I have a bridle with stainless steel hardware and a breastplate with martingale attachment with brass hardware. Long story short I didn’t pay attention to the fact that my bridle had stainless steel hardware (it’s a Dy’on bridle and I didn’t look closely at time of purchase) and the breastplate was made to match the Dy’on D collection that has brass hardware as a sample piece of tack for a small shop. Does it matter? Am I being ridiculous? It will likely just be used for schooling and some small CTs. Because let’s face it, I’m too much of a chicken to jump XC fences.
It’s the kind of thing that probably only you will ever notice, but even if other people noticed it wouldn’t matter!
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If they notice, it’s only because you are galloping too slow.
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If it helps, OP, my favourite-est reins ever have stainless buckles. The bridle I’m using it with which fits the horse it’s being used for best, has brass buckles.
So my mix and match doesn’t even have separation.
NOBODY has said anything to me, and I was riding - gasp - dressage.
Now I think about it I have also used those black reins on a brown bridle and nobody noticed. Too bad if they had…
You’ll be absolutely fine
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No body else will care.
Other competitors will be too engrossed in their own performance. Even in the dressage phase, the subjective bit, the judge is looking at the horse and the apparent training. Anyone who is a spectator at an event is likely focused on their “connection” who is riding or are looking for a decent coffee and finding out where their friends are. And overall, Eventing is more about the challenge of putting together a solid performance in three phases - and having fun - than being particularly concerned with equestrian fashion. If it worries you enough to affect your performance, change your tack, otherwise just ride and thoroughly enjoy yourself.
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My wife calls it the galloping horse test. If someone notices it, they are paying attention to the wrong thing.
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It’s fine. No one will be able to see the difference from a few feet away.
They’re phasing out the brass though. I’m stocking up because my saddle has brass.
99.9% of folks won’t notice and the ones that do really don’t care as long as the tack fits and is clean.
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I admit that if it was my own tack, I would be like you and want it all to match (but then would be happy I had stuff that fit correctly so very torn between the two sides of the situation).
In reality, like all the other posters have said, no one out in the world will likely notice or care that you have brass in some places and stainless in other places.
Use your tack that fits well and let yourself ignore that you have different material hardware.
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Thank you everyone for your words of reassurance. I do like the breastplate otherwise, so I’ll keep using it. Even if sometimes I cringe when I tack up. lol
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