Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I am a Stitch Fix girl, although you would never guess it. I hate to shop. I hate to try clothes on. And I used to hate most everything in my closet. Riding clothes excepted. I love shopping for those. It's sad when your selection of breeches and riding tops are the most expensive and nicest things in your closet. When I found Stitch Fix on Facebook a year and a half ago, I gave it a try and have been looking forward to my monthly fixes ever since. I LOVE getting my box full of new stuff, and I almost always keep everything. So when Phil Van Treuren, owner of SaddleBox, reached out to me to ask if I would be interested in giving SaddleBox a try, I jumped at the chance! If you haven't heard of SaddleBox, it works like this: You sign up for a monthly shipment for just under $35 a month. Each month, you get a box full of mystery horsey items like gourmet horse treats, grooming tools and tack, and gifts for the horse owner. I have to say, the "Christmasy" element of the box is really one of the coolest things about it. When my husband brought the box in with a quizzical look on his face, I rubbed my hands together in glee and tore it open on the spot. It was really fun digging through the contents to see what I had received. My box contained 8 items:
I LOVED some of the items ... You can never have too many rolls of elastic bandages or hoof picks. That Carat Cake looks good enough to eat myself, and while I have tons of soft brushes, I hoard them so another one is always welcome. And that sticker needs no explanation. It's my favorite thing in the box. But some of the items just weren't in my wheelhouse. Speedy used to LOVE peppermints, but since stuffing his Pergolide in various treats, he's grown suspicious of anything that I can actually afford. Izzy might like them though. Speedy would also kick the crap out of me if I tried to use a metal blade on any part of his body. Izzy's not much of a fan of metal either. I only use long clinician style lead ropes since my boys can get a bit (cough cough) fractious at times, so the 8-foot rope is too short for my needs.
However. I definitely would consider sending a SaddleBox as a gift. No horse person that I know would say thanks, no thanks to a gift like that. How many gifts are easy to pick out while still being fun and creative? Not many. If my budget had just a tiny bit more padding, I'd be all over a monthly SaddleBox. I love NOT having to shop. I LOVE having things delivered to my house. I LOVE horse stuff. Please sign up for one, and if you do, let me know. I am happy to live vicariously through your monthly box of joy. And if you get something that doesn't float your boat, I'll take it!
I have seen these saddle boxes on other blogs, and I must admit that I am not a fan. Perhaps when I was a starting teenager with more needs and less money. Now, if I need something I will buy it. And I definitely don't want to accumulate any more stuff in my basement or tack locker. 11/23/2019 06:43:07 am
"Accumulate more stuff" - seriously. I need to start a Saddle Box of my own to get rid of some stuff. It was fun to open though. :0)
As much as I love shopping for horse stuff, I've realized that I don't actually NEED anything anymore. If I break a thing, I replace it, and I do keep extras of stuff that is likely to break or tricky to replace in a hurry. So, yeah: a couple extra leadropes. a couple extra hoofpicks, that kind of stuff. I already have duplicates of stuff I use all the time. It would be fun to have even more duplicates? No. 11/23/2019 06:44:20 am
Yep. Agreed. With age comes accumulation of stuff. I would love a box each month of consumable items. Something like that might entice me more.
lytha
11/13/2019 02:44:05 am
You know what would make this work even better? If you got together with 1 or 2 other barn mates and shared the box, each taking turns picking items (and taking turns who picks first). There will always be that metal curry comb that no one wants, but less unwanted items overall, and less money lost buying unwanted items.
Bakersfield Dressage
11/23/2019 06:45:20 am
OMG, yes! That's a brilliant idea! I wish I had a barn full of friends to ask. Alas, I am all alone at the ranch, but that would really be fun! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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