Cob Jockey

Edit: My RSS feeder (Feedly) cut this post off on my phone after the video with a "Visit Website" button.  There are a lot of cute pony pictures after the video, you'll miss out if you stop there!

What an emotional weekend.  From the low point on Friday night, to completely neutral after a terrible Dressage ride, to elation after finishing on my Dressage score, (which was my goal for this show) it was a rollercoaster.  A beautiful, fun, rollercoaster that I am completely hooked on and wish I could do every single weekend!

Happy rider and distracted pony are ready for Dressage

By Saturday morning I had let go of Friday, and we had an amazing, focused Dressage warmup. Then, sometime between walking out of the warmup ring and entering the ring for my test, he got his tongue over the bit!  What a terrible time to try that one out for the first time, buddy!  I had no idea what was wrong with him until my trainer saw it afterward, and only after I knew that did my test, in which he was super braced, his head was up, he was unsteerable and he was pinwheeling around my inside leg, make a lot of sense.  By the grace of some generous judging (scores from 4-7), we got a 46, which landed us in 2nd to last in out division.  I was really in control of my emotions after Friday, though, so I let it go and headed for SJ.  I kept telling myself, "I'm living the dream!" because actually getting to event still seems so surreal!

Video of our entire show jumping round:


It felt AWESOME!  I said I wanted to do this show for show jumping redemption, and I got it.  His canter wasn't as compressed and over his hocks as I've gotten it in practice, but these jumps were so small, that was not a huge deal.  The important thing is that he was confident and enjoying it, and it was SMOOTH, unlike GDHT, and we went double clear, moving us up to 5th.

Then this happened:

Dear Johnson County Commissioners: J Barn needs gutters, yo.

and Connor took a nap on my shoulder as I sat in a lawn chair in front of his stall, watching and listening to the rain fall.  It was a cute bonding moment.

View of napping pony

Finally, it was time for XC, and the sun came out just as I was heading over for it.  We popped just a few warmup fences, until my position was really solid after some coaching, and headed out.  My little cross-country machine ate up every fence like it was his job!  He took a trot step before almost every fence, and I think that's because the footing was chewed up and sticky at the takeoff point, since we were the last XC ride of the day.  I don't mind that kind of caution.  Otherwise, we cantered the whole thing, and when I pulled him up at the end of the 1,408m long course, which had three more jumps than at GD, I realized he wasn't even blowing.  We've been working on his stamina with hacks and jump schools, and it's clearly paid off.

Check out these awesome XC photos taken by Andrea of My Horses Love Eventing, a fellow eventer who owns another Castleberry horse, a Welsh Cob X Warmblood cross by Connor's sire.  She was jump judging/taking photos at jump 3, the step/coop option (we took the step).




And here's another XC photo, taken by a teammate.  This is fence 7:

I'm jumping ahead, but check out that scope and that improved pony form!

His only real hesitation was when I asked him to canter through the water, which, as I asked, I realized we'd only trotted water before.  So he cantered in like a brave boy and then broke to this trot with ridiculously high knee action, even for Mr. Cob Trot himself.  I can't blame him, the water is pretty deep for a 14hh pony with short cannon bones!

In the end, it was a good thing I cantered the whole thing because there turned out to be an optimum time for the Starter XC course, which I didn't know about and thought was unusual.  Only two rides in our division finished with no time faults, and we were one of them, so we ended up placing a very unexpected 2nd!  Regardless of what color ribbon we got, I was over the moon about the way he handled XC and SJ.  He even jumped the bogey haybales without questioning or swerving!  Where did my spooky pony go, and who is this mature, confident jumping machine that replaced him???  I love it!

I also got to meet Sabrina, aka Weenie Eventer, (which was an awesome converstion.  We're both on horseback passing each other and she stops and says, "Hey, are you Cob Jockey?  I'm Weenie Eventer!") and Andrea of My Horses Love Eventing for the first time.  I also saw Amy and Steady in the warmup ring but had a debate in my own head over whether or not that was really Steady, and did not say hi - I feel terrible!  They had an awesome weekend, I hope she gets a chance to post a writeup.  Steady is going really well!

I'm so proud of Connor, so excited for the way the weekend went, and so ready for my next event - which is wholly dependent on Nick getting a job.  Come on, baby, this pony is ready to go!

In the middle of a terrible practice ride on the show grounds, an hour after my husband texted me to tell my my dog had ripped my new eBay'ed Tredsteps to shreds, it started to pour down rain.  Sitting there in a borrowed saddle, in the pouring rain, feeling like shit and knowing I couldn't quit with Connor acting like a meathead was a very pity-party moment.

I'm keeping it all in perspective.  This is what you sign up for, with a green horse.  The night before we had the greatest flat/jump round of our life together, and not even 24 hours later, I couldn't get him to turn left or soften or put his head down in the warmup ring with our horses and a few others going around.  He was calling to the other horses and acting completely green, which was so disappointing to me after how focused he was during the GDHT warmup.  But things could always be worse than being green and unfocused.

Fence 6, the bogey fence for us.  We've never jumped hay before.

Looks tiny to me now.  It would not have felt that way a few weeks ago.

It got better, but only after about a half-hour of just ugly riding.  Then, right when it was getting better, it started pouring, raining so hard the raindrops hitting my skin hurt, and all the horses left.  I was in the middle of running through my Dressage test, so I kept going, and Connor turned into an animal again, spooking at the rain on the roof of the judge's box and screaming his head off.  I quit on a good note, when I finally found one, and walked back, soaked.

The good news is that stadium (18"ish) looks tiny to me, and there are no flowers.  We're finally schooling higher than we're showing (2'3" and maybe 2'6" here and there).  Here's hoping he got that out of his system and tomorrow is better.

Connor spoke loud and clear about his tree preference tonight.  After Sunday's shenanigans, my trainer wanted me to try her M. Toulouse...Premia? during my lesson tonight.  She also had me swap out his full cheek french link snaffle (which apparently is quite heavy and thick) for a thin, light baucher in order to give me a little more leverage.

The combination of those two things gave me the best canter we've ever had, and the best jump school we've ever had - we jumped a full course at 2'3-ish, oxers and a skinny painted panel and everything!  My trainer couldn't stop commenting on how he was working better over his back than ever before.  "I definitely think you're on the right track by thinking it's the saddle," she said.  Phew, approval!  It was way too big for me at 17.5", and I had to fight to keep my leg underneath me over the fences at times, but he felt so good in it, that we decided to go with it for the event this weekend.  It felt like he wanted to use his back, rather than doing it because he had to.

Toulouse

The lesson didn't start out so great, as he was flat and dull at the trot.  I unsuccessfully tried every trick in my book and got nowhere, so my trainer suggested trying him at the canter.  "Sometimes when he's stuck in a gait like that, you just have to leave it and go to something else and come back."  That did the trick, and is something I need to remember for the future.  Normally the trot is my Swiss army knife gait, the one at which it's easiest to establish him in a soft, forward frame of mind, but that's not always going to be the case.

Toulouse fit

I trust my trainer and liked the Toulouse, but I've heard such bad things about the longevity, quality and fit of those saddles that I am reluctant to buy one unless I get a spectacular deal on it.  I'm definitely going to look, it'd be a nice saddle to have around, but I also think I'm going to stick to my plan of working with a remote saddle fitter.

Today I caught Connor with:

Pony likes salt.  Thanks to the reader who suggested trying new treats!

And rode him in:

Borrowed Wintec.  Fits okay.

After our ride, he made friends with a:


And fed him here:


Because he's currently on 24/7 turnout (yay!) and it was storming.

Saddle search update: The semi-local tack store does not have anything in 16.5" wide, just 17.5" and larger, so that's out.  I did leave them my name/number in case they get anything in.  Next!

I got feisty this weekend and listed both of my saddles for sale.  Nevermind the fact that I have an event this weekend and a clinic the next and am now (almost) saddleless?

The Stackhouse sold, like, immediately.  I guess I got the deal of a lifetime on it last summer, because I posted it for $200 more than I paid a year ago and within minutes had people commenting on it being such a good deal.  I like it when my major purchases appreciate over time!  The girl that bought it, through the Facebook group, is so excited to have gotten it, she doesn't mind if I have to wait a week until after Leg Up to ship it.  Very cool.  One down.

My first, and maybe only, Stackhouse.

The County has six watchers on the eBay auction, which ends Saturday.  Cross your fingers for me, both of them need to go.

Freakin love this saddle.  So sad to see it go.

Where does that leave me?  Looking for a 16.5" wide close contact saddle, used, preferably with short flaps, preferably a good brand that will not depreciate quickly like the saddles I currently own, that's flat through the panels for my broad-backed pony.  Unsurprisingly, eBay is not helpful for something that specific.

The only saddle fitter in Indiana is a (well-loved and talented) County rep.  As much as I love my County, I don't like being locked into a specific brand at all.  But do I buy a County (used) in order to have a saddle fitter nearby?  (Also, someone PLEASE get certified as a master saddle fitter and come to this state!)

There's a saddle fitter that flies up from Florida to do intensive saddle fitting sessions with folks here, but she doesn't come until October.

There's a tack store two hours from me in Ohio that has loads of consignment saddles, high-quality brands, and they allow you a three-week trial on each saddle.  Do I hike over there and trial something, even if it's just to get me through that clinic?  Road trip, Austen?

There's the Trumbull Mtn option.  I've heard very good things about their remote saddle fitting service and trials.  Apparently they stick with you through the entire process, responding to as many emails with photos and videos that you can throw at them, and don't give up until you're totally satisfied.  I'm interested, but wish I knew someone who had done that process.  Anyone?

Trumbull Mtn also carries Kent and Masters saddles, a British saddlery that makes a Cob tree, which I am very interested in, but the resale value wouldn't be as high as it is for the saddles I'm selling now.  But if this is a forever saddle, do I care that much if it fits both of us and is of good quality?  I'm hoping to be done with the revolving saddle door now.

Thoughts?  Your own experiences?

Woo hoo!!  This pony loves XC!!!  Connor has officially started taking his job as an eventer seriously.  Or maybe not seriously at all.  Today was a big change from the last time we went XC at Greater Dayton.  I said in my GDHT wrap-up post that it felt like he figured out XC half way through the course and really locked on and enjoyed himself there at the end.  Today totally confirmed that feeling, as he confidently and strongly jumped everything I pointed him at for the first time, and almost acted like he knew more about it than I did.  He had so much fun today!  And had no brakes.  Cheeky pony.


"He looks a lot different than last time," one of our younger riders told me, "He looks like he's really having fun and wanting to get to the fences now."  That's exactly what it felt like, as he went straight at the fences rather than sideways.  And three times, after this one particular fence that took us from a narrow path in the woods into an open field, he took off bolting and bucking with his ears up and his eyes bright.  I stuck them, but barely the second time - he's getting athletic.  It was such a sharp action that I thought he stung himself the first time, but no, he was just full of himself.  I did a lot of halting in a straight line...eventually...and my trainer said that we may need to think about a different bit for cross-country if this is our new XC machine.

There was one little coop with an uphill directly behind it at which we had our only stop of the day (woo hoo!  Progress!) and I'm not really sure what happened because I gave it what I thought was a good ride but he fizzled to a stop and sort of slid his forelegs sideways across it.  It took him a second to recover, but I circled like nothing happened and he popped over it fine the second time.  Unfortunately it was here that a big storm blew up so I never got a chance to talk to my trainer about it, as those of us who were mounted high-tailed it through the woods back to the trailer.  It was honestly a lot of fun, five of us trotting briskly through the woods together as the wind whipped around us, and Connor gave me an 8 or 9 trot that I can only dream about attaining in the arena right now.  Sigh.

Even if our day was cut short, it confirmed to me that so much progress has been made, and I was happy.  It was the first time that I've felt like he knows what his job is, he's not afraid, and he's REALLY enjoying it.  He was almost pulling me to the fences, he was so excited.  This is a big change from the last time we schooled at the HHP in May, his first time there, when he rode like a broken shopping cart to everything.  I am so excited to see how he handles his next XC run at Leg Up - I think it's going to feel a lot different from GDHT!

All right, I am way late to this party!  I was tagged for the Liebster Award by Allison at Adventures with Shyloh and Carla at The Collegial Equestrian, who have long been two of my favorite blogs to follow.  Thanks, guys!   I'm going to break this up into a couple of posts.

11 Random Facts About Me
1. I found out at the age of 25 that I have a gluten intolerance.

2. I teach a cardiovascular endurance class at my gym once a week.  Last summer we trained for and ran what was almost everyone's first 5K.

3. I sometimes have to take down 911's computers in our county as part of my job.  Never all at once, if we can possibly avoid it.

Place of employment.

4. My husband and I eloped to Italy in October of 2010.  Best decision we've ever made.

5. I double-majored in Equine Studies and Digital Media Communications in college, but discovered IT along the way and couldn't imagine doing anything else now.

6. My husband and I fostered 8 different dogs for a local sled dog rescue for over a year until Bitsy came along and got so incredibly attached to me, we had to adopt her.  We'll foster again someday for sure.

7. I am on the board of our local young professionals organization and co-chair of the volunteering committee.

8. My college didn't have a cross-country team my first three years I was there, but started one my final year, so I walked on, and we won the USCAA national championship that year.

I am somewhere in this picture.

9. I had never cantered a horse until I was a sophomore in high school, only walked and trotted, and the first time I ever jumped was as a sophomore in college, five years ago.

10. My designated equestrian team horse show job in college was in the concession stand, specifically grilled cheese making.  All the girls that did four years of horse holding (standing, in the cold usually) said I was a terrible person.


11. I studied abroad in Italy for a semester (which was cheaper than attending my own college for a semester!), a country that has the most delightful graffiti:

Oh man, I think this is the most behind I've ever been in blogging.  I have two Liebster Awards to catch up on (thanks, guys!) and lots of stories to share.  Also, thank you all so so much for the support and comments on the last post.  They mean the world to me.  We're hanging in there, and he's already had a couple of interviews so far, so hopefully this will be a much shorter unemployment this time.  Ok, time for a catchup post!

#1: Connor's been easy to catch lately because being outside in the buggy heat is not his idea of a good time, and I've been doing fun things with him like hand grazing him outside his field or spraying him down before we ride.  Also, he had a bug bite on his eyelid that led to some minor eye-area swelling on Tuesday:

Add caption

which has led to this:

Fly mask time!

#2: My plan for a long time has been to sell both of my too-narrow saddles after Leg Up next weekend, but after forgetting my jump saddle at home and riding him in my lesson last night in a borrowed Xwide tree Walsall Saddlery saddle that belongs to this giant drafty fellow, I am speeding that plan up.  They need to go, and he needs a wide tree and a flat-paneled saddle, end of story.  The Walsall wasn't a perfect fit, but he was all too eager to lift his back and be perfectly between my leg and hand last night underneath the wide tree.  With my husband losing his job, it gives me the perfect chance to sell them, sit on the cash just in case he's unemployed for a while, then hopefully put the money from both toward a really nice, permanent jump saddle that I'll also ride Dressage in until I can afford a Dressage saddle.  His back and shape have stabilized enough that I am comfortable looking for my "forever" saddle now.

Cob people aren't kidding when they say the British brands fit the Cobs best.  They know their broad, flat-backed ponies.

It's a bit too wide and therefore a little low in the front, but putting my Thinline Saddlefitter underneath it took care of that.

Looking good.

#3: We're still in the middle of jumping boot camp, and for the first time ever last night, he took an appropriately short distance to the fences like an educated adult pony.  This is the result of a whole lot of concentrated work!  Because the canter was so long and flat before, he was taking long and flat distances to the fences and then throwing himself haphazardly over them.  Now that we're working on shortening the canter and keeping it active behind, he's able to take off from an appropriate distance - and equally as important, he has the confidence in himself that he can make that distance.  The first one felt wonky even though it was smooth because he had a split-second "Why am I this close?" moment as we took off, but he made it and my trainer was pleased with it as a learning moment.

This is from one year ago, in May of 2012, jumping indifferently from a flat, runny canter.

#4: I'm giving him longer warmups that include walking in the grassy field until he relaxes through his back and into my hands.  Sometimes that takes a while, but I'm on his time for that, so that's okay. We just walk and I gradually ask him to come on the bit through relaxed lateral work and circles. By the time we walk back over to the barn for our lesson, he's got so much foam going on he looks rabid, and he's happy and relaxed enough to do whatever I ask during the lesson.  Happier horse = more productive lesson.

Beginning of our warmup.

My husband lost his job.  Again.  This time pseudo-voluntarily due to restructuring, merging and other business buzzwords.  End result is an indefinite amount of penny-pinching and no fun stuff...right in the middle of show season.  For the second year in a row.

Pony-eating saddle cover being blown around in the wind.  Connor does not like it.

It's selfish to be so heartbroken over not being able to show when it could be worse, but I already gave up all of 2012 when he lost his first job, and had no idea that this summer, our first real show season, would be the same.  Thankfully, financial things are better this year than last year, but still, being the sole breadwinner with his student loans, the mortgage and a horse leaves no room for anything more than keeping Connor boarded - which I am grateful that I can afford that much, for sure.  It could always be worse.

Look!  Three sets of tracked-up steps! This is new and good.

It hurts to have to give up eventing right after I found out how much fun it is, and when I'm so close to paying the car off, which should mark the beginning of me being able to show more. Thankfully, unlike last year when he lost his job before the show season ever started, this year I got to do Greater Dayton.  I'm still going to do Leg Up since I have already committed, and I want a going out party/some show jumping redemption if this really is to be my last event of 2013.  I'm also riding in a clinic on July 6, because the entry fee is a gift from my awesome mom.  But beyond that, I can't plan for or count on anything except for another 10 months of schooling in preparation for 2014.  Hopefully he gets something new quickly.

In the words of Mike Polk Jr, "I know there are more important things in life than (horses), but you are supposed to be our pleasant distraction from those things!"


(Funny video, whether or not you're a football fan.)

I've had an awful week.  Things are crashing randomly at work, requiring lots of overtime and early mornings and I wasn't able to ride Connor at all since my last lesson.  So I was looking forward to my lesson today as a nice bit of stress relief, but then Connor played hard to catch until we cornered him at the pipe gate outside his field after a half-hour of walking him down with tears in my eyes.  Not exactly my "pleasant distraction" at that point.


CrossFit really helped my jump form yesterday, as I had the best jump form of my life (says my trainer) after applying the principles I'm learning in Kelly Starrett's Mobility WOD website and book, Becoming a Supple Leopard.  "I've never seen you ride like that before!" my trainer said, "in a good way!"  I tend to round my shoulders forward, upper back out and lower back in all the time, and I've heard from both my CrossFit and riding trainer about that negatively affecting me lately.  Right now I'm working on the section in Becoming a Supple Leopard that talks about keeping your back straight and spine neutral by "resetting" it, which I approximated in the saddle yesterday.  It consists of three steps:

1) Tighten glutes as hard as you can to bring your pelvis underneath you.
2) Tighten abs to hold the pelvis there, release glutes (ideally, you should always have approximately 20% muscle contractions of the abs at all times for good spinal alignment without getting fatigued)
3) Pull your shoulders back by thinking about pulling the shoulder blades down.

After doing 2 and 3 in the saddle just before the jump exercise we did, I did not jump ahead of him (big deal for me), he did not break to the trot at all, and my shoulders were back.  My trainer was delighted and kept calling it a big breakthrough for me, because in addition to having my shoulders back I also had a flat back over the fence.  She kept telling me that my engaged abs were working to push him into the bridle, and that my lengthened inside leg was asking him to not blow through my aids and stay active.  I'm feeling aches in long-neglected muscles, especially the muscles in the middle of my back, as I try to ingrain this new and better posture into my body, but it's worth it since it made such a huge difference yesterday.

I really encourage you to check out the Becoming a Supple Leopard book, it's got so much in it that will help equestrians improve their form and lessen their chances of injury.  Even though it's designed for CrossFitters, the principles of good movement and balance are the same in everything.  I look forward to seeing what the rest of the book does for my riding.

Don't hate me.

After making do with my seven-year-old Devon Aires, I got these brand-new-in-box Tredstep Donatellos for $31 on eBay because one of them had a broken zipper.

Turns out the zipper just had some dirt or extra leather or something between two of the teeth at the bottom, causing it to go off track.  Cleaned that out, and it works fine.  I was prepared to spend $50 at the local cobbler to get them fixed, though.


The total cost of my show outfit is now $71, and that's including a trendy coat with the velvet collar and piping, thanks to an eBay deal Connor's breeder scored and passed along to me, and full seat breeches.  Spend money on the training, not the clothes, right?


Rough week, rough night tonight, but progress in jumping.  I'll have to write later - I have to be up at 4:15am for a server reboot for work.

The last time I rode Connor was for that awesome lesson on Thursday, which is a bummer, but I haven't ridden for a good reason: my friend, trainer and workout partner Nicole qualified for CrossFit's Central East Regionals for the second year in a row, and asked me to be her "coach".  (She doesn't have a coach, so think groom/event coordinator.)  I spent the weekend being the wingman behind this incredible - and humble - athlete:


I love CrossFit for a lot of the same reasons I love eventing.  Such as:
- There are multiple skills and events, all drawing from different sports, to practice.
- It's a test of heart as well as athletic ability.
- Competitions are objective rather than subjective.
- It's not the strongest or fastest athlete that wins, but the most well-rounded athlete that wins.

My weekend wasn't without horses, though.  On Sunday, dozens of massive horse trailers and semis started pulling in to the Ohio State Fairgrounds, so of course I went to investigate.  Turns out two buildings down from CrossFit folks were moving in for the 53rd Annual Morgan Gold Cup Show, an "A" show.  I had heard of, and seen photos of, A show stuff before, but never seen it in person.  I was so in awe, and explained to Nicole that this is not a part of the horse world I'm familiar with.  It was amazing seeing them actually constructing wooden structures for these tents, and the golden lamps and other decorations on the stalls.  Since I felt bad for traipsing through the stable areas in flip flops and workout gear, I chatted with one woman and explained that I was just a curious eventer.  She invited me to hang around, but I couldn't, duty called.

Nuts.

Nicole ended up taking 6th in our region, the toughest region in the world, and halved her placing from last year.  If that trend continues, this time next year she might be on her way to the CrossFit Games (which you may have seen on ESPN2) in California!  Some more scenes from the weekend:

6,000 spectators, sold out two days in a row!

Nicole took second in this event - also, check out the similarities between perfectly centered balance here and in the saddle.  Position is different, but alignment and balance are not.  Heels down, chest up!

Two-time world champion Rich Froning Jr is in our region.  I was inches from him several times this weekend in the backstage area.  Sort of hard to keep my composure...

After three really tough, soul-searching rides (and, thank you karma, one of them was immediately after it took me 45 minutes to catch Connor, the day I put up that post) I was ready for my lesson today.  I just needed some guidance and confirmation that what I had done was right.  I got it in a big way when we had the best jump lesson ever, AND it was in the pouring rain because we have no jumps in the indoor in the summer.  Rock on.


This was the exercise, which started out as all poles, had an oxer for the last element when we were going off the left rein, and had that vertical as the final element on the right rein.  In my warmup, I did the square and little circle exercises to get him on my aids, off my hands and not blowing through my outside aids with his shoulder, and it paid off.  He was between my leg and hand, adjustable, and gave me something to work with in the jump exercises.

Plot summary:
- She had me focus on keeping my heels deep and my core engaged so that when he put his nose down to look at the fences, or launched over the oxer (what is it with this horse and oxers!) I didn't get pulled down with him or fall forward.  Eventually he won't put his nose down anymore, but for now, I have to deal with it gracefully.
- She said it wasn't a gymnastic in which you just get him there, that I had to keep him active each time we landed and in between so that he didn't lose steam.  When I did it right, he felt like he could've jumped a 4ft fence on the out fence.
- I'm so bad about jumping ahead at times, I need to think in my head that I am leaning back and letting the reins slip through my fingers.
- Speaking of height, I am pretty sure that vertical is the tallest fence we've ever jumped together, and I expected it to be a big effort from him, but I almost didn't even notice him jumping underneath me.  He also didn't really put his nose down to it because, well, it was not that far below his nose.  My trainer put it up a couple holes while we were in the opposite corner approaching and not looking, as usual - surprise!  Not sure if she does this on purpose or not, but it's really effective.  I was afraid of crossrails not that long ago, sometimes I still get nervous when I see the fence go up.
- We did this over and over and over, which gave me a chance to fix things and really get comfortable over fences for the first time in a long time.
- I noticed that the amount of core and leg engagement needed for a good jumping approach feels really similar to the amount needed for our baby collected gaits.

After the lesson, we discussed our next move, which looks to be the Leg Up Horse Trials at the Hoosier Horse Park on June 29th.  Just a local schooling HT, going Starter.  "And this time," my trainer said, "You're good on the Dressage test and now you'll go double clear everywhere else!"  As if there was any mystery that we've been in jumping boot camp since the last show!  It's made a huge difference, and I am having a blast.  Today was one of those days that makes the 45 minute catching session bearable.  Love this little guy.

Shiny shiny.  (This nap took place before our ride.)

How about some long-delayed product reviews, brought to you by an epically slow week at work?

Vetrolin Shine Spray
Why I have it: I won this in Karley's contest in celebration of her blog hitting 100 followers.  Congratulations, Karley!  Also, Austen broke my Showsheen bottle last winter and it doesn't exactly travel well anymore...

What I like: It left Connor super shiny, and seemed lighter than ShowSheen.  It did not leave him feeling slippery the way ShowSheen does.  I even sprayed it on the saddle area to test it out - living on the edge!

What I found weird: It smells like Vetrolin, but isn't Vetrolin.  Does that make me a poser?

What I didn't realize until I sat down to write this review: It contains sunscreen, which many SmartPak reviewers report keeps their horses from fading.  Though Connor's orange late-summer color doesn't bother me, I'm definitely going to do some experimenting and report back.

Gearmax Equestrian Backpack
What I liked when I went XC schooling with it: It cut my tacking up time in half because I was able to hang this bag on the side of the trailer next to Connor while everyone else was jockeying for position in the trailer tack room.  When we were done, his wet boots went into the vented outer pocket.

What I liked at Greater Dayton: It hung outside Connor's stall, where everything from my brushes to my competitor packet to my tall boots was visible and within easy reach. The only things not in the backpack were his grain, my pads, and my wash bucket/sponge, which went into a small Sterilite container, and my saddles.  I was asked several times where I got it by my teammates over the weekend, and not having to search for my stuff definitely reduced my show stress levels and nerves.  I never misplaced a single thing all weekend.

What you should not think of it as: A backpack.  Instead, think of it as a soft-sided vertical tack trunk that you can put on your back if necessary in order to carry two things at once.

Equestrian Gearmax Backpack

What my husband calls it: The World War II Radio Man Backpack.  He's always asking me how the fighting in the Pacific Theater is going this week when he sees me wearing it.  Apparently my Dressage whip in the side pocket looks like an antenna...

Romfh Coolmax Pre-Tied Stock Tie
What I like: It's lightweight, adjustable, and stayed put when I didn't have a stock tie pin.  (Er, oops.)  I can see the technical fabric being cooler than a tradition stock tie in the summer.

This is not me, you can tell because she remembered her stock tie pin.

What to consider if you're thinking about buying it:  It's cheaper from Amazon than Dover or Smartpak, and shipped free with Amazon Prime.

Playing hard-to-catch is just a fun game for Connor, and a lot of the fun of the game depends on being able to run around like crazy with whoever he's turned out with.  Here is my current recipe for catching Connor in ten minutes or less.  It has not failed me yet.  I call it the "taking all the joy out of being hard-to-catch" method.

Step 1: Walk out with a halter that will fit either him or his Lusitano partner in crime.  Take a few steps toward Connor to see what kind of mood he's in.  If he walks toward me or stands still, proceed to Step 4.  If he does a sassy head toss, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Catch his Lusitano partner-in-crime, a very agreeable fellow who is never hard-to-catch.  Bring him into the barn and put him in Connor's stall.


Step 3: Go back out with Connor's halter to catch him.  Without his friend, this is the scene that usually greets me at this step:

Sad pony misses his friend.

Step 4: Connor walks up to me like he's never been hard to catch in his life, allows himself to be haltered and led inside.  Many treats and 'Good pony!'s are given.

Step 5: Cross-tie Connor where I can see him the whole way out to the paddock.

He can see his friend from here, but more importantly, I can keep an eye on him.

Step 6: Take his partner-in-crime back out to the paddock.

Step 7: Proceed with ride.

Sweet, sweet summer.