Horse Expo

It's been apparently three years since I went to the Western States Horse Expo! I last went in 2018. Then I had mono in 2019 and COVID canceled it in 2020. 

This year though, I was able to go! I opted to take Friday off to go so that I could preserve my weekend plans (as I didn't think it'd happen so didn't find out about it until I'd already made plans) and so that I could go with friends! 

While I was at expo, the SO rode his bike to the
bay and took this picture! I can't wait to go sometime

I didn't have anything major I wanted to get except tan knee patch breeches for jumping. Kate was at a B rated hunter/jumper show nearby and Flounder was showing (he placed in the 2'6 hunters with his junior! Such a good fish), so she said I could come take him in a class if I wanted to! I was very tempted except that I have NO showing clothes for jumping, and I've also only jumped him like four times. I told her next time for sure!

I figure if I do the jumpers (I am not a hunter and I'm a pro so no equitation for me), I can get away with a polo shirt or my navy dressage jacket, but there's no getting away with white full seat breeches (or bright green, or navy blue, or dark gray, or checkered blue, I basically have no tan breeches at all). 

Unfortunately I did not find breeches, but I did get a few other things! I finally picked up a ball for TC, I also got him some Equifuse conditioner (omg it smells so good) and rehydrinse. Plus I picked up a Hygain supplement, just a two week trial size one. 

This helmet actually fit me so I took
a picture of it!

I also sat in some saddles! There was a brand that actually carried the Butterfly saddles, but I ignored those, they just don't work with my back, which sucks. 

The one that seemed the most promising was a company called MaxFlex. They have a special tree that allows more shoulder flexibility, so that's helpful. Plus they hand make all their saddles and they were beautiful (and reasonably priced! $3,000-$3,500 brand new), really good quality leather. I sat in one and it felt wide and the block put me in a weird place. We spoke about what could be done and they said they could change the block if I wanted. That sounded good! I decided to hunt for a seat that wouldn't feel too wide to me. I sat in another couple and they were also fine. Then I sat in the one that LOOKED the widest and it felt really good! So I wrote that one down. I actually loved the block on that one too. 

I wished I could have just grabbed it but I'm still waiting on the EQ Saddle Science people and have high hopes for that saddle. But if for some reason that saddle doesn't work, I'll bring the MaxFlex people out, they said they'd be willing to come down to me (they're just a couple hours north). 

This was my favorite one, it felt wide
but it wasn't! 

We watched a few of the presenters in the afternoon. The dressage person was a bit hard for me to hear, so it wasn't that interesting (I mean, I see dressage all the time lol nothing against the riders). But we went to watch the same cavalletti clinician who I rode with in February! 

That session was fun, it was the same lesson/presentation format as the clinic I was in, but I was able to watch rather than ride. They did a great job getting a variety of horses, there was a horse who was clearly a jumper (who jumped the cavalletti the first time and it was beautiful), a cute little western horse, a horse that was a little nervous and tense, a horse that was a bit lazy, you know, lots of sorts! 

It was fun to watch how the horses all changed throughout the ride. There was nothing entirely groundbreaking for me just because I've been in the clinic before, but it was still fun! 

I also liked this so I took a picture of
it, if it was navy instead of black I
would have got it!

After expo, I got to see my friend's amazing garden and it was so inspiring that I went out and bought more plants over the weekend. Just herbs but I also talked to the SO about planting more things in the actual ground (I'm out of space in my beds lol) and he's game. Our house is going to be like the produce section of the grocery store soon. 

And after that, I drove home and went straight to bed lol but it was such a fun day! I'm bummed I never found my breeches, but my bank account was happy I didn't buy all the stuff I had thought I might (except then I went to the plant store saying "I didn't spend that much at expo soooo"). I still need knee patch breeches and some show stuff for jumping, but that can wait!