Was doing a search and found this post. Kind of fun, anyone want to continue 2014.
YES!
WORST:
Dover Figure 8 Nose Band. I get it, it was cheaper then the $130 one that looked nicer, but you could at least size it right. My horse has a decently large face, but it is by no means warmblood. God for bid anyone with a warmblood need a properly fitted nose band.
BEST:
Smartpak Piper Breeches. They are comfortable and cool, and when I rode in the rain they didn’t make me miserably wet. They also come in amazing colors (the coral is wonderful) and the full seats are sticky enough but still have stretch and breath-ability. I am such a fan, I have both knee patch and full seat. I will soon have all the colors. I can’t say enough good things. Just remember, they do run a tad big. So I wear a 32 rather than 34.
I have a best and worst to add since I last posted (in 2012 I think!)
Best
Back on track lap blanket. Ok it’s not tack or riding gear but I am saving up for more BOT products now because I love this one so much. I’m lying on it now!
Worst
Is also a former best… http://m.statelinetack.com/item/defender-classic-plaid-600d-turnout-sheet/E002762/
Defender classic turnout sheet. I bought one, horse got his use out of it (especially for about fifty bucks!) but came in one day with it halfway shredded looking quite smug. The first one worked so well and fit nicely that I went ahead and got the same sheet in a different color the second time… This sheet hasn’t held up nearly as well. In a matter of two weeks things started to go on it- one butt clip doesn’t want to close all the time, one chest D ring is hanging on by a thread (and we usually don’t hang blankets by those anyway), and we never could get the excess of one chest strap through its keeper. Most importantly, it rubs his hindquarters in a place the other sheet never did. I’m almost ready to take that one back home to use as a car seat cover for the dogs and buy a different sheet!
I recently saw/posted a pic of myself riding and while I was aware my irh helmet wasn’t the most flattering shape, oh my I have a mushroom head in it!
My rwr no knot hairnet is still holding on at least a year and a half later (using it every ride, 1-3x/week typically). It’s not in great shape but not bad enough to buy a new one yet!
My Samshield Helmet has got to be the most comfortable thing I have ever put on my head!
I am a big believer in Rambo blankets. For me they are worth the money as they last and last and when the do get a rip the ripstop stitching does it’s job.
TS Hunter trophy breeches are the most comfortable breeches I have ever worn!
:no: Same here. Went through two pairs of Blunnies within a year (broke down completely in 4 months). Same issue with both. I suppose I was very hard on them, but still. For the price I expected them to last longer. The first pair they replaced right away however, very good customer service. The second pair I didn’t bother sending back.
Best–my Thornhill padded bridle and Piper breeches. That bridle was $90 including reins and I’d consider it an off brand, but the leather is SOFT and I’m a bad tack owner, and so far it’s stood up to my abuse. I’ve had it for over a year and it still looks good. I also LOVE Piper full seats. The seat is soft and stretchy, colors are great, shape is flattering, good price, love them!!!
Worst–Kincade bit keepers and Tuffrider cotton full seats. The Kincade bit keepers feel like cardboard and will never fit onto any bit or bridle every despite weeks of stretching. The Tuffrider breeches seemed fine at first, fit well, felt sticky in the saddle. After 2-3 rides, the parts on the inside of my thighs is already pilling and wearing. They were only $40, but still…!
Best: EIS shirts, Ariat breeches, Hadfield’s zipper paddock boots (lasted 7 long years with only one refurbish)
Worst: Ariat boots, Bevals’ bridles (at least an older one), Dover’s brand turnout sheets (the hardware on these is terrible)
Best: Red Barn Middleburg bridle - absolutely beautiful and really well made. Ariat Olympia breeches - the Spanx of the breech world. Rambo Supreme with Varilayer - it replaced a Supreme that was 9 years old and still waterproof, and the new lighter weight and covered tail cord make me love it even more.
Worst: Kerrits Sit Tight full seats - TOO sticky! A mane/tail brush from Jack’s - fell apart in the first 30 seconds of use.
I forgot to add to my BEST purchases my RWR Hairnet! They are super amazing and I use it every ride. It also fits all my hair with just one hairnet.
Worst - Ovation Ultra raised bridle. I hate the color (too red) and the leather is not up to snuff for the $169 price tag.
-I could have a full page of bits my horse hated that I wasted my $$$ on.
Best - anything Nunn Finer I have bought (bridle, breastplate, girth).
-Lami-cell halter with padded noseband & crown - http://www.jefferspet.com/reflective-breakaway-halter/camid/equ/cp/QG-RC/
Best: TS breeches, DeNiro Ottavio Aurora field boots, Voltaire saddle
Worst: any non-TS breeches (I have tied sevel less expensive that just dont fit); inexpensive Ariat tall boots (lots of blisters).
Best: Prestige saddle (haven’t ridden in it yet though, but super soft), Kerrits riding tights
Worst: Oster finishing brush that came with a kit (bristles started falling out before I even used it)
I ride dressage more than hunters, but…
Best: Grand Prix paddock boots, kensington turnout blanket (and saddle pads!), Baker turnout sheet, Ariat half chaps, CO AYR8 helmet
Worst: Ariat paddock boots, Goode Rider breeches, Mountain Horse tall boots (got them on sale and decided just to use them as an extra pair just in case, but the leather is already peeling after limited use)
Best: Equiwing wide track aluminum stirrups (these are ah-mazing!), Oster brush set, Husky mobile job box (makes the perfect tack box-even has a little tote inside that is great for brushes), Kerrits Flow rise riding tights, Ariat Heritage contour field boots
Can’t really say I’ve made any bad purchases on tack…
Best: EIS shirt and Nike golf polo shirts for showing in the jumpers, TS trophy hunters, Eskadron boots (these have seriously held up great), anything Edgewood, Smartpak Harwich bridle ( I was so pleasantly surprised by this bridle. It is wonderful for the money!), my Ogilvy pad
Worst: Tuffrider turnout sheet ( I guess you get what you pay for with blankets. This thing fits weird and rubs badly.) Bobby’s running martingale ( I have other Bobby’s tack that I like, but I hate this martingale. I bought the high end line, fancy stitched, english leather one, but it has that cheap tack shiney sheen and it won’t go away. It just looks low quality) Rambo quarter sheet ( I’ve yet to find a horse that it fits well) Equi-fit boots ( the liners fell apart so quickly and they rub)
Best
-Kroop’s paddock boots
-Dr. Witwer’s scratches ointment.
-Pomm ear plugs–they really stick.
-Italian rubber stretch on bell boots. They are not indestructible but they’ve been much better than the dozens of velcro pairs I’ve used.
Wilker’s square pads and wither relief pads. Last forever, look great, wash well.
Worst -
My Grand Prix jackets of a certain vintage. For a few years, they had a problem where if you got soaked (showing in the rain), the lining would shrink but the wool wouldn’t, so it would look all puckered. Dry cleaning would help, but my navy jacket in particular still looks funny. I should have sent them in to have the lining replaced. Ones from a few years later still look amazing.
Ariat boots–after going through several pairs of paddock boots in not much time, I made the switch to Kroop and have been very happy.
Tredstep half chaps – They fit great and look great. That is, until they start coming apart at the seams, which tends to happen within the first year of use for me.
Best:
FITS Beka breeches. Several years of beating up and they still look great. I love the fit.
Dublin Intensity paddock boots. I bought them to replace a set of Ariats that I had had for 10 years or so. I now have a no-anything-Ariat-that-zips policy and was looking for an alternative. These are very comfortable and have worn well over the 2 years I’ve had them. I have no reason to expect that they won’t last for years.
Worst:
Ariat boots. I have a “no Ariat anything that zips” policy, as above, because the zippers are well known to be terrible… and I recently had reason to reconsider that to be a “no Ariat footwear” policy when my Ariat Terrain H2O boots- which were a quick favorite- developed a hole in the seams not even 6 months in. The rest of the boot was waterproof… but it’s hard to have a waterproof boot when the boot has a hole in.
I hate to say this. Edgewood bridle. 
I hope this is an isolated incident, but my bridle is in lousy condition after 9 years of TLC. (Really weird- it looked great for about 6 years, then we had a derecho tear through, and something in the air pressure did not agree with my bridle. It went from “happy bridle” to “very dry, very angry” bridle in under 24 hours, while it was inside the tack room with no leaks in the roof or anything like that, and I have been unable to make it a happy bridle again.) I am beyond the point of knowing how to help it. I recognize that this is a weird thing to happen, but when I replace it, it will not be with another Edgewood.
Renn, what have you tried for the bridle? I’d do a really deep cleaning and maybe even re-dip it in oil like it was new nothing waxy/coating until it felt supple again. Is it just dry or did something else happen to it? VERY STRANGE.
I bought a bright pink, sparkly crop with a star on the end yesterday. Why? Because I could.
Worst purchase ever? Probably… but I feel like someone’s fairy godmother when I carry it around and it makes me giggle.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7527005]
Renn, what have you tried for the bridle? I’d do a really deep cleaning and maybe even re-dip it in oil like it was new nothing waxy/coating until it felt supple again. Is it just dry or did something else happen to it? VERY STRANGE.[/QUOTE]
It is SO WEIRD. I posted a thread about it here I guess about two years ago. It went from being a very comfortable bridle in good condition to so dry it felt crumbly- overnight. I oiled the snot out of it with no significant changes; what worked best to bring it back into usable condition was a coat of Ko-cho-line. (I also tried a couple different balsams on it before the Ko-cho-line, because I normally hate that stuff.) I’ve used Bensmom’s soap on it for the last year or so, and the conditioning elements in that soap have worked much better than my normal favorite of Castile. If I do not clean it with the Bensmom soap (or clean it with something else and condition it after- it likes Bensmom’s balm and the Devoucoux liquid conditioner) every single day, it feels dry the next day, with the added bonus that it attracts dirt, probably because of all the conditioners I’m pouring into it. (So when the horse gets a day off, the next day the bridle is sad.) Only other symptoms include “acne” on the cheekpieces. I don’t know how else to describe it- they are not jockeys, they don’t come off. It looks like my bridle has zits. No cracking, just feeling dry and crumbly and looking very light when flexed. The thing is 9 years old at this point and doesn’t really owe me anything, but apparently this type of leather and I are not cut out for each other.
My sister won one of those things. At the time she was riding a black horse and every time she’d lay the stick on him he’d be covered in pink glitter. Shortly thereafter it became the farm Wand of Punishment. As in, you fail to come to the ring with appropriate artificial aids, and you are riding with the Glinda The Good Witch Stick.
