No One Can Even

Many moons ago, I bought a sprenger mechanical hackmore off of blogger Alanna for a song. When it showed up, I realized it was roughly moose sized (which had I actually read the ad, I probably would have noticed) and yeah, it was never going on a petite Courage face. 

But guess who is moose sized?!

best baby mare!
and yes this is the smallest adjustment

I spent all day Friday watching fancy dressage horses do their thing and yeah, showing still sounds nauseating to me.

So I went back to the barn and threw the new-to-me hack on ZB.

old SB would have been horrified by this look

We did a lap around the outdoor arena, during which I established that ZS Zoebird gave exactly the number of shits about it that you would expect.

SMOOSH JUMP

And yeah. Then we just headed down the ditch bank in evening light for our first solo excursion. 

<3

If it looks magical, it was.

CONTEST TIME

Y'all know Topline Leather as the supplier of some of my most luxe equine tiaras. I have (of course) ordered Zoe her own custom piece, but in the interim, something fun happened.

SPERKLZZZ

SHE GOT UNICORN BITS.

Ok, full confession, these came on the radar back when I still had C and I was SUPPOSED to get a cool one to review and then do a sweet-ass giveaway. Buuuuuut in the intervening time, I got a Zoecorn who of course can't wear normal horse sizes.

Which means no unicorn bit for me.

But y'all still get a chance to win a 135mm (basically 5") loose ring or eggbutt snaffle unicorn bit!

action shot!
photo by  JJ Sillman

The rules are simple.

Go on instagram. 

Post a fail photo (or video) with hashtag #plzshareunicornmagic and tag @toplineleather and @sprinklerbandits. 

Contest opens when this post is published and closes 7 days later, at 7am MST on SEPTEMBER 29, 2017. Best entries will be posted here with link backs to their social media account and the winner will receive a unicorn bit from Topline Leather. 

i want it

Ready. 

Set. 

POST.

SPARKLE FLOWERS

TMT: The Best Deal Ever

Despite my recent stint of "moderation" and "binge selling" (which we all know was prompted by one thing only), I'm the consummate tack ho, always on the lookout for a deal. I've probably mentioned before how I picked up a $220 Sprenger KK Ultra for $40 on consignment, and I thought that was the deal of the decade.

yup

And then I don't know if I mentioned when I was bit shopping for my trainer and she wanted this weird giant old eggbutt snaffle made out of some bizarre metal that isn't even manufactured anymore. I found one for her for $10 and when I ran across another one for $10, I snapped it up for me. I dunno what those things originally cost, but I call it the magic contact bit and HOT DAMN am I glad I have one. So that is also a great deal.

also yup

But then Lindsey and Alyssa went to a tack sale/party that I couldn't attend and found not only the deal of the decade, but I venture the deal of the freaking century.

That $220 sprenger I was patting myself on the back for only spending $40 on?

$5.

OH YEAH.

and these ones are all mine

Apparently there were multiples. Now we all have one.

So tell me bloggy-folk, what is your best-ever horse supplies deal?

Try and Fail. Repeat.

It's tempting to cherry pick good screenshots right now and pretend everything is rolling along fine, but it's not. Last week, my somewhat-icky rides progressed to "might as well not bother" levels of ick rides. I knew that Courage was WAY overdue for bodywork, so I just stopped riding until he could get an appointment.

but it is a pretty great screen shot

But that wasn't magic. Courage's body felt better, sure, but he was just.not.cooperating. Like. Forget recognized first level this year. We won't make it around training level at a schooling show right now. It's bad. Doesn't matter if I ride my butt off. Courage is not going to play.

And there's nothing like a series of shitty rides to make me feel like I'm just pouring money into a sewer because I don't like it weighing down my purse. I don't know if I can fix this. I especially don't know if I can fix it in time to make pouring $$$ into a recognized show next month worth it.

I do know that my best attribute with this horse is that I have a really good feel for what he needs in a given moment (not just arrogance--verbatim quote from a respected clinician regarding our partnership). Instead of feeling burned out by what looks like a disappointing failure to reach a goal of over a year, I choose to focus on the horse I have right now.

a magnificent unicorn

who learned how to move his back

by kicking the wall

and leaping off the ground

I'm pursuing some other avenues this week to see if I can find a root cause for the yucks or if Courage has decided just not to play for the present. In the interim, we're trying other stuff.

so cute amiright

You know. Like when it drops 40 degrees Fahrenheit and blows in a storm overnight, so I decide it's a great idea to start riding Courage in a hackmore with zero stopping power. Yes, on the same day I took all the leaping pictures. I'm not just crazy--I knew Courage needed some play time, and once he played, I just kinda knew he was going to be fine.

Which he was.

It was actually very interesting--Courage has been hollowing and inverting and fighting me with the bit. Take that away and after we got past his initial "um wtf lady" response, he was fine. Nose poked out like a hunter, yes, but poll a little below his wither with lots of licking and chewing. I let him worry about him and I focused on re-training myself to ride completely from my body (and turn right).

It wasn't magical either. We didn't even trot. But hey. I'm of the opinion that horse training is less rainbows and pixie dust and more wet saddle pads and putting in the time anyways.

That's where we're at. It's not pretty. It's not very good. It's definitely not linear.

But I'm enjoying having a horse I can hop on and do dumb stuff with on a cold spring day and not feel like I'm going to die. If the rest comes later, great.

Tack Ho Confessional: Dressage Bridles

I got a question the other day about exactly what bit/bridle set up Courage was going in.

the sparkliest one, obv

Ha! The answer is he's not going at all.

Fact.

Well ok. He had a couple weeks off around the holidays due to travel/work/life (apparently I have to human sometimes? wtf). He's starting back into work now, which is as good a time as any to talk about the biggest time suck of horse ownership: choosing a bridle. Seriously. This takes too long every single day. It's like... do I ride? Hand walk? OH GOD TOUCH THE LEATHER MUST RIDE WHAT ARE WE WORKING ON

ALL SO BEAUTIFUL

This is my primary bridle selection right now. I don't use the franken jump bridle (left, brown and blue and sparkles) much because we aren't jumping and the bit is the least desirable--it's a knock off of the center bit, which is sometimes our favorite bit and sometimes not. It doesn't matter when we jump because I rarely touch the reins, but I don't love it for dressage.

I do love it for looking at and yes sometimes I take it home to clean just because I want to touch it for a while. (We aren't jumping this winter for a variety of complicated reasons. We're hoping to get back to it in the spring.)

That leaves the other two black bridles. Who can believe I own two black bridles? Right? 

so beautiful

This (center in top pic) is my Red Barn Capriole bridle with a Topline Leather browband and Courage's fancy Sprenger bit. There is a flash attachment loop, but we don't school in the flash with this set up. It's supposed to be our show bridle. I really like how Courage feels in the Sprenger most of the time. The reins are my SUPER AMAZING D'yon rubber lined with hand stops eBay find that I adore.

The crank is usually pretty loose and the bit is fat compared to most bits. It was our go-to for a long time. If we could only have one bridle, this would probably be my choice.

But.

Then there's Antares. And I love him.

such class

Antares has a couple features that the Red Barn doesn't. First, the cavesson is not a crank. Second, I keep the flash on here. Third, this is my stupid cheap $10 single jointed snaffle that is the thickest bit ever. Also you'll notice that the reins have martingale stops, which is important when starting an OTTB back into work after a break.

I really love this set up for encouraging Courage to take a solid contact. He's pretty light in the bridle to start with, so the big, thick bit lets him lean a little bit. That would be a terrible idea for a heavier horse, but I like it on him. I also like the bridle for lunging and keeping the bit quiet and for rides where I think he's going to be silly--it's very forgiving and very stable.

we also lunge in a halter now

You'll notice that Courage doesn't go in a loose ring, ever. I know those are supposed to be correct dressage bits, but I actually don't enjoy scraping his brain off the rafters with a spatula. For whatever reason, he CANNOT deal with loose rings.

Whatever.

You'll also notice that both bridle have flash attachments, but I'm only using one flash. There are a couple reasons for that.
1) A flash in dressage is like a standing martingale in hunters. It's just part of the look, though technically not required. I like the look.

2) Courage goes well in a flash about once every two weeks. I'm really playing with this right now since it's not show season--Courage used to just gape his mouth open and brace. Then he'd open-mouthed chew on the bit. Now he's learning how to interact in a more educated way. I throw it on for lunging (which we've done a lot of lately) and I've been riding in it some. I'm certainly not above pulling it off if I think it's causing him tension, but we're just seeing what happens right now. I adjust it pretty loosely, but between bit stability and limiting odd-racetrack-mouth evasions, I like to keep it in the mix.

i mean i love sharing the indoor

So there you have it. Depending on whether I want to work on getting Courage more solid in the contact or relaxed and responsive, I choose a bit+bridle+noseband and roll. I'm really happy with the collection right now and I look forward to longer days and riding outside.

Princess Horse Goes Pauper?

western bit, knockoff bit, sprenger bit

I thought I'd blogged about this, but maybe I didn't. Anyways. In the past year, Courage has decided that he will ALWAYS ONLY EVER go in his one true love bit--a $225 sprenger that I happened to get on a great consignment sale price for $40. That was a great bargain, but I'm not paying $225 for ANOTHER bit and I'm not changing the bit back and forth every time I change bridles.

It took me six months of searching, but I finally found an appropriate knock off this summer (for like $15), and it's been great.

Until now.

Courage had an easy week due to needing some downtime/bodywork and I was online shopping for some stuff for my trainer. One of her requests was a giant, old, heavy single-jointed snaffle. She has one that she uses for starting colts, but she's working with a horse now that is HUGE and won't fit in the normal colt bridle and really needed a 6" version of her favorite bit.

So I found it for $10 shipped online and bought it for her. The only problem was that I also found a 5" version that was also $10 shipped.

And I like bits.

And hey, who doesn't need a colt starting bit for $10?

So I bought it and chucked it on a bridle. I hacked on the buckle in it one day and that was fine, but that proves nothing.

Then the day of our ribbon photo shoot (which was also our first post-bodywork ride), I rode in it.

And omg. I think we have a new bit. Courage has a long history of being weird about contact, opinionated about bits and nosebands, and gaping his mouth open for giggles. Or gnashing his teeth--whichever sounds fun on any given day. He has one of the driest mouths I've ever been around. It's not optimal.

Sprenger left, $10 bit right. IT"S SO FAT.

I rode Courage in his usual loose cavesson with the new bit, and he trotted around sucking on that bit like it was candy. Foam flecks came out of his mouth and some even stayed on his lips.

Can it be? A $10 solution to a $225 problem?

Tack Touchpoint: The Infamous Whistle Bit

One of the more intruiging pieces in my current tack collection is the infamous whistle bit. I've gotten a ton of questions about it, so here's the top 8 facts you need to know about whistle bits:

1) They don't actually whistle. Horses breathe through their nostrils, not their mouth. Sad face.

2) There is precious little information available about them ANYWHERE. Here's what I've got.

3) They are most commonly used on the racetrack--either in the stall to help curb windsucking or on the track to encourage salivation.

3b) Windsucking actually doesn't cause colic. Keeping a bit in your mouth all day seems wildly uncomfortable. I'm not testing this out.

3c) The idea behind encouraging salivation is that the saliva builds up in the holes in the bit. Maybe like a spit swimming pool? Hard to say.

4) I have one for the very technical reason that I heard of them and was like "wtf", then found one for sale cheap while doing extensive research. I didn't buy it to address an issue. I was just curious.

stolen from internet

5) There are several permutations of this bit. The simple tube seems to be for stall use, the hexagonal option (that I have) has edges to discourage leaning on the bit while running, and there's a pessoa/three ring that is commercially available.

6) I can't tell if this is an old bit losing traction or a new bit taking off. Needless to say, it will probably come back around if you really want one.

7) Courage did have a little more foam than usual when I rode in this. He rarely has a foamy mouth at all, and there were traces of saliva on his lips.

stolen from internet

Whether that's because the whistle bit did it's job or whether that means it's just super wide for his mouth, I really can't tell you.

8) While I didn't buy this bit for a specific reason, it's actually been fun to play with and I've be curious to try it in a galloping situation with Courage--he doesn't do well with bigger bits, but he's comfortable in a mullen. That said, he'll run right through a happy mouth mullen and this has a little bite... so maybe? Definitely worth keeping it around.

And that's what there is to know about whistle bits for now.

Things a Tack Ho Doesn't Sell

also horses. don't sell horses.

aka "what to buy, I guess"

I'm basically a revolving door of really excellent tack. I rarely pay full price for anything and I almost never personalize because I know I won't keep anything forever.

Over the past few years, there have been a few things that stayed with me.

KEEPSIES

1) Bits.

I do not sell bits.

I want to be that crazy old lady with an enormous trunks of bits in my barn who has every design under the sun. I do not want to be that lady with strap goods or saddle pads, but bits? NEVER LET THOSE BABIES GO.

(Unless you have two in the same size/design and think it's unlikely you'll need them at the same time. I sold a copper mouth french link loose ring because I had two.)

srsly old phone pic

2) Equifit T Boots

Truth: I bought my set years ago on super sale brand new from a rep. I thought I wanted the hook stud models, ended up with the velcros, and never looked back. They're just fantastic boots. They are a basic color, they look classy on every horse, they fit very well (on everything I've used them on) and they are easy to clean. They haven't rubbed even my most sensitive of princesses and they're suitable for nearly every occasion.

I've sold lots of open front boots (and I still have lots), but these are the only ones that seem to have gained a permanent spot in the vault.

memories are forever

3) Nice halters

This one sort of doesn't count but also sort of does. I buy a really nice halter when I get a horse. I put the horse's name on it and the halter stays with the horse.

Unless it's a bitch like Izzy and then I sell it when she moves away. Ha!

But for real. Halters are the one thing that "belongs" to the horse, if you will, and they are special to me.

you aren't looking at the saddle pad

4) Saddle pads

This category does not include half pads. I sell those all the time (and buy them even more frequently). I am such a miser about spending money on saddle pads in the first place that when I finally do have them, I just keep them until they have to be thrown away. They need to be nice neutral colors that don't clash with any given color scheme and they need to fit my saddles.

And if they fit that criteria, I pretty much just keep them. That's what rubbermaids are for, right?

might be keeping these

I'm trying to think if there's anything else, but nothing comes to mind. These aren't necessarily the things I enjoy the most, just the ones I keep the longest. I mean, my #1 love is strap goods, but no one wants to be that lady with 30 year old bridles that is all "these were so hot three decades back".

At least, I can't imagine it.

Am I just weird? What else do you keep forever?

Teach Me Tuesday: bits bits bits bits bits

so many pretty things

I wrote about my bit box on Friday, and that got me thinking. I am a bit hoarder (no shame). I buy lots of bits, I almost never rehome them, and I'm completely fascinated with the function of these tiny little pieces of tack. I've written whole posts on them. (Go ahead. Fact check me. That's THREE separate links and it isn't even all of them.)

So for this week's edition of Teach Me Tuesday, let's humor me a little and talk about bits. I know why I use bits. I have had at least one conversation with every single instructor I have ridden with about what bit I'm using and why. I have had professional riders ask me why I'm using a given set up and I can articulate it quite easily because yes, I do think about these things.

I love me some happy mouth

Noted: Contrary to common opinion, I do put thought into what I ride in for lessons. My "it looks pretty so why the hell not" philosophy is for when I'm riding at home. Usually.

So I'm curious. What bit do you use and why do you use it? "It's all I own", "my instructor told me to", and "he NEEDS this M***** F****** bit" are all perfectly valid answers. No judgement here, just wondering how "normal" horse people select a bit.

As if bloggers were normal. :-p you nerds.

Friday Whimsy: What a Tack Ho Isn't

Just a few of my pretties

There are some fun tack blog hops going around right now.  I want to do them, but need to remember to take pictures for them first. Oops. Anyways. Before this gets too out of hand, I think we need to clear something up. From one tack 'ho to some others(and the rest of you):

Saddle pad collecting isn't tack 'hoing.

Really. Unless we're talking about trendy, pricey half pads then yes, you're all in.

also pictured: not tack

But other than that, no. Saying that a saddle pad collection is tack whoring is like calling yourself a clothes horse because you like towels.

Wtf. No. Towels (and saddle pads) are essential linens with a specific purpose. There's nothing wrong with having lots of them or only buying cute ones or having matched sets or whatever, but at the end of the day, you're collecting linens. Everybody needs linens. There is nothing excessive about having linens. Linens are a cushy part of life in a first world country. I love linens (or at least the ability to dry off after a shower). I am in no way knocking linens.

like this one time i bought a whistle bit for literally no reason

But linens aren't tack.

Just saying.

Long Term Plans (or "How to Make my Brain Explode")

The best at being cute with a mask on

I gave Courage a couple days off this week while I thought about the big picture--what we're doing and where we're going. (I am NOT a big picture person in general, so yes, I do have to set aside time to figure that sort of thing out.)

First things first: we adjusted our goals. My nervous riding+Courage being green was not helping anyone out in the XC field. I made an executive decision to just be ok with not doing that anymore this year. I'm not ruling out chucking redheadlins up in the tack and sending them off, but it doesn't need to be me at this point in time.

We are also not sort of hoping to scrape it together and do the little hunter derby in August. If all went according to plan this year, it wasn't out of reach, but nothing has worked out the way I meant it to. If Courage goes to the jumper shows in August, he'll do the 2' division and a flat class or something. And again, not ruling out trainer rides for that. I need calm, positive experiences just as much as he does.

Of course I wish it was a dee

We're also mixing up the tack front a little bit. I dropped us down to an even softer bit and am taking a couple rides to just solidify the things we worked on for cowpony day. Great takeaways there, really happy with what our western fling did for my little man.

Wednesday we just did w/t/c both directions on the buckle and let everything flow forward. I think it's good confidence building for me and it relaxes him because I'm not picking at all. It was a surprisingly great ride. Maybe next time we'll try using the new bit? Hard to say.

Not gonna lie, totally want a stock saddle right now. I need to get other financial ducks in a row first, but how cute would C-rage be as a pony horse? Team penner?

Too cute.

What can I say? Sometimes I stress buy. Ebay loves me.

So that's where I'm at. I'm an ammy. It's summer. My horse is cute. At the end of the day, I want a calm, all-around horse who I can have fun on, whether that's doing an XC clinic or winning a belt buckle at some crazy western event*. I'm not going to keep freaking out that I'm overfacing my horse and ruining him or that I'm not challenging him enough and he'll never amount to anything.

You know what? I'm having fun with him right now, and that is the whole entire point.

Mission.

F******

Accomplished.

*Hey, I can dream. Belt buckles are possibly cooler than ribbons because it's socially appropriate to wear them around and show off.

PS I know I keep editing my swears. I go back and forth between "HAHA BITCHES I'M A GROWN UP" and "oh my god, kids read this blog". That is a big picture question for another day.

Tack and my OTTB

Because they're pretty cute

One thing that came out of our lesson on Monday was that I need to change my tack again. Hooray! I know I'm a little strange, but I love playing with tack ideas to help finesse the best performance possible.

So. For our lesson, I had Courage go in his micklem bridle with his eggbutt Sprenger bit, which is a very, very soft set up. This has been our default lately--I wanted the soft bit to encourage Courage to go into the contact, plus I figured it would minimize any errors I made over fences.

Mmmm leather and sparkles

Our trainer didn't love it. As she pointed out, he doesn't really mouth the bit or connect at all. He opens his mouth or closes his mouth. He isn't interacting with the bit. In addition, I tend to ride with a very soft contact. With the construction of the Sprenger eggbutt, that means the thickest part of the bit is barely touching the corners of his lips and having no action inside his mouth at all.

To me, this is actually good news. I mean, obviously I want to improve (/have) the connection and quality of the contact, but when we started, he'd just sort  of gape his mouth open and ignore me. Now we're facing a different set of challenges, which means things are changing and we're learning together. It is progress on a microcosmic level.

The prescription for hunter face

She wants to see him go in a plain cavesson to see if that encourages him to have a little more jaw mobility. Even though the mickelm is not very tight, changing up the arrangement (in concert with me stepping up the pressure) might help him learn to be more accepting of the bit.

In addition, she wants to try a thinner bit with the idea that it might give me a little more direct feedback and help him pay attention without having to use as much force.

She mentioned a d bit. Of course we'll try that. I've also had a lot of luck with the baucher and I'm not adverse to trying out a loose ring again, even if I do hate how they look.

I'm excited to play with my toys, that's for sure. Courage and I are doing flatwork boot camp while we bust out the bit box and reorganize the bridles.