Howdy
I would love to have a dressage mirror. I had the chance to get some framed glass mirrors (old closet doors that the apt complex was ditching) but the BO insisted she has to have shatterproof glass due to insurance. The only things I could find online were in the OK and/or plexiglass which purpotedly warps/distorts the image. Do any of you have/have experience with “shatterproof” mirrors (think safety glass)? If so, details please, i.e. vendor source, costs, pros/cons. Thanks
Look into excercise mirrors. There’s a new one that isn’t made of glass - space shuttle technology. THink it’s called Mirrorlite. Here’s a link
do not buy the usual shatterproof mirrors. That is what we have in our indoor and they all warped into funhouse mirrors within the first month. You cannot see anything in them they are so distorted.
They sell mirrors for horse arenas. I’ve dealt with them and they are very nice.
[QUOTE=ise@ssl;3269735]
http://www.silktree.com/
They sell mirrors for horse arenas. I’ve dealt with them and they are very nice.[/QUOTE]
Nice, they may be, but many posters have testified on this very forum that their mirrors are NOT NICE. Silk Tree sells the mirrors that are distorted, unusable funhouse mirrors.
why or why have a a mirror – to look at yourself and to take your conccentrating of the horse or contact as you go round
in a test they not there-- and can cuase a habit of turning and looking as soona s you do that - then the horse will fall in
forget the mirrors
why have a mirror? because if you are not working with a trainer on a regular basis, bad habits will creep in fast. Riders can learn to use the mirror by looking with eyes and not twisting or wrecking their position. A correct riding position will only help the horse go correctly. You can also ride toward the mirror and check straightness and bend, or halt sideways and check the squareness of the halt. of course, riders will be able to feel all this, or fool themselves into thinking it’s all good enough. But for dressage riders, good enough really isn’t. It’s either correct or it’s not. Mirrors help.
in this present economy, where riders are struggling to show, clinic, lesson, haul out, even pay for board or hay, I think mirrors are a great investment.
I found a solid short side of mirrors free on craigslist, added shatterproof backing, then my husband hung them up. no distortion, very helpful
Feisomeday -
Where did you get the safety backing that you applied to your mirrors? Also how tall are your mirrors and what is the distance between the bottom of your mirrors and the ground?
Thanks!
My mirrors came with shatterproof backing. this does not mean they will not break, it does mean there should be fewer flying shards.
I too, was advised against the unbreakble by someone who installed, and then had to remove them.
OK, anyone? I’m looking into mirrors for my arena. Can you tell me what backing you used for the mirrors (for example, did you mount them to plywood?). Any other info would be appreciated.
I used wardrobe door mirrors. Safety glass? Dunno - they came out of my son’s bedroom when we renovated. We made frames from treated pine and put them at the ends of the long sides of an outdoor arena.
I am looking to put mirrors in our outdoor as well and we’re concerned about the heavy winds we get here. I’d love to hear from anyone who has a good plan for building the support structure for the mirrors.
I ride and train at home and find mirrors allow me to be my own coach in between working with my real coach. They are very useful for schooling shoulder in, haunches in, leg yields, half pass, etc.
Here’s a thought:
Could you use regular wardrobe mirrors, mounted on plywood of course, but then treated with “safety glass film” such as the kind that 3M makes for household windows/french doors, etc?
I would think that would solve the shatter problem, while not distorting the glass (much?).
I’m very very interested in working up some mirrors at our place, and have multiple spare wardrobe doors - I just don’t quite have it figured out how to keep them out there safely with the varying projectiles that are found out at the arena. 
[QUOTE=Watermark Farm;3475620]
I am looking to put mirrors in our outdoor as well and we’re concerned about the heavy winds we get here. I’d love to hear from anyone who has a good plan for building the support structure for the mirrors.
I ride and train at home and find mirrors allow me to be my own coach in between working with my real coach. They are very useful for schooling shoulder in, haunches in, leg yields, half pass, etc.[/QUOTE]
I am going to the Festa Lusitana this weekend. In looking at the web site, I started looking at the horses for sale videos. Take a look at their outdoor mirrors. Perhaps you could contact them and find out when, where, and how they got their mirrors. There are several sections in the Sansao video where he is working by the mirrors and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of distortion.
Oh Joanne I love that Zuarte Interagro horse on your web site. Wonderful mover! :)
Re mirrors not being useful, I disagree. A rider needs to check his position and the position of his horse constantly. He can’t rely on the instructor being there. Mirrors make a rider more independent and able to work on his own. He can look in the mirror, match what he sees in the mirror to what he feels on the horse, and learn from that, to either adjust what he’s doing or assure himself that he’s doing something correctly.
And everyone - everyone does things they can’t feel or see, and everyone, everyone has habits and mistakes they make that they need to work on. No matter what level they are at or what they’ve done.
Shatterproof mirrors
I have the shatterproof mirrors from Silk tree in my arena. And yes they warp. We used plywood behind them and even put extra bolts in the middle to hold them, but they are still warped.
I am about ready to replace them with non-shatterproof.
So I could not recommend them.
But I do recommend having mirrors, they help no end with position work.
MW
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
