Railshirts and Half Chaps and Breeches, OH MY!

If you've ever tried to show horses when you're not a svelte, trim little thing, you've been there. You walk into the local outfitters store and are faced with rack after rack of the season's latest fashion. You check the price tags, and of course, they're all quite steep... then you start to check the sizing tags. Shuffling through the rack, you are nearly to the back by the time you find something that might come within a few sizes of even fitting you and it's an awful colour, and probably last year's style, too. Trying it on, you look a bit like a stuffed sausage. The colour is wrong, the style is wrong, the price tag is ASTRONOMICAL, and you hate the way you look - but you buy it because you have no choice.

That was the story of MY life when I was growing up showing - as I've mentioned, I've always been a fat girl, and I went through many, many, many seasons of "settling" on what I could find that even came close to fitting me because that was all there was available. I almost always paid TOO MUCH for something I hated and was even sometimes embarrassed to wear. It definitely doesn't boost your self esteem or confidence, let me tell you that!

The wonderful thing about the internet is the plethora of resources right at your fingertips (like this blog, for example!). All of a sudden, you have access... and what a wonderful thing it is!

In this entry, I've compiled a list of websites that offer tack, clothing and accessories for plus sized riders. I don't have personal consumer experience with each and every company, but I thought I would at least put them up there and if you've had a good experience, you can say so in the comments. If you have other sites to link, put them in the comments and I will add them to the entry!

Riding & Show Clothing and Apparel

Happy Horse Designs (up to size 28 in custom rail shirts and showmanship tunics)*
1824 Plus Size Collections from Equestrian Collections
Saddle Bums Riding Pants (Up to size 2XL)
Arete Saddlery (they have 4XL sized half chaps!)
Maryland Saddlery (Plus sized english and foxhunting attire!)
Smart Pak Equine (carries the "Fuller Fillies" label)
Toby's Western Wear (up to 3XL western tops and tunics)
Horse & Rider Etc (english apparel, including boots with extra width in the calves and (especially exciting for me) larger foot sizes!)



*In the interest of full disclosure, "Happy Horse Designs" is my mom's sewing business. She does a circuit of trade fairs in the Maritime provinces and ships orders all over the world. Oh, and the website isn't finished because that's my job and I am a slacker!


Bras


X-Chrom Plus Size Horseback Riding Bras

ENell Sports Bra

I would love, love, love to find some websites where you can order saddles with 20" seats, etc - if you have links for any of those, PLEASE post them in the comments or email me - seeking(dot)sendiri(at)gmail(dot)com! :)

Sad Apologies...

Hey guys!

I just want to take a moment to pop in and let you know I am working on a new entry but it's taking a little legwork to get there. In the meantime, I have a new vlog entry to post, and some wee updates about Bronwyn, a forum to open up, and some pictures I wanted to post that I'd love to get to sooner rather than later, it is just a matter of finding the time.

I've become involved in a great weight loss challenge on Youtube that is taking up some time, working a little bit here and there, taking care of my family (I am the personal chef you know, making sure everyone eats right!) and the farm... but I promise I have not forgotten about anyone! I still love to see the comments trickle in on the various entries and love hearing about new people, and check the Facebook fan page frequently.

I am hopeful to get everything tied up this week and get the new entry up and get things all in order as I am hoping to start full time employment up again very very soon... I also think the entries will come more easily for me in the summer when I'm able to ride and do more with the ponies. In the meantime, I will try my best to keep you entertained through the winter!

I just want to thank all of you for your support, encouragement and amazing stories!

Amanda & Bronwyn

Vlog update!

As I am working some spot days for the restaurant, I haven't had time for a whole lot but I promise you can expect a new blog entry early next week that doesn't revolve around Bronwyn's amazingness (though there might be one of those between now and then!).

I'd love to have some guest vlog entries or suggestions for new things to blog about - leave them in the comments or you can email me at seeking(dot)sendiri(at)gmail(dot)com... (obviously replace all the things in (_) with the appropriate punctuation!). I am also considering a small forum in conjunction with this place. I know that these days, everybody is on a million forums, and I don't expect it to be several thousand posters strong, but might be a nice place for us to talk about our accomplishments, whether or not they relate to the current blog entry. Yay or nay?

So here is the vlog entry, which I have been literally trying to upload, day and night, since Wednesday morning. I lost 3lbs and I basically am obnoxiously positive.

Feeling thankful...

Tonight, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you - my readers, riders, who are sharing your stories, your comments, your hearts. I appreciate each and every one of you and what you bring to this blog, enjoying your life despite the stereotypes and prejudices that surround the aesthetically driven sport that we choose to engage in. I also appreciate those who are reading, and commenting, who are opening your minds and seeing things differently, even if you do not belong to the "plus sized" community. The tolerance, acceptance, and knowledge that you are equipping yourself with now will be appreciated by someone that you meet out there on your journey.

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On another note, I braved the cold at almost-dark to ride Bronwyn for about fifteen minutes. It was not long and not much of a work out but I did ride - and that counts for something. I am blessed to own a horse that does not balk at my harebrained schemes, riding at odd hours of the day, and asking her to do all manner of different and unusual things. She gladly went to work this evening as though she hadn't had a couple of weeks off. And it felt so fantastic to get into the saddle. Everyday that it is too cold or windy for riding outdoors, I kind of mourn a little. Granted, I have never used my summers to their full potential, but I feel like, as my passion has grown exponentially since beginning to write this blog, I will be much more committed to riding this summer. Since I have started to eat better, more produce and more protein, I have a lot more energy so I can see this being attainable.

I'm pretty excited about the snow going away!

I also longed my "not fat" horse, Rex, today. He needed some controlled exercise and I am going to fit and build him up for when I get on his back, finally. I am just a little over 25lbs away from where I told myself I would ride Ari (though I suspect I will cave and get on her sooner), so I figure that is a good weight to decide to ride Rex. He is turning into quite a big boy, and he has a beautiful, flat kneed extended trot - it makes me want to cry a little when I see it!

Weight Loss Vlog #8

I don't usually say too much on here about the weight loss, and you can choose to view the vlog or choose not to. I have to say today that I am super excited, though! I never get the chance to say "I'm finally in the X00's!" like they do on the Biggest Loser because I started at 303 (so losing 3lbs was not a big deal and I had been in the 200s before recently!), and 200 is a long ways away...

But I can say with pride today that I have finally left the ranks of "100lbs+ to lose" and am now only 99lbs away from my goal weight! *does a small dance of celebration*

And without further ado, the vlog:

Horses In My Backyard

I used to fancy myself quite a poet back in high school. At the time, I was plagued by depression and most of my poetry was about unrequited love (needless to say, I had very little confidence in myself or my complete cuteness - I look back on videos and pictures from high school and go "Come on, you were SO adorable! Why weren't you braver?!"). I used to stay up late at night scribbling endless scattered prose about one boy or another that I was too shy to even talk to, torturing myself with the endless possibilities that would never come to fruition. Teen angst at its finest.

I still write poetry, occasionally. Sometimes my heart is so full of feeling, I have to put it down - even if it's just one line. More and more frequently, horses or the feeling that horses give me are the subject of my mad ramblings.

Tonight, I was feeling inexplicably melancholy, generally emotionally volatile - a feeling I completely hate, and try to diffuse as soon as it starts because I dislike not being in control of my emotions (Who am I kidding? I cry all the time, especially when I am watching The Biggest Loser!). Usually, diffusing this feeling consists of sitting on the back of a horse - not working, just sitting, just feeling, and being. Tonight we had minus stupid degree weather with windchill so sitting on a horse wasn't really an option, but sitting with a horse was.

I took to Ari's stall. I love Bronwyn, but Ari is my favourite (And who am I kidding? Bronwyn would never tolerate the foolishness that Ari does!). Ari's unwavering sweetness is comforting and predictable. She is so many of the beautiful attributes that her mother had. I stood for a while with my arms over her back, my cheek pressed to her withers, her long furries tickling my nose. Horses are in my blood.

After a little bit of that, I took an overturned bucket and sat in the front of her stall while she munched hay quietly, and sat as close to her as possible, my arms wrapped around her front right leg, my cheek resting on her forearm. I must have sat like that for thirty minutes. It just felt good. Occasionally, she'd crane her neck and brush her upper lip through my hair.

Sometimes, I wish I had access to an indoor arena and didn't have to get out of bed to feed in below zero weather, but I would not trade the immediate access to the above for anything. I am jealous of those of you who have your horses at boarding stables, but at the same time feel sorry for those of you who can't keep your horses at home for whatever reason. I always used to be resentful of horses at home, but now I count myself lucky to have them here.

Anyways, back to the poetry. Tonight was one of those "full" feelings so I scribbled a little ditty. Though it's a little silly, I thought I would share, because I feel like you guys are my family. :)

Horses In My Backyard

I give up the finer points in life,
like indoor arenas in the winter,
stall mucking done when I arrive,
never having to worry about a missed feeding,
to have horses in my backyard.

I get to enjoy some of the hardships,
riding in the rain, or snow or sleet,
just to get that workout in,
mucking stalls before I can make time to ride,
and climbing out of bed, in the cold, hung over or sick,
to have horses in my backyard.

I love the benefits -
a furry therapist whenever I need it,
instant eau de cheval,
horse hair on every article of clothing I own,
a soft place to land.
Front-leg-hugging therapy cures all ailments.

I have horses in my backyard, and I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

- Amanda Neal




Thanks, Ari, for keeping me grounded when I need it the most.

Building Confidence: Groundwork is GREAT.

I think one of the biggest concerns for plus sized riders, right after 'being too heavy to ride' is getting hurt - particularly if you are a middle aged or older and have realized that you don't bounce so much anymore as splat.

Some of the health complications with being plus sized (and I am not even talking morbidly obese here) really bring to the forefront the worries. For example, though I don't worry much about myself (except that I hate falling and used to bail off of a horse the minute that it started to get a little naughty, which Bronwyn has "unlearned" in me), I worry about my father. He has an old back injury and I worry that his centre of balance will be different and less effective than it used to be. It seems like recovery from injuries are longer for plus sized people.

Though there is no surefire way to avoid getting dumped or hurt on horseback, I am a big fan of groundwork as a good way to work on avoiding it in many cases.

A lot of people think of groundwork as merely a stepping stone in the process to preparing a horse for riding, and only in that context, I have found ground work to be an excellent tool for many other things.


- > Of course, a horse can never NOT benefit from longeing or ground driving as reminders about their cues in the saddle. With my own horses, I am always 100% sure that they know what the verbal cues mean from the ground so they can translate to the saddle. This means a cluck the clues for upward transitions, downward transitions, and complete halts. I like knowing that these are really deeply instilled in a horse before I ride (especially the "whoa!" so that if, for some reason, I am incapacitated or something happens that I no longer have control (ie drop a set of split reins or something), I can still get a response even if the horse does not have seat signals down pat.

This was useful earlier this winter when I dropped one side of my english reins riding Bronwyn bareback in the snow, in the dark. She got a little scared and no doubt would have continued - if I had done a one rein stop and pulled her around, I probably would have fallen off myself, so I gave her the "Whoa" command, and voila... nice, square, FULL stop.

- > Spook proofing! You are at a much safer advantage, if you are an aware horseman, from the ground when introducing your horse to things that may scare them on the trail or in you day to day rides and adventures. The more things you introduce a horse to, fortunately, the less scared they are of the next new thing, and eventually, you have a three year old that bravely and confidently walks out of a barn, into a county fair with huge rides going, music and loudspeakers blaring, hot air balloons firing close overhead and children running underfoot.

One of my favourite things to do is go to the local dollar store and buy as many "scary" things as I can find. Hula hoops, tarps, noisemakers, cap guns, and ribbon-shooting pop guns are some of my favourites. I am known to love bringing home new "toys" to expose my horses to. I also saw, once upon a time, a fantastic set of CDs with parade noises and the various noises a horse would encounter in various situations. If anyone has a link to that or Google skills that are marginally better than mine, I'd love to see a link to them in the comments! I thought they were great and think it would be awesome to invest in some of them this winter!

- > Ground work, especially prior to a saddle session, can give me a really good idea of where the horse's head is at, mentally. Should I be looking out for spooks on this ride? Would we be better off in the arena or confined riding area today, or is a trail ride an option? I guess I am most interested in all of this because I have been routinely dealing with green horses for the last ten years. In fact, I haven't owned a "broke" horse in that long! If I can work on things that, at least for the time being, are going to be acceptable to the horse's mental capacity that particular day, I stand less of a chance of getting dumped, and that, my friends - is a very good thing.

- > Frequent ground work really helps you know whether your horse is off. When you use it as a tool often enough, you really get to know your horse. There is a constant debate about green rider plus green horse equals black and blue, and I generally agree with that point. With that said, I think there is a great deal of benefit to a horse and rider relationship if the rider doesn't immediately get on and spend all their time riding but instead spends a lot of time on the ground, watching their horse and learning what their normal way of going and behaviour is. You become so in tune, at that point, that you know whether your horse really needs to be longed or if he can handle just a quick turn or two around on the longeline, or if they are off or minimally unsound.

Add to all of this that you can teach your horse things from the ground that will truly benefit you as a plus sized rider - for example, to sidle up to a fence or large mounting block and stand still... patience and appropriate behaviour in situations that might be found to be scary (ie getting tangled up in a rope or things blowing against the horse's legs).

I have found that ground work and play (since I don't just do things related to saddle work, I also clicker and trick train/play with Bronwyn) truly cement the bond you have with your horse and how well you are able to read them and gauge 'normal' or irregular behaviours in them and how quickly you can assess a situation that might get you injured.

There are absolutely no cons to spending time on the ground with your horse and I truly believe that is the making of a true horseman, and not just a horseback rider. I think more people should become interested and well versed in reading horses and their behaviours and mindsets before mounting up - a ton of accidents could be avoided this way.

Winter is a great time to get this done if you don't have a place to ride indoors or aren't able to balance the equation of dressing warmly but still being able to ride.

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Right now, we are getting a crazy amount of wind and snow. I sure wish this would all go away so I could get some riding done - I am definitely envious of you out there with indoor riding rings and heated barns. Take advantage of them with me in mind! :)