Custom Portable Drying Rack: Another SB Blog Non-Crafty DIY

I dunno about the rest of y'all, but I read these awesome crafty write ups and am like damn ladies. You so fine. I'm just over here being average.

you too can do a craft

Because they're like Step One: get some shit (ok yes tracking so far i can do stores) and then it's like Step Two: use this other shit you have sitting around (hard pass i don't have those things and NOPE not going back to the store) and I sometimes keep nodding along like oh yeah that makes so much sense even I could do that.

Funny joke no. I could not.

I am the best at ordering things on the internet. Like pizza. If that was a craft, I would be the craft queen.

But it is not.

now all i can think about is pizza

So if you're more like me than you normally admit out loud and/or if you super need a drying rack for your shit, you're in the right place. I promise you simple step-by-step instructions and BEST PART you don't even need any supplies. Best. Craft. Ever.

1) Get a beverage. Dehydration is a real thing and so is pacing yourself and not trying too hard. You can choose an appropriate beverage for your lifestyle choices and situation. I went with the biggest iced coffee I could find to get me jazzed up for crafts.

pro tip: if you bring your corgi to the coffee drive thru, the annoying barista will talk to him instead of you
#winning

2) It kind of goes without saying that you need wet stuff to put on your drying rack and that if you're building it outside, the weather should be amenable to drying. On my particular test day it was 90f+ with no humidity and I had just scrubbed all the boots I keep in my tack trunk but didn't want to be THAT BOARDER who clogs up the wash rack with their shit.

pictured: not the rack you will be building

3) Get some twine. Now this is where it gets tricky. I'm going to throw in some safety warnings here:

3a) Do not take twine off of bales still in the hay stack, particularly not ones which might create a booby trap for you BO. That is dangerous and mean. 

3b) If taking twine out of the garbage, make sure to check for various critters before just jamming your hand into a dark hole you can't see. I take no responsibility for said hand getting bitten by snakes or rats or cats or whatever varmints are around your place. 

pictured: not a varmint

My particular twine came from the trash because my barn is fab about not leaving loose twine on bales.

3c) There are different colors of twine. You can use any color.

3d) If your barn does not have twine, you should probably give up now. Otherwise you have to buy string and that's a downer.

4) Find an out of the way place that is reasonably close to your stall where no one has an excuse to tamper with your shit that you are ok with having water drip all over. This step might be harder in a super fancy barn that's like "indoors" when you're inside it. My barn aisle is dirt so I can drip away.

pictured: drunk horse in barn aisle

5) Tie the twine to a fixed point. If you have scissors, you can hard tie it. If you do not have access to blades, do a quick release.

6) Tie the other end of the twine to a different fixed point. You end result should look like a loop of twine hanging between two fixed points.

yeah that's impossible to see. it's a feature.

7) Hang wet shit on drying rack.

8) PARTAY GIRLFRIEND YOU DID IT. Pat yourself on the back and enjoy your beverage.

9) I mentioned this rack is fully custom and portable. If you want to level up, you can braid several pieces of twine together in your colors or hang multiple loops. If you need to move it, you can just take it wherever. If your BO complains, you can even wear it like a necklace and just prance around with your wet boots dripping on you as kind of a "statement piece".

WHOA FASHION ADVICE.

You didn't see that coming.

And there you go. I know there's kind of a lot of steps but I wanted to cover my bases and over-prepare you guys rather than let you get to the middle of the project and realize that you needed more information to proceed. And hey! If you successfully complete this project, take a picture and send it to me!

Or just have a sip of your beverage and don't. 

CHAMPIONS (like, for real)

best banquet EVAR

Brace yourselves for a picture overload! Saturday was our local dressage/eventing GMO banquet. They released all the dressage/eventing award winner names in advance, but the derby competitors (me) were kept secret.

Naturally, I've spend the past month obsessing about whether my scores would get reported correctly and if my membership was in good standing and basically anything I could think of that could go wrong. It was pretty nerve-wracking.

ribbon at rest

But then, they called my name at the banquet and I was probably the most excited person there when I ran (literally) up to get my giant ribbon. And maybe squealed.

You guys.

This thing is HUGE. It is literally the biggest ribbon I have ever seen, and it's MINE. :-D

It was a really fun night for a lot of reasons (guess who also won TWO LESSONS in the raffle?! I never win stuff!!). It was really awesome to have my horsie besties and the trainers who have made a huge impact in my life be there for it.

YARDS OF SATIN

Our GMO is really a fun group of people and I'm excited about their plans for next year. League shows? More ribbons? Sign me up!

Honestly? The sheer glory of my enormous champion ribbon (of ground poles) is making me seriously consider a run at crossrails next year. I'd have to be really good at budgets for that to work though. Don't hold your breath.

Anyways.

Because I am a proper grown up, I scooted out to the barn on Sunday, ribbon in tow, to show my barn buddies and take some pictures.

I'm shameless. What can I say?

i love this

Here's the thing: it has always been a bucket-list level item for me to win a year and award. This year was a unique opportunity in terms of shows available, horse ready to go, and money available to show. I've never been able to be consistently "good" at something before, and since our goals for next year very likely involve a lot less satin and a lot more competing against fancy horses and solid riders, well, I'm going with it.

I know it's only ground poles and intro b. But you know what? I'm a working adult ammy with one horse. I am coming back from an XC wreck that completely ruined my confidence. I'm riding an older horse off the track that I made myself.

champion. yes.

Yeah, I may not be a Rolex contender or a national competitor and hell, I don't even have plans to do any real eventing, but you know what?

This was my Olympics. My thing. My competition and goals for the year.

AND MY RIBBON IS SO HUGE.

I am a total satin ho. Love it. Can't get enough.

the biggest ribbon

This ribbon is legitimately big enough that I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I mean, every ribbon Courage has ever won is hanging over my kitchen window AND THIS RIBBON PRACTICALLY HANGS INTO THE SINK.

It's glorious.

You doubt? Not to worry. It may have been fricking cold and gusting 30mph+ on Sunday, but I hustled Courage into the indoor and took SO MANY PICTURES.

What goes with a sparkle saddle? EVERYTHING

Why yes you do need perfect wraps to take ribbon pictures

ribbon clear down to his knees

ok this might be excessive, but his neck looks good

we are equally thrilled

Pardon my excitement--this is my first time with a tri-color ribbon ever. It's everything I ever wanted it to be--a tangible reminder of all the blood, sweat, tears, and luck that go into making a successful partnership.

A reason that all those hard days, crappy rides, long hours, personal struggles, and tedious times are worth working through.

I don't ride for the ribbons, because so much of horsemanship is developing character through rotten luck, crappy circumstances, and things going wrong. If I set my self worth on satin earned, I would have had to quit a long time ago.

But when I do get a satin forget-me-not, it makes the journey that much sweeter.

Po' Folk

rocking the free halter

Welp.

A local trainer is hosting a seminar for riders that is sort of a holistic wellness/riding goals/financial planning thing/nutrition counselling thing. There's a cost to attend (obviously), which rules us out as attendees. Instead, Redheadlins and I made a list of things to say to the financial planner just to bring her joy:

• Um well, I try to pay my bills usually, but it's a mild panic if I have to take a sick day.
  
• If my bill is printed in red, I know I should pay it first.
  
• I pay board before my car payment because I have my priorities.
  
• The only thing I put on credit is vet bills and tack.
  
• If I have enough cash for coffee, creamer, butter, and popcorn, I feel my groceries are covered.
  
• My idea of a night out on the town is cooking dinner at a friend's house.
  
• Do English Tack Trader and Craigslist sales count as income?
  
• If I have more than half a tank of diesel, I feel financially secure.
  
• When I'm depressed about being poor, I eat cookies and ice cream. If I can afford ice cream.
  
• My biggest financial goal is to buy a saddle that costs almost as much as my car.
  
• Savings for a new car? My hay barn is full.
  
• I use sauve shampoo to save money so my horse can get the cool stuff.
  
• When things break around the house, I pretend it's Little House on the Prairie and go without. 

priorities

It was all a very hilarious gag until we got an offer to attend the seminar for free. 

Soooo I'll keep you posted if we actually say any of those things to said financial planner or (heaven forbid!) the nutritionist. In the mean time, anything to add to the po' folk list? 

Making It: Tack Ho on a Budget

Bridle selection at the old barn

As I mentioned before, tack buying is not so much for me right now.

My very mature response has been: poo. And possibly sticking my tongue out.

The good news is, I have an end around that lets me keep having tack fun without all the expense of buying.

Remember how I'm going for the whole "minimalist" thing at the new barn? I have a trunk, a saddle rack, and a couple of hooks instead of a huge locker plus a trunk, plus blanket racks, plus all the space I want in the tack room.

I mean, yeah, I could add more hooks

That means the rest of the pony toys got cleaned and conditioned and put away in (dun dun dun) THE VAULT.

aka my garage.

Yeah, I even washed and rolled all the polos. There is a WHOLE RUBBERMAID TUB of boots. Don't even get me started on the bit box.

I don't spend a lot of time in the garage day to day, so when I'm feeling the need for a change, I just run out and rummage through rubbermaids until I have enough fun toys to keep me entertained for a few days. It's like the best store ever because everything is free and whoever stocks it has immaculate taste.

argyle polos and aramas bridle

I'm a total out-of-sight-out-of-mind person, so it works really well for me. I mean, it's obviously not completely the same as pulling the trigger on fancy new toys. However, I can just swap out a bead string on a browband, grab a bridle I haven't used lately, and pick the cutest polo wraps, which makes it almost feels like shopping.

Can't argue with the results, right?

Four Awesome Things I Want for Christmas

It's that time of year again. People are all crazy go nuts buying things for loved ones and I'm just over here like "I'm on a budget and all the pony things are on sale. Whyyyyyy." 

So as per the usual, I really, really want these things, but I won't be purchasing any of them in the foreseeable future. Let's imagine that I had a budget or someone was shopping for me though. Here's all the crazy fun things I'm wanting but don't need and can't afford. 

It's ok to borrow pics for advertising purposes, right?

1) PS of Sweden Jump Off Revolution Bridle

I already have a PS bridle and not gonna lie, I love it. So much. Cool features, quality workmanship, fits perfectly and keeps me entertained. 

This one is also super cool. Interesting design features and very anatomic and 

GRABBY HANDS SO WANTY.

Not gonna lie. Wanty.

2) Dublin Pinnacle Boots

Yeah ok, it almost killed me when Bit of Britain had their black Friday sale and these bad boys could have been mine for $167, when full retail is $209. 

Long time readers know I have wanted these forever. They also know that I really can't justify $200 muck boots. I tried telling my husband that it was a great deal and I could ride in them too and I don't do barn work anymore (knock on wood), but no dice. 

I guess if I got them, I'd realize my wardrobe isn't trendy enough to match them anyways. 

Certainly wouldn't complain if it was monogrammed

3) Ogilvy Baby Pad

I took the plunge this year and snagged an Ogilvy pad for Courage. It's a pretty great pad. It's way classier than my cheap and limited saddle pad collection. I really want the Ogilvy baby pads to balance out the classiness and be all non-slip awesome, but at $40 a whack, they haven't been in my budget.

I'm way too impatient to custom order through any of the vendors and I'm perfectly happy with black and white. 

Free shipping at smartpak if you buy two, ok Santa?

Not the dorky hat though.

4) Horsewares Daja Hoodie

Truth: many years ago when I still had the hellmare and expendable income, I snagged a horsewares hoodie on a mad post-Christmas smartpak sale. I loved it.

You can tell, because I'm wearing it while I'm typing this post. The cuffs are fraying apart and the print is wearing off, but that's par for the course after like.... 4 or 5 years of heavy wearing and washing, including barn work and riding in all weather. 

I love the horsewares line--cool details, well made, infinitely stylish (maybe that's just me? I dunno). I don't like the prices, which I why I don't own much from them, but we're dreaming here so SHHH. 

I'll stop now. I could come up with more. I could do an all-tack list. I could do a for the horse and for the rider list for several different disciplines, but I'm committed to my budget and shopping is the buzz kill of budgets as far as I can tell. 

So. What's everyone else dreaming of? 

PS Please don't say jewelry. If it sparkles, it damn well better go on a horse, or I'm flat out not interested. 

Ammy Hour: Meet Sarah!!

It's that time of year again!! Let's celebrate the hard working adult amateurs that are the backbone of equestrians sport. They pay the trainers, the show fees, the board, and the rest of the dues. They are a remarkable set of people with big challenges to overcome. Here's how Sarah from Eventing in Color hands life in the irons:

D'aww

1) You’re at dinner with work colleagues. How do you introduce yourself?
 Hi, I'm Sarah. I have a husband, 2 dogs, and a horse. No, no kids. Yes, I do ride my horse. What color, you ask? He's bay, meaning brown with black legs and hair.


2) But what you really meant to say was this:
Asking me to work late in fall or spring is not going to work for me because there are limited hours of sunlight and I need it to ride!


3) Tell us about your horse: 
Bohemian is an 8-year old thoroughbred ex-racehorse who was used in production of the HBO TV series "Luck". He's tall, dark, and handsome. Very laid back personality and loves to cuddle. He's extremely smart and hard working and a brave yet careful jumper.

And hugs!!

4) How did you meet him/her?
I adopted him in April 2012. We met in a box stall for about 5 minutes, then I signed the paperwork. The first time I saw him move was as he was being walked to the trailer. Yes, I do know how crazy that is.


5) What have you done together?
We've done a fair number of small, local schooling shows, a couple of XC schoolings, and we completed two horse trials this year. Also, lots of cuddling, trail riding, and learning to go bareback.


6) Where are you going together?
We are looking to move up to BN next year, and continue on from there. I'm in no hurry, and have no lofty competition goals. I just want us both to have fun and be safe.

Addicted to cute

7) How do you finance the addiction?
Well, both my husband and I work full-time, and we constantly communicate and re-confirm our financial priorities with each other. The horse is up there with our mortgage and insurance in terms of monthly cost, but both have agreed that enjoying life by spending money on a pet and hobby is worth it for us.


8) How often do you ride?
Generally 4 to 5 rides per week. I ride 3 evenings a week and at least one weekend day.

Plus being sassy

9) What’s the single biggest thing that helps you achieve your goals?
Having modest, attainable goals. Which is a double-edged sword because sometimes you achieve them...but you don't feel very accomplished. But having realistic expectations and focusing on effort rather than results helps us to get the most out of every opportunity.





10) If there was one thing you could say to people getting ready to join the ranks of riding (or re-riding) adults, what would it be?
Firstly, it's not too late to try a new type of riding. I grew up doing saddleseat and switched to eventing as an adult. Getting lessons and learning new disciplines has been a wonderful enrichment to my horsey-life. Secondly, get the support of your significant other from the get-go. It's crucial. Thirdly, don't buy el-cheapo tall boots. Just don't.


11) Bottom Line:
We are so blessed to have horses in our life - be grateful every day for what you have, and be open to the universe bringing you horses or trainers or friends that you didn't expect to have into your life. It's all for a reason. Enjoy!



Many thanks to Sarah for participating!! She and Hemie are a fun team to keep up with and she is very honest about their struggles and successes together. I'm rooting for them!

Are you an adult amateur with a story to share? Do you know someone who should be featured? Contact me through the comments or via and email! I'm always looking for interesting people willing to share how they make it work while balancing horses and all that other stuff we have to do.

Feeding the Sporthorse

Probably carrying a little too much weight

When Cuna went horribly lame this year, the vet had me pull him off all his supplements in case there were any additives that might have been aggravating his condition. I've been too paranoid to add anything back in other than an occasional weight builder when the temperature drops.

Once Courage came to join us, I needed to be careful with money. I can afford two, but I spend more time then I used to watching the budget. As such, I decided that Courage would get put on supplements if/when he demonstrated a clear need and not before.

Three months post-track

Cuna lives on grass 24/7 and has free access to clean water, a salt lick, and good quality hay in a slow feeder. Courage is turned out on grass 6-8 hours a day. In his stall, he has essentially free choice hay and salt and he has clean water at all times no matter where he is.

And you know what? I haven't bought a single supplement. Both the boys are healthy and holding weight. Their coats look good, their feet are staying together, and they're as happy as I can expect them to be.



When I ran across this article lately, it all sort of made sense to me, especially when the author says:
"If horses couldn't fill their nutritional needs from good forage, and water, they wouldn't have survived.  There's no way that a biological system thrives since prehistory if it has such a precise requirement for, say, cobalt, that it can’t get it in the stuff it normally eats."

I know that some supplements help some of the time--Cuna can't hold his weight in hard work without a weight builder. That said, I feel even better about my choice to save money for now and let the boys tell me when they need something, instead of buying in to the latest cool advertising.

How does everyone else pick their horse's feed? I know I have readers from all over the spectrum and I'm curious how your horse keeping style changes the way you fuel your sport horse.

Dream Horse Studios Contest!! (plus review)

Dream Horse Studios Carnivale Boot Review

Rocking the C-rage style

As most of you probably noticed, I'm a total tack whore who loves trying new things. I have a wide variety of boots to suit my very different and very picky horses.

I was thrilled when Lauren, the super-nice owner of Dream Horse Studios, reached out to me to see if Courage and I would be interested in doing a review of her Carnivale open front boots. They're standard jump boots with a twist--lovely blue patent leather with a soft black calfskin lining and stud closures on black elastic.

Yes I did just say blue patent leather.

Design and Construction

Still in the plastic!

I tried not to squeal when the box showed up at my house and promptly set up an epic photo shoot to test the boots out. They were neatly wrapped up and smelled amazing right out of the box. I did everything but put them on and prance around the house.

The white stitching is tight and even. The calfskin lining is soft and smooth--no funny edges or uneven patches touching my horse. There are easy to clean--just a simple wipe down. The stud closure looked sturdy enough to handle the demands of every day riding.

Stud closures aren't the most flexible option--there are 2-3 options for how tight to make them. That said, the Equifit T-boots utilize the studs and are massively popular. I've neer had stud closures before, I wanted to know how they would work for a variety of horses with different legs.

Patent Leather Boots in Action

Photoshoot time!!

The gang

We were working with a full set of horse sized boots--open fronts and hinds.

In addition to Courage (16.1 OTTB, medium bone and cannons), we had Diva (17.0 OTTB, big bone, long cannons), and Vegas (15.1 paint, medium bone and short cannons).

Yeah Vegas!

First they went on Ms. Vegas, the completely adorable and awesome paint mare owned by Alyssa at Four Mares, No Money. Vegas is super competitive in the local open shows and has won some serious swag.

She is definitely a candidate for the cob sized boots. The front boots went on her just fine, but her 15.1 self was just too petite for the full size hind boots. That said, she was demonstrating some of her english pleasure/pattern moves and did a couple of jumps in the boots. They didn't move at all and she was perfectly happy.

Diva looking fancy

Next up with the supermodel--all 17 leggy hands of her.

Diva is all legs and built lean, but she has lots of bone. Both front and back boots fit her comfortably. The boots seem to be cut just right--they weren't too tall for Vegas, but they were still perfectly respectable on Diva.

It did take me a couple of tries to get them on right. For reference, the top strap on the front boots goes straight across. The bottom two straps cross. It's perfectly intuitive and fairly obvious when you look at the construction, but somehow I kept messing it up.










AND THEN COURAGE!!!!

Might as well put three rides on the boots for their first day. I put the full set on Courage. He has had mental issues with back boots in the past, but he seemed ok with these.

We had an excellent ride, walk/trot/canter and a few jumps. Courage wasn't bothered by the boots at all and when I got off, they hadn't moved around or caused him any problems.

Plus, they looked totally cute.

At $90 for a full set, they are an excellent value. Even a set of cheap synthetic boots will run you close to that, so I say you might as well have some fun and order a cool color in patent leather. Blue isn't the only available color--there is quite a range available on the website.

CONTEST!!!!

The Calypso boots. Pretty sure I need them too.

Remember how I said Lauren is super nice? Not only did she send me a set of boots to review, but she's also giving another set away to a lucky reader!! Here's the deal: go to the Dream Horse Studios website and look around. Come back and comment on this post with your favorite product. Your comment enters you in the random drawing for a winner. For an additional entry, share the contest on your facebook or blog and let me know you did it.



Entries close on Monday, November 4th (2013) at midnight, so you have a full seven days to enter and spread the word!

The Terrible Twos

The oldies discuss who eats and in what order

Given my parents' (and husband's) scandalous lack of a trust fund, my plan for funding two horses involves a lot of careful budgeting. The good news is that I am an organizational nerd who lives off of lists.

I took a few minutes yesterday and made "The Binder". I plan to dress it up more in the future, but for now it has two sections--one for Cuna and one for Courage (trying this name on for size).

Not exactly doing dressage yet

Each section has an expense list, a monthly calendar to track progress and events, a copy of their pedigree, and their race record. Cuna's also includes his USEF record. I'd like to add coggins, brand inspections, and potentially dressage tests, but all in good time.

Oh yes we have a pink halter

Good thing I got it done. I was thinking Courage' first big expense would be his farrier bill on Friday, but homeboy stuck his leg through the fence yesterday and I got to beef up my first aid kit. He'll be fine and I got to add something to my brand new list.

 I want to be deliberate about tracking expenses, so I have my expense sheet divided up in sections. I track the date I spent money, what I purchased, what payment method I used, and what it was for. So far, my divisions are:
Upkeep (board, feed, farrier)
Tack (obv)
Showing (straightforward)
Education (lessons, clinics, training rides)
Other (vet supplies, random stuff)


Here's the thing: with two, I don't exactly have an unlimited tack budget, so I'm forcing myself to economize and be honest about money coming in and going out. My budget tells me it's possible--I'm hoping my expense sheet keeps me focused on the budget.

If this all sounds miserable to you, well, you're probably not a compulsive list maker like myself. The other motivating factor is this:

OMG!

Critical Information

Modeling the crossties

I think most of you know Jen from Wyvern Oaks. She faced the horse owner's nightmare situation with the passing of the beloved Oberon this past weekend.

The situation got me thinking. I don't have the luxury of keeping Cuna at home, so if something happens to him, the odds are quite good that I won't be the first one on the scene. I adore my old man horse, so I've been making a point of very explicitly spelling out my wishes in case worst comes to worst and I'm not around or somehow out of contact.

J, our boarding buddy, is the first one who needs to know. She and her family are generally first on the scene and I've been quite pleased with the level of care they provide. In addition to being upfront and explicit about what I do and do not want done to Cuna, I have provided an emergency backup number to reach me at in case my phone is out of service or on the fritz.

Making faces for the camera

In addition, I have gone over the same information with my husband (also my emergency backup). That way, if I am unreachable, he can make decisions for me and know that they are exactly what I wanted.

These aren't fun conversations. It's easy to want to gloss over information to hide from our emotions, but it's so important to be sure that this information is out there before it becomes an issue.

It's easy to forget that my standard of care is not the same as everyone else's. In order to make sure my horse is taken care of, I have to take responsibility to get the information to the right people so they have it if they ever need it.

Herd life

I don't anticipate having these problems and I'm pretty well addicted to my phone, but I always want to overcommunicate this information to make sure that no matter what happens, Cuna gets the best care possible.