#rootd: orchid mauve

It's been a while since my last #rootd blog post, but I thought now that the AW19 collections are on their way, I should really get back into these posts especially since my own unicorn set arrived last week 🦄 Eskadron orchid mauve is one of those colours that I've been on the hunt for ever since FOMO (fear of missing out) started after being silly and deciding to not purchase this colour in 2017! And as much as I love my bright colours, I simply adore my pastel colours which is why a orchid mauve has been one of those sets that I've constantly been on the look out for.

 Saddle pad: Eskadron orchid mauve big square cotton

Bandages: Eskadron orchid mauve

Over reach boots: Anky white sparkly

Top:  Pikeur Hope

Breeches: Aztec Diamond Equestrian grey leggings

Dealing with the hot weather

The UK and the rest of Europe has been bathing in not just warm weather but an intense heat wave, and this week we've experienced the warmest day so far where in the early afternoon it was +35C here in Wiltshire! PLEASE be extra careful with your horses and ponies if you're out riding, hacking, training or competing this week as it looks like that the hot summer weather has truly arrived ☀️ Due to the cooler weather last week, horses are not used to the heat and are not acclimatised to working in such warm temperatures and with a sudden change like this, there is a huge risk for heat stroke. 

Here's what I do to deal with the hot weather:

1.) Either avoid riding in the hottest parts of the day (11am-6pm) and/or reduce the intensity and duration of your rides. It tends to get hot from 9am onwards and truly doesn't even start to cool down until 6pm. I know lots of people ride before work, but as I prefer having the horses turned out at 6am rather than riding them I ride after work late into the night, starting with the first horse at 7pm #nightowl 🌙 

2.) Remember to have lots of water. This seems like an obvious point to make but it is SO easy to forget to continuously drink throughout the day and you know just how important it is to stay hydrated. I have a glass of cold water before I get on each horse and another glass of water as soon as I've taken the horse's tack off, because that way I feel like I can successfully keep the dehydration at bay! It’s also essential that your horse has access to plenty of fresh water on hot days. Ours get fresh water when they come in from the paddocks at midday, another set at 3/4pm and once again the waters are changing during evening stables. If they've drunk lots over night they get extra water at 6am too. I also offer them new water straight after I've ridden as this is when they're most likely to drink! If you don't have automatic waters you do have to keep a close eye on their waters 🕵🏼

Trends to watch out for: Eskadron Platinum 2019 collection

Every single year Eskadron Platinum has been THE collection of the year for me, however this collection has left me a little underwhelmed - it has the feeling of being more like a Classic collection than a Platinum collection, there is less that I'd like of the vitality and glamour which what I think a Platinum collection should have! 🤔 If this had come out a few years ago before Equestrian Stockholm did olive, before PS of Sweden did orange and before Le Mieux did orange and olive colours then it'd be amazing - but right now it feels like it's just Eskadron trying to catch up with the other companies colour wise, and not actually bringing out anything 'new'. However, if you missed out on these colours before or are looking to complete your riding outfits with orange and olive coloured boots, Eskadron has got your back! And because this is Eskadron and it truly is my favourite equestrian brand of all time, let's have a better look at this collection.... ⤵️

So the official colours of this collection are off-white, martini-olive, navy and vermillion-orange - quite autumnal but beautiful colours nevertheless! 🍁🍂 Like mentioned above, when I first saw the leaked photos last week my initial thought was "this looks all very similar..." and then realised that martini-olive reminded me of PS of Sweden's capulet green and Equestrian Stockholm and Le Meiux's olive colours, and the vermillion-orange is almost identical to PS of Sweden's sunset orange from a few collections ago! It does make you wonder if Eskadron's marketing and research team have investigated what sold well with other equestrian brands and then simulated their own version. But having said that, I don't think these colours are too similar to what Eskadron have brought out recently (orange was done in many collections 4-5 years ago but hasn't been seen since!) and I don't believe I've ever seen Eskadron do an olive colour before, so these colours were needed - it just feels like a bit of a copy & paste job.