too tight. I'm also quite short, and have especially short legs (you can see how some of these wrinkle around my ankles), and these are all regular breeches so if you have long legs these would fit differently. If anyone has any questions about any of these please let me know!

Horse Active Full Seat
Price: Free!! (of course as long as I bought over a certain amount but since I was buying another pair of breeches and some other stuff I made it without trying)
Size: Small (looks like they're a 24)
Fit: As mentioned they're a size 24 and I normally get 26s. With that being said these do fit me quite well and since they're cotton they've got a good amount of stretch
Wear: Worn once and washed once - not sure how much more I'll wear them haha
Positives: The price and the color is great
Negatives: Pretty much everything. I love Horze's more premium brands but their cheaper stuff is just that, cheaper. These stink, I'm guessing from the dye? but even after being washed and worn once they still smell strongly of chemicals. The seat also doesn't stretch so you get that really uncomfortable feeling of being suspended above the saddle by the crotch of your breeches, and they're my only breeches with velcro bottoms and they rub on my ankle bone.

Horse Spirit Full Seat (no longer available)
Price: I believe these were around $45 on sale but were more like $89 new. I wouldn't pay $89 for them so I put them here.
Size: 26
Fit: loose and I probably should have sized down. They're also cotton so they've stretched a bit
Wear: Owned for about 1 year and worn a fair amount through that year. Washed multiple times.
Positives: These are very comfortable and have stood up well over the past year or so that I've owned them.
Negatives: I really hate the color, I was thinking they'd be brighter blue but this color is awful. I mostly just wear these when I don't feel like wearing nice, but less comfortable breeches or when I know that I'm going to get especially dirty like for pony bathing.

Riding Sport (Dover) Basic Full-Seat Breech
Price: $49.99
Size: 26 but after they've stretched now they're more like a 28
Fit: Comfortable!
Positives: Comfortable! Great color, nice pockets, awesome sock bottoms, price! Plus these have a comfortable stretchy full seat especially for the price.
Wear: I've owned these for about a year but I've worn them and washed them more than any other pair of breeches probably multiple days a week for awhile.
Negatives: These are cotton breeches so they will stretch out. However, I've worn these a TON and washed them a TON since they're my most comfortable breeches and they still look great. They're just starting to get pretty stretched out. For the price and comfort though they can't be beat and I plan to get at least one more pair in burgundy.

Ovation Slim Secret Full Seat
Price: $98.95 from RW, I think I paid just over $100 when I bought them
Size: 26
Fit: The fit is awesome and are really great heavier fabric that doesn't show imperfections but is also not that hot.
Wear: Owned for 3+ years and worn a LOT. For awhile I only had a few pairs so these were in constant rotation. Washed a ton.
Positives: These are the breeches I've had the longest (just over 3 years now) and they still look like new despite lots of wear and washing. They have really cute details like the suede trim on the pockets  and some embroidery on the back belt loop.
Negatives: VERY uncomfortable sock bottoms. I do have slightly large calves (I wear regular Ariat boots thought) but still, you can see from the picture how much these dig in. Despite that I've still kept them for 3+ years and have worn them a ton.

Horze Desiree Full Seat - Burgundy
Price: I got these for just under $100 on sale
Size: 26
Fit: AMAZING, all of Horze's premium brands (Crescendo and B Vertigo) fit me the best of any breeches I've tried)
Wear: I've worn these several times and washed at least twice
Positives: Everything! These might be a bit much for some people but this is for fun right. I love the wide waistband, the seat is nice and stretchy, the silicon makes it nicely grippy without being too much, they're really nice stretchy technical fabric that still doesn't show too much, and Horze (premium) breeches have the nicest, most comfortable sock bottoms that I've tried.
Negatives: The wide band comes nearly to my ribs when I'm riding but it didn't bother me much because I bought a second pair and I've got my eyes on the new fall 2016 color!

Horze Desiree Full Seat - Stone
Price: $150 from a vendor at the NDPC
Size: 24
Fit: These were sold out but the vendor still had a pair in 24. They do fit but I'm glad that I've been losing weight :)
Never worn to the barn, hoping they'll fit a bit better soon and sort of saving these to show in.
Positives: See above, the seat also feels a little more substantial so I'm hoping that they'll last longer than the thinner seat in the burgundy pair.
Negatives: See above

B Vertigo (Horze) Rachel Full Seat 
Price: I got these on sale for $175 but they're normally $199
Size: 26
Fit: They fit the best of any breeches I've ever owned
Wear: Worn three times and washed once
Positives: These are seriously the best breeches I own. They are as comfortable as the Dover breeches but are a technical fabric so they won't stretch out as quickly. The seat is substantial enough to last (I hope!) but is nicely stretchy and they have the amazing Horze sock bottoms. I also love the color and all of the amazing details.
Negatives: None other than the price. If I ever win the lottery though I'm going to go buy 10 more pairs. I am curious how they'll last though. The seat leather is fairly thin which makes them extremely comfortable but I'm just not sure if they'll last as long as some of my other breeches.

Lauria Garrelli (HKM) Golden Gait 3/4 Seat (basically what we consider a full seat)
Price: I got these from my local tack shop through a special order at $179.95. On the site they're $167.95 so not bad mark up for shipping to the US.
Size: 26
Fit: Good but they are looser at the waist and tighter through the hips. They also bind a bit on my knees I think because of where the leather from the full seat comes on my leg.
Wear: Worn twice and washed once
Positives: I really like these breaches. They're also a great technical fabric and the orange detailing is really cute. They are clearly very well made and I expect that they'll last a long time.
Negatives: Hmmm, so they're actually less new than the B Vertigo breeches but Horze has sales all the time and for this price point I like the previous breeches better. It's the little things like comfort, and some of the details like the three button closure on the B Vertigo breeches. I also managed (which happens to me on some other breeches as well) to bust out the stitching in multiple places on the seat. They aren't too tight, in fact I need to wear a belt with them, but the stitching is falling apart, it's good that I'm good with a needle. That didn't happen at all with the B Vertigo breeches and the B Vertigo breeches just fit better. I'm really curious to see how they both wear over time.

So I think by now everyone knows that I'm a Horze fangirl, I especially love their B Vertigo line,  and you can tell from how many breeches I have from them. I've got several more styles from them as well as other companies on my list so look forward to an update post at some point next year.

Also, I know that I haven't had some of these for very long so this isn't really meant to be a review post. I'm guessing that some of the newer breeches will show up in one of my "favorites" posts in the future!