Time to say goodbye to an old friend

Our old mare is almost 29 years old. She's been a part of our family for so long I can't remember a time without her.  At the end of the summer she started really showing her age.  Two nights ago she took a fall in the arena while she was playing.  It was heartbreaking.  We finally made the decision that its time to let her go.  We're researching the best options for her and found some wonderfully kind people who are willing to support us through this process.  It's going to be hard to say good bye to her, but I know this is the right thing to do.

Thrifty mom, creative mom

I'm a horse show mom who wears many different hats.  So many of those allow me to be thrifty and creative.  Some of you may not know this but I'm a professional crafter.  I know....what the heck is a professional crafter.  Well I take products and make designs out of them that are then place on a website for others to use to get their creative juices flowing. 

Last night while I was getting ready to post my design I started thinking about how I could use my skills to save money showing.  I've already bought fabric and patterns to make my daughters show clothing.  I know I can be creative for costume classes.  But I wondering what else can I do. 

How do others use their talents to save money on showing?

I'm such a rebel

There is something exhilarating about doing something you know your not supposed to do.  My crime you may ask....washing our horse blankets at the laundry mat! LOL

I felt like a special agent.  I scoped the place out.  Then I quietly took my blankets in one by one and stuffed them in the machines.  Then I quickly poured the soap, slammed the door, hit start and made a run for it.  Then came the time to dry them.  I used the same tactics and left without detection.  Once they were dried I gained confidence and folded them right out in the open.  I smiled and in my mind I thought, haha I totally broke all the rule and look at me I'm such a rebel.  I now have really cleaned blankets and something new to add to my bucket list.  I can cross breaking the rules off my list.

How do you get your blankets cleaned?? 

Great website to make your own clothing

As many of you can already tell I'm a bargain hunter.  I'm a stay at home mom of two kids whom are both in private school.  I pinch pennies everywhere I can to allow the the opportunity to get a great education.  When Maddie said, hey mom I want to show, the dollar signs started flashing before my eyes.  I was freaking out of the cost of clothing.  So my being the crafty, thrifty mom I am I started looking for ways to save some money on clothing, but still have her look amazing in the ring.  I found the best website for showing clothing patterns and many other horse related items.  Here's a link below.  Also the crystals...eBay folks.  You can get this super cheap.  Fabric no problem use a JoAnn's coupon and your on your way.

Have fun!  Post pictures if you make your own clothing I'd love to praise you for your hard work!

http://www.suitability.com/

First show entry form down

Yesterday I filled out Maddie's first show entry form.  There were so many classes to choose from.  Walk/trot, western pleasure, western equitation, English equitation, halter, showmanship...ect.  So many options.  I felt so blessed to have a wonderful friend to call and say...HELP!  She was awesome and explained everything to me and what classes to put Maddie in. 

So if any of  you are at Freeze Your Fur Off Open Show, Feb 16th, 2013 at the Mt. Hood Equestrian Center come say hi!  I'll be the one with the super adorable blond girl, while I'll be looking like a hot mess, but have a proud mommy smile all over my face.

Here's a link to the show entry form:
http://www.oregonpinto.com/2013/2013freezeoffopen.pdf

Facebook Resource

Facebook has become my go to when looking for horses or horse related items. When I mention it to people so many say "I didn't know you could find things like that on Facebook!"

There are so many benefits to finding items on Facebook pages. It’s easy! You can find about anything you’re looking for or didn't know you were looking for! When looking for a horse you can go to that person’s page and really get a good feel for who they are! (I can't tell you how many times this has been a very helpful to weed horses out.) You get to develop relationship! You can follow trends! These are just a few of the reason, there are so many more.

I've put a list together of the pages I frequent the most. Please, please add more under the comments. I'll keep adding to the list as people give me their suggestions!

Show clothes:

Oregon Horse Forum for Sale

New to you show clothing (resale)

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

Western Pleasure

Horse Show Bargain Bin

Double J's Used Show Clothing

Tanya's Consignment Shop

 

 

Youth show clothes:

Oregon Horse Forum for Sale

New to you show clothing (resale)

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

Western Pleasure

Youth/kid’s show clothes

Horse Show Bargain Bin

Double J's Used Show Clothing

Tanya's Consignment Shop

 

 

Tack:

Everything But The Horse

WA Horse Tack Exchange, Salem, Wanted

Tack Swap Extreme

Oregon Horse Forum for Sale

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

Horse and Tack trader of Oregon and Surrounding Area

Ellensburg Online Tack sale

Western Pleasure

Horse Show Bargain Bin

The Barter Bin: “Item for a item” Horse and Tack Trader

Enumclaw Online Tack Sale

Tanya's Consignment Shop

Running Roan Tack

 

 

Dressage:

Dressage Horse /Tack Sales

PNW Dressage and CT Talk

 

 

Equestrian items:

Oregon Horse Forum For Sale

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

 

 

Forums to talk about horses:

Oregon Horse Forum

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

PNW Dressage and CT Talk

 

Horses:

Quarter Horses and Paints for sale in Oregon

Washington Horses for Sale

Quarter Horses for Sale in Oregon

Klamath Falls Anything Equine Board

Horse and Tack trader of Oregon and Surrounding Area

Western Pleasure

Pinto Pals

Free Horses in Oregon

The Barter Bin: “Item for a item” Horse and Tack Trader

NW Horses 4 Salem

Other:

Equine Crafts for Sale

 

Friends along the way

I'd have to say my favorite part of being a horse show mom is the amazing people I get to meet.  When our journey first began we met our first family whom we were going to buy from.  The horse wasn't a good fit, but the people were just wonderful to meet.  The owners of the barn where we board has become one of my daughters biggest fans.  She loves my daughter as much as I do.  The other boarders at the barn have become family.  One lady noticed Maddie was to short to groom her horse and she brought her a step stool to make it easier for her.  The biggest blessing of all has been the lady we lease our Indie from.  Just writing about her now brings tears to my eyes.  She will be a life long friend of our family.  The love she has for our family is just unheard of.  So many people hear about our lease arrangement and want what relationship we have.  She is just amazing.  We spent this evening at the barn with her and the dedication she has to Maddie and to seeing her succeed is beyond anything we could have imagined.  God hand picked her for our family.  We love her dearly!
I have met people online who have taken interest into Maddie whom they have never met.  Some day I'm going to go on a road trip to personally thank every person who has supported Maddie in her show career.  You're all so appreciated.
Now that you have learned about my special people, who are people who have supported you?  Sometimes we don't get the chance to brag about people and how wonderful they are to us.  So brag away and tell those special people how much their support has meant to you.  Post here are just give them a call and tell them, how their being in your life has made you the person you are today!

Proud owner of a horse trailer

So I did!  I bought my first horse trailer.  It's a 1986 Circle J two horse slant.  It's in pretty good shape.  A little rust here and there, but nothing a trip to the painters can't fix. 

So now to plan my first trip out.  What are some tips and tricks on owning  horse trailer?  What's in your trailer?  How to avoid problems I may not know exist.

Any advice would be awesome!  I'm quickly on my way to becoming a pretty awesome show mom with great advice from all of you!!

Best deals

I'm curious!  What is the best deal you've gotten on horse related items?  Are you afraid to ask for a lower price?  Where do you get you best deals?

Buying a horse trailer...UGH!!

One horse, two horse, four horse, slant, straight load, bumper pull, goose neck, tack room, living quarters....OH MY! 
I never knew how many options where out there for something as simple as a horse trailer.  So many questions come up when looking.  For example; what size do you want, what year is good or bad, new flooring, no flooring, some rust, bucket of rust, new tires, tires?, ect.  I don't know even where to start.  I feel like if there is a trailer out there within 200 miles I've looked at it.  I have to use a stick to hold my mouth shut because every time I read the price my mouth falls open.  I thought finding the horse was a challenge.  This is right up there.
So folks if you have any suggestions on how to buy a horse trailer on a budget I'm open to any advice. 

Who this is all about!

Here's Maddie and her sweet boy Indie!  She's the reason for my blog!  Not to brag or anything but I'm one lucky mom.  I can't believe God gave me such a wonderful daughter with so many passions.  Indie is her biggest passion and her very best friend!

Whats all these schooling shows about?

My first 4h meeting with Maddie is was taking notes on everything I didn't understand.  To say the least I came home with a full page and an evening of google.
Whats the difference between a schooling show and a normal show?  If you were starting out where the first place you'd expose your child to showing?

First chance to give me advice

Wow is all I can say when I see the prices of show clothing.  Any suggestions on where to get inexpensive youth clothing and will hold up.

Starting my journey as a horse show mom

I'm so excited to start this blogging adventure.  This is my first year as a horse show mom and wow is there a ton to learn.  My daughter Maddie came to me over the summer and said she really wanted to start riding.  My parent still had an old mare at there house and through some tough negotiating I was able to bring her home with me.  We live in town so she is boarded down the road from our house.  The second day we were at the barn just happened to be a 4-h ride meeting.  Maddie begged to join.  I was totally on board.  At the first meeting I learned real quick you need more than a back yard horse.  This started the search.  We looked and looked and looked.  Facebook forums, craigslist and word of mouth. If it was out there and under $3,500.00 I've looked at it.  We found a horse both Maddie and I fell in love with.  We took the trainer from our barn and to look at her.  She was 6 going on 2.  Laura the trainer said she wouldn't recommend it, but we really wanted to try.  So we brought her to the barn.  Within a few weeks we went from no horse to two horses.  And this was just within the first month. Ugh!  We discovered she was indeed not a good fit and had to send her back.  This was no easy process.  The owners were very kind to let us try her, but they were not in a position to take her back right away.  Remember we now have two horses that won't work.  The search began again.  This time we went on a lease mission.  We found the perfect horse.  Indie was everything we were looking for and more.  So we became owners of three horses.  We were about a month and a half into horse ownership and we have not one, not two, but three horses.  There was some tense moments in my house.  We were super lucky and only had three horses for about a week.  Now we are down to two horses. 
I'm now discovering that show horses need a lot of stuff and show kids need even more.  I spend about 90% of my time online looking for deals on horse stuff.  Tack, horse trailers, clothing, you name it.  This horse show mommy is on a budget so I look for the best deals I can get.
As I've been browsing through everything horse related on the Internet I decided I bet there is a lot of moms out there just like me.  Moms just getting started in the show world and have no idea what they're getting themselves into.  Moms on a budget.  Moms looking for tips to help their children be more successful in the arena.  Moms looking to support moms on our crazy show journey.
Join me as I blog my way through the next nine plus year of being a horse show mom.