Blog Hop: Top 5 Horse Show Essentials

Sure, the season has just come to an end, but let's do a quick recap of what helped me survive this show season.

1.  Kensington Gear Bag

Horse shows = copious amounts of stuff getting tossed into the dressing room of a big gooseneck trailer.  Some of these things will never be seen again, swallowed by the black hole found at the end of every gooseneck, if you don't keep it together.  This is how I keep my stuff together.  The vented pocket for my sweaty, disgusting helmet is amazing and it's big enough to hold a jump vest, saddle pads, bridles, grooming equipment, a stud kit, and the dressage test I haven't memorized yet.  It's a live saver.  I also found mine in a consignment shop for $25.  I don't care if it's monogrammed with the wrong initials.

2.  RJ Classic Soft Shell Hunt Coat

I got rained on twice this year.  Rather than get soaked and cold, the water beaded and ran off.  It's also stretch and machine washable.  No more dry cleaning?  Sign me up.  It looks great even after a trip through the trunk of my car and being thrown into the wash machine. 

3.  Kind Nut Bars

Fun fact of the day:  Catie is a reactive hypoglycemic.  This means I get to manage my blood sugar level throughout the day.  I also hate eating when I'm competing.  Enter the Kind brand bars.  These suckers are high protein, slow to digest, and are highly palatable when someone's twisting my arm and forcing food down my throat.  They're also gluten free so Trainer A can have them, too!

Seriously, I'm a nightmare at a show if my blood sugar gets away from me.  Most of the people I travel with would rank these number 1 as a horse show essential.  They also good for feeding stray teenagers that forgot to pack real food.

4.  Western Chief Rain Boots

Can you believe it took me this long to get a pair of wellies for walking cross country?  I picked these up at Tractor Supply for $20 and they have been amazing.  I can now walk cross country in comfort as well as help groom on rainy days without hating my life because my feet resemble prunes.  Surprisingly comfy, too.  I've worn them a couple times at the barn because they were the most comfortable thing in my car and my field boots were chewing my ankles up.

5.  No Knot Hairnet

I'll admit, the first time I used this thing, I hated it.  They're strong and the tops of my ears fell asleep due to lack of circulation.  Then I used it at another show and realized how simple it was to use.  Then I used my old hair net and was reminded just why I needed something sturdier.  My layers were popping out and ruining my pictures while it took twice as long to get my hair right.  This thing is so easy I'll use it for lessons when I don't have a good hair tie on hand.  It's the hunter princess in me, but it really bugs me to have my hair flopping around when I ride.  These are sturdy enough that my hair stays, no bumps under my helmet, and it lasts ride after ride.