Big Thank You!

Thank you to my friends at Smartpak for my Henry bracelet! Now I have both animals on my wrist :) Smartpak,you guys rock! Www.smartpakequine.com

Don't forget to check out Smartpak for all of your horse or dog needs! They have cute apparel too even for non riders. 

What a great way to start my weekend! TGIF. 

5 years

Yesterday was 5 years since I got Shirley. I remember loading up my trailer and going to get her. I was so excited. 

Shirley belonged to a good friend of mine who I went to horse camp and horse shows with. I still keep in touch with her. 

Here are some photos from the past 5 years :) it's been a very fun...errrr...expensive...5 years. But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Corn Oil...for horses?!

I have realized my blog has turned into pretty much a fashion and home blog, and I need to post more horse related topics. Given that horses have been part of my life for so long, it should be included.

So corn oil is a well kept secret for helping a horse achieve a shiny coat. Why? Because of the essential fatty acids it has. It contains omega 6 fatty acids.

The way I give it to Shirley is by mixing it in with her feed. I do around 1/8 of a cup (eyeball) and shake the feed bucket by the handle to mix it in.

I haven't really noticed a difference in the shine (yet) but I have in the texture. Her coat is softer, and I think once her summer coat starts to come in I will be able to tell more of a difference.

To add fat or extra calories, flax seed or fish oil is a great choice. But for a shiny coat corn oil is a natural way to achieve this!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I've been riding, volunteering with Habitat and worked for a few hours from home.

Love reading your comments :)

Shirley's Haul

So we all know I love shopping and I love horses. So when I can combine the 2 it makes me so happy.

I bought Shirley some goodies from Smartpak.com the other day, I love getting packages even when technically they aren't for me ;)

I got Shirley a new Happy mouth bit. She loves these. I had not heard or used them until I went to a riding clinic and the trainer recommended it. It's flavored like apple, and is so lightweight. Shirley uses a 5 inch. It retails for $54.95. The disadvantage to these is they wear down faster to other bits due to the fact that horses munch on them due to the flavor bit.


I also got her some bit wipes. These are awesome for cleaning bits (and safe!) I got a pack of 40 for $10.95.

The last thing I got was my Kensington green plaid tote bag. All of Shirley's gear is this pattern from Kensington, and the tote bag is a new item. Not all Kensington products come in the green, so when it's released I add it to my collection. This retails for $18.95. It's a high quality product (Kensington is a high quality brand) but for me it's a tad small. I do love the front pocket though.

As I have mentioned, Smartpak has wonderful customer service. All orders over $75 ship free.

I love spoiling my pony :)

Trailer Ride//Weekend Wrap-up

Being a horse owner isn't just about riding and taking care of your horse-but it's about taking care of your stuff as well.

The hubs and I realized that our horse trailer hasn't gone on a ride in about a year. Oops. We decided to take it for a drive and make sure all was working properly. We took it for a ride down the street and back and hubs also wanted to practice backing it up (harder then it seems!)

Turns out he is great at backing up the trailer and all is working fine. Ever since I stopped showing after the wedding, the trailer seemed to have gotten forgotten a bit. We have made the resolution to make sure we take better care of it so it will last for years to come.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I volunteered with Habitat again yesterday, and I learned how to measure and cut tile and learned how to operate a tile saw! This will come in handy when we tile our new laundry room (more on all that later). We also spent a lot of time cleaning of course I rode :)

I love reading your comments! :)

Proposal Story!

(Blogger deleted my last post on this...sorry for the repost!)

So I figured I would share my propostal story. I actually almost mised my chance at getting engaged that day!

H proposed on February 25, 2010. I was 22 years old and a Senior in college.

I went to college close to home and commuted my Senior year, and I still rode in college with my barn and showed with them. Well, one after class H wanted to go to the barn. I wasn't sure why...it was hailing and raining. But he insisted. I was so hungry, I kept whining how I wanted food, but H kept saying that can wait. So we get to the barn, and for some reason it stops hailing and raining. It was a sign. So H goes to the pasture, gets Shirley, and hands her to me, and then gives some speech on how he loves us both and got down on one knee.

The first thing I say is "did you ask my dad?" Haha. What a typical Southern girl thing to say :) (Turns out he helped him pick the ring)

Of course I said yes! Then we went back to my parents house where a cake, champange and family members were waiting :)

I love how H included Shirley and proposed at the barn where I really learned how to ride and grew up. The next night we went to a horse show awards banquet where I got to show off my ring more :)

We were married on April 30, 2011.

Ahhh. I love sweet proposals. And weddings.

I realize how young H and I were and how much we have grown.

Perfection.

Happy Friday! I am so glad the weekend is here. I am ready for another visit from my mother in law and to finish painting our living room!


After work on Tuesday H and I went to go see Shirley together. He loves her and she loves him. I will share my barn proposal story later :) for now I captured this precious shot when he wasn't paying attention.


Perfection. I love my little family.

Non-Riding Evening at the Barn

Back when I used to show, I would ride everyday but Sunday. Sometimes, I even had two a days! All of this and working was a lot to handle.

Now that I haven't shown since June 2011 (marriage caused some sacrifices) I have days where I go out to the barn and I don't ride. I go, hang out with Shirley, and don't feel guilty. Not riding every time is a good thing. It allows the horse to learn how to relax with you, and not associate you with having to work.

However, I can still make my evening productive.

One way I work with Shirley is by lunging her every few days. What is lunging? It is a way to exercise your horse from the ground. It also works voice commands, balance, and it allows you to watch the horse's natural movement to detect any injury or soreness. It is done in a "lunge ring", which is a fenced in 50-60 inch in diameter circular arena. You can do it with what it is called "a lunge line", which is a 30 inch rope with a buckle on the end, or you can do "free lunge", which is what I prefer...no line.

Shirley is an old pro :) The way her neck is out and her head is slightly down means she is using her neck muscles and she wants to strech and relax.

I also enjoy going to the barn and giving Shirley a good grooming, giving her treats, and just hanging out at the barn with the other riders.

Oh, and taking photos of my favorite barn dog, Jessie, a jack russell. Isn't she precious!

I love spending time at the barn, and relaxing after a hard day at work!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far :)

Smartpaks!

This post is not sponsored by Smartpak in any way. All reviews are my own.

As a horse owner, I try to give my horse the best. I want her to feel, look and perform her best.

There were 2 things over the past year that made me adjust her health routine...the fact that we moved from a dry, cold climate to a warm, damp climate, and the fact that she turned over the age of 15.

Smartpak is an amazing brand. You choose your supplements, and how much you want measured, then they create your "Smartpaks" for you! The supplements are sectioned off into their own sections, and are labeled. They have so many supplements avaliable, (their own generic brand is amazing and affordable) and they package it out for you. Then they ship it on an auto shipment whenever you want (I do it every month). They are labeled and measured. All you do is rip open the top and dump the supplements. No measuring! It's great for a barn that has a variety of people in charge of feeding. They also give you a free storage container when you first sign up, and are always happy to send samples to make sure they work for your horse.

Their customer service is beyond amazing. I ordered some shampoo that came opened when it was delievered. I called them, they gave me a refund, sent me a new bottle free, AND a $10 gift card towards Shirley's smartpaks. It was beyond expectations. They have won awards for their customer service. Smartpak orders over $40 ship free.

Their website also sells horse items, riding apparel and animal related gifts, and they ship free with Smartpaks!

ANDDD.....they have Smartpaks for dogs also!


Shirley is on 3 supplements. She gets 1 pack a day, usually with dinner.

The first is Smarthoof. I love Smarthoof. When I moved to FL, Shirley's feet got really brittle, due to the grass changes here. Within 2 weeks of using this, her feet have never looked better. Originally I was on 1 scoop, but now that it's dryer here, I reduced her to 1/2. I may increase it back to 1 starting this summer.

 

The second is Smartmare Harmony. I give this to her frankly, because as much as I love my Shirley, she can be very difficult to handle when she is in heat. This supplement has seriously made my life easier. Now her heat is very managable, and actually has reduced her stressing. She gets 1 scoop.

 

 

 

The last one is SmartLytes. I started this right before we moved to FL so she wouldn't get dehydrated. I was worried about the heat and how she would react. We did not have problems, and I give credit to this supplement. I found out that many of the other horses at the barn are on this supplement. As hot as last summer was, I am thankful she was on it!

 

Right now she gets 1/2 a scoop, I will probably bump her up to 1 when summer starts.

 

So that is my review! I feel like supplements have made Shirley happier and more comfortable, and also has made my life easier and took some worries away. Like people, changes in life can cause changes in diet. I feel very proactive in what Shirley gets.

Do you give supplements to your pets? Don't forget to visit Smartpak as well here!

 

 

 

 

Meet Shirley!

I thought I would take a blog post to introduce my sweet girl Shirley Temple!

Her show name is Kiss and Tell, and her barn name is Shirley Temple, or Shirley. Kiss and Tell is the name of a Shirley Temple mini movie.

So the way she came into my life is an interesting one. I knew her previous owner very well, as we went to horse camp together when we were young, and we showed together. One show, she shows up with Shirley. I had my old horse Roscoe at the time (more to come on that), but I saw Shirley and immediately fell in love. I remember thinking to myself that one day she would be mine.

About a year later, I made the decision it was time for me and Roscoe to part. He has not the horse for me. I had owned him for about 3 years at ths point, and I knew I wasn't the right person for him. I put an ad up for Roscoe, knowing that I wanted to find the perfect home for him, not just A home. I received so many phone calls from people on him, and no one seemed to be perfect.

I later heard from a reliable source that Shirley's owner was looking for a new horse. I called her up, arranged a time to see Roscoe and Shirly together, and we ended up agreeing on a trade. I got my Shirley! I knew that one day she would be mine, and I was right. Roscoe went to my friend, and the best part was he was nearby and I could see him whenever I wanted. He had the greatest home until he past away from colic in January 2011.

This was almost 5 years ago. Shirley will always be mine, no matter what.

Shirley and I did the show circuit for 3 years, winning many year end division titles, and many local titles. Now we just enjoy riding and enjoying each other's company :) I even had my bridal portraits taken with her.

Some facts about Shirley:

-She loves black licorice, candy canes, mike and ikes and spicy peanuts
-She is afraid of cows
-Her color is called grulla, and it's very rare. It's a recessive gene.
-She is 3/4 quarter horse and 1/4 arabian
-She is allergic to wool
-Her best friend is my best friend's horse named Willow