My favourite bit is a French link with a little copper barrel roller on the link. I have it in a d-ring as well as a loose ring. I like the French link for the reasons mentioned above by others, and the little copper barrel on the link encourages salivation and playing or movement in the jaw. (My ma...

Well, when I was 14 and had to have my Morgan pony put down, I didn't want to be present. My dad went for me and being who he was, didn't trust the vet who had a big heart, but wasn't really a large animal vet. My dad brought his 22 "just in case". Well, my pony was a tough nut, and the ve...

My coach always played classical or our version of NPR. She said that it discouraged coyotes. She kept it in the arena, so I don't think it was ever loud enough to bother the horses. It was always at a low background music level, and it never bothered me. Occasionally there would be a new barn help ...

Hear hear!! (Or is it here here?) I have gotten pretty good at preempting hugs, and being very vocal about staying away from me if you think you have even the slightest hint of a cold etc. Unfortunately you can't kick family out of their own house. I am frantically drinking orange juice and gargling...

My favourite name for hand cream comes from an artisanal maker in Newfoundland.
Friggin Wicked Weather Moisturizing Cream
The cream is great. Available on Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/176046043/friggin-wicked-weather-moisturizing

Consumables!! Men love to eat, and if it isn't his thing, consumable are always useful as hostess gifts etc. For KK gifts when I don't know the person, I always buy something I would appreciate as a hostess gift, so I know if they don't like it, it can easily be regifted. Bottle of wine, liquor (if ...

I believe in this system, particularly for younger horses (<8) but I would probably recommend a longer break, and in winter rather than summer (at least in Canada). For the better part of 10 years I boarded at a barn without an indoor arena which in this climate means schooling from Christmas until ...

I have a friend whose family does the $100 gift card exchange. I really don't see the point. Then your $100 is tied up with particular stores. I still have some money on a gift card from last year that my aunt gave me to buy a cover for the iPad my mom gave me. Unfortunately that store didn't have t...

I agree about the frustration of endless phone loops and service reps with whom effective communication is difficult. I will say I am impressed with Price Pfister. We installed one of their faucet sets with a life-time warranty eight years ago when we remodeled the kitchen . Last year, the handle s...

Not sure if you can do this without an oven, but it would work on a BBQ on low or convection. Split openpork tenderloin and pound flat and even thickness about 1/2 inch. Spread cranberry relish or your favourite fruit chutney over the whole thing. I also add goat cheese, but not necessary. Roll it u...

I charge mine once a week, and I have had it for a year and a half now. The more it syncs, the faster the battery will go down, but I have found a week pretty average for a charge. It will usually send you a message or an email when your battery is getting low, but I find it easier to remember to ch...

I am not sure about Windows 10 because I had Fitbit installed before I upgraded to Windows 10, so that part just works. As for the phone. I too was worried about constant syncing etc, so in the settings of the Fitbit app on my phone I set it to manual sync. I don't actually think it uses data to syn...

Wow, congratulations!!! I am impressed. That is quite a height. I definitely wouldn't have had the guts to do that.

When I lose impulsion with my mare, she immediately goes into a passagey trot. That is her evasion and not a correct passage. It definitely comes from a tense back and trailing haunches. It is like a jackhammer that launches me out of the saddle and is almost impossible to sit. I immediately know th...

My coach never charged separately for show weekends, but weekend lessons included in training or half training were not rescheduled. As well, she would not come to a show for just one person. There needed to be at least two or more, and we always included her in our pot luck lunch, but she did not h...

Next time you are passing through Ohio make a point of stopping at Melt Bar and Grill, specializing in gourmet grilled cheese: http://meltbarandgrilled.com/menu/melt-menu/ The only complaint I have about it is that their sandwiches are so filling I am full after half of one, and I really want to tr...

We had a weird summer weather wise. My tomatoes did well, both in and outside of the greenhouse, and everything else did meh. I kept it simple this year because I knew I wasn't going to be home much to supervise. My only disaster was the squash. I planted spaghetti, buttercup and pumpkin squash. One...

Grilled cheese is my Mecca food. I told the owner of the new fromagerie in town that her store was my mothership. She laughed and is helping me work my way through her products country by country. I have a notebook where I try to comment on each cheese, but for the most part I just want to say "...

Minz here and TOB, was Minz000 on UDBB, and was DW many moons ago but lost that login with an old email. I live in "Headwaters Horse Country" a very horsey rural area 1 hour north west of Toronto Canada. I am usually a gr 7 and 8 schoolteacher, but am currently on LTD because I am undergoi...

Colours here haven't been as brilliant as usual. Not sure why, last year was spectacular. Photo from a hack last week. http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc418/Minz00/21a643a409a827cde92d068b83841797.jpg Fat Newfoundland Pony in the valley view paddock. http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc418/Min...