[ entertainment ] :: it's horse show day!!!

So what was I up to this past weekend? A bunch of stuff.

To start, Gillybean spent the night on Friday and we woke up at the butt-crack of dawn (5:00 am) on Saturday to get dolled up for the first horse show of the season! I'm sure you're thinking, "Wait, aren't horse shows expensive?" Why yes, they are - unless you still ride with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA)! We both rode with the IHSA as undergraduates so we are still eligible to show.

Instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars on show fees, and bunches of money on a horse, we register for the show ahead of time, pay a $20-$25 fee, draw a horse's name out of a hat, get on it, and show. We typically don't know the horse (we just watch them warm up prior to the show start) and don't get to practice. It's pretty fun, but there are a lot of factors you can't control...like if your strange new horse woke up on the wrong side of the stall that morning. We basically have 10 minutes to show the judge how well we can control the horse, and how well we adapt to the new situation. You can read about it here.

We had two shows on Saturday. Here's my first horse...of course, I had to Instagram at least one picture.

Next show! Can you tell that I was kind of in love with this horse? What a good boy! (And as a note: I have no clue why he has a bandage on his leg, but he moved just fine! I assume he had some kind of boo-boo under there that needed to stay clean.)

 

Our next show is in a few weeks, and we're busy getting ready for it! More on my weekend adventures tomorrow. :)

- Maggie White

[ daily deals ] :: gear for the ponies

Most people equate horses with spending money, and while having horses can be an expensive hobby it doesn't have to be! I realized the other day that I keep posting Daily Deals for people-things, but not one item for critters. So, from now on expect a few deals for your puppies and ponies.

10% off orders over $89 now!

The first deal: halters and lead ropes. These have good reviews, and while they aren't the fanciest looking halters, they would be great for use at home. I like Horse.com because they give discounts when you buy more of an item. How great is that? This basic halter is $5.79 (or less) when you buy 2 or more!

$5.79 wyb 2 or more!

Dover Saddlery has pony-size halters by Rider's International on closeout for just $3.99!

I know many people who have varying opinions about keeping a halter on, so I included a halter with a simple snap that could break off should the horse become "stuck" on something.

In my opinion, having a halter on your horse while it is turned out is smart - just in case they get loose and decide to go on a freedom run. And should there be any emergency in the barn (like a storm or fire), every horse should have a halter and lead next to its stall.


I got these lead ropes for my trainer for Christmas last year. I might have been guilty of putting her old ones within mouth-reach of a horse, so naturally it was shredded. Nothing is more entertaining than chewing a lead rope!

$4.96 wyb 2 or more!

They've held up pretty well so far, although I did notice that with all the rain this year the clips got sticky sometimes...nothing a little WD-40 can't fix! They are nice and substantial and have great reviews.

I'm on the hunt for more horse-y items, so I will post the deals as soon as I find them. Happy riding!

- Maggie White