Favorite Things | Spring 2017

One of my favorite seasons has come and gone for another year—everything is green again, Ax is over his spring sillies, and we are ready for summer. Though the weather was all over the place and my riding time dwindled at the end of the season, I still came away with some springtime favorites.

Charles Owen V8

I was so pleasantly surprised by this helmet. I purchased it as a show helmet to replace my damaged Samshield until I could cough up the money for a new $600 helmet. (Seriously, why so expensive, Samshield?) Now, it has become my wear all the time helmet because it is SO comfortable. This thing fits my head perfectly and has plenty of room for my thick hunter hair. Dare I say that it is more breathable than my Sammy was?

Back on Track Mesh Sheet

If you’ve read this blog at all lately, then you know that I LOVE my Back on Track Mesh Sheet. It keeps Ax comfortable and speeds his recovery after demanding rides. I’m so glad to have this as an addition to my Back on Track collection and I think Ax is too. Check out my review here to see my thoughts on it.

Smartpak Wellfleet Bridle

This little gem was shoved to the back of a rack during a SmartPak sale for a price so cheap they were basically giving it away. I was casually on the hunt for a wide noseband bridle for showing and couldn’t pass up this one for such a good price. When I was checking out the lady said, “You got the last one! This bridle darkens beautifully.” She wasn’t kidding. It looks and feels nicer than my beloved Rodrigo bridle and I’m so happy I snagged one before they redesigned them.

Hunter Paces

Ax and I went on our second hunter pace this spring and once again had so much fun. I love the relaxed trail ride feel of them combined with the competitive aspect, and Ax loves getting out of the ring. We missed the others that were held this season, but I am already looking forward to going to more in the fall—even if we come in dead last again.

Stepping Back

After our less than pleasant horse show, Ax and I have taken a step back, away from the show ring, and I was surprised by how okay I felt about it all. I have a blog post brewing about this that will be coming soon, so all I’ll say for now is that I’ve enjoyed my horse more in the past few months than I have in a long time.

Rae Dunn Dishes

To kick off the non-horsey things, I am obsessed with these clay dog bowls by Rae Dunn. No, I don’t have a dog, but my kitty loves to play in her water and knock over the bowls, so these are perfect for her. Apparently Rae Dunn dishes can be difficult to come by and require some eBay hunting, but I found mine at TJ Maxx and am thoroughly obsessed.

Traveling

I’ve done a bit of traveling this spring. By a bit, I mean more than I normally would do in an entire year. I was lucky enough to attend the annual American Horse Publications Conference in Arizona and rub elbows with some of the best in the industry. While there, I met some incredible people who are aspiring to be successful in the industry just as I am: Taylor from Taylor Pence Photography, who I couldn’t figure out why her name was familiar until I got home and realized that she is an incredible photographer that we’ve included in the magazine before, Annise from Annise’s Anecdotes, a fellow blogger who can speak spanish better than I can speak english and has such a unique career path ahead of her, and Kaycie, who has her hand in everything and has more experience than I do in my right arm. I may or may not have gotten stuck in the Detroit airport for seven hours on the way home, but that was small business compared to the equine media greats that I met while there.

Now, it’s summertime!

-TC