View this post on Instagram
Last chance alert: today’s the final day you can secure 20% off your annual Horse&Country TV membership, which will give you access not only to a huge list of international competitions, but also a back catalogue of documentaries, training series, and reality-style TV programmes, making sure you’ve always got something great to watch as the cold nights draw in. Nab your membership here – and let me know what you’re watching!
National Holiday: It’s Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday. If you’re in need to a comprehensive list of US-based horsey discounts – with plenty of brilliant small businesses in the mix – check out Amanda Chance’s huge list here.
US Weekend Results:
Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (Thompson, GA): [Website] [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
Lauren Sprieser’s concept of ‘deferred maintenance’ — or, The Lotto List — probably sounds pretty familiar to you. You know the one: your phone starts acting real weird, or your car’s check engine light resolutely stays on, or your fridge door suddenly, for some reason, needs to be propped shut to stay shut, but these things require cash outlay to fix, and so it’s those quids-in moments, like the day you sell a horse or a saddle or a car with a better-behaved check engine light, that you tackle all those bits and bobs. So no, maybe there’s no island holiday or very expensive imported youngster that comes after a big-ish sale – but Lauren feels your pain.
Amanda brought you that incredible US-based discount list (scroll up if you missed it!) – but what about the Brits among us? Horse&Hound is on hand to share the best bargains they’ve found. I’m eyeing up all the waterproof coats and boots as I write this while steadily being deafened by the continued barrage of rain. When. Will. It. Stop.
The latest edition of Practical Horseman Extra takes you behind the scenes at a place we think is pretty special. That’s TerraNova Equestrian in Florida, home of sparkling sunshine on eventing days and some seriously incredible facilities. Go take a snoop around the place here.
At just 38 years old, Alexa Pessoa – wife of Brazilian showjumping legend Rodrigo, and a Grand Prix jumper in her own right – was diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was a saga of strength, community, and flow-state focus as she faced a mastectomy and the Wellington season all at once. Her story is well worth a read today – and is a sage reminder to check your girls for any changes, too.
Need to save some money on your horsey expenses? Think communally. That’s what this group of New Englanders — a notoriously savvy part of the country when it comes to pinching pennies — cites as their biggest life hack, but there’s plenty of great tips above and beyond that shared in this article. Something I’d add to this list? Create a chore barter system. Maybe you’ve been paying for body clipping, but one of your barn mates is excellent at it – and they’re in need of some help fixing their truck, which is something you’re pretty damn good at. Swapping skills in this way can save you both money while getting everything you need done.
Morning Viewing:
I’m avoiding all that rain by going back down my favourite rabbit hole: luxury barn tours. Eat the rich, and let me have their stables, thanks.
