Hi Reader,

We made it home from our first big away show and flew right into the new school year. If you missed my attempt to be the most annoying mom at the Winston National by documenting every last second of it, you can catch it all on my Instagram 'HITS' highlights.

I'll cover my takeaways from the show more completely in an upcoming podcast episode, but here are some highlights I jotted in my notes app:

1. It was INCREDIBLE to be around so many talented horses and horse people. Full stop - even if you or your kiddo never compete in a 'big' show, GO WATCH ONE.
2. I am unfamiliar with the names of Olympic riders. Our friend informed me that 'DOUG PAYNE IS IN THE RING' and, to her disgust, I asked...'Who is Doug Payne?' You too? Google him.
3. Shows like this need a newbie orientation.. We didn't know when the schooling rings 'closed' for the day, what 'starts after Hunter 4 finishes' meant in terms of time, or that our horse shouldn't leave her stall without her number on her.
   ​*Mental note: Broke Horse Moms should host welcome tents for first-timers.
4. I can NOT tell gray-colored horses apart. At the end of day 1, I saw a girl walking a gray around the grounds for the 1000th time that day. When I told her she'd been walking that horse all day, she informed me they were all different horses and they just had a lot of grays at their barn. 🤦🏻‍♀️

🤷🏻‍♀️ Are We Supposed to Know This?

Each week, I'll share a question that we should all PROBABLY know, but likely don't. Meh. We'll figure it out together. I’ll share the answer in next week’s newsletter.

What is a 'lope?' 🤠

*Think you know it? Hit reply and tell me! I’ll give a shoutout and drop an Armor Equestrian sticker in the mail to one of the (surely many) correct answers. No googling allowed!

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION

What's the difference between a bridle and a halter?

Congrats to Caitlin K. on that correct answer!

I'll email you to snag your addresses to get a sticker in the mail to you soon!

👀 BTS: On the Road to Pony Finals

I'm still decompressing from our first show while eagerly awaiting the qualification guidelines for the 2026 Pony Finals to be released.

For you, my dear mamas, here's the breakdown for last week's show:

• Stalls + fees: $433
• Classes: $200 (she competed in the .80m jumper classes, each priced at $50; anything above that height is priced at $100/class - not sure about the hunter classes)
• ​Vrbo house (ON A COW FARM): $736.31 (3 nights - included lodging for our trainer) - WORTH EVERY CENT!
• Shavings for the stall: $66.41 (bought before we left)
• Hay: grabbed some from the barn
• Coaching fees/hauling: totally dependent on the trainer, so my sharing wouldn't help much but you could estimate $50-$100/day for coaching fees and a per-mile fee for hauling

So, ALL IN aside from trainer fees, hauling, and food: $1435.72

It wasn't AWFUL, since several of the charges were split up. We paid for the house and stalls/fees early, so the balance at the show was palatable. I give the experience a giant thumbs up.

📋 Weekly Roundup

• The podcast is coming!! The trailer is up on all podcast players, so pop over, give it a listen and then follow/subscribe so the first 3 episodes will magically appear in your app on September 2nd! Oh...and feel free to send it to a friend!
  ​Broke Horse Moms podcast​
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• If you didn't get a chance to ask your most basic question or tell your most sordid barn story last week...now's your chance:
  ​The Anonymous Cross Tie Confession submission form
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Until next time, trot on, mama! We got this!

xo,
Angie

​https://brokehorsemoms.com/​

PS - Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here.​