A few months ago I was having some very minor saddle fitting challenges. The first thing both the physiotherapist and saddle fitter stated was simply to throw on a Mattes pad and call it a day. I’d grown partial to my ThinLine half pad these last 4 years so that threw a monkey wrench in my perfect tacking routine. Then it hit me. I bet ThinLine has something similar so I contacted them and point blank asked what’s the difference between their sheepskin half pad and the Mattes? The reply was simple. The Mattes doesn’t have the ThinLine technology. Well, that was good enough for me.

Come to find out the ThinLine Sheepskin also offers shims as an option which is super if you’re riding the same saddle with multiple horses or if you’re riding the same horse who’s body is ever developing. So I’ve retired my ThinLine half pad that’s served me oh so well. It traveled to Holland and back with me when I was training over there, down to Wellington as well as up north to Maryland and it still feels the same as the day I took it out of the box when it arrived!

Below is some more info about this half pad I’ve been using the last 3 or 4 months so far. It washes super easy, looks great and my saddle hasn’t fit better! Of course, Made in the USA is always a plus and this ThinLine is! They simply rock as a company!

Buy the Ultra ThinLine Sheepskin English Comfort Half Pad for $250 from the folks at Equestrian Collections. ThinLine also has some pretty amazing other products. I’ve been using their girth for years now and it’s awesome and they even have a western line as well. Go check them out at thinlineglobal.com.

Ultra ThinLine Sheepskin English Comfort Half Pad
The Sheepskin Comfort Half Pad is made of 100% medical grade merino sheepskin (full sheepskin underneath) offering the benefits of sheepskin and the performance aspects of Ultra ThinLine. Panels of Ultra ThinLine are sewn on either side of the spine, creating a higher wither profile and spine break for better fit and conformity to maximize protection and comfort for the horse and rider.
As an added benefit, this pad is also “shimmable” for

• riding mulitple horses in the same saddle
• horses changing shape
• to modify saddle fit–without having to buy another saddle! Click here for inserts to this pad
• This pad is available in three colors: black, white, and natural and two sizes:
• Medium: measures 18″ between the rolls and 23″ including the rolls
• Large: measures 19 1/4″ between the rolls and 24″ including the rolls.

If your saddle has large or wide panels, choose the large. As a general rule of thumb, most saddles up to 17.5″ fit on a medium, however due to brand variety, please measure your saddle panels to ensure you select the appropriate size for proper fit and comfort for your horse. Your saddle panels must not hang over the ThinLine panels on the pad.

Here’s the latest from Stephen Colbert as he fires back to the USEF’s response.

 
And you can get your foam fingers here! Just contact HorseGirlTV® at http://contact.horsegirltv.com to place your order for 1, 5, 10 or more (prices start at $3.45 each plus shipping). I’d love it if you could send back pictures of you or your teams or clubs with the foam fingers for a special pre Olympic blog post here. I’ll be taking one OR TWO of my own red foam fingers with me to the Olympics in London this August! Go dressage!!!

Seriously though… You have missed this if you’re been living under a rock this past week. Stephen Colbert’s satire truly brought the horse world to the mainstream and all joking about dressage (or horse ballet) aside, this is what horse sports needs! Yes horse people are a different breed but to cross over and provide more transparency in our sports, reaching the mainstream can only broaden our audience and the industries subsequent growth as a whole. Those are big words but those works (more or less) have been the mantra for HorseGirlTV and the actual reason for it’s inception 6 years ago! Bring the love of horses to the mainstream.

Official HorseGirlTV Can Cooler AND Dressage #1 foam finger here!
Dressage IS the official sport of the summer AND HorseGirlTV is here to help the cause! Embrace the NASCAR and NFL fan in us all and help support horse sports! You can get your Official HorseGirlTV Can Cooler AND Dressage #1 foam finger here! USA! USA! USA!

Be the envy of your Olympic tailgate party with this insulated can holder, or simply keep your drink cooler longer when you’re at the BBQ or working in the stable. Just slide your can in and it stays cool while your hand avoids that icy cold aluminum (burrrrr)! Then cheer on your favorite horse and rider team by giving them the finger of support! Only $19.00 for the can cooler & foam finger set!

So we just got inundated with requests for 5 and 10 packs of the foam fingers and are in process of placing our 2nd order. If you’d like just a foam finger or several (sans can cooler they’ll be a few dollars + shipping) please send an email here http://contact.horsegirltv.com and we’ll update this with a Buy Now page link as soon as it’s live!

 
So whether you’re a Stephen Colbert fan or not, the video is worth a watch as it’s simply too cute! Thanks Stephen for making fun of dressage and reaching a national through your jest! I’m loving it!

Here’s the super cute sign off…

Both my grandmother’s, my great aunt and several cousins have died from breast cancer. There was even a scare with my mom that turned out to be Graves’ Disease. I’m sure many of you, sadly, know a friend or family member who has succumb to this disease as well. There’s tons of great research and opportunities out there and amazing venues, like the PVDA who raise money, raise awareness and support through the camaraderie of sport to beat this. It’s no secret I’m a massive fan of the freestyle and I was fortunate enough to get to chat with Barb Strawson about the PVDA’s Dancing Horse Challenge several years back. You can watch the interview below.

About PVDA Ride for Life
Throughout our history, horses have inspired us and been allies in battle and partners in progress. The PVDA Ride for Life exemplifies the belief that horses can inspire and aid us in the fight against breast cancer. Quoting the event founder and breast cancer survivor, Patricia Artimovich, “Help us make the ring of hoof beats become the music of hope!”

The PVDA Ride for Life is an annual weekend family event held in the Baltimore/Washington area to raise funds for breast cancer research and to improve the lives of those affected and their loved ones. Since its inception in 2004, the event has raised over $410,000 for the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center. The event coincides with a licensed dressage show sponsored by The Potomac Valley Dressage Association (a 501c 3 non-profit organization). This show features one of the premier equestrian nights on the East Coast.

Its Saturday evening Dancing Horse Challenge is a lyrical blend of dance, music, lights and equestrian prowess woven into a touching and theatrical performance. With performances by international and national riders and Olympians, the Dancing Horse Challenge becomes a call to all to heal, to give, and most importantly, to celebrate life!

Overall, the weekend will feature children’s activities, a two-day USDF licensed dressage show, a black-tie optional gala with dancing, boutique shopping and many other opportunities for family fun.

The PVDA Ride for Life is funded through generous sponsorships, rider donations raised through pledges, an extensive silent auction, vendor funds, tickets for the DHC ($25 per person donation), gala dinner/dance tickets ($100 per person, 50% of which is tax- deductible), and merchandise purchases.

Many of the weekend features are offered for free to encourage participation by families within and outside of the Maryland area. The event and each of these activities, which include breast health education efforts, are supported through volunteer efforts provided by the PVDA, the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center Survivor Volunteers and the community at large.

To learn more about the PVDA Ride for Life, check out there website at pvdarideforlife.org or go to their donation page and help support at http://www.pvdarideforlife.org/get-involved/online-donations/!

I had a blast watching the USEF Networks live streaming coverage from the comfort of my sofa this weekend then heading out to train on my future superstar, Hansel. What better inspiration than to watch the top 15 horses in the nation at Grand Prix right before training! Every horse and rider combo had some spectacularly inspiring moments!

Yes, yes… Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you’ll know that horse and rider teams are vying for coveted positions on the short list for both Able-bodied and Para-equestrian USA Dressage Teams in Gladstone, NJ right now.

This past weekend the nation’s top 15 able-bodied dressage riders competed in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. Leading both days was Steffen Peters and Legolas 92. Steffen had this to say to the USEF Network “This place has such wonderful history, a lot of champions have come out of this arena.” The complete USEF Press Release can be found online at http://news.horsegirltv.com/?p=2934. Wrapped up weekend cumulative scores put Steffen on top with Tina Konyot & Calecto V in 2nd, Todd Flettrich and Otto in 3rd and Ann Romney’s Rafalca with rider Jan Ebeling coming in 4th. See the complete cumulative scores below:

Day 1, Class 1, FEI Grand Prix 2009

• 76.06% Peters, Steffen – Legolas
• 72.79% Konyot, Tina – Calecto V
• 71.53% Ebeling, Jan – Rafalca
• 71.15% Flettrich, Todd – Otto
• 70.55% Seidel, Guenter – Fandango
• 70.47% Lyle, Adrienne – Wizard
• 68.02% Harding, Shawna – Come On III
• 67.94% Blitz, Heather – Paragon
• 67.92% Blinks, Susan – Robin Hood
• 67.79% St Jacques, Pierre – Lucky Tiger
• 67.45% Koford, Jim – Rhett
• 67.36% Bateson-Chandler, Katherine – Nartan
• 66.81% Raine, Kathleen – Breanna
• 66.66% Parra, Cesar – Van the Man
• 66.38% Sammis, Lauren – Sagacious HF

Day 2, Class 5, FEI Grand Prix Special

• Peters, Steffen – Legolas, 77.93%
• Konyot, Tina – Calecto V, 76.67%
• Flettrich, Todd – Otto, 73.07%
• Ebeling, Jan – Rafalca, 72.04%
• Lyle, Adrienne – Wizard, 71.58%
• Seidel, Guenter – Fandango, 70.07%
• Blitz, Heather – Paragon, 70.00%
• St Jacques, Pierre – Lucky Tiger, 69.91%
• Harding, Shawna – Come On III, 69.49%
• Blinks, Susan – Robin Hood, 68.02%
• Raine, Kathleen – Breanna, 67.89%
• Sammis, Lauren – Sagacious HF, 66.76%
• Koford, Jim – Rhett, 66.60%
• Bateson-Chandler, Katherine – Nartan, 66.56%
• Parra, Cesar – Van the Man, 63.33%

If you’d like to watch this week’s live coverage of able-bodied you can point your browser to http://usefnetwork.com/featured/2012USEFDressageFestivalofChampions/

The action doesn’t stop this week! Today kicks off the Para-Equestrian Selections. Unfortunately these are not being streamed on the USEF Network but you can follow the action via Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/USParalympics or https://twitter.com/#!/USPEA and keep up to the moment with scores at devonwoodscores.com/. If you’re lucky enough to be at Gladstone watching this week please use hashtag #ParaEqTrials when tweeting and please let USEF know (networksupport@usef.org) you’d love to see the live streaming of next years event and perhaps they even host Para and Able-bodied in the same arenas. One can never have the audience too full in dressage stateside and what a perfect way to expand the reach!

On a side note, HorseGirlTV has some schweet able-bodied and para-equestrian Official London 2012 Merchandise (Ev you rock!) to give away over the next month so check back for details. You can always subscribe to my Equestrian Life & Style Guide for free to ever be in the know!

Father’s Day is right around the corner and I’ve put my thinking cap on for you. Here’s a gift that he’ll love and you’ll both enjoy plus it’s a perfect way to keep good ole dad occupied at the horse shows! Whether it’s your sporting events at school or your extra curricular horse competition or even homecoming or prom or you heading off to university, both you AND your dad are sure to love this father’s day gift!

I have the Sony Handycam DCR-SX65 in Blue and it’s, out of the box, über simple to use. This is a super affordable camcorder for a little over $200. The zoom goes way wider than I think anyone would ever use but even at 70x it’s still pretty steady just as a handheld. I like the blue color because it’s a sweet departure from the professional cams we work with in production for HorseGirlTV. Black and silver just get so old but, if you’re not a fan of the blue you can get it in red, silver or black. My favorite thing about this and it’s HD bigger brother is the built-in USB cable. It’s easy to pop it out, plug it in to your laptop. This also means you can charge your camcorder from your laptop OR use your super awesome Zagg Sparq to charge it! The box said it was compatible with iMovie. I use Final Cut Pro but both FCP and iMovie do have challenges with MPG files. If you’re even remotely techie then you can just download a converter and change it into any of the oh so Mac-friendly files like MP4, MOV or even FLV if you’re not needing a super crisp compression. It fits comfy in my hand right alongside my iPhone so you know it’s compact and therefore cute factor takes over BUT it’s not so tiny that it’s not manly enough for dad. Here’s a snippet my awesome hubby (think big Marine hands using it) was kind enough to shoot for me this past weekend. Oh and the audio is SUPER! I could hear my awesome BFF and coach, Geoff, from the external mic via his normal voice! So perfect for Dad and the horse shows or videoing your lessons even! It’s called the… Sony DCR-SX65 Handycam Camcorder (Blue)

[jwplayer config=”Blog Player” mediaid=”3231″]

Now all those nice things said about the DCR-SX65 I’m thinking of going long term with the HDR-CX210. I mentioned it’s the SX65s big brother and that does about sum it up. This seems to be pretty much the same Sony with almost identical features yet packed in a slightly higher price point due to the HD shooting in 1080p! This one is also available in the lovely blue but likewise can be found in red, black and silver if you so choose. When many of the HD camcorders our there are still reaching into the $700s, this is a fresh change of pace weighing in at around $325! I actually found this package deal online that I’m probably going to go with. One can never have too many saddle pads, breeches OR tripods! Here’s the package deal I am talking about! Sony Handycam HDR-CX210 8GB 1080p HD Video Camera Camcorder (Blue) with 16GB Card + Battery + Tripods + Case + Accessory Kit