Confessions of a Clip-a-holic: The Preparations

Ask anyone at the barn how many times I clip my horse and they will say “too many”. Ask my mom how many times I clip my horse and she will say “enough times to warrant buying my own clippers and to stop stealing hers”. Ask my horse how many times he gets clipped and he will stomp his feet, then show you his buzzed body.

I am a clip-a-holic. I started body clipping a few years ago when my mother invested in a beautiful pair of clippers and my pony was a wooly mammoth. Thankfully I had a veteran clipper by my side that night because I dove right in with those suckers and an hour later my pony looked like she ran through a bad hair salon. So much for the simple trace clip I had in my head. Now, years later, I have learned my lessons the hard way. As a self-taught body clipper, here are my preparations for clipping like a pro. Or as close to a pro as I imagine one could be.Continue reading “Confessions of a Clip-a-holic: The Preparations”

SmartPak Favorite Products Blog Hop

Who says tags are only for Youtube? SmartPak recently released a video called “My Favorite Products Equestrian Tag” with their staff answering the questions. Because I am a blogger and far from a vlogger, I decided to make their tag into a blog hop for the equestrian blogging world.

What is your favorite equestrian-specific product that you use when you’re at the barn?

  • My set of Equifit boots are my favorite. Ax hits his hind legs together while riding and Equifit has the only fetlock boots I have used that don’t spin mid-ride. Plus I love the soft liners for his legs.

What is your favorite non equestrian-specific product to use when you’re at the barn?

  • Baby wipes and rags are my best friends. I use them for just about everything at the barn: cleaning nose and eye boogies, cleaning under the tail, a last minute wipe down at shows, wiping off my hands, quick-cleaning my helmet and boots, and on and on. Ax uses more baby wipes than a newborn.

What is your horse’s favorite equestrian-specific product to wear or use?

  • Ax’s favorite product to wear is his ECOGOLD Flip Half Pad. I have tried riding without it and it is pretty clear that he is yelling that he hates me. It helps to keep his back protected, cushioned, and ventilated during riding. He is also telling me that he wants the ECOGOLD Calmatech pad and Hunter Half Pad.

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What was the best equestrian-related gift you were ever given, and why does it mean so much to you?

  • This one is easy, my pony. Angel was a gift to me from my parents for my birthday, Christmas, and any other holiday for that year and the next few years after that. She will forever be the best gift I have ever received and she means the world to me.

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If you had the ability to create any product or anything to make your time at the barn better, – no matter how ridiculous or against-the-laws-of-physics it might be – what would that be?

  • Invisible bubble wrap. Ax is super accident-prone and a bunny could probably hurt him, so I would want a product that would keep him protected. Some magical thing that would keep him safe from cuts, injuries, or any other ways he can find to hurt himself.

I tag all my readers to participate and remember that this is not my blog hop, it is Smartpak’s. 🙂

-TC

What’s in my Grooming Bag?

Is there a “Hoarders: Grooming Bag Edition”? Because I need to be on it. My bag of brushes is a never-ending pit of random horsey things. The grooming bag I have is the Ariat Mini Tote in pink. I tried to keep the bag small so less things could be thrown in but I have manage to stuff it to the max.Continue reading “What’s in my Grooming Bag?”

September #HeelsDownChallenge: Balance

New month, new challenge! Heels Down Magazine introduced the #HeelsDownChallenge to go along with the monthly digital magazine. The challenge consists of a new topic each month that readers can write or make a video about, post on social media with the hashtag “#heelsdownchallenge”, and tag their friends to do the same.

This month’s issue focuses on going back to school. (P.S. Check out my article on the fourteenth “page”!) So the September Heels Down Magazine Challenge asks: “What’s your top tip for managing time between barn, school/work, and life?”

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I wrote a whole post about this last year called It’s a Balancing Act and it is still one of my favorite blogs I’ve written so far. I am stealing my top TWO tips from that blog post and using them for my September #HeelsDownChallenge.

  1. BUY AN AGENDA – This sounds so simple, and it is. When you have so many different things to keep track of, an agenda is your best friend. I purchase a new daily planner each year and I try to find one with a fun pattern on it so I am more likely to use it (I love the Lilly Pulitzer ones for their different patterns and sizes). I like to plan and write down EVERYTHING that I am committed to inside my agenda. This helps prevent me from forgetting about something I need to do and makes it much easier to figure out what task I need to complete first.
  2. NEVER QUIT – No matter how full your plate feels or how heavy the world is on your shoulders, quitting isn’t an option. And if you feel like it may all come tumbling down, find someone to lean on. Whether it be a friend, a significant other, or a family member, there is always someone there to help. When there is no option to quit, the only choice is to keep fighting. Hannah Brencher said, “Maybe no one ever told you that but that’s the sweet spot– the moment you want to give up but nothing in the air around you is willing to accept you walking out the door as a quitter today.” I don’t think that sentence could be more true. Whenever I feel like giving up, I find the sweet spot, grab it, and run with it.

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-TC