Whoa~! Rein 'em in here and show your horse! 2026

@Brioddy who is his little donkey friend? He's adorable! I love donkeys!
That’s Sugar! They are the best of friends. There wasn’t another horse to spare to be a buddy for him so the barn owner threw her in with him and they hit it off right away. She’s had her since birth, she’s about eight years old now. She thinks she a dog and practically climbs in my lap, and also gets into EVERYTHING…

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My FB and IG algorithms have been showing me a lot of video's of the UK's first bridleless dressage and show jumping competition. Pretty amazing! Of course it's very polarizing :rofl:

I went to the National Western Stock Show in Denver every year to watch some of the competitions, incl. freestyle reining. Every year there were several competitors who worked bridleless and I always loved to see that! The pinnacle was when one of the bridleless riders won the freestyle competition, and then I didn't feel the need to go anymore.

Of course, Stacy Westfall really is the pinnacle when it comes to bridleless reining.
 
Driving up hills like that, I just put the truck into 4wd and it pulls nicely.
I talked to my friend yesterday and asked her if her Tahoe has four wheel drive. It does! She said she didn't even think of that ! LOL duh. She said she usually doesn't have any trouble going up that hill. This time it just seemed to have more gravel that made us slide a little more than what she was used to.
 
I talked to my friend yesterday and asked her if her Tahoe has four wheel drive. It does! She said she didn't even think of that ! LOL duh. She said she usually doesn't have any trouble going up that hill. This time it just seemed to have more gravel that made us slide a little more than what she was used to.
We are in a hilly area; some of the best riding near me requires going up an 8 mile long gravel road (and back down again when you're through) to the parking and trailhead at the top. You definitely need a good tow vehicle w/ 4wd going up hills.
 
What a handsome boy!!! are you in an english or western saddle? I did go back and look but it looks like you've got a sheepskin cover but stirrups suggest western?

Y'all got me so jazzed that I did register for the Polo Class. YOLO right?
 
What a handsome boy!!! are you in an english or western saddle? I did go back and look but it looks like you've got a sheepskin cover but stirrups suggest western?

Y'all got me so jazzed that I did register for the Polo Class. YOLO right?
Thank you! 🥰 I actually have… four saddles… 😬😂 and they are all different. I have an ancient Kieffer all purpose English type, a Hastilow dressage saddle (which I was riding in yesterday) the one you saw previously is a Kuda flex trail saddle that is more western type. Then I also have a Billy Cook roper western. The Billy Cook I’ve had since I was 8 years old, my dad bought it for me and I can’t bring myself to part with it as he’s been gone almost fourteen years and I would’ve never had the opportunity I did with horses if it wasn’t for him. It is wide with full quarter bars so doesn’t fit Nacho, but hey who knows what the future holds 🤷‍♀️😂. I kept the Kieffer because it’s a well made saddle, but due to its age and inability to be reflocked resale is quite low, so I might as well keep it. It fits a variety of horses, and who knows maybe I’ll want to try my hand at jumping someday. The Kuda is probably -my- favorite to ride in, but honestly it’s a little narrow and I am not hopeful it will continue to fit as Nacho fills out and gains muscle. Which leaves my Hastilow, really a beautiful saddle very well made and I don’t think I’ll have another saddle this nice 😂 I got it for a steal, it’s also fully adjustable with interchanging gullet bars and a professional can alter the flocking. It’s quite comfortable as well. I almost sold it but changed my mind, I love that as Nacho changes the saddle can too. I do feel kind of bad using it as a trail saddle though.

Since I’m not doing any kind of competitions my tack is often mismatched. I prefer the “less is more” approach which is why my head stall is a one ear without a nose band or throat latch, I also don’t employ any kind of breast collars or cruppers. It’s also generally not needed with the flat kind of terrain here though.

Let us know how the polo goes! Once upon a time I had a three year old Thoroughbred filly who was petite, around 15 hands, and she went on to be a polo pony.
 

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