After an extended break I need ALL the things, your favs?

[fourlegs]

I need it all…
Took an extended break (10 years) for med school and kids. I’m back bitches. LOL
For real though…it’s been a minute but, I bought the horse-child so I need everything. Helmet, boots, high-waist full-seat breeches, bridle, saddle (taking your recs, will wait for the saddle fitter recs), saddle pads, blankets, doo-hickies, doo-dads, lovelies…gimme all your favs and any holiday sales attached!

Helmet, boots and breeches are high priority! Suppose bridle is as well. Thank you (Photos credits to Jessica Redman)

[Scribbler]

The best breeches, helmet and boots are the ones that fit you best. If you give some sense of your proportions people can send you recommendations. I mean I have short full calves, I have a larger oval head, I am a solid 32 in breeches, so my brands are determined by that. The only thing I’d say is the new MIPS technology in helmets seems promising. Also I have ended up wearing paddock boots and half chaps way more than tall boots.

Other than that, the best saddle for you is the one that fits you and your horse. Seat size is driven in part by femur length. Do you like and open or a deep seat? Big or small blocks?

My advice would be to always shop for a high quality second hand saddle over trying to deal with the pressure sales and fitting hassles of ordering new semi custom. Any of the quality semi custom saddles will be an excellent choice if they fit you and the horse. Every brand tends to have it’s own tree shape. It’s not just wither gullet, it’s the front to back curve. Find the brand that matches your horses back. Passier, Schleese, County, Stubben, Black County, Custom, etc would all be fine if they fit. Or did I just say all this to you on another thread?

I am a huge fan of buying second hand and not overbuying. You will want to wait on your saddle pads until you know if you will require any shimming with your saddle. Likewise buy the turnout blankets or rain sheets that you actually need based on climate and horse. Make sure to measure your horses head before buying bridles.

You might already have figured this out, but in dressage people really do save their white breeches and pad for showing, and school usually in darker neutrals. I feel like jumpers are more likely to school in beige breeches, or lesson kids with one pair of breeches will make them basic beige.

[iberianfan]

My favorite breeches are Romfh. (Did I spell that right?) There area ton of resellers on FB. You can get great deals, especially on saddle pads, bridles, etc. Yeah, the saddle has to be the right one for you. If you are located in an area that has a good, regular saddle fitter, that makes life easier. Not less expensive necessarily. Ask me how I know.

Bridles2fit, Lumiere, have good products. Have fun!!

[svvdressage]

I love Esprit Breeches. They are cheap and very leggings like. Saddle pads: I love the custom pads from Hufglocken. They do take a while to get but it’s so addicting. Tried Equestrian is great for used gear. Bridles2Fit is my go to for bridles. I personally don’t like a stiff boot so go with Petrie Sydney’s. You can get an almost custom fit for around $300.

[Manni01]

For a helmet my recommendation would be KEP. I have had mine for 4 years now and it looks like new… when my show helmet (Uvex) started to look worn, I tried to replace my Kep helmet with it, but after 3 months in the barn it broke down completely.
So I went back to my KEP and still wear it every day…
For Shows I bought an Abus helmet which seems to be the big thing in the moment, but I believe the Kep will survive it….

[Jackie_Cochran]

If you have to deal with bits I suggest Fager Bits. The titanium ones are divine (according to the horses I ride, if they like the mouthpiece) and there is a very wide variety of widths, mouthpieces and side pieces. They can also make suggestions about the bit that could work best with your horse.

Their sweet iron bits are cheaper, still expensive but cheaper.

I love bits. I look at the pictures of every bit. I study what the metals are supposed to be doing. I read every bit book I can get my hands on. I have been riding horses for over 50 years.

The horses cuss me out so much less with the Fager bits in their mouth, and I think it is as much as the how the mouthpieces fit in their mouths as well as the metals.

I ride lesson horses. Every horse I ride gets to give me its opinion of the Fager bits. As long as the bit fits and is suitable for MY HANDS the yes votes always go for Fager bits.

[BlueDrifter]

It will be hard to buy a used helmet, given that you are supposed to get new every so often, and with used, you don’t really know age or whether they have been damaged. Get one with MIPS technology. If Tipperary’s fit you, they have a nice, less expensive one.

Second or third the Romfh breeches. I get Isabella, which are expensive, but I have had them for 4-6 years, wash in washer/no dry and they still look great.

Take a look at Solo bridles. I love my Passier Starlight, but I see Solo has a similar one and am tempted to get that if I need to replace. What is disappointing is how cheap the leather is, even on expensive bridles. My new Starlight does not match the leather of my decades old Stubben, but better than most of what I see out there in the sub $400 range.

I like LeMieux Satin pads as they wash up well. So do my Halter Ego pads.

[outerbanks77]

It’s hard to give recs without knowing horse/rider specifics, but a couple things I’m really liking:

Stubben Equi-Soft girth. Pricey, but I think worth it for the way it distributes pressure. Seems to work well regardless of conformation, maybe because of the independent buckles.

Aluminum safety stirrups with cheesegrater treads - Mine are Acavallo Arenas, but I’m sure there are other good (but pricier) ones out there.

LeMieux Vector Pro stability leathers. I put these and the Acavallo irons on my jumping saddle this summer, and liked the combo so much I changed out the stirrups on my dressage saddle for the same setup.

Grooming: Posture Prep curry comb. There is an ongoing thread on this little magic brush here. Also the HAAS brushes and EasyClean brushes (SmartPak carries them), which are half medium bristles and half soft bristles, so they do double-duty for a quick grooming. Tiger Tongue sponges are nice too; they are gentle but can get off stubborn mud and good for scrubbing at bath time too.

Helmets, I like my TraumaVoid Lynx MIPS helmets (I have a plain smooth one for schooling and an ultrasuede/bling one for shows/clinics), but YMMV depending on head shape.

[Scribbler]

As far as breeches, one new invention is that many brands have dropped fake suede full seats for silicon dot full seats (or knee patch). It’s definitely a personal choice. I love my silicon for jump seat and two point. It’s also lighter in summer. But I have found they can make my hips sore schooling dressage because I need to push or lift my leg that much higher or harder off the saddle to do various leg cues like lateral. They do give more stick! I also prefer my full seats for trail riding, more protection. You can’t get real suede any more.

Weight of fabric is another choice. I want and need a fairly substantial fabric not a riding tights material. And constructed waist line and fly. Other people appreciate the softness of leggings style breeches.

Breeches lag street wear styles so up until recently there were way too many low rise breeches. Now they are going back to natural waist as jeans are rising too. But it’s still worth measuring your rise on pants you like and searching measurements especially if buying online. Different brands will have different interpretations of high rise, natural rise, etc

Also riding gear honestly is made to an ideal of juniors or super slim pros, and sizing really is restricted. Many brands especially European fit small. Now that you are an adult, even if you are a trim fit adult, you may find options limited. And you may be more fussy about fit! On the other hand, if your post baby body fits a 28 that’s fantastic for finding gently used breeches that some 16 year old wore for a year and outgrew. Though junior wear does trend hunter jumper knee patch.

I would see what your horse enjoys for grooming before sinking too much cash into brushes

[Willesdon]

Look at non-equestrian brands for things like base layers, warm jackets, good gloves. They tend to be a LOT cheaper. As every thing around a horse ends up covered in hair and/or slobber then I don’t like having expensive brands for everyday wear. Or maybe it is just me who gets covered in horse hair and slobber?

[slp2]

Welcome back! How fun to be able to buy ALL the things!

Jumping in here to add, “what Scribbler said” about saddles! Best value is to start with a good quality used saddle. You are just getting back into riding, and have a new horse—so it’s likely that Dobbin will get more fit (and possibly change enough to need a new saddle). You may decide that you like a deeper, or shallower seat, thigh blocks, or not, etc. —as you progress in your riding.

I have never lost much money on buying used and selling (and getting another used). I happen to have Hennigs on both of my horses ----those have ended up working for me for a long time now. However, I have owned a Passier, an Albion (my jump saddle is still an Albion) and a few other well made saddle brands over the years. They were all easy to sell (used) and all retained their value well. OTOH —I have seen newer riders buy custom made, pricey saddles and end up having to sell them for a lot less than the purchase price after they don’t work out. New saddles are like new cars—they lose the most value once they “leave the lot”.

Depending on the state of breeches when you last rode—as others said—it’s fair to say that there are much more comfortable options now. You no longer have to wear full leather seats that have zero stretch (unless you want to). Now they are designing breeches that you can wear riding and go straight to yoga class afterwards. It’s very much personal preference, but you have options. My current favorite breech (just got the winter ones) are from Correct Connect. Amazingly comfortable, super stretchy, with a silicone seat. I haven’t tried their summer weight breeches yet—but I plan to!

The LeMieux saddle pads seem to be a barn favorite where I board—as they are on top of everyone’s tack cabinets in a wide array of colors! Every year they come out with some new color to make everyone think that the color pad they have is “so last year!” That’s when you can snap them up on a sales page for a little cheaper!

[Rackonteur]

Who are you addressing as “bitches”? Ugh. No one here.
Maybe you should go away for another 10 years so you can find a civil tongue.
Good grief.

[Maria]

It’s just a saying. And in this instance it’s meant to be fun.

Good grief.

[atr]

I was just doing a little browsing and found The Drillshed. It seems to have really good prices and choices …

[lazaret]

Saddle pads: Ogilvy. Durable, wash well, don’t slip or rub, available in custom colors. Mattes from Hufglocken for the ones who need sheepskin.

Bridles: I really like mine from SD Design.

Blankets: Rambo continues to be the gold standard for me.

Breeches: Freeride and Maya Delorez.

[lazaret]

Exchange rate is favorable right now.

[NC001]

Stirrup leathers- smart pak brand are good for the $$

Saddle pads- Le meiux. They look the best and CLEAN UP the easiest and best AND last a long time. Buy during a sale!

Saddles- if you can find a saddle fitter that also carries used saddles it’s a good route to go to save time and money

Stirrups- The ones I love I bought used for $20 (wide foot bed and composite)

Sunshirts: kasteel, tailored sportsman, smart pak brand

[Mersidoats]

Oooh fun! Shopping!

Helmets: I like my OneK - nice enough for show, and durable enough for schooling. Plus a good price point. Look for something with MIPS.

Boots are a very personal thing due to fit and stiffness and leather preferences - I have custom boots because I have high arches and struggle with off the shelf boots. My coach has some Ariat V-sports for every day use and they have held up to abuse. Cavallo has some nice off-the -shelf boots that aren’t budget busters. It really depends what you want your boots to do: last a long time, hold up to abuse, support your lower leg, look pretty. You can usually get three out of the four.

I have Tough1 blankets for the ponies - durable and cost effective. Mine are not hard on blankets, though, and I only use them 3 months a year (florida). If you are up north and your pony plays hard, you might want to look at Rambo or something more indestructible.

Find a good independent saddle fitter - stay away from brand reps. No matter what they say, their saddle does NOT fit every horse. It’s not true. An independent fitter will give you a more realistic opinion. A good well-fitting saddle is worth your money.

I like LeMieux pads and I still have generic Dover cotton squares that are 20 plus years old. They last forever.

I have Passier and Tota bridles - nice anatomical details that make them comfortable for the horse.

I really like my Cavallo breeches with the suede full seat. I have silicone breeches and they are great in the summer, but there is something about suede full seats.

[Scribbler]

I have Ogilvy pads for my dressage saddle and LeMieux for my jump saddle. Ogilvy is a range of traditional colors, Lemieux tantalizes is with new designer colors and textures! But my blingy Paint only needs navy blue and dark green

I also need a big pad with high wither clearance and girth billets, and I like the D ring billets on the LeMieux.

[luvmyhackney]

@fourlegs

Helmet, boots, high-waist full-seat breeches, bridle, saddle (taking your recs, will wait for the saddle fitter recs), saddle pads, blankets, doo-hickies, doo-dads, lovelies…gimme all your favs and any holiday sales attached!

Helmet, boots and breeches are high priority! Suppose bridle is as well. Thank you

Helmet - get fitted and make sure it has MIPS
Boots - I prefer washable half chaps and paddock boots for everyday
Bridle - I really like my smartpak bridle for basic schooling, its not amazing but very sturdy and stays usable with benign neglect and cheap.
Saddle Pads - LeMieux and a nice sheepskin half pad if needed
Blankets - I really love my new Bow Horse blankets but if it fits, Weatherbeeta is good for the $$
Grooming -Grooming gloves, Posture Prep, either Haas or Teddy Tack Truck brushes, cactus cloth, a million hoof picks, tiger tongue, and a soft goat hair brush for the face.