Thank you for all of your suggestions. I’m taking a staycation next week, eight hours during the day with no patients and no children. I cannot wait to sit down with a glass of wine and google all of your favs.
9 Likes
Bridles? Hands down, Solo bridles. Check them out.
Helmet, I use a L/XTL schooling helmet of a certain brand I can’t remember. Ovation? I have a long, narrow head and have to buy helmets that accommodate. I’d suggest that finding a good fitting schooling helmet (it you’re riding in it most of the time) is tops tops on your list and is probably the most important piece of equipment you’d buy. Your occupation depends on your brain function. DO NOT skimp in this department. Who cares how your helmet looks and you should care about how it functions.
5 Likes
To GBP? How so?
What you want to have the most fun is you want a very good trainer, you get on a lunge, you go see a PT and find out where you are weak and tight and loose and get that going in the right direction now. You make sure your saddle fits so your horse feels great. You make sure you’ve got really good hoofcare and nutrition. And you cross train. And keep your horses moving as much as possible.
The rest is all just bling and easy.
The foundation of what really matters to have magic carpet rides - not always easy to put together and often takes time.
Share your thoughts on my ideas please. Would love to hear.
And welcome back!
8 Likes
Yes to all of this.
Self educating in foot care and nutrition is huge so you can defend yourself against crap farriers or trimmers and less than optimal barn diets.
I have learned the most from Julie Gettys Feed Your Horse Like a Horse, and Pete Ramey for feet. He’s the OG barefoot proponent but good barefoot folks are way more precise about balance than many farriers.
5 Likes
Helmet: Get whichever fits that also has MIPS. Replace every 5 years or after every fall, which ever comes first. Charles Owen has an affordable MIPS option called “Kylo” that I have and like. UVEX also has a cheaper MIPS option too. There is a great informative Facebook group on MIPS helmets run by a COTHer that can help with fit and options.
Boots: I love my Ariat V Sports. Very comfy and have held up well for me. I do NOT recommend Mountain Horse Sovereigns - my pair wore out in so many places way too quickly for an ammy not riding much and the company was no help.
Breeches: I don’t do high waisted because of my short torso (my last rib and hip bones nearly touch) but did try on some options from Montar that I really liked. The fabric was excellent and the fit was good with the exception that even their lower rise options were much too high for me. I have FreeRide breeches, which are more like leggings, that are nice and cheaper too. I like that they are breathable and dust off nicely as I always get filthy in the barn.
Saddle: What Scribbler said 
Saddle pads: I like the SmartTherapy pads from SmartPak. I also use Back on Track pads but the Smartpak pads are cheaper so I have more of them and use them more often. My horses backs get looser quicker with the therapy pads. For half pads I have a variety that I like: sheepskin with 6 shim pockets, Prolite with 6 shim pockets for shimming without bulk, Invictus pad for jumping/ impact (no shims).
Blankets: Weatherbeeta is trash IMO. Rambo is good but my fav is Schneider’s Saddlery (SStack) with their warranty. The hardware is high quality, the fit is perfect, and the blankets really hold up.
1 Like
I too love high waist breeches and my go to are FITS all season. They are comfy and wear like iron.
Welcome back!
ETA: another vote for Schneider blankets, they are the best for high wither Warmblood IMO.
1 Like
i’ll say amen to that! Plus they aren’t privy to your horse’s way of going
When i switched farriers to a fellow that was a rehab farrier i thought i was pretty smart. And he did indeed do good fixes on two of my boys. But i watch him like a hawk and point out things…a flare here, more hoof there. Occasionally he’s able to defend his thinking and that it was purposeful, but more times than not he just didn’t walk around and peer from all perspectives. I’ve taught him how to do that.
AND… i take him to visit the mustangs and refresh his eyes on natural angles based on conformation of an individual horse. We get along in spite of all of that. He SAYS he loves me…lol. And, throughout his several-hour work here, i listen to his stories, hear about his children, relatives and any number of (perfectly acceptable to me) political views on current events… By the time he leaves i’m EXHAUSTED!! but i have a couple months to recover. I don’t dread his visits. My checkbook does however lol.
about tack… I SURE DO understand the urge to spend and outfit a new horse! I do it alllll the time! But usually i stick to easy, cheap things: Halter, lead rope, saddle pad etc. Everything else kinda waits until i’m aboard and can sort out the horse.
My favorite saddle pads are https://www.lemieux.com/us/horse-saddle-pads/dressage-pads/ultra-mesh-dressage-square-grey#selection.color=6647
and my favorite bits are Fager’s titanium bits.
3 Likes
I don’t know, you do seem like kind of a bitch on most threads you make an appearance in.
23 Likes
I just purchased 3 blankets from Schneiders, but their shipping is sooooo slow. Hope the cheapy Amazon sheet I got him will do for now.
2 Likes
Historically I haven’t been impressed with Schneider’s but it’s been many years. I’ve mainly used Rambo.
I also bought a cheapy Amazon sheet last year for my young horse because I knew he might grow out of it 10 min later 
and I was actually really impressed. It fit, it was waterproof, and durable. I was pleasantly surprised.
1 Like
Where are you located? I just did a deep clean of my tack shed, I’m in MA. Would love to help these things find second homes. What sizes are you / is your horse?
2 Likes
I’m in the panhandle of Texas. My boy is a 17.3 (by the stick) TB. He’s wearing a size 84 in blankets. Apparently has a normal “horse-sized” head. I should know more later on this week. He is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Following everyone’s advise regarding saddles, independent saddle fitter coming in January.
I’m usually a S/M top, 27/28 bottom (need high rise, no hips and rockin the mom-bod), 7.5-8 slim regular height boot, 7 1/8 - 7 1/4 helmet
Just wanted to say your boy is STUNNING. I’m shopping at the moment and remember seeing his ad–what a gorgeous animal. He’s a hell of a mover.
And to addess your actual question, Free Ride makes my favorite high-waisted full-seat breeches (they’re just like lululemon leggings, I love them), and I’m an evangelist for the Correct Connect silicone compression gloves.
2 Likes
Congratulations! What a handsome guy to return to horses with 
I’ve also got a Benchmark TB–she goes in a County saddle, Rhino blankets, and a mix of Lemieux, Equestrian Stockholm, and Hufglocken/Mattes saddle pads. The custom Hufglocken/Mattes pads take a loooooong time to show up but are worth it–just wait til they’re on sale to order.
I really, really suggest going somewhere you can try on helmets, as the fit can be very different between brands even if the head shape is similar. For example, I just replaced mine, and tried on the Charles Owen Kylo mentioned above–loved the shape on my head, hated how far down it sat (over my eyebrows!). Ended up loving their Halo/Luna models though, but needed to size differently than expected.
Seconding the recommendation of the Free Ride breeches, if you like something more tights-ish. I also love the Romfhs, if you want something more breech-ish. Also really like the SmartPak Hadley breeches, and the FITS Finleys.
2 Likes
A couple of us at my barn also have problems with Schneiders - mostly not holding up on waterproofing beyond the first rain shower.
I’m a convert to the Smartpak Ultimate sheets/blankets. They actually follow through with their warranty (I’ve had one fly sheet replaced when a buckle snapped - they told me to keep the old one and, instead of sending a new buckle or something, sent a whole sheet - so for the price of a buckle I have two nice fly sheets).
1 Like
Breeches are a personal thing. Personally I look for full seat with silicone and a phone pocket. The phone pocket is key and any new schooling breeches I buy must have them.
For saddle pads I like Ogilvy, though I have been tempted by some fun colours by Lemieux and BR. I also have a Back On Track because why not.
For brushes I have recently started building a collection of Haas brushes.
Have fun shopping!
3 Likes
My faves:
Helmet: Samshield Lady (with the bigger brim) or KEP Polo. Both fit my head well and “disappear” (in that I don’t notice them) when I am riding. The bigger brims are essential for the sun.
Boots: Petrie. I buy them from Van Huet Riding boots (I think it is dutchridingboots.com). But if you can wear Cavallo, the Grand Prix Plus is a very good deal from Calevo. I bought a few pair on an incredible steal, but they weren’t tall enough for me. My local cowboy bootmaker, tack repair guy put tops on them for me that extended the height and of course added some luxe (one has alligator tops; one has ostrich tops). In Petrie, the Olympic model is less stiff, more economical and wears well. I also have two of the Anky model, which is more stiff and allows you a big range of custom options.
Bridles: Bridle2Fit is my choice, but I have a Solo for my young horse in training and it is attractive and wears like iron. I use to use Schumacher and Passier, but now prefer Bridle2Fit because I find I have to part them together to fit well. I like a nice rubber rein, but I am having trouble sourcing high quality ones that have rolled fronts. Schumacher makes a nice one, and Bridle2Fit discontinued theirs, I think. I tried the Schockemoehle rubber reins, but without a leather core, they fell apart in 6 months. With a leather core, you can have the rubber replaced.
Breeches. I love my Pikeurs. My favorite is the Candelas. I love the jean ones for training in summer, the soft shell for training in winter. I prefer the silicone seats to the synthetic leather seats.
Shirts: Kastel sunshirts or Arista. Winter shirts are Arista, or Dover, or Ariat, depending on how heavy I need. I also have some old Kerrits super heavy fleece shirts that I love. Wish they would make them again.
On a young horse, I wear an air vest. Love it. I use rideequisafe.com to select my brand of air vest and it fits perfectly.
Only use Rambo blankets, but if I have a growing horse and want to do less expensive, my favorite economy blankets are the Tough1 1200D snugit blankets. I used them on my growning horses and they kept them warm and were super tough for young horses. I have some Dover Supreme blankets, which are also economical and well made, and which I highly recommend, but the drop wasn’t deep enough for my heavier warmbloods. The Tough1s have a deep drop.
Only use leather halters. The Suffolk ones from Dover and the Smartpak (Perri’s) are good buys, especially on sale.
4 Likes
Wow sounds like we have the same taste 
1 Like
Wow! Congrats 
And welcome back! Everyone has touched on the greatest hits so far, but I’d like to add…Fleck balance whip!
https://www.doversaddlery.com/fleck-perfect-balance-whip/p/X1-1462/
2 Likes
