Incrediwear Circulation Standing Wraps Review

<Modeling the Incrediwear exercise bandages>

Let me just tell you how hooked I am on Incrediwear products — for horses AND humans now. This is another unsolicited review: I am actually just that impressed with this stuff that I am almost always going to recommend it now. I don’t know what I was even doing for Eli’s frequent dings before these things. Oh, no, wait, yes I do … lots of cold hosing, lots of clay poultice, lots of wrapping with quilts, and maybe once or twice even sweating a leg – although I have never been a fan of sweating concoctions as they seem a bit caustic to me and nobody likes messing with cling wrap in a barn.

The Incrediwear Circulation Standing Wraps have gotten a lot of use for as long as I have had them because Eli never fails to whack and/or scrape himself in turn out. He frequently has had random cuts and swellings that require more than just a disinfection and application of antibacterial salve. And I even briefly used them in an experiment to see if they were thick enough to keep his right heel/shoe off his right elbow (and unfortunately the answer to that is no but it was worth a shot). Eli also has some hoof issues that benefit at least some from good circulation so both these standing wraps and the Incrediwear hoof socks assist with that.

<This therapy was that time when Eli did something to his left hind and the wraps were one of many things I threw at that. He has since fully recovered from that mystery (suspected hamstring) injury.>

Once again, if you are interested in the science behind the Incrediwear material, I encourage you to go to the website. This review is all about the practical application so I won’t get into the science — I am basically just observing whether these things reduce swelling and heat. And let me tell you: they reduce swelling and heat quickly, drastically, and sustainedly. (Is that a word? Is there a better word? I can’t think of it right now so you get an awkward word.)

<Yes, I do have a lot of pictures of Eli wearing these things because he wears them a lot.>

Okay, so, as I have said, Eli comes in from turn out with dings. After the left hind injury, he decided a slice on his left cannon was necessary (I think I mentioned it earlier in a post?), and then he decided to whack the left hind fetlock pretty hard and scrape the top of that pastern. This all resulted in some cold hosing and wrapping for a few days. Within one day of wrapping with the Incrediwear standing bandages, the swelling and heat in the fetlock were gone and never came back. I kept wrapping overnight for a few more days, but I am wondering if I even needed to? I did not limit his turn out in any way and he managed to stay ding free long enough for me to feel satisfied that that whole left hind minisaga was behind us. I kind of feel like these wraps are not just an excellent replacement for but a major improvement over a more traditional sweating bandage wrap. (Obviously in instances of new acute injury to your horse CALL A VET.) Honestly, with ceramic fiber products, I was always like … huh, well, they seem to be working … and they have evidence to support the benefits they are asserting … but I only ever noticed minor improvements with using the ceramic standing wraps and polos (although still love the mesh sheet). With Incrediwear wraps I notice a rapid and significant improvement in heat reduction and swelling that lasts. It’s almost shocking.

He has worn these a lot on his hinds, I swear, I just have almost no pictures of that and I don’t know why considering I take a thousand a week.

One other thing I’d like to mention about these wraps is their thickness and how they wear. They are thick. It doesn’t take much to get them snug around a horse’s leg, though, if you use the stretchier stable bandages. I don’t think I could use these wraps with flannel bandages, although I haven’t tested that. They can be left on all night without any kind of “breaking in” acclimation period that the ceramic fiber brands suggest, because this is not a ceramic fiber brand. The technology is different and this goes the same for their human products. I have the fingerless gloves and they have helped my slightly arthritic hands a ton. I type a bit for work, and I handle books – some of which are stupid big – a lot for work and the Incrediwear (fingerless) gloves for people really diminish the achiness and fatigued feeling I get in my hands. I also get a slightly cool sensation from wearing them which boggles my mind but I guess that means they are working? Anyway, when wrapping with these bandages, make sure you’ve got the correct side of the fabric toward the leg. The outside is smoother, the side that goes against the leg is more textured and it seems a bit softer to me, like a soft sweater a little bit, maybe. (I am doing a poor job of describing it.)

So if you’ve a got horse that needs some help with reducing swelling and heat for whatever reason in any of their legs, I 1,000% percent recommend the Incrediwear standing wraps. They have been immensely beneficial to Eli over the past few months. Dear Incrediwear, please tell me saddle pads and quarter sheets are on the menu in the near future!

And one last unrelated thing — this bit is still for sale: 5 1/4″ Myler full cheek w/hooks & copper roller. Too big for Eli. Considering all reasonable offers.

So I am curious — have you had a good experience with new products or technology that has helped your horse, or you as a rider, way more than you expected?

New Year, New Girth, New Trunk

Resolutions are not my thing. But I am constantly hitting the refresh button on various aspects of my life. While 2021 just feels like an extension of the endlessly jacked up timeline know as The Ides of March MMXX, it hasn’t stopped me from extensively weeding my closet, getting a new tack trunk, and tracking a few of my health markers with a fitness wearable.

Don’t worry, Eli gets a few new things himself for 2021. First off, without trying to even explain the situation, Eli has a new farrier. The first setting with the new farrier marked a significant improvement to Eli’s hooves, and I can feel it in his gaits. I’m not holding my breath but so far, so good.

Secondly, for whatever reason, the synthetic fleece girths that were initially Eli’s preference, and that he has worn for YEARS, are suddenly VERY OFFENSIVE to the point of Eli trying to bite his girth off while I am on him! He is, if nothing else, a very effective communicator.

I do have a Professional’s Choice wool girth that Eli does not protest, so he still wears that one. And during winter, that’s fine. But a wool girth in the summer in Texas? You can imagine my point well enough. I had been considering the Equifit schooling girth but couldn’t really find any reviews that talked about how the sizing runs. Additionally, the wider center part of the girth might be kind of weird with a martingale. So I returned to Professional’s Choice and ordered the vented neoprene one, just kind of hoping Eli would be comfortable in it.

Definitely got to love the “Made in U.S.A.” So I tacked up Eli with this girth.

Not once did Eli try to bite at the girth. He had no reaction to it at all, really. I’ve been riding him in it since. So at least one Ridiculously Sensitive Thoroughbred approves unreservedly of this girth. 10/10 recommend.

And on to the tack trunk … my wood trunk, made in 1997, needs HELP, so it is now in my garage awaiting its revision/restoration/refurbishment. I liked the idea of these big tool chest trunks, the 50-60 gallon kind with wheels and a handle. I also like the idea of spending $90 instead of $900+ that a wood or vinyl/metal trunk would cost. The Stanley ones seemed to be out of stock in my area, but my local Home Depot had Dewalt ones in stock so that’s what I got.

I had to rearrange how I store stuff in my trunk and locker. My groom box now lives in my locker (plenty of space for it since my tack locker refresh project) and without a tack trunk tray, I nabbed a few of my unused leather pouches and small bags from home for storing all the weird little contraptions and junk that had been in the tray, things like rein stops, hairnets, double-end snaps, gloves, etc. It is also now much easier to get to the clay poultice and hoof packing.

I have made it out to the barn almost every day this month, although I have only ridden Eli a handful of times due to weather. No surprise for January in Texas.

With all this new stuff that makes Eli more comfortable and makes me feel more organized, 2021 is okay so far in my tiny little personal corner of the world. Hopefully we can all only go up from here.

Omeprazole for Everyone!

Omeprazole: I’ve taken it myself. Eli just finished up a course of it. And now Conrad gets some for a few days.

Yep, this little man, who was quite himself on Tuesday — had a good walk, ate his meals, snuggled in his blankets — was just not right on Wednesday. This not-rightness went on all day and I finally decided he need to go to the emergency vet as he was refusing any and all food and treats. He had some other symptoms, too, and generally looked like he had a bad tummy ache.

Fortunately, the ER vet called with his blood work around 9:30pm on Wednesday night and said everything looked good other than that he was very dehydrated. He got IV fluids and antibiotics (because he had signs of some GI inflammation) and small bites of food and drank well overnight. Conrad felt much better Thursday morning. I got to pick him up and he was sent home with the antibiotics and omeprazole. He was also vvveeerrrrrryyy tired. The ER vet experience was interesting but very organized and seemed to work well. While it was upsetting that I couldn’t go in with Conrad due to COVID-19 restrictions, the vet and office were very helpful and communicative and everything was done through phone calls and emails. I’d use this ER vet clinic again if I had to! For anyone in the Austin area, it’s the Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital in Round Rock. There is also a south location. There is a third location in northwest Austin, but that location is temporarily closed.

Conrad fussed a bit until he got comfortable on his sofa in my “home office” …

I’m going to split up his meals into three a day instead of two as the vet recommended this. And he can keep having his boiled white meat chicken toppings, so he’ll be happy about that! He has been eating and drinking well since he has been at home, too, so dear dachshund gods, please do not let my dog forget to drink water anymore!

In Eli news, in addition to the Incrediwear Circulation Wraps, Eli gets to wear wet Incrediwear Hoof Socks after a ride. His front feet need AAAALLLLLLLL of the help they can get. Don’t worry, his farrier is wonderful and I stand ready with Sole Pack paddies at all times, but I figure a little cooling down, especially in the coronet band region, can’t hurt, either!

The hoof socks are really interesting — they are super stretchy so not difficult to get on. You just gotta be careful about snagging them on nails but I have avoided that so far. They can be worn basically all the time when dry. I don’t think Eli needs that kind of use, but I do love using them after a ride.

I hose off Eli, put these on, and hose them off. He stands in front of fans to dry, so after all of that his fetlocks and hooves are nice and cool. The hoof socks seems almost foolproof to use, so if therapeutic polo wraps aren’t your thing, these would be a good alternative.

Debating with myself whether I can get him to wear a pair on his hind legs with no drama …

Eli is a very lucky pony because he’s got some Incrediwear standing wraps to try now, too. I see some goofy rooster walking in his future. I am even tempted to try the standing bandages on his front legs in hopes of a little extra padding to keep his right hoof/shoe from rubbing his right elbow when he lays down. I think it is just TOO HOT here for any kind of overnight wrap, but maybe in a few weeks the weather oven will no longer be on broil.

And one last thing — a few have commented on Conrad’s fuzzy blankets and I wanted you to know they are inexpensive and easy to get and come in a variety of colors. Strangely enough if you search “game of thrones blanket” they come up.

These blankets are fleecy on the inside and furry on the outside. They wash well, they don’t pill up, and they don’t shed in the wash or on furniture. Conrad might have three… the Rose Dust color is tempting me …

Incrediwear Circulation Exercise Bandages Review

I still have not figured out why it feels like I have less time instead of more time while this working-from-home lifestyle continues. I have neglected blogland as a result.

The pony and the puppy still get a lot of my free time, though, and those are the priority components of my lifestyle, so I can’t say I am too bothered by not blogging. I try to keep up on Instagram, at least. Eli has had his Gastrogard and seems to love the Purina Outlast and he has been doing well under saddle. As you can see in the above picture, he is wearing some grey polo wraps that are the Incrediwear Circulation Exercise Bandages (the mouthful of a name comes from the Incrediwear Equine website ).

I wound up buying these partly because the big top-lid freezer at the barn ate it, so I brought my ice boots home. I was looking for alternatives to hauling ice boots in ice in an ice chest to the barn every day in case I felt like Eli needed icing that day. Although, the freezer in the barn refrigerator still works, so my ice boots may end up in there. But too late for my wallet, the search for icing alternatives was on, and I had seen these Incrediwear products a few times on Instagram and was curious about them.

The Incrediwear bandages can be used for exercise similarly to polo wraps, but then can also be hosed down after exercise for an icing effect (yes, it says this on the website, these are the actual instructions). Can I just tell you right now how unbelievably weird and difficult and cognitively dissonant it was to leave these things on and hose them down while rinsing off Eli after a ride? Wet polo wraps? My brain was breaking a little. However, it is important to remember two things: these wraps were designed specifically for this, and these wraps are not regular polo wraps. The material handles water differently than regular polo wrap material. So there is (I keep reminding myself) no danger of bowing a tendon, or causing some other injury like chafing or something, if these wraps are used as directed and applied properly. There is a TON of information on the Incrediwear Equine website, and if you are at all interested in these, I encourage you to read it and judge for yourself what you think and how you feel about the science behind them. (But don’t forget to recognize generally that science is true whether you believe in it or not.)

I have been using the Incrediwear wraps for about a month now, and have left them on to get wet for “icing” on Eli maybe 3 or 4 times. First, I’ll talk about using them during exercise, and then I will go over using them while wet for icing.

For exercise, color me impressed. These simply do not compare to other wraps I have tried, including regular polo wraps, Eskadron combo bandages, and Back on Track polo wraps (still love you, BoT). Be warned, however, that these things are hard to get used to at first as far as being able to wrap competently with them. The material is stretchy and I had a hard time with how snugly I should wrap them. I didn’t do it tight enough the first few times and one of those times the wraps almost slid off. So maybe pull them a little tighter than you are comfortable with? Or not? I don’t know how tight y’all wrap, sooo … anyway, I am pretty confident in my wrapping skills and these things took me a few times to really get them on in a way that felt right to me. I am STILL (after a month of use) occasionally wrapping, hating, and redoing the wrap while tacking up Eli. The fabric can bunch and fold on top of itself while wrapping around the fetlock so get comfortable redoing wraps until you figure these out. Like I said, I still redo them sometimes before I am satisfied they are on Eli’s legs safely. If you aren’t confident in your wrapping skills, these may not be for you or you may want to ask someone who can wrap well to help you.

It’s not a German muffin so he isn’t too excited

Okay, so once they are on, Eli-of-the-rooster-walk tolerates them well. I know this because he walks normally in them (I mean, thanks for the big clue, buddy), even when I have wrapped his hind legs. (Yes. I know. My horse spooks at wearing hind leg wraps sometimes. He has unique sensory processing abilities. Just let it go.) Once I figured out how snugly to wrap them, they do not shift around while we ride. Eli has been feeling good under saddle lately, so I don’t have much to add related to use during our ride.

But after the ride? First, I have observed that his legs don’t get very hot and sweaty under these wraps. He sweats some, of course, because it’s like 94 degrees here until 8 o’clock at night and too humid in the mornings for me to tolerate. The wraps seem to wick moisture to a certain extent. But more importantly I can directly observe that these seem to regulate surface temperature extremely well. Like I am shocked at how not-hot his legs feel after a ride when I pull these off. It makes me want another pair so I can just wrap all four legs. Caveat: Eli and I don’t work too hard when we work. It’s a light ride of about 20-25 minutes with maybe a canter pole or two and a cross rail or two but that’s where we’re at right now. I certainly would not hesitate to jump in these, though. And it really is in the 90s when I am able to ride. It’s interesting. The wraps themselves feel super warm on the outside after a ride, but Eli’s legs feel normal. Based on personal experience, this would not be a result after using BoT polos or regular polos. So that ion transfer thing does seem to do its job.

And then there’s leaving them on after a ride and hosing them down for that icing effect. I have done this 3 or 4 times and left them on for just about 15 minutes or so, although the claim is they can be left on for 45 minutes while wet. Does this actually ice the legs? Not exactly. These wraps reportedly do not cause vasoconstriction, the way true icing would and the benefit of that is that blood flow is not slowed. And we all know how important blood flow is in the horse’s lower extremities. The wraps do seem to draw heat away from the leg even more quickly when wet than when dry. I am wondering whether this could be a good substitute for icing in all cases? What about after harder or longer work? And again, upon removing the wraps, the wraps themselves feel very warm but Eli’s legs feel very cool. Not really cold like icing with actual ice, but completely cooled down and a bit beyond that. I have some skepticism, but the product does seem to work very much like the product information claims. And they make stuff for people that works the same way (and I am tempted by the elbow sleeve …). Eli’s hind legs look and feel great, though. Very tight after using the wraps, holding up that tightness day after day now with continued use. He does experience some fill/windpuffiness/minor stocking up in his hind legs if he ends up stuck in his stall for a day due to weather but by all appearances these Incrediwear wraps have helped him enough for me to keep using them. And buy the hoof socks (review forthcoming, only used them once so far), and want a second pair of the wraps.

The price seems exorbitant for polo wraps. But consider they have multiple uses. I purchased these via FarmVet and used a 10% off coupon code, which helped a little. However, FarmVet seems to be out of stock and is not taking back orders. These can, however, be ordered directly from the Incrediwear Equine website. I have noticed that these and the hoof socks seem to sell out quickly. I bought the hoof socks right when they had been restocked in early July and they are also sold out on FarmVet, but appear to be available on the Incrediwear website.

Once I have used the hoof socks more, I will review them, too. But tomorrow, look for a kind of ode to bell boots:

Oh, OF COURSE you take the right one out, Eli. Anyway. Final word on the Incrediwear circulation wraps? 10/10 would buy again.

Anique Signature Sunshirt Review

Okay, y’all. I have tried a variety of sunshirts: EIS, Ariat, Kastel, Tailored Sportsman … I LOVE the look of the Anique shirts, but honestly their price made me balk. I had seen them for around $120 in some tack shops, but I won’t even spend that on a show shirt so I hoped at some point the Anique shirts might go on sale somewhere.

Luckily, Riding Warehouse had just such a sale, and had the white and northern sky Anique colors on sale for around $75. I picked up a medium.

Once I got the shirt, the first thing I noticed was the excellent construction and attention to detail. From the pictures online, I was a little concerned the collar would not work for me, but it is actually tall enough to protect the back of my neck from the sun. Now would be a good time to mention — these shirts are made HERE in the USA. That could account for the retail price. I feel much better about buying a shirt that is made here than one that is made somewhere else, like China (*cough* Ariat *cough*). And not that this next thing is the most important factor, but I really like the zipper. It has a bit of weight to it, making it feel pretty durable.

The next thing I love about the Anique shirts? The sleeves are long enough for my long arms. The sleeves are longer than every other brand sunshirt that I have tried. My entire wrist is covered. No wrist sticking out between sleeve and glove to get sunburned when I’m riding.

But let’s go back to the details and construction.

The Anique shirts do not have the mesh sleeve panels like Kastel or EIS or Tailored Sportsman. However, there are panels of a tighter weave mesh-like material along the sleeves and sides. I don’t think UV anything could get through it. And while we are comparing to the other well-known brands, the Anique material is 100% nylon but it is thicker and seems to hold its shape better than the other nylon/icefil shirts. Thicker is not always better in Texas, though–more on that in a sec. It is, however, by far the softest sunshirt I have ever worn.

At this point, I was convinced that I liked this shirt a lot, and then Riding Warehouse had a sale on top of a sale, and had two larges left in the Northern Sky color for around $56. So OBVIOUSLY I bought a large. This is the one pictured here. Don’t worry, the sleeves on the medium are just as long. I like to wear the medium with breeches and a belt because it tucks in well, and I like the large for wearing with my Botori riding pants untucked. I also REALLY put the Anique shirt to the cool comfort all day test and wore it while paddocking at a local show (the first of the year finally!) ALL DAY. In HEAT. Real heat. 95F and humid heat by the end of the day. The fact that the material is thicker than other sunshirts did not seem to make me any hotter than I would have been otherwise. I didn’t even feel real sweaty or anything.

After that experience, I am ALL IN on Anique sunshirts. The quality, the tailoring, the actual usefulness in heat … this is a four-season shirt in Texas, as far as I am concerned. While Riding Warehouse is sold out, you can find these shirts directly through the Anique website or if you are feeling super generous and want to kick a little affiliate money my way, you can get Anique shirts, currently from $80-$99 on Amazon. (That Peacock Blue is $80 and I am sorely tempted. Oh, AND these are eligible for an Amazon Smile donation.). Anique is the third-party seller, and Amazon does the fulfillment, so it’s not some random foreign third-party seller selling knock-offs. And if the shirt doesn’t work for you, Amazon’s return process is easy.

THE PEPPERMINT, THOUGH. I need it. I might just have to suck it up and pay the $99. And honestly, these shirts do seem to be well-worth it!

Another Great $20 Shirt

You may have noticed that I really like mesh. I like a motif on this blog and on my instagram. I also like long sleeve shirts that protect me from the sun but are made of stretchy, athletic material that encourages evaporation. So this means I like the Tailored Sportsman sunshirts, Asmar shirts, and some of Kastel’s shirts (although not so much lately). But what do these shirts all have in common? At $65, the Tailored Sportsman shirts are the least expensive out of those. My plastic says “ouch.” I could use a less expensive alternative, couldn’t you?

Enter Amazon late-night shopping on my phone. Talk about a habit I need to break … but every once in a while something good comes of it. And hey, right now? Amazon is open for business. At least today, ha. While browsing through athletic tops for women that don’t break the bank, are made well, and fit normally, Amazon suggested an Aurique shirt (an Amazon brand) with a fishnet-type mesh at the upper chest and forearms. And it has thumb holes! And the arms are long enough for me to actually use the thumb holes!

The top is surprisingly well-made for the price I paid — it was one of those “Today’s Deals” deals and I paid around $14, but they seem to go for about $22 when not on sale. The lower hem is sturdy and looks good not tucked in, but isn’t too thick to tuck in, either. So I can wear this top with breeches or Botoris. The fabric is an athletic mid-weight — probably best for spring and fall in Texas. I think it might be too heavy for summers here, but might be okay for summers up north.

It comes in black … and no other colors. I’d love it if it came in other colors, like a fir green or a pale pink. Maybe dove grey and deep indigo, too? K, thanks, Amazon.

Mesh Obsession on a Budget

Show shirts have come a long way in a few decades. Even day-to-day riding tops have stepped up, too. And one of the features of some of these shirts is mesh. Anyone wearing a “sunshirt” is wearing mesh, even if only the underside of the sleeves. And then high-end equestrian brands (looking at Cavalleria Toscana and Designs by Dalia especially) have taken mesh to whole new sheer heights. Their shirts are gorgeous and even some are almost awkwardly over-the-top, which is my favorite kind of shirt. But … I ain’t got $200 to spend on one shirt.

I found a $10-$15 option, though. I rode in the black one last night. The top is actually super lightweight and kind of a sporty material. I kind of wish I had a few of these earlier in the summer. And if the mesh snags on something it’s not like I just ruined a $200 shirt. As far as the sizing goes, the shirt is very stretchy. I’m like a 6-ish right now and I ordered a medium. And the mesh means a little extra vitamin D for me before the time change turns all rides into night rides.

SaddleBox Subscription Review

I have always balked at subscription boxes of any kind — canine, equestrian, make-up, jewelry, clothing … you name it, there’s a subscription box for it that I don’t actually want, mainly because of reasons such as I have sensitive skin so don’t like trying new things on my skin, or because my dog has a sensitive stomach and can only have extremely low fat treats. So when given the opportunity to review SaddleBox, a subscription box for equestrians, I thought it was maybe a message from the universe to keep an open mind. And Eli will eat almost any treat ever … (just not the barn grain right now). The SaddleBox website actually has a lot of information on it, including what all goes into their subscription boxes and how the company has relationships with equine charities, so that every subscription benefits a rescue horse.

So when I got the box, first I was surprised by how heavy it was. And then I opened it … and here is an awkward unboxing video with no narration because I hate the sound of my voice recorded:

Unboxing from patentlybay on Vimeo.

Um. The video just keeps going … that was a ton of stuff in one box! Plus how perfect is that sticker at the end. I thought the picture and description of a rescue horse was a very nice touch that makes it seem more personal to me.

Honestly, I noticed something about this box that kind of differentiates it from subscription boxes filled with sample size make-up, dog treats from China made of mystery meat, or accessories that fall apart. This box had stuff that I actually use! From well-known brands! AND A BOOK.

I genuinely like the treat selection. They are peppermint flavored and have no sugar added, so they would be a good treat for many horses. I am always interested to try new grooming tools, too, so getting a shedding blade (hi, winter, do you plan to come to Texas at all, though?), a hoof pick, a grooming mitt, and a face brush all in one box makes me pretty happy. But it doesn’t stop there — vet wrap and saddle soap were also in the box. And the saddle soap is Fiebing’s, a brand I am very familiar with and have used for years. The grooming mitt from Epona was the one thing I wasn’t too sure about Eli would take it. But more on that later.

I brought the box to the barn to show to Eli. He immediately found the treats. And loves the treats! Not that there was really a question. He also LOVES the face brush. Even more than his super fancy Leistner face brush! Of course he does. I haven’t dove into the book yet, but it looks like it has a lot of good tips for making this wacky horsey lifestyle more manageable.

And y’all. This box is not that expensive, especially for the amount of stuff you get in it. Plus there is a discount code on the SaddleBox website right now, too. Even better? SaddleBox offers gift subscription plans for any budget. And since it’s basically October it’s time to start holiday shopping. If I got a SaddleBox subscription as a holiday present, I’d be pretty stoked. But think about it … think about kid you, just starting to ride, maybe talking your parents in to half-leasing a pony … how cool would it be to get boxes like this in the mail? With stuff you need! Stuff you can use at the barn on a regular basis. 12-year-old me would have loved this as much as now-year-old me does.

Back to the Epona grooming mitt. Once Eli got over his initial WHAT-BLUE-THING-IS-EATING-YOUR-HAND-MOTHER phase, I think he likes it?

He’s not a fan of scratchy things, so a soft rubber curry is about as abrasive as I can get with him.

The grooming mitt is a bit scratchy in texture, but also really flexible and more like scratchy sweater material, not like steel wool soap sponges or anything that bad. The elastic wrist also keep dust from getting up in the mitt, which is nice. I think this will come in pretty handy this winter when it’s too cold to bathe.

DeNiro Salento Field Boot Review

It’s no secret that I love DeNiro boots. I wasn’t even boot shopping, I swear, but I stumbled upon a vendor on eBay that had a number of new-in-box stock DeNiros for WAY under retail. I paid $300 for these, and they go for around $850. How do I pass that up? These are *mostly* my size …. taller than usual, and a wider calf than I normally take, but in the process of breaking them in I haven’t had one blister. The leather is supple without the near-sock-like feel of Parlantis. I have no concerns about whether I’ll wear holes in the calves of these boots after one season–that ain’t happening.

Yes, they do hit in the middle of my knee cap. Ask me if that bothers me: it doesn’t. They have actually dropped enough already that I can zip them up all the way and snap the closure tabs. Since the calf is a regular calf instead of a slim calf, I may be wearing these a lot this winter because there will be room to layer a bit under them.

There is also an elastic gusset the whole length of the boot so there is some wiggle room on calf sizing if you may be thinking of ordering. I have loved every pair of DeNiros that I have owned, and these are no exception! I will definitely be riding in these a lot, and maybe by next year showing in them a bit? We’ll see how Eli is doing, of course. He’s the one determining our show schedule or lack of one. He is doing well for now, at least, and that’s the most important thing to me.

Weenie Wednesday: Voyager Dog Harness Review

I know a lot of times on Weenie Wednesday, you see Conrad in a Ruffwear harness. It’s a great harness! But it’s also a $40 dog harness, so not the most economical option. I had been looking around for a good blue harness for Conrad and ran across the Voyager Dog Harness on Amazon. At first I failed to measure Conrad’s girth, thinking it was 17″ and I ordered a medium in this gorgeous blue color. It was too small! I actually measured Conrad and his girth is now 20″. Chonk. I exchanged it for a large, which is super easy to do on Amazon and I got the large basically the next day.

As you can see, the large fits. It’s really a great harness for the price. It’s a step-in harness, which might be a more appropriate choice for nervous dogs that don’t like thinks going over their heads the way the Ruffwear ones do. A step-in harness is easy for everyone involved. It has a velcro closure but on top of that, it has a snap closure with two loops, one on each side of the snap, to hook the leash up to.

So it is a very secure step-in harness. It seems pretty soft, too, and it doesn’t impair Conrad’s movement in any way. For $12.99, this Voyager harness is a great value, and comes in a ton of other colors! I really like the gray or the black with orange binding for Conrad.

You can see the harness has reflective strips, too, for visibility at night. I don’t walk Conrad at night, so no problem there, but it’s a nice feature for those who do walk their furry creatures at night.

AND I just discovered Voyager makes a plush step-in harness. There is a black corduroy one that Conrad obviously needs!