This weeks theme for #ITWBN is warmth.
In the last few days the temperatures have dramatically dropped with even a sleet shower in Galway City today! That means one thing....time for heavy weight outdoor rugs for our blessed steeds. At Highgrange Stable we are firm believers of our horses & ponies living out as much as possible. We are lucky enough to have enough land and shelter to do so. Even in the height of rain and snow we have been in a position to keep them out, big animals in a small space just aint healthy!
In order to leave them out we have a vast amount of rugs suited to each and every one of the horses. For example, Coco needs a rug made of steel as she loves to shred it to pieces and needs weight as she is clipped during the winter, Flirtini needs the warmest rug possible as she likes to feel sorry for herself even though she is a connie with a big coat and then we have Rosie who is constantly trying to pull a "Houdini" and strip off. With all that said it is fair to say we have tried and tested our fair share of rugs and here are my favourites....
Horseware Rhino Original Turnout - Rosie has this rug for the past 6 - 5 winters and it is like new. I can't praise this rug enough. Mary bought a batch together and they are still as good as new. We never "dry clean" our rugs as we think they loose their proofness and warmth and I think that is why these has lasted so long. If they are dirty a bit of elbow grease and a power hose works perfectly and saves money too. Rosie is a "bucker" with a rug on so she has really tested this rug. A few little alterations have been from her gig acting in the field but the weight and waterproof of the rug is still perfect. The main selling point on this rug is the tail guard which stops the rug from travelling up the horses hind during high winds. These rugs are the upper end of the price scale but reasonably priced in terms of Horseware's price ranges. These rugs are true to size so it is easy to select the right size. Definitely a good buy at €124.95 from thetackroom.ie
Premier Equine Winter Buster - Coco is sporting this rug at the moment. She is the greatest divil for ruining her rugs. She has succeeded to shred numerous Horseware rugs which is an achievement (she has more rugs bought than I have coats for myself). When Sandra and I were at the Olympia last Xmas I came across these rugs and took note knowing I will possibly need to recloth Coco shortly after she has her way with her current rug. So when I returned home I ordered the Winter Buster for her. When I am shopping for a rug the first thing I look at is the rip stop denier of the rug. This illustrates how strong the material is, this rug won me over with a brilliant weight of 1680 denier. It is really heavy with a 450g filling and a detachable hood. Coco is 15.1hh so I ordered the 6ft 3 rug, when it arrived it was HUGE...Jameson (17hh RID) ended up claiming that rug so I reordered a 5ft 9 and it was perfect so bear in mind these are very big fitting. Cinnamon (15.2hh RID) ordered the 6ft and it is swimming on her too. Coco is heading into her 2nd winter with this rug so fingers crossed it survives!! I added to hood on last weekend with the bad rain as she is freshly clipped (I am imagining heading to the field to see a hood on and no rug) These rugs are a little more expensive at £164.99 but keep an eye on their site for 20% off deals (every 2 - 3 weeks).
So there are my favorite picks for nice warm good quality rugs as we head into the coldest part of the year. So each time the wind and rain starts lashing down on top of the warm cosy office I don't feel so bad for the horses when I know they have one of the above rugs on. (We usually end up double rugging ours as Christmas draws closer....they are spoilt rotten). There is a whole argument on whether horses should live in or out but our horses love being out. When they come in for a feed/clip/riding and you rug them up to get ready to head out they are pushing down the doors so they must be happy to be out with all their buddies in the fresh air! Who likes being on their own in a room at home so why would the horse want to be in a stable all winter on their own? :)
My good friend Sinead of Yummy Mummy has started a very cool initiative called
Into The West Blogger Network #ITWBN is a community of like minded people who want to share their passions with the world. The idea of this network is to bring Bloggers together. It does not matter what your blog is about, it could be about fashion, beauty, cooking, photography, makeup artistry etc, you just have to be Irish, live in Ireland or want to visit the West. So Sinead in her usual inspirational way encouraged me to join the group. Each week there is a theme which each blogger is encouraged to blog about. This weeks theme is "All things Irish".
I know my blog is about retraining Rosie but I think I might give this idea a go. I was rattling my head all morning wondering how can I use "All things Irish" in relation to my blog. It went from looking at Irish bred horses and then bingo I can incorporate one of my favorite things in the world....yes you guessed it.....SHOPPING!!
All my horsey friends know I love shopping and most definitely love to find good quality items at affordable prices. Our emerald isle is full of horses but in terms of retailing I thought it was poorly stocked. This led me to doing most of my shopping online and became addicted to large retailers such as equestrianclearance.com. I felt guilty sending my money outside of the country but I felt the shops at home were way too expensive/limited and it was infact cheaper to ship in from abroad!! But alas, Thetackroom.ie was born! I am a mega fan of Imelda's brilliant store. You are guaranteed top quality products at super prices at Thetackroom.ie What I like about this store is you know Imelda is an expert on the brands stocked and if they are not in stock she will source them for you in no time (plus she makes a nice cup of tea!). The girls and I are possibly a little hooked on Thetackroom.ie and get a little too excited when new ranges arrive. Here are some of my favorites from A/W 2013:
The jacket is the Caramel Toggi Alden padded jacket €104.95, I had the misfortune of being at the store when the order arrived and modeled each of the jackets and coats from the A/W13 Toggi range. I cannot pick one as they are all fab on...definitely on my wish list. The navy Mountain Horse Chelsea shirt is is ideal for inside this jacket and at a super sale price of €28.97....how could you go wrong. Then we move onto a these gorgeous Coleen Breeches by USG which are very popular this season on the showjumping a bargain busting price of €55.21 and onto the final touch of this outfit...the most pretty scarf I have ever seen....again from Toggi, Pasadena Silk Scarf for €21.95. I can see myself in this outfit (maybe not on the horse though...it is way too pretty for work!).
Not to forget our trusted steeds in this chilly weather. Grace picked up this super rug (Norton 300gram Heavyweight Outdoor) for Flirtini who is the coldest creature in the yard at a great price of €69.95, grab one quick before they sell out!
I cannot praise Thetackroom.ie enough for its super range of products, professionalism and what is important to alot of horsey people now....good prices!The proof is in the pudding with over 6,000 followers on facebook...check it out.
Each Christmas I present Mary with a photo of Rosie and I winning at some show from the past season . As most of you are aware Rosie was struck down with Kissing Spine and had to go to "rehab". This meant no shows for all of 2012. As Christmas was approaching I began to panic as I had no photo to add to the ever growing collection. Then I discovered Art by Suzie through the Thetackroom.ie. I sent a number of head shots to the lovely Suzanne in an effort to keep the Rosie theme going at Xmas and this is what was created:
It captured Rosie to a tee and then the Art by Suzie addiction began with the following bags added to the yard:
Bags are priced at a €40 which includes postage and packaging. They are a super buy for organising your bits and pieces and each horse has their own bag, makes packing for shows that bit easier. This year we started a trend at the shows by using them as grooming bags in the ring and would you believe Art by Suzie made it to the main arena at the Supreme Championship at the Dublin Horse Horse 2013. Check out Suzanne's page Art by Suzie as she has some super gift ideas on her page and its not all horses either. Suzanne is very hands on and is in touch every step of the way. Hurry though as last orders for this Christmas are taken before the 30th of Nov!! This is a growing trend so don't be seen without your Suzie bag for the 2014 season....they also come in handy as doggy bags.....
So that's my blog on "All things Irish". We live in hard times at the moment but remember to buy Irish and look stylish at the same time :)
