Smartpak Piper Breeches - too baggy in crotch and never stay up
Smartpak brand leather halters - I’ve had at least two and they just continue to bleed red… forever… the clear plastic bag they come in even is covered in red dye
MTG - left chemical burns on my horses back, huge red raw spots, completely burned off the hair. MTG said I must have left my horse in the sun, except he’s on night turnout. Tried MTG on my new horse who was rubbing out his tail and he went ballistic until I washed it off. No luck with that stuff at all!
BOT Polo Wraps - I cannot get them to stay put! They fall down and droop like crazy.
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RugBug & @BAC – major tackiphile/leather snob here
baby wipes are one of the better things you can clean tack with because of how little formula/solution they impart into the leather. part of what destroys tack over time is the accumulation of various residue that warps and weakens the leather/skin fibers; oils, conditioners, soaps, sweat/latherin, water…
as it doesn’t leave residue, it doesn’t affect leather dye, doesn’t mold, doesn’t gum up, and cleans up dust very well, which all prevents dirt or residue from accumulating into the leather and weakening the fibers… i have found it is a better alternative to most tack wipes; it’s certainly a better alternative than leather-new/lexol products.
i’ve been using that method on all of my tack for decades now and my tack looks fantastic. (it was recommended to me by a master saddler, so i cannot take credit for the idea.)
in general, if it is good for your skin, it is good for leather. if you can use it on your body, skin, hair, you can use it on leather – whether or not it changes the color, strips dye, is a different matter (baby wipes do not). processed skin is still skin. the formulas used for conditioner in leather is not so different for lotion in people - the bigger difference doesn’t come from preserving the integrity of the leather so much as it comes from preserving dyes in the leather and providing a good barn “shelf-life”.
think of it this way. glycerin and castille soap both are far harsher than baby-wipes and both are used and recommended quite often for leather goods.
many leather makers recommend non-tack cleaning brands for cleaning leather. baby wipes, ivory soap, dish soap (not so sure i would use this, except sparingly), castille… the list goes on.
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^^ Learned something new. Thanks! And it’s certainly cheaper than tack wipes.
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Thanks Beowolf, I appreciate your input and I know you are very knowledgeable but I still won’t be using baby wipes for cleaning tack. I don’t even like them for humans or anything else. I like plain water for wiping down and I have pretty much eliminated glycerin over the years, it leaves a beautiful finish if used after cleaning but it leaves a residue that attracts dirt and dust. And while I like castile for heavy cleaning, I am very careful to use clean water to wipe it down afterwards as it can be drying. I prefer liquid cleansers that don’t leave residue and my tack is gorgeous.
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no worries :yes:
i share your opinion of glycerin. i have a hard time getting it to not gum up tack after a while too. i’ve yet to find a cleaner i am completely satisfied with; castile soap is great but so very drying; glycerin accrues dust like no other. i tried a sheepskin saddle-buff for a while that worked well on my saddle, but i needed something a bit better for bridles.
one liquid cleanser i do like is Passier bridle soap. it is actually quite nice. one goes through it awfully quick though…
I’ve always thought about using baby wipes for tack cleaning… does it work for bits too?
The Horze saddle pad I got with another purchase has been very disappointing. The stitching on the spine is falling apart after only 2 washes. Luckily I didn’t spend any money on it!
I’ve been very happy with my Tredstep boots, both paddock and now tall boots. Granted they are not a comfortable as Ariats but I wear orthotics so they felt comparable to me. My Tredstep paddock boots lasted 3+ years while the nice Ariats only lasted me ~1 year. I think it has to do with the design of the boot as the Ariats always fell apart at the toe stitching, while the toe stitching on the Tredsteps stayed in great shape there. Maybe the orthotics put more stress on that spot than the regular insoles?
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Permoxin is cheap, it is mixed 10ml to 400 ml of water. It is colourless and the colour of water. It dries with no sign of it. It kills ticks, it takes away the itch of Sweet itch and flea allergies on dogs. It can not be use don cats. It works.
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I have used baby wipes for cleaning grey horse stains and nasty nostrils to good effect. And I like the Smartpak Pipers with silicone. I do think they are sized hit or miss (same size can vary).
my disappointments: Rambo fly sheets rub my horses. I normally love Rambo products. Wish they made one with the Supreme cut as it is the only one that never rubs in any style or weight.
I had a pair of Tredstep half chaps that broke the first wear. They sent me a replacement snap I would have to take to a tailor and pay to put on, the $25 on Horseloverz Dublin half chaps I ordered next have lasted years, so much so I sold the extra pairs I bought on the cheap because the first ones won’t die.
I don’t like my straightload trailer for loading by myself. I never have help and found a slant much more user friendly alone, especially has I have green horses a lot.
Generally I am pretty easy to please!
Oh oh and I don’t like MTG but I threw my only bottle away years ago, solved that issue!
my Ariat Cobalt paddock boots are in regular use and are over 10 years old. I do just switch in to ride and wear something else around the farm, but I ride a fair amount.
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As above I have used Permoxin for over 30 years on all breeds of horses and it has NEVER burned a horse. I have seen relief after scrubbing off another product a person put on their horse that burned and I put the permoxin on.
Am I the only one who loves the Smartpak Outsmart fly spray? It actually works. I even layer it on top of Pyrhanna sometimes. And I use it on myself to protect against mosquitos, which have been horrible this year.
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I was at a show and my the grooms sprayed my horse with Ecovet. I walked up to my horse to take him out of the grooming stall and I about died. It gave me one of the worst asthma attacks of my life. After getting a rescue inhaler, I didn’t have fun heading up to the ring with that horrific “inhaler high” and trying to calm the jitters. Never again. It is so incredibly bad it should come with a huge warning sign for people with asthma. I use Flysect. It smells like Old Spice but it works for me and it doesn’t try to kill me like Ecovet!
Other than that, there isn’t really much that I own that I don’t love. I tend to buy premium products so I don’t have a lot of buyer’s remorse. It seems the less expensive items are the ones that cause the most issues, and I always go for the higher quality items figuring it’s a one time purchase vs cheaper items that are more likely to need replacement.
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Bronco fly spray. Doesn’t work well
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Pipers! Can’t stand the sag.
Also: Bronco fly spray (useless, I have a horse that is very allergic to the stuff as well)
ice vibes (although I don’t find them as bad as some)
prochoice fly sheet/fly mask (a purchase from ~late June and both are falling apart)
Cavalleria Toscana breeches (they get right up THERE)
Le Fash Shirts (just meh and look old quickly)
Baker turnout sheet/blanket (4 of these and none are waterproof enough)
CWD strap goods (look old FAST and I take good care of them)
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I also have a straight load that I’m frequently doing alone (often in the dark). I found a trick that helps…swing the divider wide to the side you’re not loading into and stick the pin in the keeper of the butt bar to hold it there. This sort of mimics a slant space wise and I find that my horses will stand there better if I stay in the trailer and scoot around the narrow side to close the divider and put up the bar rather than going back on the outside of the trailer.
I have one who likes to back out on the sly and I throw the lead over her neck so I can keep a hold of it while moving to the back of the trailer.
On a whim I bought some CWD leathers based off of the recommendations here. Excited to try them out this weekend 
I am kind of frugal (DH says cheap!) so I don’t generally shell out for expensive tack/clothes except for saddles, but I did make one tall boot purchase that was extravagant (for me) and I ended up very disappointed. I bought a pair of Cavallo Insignis dressage boots that were beautiful and fit me like a glove, but within a few months of use they developed a hole on the inside of one ankle. I really think that $700+ boots should wear better than that.
(Of course, my dismay was compounded when I took them to a shoe repair shop recommended by the local tack shop. I asked them to patch the inside, and the shoe shop put on a massive patch that wrapped around to the outside of the boot. :eek::mad:
I had them remove half of the patch but there are still visible threadholes on the outside of my once-beautiful boots.)
Amigo turnouts are my go-to, but I also did not like the feel or fit of Piper breeches (tried them twice actually, really wanted to like them, but had to return).
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I hope you love them as much as I do.
I agree on the BOT polos. Got some, used twice, sold them, and bought Draper polos instead.
I also love Thinline reins when new and that you can get them in 60" length, but the material does not hold up. And in addition to the cracking, they change texture some so that they are slick with winter gloves. I bought the Thinline cleaner for them too, and no luck. I’m using Lund rubber reins now. Can’t have expensive reins, because horse likes to get them (and everything else) in his mouth.
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Speaking of Amigo… I have not had good luck with Amigo, but I have a Rambo that is nearing its 15th year still going strong; been through probably four horses, worn out 24/7, and tugged/played with when the horses are frisky. It ripped a few seasons ago but we repaired it. Very happy with it.
I bought an Amigo knowing it was the same brand but lower quality - I wanted a 100 weight (horse was in medical paddock, didn’t need the heavy-weight) and there weren’t any in Rambo in my gelding’s size. It lasted less than a week; the first thing to burst were the chest clasps - and then the entire strapping unraveled.
I bought another one shortly after and the same thing happened, but for a different horse.
I think the stitching is terrible but the blanket itself seems okay; if I get another one in the future the first thing I’ll do is reinforce all of the strapping stitching.
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I used to haul in a stock trailer until Mr. Too Tall reached his full size. I replaced it with a straight-load bumper pull, which I love except when I have to load by myself.
The last thing I bought that I hated was a Dakota western trail saddle. It has few redeeming qualities other than that it fits the mule fairly well, which is the only reason it didn’t go straight back to the store, but I’ve got some serious buyer’s remorse over it.
Hated the eco-vet fly spray and have returned every pair of SmartPak Piper or Hadley breeches I ever ordered. Not a single one fit right.
ReitSport Cold Bell Boots are a great idea, but a crap product. They were completely ineffective.
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