Horse Things Haul

Candidly, one of my favourite horse blogging features that y’all do is a tack haul post, where I get to see all the shiny new leathery things that you’ve bought.  New saddle pads, browbands, the works.  Oftentimes y'all introduce me to new brands and products and provide extremely thorough reviews.

Fortunately, I haven’t had to get much new for Dalton in the way of tack.  I had a few extra bridles that actually fit his big head (Ryon had a huge head as well), however he doesn’t like figure 8s so we can’t use the nice Beval bridle that I have.  He’s fine in the Dover hunter bridle that I bought years ago, but it isn't made out of the nicest leather.  I keep oiling and conditioning it hoping that it’ll get more pliable, but I may eventually end up buying a new one for him.  I quite like Mae’s ExionPro bridle, which has held up extremely well and the leather is still soft, six years later.  Luckily, the saddle I am using with Mae works for Dalton for now.  It’s 4.5 inches dot to dot and I can still use a thick gel pad underneath.  Thank goodness I won’t have to buy a new one at the moment.  With D still growing, that may change later on but we’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.

However, there have been some unexciting things that I have had to get for D.

New rubber jointed pelham - We had Dalton in a happy mouth, but recently trainer suggested switching him over to a rubber pelham.  I had ridden Ryon in the same bit for awhile but D needed a bigger one.  Instead of using double reins with it, we a bit converter.  It helps provide leverage for the rider when D rides heavy on the forehand (particularly at the canter) and makes him carry himself at all gaits instead of leaning on the rider.  

Dac oil - D has been eating A LOT since he arrived in Texas with his ribs and hip bones showing.  He has been getting 8 flakes of hay and 9 lbs of grain per day.  Wanting to have him gain some weight without throwing more food at him, we added Dac oil as a topper on his food.  He has less of a beer belly now and is less ribby so that’s good?  He’s only been on it for a few weeks, so I’m hoping that with a few more months, we’ll really start to see the difference.  

Professional’s Choice girth - I bought one of these for Mae for Christmas and then when D arrived, decided to use my old leather girth that we used for Ryon.  Turns out that was the wrong decision to make because D started to get girth gall on his left side where the leather would pinch and rub.  When the sore started getting worse, I immediately ordered him a Professional’s Choice girth and also started applying Bickmore gall salve.  Both of these moves must have worked because within days, it healed over.

As I’ve effectively doubled my riding time, I also ordered myself a few things for the summertime to keep from having to do laundry every other day.

Navy Mochara top in size small

Sleeveless base layer from Mochara - I know y’all swear by long sleeved sunshirts but it is WAY too hot in Texas to wear them.  All of them claim to be able to provide ventilation and air flow but it’s simply not enough for the 100 degree days we’ve been experiencing for ALL OF JUNE.  I ordered one of these sleeveless base layers from Mochara and really love it, particularly for its price point.  It is made of SPF 40 fabric and is form fitting.  It does a good job of wicking away sweat and I’ve been able to machine wash & dry the top.  I wear a size small but could have sized up to a medium if I wanted it to be looser.  They have multiple colour options and if I hadn’t ordered another sleeveless sunshirt from another brand, I would have ordered a few more from Mochara.

Olive Wren breech in size 28

Wren breech from Ethos Equestrian - Now to the most contentious of riding apparel.  I have been a low-rise TS breech wearer for six years and am aware that there’s some controversy around the brand.  It's quite unfortunate as my TS breeches have held up extremely well, are good in almost all Texas weather conditions, and wash / dry easily.  That being said, I wanted to try out a different brand.  I give Alex credit for suggesting a high rise cut and I also wanted breeches that have pockets that are deep enough for a cell phone.  Ethos Equestrian is an equestrian apparel brand out of California and also supports a non-profit for girls in the same area.  Their Wren breech fit my criteria to a tee.  They are a lightweight fabric that is great for summer and dry extremely quickly (I get water everywhere when rinsing off the horses).  The high rise is snug and quite comfortable and there’s no pinching from the waistband clasps.  My favourite part about these breeches is that they have two deep regular pockets but they also have a cell phone pocket on the right-hand side.  I have machine washed these but line dry them.  I ordered a size 28, using the measurements from their website, and it fits me well.  For reference, I’m also a size 28 in low-rise TS breeches.

Mirror selfie with the pones and Tipperary helmet

Tipperary helmet - Following a recent fall (more on that, maybe later), I knew it was time to replace my OneK helmet.  I’ve had my OneK for around 5 years and it was fine… but the suede lining on the chin strap was leaving black lines on my jawline when I would sweat and I was ending each ride with a red mark on my forehead from where the helmet was snug.  I don’t mean to dog on the brand because it did exactly what it was supposed to and protected my head when I fell.  But I wanted to try something that would fit better and also with a different chin strap configuration.  I went to our local tack shop, tried on a few, and ultimately ended up getting a wide brim Tipperary Royal Wide Brim helmet in a large (I was also a large in OneK).  These are the things that I already really like about it:

• Nylon chin strap - No more black marks, 'nuff said
• More lightweight than any of my previous helmets
• Adjustable sizing - I really like this feature because I wear my hair under my helmet and that amount of hair changes depending on how long it is. I can adjust the helmet for a snug fit 
• Wide brim - Love this feature, it keeps the sun out of my face more AND I love the look

*This post is not sponsored. I’m sharing things that I like and hopefully it’ll help those of you who are looking to get new things too!