Short & sweet.

Riding Warehouse giveaway! from equinpilot
Heads up!

A couple of posts from the blogging world. Some of these may be older than last week; I sorted through a couple hundred blog posts that I hadn’t yet read while I was burying my head in the sand.

How to protect your horse during hunting season from Clover Ledge Farm
In Vermont, a horse is killed every year during hunting season. Sometimes it’s by a kid, and everyone feels terrible, not least of which the kid and their mentor. Sometimes, it’s by an adult who really should have fucking known better. It still keeps happening. Here are some good tips you can use to try and keep it from happening.

Annual raptor post from In Omnia Paratus
Ok, not horsey at all, but from a horse blogger and STRAIGHT UP AWESOME.

Meeting Bob Baffert from Cob Jockey
Fangirling like whoa right now.

Fourth annual equestrian blogger gift exchange from Fly On Over
YAS.

Your non-horsey read of the week:

‘How Much Suffering Can You Take?’
An Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, then a 112-mile bike ride and then a marathon. The Quintuple Anvil Triathlon is five Ironmans in a row.

First and foremost, a public service announcement.

2pointober: And the winner is… from Fraidy Cat Eventing
A hard-fought contest with some awesome results! I’m thrilled that I actually completed this year.

My horse died because of my manager’s negligence from Ask a Manager
This is HORRIBLE. I would walk out of that job and never come back. I’m grateful that I’ve always had workplaces and managers who have been very accommodating when Tristan needs me. Thankfully, there is a good update here.

Let’s help the horses from In Omnia Paratus
If you’ve been following the news about the Dakota Pipeline protests, it might surprise you to know that there are a number of horses on site, and they need help.

Trailer Spiffing from WeanieEventer
I don’t miss doing this with my trailer at all. It’s hard work that has to be done regularly. This is a great guide to some of the basics.

When do you label your horse? from Poor Woman Showing
Really interesting question. I’ve been thinking about my own answer to it for a little while and I don’t have a good one yet.

And totally unrelated to horses but so very on-point for anyone who was a girl in the 1980s/90s: American Girl Dolls Ranked by Betchiness

First, some gratuitous self-promotion: make sure you check in with the Rafflecopter thingy if you participate in the Bel Joeor blog hop about how you’re clipping your horse this year.

Harvard Fox Hounds Opening Hunt from Hand Gallop
In my next life, I’m going to be a foxhunter. Sigh.

PONY’TUDE Goes First Flight from PONY’TUDE
no really. next life. foxhunting.

Quicksilver Fall Classic from DIY Horse Ownership
Mustangs doing endurance! ❤

And your non-horsey read for the week: Inside the Frozen Zoo That Could Bring Extinct Animals Back to Life

Couple of blog posts from the greater world today.

Shoulder-In by Jane Savoie
I always like Jane’s explanations of movements, with good step by step things to think about.

Doing everything by yourself from The Reeling
Yeah. I feel this. I’m in a great boarding barn but 95% of the time I’m there totally by myself. My husband is determinedly non-horsey. I can’t even take my dog to the barn because she’s a nutcase.

New Hampshire Equitation and Hunter Finals from Breeches & Boat Shoes
I still don’t get hunters, but I loved this show recap.

And one non-horsey read that I think horse people will still appreciate:

An Organic Chicken Farm in Georgia Has Become an Endless Buffet for Bald Eagles from Audobon

Couple of links to read for you this weekend!

So you think you want to breed your mare from The $900 Facebook Pony
Hard truths and a thoughtful read.

Custom embroidered saddlepads with BLM mustang freezemark from DIY Horse Ownership
BEST. IDEA. EVERRRRRRR. As soon as a new saddlepad is in my budget, this is happening. My sister in law has an embroidery machine.

2pointober Meet & Greet Contestants from ‘Fraidy Cat Eventing
Meet the competition!

Ebb and Flow from COTH’s Lauren Sprieser
“But it’s not magic—it’s the cumulative effect of 6 weeks or 3 months or 6 months or however long it takes to build the muscle, to confirm the neural pathways…”

Some blog roundup links for you!

Wait, he does what? from A Work in Progress
I laughed really hard. Really, really hard.

Dispatches from Devon from Hand Gallop
Coolest job ever, or coolest job ever?

2pointober from ‘Fraidy Cat Eventing
IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!

Hey Riders! It’s time to tame your lizard brain! from Trafalgar Square Books
Andrea, the author of this book, is the absolute shit. She’s a brilliant rider and trainer…AND a licensed counselor. (Oh, and she’s from Vermont, so doubleplus bonus points.) I did a clinic with her some years ago and the lunchtime included loads of the things that ended up in this book. I don’t have the typical rider fears (I really don’t care whether I fall off or not) but it still helped me. I hope to get a copy of the book and review it here, but in the meantime, here’s a taste.

That’s right, I’m trying again!

This week, a collection of gruesome injury stories, with lots of photos, because if you’re like me that stuff is catnip.

(needless to say they all have happy endings so far)

Treating Lily Wounds from Wait for the Jump
Not just a fascinating wound story (deep necrotic wound on the hindquarters) but brilliant bandaging tips.

Brego Wrestling from Wyvern Oaks
Hoof resection! Look through previous entries for the exact process. This is an alternate form of treatment for a very similar injury to Tristan’s. I, too, know the madness of wrestling a horse to wrap its foot.

And okay, not a gruesome injury but nifty treatment/recovery stuff, Henry’s Day at the Spa from The $900 Facebook Pony.

http://diyhorseownership.blogspot.com/2016/02/mustang-adoption.html

http://uncatchablenumber257.blogspot.com/2016/02/creating-your-turnout-on-budget.html

An actual conversation that happened this morning.

Me: If we ever have kids, just know that we’re going to need at least two or three horses.
Husband: I mean, we were already going to have two or three horses.

Good answer.

Here are some blog links from this week.

So you want to go to horse college, part 2: pros & cons from Because Pony

Horse Shopping: Prospective Mustangs from DIY Horse Ownership

What does it mean to be a trainer? from The Reeling

Learn to ride using sports psychology from Poor Woman Showing

Is natural horsemanship ethical? from The Journey to 100 Miles

Life with a PSSM horse: Big Mike’s diagnosis from The Charming Farmer