It Went Shopping

It's been a stressful... while... and as I'm sure y'all assumed, I weathered that storm with my usual coping mechanism of buying all the shit I could find. It started out innocuously enough: Lindsey pointed out that smartpak had a killer deal on my favorite breeches, so I bought two pairs because they don't last the longest.

This was like the day before Thanksgiving.

Then what happened... hm... Peony listed a set of Le Mieux bell boots and I wanted to give them a whirl.

pictured with mini-Courage

And then Amanda started hyping the If the Bonnet Fits BOGO Black Friday sale. I'm a sucker for bonnets, but I can't even count the number of black and navy bonnets I have right now, so if I did it, I needed something different, you know? I came up with one (custom, undisclosed) design on my own and made husband-of-the-year go through an extensive ITBF photo album until we found the perfect design for C. (Noted: hubs didn't even get annoyed. The man is a wonder.)

yeah want it need it hurry up already

But then I had colors on the brain so I stole this whole Le Mieux outfit from C's auntie Crystal:

FANCEH

It looked so fantastic that auntie Crystal bought him his own outfit. (Hey look! Something I didn't buy!)

I was having some attacks of conscience over the amount of $ spent though, so I listed a bunch of things I didn't need any more and Jodi contacted me to offer to trade TSF girths since we each had the size the other needed.

so anatomic!

Of course, around this time I got completely walloped in a car accident so I actually haven't put said girth on said horse since receiving it, but dammit I know I could. If I could lift the saddle. We'll see. Whilst lying on the couch suffering/recuperating, I received this super fantastic blogger secret santa present from Stacie, along with tiny candy canes and hot cocoa mix and lovely festive wrapping!

so cool. so blue!

When I finally peeled myself off the couch for a pre-Christmas outing, I ended up coming home with this fantastic monster sweater for teeny dog!

so badass

Ok yes this is a horse blog and y'all don't care about my dogs but OMG HES TEENY AND WEARING A MONSTER SWEATER.

Whatever. My goal is to be the crazy teeny dog lady when I'm old.

Anyways, then my blog stickers showed up (which means if you wanted some and I haven't told you I mailed them to you, contact me and I will).

stickers!

And my dad got me a sportsball-themed halter and lead rope for Christmas, so I snagged a matching santa hat for C and did a sportsball photo shoot.

are we cute or what?

 And then Riding Warehouse had a site-wide 20% off sale which included the new Majyk Equipe dressage boots. If you're over here like "wtf SB last time you put Majyk Equipe boots on C, he completely lost his shit", then yes, we're on the same page. But I bought them because they were purple and I wanted them.

plus they were $55/set with free shipping

 But as we all know, one purple thing requires another. I have very marked preferences in saddle pads and that preference is Ogilvy. Well, technically my favorite is the flannel Mattes, but I loathe and despise the foam Mattes which is way more common and both Mattes are 2x the cost of Ogilvy, so Ogilvy it is.

hullo

 The point is, there's some seller who has a few colors of brand new dressage Ogilvy pads on eBay and one of those colors contained purple to match our new outfit. Plus, when I put all the purple things on C, he was fantastic and apparently completely forgot how much he used to hate non-slip liners in boots. Maybe he was holding out for purple?

sexy

In non-purple news, I also tracked down a set of Vienna reins (that you've already seen), ordered some sparkles that you will see when they show up, and possibly have been sitting here waiting for a biggish-ticket item that I ordered over a month ago and the shipping gods only saw fit to release a couple days ago. Oh and another thing. Not including the things I got for other people. And possibly some things I forgot.

and this other thing. and maybe a fauxssoa.

In case you're keeping track, the number of times I've ridden since getting any of these things is 0. And my PT says I'm still grounded. But dammit, I'm so ready.

Teach Me Tuesday: The Too Tight Girth

on not under

Here's a thing about me: I really have no concept of what a too-tight girth is. People be like "I wouldn't want my girth too tight" and I'm just like "bitches, I have had a saddle roll on me 3 times and that is three really bad experiences I DO NOT WANT to repeat".

So I really don't ever worry about getting my girth too tight. I'm not asking for maximum athletic achievement here. I just want to not end up under the horse.

long girth, short girth, saddle staying on

But I see things like this article floating around and in general, I think Dr. Hilary Clayton has good things to say.

Is that normal? Do people worry about too-tight girths? How would you know if your girth was too tight anyways?

STRAP IT ON: Girth Innovations!

looking so fly

I'll admit I'm really more of a bridles and boots blogger than a girth girl, but there are some very interesting innovations running around out there right now and I thought I might as well share of list of the cool things I'm looking at.

I already reviewed the Total Saddle Fit Girth. If the price on that one made you gasp or the contouring didn't get you excited, well, this may not be the post for you...

Here we go.

Fairfax Performance Girth

Fairfax Performance Girth - short or long

It was actually JenJ who brought these to my attention. This is the first time that I'm aware of that the market has seen a girth backed by interesting scientific research. In fact, the British Olympic team was so in love with this girth that the company actually waited to publicly release/market the product until after the London Olympics because the riders thought it would be such an advantage.

Or so the rumor goes. It obviously didn't hurt them.

At any rate. The girth was tested with the Pliance testing method and claim to improve horse relaxation and comfort.

Curious? You can test it out for yourself for a mere $330 + shipping from England.

Stubben Equi Soft

Stubben Equi-Soft Girth - short or long (I think?)

Here's another fascinating entry. Stubben created this girth to allow the horse more comfort and a lower respiration rate, which translates to more relaxation and better scores in dressage.

Or that's the theory.

I have to admit, the design kind of fascinates me. I like the segmentation to allow it to wrap around the horse almost more like a bra than a belt.

Buuuuuut at $429+shipping (Dover), I'm unlikely to give it a go.

Wow H Soft Girth

Wow H Soft Girth

It sounds trippy and it is.

The idea behind the Wow H is that it distributes pressure along the horse's sternum instead of focusing it in one place. This contributes to greater equine comfort and great increases saddle stability.

In fact, you may have noticed one of these in the dressage at Rolex on Francis Whittington's horse, Easy Target. I'd post a picture because it really is fascinating, but I just cannot go stealing pictures from the Chronicle like that. Follow the link to read the quote and see the picture down below the dressage results.

The Wow H is surprisingly the most reasonable girth of the group, ringing in at a mere $280 + shipping from England. It also offers the most customizable options in terms of color and fit, it that matters to you.

wants $400 girth. still can't turn right.

I am a huge fan of innovation in equine accouterments and I have to admit, these girths fascinate me. I'm not in the income bracket that just leaps right in with a $400 girth (srsly wtf stubben), but I'm curious to track how they catch on and keep appraised of when affordable knock offs come along.

At the end of the day, we all want our horses performing well, and if a double strap spider looking girth is the key to the perfect free walk, well, who am I to say no?

Tack Review: Total Saddle Fit Dressage Girth

If you ever use the horse-y part of the internet (RAISE YOUR HAND, ALL OF YOU), you've seen ads for this girth. It claims to be anatomically correct and better for both horse and saddle (and other things I didn't really read). Unlike other anatomic girths, it rings in at $125, which is a drop in the bucket of the $200 straps you can also buy to hold your ass platform on your horse.

I have one. Is it time for a review? Yes. Yes it is.

Total Saddle Fit Dressage Girth in Black, size 26".
Retail price: $124.95 + $9.95 shipping
What I paid: $85 shipped from a used site
Note: new price includes 110% money back guarantee, so if you need beer money, well, you do the math.

saddle is a hair back in this shot

I don't know how much I buy all the anatomic marketing going around right now, but I definitely kow tow to basic physics. Courage's dressage saddle first him well, but the billets hang a bit awkwardly.

I can either launch a multi-national search for THE MOST PERFECT SADDLE or I can buy a contoured girth. I chose option B.

There are some mixed reviews of the TSF girth online, so I didn't know what to expect.

Let's be real: it is a $120 strap. It serves to hold the saddle on very well. Some people are like "OMG BEST LEATHER I'VE EVER FELT" (which is sad) and others are like "THIS IS ISN'T FRENCH" (which is true)(but if it was French, it would cost hella more than $125).

Look at your Dover catalog--this is pretty reasonable for an all-leather, double elastic girth with roller buckles. Consider the contouring a free bonus.

Things I love about this girth:

1. Elastic and roller buckles. It's 2015, people. These things should be a given.

2. Nifty attachment ring in the middle. I haven't used it, but I like to know that I could if I wanted to.

3. Keepers. Dressage billets are notoriously long and hard to corral. I feel like the keepers on this girth hit the fine balance of looking tidy while not being a massive PITA to use.

Things I don't love:

1. Not really anything. I mean, it's a girth. As long as it serves to hold your saddle on without unduly rubbing, pinching, or irritating your horse, what's to dislike? I don't adore the leather quality, but I already covered that. I don't worry about it rubbing. It cleans up nicely. The construction is solid.

2. Sizing? I dunno on this one. The girth measures a 28". It's sized as a 26", which means if you're between sizes, go down. I'd probably rather have a slightly smaller size, but at that price, I wasn't going to quibble over details.

Conclusion:

If you're in the market for a decent dressage girth that doesn't break the bank, this is your ticket. I can't speak to it's supposed magical abilities at making a saddle fit better, because shark fin withers=my saddles stay put.

I have lots of other things on my to-buy list right now, but I'm certainly interested in playing with a TSF jump girth when the time comes. :-)

Stump the Tack Ho

totes a dressage bridle. note sparkle bonnet.

Everyone knows I'm like the world's worst tack ho. I see new things and I just get wanty. I'm not a hoarder, so I have really high turnover and sell lots of things too. That makes it ok, right?

Anyways. The last time I owned a dressage saddle was with the hellmare years ago. I sold it around the time I sold her and never looked back. With Cuna, I never bothered to buy one, and with Courage, I was convinced we were just going to be jumpers so I didn't even think about it. I've long since sold/dispersed all the dressage things I had, because why hang on to crap I won't use?

just because my horse is adorable

And then I bought a dressage saddle. Oops. I have a grand total of one dressage pad. (Before you pity me--it's an Ecogold that I snagged for $14. BOO FRICKIN YAH). I borrowed irons, snagged my leathers off my jump saddle, and rescued an abandoned girth out of the tack room. Plus I have a dark brown bridle that sort of looks black if you squint when I'm in the indoor.

It's ghetto-tastic, but I'm making it work.

Here's the thing. I am a sucker for good advertising backed by solid reviews and I will buy new if the right item comes along. And Courage really does need a contoured girth because of where the billets on our saddle hang. And contoured girths are really expensive, except that one with good advertising and solid reviews.

pictured: current girth. too long.

Which one?

The Total Saddle Fit girth, of course. I've always been intrigued and the pricing is completely reasonable and then Stacey over at the Jumping Percheron got one and did a review. Sigh.

I really want one, but I'm not quite in the right place financially to pull the trigger, even though I own the dressage saddle free and clear now. I'm stalling on the purchase by trying to figure out what size I need.

jump ogilvy ftw

I think it's really important for a contoured girth to fit symmetrically and for the contours to fall in the right place. The loaner girth is a 30" (buckle to buckle). I think it's too big--I can't use the billet keepers on my pad and the girth overlaps the pad binding, which can create pressure points.

What size do you think Courage needs in the TSF model? I want to go shorter, but not crazy short. 28"? 26"? 24"?

I've never been a proper DQ. Help a sister out?