Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and sweet wishes for a Happy New Year.  In these shortest days of the years I’m thinking long about wishing you and the sweet ponies in your life all the best for the new year.  I’m also thinking long about how thankful I am for your ongoing support and devotion to Three Days Three Ways and all things horses and style.  I can’t write to you nearly as much as I would like what with bustling in and out of the city for work but promises, promises it’s always what I’d rather be doing! Here’s to wishing you kisses under the mistletoe and candy canes for the year to come.

image via Dilly Dallas

The Washington International Horse Show does the impossible. It brings all of our favorite things right into the heart of the city. Into the heart of our capitol city, as a matter of fact. And with it comes everything we can dream of from masterful horsemanship and performance from the charming Australian Guy McLean

dashing terriers

perfect ponies, and lots and lots of teeteringly high jumps with horses soaring clear across. The temporary stalls squat right in the middle of the city across the street from the National Portrait Gallery (check out the collection of Native American Portraits in between rounds) and tuck in tight next to the Verizon Center where hockey, basketball, and, when the time is right, horses take center stage. It makes for something of a double take when walking down the street and you pass a museum, a club with party goers chatting on the sidewalk, clusters of tourists clutching maps, and then (don’t blink) you might miss the tiny white pony primly walking by led by its equally tiny rider on their way to their next class.  It’s refreshing, unexpected, and exciting.

What’s more, where we have horses and performance we have, inevitably, equestrian style.

We’ll have more on that soon thanks to the talent and vision of equestrian photographer Leslie Threlkeld.  For now I recommend grabbing a ticket for the show if you’re anywhere near by. Terriers on the run, darling ponies, heart-stopping showjumping feats, and classic equaestrian style may be part of your everyday life, but I doubt you get to do that in the heart of a beautiful city.  Grab your tickets online and Leslie and I will meet you there!

It may not be my top choice to spend all day in an office (is it yours?) but I think if my office looked like this it would soften the blow. But, let’s be honest, any good horse dog worth their salt would be covered in dirt (or worse, ahem). Simon would be leading that charge! Do you think 4 pm is too early for a nip of that Crown Royal? What would you want your office to look like?

image via pinterest

It would be hard to beat this dress for a late summer cocktail party in the fading afternoon light. Wouldn’t it go perfectly with a margarita? The dress is Milly (which, incidentally takes the cover at my new favorite Matchbook Magazine) and is easy to get at Tully Rector in Middleburg. Just give them a call at (540) 687-5858. Pair the dress with a simple espadrille (since no doubt you’ll be transitioning from the field to the party). We loved the loose, summery curls that Lynn wears so well but it would look just as cute with a simple bun piled on the top of your head.  Many thanks to the ladies of Tully Rector for this Milly look!

photos by Josh Walker at the USEA

Mostly this is just a little missive to you all to say how lovely it is when you write to me and how terribly I miss you.  Do you believe me when I say at any given point in the day I’d rather be writing for you?  It’s true, I swear it. For now I’ll fit it in where I can! And in the mean time these peonies are all summer summer summer

and so is this

Let’s ride bareback in cotton summer dresses with flowers in our hair aboard charging ponies. Ok?

photos via silver saga and once over lightly

The truth is, that this is my favorite photo of the shoot Emily, Josh and I did with top event rider, Lynn Symansky.

She looks so adorably pretty, even while bracing for the shock of the incoming water.  I also love the picture because this look, much to my surprise, turned out to be my favorite despite its unwillingness to come together until the very last moment. We saved it for last in the off-chance that we didn’t get around to it.  So when we did, I threw together snippets that had been hovering in my mind including the black satin ribbon that I snatched from my purse and tied in her hair followed only seconds later by Emily’s insistence that we incorporate the peonies (she proved to be the best with color) I’d picked up just that morning. When Emily seized upon the idea to douse Lynn with water (thank goodness for the good nature of an eventer) the whole thing came together. To which the photos testify.

If you want Lynn’s look (and I wouldn’t be surprised) you can get her summery dress by Milly at Tully Rector and the cheery umbrella (for rain or shine!) from JCrew. Try your local farmer’s market for those brazen, bright pink peonies.

photography by Josh Walker at USEA

Lynn wears a sweet summery look inspired by sailors hauling in nets of lobsters on sail boats off the coast of Maine in August. She wears her own red and white striped Ralph Lauren shirt, high-waisted HABITUAL shorts, and Nine West espadrilles.   Her hair is impossibly adorable in a sweet side brain twisted into a classic chignon. Those baby blues? Sorry, we’re all out of luck there; those are all her own.

shirt/ shorts/ shoes

photos by Josh Walker for the United States Eventing Association

This photo shoot was a long time in coming.  I’d say a year, maybe more. So when Emily, Josh and I finally rolled up to Lynn Symansky’s Farm in Middleburg, VA, you could say we were prepared.

We shot the first look against the backdrop of a neighboring field.  We all loved Lynn in the pretty summer frock on the dirt bike.  All eventer all the way! As you can see from the angle of this photo Lynn’s dog is all eyes on her.

He’d clearly follow her through the mud and muck to stay with her….or across a pasture at dirt-bike pace! This is one of my favorite photos of the two.

In true eventer fashion Lynn pitched in with whatever needed to get done. When we decided to put both Fergus (‘No It Tissant’) and Donner in the shoot we needed their leather halters. They weren’t in the barn but Lynn made quick work of that with a trip on the dirt bike, and cut quite the picture too!

You’ll notice, of course, that Donner is nowhere to be seen in the shots with Lynn and Fergus.  The behind-the-scenes scoop is that Donner included some athletic acrobatics on account of his being 3-day fit. Fergus led the way after that.

In the interview in the USEA Magazine Lynn talks about growing up in the saddle. It made my day to get this gem of a photo from Lynn to share with everyone. Classic! I’m pretty sure that’s what they call “short stirrup”! Lynn’s riding the family horse ‘Stewball’ who had her own part in history in a few old Westerns. I vote for a movie night with Lynn and we can watch Stewball in her starring roles. Pass the popcorn please!

The shoot itself was fun from start to finish-in no small part thanks to Lynn’s outgoing attitude, easy laugh, and positive attitude.

And where the photos, in the end, are perfect moments captured handily by Josh Walker, you can see that there was much happening to bring it all together.  Below is our crew working on the last look.  You can see Lynn clearly. The rest of us, from left to right, are Shandra (hair), Emily, Josh, Lordes (makeup), me.

We wish you had been there! Hopefully the photos help bring you there a little more. We had such fun and hope you’re enjoying the photos and interview from the shoot.

There’s still so much to share from how to get Lynn’s looks to her own favorite style and design picks. Are you in then? Let’s have a look!

One of my favorite blogs of all time is Cup of Joe written by the talented, stylish, and clever Joanna Goddard.  That’s where this photo came from. Isn’t it the best family photo ever? What’s even cooler is that it’s her Dad’s family photo. Do you have any family photos with horses in them?  I can’t think of anything better.

photo via Cup of Joe

Happy Mother’s Day! Isn’t that pony darling? And such a sweet baby with her little curly tail. I hope your day is filled with celebration for your mother and for you, too, if you’re a mom!

photo by Sverrirthor via Miss Moss