Product reviews and beach broncs

These are actually two non horse items that I am reviewing but they are both items that are handy and any horse or outdoorsy person would/could use.  First the FlipBelt.

I first saw this on my facebook feed.  I have been trying to figure out a way to conveniently carry my phone without it being obviously noticeable, annoying or chance of dropping it forever.  I've tried, putting it in my boot.  Which actually stretched my one boot out.  Fail.  Tried holders but always too noticeably annoying.  I've tried pockets and though some of my breeches have pockets most don't and if they are where normal pockets it always slips out. Fail.  This product was not designed for riding but other athletic activities such as running.  I have trail ridden many hours.  Ridden dressage, jumped, XC schooled in it.  All without so much as even noticing it.  It is definitely piece of equipment I use every ride.  I am able to have my phone on me at all times.  Which most importantly is safety.  I have been caught once with an injured rider and no phone.  Never again.  And for the less important but still a perk is that you can have quick access for photos and videos.  While yes it is probably just a new age fanny pack it is definitely an upgrade on the 80's trend.  Your important items are at hand yet kept snug to your body so they are virtually unnoticeable.  And we all know how eventers love their colors they have a ton of color options.

Next item I love is the Eno Hammock.

Again COLORS.  Not the reason I love it but options are never terrible.  I picked this bad boy up at Rolex a couple years back for the Husband for Father's Day.  The thing is rad.  It has been pretty much everywhere.  Horseshows, the beach, the back yard.  The weight limit is for ours is for 2 most reasonably sized adults.  You can hang it from literally anything!  I've hung it in my horse trailer, from trees, from my truck bed.  It is super light so easy to transport with you everywhere but super durable and made out of parachute material.  With the suspension straps and carabineer hooks you can take this ANYWHERE to sleep or just take a nap.  We love this thing and I see a second one in our future to take to the beach for our late night fishing trips across the street.  One for my husband and I and one the girls can sleep in. So much easier to strap your ENO to a couple trees then carry and set up a tent.  They make it wide enough that with the excess material you can wrap it around yourself and make a little bug proof cocoon.  It may come across as pricey but the number of uses the thing has I don't regret paying the price for it.  A cot or any other type of hammock is going to cost that or more and be way less functional.


From the queen of functionality(self appointed obviously) you don't get more functional than these two items.

In horse news.  It's been hot as shit here.  I've been riding a moderate amount.  E and I went on a long trail ride yesterday.  A make your ass so sore, it is more comfortable to ride home in two point trail ride.  We explored another new trail and it was really nice.  Some spots seemed like you were in the deep jungle and others open prairies and then you are on the beach.  So we found a really open sandy beach and had the bright idea of cantering on the beach.  We took like two strides, the haflinger started broncing and Steady felt like he thought that looked like loads of fun.  So our picturesque cantering down the beach was a big fail.  It would be a good meme.  Like those that go around about- this is how I think I look riding, how my mom thinks I look, how my trainer thinks I look etc.  I want to imagine the on lookers on their boats were all, "wow look at those beautiful horses and amazing riders running down the beach"  It was probably more like, "OH my gawd look at those two nut balls...do you think they are going to die?  Should we just call careflight now?"  In my head I am going to believe we looked like this.

This is exactly what we looked like. (In my head)