Unless she’s an entirely different horse at the inspection, I don’t think I’m going to need a chaser for the free jump - I actually think it would freak her out and make her go flat.
Maybe she will be really timid, but I highly doubt it. Shayney has a good motor (didnt in the beginning!) because I always enforce that cluck means go, so if she hesitates even for a second a little cluck cluck and she’s on her way.
Loving the Dory story saga. I hope she smashes it at inspection. I really hope and think she will!! But what I love is the the honesty and consistency of your posts. It is so inspiring and relatable. You are taking a very nice but imperfect horse to the next level in such a nice way. I love your posts. Thank you so much for that!!!
The Professional’s Choice Spartan II bell boots? yes - I have them and love them. They don’t spin around!
Do they fit true to size?
Started today with a DISASTER.
Dory knocked my monster off the counter with her tail. 
Damn you Shayney, those things are really expensive!!
We rode today, did a lot of the same as before. Shoulder in to medium, forward and back. She did really well. I can really feel the power building in the medium. Followed up with a good stretch and a walk around the property, which prompted spooks and subsequent “forced investigations” due to: mourning doves, bird feeders, and the dumpster.
I continue to struggle with my hands and position. She’s 5 and still has meltdowns at random so it’s hard to, say, ride without stirrups. <— that’s also known as a crappy excuse. It’s a work in progress.
And, the last picture to prove its not always sunshine and rainbows. That’s the “this is hard, and you suck” look from Shayney.
They are typical of the no turns where they don’t meet the ground. I do like Pro Choice because I can order in XL and it just about touches the ground.
It looks cloudy there, maybe that’s why she had an off day. My last TB was my “weather bug” because he’d lose his crap the days prior to a storm system rolling in. He was so reliable I stopped using my weather app to look for rain. 
Some friendly suggestions: take up your reins in the SI. It looks like you are bordering on 4 tracks versus 3 so I think less would be more. If I’m schooling a horse that may struggle or have tension with SI, I’ll start with good bend, even on two tracks and slowly work up to the third, just so I can keep that relaxation and swing. When you are piloting, you can keep arm control by slightly turning your torso towards the inside shoulder while keeping your elbows tight to your side and hands in place. Inside leg at the girth, outside slightly back.
I try to keep my reins consistent, and send her to them. I 100% agree though, they are clearly too long and I’m doing some Maestro crotch hand riding.
She’s only on 3 tracks, I don’t know why the recording makes the angle look so steep. The other direction you couldn’t tell what I was doing at all? I don’t want her super steep for this exercise because it’s too hard to get to the medium from there. I can try a less-steep 3 though and see if it makes a difference.
I think so? My mare is almost 16.2 and wears a large in these
My preparation today was mostly wiring up my trailer cameras. It’s a 6 hour haul to the inspection, now i can keep my eyes on her!
My motivation to do much was gone once I got done fiddle farking with hard wiring in the truck and trailer, so I put shayney on the lunge for a quick sit and lift session in her equicore band and a chambon. That’s probably my favorite set up - doesn’t hold them or teach them to lean, and doesn’t crack them in the mouth like a Pessoa.
Here’s some pictures of her coat. If I’m going to clip, i need to do it this weekend. It’s nice and dark, but fluffy and not shiny. It’s not terribly thick - she doesn’t have much hair period.
Regardless of clipping, the rest of the time up to the inspection my grooming game is getting stepped up. I’ve always got clean horses, but during the week I skimp out sometimes. There will be no soap on anything but her tail and her whites if I can help it, I strongly prefer a natural shine.
The dapples are lovely. I don’t think they’d still be there if you clipped her.
Remind us of her inspection date and state? (for climate purposes…NC in September is WAY different from New England in September)
I know you know…but curry curry curry. That is the secret sauce.
If you don’t clip, the Grand Prix groom in me actually prefers to bathe ~10 days out. Coat, mane and tail get a deep wash and condition.
Show (inspection) bath is a less intense bath. Mane and tail are shampooed. There is nothing worse than braiding a horse with dirt and dander at the roots of its mane. 
It looks awful.
Don’t forget a good wash of her face! I don’t like to “hose” faces, but they get gross with a lot of sweat. On show day I like to spray a bunch of show sheen on a towel and apply it to her face. It makes a huge difference. (It is also how I apply ‘show day’ Show Sheen, keeps the slick off the saddle area)
Agreed! Folks in my barn are shocked when I wash my horses’ manes, but I’d much rather braid my jumper with a clean mane and add some Quick-Braid.
OP, I had a similarly-colored mare last year and her dapples popped more after clipping. I’d clip now, do a nice hot oil bath or two, then spend the next few weeks currying to get her to really bloom. She’ll look great. If you do skip the full body clip, definitely clip the white on her legs.
Inspection date is September 22, in southern Indiana.
Curry curry curry is what I plan to do! Like I said, my horses are very clean anyways, but I’m going to step it up these final weeks.
Yes! Mane! I forgot the mane (I would not have forgotten as I washed her, as I’m going to be the one braiding). I honestly feel like I can get all the crap out of the coat with hosing, and with using a high velocity blower when the coat is dry. I’m not a pro though, and this mare has a VERY challenging coat for me - it never has the sheen I’m used to getting for all my hard work. For example, here’s my late mare:
Shayney just never SHINES. She’s on copper and zinc, and gets a fat booster. I’ve had her on oils and it didn’t help, either.
What do you think of a very light hot oiling?
I think her dapples would probably show more if clipped since her new coat is coming in darker. I think I’d clip her now like Tha_ridge suggested and then spend the next two weeks adding oil to the coat with conditioners and tons of currying. I think she would also be shinier clipped. Plus if you have any mistakes they won’t really be visible in 2 weeks.
What kind of body clip would you do? What type of braids are you planning on?
But also, really, you could skip clipping and just groom the heck out of her and she would be just fine.
Yuck…I just googled the avg temp in Indiana in September…68.5 degrees. Is it humid?
RE hot oiling: if you clip, sure. If you don’t clip, I fear that it will make her greasy looking (think flat hair). Adding a topical oil will just coat the longer hairs IMHO that will cling together.
I love the “pink stuff” as a daily grooming tool. Curry, stiff brush, pink stuff, medium brush, horsehair brush.
( https://healthyhaircare.com/product/hair-moisturizer/). For a clipped horse, it is critical to regain shine.
Every grooming kit should have a horsehair body brush (also…in my opinion).
Show day, go straight for the ShowSheen. If she isn’t clipped, you will want the “fluff” the silicon-based ShowSheen provides.
If I clip, it would be everything but legs. I normally leave a patch the size of a saddle tree unclipped, but her coat will keep growing and when I would have to clip again and I could leave the patch on the second go. She will survive in the meantime. Gahhh I hate clipping and I normally wait until the end of October because I hate it so bad I only want to do it once… but I do have freshly sharpened blades for all my clippers.
For braids - loose at the top but not quite totally cobra, a little smaller than usual to give illusion to a longer neck. I plan to put them in with thread. I also plan to pray to whatever god it takes to have her not rip them out - she’s bad, she will rub them out when you look away for even a second. She did this to me at a show on the edge of the trailer while I changed in the dressing room. Stinker.
Actually if you look at the monthly forecast for Lawrenceburg, they’re calling for nearly 80 degrees. Fun!
I hate the smell of the pink stuff, but I have some. I also have a PLETHORA of brushes. Yeah, I probably have a problem. It’s one of the million ways I can tell if someone’s used my stuff - if you don’t put my brushes back just so they won’t all fit 
Ok. Plan to clip this weekend. Tyvek suit and lots of repeating “who designed the air discharge on these god damn clippers” - CHECK CHECK.
I also hate clipping. But you will get some great photos at the inspection and I think it’s worth it just for those. Plus the weather is decent.
May I suggest big poofy button braids… just love them.
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