My 5 Things (that turned into 6)

I really had a great time at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center Spring Show, but I am getting a little tired of writing about it. I write to help myself process what I've learned so I feel obligated to share one more chunk. During the course of the show, I noticed that there are five things that I could use to make my show experience easier.

1. The first thing I absolutely need to buy for my next two-day show is a stall chain. I've never owned one of these before, but I can see how it would be very useful when stabling in a box stall. The stalls Speedy has stayed in have had hard to open latches and heavy doors that swing wide. The latches are also hard to close once you're inside. For all the zillion times that I've needed to go in and out, it would be much easier with a stall chain.

I need a stall chain.

2. I've never really been a big fan of these over the door bucket hangers; they strike me as unsafe, but I can see how they could be useful. Speedy G is not a fan of drinking out of a five gallon bucket that is parked in the corner of his stall on the ground. At this past weekend's show, I had to keep emptying it out because it kept filling up with shavings. I think I am going to get a couple of these bucket hangers to try out at the next two-day show.

Maybe I can find a style I feel is safer ...

3. I hate braiding; I am not very good at it, and it's just plain hard. I saw a lot of people using Quic Braid over the weekend and their braids looked lovely. I am pretty sure that perfect braids don't squirt out of the bottle, but the stuff must help.

Getting some of this, too.

4. There are also a couple of clothing items that I need to update. My old belt finally gave out this weekend, not that it was anything fancy in the first place. Long ago I blogged about acquiring my first show clothes. Since I had never shown, I had to start completely from scratch. The belt was picked up by my dear friend, Taz's Mom, at the Goodwill for $1.95. We were ecstatic over the find. I wore that belt to at least 25 shows! Now I need a new one.

This one is quite pretty.

5. Since I've started schooling in really nice gloves, I want to show in them as well. My really nice gloves were a gift from a friend. I want nice show gloves, but I suspect I am too cheap to spring for them, especially at nearly $50 bucks a pair.

These are really nice gloves.

Bonus: (I already bought the scrubs so they don't count as one of the five!) Last spring, I saw several riders wearing medical scrubs over their show clothes; I thought it was a brilliant idea. Not knowing where to get scrubs, I let the idea fall by the wayside. A few weeks ago, I noticed that our cafeteria ladies were wearing scrubs every day as their uniform so I asked where they buy them. Apparently, we have a store that sells scrubs just a mile from where I work, so I stopped by and picked up a pair. I am not sure how well they would work on a hot day, but for this weekend's show, they were awesome! I was even able to slide them on and off over my boots.

This isn't the exact pair I bought, but you get the idea. Mine are darker brown.