Updates All Around
As much as I love blogging, and writing really helps me to process things, I haven’t done it nearly as much as I’d like to. It’s something I really enjoyed doing, and following everyone else, and being so excited when I saw that others uploaded another post. I’d really like to get back to that. So, I got it in my head to give my site a bit of a glow-up, a new name, and rework a few things.
I changed my instagram name to something a little closer to one of my main hobbies, then brainstormed a few new names for my blog based off of the things I really like to talk about: namely my horses, my dog, and my binding projects. I really love the new title, and I really think it fits a lot of what I’m doing in my life right now and what I love. I can’t really ride the girls much anymore, if at all, and I don’t want to inundate this blog with a constant “same ol’, same ol'”, so I figure I can highlight a few other things, such as Oscar and my projects that I enjoy doing.
2025 News – The Good and Not-So-Good
It has been a wonky start to 2025 out here in the desert. But, thankfully everyone remains relatively healthy and as happy as they can be.
I was invited to a short trail ride early in December, and that was a lot of fun. Amber was anxious being away from Whisper and Kahlua, and the other horses got her blood up a little, but she was as ever my bestest girl. She may not have done anything like that in the last few years, and even without being really ridden for over 2 months she was her usual self and allowed me to have complete trust in her. My back did fantastically on the ride as well, so my workout regimen looks like it’s working, and I’m really excited by what this can mean for me for the future and getting back into riding. Whisper and Kahlua were great with Amber gone, and usually Amber is the one perfectly happy to be away from others as long as other horses are around. Not so this time, but I wasn’t upset or worried. She’s retired, and if she wants to jig a bit I’m totally fine with it.
Author’s Curse? Blogger’s Curse?
I’ve heard of the author’s curse (and if anyone hasn’t, it’s when an author writes or publishes something, and almost immediately after they tend to have some crazy things happen in their lives – usually tragedies), but I wonder if there’s a blogger’s curse? Because as soon as I said everything was fine, it all went to shit.
The animals are at least (mostly) fine. Oscar had his dental appointment (oof, my bank account said), and was a very clingy and needy dachshund. So, my attention was focused on him, especially since my sister and niece were visiting for a week around that time. Poor guy was SO exhausted by my niece. He’s really calmed down a lot since turning 11, and her energy exhausted him I think. To be totally fair to Kaylee, she really didn’t bug him all that much, but he’s had kids be very mean to him, so he doesn’t like them. He just wasn’t himself with her around, and it took him longer than usual to recover from his dental this time, so I gave him much attention.
Time for an Update
Long time no post everyone! I’ve been following along on everyone’s updates and really enjoyed hearing from people, so I figured I’d put in my own update since I haven’t blogged in about a year I think.
It’s been a bit busy – I recently started my IT master’s degree and it’s been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of doing homework again, but it’s getting easier to try getting it done before my Sunday due dates so I can still have time to relax, take care of the house, etc and try to hang out with Amber. Weather has been its usual hurricane-winds-in-March self, just warmer. It has continued into April, which it doesn’t usually, but thankfully they aren’t the gale-force winds of March. I just can’t believe it’s already the middle of April.
Still Around
I am still here – I have just been… busy? I guess is the right word? I sure have FELT very busy even though I don’t feel I’ve been doing all that much at the same time LOL. It’s probably actually not that I’m busy, just that I’ve been watching every single hockey game – which the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup!!! Not gonna lie, I am ecstatic. It was 100% amazing. Not sure what I’m going to do with myself now that hockey is over – maybe actually get out and ride. Except now we’re getting hit with the 100+ temps and riding in that is a no thanks for me.
Either way, not much has been going on. My family and I drove to Reno to visit my sister and her family for a long weekend, and it was a really great time. There was a bit of difficulty figuring out the dog situation since Oscar isn’t a fan of other dogs, and my sister’s dog doesn’t like small dogs, but we finally managed to get everyone happy. Both dogs were in their crates in the main room with all of their beloved people walking around, and no one was barking or unhappy. At least mostly unhappy lol. Either way it was a great visit, and she’ll be coming for another visit soon. It was a definitely needed vacation, but then I got sick the week after, tweaked my back a little after that, so there hasn’t been much to tell.
Hectic start to 2023
About 4 days into the new year I had to head on over to the ER. There is (VERY conveniently) an ER right across the street from me, and I was the only one there so I was actually in and out very very quickly even though it was about 11 at night. I’ve always been allergic to capsaicin (chili, jalapenos, red pepper, etc) but it never progressed to actual anaphylaxis until then. I’d eaten Café Rio for dinner, and it was the first time it’d ever tasted “spicy” to me, and you could tell everyone in there was like “if you know you’re allergic, why’d you eat it???” but again I’d never had this reaction to Café Rio before – I’ve eaten it all the time and I love their salads. I was a little frustrated since they didn’t completely seem to be taking me seriously, but only about 2% of the population even have an allergy to capsaicin so it’s not very common. Thankfully, they still gave me some steroids and a prescription which helped immensely, especially since I needed more the next day. It really wiped me out, but thankfully I’d caught it in time. Just no more Café Rio for me, ugh.
Four days later I was scheduled for my second spine shot, and that went really really well. Until I realized after the lack of sleep due to stress about my current living situation, my ER visit and now my shot, I was starting to get sick. Because my muscles were getting weak from being sick, my back started spasming and was really painful, so I had to stay home from work and recover for a few days. Thankfully it was just a small fever and cold, and I was better after a few days of rest.
The Very Sad Dachshund
Unfortunately, through Thanksgiving week, Oscar became very painful, and we weren’t sure what was hurting him so much. By Thursday evening he seemed to feel very poorly, and was very much not his excitable self. When he yelped a few times, I decided he needed to get seen and quickly because he was very uncomfortable, and none of us like seeing our babies in pain. So, off to the emergency vet we trekked at 10 pm Thanksgiving night. Thankfully, he seemed okay after the whole ordeal, and they gave us a steroid and a pain medication for him.
Since they palpated his neck and found that’s where he was most painful, they wanted him to rest with no jumping on and off furniture. This meant that I’d need to keep him away from stimulation, so I had to take him over to my parents house where there is much less furniture on which to jump, as well as no Zeus. As much as Oscar loves his best friend, he and Zeus feed off of each other a lot, and with me gone at work I couldn’t ensure that Oscar was resting. So he stayed with my mom and dad, and was doing pretty well through the weekend. I’d made a follow-up appointment with our regular vet for last Tuesday.
LOTS of stress
Life has been…..stressful lately lol. But I kind of feel like whose life hasn’t been stressful?? haha While there isn’t “much” going on, there’s been a lot in the background, and a few things right at the forefront.
So the good things! First off, I got my spine shot! It was an epidural with a steroid in it, and so far, my back is feeling very well. A few ups and downs – the cold still bothers it a lot, so as long as I remember that sudden cloud cover + dips in temperatures means that it will be achy I can take precautionary measures, like slathering on lots of Sore No More lol. Otherwise, I’m two-ish weeks into my shot, and I’m super glad things seem to be going well with it. No idea when I can try riding again, but because of the many other things going on, I’ve benched that for a bit so I can take it slowly and wisely and not rush into anything so I can hopefully keep riding for many more years to come.
Updates
Hello everyone! Time for another (very boring) update, but thankfully pieces are moving and I’m excited about things going forward.
The only downer recently is that it’s been 1 full year since my sister’s accident, which feels impossible, but it has been that long. Labor day weekend was mostly spent keeping ourselves busy but hanging out with family. It was sad, but we still found ways to have a good time, which I will share in a bit. Only 3 days later we showed up in court for the driver’s sentencing, and each family member in attendance spoke – myself included. Not gonna lie guys, 0/10 recommend. I hate public speaking anyway, but getting up to speak to a judge to give testimony was atrocious. I really never want to do anything like that again. I am forever grateful to the 15 or so people who came to the sentencing to show our family support, but it was just not a fun day. And unfortunately no, nobody is happy with the sentence given out, but it is what it is. I’d taken the rest of the week off because I figured I’d need to be by myself or with friends and family, and that ended up being a good choice. I will say though that it is a huge relief to finally have that over and done with.
That was short-lived
Things were looking up for a pretty good amount of time, so I kept my eyes open for another horse in maybe the near-ish future as my back kept improving and I was feeling more confident to ride. I joined some FB sites, and just browse all the sale ads to see what I like and dislike to get a better judge of what I’d be willing to go see. I’ve had a few that I’ve gasped at and just loved, but timing was wrong and I just couldn’t spend their asking price when considering what I needed vs the greenness of the horse. I’ve of course showed my mom all my favs, and she has appropriately oohed and awed over them with me haha.
Can’t get much cuter than a dachshund snuggling with his dinosaur toy ❤
Unfortunately, just before I was going to try a horse my trainer had for sale on Labor Day Weekend, I got into a car the wrong way and immediately knew something was wrong. Sure enough my back worsened over the holiday weekend, I couldn’t see the horse, and it is unfortunately extremely similar to when I first hurt it back in February. My PT has been very concerned about how it’s reacting, and that has been very validating in me knowing with this setback that we really need to do something else to help it. Thankfully my GP is on the same page, so I’ve got an appointment with a spine surgeon in October. This way we can hopefully identify why my back isn’t allowing me to progress any further and is causing me such pain. I’m a bit nervous about it, but also hoping that I’ll get some good answers with a positive prognosis and that it will be a “simple” fix. As the weeks have gone on it’s gotten less painful, but I have noticed a click in my back when I raise my right leg any more than a few inches off the ground. Since that irritates the hell out of the area, most activity is still a no-go.
Another ride down
I finally got the guts to try another ride. This healing process has just been so slow, and when I set myself back a few weeks ago I’ve been extremely hesitant to really do anything. Monsoon weather has been upon us and while I’m loving the rain, clouds, and humidity, it makes me a walking weather station, too. The barometric pressure makes my back ache like crazy, and if my neck and left ankle decide to hop in on the pain-train, then I confidently tell people we will have rain in no more than 2 days (literally have done this about 3 times now, and all 3 times we’ve had rain haha).
When it aches that badly, I really just want to lay down and snuggle with the dog. It is extremely uncomfortable. But, I also have to figure out what pain it is, if it requires heat, ice, or movement, and many days I’m too tired to really figure it out. Recently though, I wasn’t keeping up with my exercises as thoroughly as I should have, and my PT knew it. So he gave me a bit of an ultimatum when I asked if I could ride. It helped to kickstart my brain into just doing the exercises, to where mucking stalls actually made me feel better instead of making my back feel so fatigued that my legs would shake. That, more than anything made me think that maybe I could hop on again.
Riding(ish) Again
When I first tried to ride again some weeks back, I was left feeling disappointed. I’d ridden bareback, 10 minutes at a slow walk, and just didn’t feel too well after. With just a chiro, my back was hitting a plateau, so he agreed to refer me to a physical therapist for added help. I’ve seen this PT before, so after we had a thorough evaluation, we got to a few exercises. I hadn’t even known my legs were mildly tingling constantly until the exercise he had me do helped move my disk from putting pressure on my spinal cord. I instantly felt a lot more confident about being able to ride again.
Unfortunately, after looking at my MRI, he pointed out that I don’t just have 1 bulging disk – I have 3. Which doesn’t include the one in my neck. Like….oof. Not what I want to hear at all. Thankfully, the disk at L4/L5 is the only one actively causing my issues, but the other two are already starting to go. They’re not bulging yet, but the MRI clearly shows that they’re close to my spinal cord already. So all the exercises I do going forward I will have to do for the rest of my life. Not honestly that bad, but ADHD does not lend itself well to discipline, so it’s something I’ll have to really make myself do, not just when I’m not feeling well.
Blog Hop: 20 (very random) Questions
I thought this would be a very fun thing to do, but was supposed to get this posted a while ago, and I just never got around it it haha. Well, better late than never! After reading Amanda and Michele’s blogs I figured this would be fun to do while I haven’t had much other news to report. The original idea came from Anxiety at A on this blog post here.
1: What is one of your favorite brands specifically for your horse, and why?
If it’s specifically for Amber, then I kinda have to say Back on Track products. She seems to respond very well to them, despite the fact I can only use certain things in the winter because it’s just so horribly hot here. But she loves her BoT saddle pad, and I think with all her ouchies it just helps her muscles. Because I have lots of neck stiffness from my bulging disk, I bought a neck wrap from them, and it honestly helps me a ton. Otherwise there’s not too much brand-wise that I really swear by. Maybe the Sore No More Ultra gelotion since I use that in conjunction with BoT on Amber and myself. I know it’s mostly the arnica in it that helps, but I can’t deny that it does since we both have issues from all our injuries lol.
Sidelined
Since my last post there really hasn’t been much that’s been going on, but in an effort to get back into blogging a bit more frequently I’ll do a bit of a recap. It’s been a long waiting game for many things the past few months, but I’m excited for everything moving forward finally.
The beginning of February I managed to hurt my back…while sleeping. I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen until I’m 40, not 30…. But, that’s how it goes I suppose haha. It was extremely painful, and I could barely walk without limping, and standing and sitting were also off the table. It improved until about 60% and just plateaued, and I was very glad my chiro was just as miffed as I was about why it’s not been getting better. I’ve been super anxious about it in the last few weeks since it’s chronically painful.
Holiday Clothing Steals: PS of Sweden First Impressions
Ugh, they got me.
Despite some good Black Friday and Christmas sales at most places, the things I needed were not discounted – supplements, gloves, BOT, and others. Most things on sale just weren’t things I wanted anyway.
BUT PS of Sweden had some killer sales this year between Black Friday and Christmas, and they got me. I’ve bought their horse products before but never their rider collection, and for a few years now I’ve really wanted to try their breeches and shirts. They look fantastic and like they’re good quality, but with all my other life expenses I just couldn’t justify putting down that much money for a shirt or a pair of breeches. It’s hard to find reviews on their clothing line, so I also wanted the opportunity to know how their clothes fit someone with my shape. Since most of the items I wanted to try were on sale, I caved and took advantage of the opportunity (tho I just now got pictures lol).
Plus, I needed some pretty, matchy retail therapy, so why not?
Tara Fine Knit Sweater:
So far, I really like PSoS’s merino wool shirts. I actually really hate turtlenecks because it feels like the neck is choking me, and crazy me bought 2 of them, but I’m amazed I actually like them. I am also very picky about the merino wool I can wear – not only am I mildly allergic to wool, but I also have SPD (sensory processing disorder) so certain fabrics that are fine to most people feel itchy and unbearable to me. Their merino wool is so soft it’s amazing. It’s 80% merino wool/20% poly which would normally make me very itchy, but these are not itchy at all. The two shirts I got are incredibly light yet also amazingly warm. I only needed a vest over it when I rode Amber out in 45 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like 35. So, since the Tara Fine knit turtleneck I bought on the Black Friday sale did so well, I bought another one during the Christmas sale. I even got my mom on the bandwagon and she bought one of the merino wool shirts, which looks just as fantastic on her (she got the Linnea knit sweater).
As much as I dislike turtlenecks, I just really liked the shape of the Tara Fine knits when looking at them on the model. Once I put it on, I thought the shape was just as good on me – which doesn’t happen very often for me (perhaps because I mostly shop via Amazon lol). I think they’re a very flattering, loosely fitted shirt, and I love both the coffee and burgundy colors. The neck of the shirt is a little on the tight side, and normally that feels terrible, but these don’t feel that way at all strangely enough. So far I’m really liking how comfortable they are.
Paris breeches:
I initially really liked the Robyn breeches PS of Sweden had but alas, I think they have been discontinued. I still wanted to try their breeches, so I shopped their selection and found the Paris breeches. High waist breeches can feel odd once I’m sitting on a horse, but I quite liked the silhouette of the Paris breeches. I’m very hourglass shaped, and the breeches struck me as very flattering for that, so I nabbed them in black.
Of course, I tried them on right away, and I absolutely love them. These feel perfect. I really really like them so far. They feel completely made for a curvy figure, and this is one of the first pairs of breeches that I don’t feel like I have to squish my bum into them. My first thought was “I have a bum pocket!” haha because they just popped right over. This means that when I move my legs, it doesn’t pull the fabric at my bum and waist because it allows space for those of us who have bums. I dunno about you guys, but if my pants need to be held up by a belt because any movement pulls at the back of the pants, I actually get lower back pain. These didn’t pull one iota for me, and my back felt just fine.
The four-way stretch ensures that the breeches are beautifully fitted, but I didn’t feel at all like I’d burst out of them. These are also the only other breeches I’ve tried (Horze Grand Prix being the first) that don’t feel too tight around my calves. I think part of that is the four-way stretch, but I also think they were just made with larger calves in mind. There are definitely equestrians that require a slim fit, but I know for me (and many other ladies I know) the more fit I am, the more leeway I need in my clothes. So because these aren’t too tight on my calves, they don’t pull at my knee, which then don’t pull the breeches down. These just… fit. Like a glove. I don’t think I’ve ever had pants that aren’t leggings fit this well.
They are definitely a summer breech, since when I rode in them my legs were absolutely frigid by the time I was done. Even if it’s Vegas, I don’t recommend riding in summer breeches in the winter lol. So I won’t get to ride in them much until spring, but I’m very excited for them. They’re 89% poly/11% elastane, and the four-way stretch is amazing. I kneeled to put on Amber’s boots, bent over for the things I dropped, contorted my body in all sorts of ways and those breeches just did. not. move. They didn’t fall, I didn’t have to hike them up my knees like I normally do. I’m just… really in awe of them at the moment haha. They are so comfortable, and the mesh leg makes for a nice fit at the ankle. The pockets are huge, and I’m glad the zipper pocket is not just for decoration.
These breeches didn’t go on sale, so I bought them at their full price, currently $179 USD. Generally, that’s higher than I prefer to go for breeches, but that’s really not a bad price and so far I think these are so worth it. The website says they are made with a “focus on curved cuts that highlight hips and waist,” and I think they absolutely nailed that on all fronts, which makes them worth their price in my opinion. If they ever come out with more colors other than navy and black I’ll be in serious trouble.
Ria knitted sweater:
This one was another Black Friday purchase, and I love this sweater vest. This vest is 60% merino wool/40% poly, and it is also very very warm. I haven’t worn it to the barn yet because I’ve been wearing it to work and around the house because it’s just so comfy and cute. I think it’s a great sweater, and I’m glad I went ahead and took the chance in buying it!
Alex baselayer:
I also got two of their baselayer shirts – their hunter green and dim blue colors. I like the fabric and it’s a good material, and they also fit nicely. These feel more like summer shirts, especially being 73% poly/27% elastane, so just like the breeches I may not get to wear these much until the spring. I am perfectly okay with that – I’ve been going through my things, and there are shirts I don’t wear anymore that I should sell or give away, so these two shirts will replace those. Despite being the same baselayer, they’re actually a little different in the feel of the fabric and the design of the shirt. It doesn’t bother me – I quite like both.
I also got two of their Christmas collection pads (not on sale), and one that was. I love green on Amber, so I grabbed their green/brown pad and wraps that were on sale. Because matching, why not? Anything to help me keep riding lol. It has helped a little, but mostly what has helped is me feeling better bodily after seeing a chiropractor (finally, for the love of god, why didn’t I go sooner??). But I finally got Amber all bathed and sparkly for some pictures, and then didn’t have enough time before the sun went down to get some good natural light photos. Either way, I love all three of them on her, and they’ll definitely be gorgeous on any future horse I have as well.
I’ll try to keep you all updated on the clothing as I wear them more to let you know how it all holds up! So far I love everything I’ve gotten!
New Faces
I have a few draft posts of lessons I’ve been taking, different horses I’ve ridden and learned on. I got backed up on those despite wanting to post more because I didn’t have time to edit video footage, and my schoolwork is ramping up (I’m in the 300/400 level classes now – only 4 more classes to go), and obviously because of everything else that has happened. I did more lessons because I needed something that made me feel better after Choco and my sister, and it was the right decision. I love Amber dearly, and it’s great that I can hop on her and go, and I don’t have to exert energy I don’t have into any training. But, I still love the challenge of riding towards a goal, working towards improvement with every small step, and Amber is unfortunately limited in what she can do now. I really want to jump again, so I want to work more towards that.
Because of that, I’ve been starting to look more seriously at the horse ads I see out there, what type I tend to be drawn to, and joining more sale groups. I still won’t consider actively looking until I’m finished with school, but it will take me a while to get into habits, take regular lessons, get a lot of things sorted for a new partner to come along, so there’s no harm in starting now.
It’s been very hard to ride recently, despite knowing I feel better once I have. If lessons are one way to help myself when riding my own is difficult, then that’s what I’ll do. We’ll see how it goes. Right now there’s a lot of unknowns. I’ve also been insanely busy, and my time off of work has been to let myself relax and heal more. So, I’ll be posting old drafts when I can (hopefully with media, but I can’t promise much) of the horses I’ve ridden who have helped me learn much these past months. I plan to have more lessons starting 2022.
There will also be some new faces around, since part of all that’s been hectic is that I am moving into my sister’s house. I think it’ll be good for me to have dogs around again, especially since the loss of Choco and my sister were only three months apart. These two are the bestest boys, and I know taking care of her dog and having him snuggle with me will be good for me. I’ll have a roommate there too, and despite me being an introvert and enjoying being by myself, I think it’ll be good I’m not alone.
Right now it’s taking it one day at a time. It’s not going to get any easier any time soon, but I’ll take what I can get.
As I mentioned before all of this, I’d like to get more review posts out. I haven’t bought much that’s new, but there’s older things that I’ve had time to use and abuse, so that might work in a few item’s favor. We’ll see. I have drafts, but the problem is finding the time to either get or find the media that can go with it. Pictures help a lot, that’s for sure!
Also, thank you everyone for your kind comments and well wishes from my last post. It’s appreciated more than you know. Happy New Year and first day of 2022 everyone <3.
Wait a few seconds
Waiting is one of the hardest things to do, I think. My worst enemy (and I feel so many of us riders can relate to each other!) is cantering down an entire long side and waiting for that jump. In my case, it was my last lesson I took, and I surprised myself by actually managing to be patient and wait for the “bounce” poles, keep a good pace, and finish positively. It was actually a fantastic lesson. I really needed it.
But today, I am not going to talk about the lesson. I want to talk about a similar waiting game, and that’s waiting a few more seconds to turn left at an uncontrolled intersection when you’re driving – especially if you see a motorcycle as part of oncoming traffic.
As some of you may have seen on my Instagram, just a little over a month ago in the first week of October, my sister was killed in an accident because someone didn’t wait to turn left. She was riding her motorcycle with the flow of traffic on her way to meet a friend for a ride, and was only two blocks away from their meet-up point. The cars the person darted in front of could swerve and stop. She could not. This is why you see many riders lay down their bikes because it’s their best bet to be as safe as possible to mitigate an accident. Unfortunately, in my sister’s case, the person turned so close to oncoming traffic that she didn’t have time to do so. She tried, but… well. I don’t think we’d be here if she succeeded.
Left turns at uncontrolled intersections are apparently the major cause of motorcycle fatalities, something I had no idea happens as often as it does until this became my family’s reality. I’ve always tried to be conscious of motorcycles while driving once I knew my sister did so, but this introduced something I’d never known before. Now, I take extra precautions when turning left at an uncontrolled intersection.
So, to whoever this reaches, whether you ride, know someone who rides, or don’t ride at all, please just wait a few extra seconds when you are turning left at an uncontrolled intersection. If you see a motorcycle in oncoming traffic, please please please wait those extra seconds. One small decision to wait could mean someone’s life. The ricochet this has caused, not just for my family but for everyone who knew my sister, is extremely overwhelming. It’s lists upon lists of things we should’ve never had to do, and always the small, little things that constantly nick and poke and expose the fact that she’s not here anymore.
These holidays, hold your loved ones close. You really don’t know when might be the last time you’re able to do so.
Again, please beware of motorcyclists as the weather is nice for them to get out and ride – especially in the west coast. There are always stupid drivers who aren’t aware of riders, as I’ve witnessed many times, and it always makes my heart race whenever I see it. Through this I now know so many bikers, and I worry about them now as well, and hope they’re as safe as they can be whenever they ride.
There really aren’t any proper words, anything I can really say to encompass who my sister was – there just aren’t enough words, and even if there were, they’d never do her justice. So, this post is dedicated to my sister.
My Ultimate Breeches Guide
I have…..many breeches so this post will be quite long. I’ve never liked buying form-fitting pants – I have always preferred loose fitting, casual clothes and I hated jeans for the longest time. Mostly it has to do with me being a very hard shape to fit (mostly hourglass, a bit pear), and that I have SPD (sensory processing disorder) which can make clothes feel constricting, scratchy and itchy, so I’m very particular about fit and fabrics. But low and behold – I am a bit of a breech hoarder. Something I hadn’t quite realized until actually going through my drawers to catalog this post. Most of these I’m planning to give away or commission at my local tack store since many don’t fit anymore, but those will definitely still be included in this list. This post is about the basics – which brands/types/colors I have and their fabric, style, durability, cost, stain resistance, stickability, and fit. Also, I started this post a while back, so while styles have changed a bit, I’m trying to also provide good links for all the breeches I have.
And at the end, I list my top 3 choices so if you want to skip ahead and avoid my rambling, by all means!
In Loving Memory of Chocolate Mousse
On July 6, 2021, we had to say goodbye to our most beloved family member. She officially turned 17 on June 24.
I honestly don’t think it matters whether the downward progression is slow or sudden – losing a beloved pet is devastating. For Choco, it was sudden.
About 3 or 4 weeks before that Tuesday, we had a vet appointment after her first round of antibiotics for a cough that we thought was due to a small infection. We discovered that her heart was a little enlarged – which was concerning since that hadn’t been there at an appointment a month prior – and that she had a slightly collapsed trachea, which caused her coughing but wasn’t as concerning. But she remained active and happy, and still moseyed around the house and kept wanting to go on adventures with me to my apartment.
Read More6 Months
Oh wow, I haven’t blogged in 6 months! Not too much has been going on, so there hasn’t really been too much to say. Ever since I hurt my ankle and was recovering from that I have been taking it easy. No lessons, and Amber doesn’t need much work so there was no rush on that front. Which is a good thing because it turned out it needed a good 5 months to heal and another month before it felt normal-ish again. I swear I don’t know how I keep injuring myself so badly.
Bestest news within these 6 months tho – my mom is officially in remission!
She still needs regular checks to monitor her blood levels, but they’re still looking really good, so the doctors are pleased (as are we, of course). She’s still been out riding despite the tingles she gets in her fingers and feet. She’s a tough one my mom.
Read more: 6 MonthsShe even tried to show this year at our local show club, but unfortunately it hasn’t panned out. First the weather, and then something aggravated an old injury of Whisper’s, and now that it’s feeling better, she’s got residual lameness mostly in her left hock. She’s on adequan tho like Amber, yet it doesn’t seem to be helping that one hock as much as it should. I wonder if something else is going on – she is 19 – but we have a vet appointment in a few weeks to check her psoas and just get a general read on that hock. Amber will get an x-ray on her foot to make sure things are still a-okay on that front, and Kahlua will get her shots and worming done.
Kahlua has become such a reluctant love haha. Not that we were really doubting that with how sweet she is, but she’s asking for pets and attention a lot more now. I give her her nightly ear scratches, and then we hang out together with my hip pressed to her shoulder with soft pats as she looks out and guards our girls. She’s gotten very good with the daily on/off of the fly mask, and will let me do it now, too. She’ll let my mom fawn all over her, hold her face and love on her. She totally doesn’t want to admit that she loves it, and resists most times, but she adores it. Working with her has been such a boost for my mom as she’s gone through chemo.
Amber has been her goodest self as always. We’ve mostly been doing western since I’ve been giving a friend’s younger sister “lessons” and horsey time when she comes to visit since she doesn’t have the opportunity anymore when she’s back home. Amber really likes her, which is always a plus!
We’ve been doing a bit of english again to strengthen Amber’s right side, although I know it’s because my right side is weak. Amber does get anxious going english, and I think that’s more because of her imbalance compounded by my weak right leg than dislike of the discipline. Helping support that side with my leg really helped our last english ride – she still wasn’t totally steady trotting to the left, but was much less anxious, so we’ll keep working on that side for her and me. Whisper is also doing more english to strengthen her left side. I’ve been doing weekly bodywork on her, but it’s only helped so much. After realizing also how narrow my mom’s english saddle has become, she’s using mine until we can make sure that Whisper can continue to do english before my mom decides to go ahead and purchase a new saddle.
I wanted to do more blogging and post on Insta in the last few months, but with school, new opportunities and new directions at work, horses, and other things I’ve tried to squeeze into any of my free time, it fell way at the bottom of the priority list. There’s just so much I want to do, and have been wanting to do for a while, so I’ve been doing that instead of blogging:
Like assembling my own gaming computer.
Learning how to bind books so I can have a physical copy of my favorite works.
Which all take time, so I’ve been doing that since I haven’t been riding. Temperatures are consistently 105+, and it’s still 100* and over at 8 pm. With Amber needing to spend a night at the vet to get fluids last year, I’m being really cautious about getting her out and doing anything in this heat. Especially when the temps were 110+ for a solid week, both she and I were really struggling. She’s basically getting 2 scoops of electrolytes a day because she won’t drink rein water, and only sort of tolerates pedialyte. Honestly, that horse is picky about the weirdest things lol. (She’s not even sure she likes oatmeal crème pies – now there’s some horror for you haha)
I want to post some of my review posts that are all nearly-finished drafts, and hopefully it won’t take me another 6 months to do so. Even still, I’ve been trying to keep up with everyone and read your blogs, even if I haven’t been commenting much or at all. I’m glad everyone is still doing well!
Hello Again
I looked back at when at last posted and that was at the end of August. So it’s been a while!
Between helping my mom after her treatments, nearly tearing the ligament/tendon in my ankle, more school, and everything else going on, I haven’t been doing anything horsey. Because my ankle was so bad, I couldn’t ride (I did borrow a scooter for work and that thing was sooooooo much fun), or do anything remotely fun for around 7 weeks, so there was really nothing to post about. I have spent tons of dachshund time tho so I have tons of pictures for that.
Read MoreCatching Up
I’ve certainly been lagging in blogging. I get halfway through before something else comes up, or I’m working on other things, and it falls by the wayside. There’s just not much for me to really say even, especially since it’s been god-awful hot and I don’t want to ride, and Amber has actually been ridiculously sluggish as well, so she doesn’t even want to ride either. So it’s been a slew of hiding in the air conditioning lol. I wanted to ride last weekend, but both Saturday and Sunday were already 105 at 8 am, so it was a hard no for that. It won’t go below 110 until next Monday, and looks like next weekend will be a cool 106 and 104. It’s really unfortunate when 106 and 104 actually feel cool once it’s been over 110 for a while. Ick.
Tuesday it reached 119, with some clouds coming in and upping the humidity to 17% while still being 117 as I was doing chores for the evening. I seriously wonder if this is how chickens or turkeys feel when we put them in the oven. Either that or I’m just melting. It’s just gross. Wednesday was 118, Thursday was 114, and it’s generally still 100 degrees when I go out for a barn check at 10 pm.
Best babysitter ever
The end of May, my sister and niece Kaylee came to visit. Kaylee is 4 now, and is still the cutest, most opinionated niece ever. I am totally not going to lie that being the “cool aunt” was absolutely awesome haha. I would come over in the morning to visit and after five minutes of being excited to see me, it was “are we going to ride Amber?!” It was great.
My mom has a beautiful Pre de Nations saddle that she’s kept forever in her trunk, and it’s been labeled as the kid’s saddle for whenever kids (more specifically grandkids) were to ride. Well, Kaylee immediately wanted to see the saddle, and try on her kid’s helmet that I bought her as I assembled the kid’s stirrups onto the saddle. So then obviously, we had to ride.
Lessons! And a very hot weekend
After I’d written my Friday post, Genevive texted me asking if I was sure I’d like to ride since it was a) supposed to be the hottest weekend yet and b) she didn’t really have a horse for me to really jump on. Which is no big deal at all – at least the horse part haha. The heat is a definite factor, but I’d been excited for that lesson since I’d made it three weeks prior so I wasn’t going to cancel! As much as I have really enjoyed riding Amber this week and she’s been great, I have missed lessons. And, I ended up jumping a little anyway, so it all worked out. Plus, she offered to let me ride TWO horses – how in the world could I say no to that?!
4th of July (Small) Tack Haul
It has certainly been interesting since I last posted. I’d meant to post an adorable photo dump of Amber being the perfect babysitter for my niece (and I still will post that), but things started happening one after the other so it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.
My family has had a slew of health problems in the last few weeks – thankfully not due to covid – but it has been really hard, so I was in need of some retail therapy. I haven’t really bought anything I don’t absolutely need for Amber in probably the last year and a half, so when RW’s 15% popped up, I figured I’d snatch up a few things I’ve been eyeing.
Kahlua Friday: Burro Gentling
When we first got Kahlua, it was really hard for me to work with her. I liked it, but there was also always this sense of dread whenever I needed to work with her. I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself and it just wasn’t working.
So I backed up for a while. Didn’t work with her at all aside from feeding, mucking, and treats. And honestly, I think it’s been the right choice for me, but actually for Kahlua too. She’s been with us almost a year now, but through our daily routines she’s super willing to come up to us now. She is so delicate taking treats tho – it’s legit the cutest thing haha.
Good News from Vegas: Amber, Whisper, and Choco Living the Life
There really isn’t any excuse as to why I haven’t posted anything, but alas, I have not haha. I noticed through this that while I’m home, I tend not to visit social media a lot. No FB, no Insta, no blogging…. So I’m trying to change that a little with this post haha. I’m enjoying being unplugged from most social media lol. I still follow, but it’s definitely been less. The no blogging has mostly been because there’s not really a lot for me to write about, but a few (very) good things have happened recently amidst all this and it’s a huge relief.
I am extremely lucky in that short of not going to work every day, nothing has really changed for me. I am a very typical extroverted introvert, so while I do miss the occasional brunch outing with a friend, I have found it to be extremely relieving to slow down, spend time doing things I couldn’t before, and let myself be quiet.
Bloghop: Gratitude in Uncertain Times
I loved the post that Liz from In Omnia Paratus wrote on Friday, and definitely wanted to add to the positivity. I’m grateful that….
- I still work. My company has been great about helping all of their employees out while we go down to essential personnel. Even though my job can’t really be done from home, we’ve figured out things for me to do at home so that I can still work and still bring in a paycheck.
- My animals. Choco, Amber, Whisper, and Kahlua don’t know anything about what’s going on, and keeping up with their routines has definitely helped bring more normalcy to this situation. I still get nickers from the horses, squeaks from Kahlua, and tail wags from Choco whenever I see them, and I’m so grateful that I still get to spend so much time with them everyday.
- I am very glad I still have a place to live, countless books to read, and plenty of streaming shows to watch in my free time. Maybe I can make a dent in those 2,000+ ebooks I own….? haha I’ll probably make more of a dent in the TV shows/movies that have been on my list forever.
- Everyone in my family and my very close friends are safe. They all also still have their jobs too, which is a relief. I still see them a lot of the time – especially my parents since they have the horses on the property – but considering my parents are older I’m glad I get to make sure they’re alright!
- Spring is bringing lots and lots of rain to Vegas, which is very needed! Usually, we have one or two really heavy rainstorms that create a lot of flash flooding, but this time we’ve had multiple rainstorms over multiple weeks that have dumped water without flooding. It’s even made a lot of grass grow at our place, which is perfect to get the horses out to graze for a few minutes.
- Also so grateful for this blogging community – you guys are the best!
Too much? LOLOLOL Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Shutting Down Vegas
It has certainly been a very quick, interesting couple of days. A lot has happened in a short amount of time, and a lot of us are reeling.
Tuesday night, the Nevada governor issued a “close all non-essential businesses” directive for 30 days – casinos are directed to completely shut down, and other places had to shut down no later than noon on Wednesday. Essential businesses such as grocery stores, police, fire department, hospitals, etc, are still running, but only to essential personnel.
More jumping and lots of media!
As the week went on between my last lesson and my Feb 1 lesson, I kept remembering how well the line rode (tho still not perfect) when I sat up and back in between the fences. So, I made that my goal for this next lesson, with my leg, mentality, and all the other things I’d made a note of last time a priority for this one too.
This lesson this past Saturday has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I always have fun jumping, and this lesson was hard and challenging but I did it and it was an exercise I’ve always wanted to try but never had a horse that I could try it with. I love challenging exercises like this. When it comes to horses, sometimes just sending me out to do it where I have to be on the ball, think really fast, and feel my way through an exercise really makes me ride my best. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but for the most part I really love challenges like these. They’re like puzzles, and I love puzzles (I am such a Ravenclaw lol).
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