PS of Sweden Breastplate High Five Review

PS of Sweden breastplate

Ok, true confession: despite my mild belittling of the PS High Jump bridle as "just the European Micklem", it grew on me. And then I wanted one. And then I REALLY wanted one.

And then they went on sale.

Oops! Bloppis, you get me every time.

Kicker was, the bridle came in a set with the PS of Sweden Breastplate High Five. Another brutally honest moment here and I'll admit that I'm not really in to the "big" look on breastcollars that is going around and the PS breatcollar is definitely big. It's a five point and the section across the chest is wide and eye catching.

straps

I get that it's a trendy thing, but I didn't know if I would like it.

Without further ado: The PS of Sweden Breastplate High Five Review

MSRP: $195 (before deducting 25% VAT for us non-Europeans)
What I paid: $75 (per PS invoice)

CONSTRUCTION

The night it showed up, I spent a good hour or so playing with the new toys and conditioning everything. The breastplate is large, but it's lined with super soft leather padding. I am WAY more ok with leather padding because cleaning sheepskin is, eh, let's just say "not how I want to spend my time".

The ring at the center attaches the strap that goes between the legs and the optional (but included) martingale attachment. I have to hand it to this breastplate--the straps are SUPER adjustable. As you can see, I can adjust the top or the bottom of the strap between the legs (is there a name for it?). It also has a handy clip to attach to the girth, which is my favorite thing in breastplates.

so many straps

The other two straps (top attaches to saddle, bottom attaches to girth) are tidy and well made. Again, I LOVE clips for ease of attachment, /I have whined before about having a girth strap that's nylon instead of leather, but I'll hand it to PS: it lays much flatter under the saddle flap and is completely hidden from view.

Noted: I actually think the leather quality on this piece is much nicer than on the Flat Out Bridle I already have.

martingale attachment

The more I handled this breastplate, the more impressed I was by the thoughtful details.

MARTINGALE

I mean, I knew I'd wanted one of their martingale attachments because they looked cool. I loved it even more after I handled it.

HELLO.

CLIPS.

Yes, you're seeing correctly. Instead of rings to go over the reins, PS uses heavy duty clips that just snap into place. Forget undoing your reins before and after every ride. Nope. Just snap the rings on and you're good to go. Also the overall length is full adjustable.

And I didn't snag a close up, but there's cool detailing on the keepers too.

One critique I'd offer is that given all the other clips, I'm rather shocked there wasn't a clip to attach the martingale to the breastplate. However, that's a problem that I can fix with $2 and a trip to the hardware store.

gah so much hair

SIZING

I was a little not sure on the sizing--I ordered cob size because I was mostly wanting the bridle and Courage is definitely cob in the head, but he kind of goes either way when it comes to breastcollars. I mean, I hjave three (dear god) Nunn Finer breastplates--my hunt style is horse size and I had to punch extra holes. My bridge style is cob size and it was pretty snug till it stretched. My "normal" five point is horse size and it's adjusted pretty tight.

Which is to say Courage is somewhere between cob and horse.

it's blurry indoor pics time of year

The PS was tighter than I'd like--I added d savers to the rings on my saddle to make it long enough and everything went on, but I won't be sad if my straps stretch out a little bit.

So it's cob size, but not like really tiny cob size. There is quite of bit of flexibility to the fit--I have straps all over the place. It's fine between his front legs (admittedly, I think that's all the way out still) and the elastic in the design makes it fine everywhere else.

plus sweet free keychain

COLOR

The more perceptive among you have probably noticed that this breastcollar is a lighter brown than my usual "almost looks black" shade. That's because the sale was on the chestnut color only. I pulled the trigger and closed my eyes because I wanted the gear and I do love deals. I was completely prepared to hate the color and spend my entire next paycheck on an entire vat of hydrophane.

But I was pleasantly surprised. The chestnut is a warm brown without an god-awful red tint to it. It maybe wouldn't have been my first choice, but I certainly don't mind it and I haven't purchased any hydrophane as of right now.

SHAVE THIS HORSE

WRAP UP

And how did it ride?

I'd say pretty great. The leather is cut away to make it fit quite ergonomically. The elastic is nicely stretchy, so even if it's a little snug, it still has lots of give. Despite my worries about it being a little small, Courage was perfectly happy and freely forward during his ride.

There was no rubbing or chafing anywhere after I pulled it off, which is nice since his Nunn Finer is rubbing him bald right now. The clips are easy to use and it's very self-explanatory to put on.

This version does not have a grab strap over the withers. I am a big fan of things to hang on to, so I wouldn't rule out adding one if this becomes my go-to breastplate for winter riding.

So here we are. The look is growing on me and I'm definitely glad I got it. I don't really think Courage needs a five point for daily dressage in the indoor, but given how badly the Nunn Finer is rubbing him, I think this is my go to until the summer coat comes back in.

I tried to answer as many questions here as I could. If you have more questions, please leave them in the comments and I (or Amanda, haha) will happily get back to you.