western horse Archives - Big Dee's Tack & Vet Supplies

The time of year is coming for us to start prepping. We start working our horses harder, longer, more strenuously. Protection for your horse is always a must need when show season comes in to swing full force! There are so many options that sometimes we feel overwhelmed. What should I buy? What type of boot or wrap does my horse need? Of course these are the things that vary through discipline, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. When looking for my ideal preference in leg protection for my horse I weigh out a couple different factors.

First thing is not only my own preference, but what is my horse’s preference? I always try a couple different kinds of leg protection to see how my horses feel and how they work in each kind. My older mare is very balanced when working. She tends to work very symmetrical from front to back. I can put any sport boot on her and she works the same.

My young one on the other hand is a little more particular. I boot her in the front and wrap her with polos in the back. She tends to move more freely behind with polos on rather than having boots on feeling very heavy and slow behind. Being cutting and reining bred she works primarily on the haunches. She has a lot of rate in her turns and has a big stop. Since I use polos on her to keep her comfortable I also put a skid boot or run down boot to give extra support to the fetlock and prevent any holes or tears on my polos when we run. I always secure my velcro on my polos with a tape. I prefer an electrical type tape because it’s more flexible.

After seeing what my horse prefers I always look at what protection I want for my horses. My favorite is classic equine legacy. They cradle the fetlock and have a tough exterior in that area that adds extra protection to your horse and the boots themselves. The suspensory rib on the inside helps to fit right into the tendon groove sitting between the suspensory ligament and deep digital flexor tendon to assure great stability and better fit. They have top quality neoprene that’s flexible and light to help it breathe and remove heat from the leg while working to keep them cool.

Here at Big Dee’s we offer so many awesome choices to keep protection for your horse fun and colorful! From classic equine, professional choice or weaver there are limitless patterns and color combinations! My favorite patterns we have right now are the prodigy crimson Aztec and the prodigy insignia! If we are missing a style or color you’re looking for ask us about ordering them for you!

Written by Showroom Associate, Cora

I have always been horse crazy – and I am incredibly fortunate to have family that supported (and continues to support) that passion; from my grandmother teaching me horse colors on my toys, to my parents who gave me every opportunity they could to be around horses. My “horse crazy” has never gone away. Through the years, I’ve had some incredible experiences that both inspired and humbled me in the equestrian world.

Wizard’s Baby Doll “Roxy”

Like most great stories of “I knew someone, who knew another person”, that’s how I not only got to meet Roxy and her owner, but also was allowed a very brief ride.

I used to work my 4H horses every day, and a kind neighbor who enjoyed watching me ride reached out to me about a “famous horse”. She offered to take me to meet this horse because the owner was a family member – and she was willing to share this privilege with me! Of course I jumped on the opportunity, and not long after, I got to meet the legend that is, Wizards Baby Doll. Roxy accomplished so much in her lifetime with trainer Stacy Westfall, but the most known was her win in 2006 at the All American Quarter Horse Congress for Freestyle Reining.

Her owner was incredibly kind to not only take time out of his day to let me fangirl over Roxy, but to also let me hop on. She was a kind, calm mare that really just wanted to graze but allowed me shuffle around a bit and smile for a picture. Those few moments with her felt timeless, and really gave me a push towards wanting to learn more, experience more and go outside of my comfort zone..

As most of you know, Roxy tragically passed away in 2012. I met Stacy years later and reminisced about Roxy.

Afternoon Deelites/Popcorn Deelites

Through my years of riding, making barn friends and drooling over beautiful horses – I found myself “owned” by a scrappy senior Off-Track Thoroughbred. I discovered his sire, Afternoon Deelites, a Graded Stakes winner with earnings over one million in his race career, was at Old Friends in Kentucky! Bonus, another relation, Popcorn Deelites, one of the horses that portrayed Seabiscuit in the movie, was also there!

I can’t emphasize enough how incredible Old Friends and our fabulous tour guide was. When I mentioned I would love to meet both Afternoon Deelites and Popcorn Deelites, her eyes lit up and she went on to give us more than the standard tour. It turns out that Afternoon Deelites has the same charismatic and playful personality as his son. They could have also been twins!

You might recognize Apache (left) as he’s modeled for Big Dee’s in the past! Afternoon Deelites (right) passed his good looks and quirkiness onto Apache.

Popcorn Deelites was far more easy going but just as handsome. Popcorn was used for the breaking from gate and race scenes in the Seabiscuit movie since he was a natural sprinter. The visit to Old Friends was remarkable on it’s own, but meeting two horses that held a sort of sentimental value to me made it that much more special. To be in the presence of a superior race horse and a movie star made me appreciate all that off-track horses have to offer us.

Cinderella Horse

While I never got to meet the “Cinderella Horse “, better known as Snowman, I did get to meet Harry de Leyer. I have never been a Show Jumper, my riding career has mostly been rooted in Dressage, but I knew there was something to learn from Harry. In all honesty, I just listened to him tell his stories. I didn’t know the full Snowman story until I read the book, but hearing the memories recounted in person was fascinating and truly humbling to be sharing the same space with Harry. I wish I could have listened for hours, but we unfortunately had to part ways. He left an inspiring note that I like to look back on when I’m having a hard day – whether it be a hitch in progress for my goals or a bad ride.

Over the twenty plus years I’ve been around horses, I’ve realized one really important thing – there is always room to learn more, you never know everything. Roxy encouraged me to take lessons to improve my riding ability, Afternoon Deelites and Popcorn Deelites proved to me that racehorses are capable of so many great things after their racing careers and Harry taught me the patience to listen, absorb, and learn. Those little moments with each role model helped shape me into the equestrian I am today.

Who have you met (horse or equestrian) that inspired you?

Written by Marketing Associate, Cassie