Boarding Woes - Absolutely Hysterical!

This "YouTube" horse-related video is one of the funniest I've ever seen!  Unfortunately, I believe that it's a tail, errrr, I mean, a tale that many stable owners have surely experienced!  So, what do you think, has anyone ever encountered a potential boarder like this one!



Thanks to Cedar Crest Farm for this evening's entertainment!

The Last Few Days of Winter



Epoch and Valie



photographed by Kyle Rao, at Four Winds Farms in North Oxford, MA, these two buddies were enjoying one of the last winter days here in New England!

Epoch (on the left), owned and loved by Haley Becker and of course my Valie, are depicted here enjoying turnout time together.  Haley and Epoch make a great team and they "shine" on the show circuit! 

When Valie first arrived at FWF, he immediately attached himself to this handsome Chestnut and from there on in, they were inseperable.   When we had our own farm and then at several boarding barns, Valie has always gravitated toward only one or two close buddies and while he hates to leave them, it is not the whole herd that he misses, it's usually just that one special horse!  When I used to ride during the day, taking him out of turnout and away from his buds was not a good thing and........when I was finally mounted and ready to begin, he would "scream" for his friends, his head going straight up in the air; thus, forcing me to feel as if I was losing control at a rapid pace.  One day, when he chose this type of behavior for our jumping off point, I found myself singing to him (the first tune I sang was "Just In Time", an old Jazz song) and while I did attract a fair amount of attention (not all good, I'm sure), my singing calmed him and we then got down to the business of schooling!

In any case, I chose to insert this little tidbit because I have not posted for awhile and after a bit of commotion caused by the "Tall Boot Dilemma" (news of the story carried to far reaching places!), I thought that this filler would be a good segueway for what's forthcoming!   I'm working on a new blog feature that will focus on the people in my life and their relation to our equestrian lifestyle.  So, please look for the upcoming addition of "Team Members" and with that, have a wonderful holiday today and I will definitely return soon!

The Tall Boot Dilemma

 (WARNING:  this is a long but fairly comical story and hey, you may even find that my shopping experiences will help you find the perfect tall boot!)

I spent a great deal of energy on this "tall boot" dilemma and when I look back over the agonizing I've done, while attempting to find boots that I would actually keep (as in not returning them or selling them on ebay), I think I had and continue to have a borderline case of obsessive-compulsive disorder about the subject matter at hand.

I'd like to bring you back to a time in my equestrian history when the only "off the shelf" tall boots you could find were made by a company called Colt Cromwell.  These boots were very much unlike anything we have available to us in today's day and age, they didn't go up to or right under your knees, they were only made in Dress Boot style, they were considerably shorter than they should be and didn't have a Spanish Top, modified or otherwise!  Further still, they had a "spur strap" type of attachment around the top of the boots that you had to buckle and....to this day, I still don't know what purpose that strap served but it was there so I buckled it!

Now, flash forward to the years 2006 - Present and to say that I have tried on, purchased, returned, ordered and re-ordered so many different brands of tall boots, I'm ashamed to blog about the details!  The truth is I don't know if I even remember the actual count but I'm certain of one thing, there were many! 

It's a darn good thing that I didn't want to show during that particular time period because I continued to wear my ProChaps Half Chaps and paddock boots for lack of ever being satisfied with any one pair of tall boots!  I used to think it was my calf size that was holding me back from getting a good fit but after much discussion with tack store employees and fellow equestrians, I don't actually think that they're that wide, they measure 15 3/4 but I'm also considered a "peanut" by many standards as I barely measure 5'4" in height so that also leaves me with the possibility of a height dilemma.  Anyway, from gazing at online size charts till my eyes became blurry, I checked out Fuller Fillies because they had bigger calf sizes but found that their smallest calf size was too big and the height was too short and then checked out the Mountain Horse Richmond or High Caliber Field Boot and while the footbed fit just fine, the calf was too wide; ahhh, what luck, huh?

So, let's start with me giving Ariat a big "thumbs up" as they have finally added a wide calf/short height to their size chart!  I often used to wonder if the boot making industry thought that only tall woman rode horses.  And, even worse, were they trying to discourage short people from riding by making sure that the boots would either go almost over the knee or bunch up behind the knee so one would just say, "O.K., I'm short, I can't find boots that fit so I'll just sell my horse and get out of riding all-together!".  Hmmm, I know that thoughts like this are a bit nutty but the truth is that although comical, when I got frustrated I sometimes thought that it was a plot to "get rid of short riders in the show ring" (where are the men in the "white coats" when you need them?).  Anyway, thanks Ariat, you have gone where no other off-the-shelf boot maker has been before!

1. The Olden Days - From childhood until my late teens, I wore the ol' Colt Cromwells.  Then the industry gave way to some unknown tall boot maker that finally realized the benefit of making an actual "tall" boot, rather than ending them several inches below the knee!  Anyway, this boot became available in my neck of the woods around the year 1977 and for a little over $100.00, the leather was nice and the break-in time was short but........still no field boots in sight!

Digression:  I have many old Dover Saddlery catalogs and my collection begins with the year 1984; so, I can't reference any further back than that.  At that time Dover offered three different boots, an off-the-shelf boot named "The National" and they touted them as, and I quote, "they look like custom".  These boots came in field (yup, finally field boots!) and dress for both men and woman and retailed for $159.00 and the other two styles were "The Sussex" for woman ($79.95) and "The Marlborough" for men ($135.00); however, they still didn't have a Spanish top, modified or otherwise but........"The National" did have "swagger tabs"!  In the 1987/1988 catalog, we saw the addition of "The Nouvelle" ($99.00 - $119.00) and the German boot maker, Cavallo, made "The 4000 & The 7000" ($320.00 to $350.00) and we finally saw the modified Spanish top!

2. Present Day - Prior to bringing Valie into my life in 2006, my last pair of tall boots were sold along with my wonderful Thoroughbred, Brandie.  I didn't bother to replace them, even though I still rode from time to time, but excited about being a horse owner again, I decided the time was right to shop and that I did, starting with:

the Saxon, a great non-leather starter boot that fit nicely, looked like leather from afar but unfortunately just didn't hold up to the rigors of "my" riding and/or the way "I" worked around the barn!  We then went to

the Ariat Challenge and while they fit O.K., there was just something about the leather that felt stiff and uncomfortable!   However, thanks to my buddy, Lindsey Canesi, I was introduced to the Ariat Crowne Pro and oh, how that buttery, soft leather sang to me!  I had to have them so I browsed through ebay and found them on sale from $549.99 to $349.95 and as only a bargain can do to a person, I found myself "clicking on" ebay's buy-it-now feature faster than the speed of light!  They arrived and I was thrilled, each boot was encased in their own individual dust sleeve and there was an extra set of traditional (rather than the elastic permanent laces that came standard on the boot); so, if you wished to convert, you could easily do so!  I was in love, I didn't want to even try them on, I found myself gazing at them, opening the box every day and finally, at the coaxing of a family member who reminded me that my boots were not a new addition to my house decor, I was shamed into trying them on - immediately!  But wait, why didn't they zip up? The Challenge zipped up just fine, what was going on?  I went to their online size chart and saw that both boots had a calf size of 15 3/4, the mystery deepens!  I then did a visual side-by-side comparison in the catalog and after close inspection, I found that Ariat designed the Challenge with a shaped calf rather than the Crowne Pro's slimmer styling.  But as my luck would have it, I had wasted too much time "gazing" at my boots and not bothering to try them on.  Since I was too late to return them off they went to be listed on ebay and it was there that I sold them at a considerable loss.  At this point, after a failed attempt at purchasing Der Dau customs, I gave up for several months but when Tall Boot Fever hit me yet again, I decided to try:

Mountain Horse's newest Field Boot, The Venice!  They looked so nice in the Dover catalog so off I went to the store but was, yet again, not satisfied.  I had a feeling that they would be a custom fit because of the vertical stretch-elastic insert located by the zipper.  And, although I must tell you that the fit was perfect, I did not like the leather at all, they reminded me of my Saxons but I loved the Saxons because they looked like leather and I disliked the MH's Venice because, to me, they looked synthetic (go figure!).

3. The End - After carefully checking as many online tack shops as I could, just to see if there was a brand I missed and then doing a Chronicle of the Horse (COTH) forum search on Tall Boots, I discovered the Treadstone Grand Torino Field Boot (not to be confused with Tredstep).  Ohhh, the online photos of these boots screamed, "classy", the leather looked ever so soft, the swagger tab has a button down brass-like insignia (the insignia is not pictured in the below captioned photo for some reason that remains unknown because that is certainly the boot), they look like they have good ankle flexion and my list of "likes" went on!  But keep in mind that these were purchased sight unseen and even though the good people on COTH seemed to love them, with my poor tall-boot-buying track record, I should have resisted but....I didn't!  The order was placed, they arrived, I tried them on immediately (see, I do learn from past mistakes!) and I just love them!  Ahhh, I finally have "form and function" in a beautiful but durable leather tall boot.  The calf and height size feel like custom (deciding on sizing was easy due to Treadstone's vast array of sizes) and even the foot-bed fit like a dream.  The search is over, I'm satisfied and I highly recommend these boots to everyone!

       

                 We have a winner in the                   

Cathy's "Dare to Dream of the Perfect Tall Boot" Contest

                                            

Post Script: I received an email from SmartPak last week, it was an announcement by Tredstep to introduce two new field boot styles. I immediately tried to stop reading the details but sadly, my curiosity would not allow me to delete! As visions of "tall boots danced in my head", I began to think, "Ahhh, the Tredstep Donatella is gorgeous and who couldn't use two pairs of boots, I bet many riders have at least two, maybe even three so why not me? Shall I call SmartPak to reserve my pair, Yes, I will!"  And, as I began to dial the SmartPak order line, I was interrupted by the miracle of call waiting and with that, my attention was momentarily diverted and I was able to come to my senses by the time the call was over. However, I will still look for reviews of these boots as they hit the market later this month! Lastly, if you see me wandering around SmartPak in Natick, Massachusetts, you will faintly hear me chanting my mantra to the Tall Boot Gods, "Please allow me to remember how much I love my Treadstone Grand Torino Field Boots!".

Has anyone had a similar experience? If so, I would love to know that I'm not alone in my "Tall Boot Dilemmas" and/or any like subject!

The Down Side of Winter

"....i'm glad to be back, blogging was one of the things that I had to table for the past weeks.  And, that's because for one, we've experienced the single, most difficult winter Massachusetts has seen in a long time.  Moreover, I've been the "Director" of snow shoveling and ice scraping for the family and that meant barking commands to various family members that did not want to leave the warmth of the house and finally........because of the subsequent mental exhaustion that ensued, I was hard pressed to even make a phone call much less blog about Valie and I.  But, what with daylight savings time soon to happen in March and all things equestrian related to go back into "full swing", there will be lots to say!  When I blog again, I plan on finally attacking the age ol' subject of my ongoing "Tall Boot" dilemma and I am actually looking forward to chronicling my efforts to find the perfect tall boot (I've already found the perfect half chap and I may tell you all about that as well).  I sincerely hope that you guys, my followers, have had a peaceful winter season and I will be catching up with your blogs right away!"

Why I Ride

Why do I ride? A simple four word question that has such a complex answer lies in wait of an explanation, doesn't it? I go back in time to tell you that I began to ride when I was just a little 6 year old munchkin. Moreover, like many young girls, my mount’s kind, soulful eyes captivated me as did the scent of hay, grain and shavings, the smell of leather in the barn owner’s tack shop and most of all, the sheer joy of receiving such a gift from my Dad, the years of lessons he provided for me. Even though my Dad has passed on, I clearly remember him patiently standing by the dusty outdoor ring! I would catch his eye as my mount, Snowball and I, went round and round and his face always told a story, “You’re doin’ great honey”, that’s what his eyes said. Oh, how I miss that encouragement today!

Anyway, the truth was that I was filled with a compulsion to ride because of the excitement and even the fear I felt when astride these beautiful creatures. The horse, with a mind of his own, unpredictable with flights of fancy, provided a melting pot of happiness and a healthy dose of fear. I forged ahead and my passion grew with the inevitable passing of time! However, over the years my feeling and the reasons why I continued to ride changed dramatically. In my early twenties, my riding then morphed into a new phase, it was all about the competition or the fox hunt or the tall boots or the new saddle and of course, my horses were important to me as well but the focus was different – a different time and a different place in my life. Therefore, when I look at my reason for riding today and what I feel for my horse, it’s a whole lot different from why I rode and what I felt so many years ago.

So, flash forward to finally “growing up”, I suddenly realized that I had taken some 17 1/2 odd years away from horse ownership and did so to finish college, begin a career, raise a family, etc. When I reached my early 50’s, it occurred to me that I was missing something primal and that was my need to reconnect with a horse again, on a one-to-one basis, “Yup, I was ready to be an owner again!” I realized that the desire and passion that drove me to ride as a child and as a young adult was replaced by a strong need to “give something back” to equines in general. I needed to find a way to show my thanks and my respect for the horse and that led me to feeling passionate about “rescuing” a horse rather than buying a “pleasure or show ready” horse as had been the case as a younger person. I wanted another Thoroughbred but this time I wanted one that was unwanted because he was not fast enough, one that would have been tossed aside because he was in poor mental or physical health or even both and sadly, one that might end up facing a horrific end at an auction. In other words, I was determined to give a new life to a horse “after he left the track” and that’s what prompted the revitalization of my interest in horse ownership! 

I suddenly realized that my desire to ride again, on a horse of my own, had taken on a whole new meaning. The possibility of helping a horse find a new "life after the track" became my single focus.  I found him, a horse that had been taken from a fairground race track, a horse that needed sustenance, love but most important was that he needed to learn to trust.  So, I began to devote myself to his well being and what he gave me in return is why I ride now.

The truth was that I did not care if I couldn’t ride the horse I saved, as long as I was able to save even one horse from auction, that selfless act would satisfy my needs! However, as it turned out, my boy, my Valie, retired from the track in sound condition! So, I ride and he takes me anywhere I want to go, do I want to forget the troubles of the day, do I just need to relax and enjoy this simple pleasure, whatever my reason on that particular day is why I ride!

We walk to the mounting block, he stands like a rock because I really believe that he knows my mounting hand is disabled and despite the fact that it may take five times and sometimes even more to get in the saddle, he doesn’t move until I am safely astride and cue him that’s it’s time to walk. So, off we go! I ride him and he carries me with care, I encourage him when he hesitates or is wary and in turn, he trusts me enough to go forward when he feels my leg and hears my voice, when I’m scared, he takes baby steps and when I’m not, he gives me as much as I want but never more. “….could I continue to go on expounding about the genuine connection we have, “Yes, I could but I think you get the picture”.

"....only 3 months off the track!"

If you would like to comment on this topic, I would truly love to hear why you ride and how you connect with your horse!

Happy Holidays & More!

"....i still feel that heartwarming emotion when I receive notes of encouragement and nice comments from my virtual friends here at blogger.com!  I continue to marvel at this whole blogging process - you are able to catch a glimpse of people and their lives just by visiting their blogs!  As I've said before, finding that you can really begin the process of forging friendships and getting to know a fellow blogger, just by keeping up with daily or even weekly site visits is definitely handy when one doesn't communicate in a more traditional fashion.  So, now that I have some free time because of the Christmas season (the last surgery is on hold until the new year, I have a break from the dentist and even from the myriad of hospital tests), I'm finally able to spend time on my computer again!  And, I shall look forward to visiting your blogs and even commenting too as we continue with the ongoing process of getting to know one another!


I'm not yet back to riding, (I must wait until I have my bladder surgery and then the subsequent recovery process will further hinder my return-to-riding until late Winter/early Spring), I still maintain that it's critical to spend time with your horse, even if it's a hand walk, time spent grooming or even just hanging out with him in his stall.  But, since I'm used to having my guy stabled no more than 10 - 15 minutes from my home, now that he's approx. 30 - 40 minutes from home, it's been hard to get to the barn and I miss him terribly.  I sometimes find myself agonizing over whether or not the move to the new barn was premature but then I remember the benefits and also Valie has gained weight, made some great new turnout friends and is one happy Thoroughbred! 


On another note, I am happy to announce that my two grandsons, ages 3 & 5, are now riding at Four Winds Farm.  The 5 year old is actually taking lessons and the 3 year old gets a little leadline time at the end of the older child's lesson.  Please enjoy the photos I've posted of both boys!  Elijah is the older boy and Isaiah is the younger one, they are both horse crazy and forgive my if I sound like a proud Grandmother, but Elijah's posting trot is just incredible!  My little Isaiah will formally begin lessons when he turns 4 and I look forward to the day that the three of us ride together!  So, my question for the week is, What do you think of placing small children on a horse (with a helmet on their wee little heads, of course!) and what about lessons, etc.  I ask this question because some of my non-horsey friends are questioning my sanity and I would like to get a take on what you guys think!  Please don't hesitate to be brutally honest if you don't agree with my decisions to back their "horse fever"!"

Isaiah Dellacanonica

Introducing my youngest Grandson, 3 year old Isaiah, in his barn owned helmet!

I plan to get him fitted for a brand new helmet when he officially begins lessons.

Elijah

Introducing 5 year old Elijah, my oldest Grandson, and his mount for the day (a very trusty school horse!) and in the rear is Caitlin O'Neill, FWF's Barn Manager and she's a talented Instructor as well!

Four Winds Farm - Our New Home

"....after much personal chaos, family illness, that of my immediate family and myself, and everything that goes with a close family going through "tough times", I am back-to-blogging because life has granted me a reprieve from the intense responsibility of worrying about family and self and caring for others while attempting to recover and maintain my own health.  But, since this blog is supposed to be about Valie and I, I shall reserve the gory health details for another point in time, a time when I just can't find anything to say about "all things equine" (will that ever happen?).

I also want to take a moment to thank those of you that wrote support notes both here on my blog and via personal email!  I am finding that I look forward to visiting my follower's blogs and am also looking forward to getting to know ya'll a little better as time goes on.  I wonder if it's possible to make new friends, across-the-country, in this manner.  But, if the comments and blogs I've had the pleasure of reading are any indication of the wonderful people that blog and check in here, I am beginning to believe that friendships can be developed this way and that is definitely something I will cultivate in the future!

So, with that said, let me announce that Valie and I have have gone out on our own while Lindsey pursues other endeavors and as such, we made the move to a new barn.  The above captioned photo depicts the driveway entry to the property and as you can see, the name of the farm is "Four Winds Farm" and it's located in North Oxford, Massachusetts.  I know that I had not talked about moving other than to tell you about a friend of mine that was having his own share of "barn" difficulties.  But, the barn I'm coming from, Legacy Stable in Mendon, Massachusetts, was wonderful and the care was great as was the facility itself.  The primary reason for the move is because I am looking at hardly being able to ride over the winter while recovering from my surgery and the other health issues and that I was hoping to find someone to do some catch rides on Valie as well as some schooling rides on him by a trainer.  The problem is that Legacy Stable is primarily a saddleseat barn and specializes in Morgans and Arabians and since the Vee-Boy is a Thoroughbred, I thought it would be best to move to a barn that works with TB's as well as rides in the same discipline that I do (Hunter/Jumper).

Anyway, I had a really hard time coming to the decision  to move again being that it was our second time here and that owners/trainers, Mike and Liz Murphy, are my "friends", I admire them very much and also, had it not been for them, I would have never made my re-entry into horse ownership as smooth as it was 4 years ago, without their knowledge and assistance!  But, putting Valie first as well as giving him an opportunity at a huge turnout with grass in the summer and an owner/trainer, Jamie Blash, that is excellent at what she does, I am quite secure in the decision I've made. 

The night I went to visit the farm for the first time, only a mere half hour into the tour, I began to feel safe with Ms. Blash and knew my horse would be in good hands.  Some of those feelings stemmed from the visual of the tremendous condition of the farm, the well fed horses that were happily munching lots of hay in their clean stalls and the happy boarders and students, all indicators of a top-notch facility and a hint of the great care my horse would surely receive.  Another interesting observation was noticing that Jamie was genuinely warm and welcoming and let's face it, that's something you don't always find in barn owners/trainers.  In other words, I immediately and completely "hit it off" with her and truly speaking, I knew right then and there that I had found our new home!  So, as of this upcoming Monday, we will celebrate our 2 Week anniversary at Four Winds Farm and as I get back in the saddle again, I will chronicle my journey while navigating my body back into "riding mode".  I ask you to come along for the ride and I promise you that we'll share a few laughs as I recount what I'm sure will be many-a-blunder as I try to get back to my previous level of riding!

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"...just a short note to say that I was recently put in the horrific position of having to place my Mom, albeit temporarily, in a nursing home and simultaneously, my Aunt, my Mom's sister, (who is like a second Mom to me), just underwent open heart surgery.  My cousin, my Aunt's son, also had heart surgery a week later, my son is facing foot surgery and I am facing bladder surgery.  So, with that said, please excuse me while I take a little down time to deal with all that's going on.  I will return when "things" become akin to normal again and until then, "Happy Fall" riding!"