There's a place downtown where the horses come around

The September Anthropologie catalog came out and I am in love. Since I love horses, perfect, isn't it? So this post is inspired by the equestrian love of the September catalog. I normally have riding lessons on Thursdays, so I skipped off to my barn with thoughts of beautiful Anthropologie clothes in mind.

Okay, well, mainly boots. I have been searching for the perfect pair of boots for a year now. Too bad all of Anthro's boots are sized way too big. :( I have tiny calves and most of Anthro's boots seem to have a calf circumference of about 15 inches. Now, the Farrier Boots seem small enough. I can lace them to be as tight as I want! Except they have a $538 price tag. My wallet is shrieking in pain.


Something less painful in price are the Martingale Boots. Except - oh look, 15.5 inches of calf circumference. :( And it's also 16 inches in height. That worries me - I had a pair of boots that I tried on last year that was similar in height and I had to sell it because it kept whacking me in the back of the knee when I walked. Hrm, Jenni lives in California and most of her nearby Anthro's carry shoes. Must visit Jenni soon for shoes. :) (And her, of course!) No Anthropologie's in my entire state have shoes. Seriously, Anthro, sell shoes in Illinois. I would gladly buy a bunch. (A martingale is a piece of tack that prevents your horse from raising their head too high. There's some hanging on the wall with the bridles to the left. I'm not quite sure they remind me of the Martingale Boot, but the boot is gorgeous nonetheless.)

My barn also has a herd of ponies used for kid's pony rides and for parties. I normally don't pay too much attention to them, but today, they were gathered up in front of their gate looking for attention. They're adorable! So much cuter that the travesty that is the Poni Cardigan. (Leifsdottir, WTF were you thinking? If kids see that sweater first, they'll never go near another pony ever again.) I like how some of the reviews on the Anthro website say "It's not for me but I think if you love horses, you'll love this cardigan!" .... no ..... I don't think so.

I wasn't the only one looking at the ponies!

Two things at the very top of my wishlist right now are the Curtsey Coat and the Best of the Bunch Cardigan. I am fighting a very difficult battle right now not to buy them at full price. Did Anthro's winter coats from last year make it to sale? I'm having trouble remembering. I really, really, really hope they look horrific on me and save me money. Buying them both at full price will put me over $500. Ew. (I could also use that $500 to buy the Farrier Boots ...) Oh dear. These Anthro fall offerings are painfully good.

After snapping a bunch of pictures all around the barn, I finally went riding. And you know what I realized? If I take out my trainer screaming at me and replace it with catchy music, my flaws are harder to spot! (If you ride, yes, I know there are flaws, but it's sadly enough, the one of the best courses I've ever ridden. I'm a newbie jumper, be kind. If you don't ride, hopefully this looks somewhat impressive!) This is Posh and she's a sweetheart! She's an advanced beginner/intermediate level school horse and I'm thrilled my trainer finally moved me up to her. I love her to pieces, although my trainer keeps scoffing at me. "Never trust her," Trainer says. "She'll spook and throw you right off. Just when you're getting complacent, she'll take advantage of you. You can never assume she'll jump, always assume she'll refuse on you. She's a great horse, but she also has her days. When she's feeling it, you won't like it." Luckily, I haven't had her on one of those days yet. I keep putting her in bad situations and she keeps saving my butt and jumping like a hero, no matter how many bad distances and lack of pace I throw at her. LOVE. HER!