Endure, here we come!

Let's begin by saying, I hope everyone had a safe and fun Fourth of July! We all enjoyed a nice 4 day weekend, and were all able to get in at least one ride! Back at it again this Monday, our plates have been quite full. We have been busy bees catching up on the weekend orders, preparing to leave for Endure for the Cure, and making tack for the Team USA Endurance riders, who are leaving for France early next week. Here is some of the tack we are sending with them, as sponsors of Team USA!

 
Restocking the trailer with merchandise this week has been the largest task by far, with temperatures reaching a scalding 100+ degrees, but a task worthwhile, as we are very excited to get on the road for Endure for the Cure. What a great and worthy cause and a great time raising funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation! This particular event has raised over $180,000 since it began in 2001, and we are very proud to be sponsors for the ride!

Photo courtesy of endureforthecure.org

Just a little Fourth of July food for thought!

Another Fourth is upon us. I don't know how your guys are, but this time of year means my boys stick close to home for a week.. Even though we have no immediate neighbors, for about a week prior and a week following the 4th, we will hear booms and bangs from all of the surrounding areas. My horses don't care much for it and will huddle together by the gate, as to say "let me come inside and hide!" Being that that is NOT an option, there are many choices for easing your horse's stress during scary situations. Or, perhaps, you just have a nervous horse. One of the homeopathic remedies is Valerian root. Although you can obtain it in several forms, I would prefer the powdered form. You simply combine one teaspoon of powdered root with 5 oz. of hot water and steep like tea, then mix with your regular feed. Some of the benefits of using Valerian root are that, along with offering a calming effect, it also slows peristalsis, thus slowing the passage of food through the stomach and reducing the risk of diarrhea and other symptoms of colic. Some of the other homeopathic remedies are Chamomile, Vervain Root, and Melatonin (which may make him drowsy). There are also manufactured products such as Confidence Plus and Calm & Cool (I have never used either) that will apparently have the same effects. Keep your horses and dogs in mind during this holiday and remember that they might be a little scared. A carrot a day does a good job too. ;)

Back at it again...

Following last week's accident, I have returned to work. And it's a good thing. I don't think that I could have handled the boredom much longer. However, it was certainly not the vacation that I had envisioned for myself.

Anyway, it is definitely nice to be back amongst the living. We had a huge order waiting for us Monday morning. Turns out, Pebble Beach Equestrian Center needs to re-outfit their entire herd, and have commissioned us to do it! This is pretty neat! So, 13 Halter Bridles and 13 sets of reins later, I finally have time to sit down and look at the social media! Here are some shots of the bulk tack.

It was quite the task, but we did it!

I don't know about where you are today, but it is HOT here!! The heat index is something over 100 degrees today. Yikes. The horses are all hiding from the sun. Keep an eye on your pets this week and when it gets like this! Remember that everyone will be drinking a little bit more water, so keep an eye on that stock tank and don't forget about a drink for your horses and dogs when on the trail!

Life can really throw you some curveballs.. WARNING: Mildly graphic content.

It has been a while since my last post and I gotta tell ya, it's not been the best week. But, now that the painkillers are wearing off, let me tell you a little story with several morals.

We, as horse lovers, care for our horses unconditionally. They are our loves, our lives, and often our confidants. We grow so close to them that sometimes it's hard for us to remember that they are still animals, and it only takes a second for us to be quickly reminded how strong they truly are.

While in the pasture putting on fly masks last Saturday, one of my horses spooked on God only knows what (we ALL know how that goes) and planted his big forehead on my nose with great force. A great white light flashed and I knew that I was down for the count. Thankfully, my brother was there to witness the whole ordeal and was able to usher me out of the pasture before I went down. I knew what was coming. It was like someone had opened the floodgates. I decided that I didn't need to rush to the ER to have them tell me what I already knew. My nose was surely broken. I could tell that immediately by the amount of blood that was rushing out of it.. An hour later, I had swelled to such a point that you might have thought that I had gone toe to toe with Rocky Balboa. And lost. Badly. By morning, with my nose still bleeding, I decided that it was time to get a professional's opinion. I drove myself to the ER and, two CT scans later, got the bad news. It wasn't just my nose that was broken. I had four fractures in the bones surrounding my nose, a severed septum, and "subcutaneous air" leaking from a fracture to the soft tissue under my eye. The doc then informed me that the swelling was actually holding my nose in place. "Great", I thought, "I'm going to look like a monster." He set me up with a consultation with an ENT surgeon and sent me on my way with scripts for pain killers and some heavy duty antibiotics to treat this rampant air.

When my husband broke his pelvis falling from my horse last summer, his immediate response was that he was never going to sit on a horse again. MY immediate concern was that it is going to be several weeks before I can ride again. The passion of a true horse lover to return to your animals following a traumatic event, be it a fall or just a freak accident as I suffered, is undeniable. We horse people are some of the toughest and most determined (and often hard headed) of humans who walk this planet, not to mention our ability to be so forgiving. We know of the inherent risks, yet we still insist that this is where we want to be. The rewards far outweigh the risks.

So, here I sit. In my bed. Feeling pathetic. Waiting for the pills to kick back in. And before they do, I will get to these aforementioned morals. Never take for granted the strength and unpredictability of even the most gentle horse, and always have someone around when you enter your beloved creatures territory, for it is THEIR domain.

I can't wait to return to work next week and get back to sewing tack and continuing to pursue my passion. And even more so, I can't wait to get the green light to get back on. Because that is what it is all about. Getting back on. Life's curve balls can knock you down, but it is up to you to decide to get back up. 

-Erin

P.S. I give great thanks to Kristen (our fearless leader) for delivering my laptop to me yesterday so that I may continue my online work! And Happy Birthday wishes to her as well!!

 Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We have been working hard around here doing a little late Spring cleaning. We have reorganized the warehouse and put in new shelving, which was quite the task. After getting the store back in shape following the Al Dunning clinic, we feel back on top! Look how much storage we have created!!

Now  it is time to move on to the shop, and move into the weekend. We are all hoping to fit a ride and enjoy this beautiful weather! Have a great afternoon!

Gah!! Just as soon as I posted the last blog post, Kristen, our fearless leader, discovered this guy hanging around in front of the shop! What should we name him?

Tuesday

Geez! All this rain is great and all, but keeping up with the mowing is more than a chore. It's starting to cut into our riding time! We had a great busy weekend and played catch up all day yesterday, sewing tack for 8 straight hours!! Keep up the ordering! We love to be busy around here!
Today, we are assessing our travels over the next couple of months. The next stop for us will be Endure for the Cure in Peoria, Illinois. We will be there July 10-14. After that, we will be attending the AETA Trade Show in Prince of Prussia, PA!! We are very excited to be a part of this. The dates for this show are August 15-19. Where would you like to see us this summer? Where are you headed off to? Tell us about your summer plans and what products you would like to see on some of your excursions, be it a show, race, or just a trail ride. Have a good week, and Happy Trails!