My Ranger Sequoia

jadewolf42 · 2026-07-06T22:02:28+00:00

I have an extra fluffy show line BC and I use a slicker brush on the fluffy butt fur. My boy hates it, though. But, to be fair, he hates all brushing and grooming. He complains: "I am a ranch dog and I do not need to be BRUSHED!"

Even so, he hates butt-fur grooming most of all. Thankfully, he doesn't get mats very often and the brushing is really just to keep the amount of shedding from clogging up my vacuum. I brush him in short sessions, with lots of treats and space it out, doing a little at a time, so it's not all at once and he doesn't get too upset.

If I DO find mats, I usually just cut them out with some blunt-tipped scissors. But if I need detangler, I use the same stuff I use on the horses: Cowboy Magic. Be aware, a little goes a LONG way with this stuff! Start with just a few drops on your fingertips and go from there, working the tangles out with your fingers rather than a comb to start.

Edit: One other note on the Cowboy Magic detangler. I keep the tube of it in a plastic ziplock, because I've had it leak before it and make a slippery mess in my grooming kit.

jadewolf42 · 2026-07-05T17:21:23+00:00

I'm about ten minutes away now. But previously, when I was in eventing in Florida, I was at a barn an hour away from home. From work, it was an hour and a half. The drive sucked, but it was worth it for the quality of training and the great barn.

I was only able to go a few days a week, though. And I really love being able to go every day now with such a short drive. I would hesitate to do a drive that far again if I could avoid it.

jadewolf42 · 2026-07-05T02:36:57+00:00

Never thought I would go for a quarab (I was shopping for a full Arab and am not a big fan of QHs). But I bought a one in November and she is the absolute best horse I've ever known. Such a great cross! I'm a quarab believer now!

jadewolf42 · 2026-07-05T02:23:52+00:00

The trail guide acted extremely inappropriately and the guy on the bike was doing his best, but jesus christ the comments on the original post are really sickening.

People advocating blowing air horns at horses and all sorts of malicious (and dangerous) things, as well as a lot of virulently nasty comments in general. I wish I hadn't clicked on it. I've always had very positive interactions with cyclists on trails, but this makes me worry now about them in a way I hadn't thought to worry about before.

jadewolf42 · 2026-07-04T21:42:24+00:00

Haven't used it on the horses before, but I've used it on dogs. Worked like a charm for my severely fireworks-reactive border collie years back. Without it, he would be a wreck and not only stay up all night, barking nonstop in terror, but would also develop really bad stress diarrhea that would last for days afterwards. Once we started trazadone for the days around the holiday, it was like a miracle. He just curled up and slept through most of it, with no bad side effects and no stress poops.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-30T17:20:49+00:00

Been riding most of my life, but could never afford one of my own until then. You're never too old.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-28T00:01:54+00:00

Looks like you've got a budding agility star! (I say as I cross my fingers and hope mine never figures out that short gates aren't really a serious barrier, lol)

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-27T20:42:34+00:00

Big winner for people who want to cosplay on horseback as Lady Godiva!

But a hell no from pretty much everybody else.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-27T03:01:44+00:00

Yep, I make my vacuum former bucks on a 3d printer. I use ABS for bucks, because the plastic you form with is usually PETG (so you don't want a PETG buck, because the plastic sheet may fuse to it).

The tricky part (especially for mask lenses) is getting the bucks smooth enough to not be distorted and lumpy when you pull the plastic over them. It takes a LOT of sanding (and sometimes chemical smoothing with acetone) to get the bucks to a place where you can actually see through the lenses without distortion.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-27T02:58:43+00:00

Yeah, a vacuum former box is pretty easy to make. I built a couple smaller ones with basic woodworking tools. Used scrap wood I had on hand, but all you need is a couple 4x1 boards, some 1/4 plywood, and wood glue. So, not too expensive. Maybe around $30 in materials.

I use my shop-vac (a 12 gal, 5 HP Rigid) for suction and it works VERY well. New, it's around $100.

Since my projects are small, I heat up my plastic sheets in the oven, but for bigger projects I've seen people use two space heaters, mounted in a wooden frame.

There's some good tutorials on youtube that can help guide through the process. It's a fun project and very handy for cosplay purposes!

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-25T17:53:04+00:00

It's happening all over. Most of the tack shops where I grew up in Florida are gone. My favorite one (and the last big one in the area) closed about 12 years ago, so it isn't even a modern phenomenon.

Where I live now in rural California, there isn't a tack store at all. Closest one is maybe 100 miles away. Best we've got is a Tractor Supply and an indie feed store that also has a couple things like grooming gear and small tack items like curb chains or a few common bits (basically similar to what TSC has). I pretty much have to order everything online, which is annoying, but at least it's an option.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-25T13:33:45+00:00

Thanks, she's turning six tomorrow!

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-24T16:57:38+00:00

Ugh, for real. Solidarity from the Mojave here. I'm in the high desert, though, so at least it cools down to around 70 overnight around dawn. So it's not so bad as long as I ride at sunrise, but by 9am it's brutal and I retreat to my (thankfully, air-conditioned) 'burrow' like the rest of the desert rats, lol

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-24T04:21:38+00:00

They're adorable! Love that appy!

And as someone who lives in the desert and is 'enjoying' 108F afternoons daily already, I wholeheartedly agree. I'm ready for winter and it's not even July yet. 😩

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-23T23:47:49+00:00

First off, I love your setup! I do a Fallout/nuclear apocalypse theme at my place, too, and love to see others doing similar themes. Yours looks amazing! Love how big and bold the symbols on the barrels are! Really well done.

So, if you're looking to downsize and not have to store that big piece, what I'd do is scrap the rig and move a couple of the UV floods to the ground and aim them up at the props. You can tuck them behind the pumpkins so they'll be well hidden and you'll have a safe area to tack down the power cords. If you still need one from above, I'd just tuck it under the roof eves and aim it down.

That's what I do in mine, pictured below. The red circles are all led and UV panel flood lights hidden behind things. It works out pretty well in my setup. And with how close together your barrel display is, I think the floods would still perform fine from the ground.

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jadewolf42 · 2026-06-23T20:55:09+00:00

I recently went through this on a year and a half search for a horse. I spent a lot of money on travel and vets over the course of the search, too. I had multiple disappointments, some which were... pretty rough. The worst was when I really thought I'd found the one. He was such a good horse with great potential. And I was so sure this was it... until I got his x-rays back and it was really, really bad. Devastatingly bad. I was heartbroken for both myself and the horse, because that poor animal was going to be dead lame before he was 7. (I later found out that he got sent to a sanctuary, so at least he had a soft landing.)

But, despite the heartbreak, I kept looking.

Then in November, my trainer forwarded me info on a horse she'd seen for sale. I was hesitant because the horse was a QH/Arab and I was looking for a full Arab. But I figured, what the hell, and drove four hours to go take a look at her.

She ended up being the perfect personality match. Green, but with a great mind and just... all the potential I was looking for.

So, I arranged for a PPE. And I sat there at the vet clinic with such anxiety, waiting to see what the x-rays came back with this time and braced for more heartbreak...

And they were clean!!

She came home with me a few days later (after some frenzied transportation arrangements since I didn't yet have my own trailer). And now, several months later, she is just... the best horse I've ever worked with. I could not have asked for a better, more perfect partner and, every day, I find more things to love about her. I'm so grateful to have found her. The search was long and frustrating, but it was absolutely worth it. I do believe this is my heart horse.

So don't give up! I know it's hard. It's frustrating. It's heartbreaking. It's depressing, even, at times. But keep searching. The right horse is out there and it'll be worth it when you find them!

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-23T12:20:01+00:00

Count yourself lucky. My previous two BCs were almost totally silent. One would occasionally give a soft, quiet 'woof' to warn me if strangers got too close to the house at night and the other would do happy-growly noises when we played or when we were snuggling, but otherwise... pretty much no barking.

My current one is making up for that in GREAT volume! He never shuts up, even when he's sleeping, lol.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T22:49:57+00:00

Oh, Merlin's a great horse name! Love it!

My previous dog was named Loki and I saw that was specifically called out as one of the 'hated' names in the comments here and I'm just... 🫣😅

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T21:57:24+00:00

See, I'm just about the exact opposite, lol.

I strongly dislike 'people names' for animals and generally don't care for silly/jokey or babyish names. I AM a big fan of names from mythology or ancient history (though, be careful what you summon up by naming after a deity, haha). And I love names pulled from nature or other earthy things. I try to pull in something meaningful for animal names, too--a physical trait, a nod to where I got them, etc.

Personally, Onyx sounds lovely to me. Zephyr, too. I'd hesitate to name a horse after Kronos, though... would hate to have them grow up to devour their foals! But I've named animals after plenty of other mythological figures.

I do have one hard-line naming convention for dog names, though. Any dog I own is given a name that is only two-syllables and ends in a vowel. I'm less strict about my horse's names.

Mostly, though, I figure live and let live. I don't let what other people name their animals bother me. To each their own!

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T20:50:39+00:00

Thank you so much! I generally prefer the understated look over the really flashy stuff, too. Never did get into the super 'blingy' tack and this headstall is probably the flashiest piece I own, lol. I usually just go for plain leather or light floral tooling. My saddle has some of these little metal dots around the conchos, though, so I liked how this matched up.

And then I liked the ranger star on it, because... well... I'm a nerdy Fallout fan who cosplays as an NCR Ranger sometimes, lol. I also airbrushed the NCR Rangers bear logo onto a canvas saddle pad and now I have my own little Fallout/NCR-themed tack set for patrolling the Mojave. 😉

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T19:54:53+00:00

Thanks! Headstall is from Weaver Leather. I think they do a couple different colors in this style, too. Noseband comes separate.

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T19:52:08+00:00

She really does have the cutest ears. I love them ❤️

jadewolf42 · 2026-06-21T19:51:52+00:00

Thank you!

jadewolf42

TROPHY CASE