Well, I wasn't expecting THAT to happen

[yellowbritches]

Our local tack shop, the Surrey, is closing this week :cry: (hopefully to open in a new location in a couple of months). The boss and I decided this morning to make one last trip, slightly "vultur-istic", to see what, if anything, was left, since everything is now 50% off. One of the first things we see when we walk through the door is a display of top hats, and he jokingly says I should try them on, since they were 50% off. I have an unreasonable fear of even touching top hats because in the past when I've been close but not quite ready for them and tried them on, everything went to hell afterward. I grudgingly picked one up, saw that it was my size, and stuck it on my head. It fit PERFECTLY. Right size, right height, right shape. He and our client (who works there) said I needed to wear it around a bit...it looked good and the deal was outrageous not to seriously consider it. Since I was having fun looking smashing, I left it on and continued to shop through the remains of my beloved Surrey.

A few minutes later, as I was picking through the last of the britches, the boss came up behind me and whispered "There's a shadbelly..." I didn't really believe him, but I turned and looked. Yep, there was one lone shadbelly hanging on a rack of various hunt coats. It looked small, like a kid's shadbelly for hunter classics, but I went and looked at the tag. CRAP!!! It was MY SIZE!!!! I couldn't resist. I was standing there wearing a top hat and there was a shadbelly in my size. I tried it on. It looked terrific, so much so our client/Surrey employee said I should wear it for the rest of the day it looked so good.

So, I am now the proud, if not a little befuddled owner of a top hat and tails. I have no upcoming plans that would require them, so they will grace my closet for awhile with their presence. My mom consoled my superstitious feelings by telling me that A) it says a lot that the first hat I tried fit perfectly and the only shadbelly in the place was my size B) putting the good energy into buying them will actually help me get to the point where I need them quicker (karma- you get back from the world what you put forth in it, basically) and C) the fact that I got both for less than what ONE of the them would have cost all on their own at normal prices is too much of a deal to resist.

So, I am the proud owner of a lovely top hat, beautiful shadbelly, and a 5 year old who has done 1.5 training level horse trials. :lol:

[riderboy]

Every now and then things just seem to go remarkably well in life. I would have done the same thing you did just because,well, it just seems MEANT to be! Congrats.

[Mach Two]

Oh, so simple....decide here and now that this is good karma....and even if you do not do a *, you can sell....or rent your lovely new things to someone who needs them!
Good find. It's meant to be!

[NeverTime]

The Surrey in Potomac?!?!

[fordtraktor]

Don't tell me that! Argh, don't need any more horse stuff!

Was there much left?

[April MD]

:no: If it is the Surrey in Potomac...so sad. That place has been there forever. They always had a fantastic selection of used saddles. I bought my favorite saddle ever there. What a shame. Wish I had known, though.. might have been worth the trip for the 50% off even though I have moved to Westminster...:(

[LexInVA]

Now that you have a shiny tophat, you must post pictures. :D

[scubed]

yes, I think the rest of us need to be able to share in seeing you looking smashing since it may be a little while yet before you can do it on horseback

[evntr06]

I've been told that the Surrey is moving to the new shopping center across from Harris Teeter in Darnstown... :)

I totally love it when there's something on sale @ great price and FITS you perfectly. Good job! I think it is a sign of good things to come! :)

[EventMore]

Great Purchase!! Congrats. My strategy for such dilemas is to do one thing, evey day, towards the goal. Maybe starting to work on 10 m circles, maybe visualizing great jumps over skinnies...

[NeverTime]

I've been going to the Surrey since I was wee. After our local riding instructor, Miss Foley, became Mrs. Solter and moved out to Germantown and then Poolesville, all her little students from the Potomac area would meet at the Potomac Village Safeway and she'd pick us up to carpool us to her farm. (We'd slide around in the back of her pickup truck, which had a topper... not exactly today's safety standards!)
Some of the best times of my life.
I remember how exciting it was to go to the Surrey to buy a brush or halter or currycomb (I didn't have a horse of my own then, so nothing bigger), and the wonderful SMELL inside that shop.
One time, after I'd been bucked off at Mrs. Solter's, I'd already been dropped off at "the Village" when I started to feel the effects of the concussion I apparently got in the fall. Lynn Morgan (my former Pony Club DC) let me sit in the Surrey, in her cool, comfortable office, until my grandmother arrived to take me to the hospital.
Even in my adult life, I love stopping by there, looking at the ads posted on the board outside, and going upstairs to look for deals on consignment stuff. And I still love the smell in there.
That and the tiny Safeway... those were the last bit of old Potomac that I recognized.

[pharmgirl]

Very cool on the finds, but very sad to hear about the Surrey :(. Definitely hope they reopen, and still continue to get their wonderful stock of used saddles.

[Late]

lol that's how I bought my shadbelly - 50% off at the tack shop at an event, and it fit me like a charm! I was so thrilled I finally got a chance to use it a whole year later... lol. congrats on your purchase!

[Dr. Doolittle]

When things happen at the "eerily" perfect time (and you are in exactly the right place to take advantage of that weirdly perfect timing) it is best--in my experience--to relax, try not to overthink it, and simply "accept the Karma." :D

(Maybe someone is trying to tell you something. ;) I'm finding that these odd coincedences occur with more frequency as I grow older. You're still young, so accept the gift!)

[Lincoln]

Amen, Dr. D.

[Sonic Boom]

Now THAT'S a couple of good finds! Here's to their future use! :yes::D

So sad about the Surrey. I should go by one last time this weekend to visit. :sadsmile: I will miss it a great deal. Going there was half picking stuff up and enjoying the usual tack shopping, and half social, catch up with friends I don't get to see often visit.

I truly hope they can find a good location to re-open soon!

[yellowbritches]

Thanks everyone! As silly as it seems, having people tell me it IS OK that I have these two items in my possession makes me feel better. :lol:

Pictures are likely to come. My mom wants some and also told me I need to put them on and show them to Vernon so he gets the idea...a friend thinks this hilarious but also very important...and wants to take pictures :lol: I just want to put the hat on again. It looked so great!

The latest story (as of about 7pm tonight when I was in the village) is that the place on 28 is looking very good. While it won't quite be the same, what with it not being in the village and in the same place it has been for 56 years, it is hard to imagine NOT having the Surrey, in any form. On a more practical front, we NEED the Surrey. There isn't much else in the area, at least, not as good.

[FrittSkritt]

Did you throw them on the ground? :D Or is that only for tack?

[BarbB]

Show them to the horse, wipe a little horse hair on them, tell horse that the goal is to grow into them!
Good luck...post pics.
:winkgrin:

[EqTrainer]

If nothing else, you now have the beginnings of a great Halloween costume :D

[evntr06]

Did you throw them on the ground? Or is that only for tack?

:) I throw EVERYTHING to the ground(or gently put). :) This is about the only superstition I allow myself to indulge into. I am sure it was a coincidence, but I broke my arm by a complete silly fall off a horse right after buying a full set of show clothes!

[Dr. Doolittle]

Yes, as I understand the superstition, you need to put *everything* (new) on the ground before using it in competition--and stand on it.

I am told that it IS "acceptable" to put something between the item and the ground so as to avoid grubbing it up unnecessarily before the actual fact of its use...which will of course "dirty it" to the point where it no longer becomes a talisman, and a dreaded "bad luck totem"--which will then guarantee that you have a *really bad day* ;)

[yellowbritches]

I haven't thrown them on the ground yet...I will, but admittedly I'm a little terrified at the idea of throwing what amounts to several hundred dollars worth of very fancy clothing on the ground. I'll get up the nerve to do it sooner or later. Maybe we need to have a ceremony?? Or do we make enough excuses in our barn to drink beer and act like idiots?

[Stacie]

Karmic Shadbellys and Top Hats. Too cool.

Does anyone remember the "other" tack shop in Potomac that was diagonally across the street? The name also started with an "S". When I got my first horse, I bought a bunch of supplies there, although I always looked for saddles in the attic of the Surrey :-)

As a child (6?) my mom bought me at the Surrey a ring with a horse head and a toy that was a horse jumping over a jump (it had a hole in it's belly where it "stuck" to the jump) where you could take the horse off and "canter" it around. Which was weird because it always had a bascule. :lol: I l loved the Surrey, then. It was truly my favorite store in the world. (long before there was a Safeway in Potomac. We all considered that shopping center a blight on the quaintness of the intersection when it was built)

[LexInVA]

Or do we make enough excuses in our barn to drink beer and act like idiots?

The Amanda Tamminga I know and love would never ever ask such rubbish! :lol: Just do it. I'll cover the dry cleaning.

[NeverTime]

:rolleyes: I dashed into Dover this morning to stock up on $1.50 rolls of generic Vetwrap (horse has an abcess) ... and walked out with a Pikeur shadbelly.
I have been borrowing from friends for the past three years and only now, with my horse and I about ready to retire, I finally buy one. It was almost half off and it was my size. Probably a stupid move, but it looks really nice AND I ran into BFNE there. It fit her, too, so we'll BOTH wear it. :winkgrin:

[SevenDogs]

Congratulations everyone! When you find deals like that, you CAN'T pass it by -- it's meant to be. I can justify buying ANYTHING, particularly on sale! :lol:

Think of it as an investment in your future -- if you buy it, they will come!

[yellowbritches]

:rolleyes: I dashed into Dover this morning to stock up on $1.50 rolls of generic Vetwrap (horse has an abcess) ... and walked out with a Pikeur shadbelly.
I have been borrowing from friends for the past three years and only now, with my horse and I about ready to retire, I finally buy one. It was almost half off and it was my size. Probably a stupid move, but it looks really nice AND I ran into BFNE there. It fit her, too, so we'll BOTH wear it. :winkgrin:
There must be something going around! :lol:

[pinkdiamondracing]

There must be something going around! :lol:

There is!!

Just yesterday a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to buy his absolutely-fits-me-to-a-T Barnsby Pro-Seat saddle on payments and several hundred dollars cheaper than he had me list it on E-bay for him, knowing full well that I was dying to be able to buy said saddle!! Of course I said yes!!:yes::yes:

Now I just have to wait for my new OTTB to be off required vacation due to a small fracture in his cannon bone to be able to use it!!! We are good to go in the spring!! Look out baby jumpers!!!!

So there definately must be something going around in the air!!

[rivenoak]

I'm part of the shadbelly club now, too.

Went to pick up the $100-for-a-Warner's-trunk-heckyeah find the other day...spotted a shadbelly & thought, "hmmm." RJ Classics stretch wool. Light blue lining. Tried it on and it fit. Even the sleeve length.

Risk-Averse rider asked me why I bought it & I had to say something along the lines of "because you never know when you might need one & I don't want to pay full price."

Got it for thirty bucks. :eek:

[yellowbritches]

I'm part of the shadbelly club now, too.

Went to pick up the $100-for-a-Warner's-trunk-heckyeah find the other day...spotted a shadbelly & thought, "hmmm." RJ Classics stretch wool. Light blue lining. Tried it on and it fit. Even the sleeve length.

Risk-Averse rider asked me why I bought it & I had to say something along the lines of "because you never know when you might need one & I don't want to pay full price."

Got it for thirty bucks. :eek:

You win!

Mine is a RJ Classic, too, but very dressagey. Fits me way better than the Pikeur ones I've tried on do.

[hollyhorse2000]

BTW, Surrey is not closing for good, just moving to Darnestown, across the street from the Harris Teeter . . .

[Trakehner]

Does anyone remember the "other" tack shop in Potomac that was diagonally across the street?

That would be Stombocks....actually a much better tack store than The Surrey. The Surrey always seemed torn between being a tack store or a womens clothing store. They really didn't have much of a selection. When Stombocks was open, most people didn't bother a whole lot with The Surrey.

Stombocks sure had less ambiance and the old lady who managed it could be a challenge...but they had what you needed. They moved up to Rockville in the late 70's and closed down in the late 80's/early 90's.

Next to Stombocks (where the bank is now) was the Happy Pickle...great sandwiches, better pickles...my pony loved their pickles.

Glad to hear they're moving out to what is now horse country.

[Dr. Doolittle]

That would be Stombocks....actually a much better tack store than The Surrey. The Surrey always seemed torn between being a tack store or a womens clothing store. They really didn't have much of a selection. When Stombocks was open, most people didn't bother a whole lot with The Surrey.

Stombocks sure had less ambiance and the old lady who managed it could be a challenge...but they had what you needed. They moved up to Rockville in the late 70's and closed down in the late 80's/early 90's.

Next to Stombocks (where the bank is now) was the Happy Pickle...great sandwiches, better pickles...my pony loved their pickles.

Glad to hear they're moving out to what is now horse country.

OMG, STOMBOCKS!!!! That takes me right back in time...I haven't heard that name in DECADES...:lol:

Back when tackshops had personality (and "personalities"--other than teen Princesses with 'tudes ;)) Of course some of them still do...;)

[Trakehner]

OMG, STOMBOCKS!!!! That takes me right back in time...I haven't heard that name in DECADES...:lol: Back when tackshops had personality (and "personalities"--other than teen Princesses with 'tudes ;)) Of course some of them still do...;)

Remember the stuffed pony foal they had on the top of the cabinets...this little bay not much bigger than a dog. One of those slightly creepy things but cool nonetheless.

Stombocks was dripping with personality. They had neat stuff, some esoteric horse needs (racing/polo/real jumper stuff) and amazing bit selections.

The Surrey was the yuppie store, the fru-fru place...Stombocks was were the local pros bought their stuff...they gave the Miller catalog a run for their money.

[Dr. Doolittle]

Dang, Trakehner--your memory is *much* better than mine!

I probably "blocked out" the stuffed pony foal :eek:, but the rest sounds pretty much exactly as I remember ;)

[NeverTime]

Dang! I grew up there but I didn't start riding 'til age 7 ... 1980. I don't remember Stombach's; it must've moved before I had a good reason to beg my mother to take me there!
Fru-fru though it may be, The Surrey was still a total wonderland for a horse-crazy little girl. Oh, the wonderful smells... the pretty nylon halters with their shiny brass ... the plastic curry combs in all different colors. I was all about the plastic curry combs. I used to daydream about buying all the different brushes (maybe because those were the only things in the store in my price range?) and having my very own grooming kit.