Rain and Hair Bows

We don't have an indoor riding arena. I live, and ride and teach in NY. As you can guess, this is a huge problem. OK, some people like the elements. Some people also like broccoli and Lady Gaga. I don't like to be precipitated upon. And happily, or perhaps unhappily for both of us, neither does my horse. 65 and sunny with enough rain every other night when we are safe inside to keep the grass green and the dust down would be perfect. I am baby bear. I like everything just right when it comes to weather.

This is pertinent because it rained today. Again. So instead of doing something productive with my horse or teaching lessons I spent my day in the barn office huddled by the heater making hair bows.

A number of my students will be attending a local schooling show in the next couple of weeks and for several of them it will be their first show. We have already been to the local tack shops quite a few times to get everyone outfitted properly. I say we, because I try if at all possible to go with them. Again, I like everything just right, and I usually don't trust mothers, however helpful, or tack store salespeople to be as discerning in size and cut and color as I would be. I could tell you some horror stories (to me anyway) that parents who thankfully knew better have brought back to me when they went shopping on their own. But that is a digression and a semi rant and not really relevant right now.

The point is, while we were at the tack shop selecting jodphurs, and jackets and ratcatchers with monograms and belts and garters that match your boots, I remembered an essential accessory for the walk/trot - short stirrup set. Hair bows. Now let me tell you, if you want to horse show, short hair is not the way to go. Double braids when you're younger, and enough hair to capture with a hair net without getting wisps everywhere make longer coifs ideal. And always try your helmet on with your horse show hair style. If you're only going to have one helmet, that may be your hairstyle for quite some time. I know some people who judge when it is time to get a haircut by how their helmet fits. But again, I digress. A lot. At any rate the tack shop had a minor selection of hair bows in a couple of color combinations, but nothing truly spectacular, and nothing that complimented the show shirt/jacket combinations we had selected. Not to mention, said bows were priced at $25 plus local sales tax.

So I decided to make my own. And this is what I came up with. These are for one of my students with a lavender ratcatcher.

 I particularly like the butterflies in the center. Anyway, once I made one set I was having fun, and ended up making 8 sets, when I really only needed 3. (Did I mention Michael's was having a half price sale on ribbon?) I still have a ton of ribbon left as well. I did come up with 2 styles, longer and shorter. The purple ones above are an example of the longer ones, and these are some of the shorter ones.

I wonder if I could get $20 or $25 for these? I like them better than the ones at the tack store, and they were fun to make. Perhaps I will start a side business in ribbons. Or maybe it will stop raining and I can get out and ride. One more picture to end with. I just really like the color on these.