After last week's fall I had a chat with my instructor about what's going on with Legacy and we have come down to a possible answer of she's not getting worked enough. In the past she's never been the type of horse that does need to be worked constantly as I have left her out of work for 2-4 months before and getting straight back without another thought. But it seems to be that with us now having lessons she's starting to get into a routine of at least being ridden once a week, and she must be liking it. So after deciding that could be the answer to theso many questions of why? I had my fall on Tuesday then lunged her Thursday although she wasn't the most cooperative we sort of got there as when I changed the rein to lunge she came up lame.

I'd arranged another lesson with her on the Monday so I decided to give her until then to come up sound which she did. We just had some awful wind on the Monday and the 2 horses were bolting and doing laps around the field, just to give me that little bit of confidence just before my lesson, thanks Legacy. After explaining to my instructor what had just happened and knowing that Legacy could be a little spooky by the arena due to sheep trailers clanging in the wind I didn't want to get back on her in those conditions.

We decided to give her a lunge to see what type of mood she was in that day. After having a good lunge and not playing up once I decided that I would be brave enough to get on her. During the lesson she then went really well, she was a little slow and lazy and made me work to keep her going but I would much rather that than what I had last week.
Towards the end of the lesson she was stretching out and staring to lower her head, it felt a little odd for me to give her more reins so she could lower her head as I'm used to her ears nearly hitting me in the face. And we did some transitions where I didn't shorten my reins before asking for trot as this has become somewhat of a safety thing for me as I never know what she will do.

So it definitely feels like we're onwards and upwards now, myself and the instructor have decided on working Legacy 3 times a week. We feel this would be enough to get the energy out of her. I'm aiming to ride on my 2 days off and give her a lunge on either the Thursday or Friday. But obviously when it comes to the winter I will have to work harder at sticking to working her the 3 days and possibly not be so much of a fair weather rider. How that will go, I don't know. We'll have to see...

Riding Legging & Tights Wishlist

We've all seen the latest riding clothing hype of riding leggings and tights and I've also seen many others say they're just expensive gym or running leggings which I guess they essentially are. So far I've not splashed out and bought a pair and have only tried the running leggings on sale in Tesco, but I've decided to do a post on some I'd like to try out.

First up is the latest edition of the very first pair I ever seen available. These are the Black Technical Stretch Leggings from Aztec Diamond. They are available in the sizes xs - xl and retail at £35.00. These look super comfortable and I've always wanted to try these out since I first seen them.

Next up is the Horze womens knee patch active tights by Horze. These are available in Navy, Light brown and black. These retail at £26.99. I'm actually really interested in these are they are the first pair of leggings or tights that I've seen that only have the knee patches, all the others I've seen have a full seat. Think I might have to try these out next payday, as it's great with Horze having free postage too. 

The next ones are the Dublin Performance Cool It Riding Tights by Dublin. These come in a variety of colours and the Cool it tights are the summer edition of these tights, they also have a winter edition which are the Warm it tights. The Cool it tights retail at £39.49. the main attraction for these tights are that they are full seat but will gel rather than the usual suede feel. The gel still allows you the freedom that you will get with the tights. The only thing with these that I'm hesitant about is the gel, which is great but when you also have a gel seat saver I don't know if it's going to be too much gel. 

Last up are the Pro Riding Tights With Pocket by Derby House. I've never tried any of Derby House's own brand clothing before and I've read and heard mixed reviews on them. But these riding tights are something I'd like to try possibly when/if they come on sale/promotion in the future to see how they are. They retail at £39.99

Have you tried any of these featured Leggings or Tights? If so what's you opinions on them? Are they worth buying or not?

Dublin Country Boots For Sale.

I have 2 pairs of Dublin country boots for sale. I bought them and I'm unable to bring them back hence selling them both. This is a great opportunity as these boots are no longer made by Dublin anymore. If you're interested in any of these you can email me on pheobejane123@gmail.com or tweet me at @xraceradventure

First up is the Dublin Turnout Boots in Size 8. They are brand new in the box and rrp for £159.99. I've added in a screenshot from Derby House to show the leg measurements for the boots. 

I'm looking for £100inc P&P but I'm also open to offers.

Next up is the Dublin Estuary Tall Boots in size 6. These are also brand new in the box and these rrp at £159.99. 

I'm looking for £100 inc P&P but open to offers again on these. 

Yard Before Work

Due to me working odd shifts in work, I only muck out the horses on my days off of Monday & Tuesday and when I don't start work until 10:45. I work odd times on the weekends and then on the other days opposite to the 'late' shift is the 'early' shift to where I start work at 8 and don't finish until 4:30. With the horses not going out until 8:30 and coming in 4/4:30ish by the time I get there after work they'd be in. Now these 2 horses seem to be the worst 2 to muck out when they're in there, always knocking the wheelbarrow over, standing in the way and making more mess. I'm lucky enough to be fussy not to have to work with this when my mum can muck them out on the days I can't, it's always handy because if either of us need a day off from doing them there's always the other person there. 

This is a quick image of what I wear when I do my yard work. The bottom half of the outfit rarely changes apart from the odd change of footwear.
The trousers I wear are Regatta waterproofs. They are similar to these Regatta Stormbreaker ones I found on ebay for only £8.69 with free P&P. For this price I'm definitely adding these to my ebay watch list for when I need another pair. Although these are lightweight and thin they are durable and last a while. The current pair I'm wearing have lasted me for 2 years. So for the price you pay they do last a long while. These trousers are great because I wrap up warm for work in the winter so those clothes keep me warm while mucking out and then throughout the summer they are light enough to not make me hot. 

On my feet I'm currently wearing my Harry Hall Yale Country Boots, these are some of the most comfortable boots I've ever worn. They are not longer for sale but I recommend if you can get your hands on a pair they're great. 

On my top half I wear a hat on my head no matter how I've done my hair ready for work. Any wooly hat does the job of keeping my ears warm and keeping the smell of dirty horse bed out of my hair, which helps keep me presentable for work. 
I then have a variation of jackets & coats to which I wear on top of my uniform. Due to how warm I can get at times when mucking out I only wear my thermals and work t-shirt under my coat. The current jacket that I'm wearing for this weather is my Dublin Trinity Blouson Jacket, then in the winter I wear my Equine Answers Regatta coat. Throughout the summer I typically just wear a hoodie to cover my uniform or depending on how hot it is I'll wear a different t-shirt and then will get changed when I get into work. 

On my hands I then wear kids gardening gloves as these keep the smells off my hands. The gloves I use are these kids gardening gloves from Wilko. They are also great as the haylage we can can sometimes get thistles in it, they are quite awful when they stick into your hands when you grab into the bale. They are great throughout the winter as they keep your hands dry and keep the chill off of your hands. 




The other alternative to wearing all of these before work is a pair of overalls. I have a pair of these from back when I was in college but I don't really wear them for yard work as they're a bit big for me, and I found throughout the winter I was needing to wear waterproof trousers and a coat to stay dry. 

Summer Rug Wishlist

Although Legacy has many rugs there are also a few I'd like to add into her summer wardrobe. So here's my summer rug wishlist.

First up is the Shires Performance Maxi Flow Waterproof Fly Rug

This rug has: 

- A 600D Shiretex waterproof top section

- A breathable top section

- Tough top section to help against any nicks which fly rugs are prone to.

- Lower section made from maxi-flow mesh

- A Neck cover which has the velcro closure

- & an adjustable belly flap for maximum coverage.

• Now Legacy isn't one to majorly summer with the general horse flys but the bot flys just love to chase her around the field. I feel I spend most of my time trying to skill them when I'm with her. I feel this rug would be great as it would help her with the summer sun against her skin, as she goes very dark in the summer she can struggle with the heat throughout the summer. This is great as the British summer weather is so unpredictable you wouldn't know if your going to need a fly rug one day and a light weight from the rain the next, so this doubles up as both and you won't spend most or your time wondering if you need to change the rug or not.  

Next on my list is the Weatherbeeta Kool Coat Combo

This rug has:

- A durable 230 Poly-cotton outer which allows the air to circulate around and keep the horse cool

- It's ideal to keep the sun from bleaching the coat of dark horses

- It keeps the horse clean and cool on the hot and sunny days, it's ideal for horses which absorb the heat

This one rug I know I won't get much use out of but it's also one I think would be vital to have in Legacy's summer wardrobe due to her coat getting darker in the summer. At times she even looks black. Although she does live by the sea and she is lucky to have a breeze to cool her down sometimes from the sea, she does get quite hot throughout the summer when the sun's out. I've chosen the combo neck over the standard with this as I feel she'd need her neck covered as she gets very hot there throughout the summer. I bet this rug wouldn't stay as white as it arrives long though as Legacy would typically go for a roll soon as she's let loose back in the field.

Finally on my list I would be happy with any of these 2, first up is the Shires Tempest 100g standard neck rug. 

 This rug has: 
- 100G quilted filling
-  600D ripstop

- Breathable ShireTex Outer

- Tapered Seams

- Blanket Set Breast Fastenings

- Adjustable Cross Surcingles & Fillet String

& A Tail Flap.

Now Legacy already has a 100g standard neck rug but I would like to have a new one and add it onto my wishlist as the one she already has doesn't fit her as well as this cut of rug does. 
This rug is ideal for the chiller spring/summer/autumn night's where a no fill offers no warmth and doesn't do the job. It has just enough fill to keep Legacy warm throughout those nights. 

The other rug which I would also be happy having under this category would be the Weatherbeeta Comfitec Plus Dynamic Standard Neck 

This rug has:

- 1200D ripstop Outer
- 100g Polyfill
- A Memory foam wither pad to fit to the horses shape and lift the rug off the withers to prevent rubbing.
- 2 Eazi-clips for fast and easy closing
- Large tail flap
- Reflective strips on tail flap and front flaps
- Leg straps
- Side gusset for easy movement. 

There isn't much difference between the 2 of these rugs in terms of what they are used for, okay they have different features and there is one more tougher than the other but I'm very lucky with Legacy and she does look after her rugs and I've never had to throw away a rug due to her wrecking it in the field. She's only had a few nicks here and there. The 2 horses have the medium detach a neck version of this same rug as a spare between the 2 of them, and it's a great fit for them both, lovely high neck for those who struggle to get that in rugs. It leaves them with plenty of room and freedom to run around and the memory foam wither pad is great on Cloudy who is always loosing a bit of this mane to rugs.

Find this rug on EquineSuperstore and get a free miracle brush, currently £66.99 reduced from £79.99, you also get free delivery on orders over £45.

  

My Rug Buying Obsession.

My name is Pheobe and I have a rug buying obsession. I hate to admit it buy it's something I just can't stop buying and if I manage to not buy I spend a lot of time searching and finding the best deals. Although I love to build Legacy's rug collection, I always make sure I buy them in the sales. Save money where I can ;) 

Her current collection of turnouts include;

Weatherbeeta Genero No Fill Standard Neck.

Gallop 100g Standard Neck.

Derby House 200g Standard Neck.

Weatherbeeta Genero 220g Combo Neck.

Shires Tempest 300g Combo Neck.

360g Genero Combo Neck.

Now that's her main collection with her having a 360g Detachable neck rug as a spare.

When the weights of the rugs get heavier I like to make sure she has a spare or more than one around that weight just in case anything happens. She's very good at keeping her rugs in good condition minus the mud and most of her rugs are 1200D, but I like to be on the safe side to prevent her having to stay in her stable if anything ever happened to her rug. 

She also has many of stable rugs;

2x 100g Standard Neck.

220g Standard Neck.

2x 300g Standard Neck.

360g Standard Neck. 

All her stable rugs are Weatherbeeta apart from her 300g's which are Gallop & Harrison Howard.

After that she also has a standard neck fleece, a scrim cooler, fly rug, ride on fleece exercise rug and a hi-viz net ride on sheet.

At the moment I am searching for a new 100g standard neck for her, eyeing up the new Weatherbeeta Genero 100g rug, A waterproof fly rug, looking at the premier equine one, a waterproof ride on exercise rug to encourage myself to ride in the rain and another medium weight/220g/200g standard neck stable, and I'm possibly looking at a cooler sheet depending on how warm of a spring/summer we get this year.

The searching for these rugs is keeping me satisfied for now, although the 300g combo and 200g standard neck are both brand new within the last 2 weeks. The changing seasons keep making me look. Soon I'll either have to ban myself from the equine sites, unsubscribe myself from the email updates or loose my card before I end up in rug buyers anonymous. 

If anyone wants I'll keep you all updated on my shopping sprees and I can write any reviews on my rugs if people are interested. 

Need Some New Rugs?

I couldn't pass up this opportunity to tell you all about the great rug sale Robinsons are having. If only I didn't just buy Legacy a new Weatherbeeta wardrobe, at this point of the sale I'm half tempted to buy her another one. The best deal I've seen on the site so far is a Weatherbeeta Freestyle Heavy Weight Rug Detach-A-Neck, Just look at this Deal! Saving £90!

  

If only I had the spare money I would buy this as a spare heavy like a shot. The Detach-A-Necks are great, She has a medium Detach-A-Neck and it's the best thing ever, 2 rugs in 1... Saving Money!

Here's the link to the rug. Don't forget to check out the site for other great deals.

P.s I am not getting anything out of writing this post apart from sharing a great deal.

Sales Haul

Not long after Christmas I decided that Legacy needed a new Heavyweight rug, So I went off shopping on the internet for her (which is deadly.) Now while I like to get the best for my money I don't like spending loads of money for a rug which is the same as something cheaper but you end up paying for the name. Hence why I hit the sale, Good name + Good money = Happy Me!

So while I was searching for a new rug for her I found a site which had great sales and ended up buying a lot more than I needed to.

The first item I added into my cart was the thing I was actually shopping for, I chose a Weatherbeeta Genero 1200 Combo Heavy this was originally £74.99 or £56.91 on the site and I bought it for £39.84. She's now got this rug on and it's doing a great job.

The next rug I picked up was purely because of how good the deal was, It's a Weatherbeeta Original 1200 Detach-A-Neck, this was originally £94.99 or £72.00 on the site and I bought this for £50.40.

After that I just decided to have a search through the grooming section and found this 5 Piece Braiding Kit From Roma, originally £3.99 or £3.34 on the site and I bought it for £2.60. 

I've always wanted one of these Massage Rubber Mitts by Roma but never thought I'd use it, so when it was discounted I used this to justify buying it for her, these are originally £3.34 and I bought this for 2.84.

I have a constant struggle with finding either long boots or half chaps that are short enough for my legs, so when I seen these Dublin Easy-Care half chaps I thought these would be great to tide me over until I find some that fit me really well, these are originally £21.99 or £18.51 on the site and I bought them for £14.40.

Legacy also needed a new bridle but while I was looking for one which I really liked and could afford I found this Kincade Raised Cavesson to keep her going for now, this was originally £42.99 or £33.43 on the site and I bought this for £24.95/

The next item is a Shires Pole Folding Saddle Rack, this is great for outside her stable as when she get's impatient she can start walking around and will knock things off the door in the process, great way of keeping the saddle intact and in one place. This was originally £7.50 or £6.43 on the site and I bought this for £4.75.

The last item I picked up was something to just have and to add to the first aid box just in case anything ever happened, it's the Roma Bandages they were originally £1.99 or £1.63 on the site and I bought these for £1.27.

The site I was able to buy all of this from Ponykit, I love their tagline 'Not just for Ponies'. I recommend keeping an eye out for any other great sales on their site because I know I will be.