I'm Holly, amateur eventer and blogger over at Marescara! I currently live in Indiana where I event BN with my leased Saddlebred gelding. I've always loved clothes and makeup and everything girly, but I also think there's no better feeling than galloping a cross country course. My top five, in no particular order...

Animo Breeches

I can blame blogland for introducing these to me - but I adore them. They're made of the best technical fabric that never stretches out, doesn't stain (even my whites!), and stays dry - no matter how sweaty I get. Their grip system is basically my saving grace when I see terrible distances or Doc decides to do his best racehorse impression. There is no denying they're pricey, but I've been lucky to find all of mine on sale or used and they're worth every penny.

Hermes H Belt

This is definitely the bougiest thing to put on this list - but I adore mine and wear it constantly, both at the barn and in day to day life. Since my name starts with H, I wanted one of these forever. I finally found one used and took a leap on it and haven't looked back twice since. You definitely don't need a belt this pricey or fancy, but I figure I'll own it the rest of my life and it goes with almost every outfit I wear.

Road ID Elite

I ride alone or with one or two other people at the barn more than I'd like - just the life of a working amateur. In order to stay safe, I keep my phone on me, but I also wear my Road ID at all times. I originally got mine for cross country (I find armbands super distracting and annoying), but now it's just a permanent addition to my wardrobe. Personally, I love the Elite because of the clasp and adjustability.I admittedly don't have a good photo of it - because I forget I have it on. I ordered mine in navy since approximately 93% of my wardrobe is navy, both riding and not, with a rose gold ID. It has my pertinent info, emergency contact and my favorite line from the Auburn creed: "And a spirit that is not afraid" which is the perfect confidence booster pre-cross country run. 

Sunscreen

It wouldn't be my profile if there wasn't a skincare or makeup item here... and it's also probably the single most important thing on this list (and #2 behind wearing a helmet in my list of priorities!) - SUNSCREEN. I preach sunscreen religiously to everyone who knows me because we're riders and that means spending a lot of time outside. Did you know the average shirt only has a UPF of 5? Anything below 15 isn't considered protective. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from skin cancer (and aging!) is wearing a great, broad spectrum sunscreen. Don't forget on cloudy days too - they still have UVA rays which are the ones that cause aging (quick way to remember UVA causes Aging, UVB causes burns... and neither are good!) My favorite sunscreen for summer riding is the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion WetForce SPF 50+ because it's waterproof (and sweatproof!) and for winter, I really like the Supergoop Unseen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. They're both great, but you can find great broad spectrum sunscreens anywhere. It's like they say about helmets: the best sunscreen is the one you wear!

Happy Step Memory Foam Insoles

I don't have a photo of the inside of my boots because that would be... weird but believe me when I tell you the #1 game changer in my tall boots are these $14 insoles from Amazon. I originally bought them because my brown tall boots are a little big in the foot and I wanted to take up some space. I quickly ended up purchasing a pair for every pair of tall boots I own. They've made my boots as comfortable to wear as sneakers. Course walks, setting jumps, searching arenas for lost shoes *ahem* all are non-issues with these and I'm forever grateful to not be swapping shoes at the barn! I just pulled the old insoles out of my boots, lined them up with the new ones, cut the new ones to fit and the rest is history.