Tag: show jumping

Merry Christmas!

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May your holiday be filled with love and happiness, and yes, maybe a horse or two :). We spent the days before Christmas with our buddies Chance and Ron, who didn’t complain that they got their presents a couple days early.  A belly full of candy canes kept Ronnie from wanting to work ;). Today, after a big present-opening extravaganza, our tummies will be treated to a prime rib roast (Happy Christmas to me), some hot toddies and old-timey Christmas music. Nothing better.

Please share how you spend Christmas with your family (or post videos/pictures) in the comments – I love to hear different family traditions.

xo

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Fitting Your Horse Rug, Blanket or Sheet

Fitting A Blanket to Your Horse

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Hermes DouDou Winter Blanket 1850 usd

Now that the weather has started to turn colder, we’re all starting to pull our musty horse blankets out from deep storage. If you’re looking to purchase a new blanket, or even searching through used blankets, getting the best available size is very important. If a blanket doesn’t fit correctly, it can cause discomfort (even rubs or sores), get stuck on a fence or tree branch, or even completely fall off and to get trampled.

When I purchased my first blanket (after adopting Chance), I got it on super sale from eBay, and prayed that it would fit my horse. It didn’t, and I couldn’t return it. Good money thrown down the drain. After that, I decided to actually measure my sweet boy and find something in his size range.

Use the following tips to get the best size for your steeds and for a final fitting, please see the guide below from Your Horse Magazine. They posted a very comprehensive and easy-to-follow tutorial on YouTube.

Measuring Tips

  1. Make sure your horse is standing square.
  2. Have a soft tape measure or a long string available (having a friend to help is always nice!)
  3. Start measuring at the center of the chest (between the two chest muscles).
  4. Stretch out the tape measure or string up the broad side of the horse and all the way around to where the hair starts to hit the buttock.
  5. Keep the tape measure tight and level for the best measurement.
  6. This measurement will be your horse’s blanket size, in inches. (If you used a string, mark on the string where you started and ended and then measure the string between these marks.)
  7. If you are between sizes, order a size up for the best fit.
  8. Remember that size varies between brands, so do a little research on the brand’s sizing for best results.

 

Now the shopping fun begins!! Look at all the cute blanket choices that are available these days:

EskadronPRO COMFORT-STABLE RUG – 149.99 euro
Hermes DouDou Winter Blanket 1850 usd
UBlack Wool Blanket 530 euro

Post tips or your favorite blankets below!

xo

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A Great Riding Read – Catch Rider by Author Jennifer Lyne

CatchRiderCover I admit it, I’m an older rider (cough cough), but I love to read anything about horses, especially books intended for young adults. It must satisfy some longing for a younger self, or maybe I never grew up inside, or maybe I’m just reaching mid-life crisis. Catch Rider, by Jennifer Lyne, is a wonderful read! I’m only partially through it, but I can’t put it down, even though I HAVE to because my family does require attention now and then.

I’m posting this before I finish my read because Ms. Lyne, a fellow Chappaqua resident, will be signing her book tomorrow at the great Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival located in Bell Middle School right in town. Any fans, new readers or parents of horse-crazy kids will want to stop by and meet her as well as pick up a copy of her book.

Not only will this support our wonderful festival, but Ms. Lyne has decided to generously donate all her proceeds from the festival to Everytown for Gun Safety – in honor of the victims of our most recent tragedy in Oregon. Thank you Ms. Lyne. I will be buying several copies. 

I’m going to use the publisher’s description of Catch Rider, as I’m not done reading it yet!! I will, however, get right to it when the kids go down tonight. Watch out A Circuit 😉

Catch Rider is published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt

Synopsis

Sidney Criser, 14, pursues her dream of becoming a catch rider–a show rider who can ride anything–despite her poor background and ferocious competition from more privileged girls. Set in Virginia, Catch Rider is an authentic behind the scenes portrayal of a show barn and the elite, demanding world of equitation.  Catch Rider is not a horse book; it’s a book about horse people. 

xo

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Okay EventionTV, you’ve done it again….LOVE it.

Just love the Schramms!

xo

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Hunter-Jumper: Hot in the Hamptons

I love their shirts - I want one for my daughter and I as well.
I love their shirts – I want one for my daughter and me.

It was an amazing day at the Hamptons Classic yesterday. It was a little crazy to go as a show virgin on Grand Prix day, but it was so worth it. The weather held out and last year’s winner, Kent Farrington, won again. This time, his mount was Zafira. It was so amazing to see such steeds soar. I was happy just getting over a low jump last week; it surely was inspirational.

I have so many pictures and stories I’m weeding through, but I thought I would get some of the more fun pictures up for everyone to see. Please forgive my celebrity pictures – I’m not exactly paparazzi, being on the shy side, so I just took silly pictures from behind the pros. I was more interested in what people were wearing and what they were eating and the HORSES, of course!

My attempt at shooting the fashionable and famous:

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Les Enfants: the Fashionable Small-Set at the show:

Oh, and thank you guys for voting on what I should wear! I have to give props to Haute Hippie for sending me my size in the Paprika Onesie in time for the classic. It was perfect: comfortable, chic and got noticed. They rock!!

More to come!

xo

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