- Awesome, new thread! c:
@chachee: Cinder is so cute! :)
@gunpowder & lead: I feel ya! The Andalusians that I ride and groom at work have super thick manes and tails. We keep a tube of Cowboy Magic detangler in our grooming totes for them. It works really well in their tails, they're complete pigs and get them all tangled up in brush and mud out in their paddocks. :P I just take a drop of it in my hand and then rub it in using both hands, like I'm rolling a stick to start a fire. Then instead of using a comb, I use a mane & tail brush from Oster. That works so much better because it's a lot more heavy duty. And I just work from the bottom to the top. I can get tails done in about 5 minutes using that method, and then after I spray a whole bunch of Showsheen in them :)
@Blue: Congrats on (temporarily) full leasing Ace! :) Have fun!
As for paddock boots and half chaps, try Ariat paddock boots and Tredstep half chaps! I prefer to ride in tall boots all the time but my Ariat paddock boots lasted a while, in fact they're still going strong. I wore them every single day this past summer and while they scuffed up, nothing came apart (leather peeled around the tongue area, but that area's covered up by half chaps so it didn't really matter). I do recommend Mountain Horse field boots though; I have the dress boot version of their Venice boot (I have the Firenze) and they're SO NICE. They took a week to break in and they're soooo comfy and look like high dollar boots, but they're under $250! If you have a Facebook, there's a group called English Tack Trader and members sell tack they don't want, including boots. I've seen a whole bunch of name brand field boots for super cheap there; I'm selling a saddle pad there right now ;)
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I rode Apollo today! I wish I rode Thinker, but he had already been ridden that day and I didn't want to push him too hard. :( Hopefully I'll ride him this week, I miss my big baby boy.
Apollo spooked a few times because people were doing groundwork in the indoor with yearlings and there were whips etc flying around... :/ So I made my friend come ride with me in the outdoor. xD I cantered Apollo around exactly 5 times in each direction and even tried half seat on the long sides! I didn't like it at all. xD He tripped when I was in half seat and I almost came off, so I'm sticking to sitting the canter, lol. It was fun though! I lengthened my stirrups like one of my trainers told me to do and I felt such a difference, my leg wasn't cramped up at all and it was just awesome <3
Oooo and guess what! I sold a pair of boots that I never used and from them alone I have enough money to buy a new show pad <3 I'm just getting this pad in white with black piping. I have two of them already in black and gray and they're so perfect <3 And btw, if anyone wants to buy this pad, the link that I gave is "secret" and the listed price is $33! So you can get monogramming (Like I am) and still spend less than the listed price!