Wednesday 9 November 2016

Treats and Rewards

*Not a post about rewarding the pony with treats, not something we do here since Midge is incapable of being polite about such things for any length of time*

Instead, a post about recent riding and training breakthroughs, also my current treat-yourself-to-online-shopping addiction :)

On the riding and training topic: We're starting to reliable half halts in the canter, and to the right we can even get a few strides of collected canter! This is huge because it's taken pretty much forever to get the pony cantering along in front of the leg. First she needed to learn to canter, then how to turn in the canter, then how to shift her weight back and move her body where I ask. Two years of regular work! The next time I go shopping I will be tempted to look for a canter above all else :) Also, it's taken forever for her to realize any tiny ask for more hind end activity does not equal stopping...half halts are sometimes even tricky in trot, since there are days when she'd rather ignore your leg and suck back behind the contact or else move up quite sharply, but drag you along. Baby stuff. My pony still has no work ethic and is forever looking for a reason to quit, but somehow we're making progress. At the moment, the canter is going better than the trot, which I will take as a compliment to our hard work on it.
Sturdy drafty pony is not built for elegance.

Shopping wise....I've been super bad. I love my new Asmar coat so much and I wanted a new warm vest to ride in (my current one is shedding down feathers everywhere), so I looked to see what the Asmar line have. They have some very expensive things, but then I found this at 50% off and in Canadian dollars (so like 75% off the original price), so I ordered it as a treat to myself, along with some composite stirrups:

Asmar Ascot vest

I didn't hear anything for over a week, then I got an email that they were actually sold out. So boo to that. I'm cold all the time, so I went online and found this substitute from another store. A blessing in disguise, because this vest was on sale for like $40, and I think from the pictures I like it more:
Horseware Hexham vest
Plus, with the money saved, I ordered a pair of winter breeches on sale.

Then, a couple of days later...I get an email. "Oops we actually DID have the Asmar vest in stock and are shipping your order to you now."

So, that's the story of how treating myself to a new winter coat spiraled out of control and I spent about $450 in the space of a month on a coat, 2 vests, some stirrups, and a pair of breeches. I never been that great about spending money on 'things' so I'm feeling super guilty. On the plus side, I will be warm and dry this winter!



SHARE:

6 comments

  1. This is awesome and I'm going to look up that Horseware vest. My current one is an Old Navy clearance for $5 but it's starting to die. With that price I'm not too upset and ready to shop for something a little nicer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The horseware vest is coming via Amazon.ca, but I see the seller is Horseloverz!

      Delete
  2. That is a wicked shopping spree... I love asmar stuff so much. Which website did you find the sale on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. spruce meadows shop had/has some decent sales on Asmar stuff, as did Pleasant Ridge. I was basically shopping last years stuff, it seems to be available at good prices if you can find your size!

      Delete
  3. Sounds like the best kind of treats to me ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. YAS treat yo self! I love those vests. I'm looking for a nice, feminine-cut outerwear jacket (not puffy, obviously) if you happen to know of one.

    ReplyDelete

BLOGGER TEMPLATE MADE BY pipdig