Happy Valley Studios Horse Butt Mug

A couple months ago I saw some photos of these really cute coffee mugs floating around Pinterest. I love theses mugs, I think they are so stinking cute. They have a bunch of coat colors to choose from which makes them even better.

You can find some of the colors at Tack Room Inc or from Horse Lovers Trading Post

What do you guys think? Which is your favorite color?

Haas Grooming Brushes, Review to Come

I've been thinking about upgrading my grooming kit for a couple weeks now after coming across a post on The 900 Facebook Pony about a Leistner brush that totally knocked her socks off. I've always used the generic, synthetic brushes that are found at most tack stores and never really thought about changing them. After reading the post however, I really began to notice that my brushes just push the dirt around instead of lifting it up, up, and away.

I'll admit I've never was one of those hard-core-into-grooming people, my coat grooming routine basically consisted of knocking dirt/mud off, currying, and brushing with a dandy/flick brush. If there was dust left over *sometimes* I would run a rag over it, hoping it would disappear. After reading the aforementioned post, I decided to see if taking it up a notch with the brushes I already had would make a huge difference.

So for the past week I changed it up. My grooming routine was now knock mud off, curry, medium/coarse dandy brush, medium dandy/flick brush, and finishing with a soft brush. Yes it took slightly longer, and yes there was less dust, but I still felt like things could be better.

*I always flick out my brushes with a curry or against a sturdy corner as I go, but I didn't think to wash them before my little experiment. My brushes *may* have performed a little better if had washed them but hindsight is 20/20. Note to self, wash brushes next time I go to the barn.*

I looked into a few different brush brands but ultimately decided I liked the Haas brushes best. I researched their different models, looked up prices, and read other peoples reviews on which brushes they liked/found the most useful. After deciding which brushes would work best for me, I tried to convince myself why I didn't need to spend $75+ on new brushes, and hesitated on pulling the trigger.

*Enter my darling husband*

While perusing the internet yesterday he proceeded to ask me what I was looking for (as if he didn't already know the answer was horse stuff). I mentioned I was looking for new brushes and he asked if the ones I had weren't working.

*Crickets*

"Well, no." While I explained that they were alright but I was looking to upgrade, he mentioned he recently did the same with his computer keyboard...

*Crickets*

... I don't know about you guys but I've always used the keyboard that came with my computer or the cheapest replacement I could find if the first one broke. What could you do to a keyboard to make it any different from the one sitting next to it? How many special keyboard options could there really be out there I thought? Well, apparently there are $170 keyboards; ones that light up different colors and that have reduced noise key clicking and apparently really kick butt.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, I opened up the tab with my shopping cart of brushes and pushed purchase. So I am soon to be the proud new owner of some fancy, schmancy Haas brushes. The ones I ordered are:

1. Haas Military Brush- As per the Haas website: "The shorter and stronger bristles are for a thorough cleaning effect, whilst the longer bristles remove dust and enhance the shine. This brush really locks into a soft coat and ensures that every dirt, sweat and dust is taken to the surface of the coat. A particularly strong horse hair mixture has been used for this brush. The border is edged with longer bristles."

2. Haas Lippizaner Brush-"An exclusive horse hair mixture is used for this brush. The border is edged with longer black horse hair. The shorter bristles for gentle cleaning and the longer for removing dust and giving gloss."

3. Haas Noir Brush- "Special pure soft horsehair. Ensures moisturising and clean results with a natural shine."

 4. Haas Diva Exclusiv-"A Brush with Lambswool and the Border with soft Horsehair. For a perfect, glossy finish. Black with Leather Handstrap"

This brush may be a little over the top but hey, go big or go home.

5. Haas Kopfbürste Face Brush- "A face brush brush made of a mixture of very soft white horse hair."

I can't wait for them to arrive so I can finally try them out! Once I get the brushes and use them a little, I'll post a review of how things are going. If anyone has any questions about them leave a comment below or send me a message on Instagram @Rocky092.

 (P.S. The most useful brush info I found on the brushes can be found at Eqclusive LTD and Reinhold's Horse Wellness Store)

SmartPak also has their Spring2016 Sale so all the Haas brushes they carry are 15% off, win-win!

Some Spring Shopping for Soft Shell Jackets

With the summer show season quickly approaching I wanted to make sure I had comfortable and not completely unfashionable clothes to wear in my grand prix debut (jk I'm showing in hopeful hunter to build up my confidence again). But still, being comfortable is on the top of my list when it comes to what I wear when riding because yes, I am a pea princess.

Since I already have two show coats I originally wasn't thinking of getting another but then I read a thread on soft shell jackets that are extremely stretchy, water resistant, and comfortable to wear and the wheels began to turn. I've tried on a couple of soft shells before and didn't fall completely in love, so at the time I decided to purchase a well fitting RJ Classics jacket (for a steal) instead.

Anyway, I ordered three soft shells (one of which I found out was back ordered after the package arrived, bummer!) and since SmartPak has free returns on sized items, figured I'd send back the ones that didn't fit/work out. Since this wouldn't be my main show jacket I tried to keep the price point as close to $100 as possible.

The first jacket I tried was Equine Couture Raleigh Soft Shell Hunt Coat for $99.95. Honestly this had the nicer material between the two coats but the arms were SOOO baggy on me. I feel like my proportions are pretty average (not overly muscular or overly skinny) so I was surprised at this. I even tried on my other traditional show jackets to see how those fit and they were MUCH slimmer through the arm than this jacket. The length of the sleeve was also too long for me so unfortunately this coat just did't work. The fabric quality is spot on and this coat has more structure than a typical soft shell coat so it's a bit more tradition than the other coat I received.

The second jacket I tried was the Horseware Competition Jacket which was on sale at SmartPak as of 3/16/16 for $76.96; Can't beat that! This coat was a little more jumpery and the navy was more of a french blue color in person, but I kind of liked that about this coat. It's also waterproof and breathable so I thought it would be a good coat to wear instead of my good wool coat if its raining. If you want something more traditional, the black would be a better option. I might consider adding shoulder pads to help with the coat structure a little since this is the coat I decided to keep. The only thing I didn't love about this coat was the way the collar laid around my neck as it was slightly gappy. I might try to see if it can be fit a little more snug, but it wasn't enough to be a deal breaker for me

The last coat in my order was Kerrits Competitors Koat for $119.95 in Japer/White. Since this item was backordered I can't comment on the fit but the color was so interesting to me I had to see it in person. I feel like it will either be a beautiful moss green or some sort of sickly greenish gray color, there's really no way to tell until I open the package.