Wednesday, November 16, 2016

The Firstiest First World Problem

I've been in need of some distraction lately, so I'm sure you're all super shocked I turned to obsessing over tack. 

It's.... happened before... in case you were wondering why I all of a sudden have two patent leather cavessons and a new twist on a blue padded piece, well, that was last month's distraction that just happened to arrive. Don't judge.

Anyways. I have a lot of bridles. Despite what most people think, I'm not a hoarder and I like to keep my options open, so I'd like to have somewhat less bridles. That means I have to tally up the bridles/looks I have and then decide what stays and what goes.

Let's start easy--

BROWN BRIDLES:


Haha well our open show debut prompted this second-most-recent (I think? I lost count) addition to the collection.
yup
Horse size Dover Circuit bridle. Tobacco leather, fancy stitched, plain cavesson, traditional crown. Got it for a screaming deal and this reminds me, I said I'd do a craft project and dye it. Maybe next month. Don't hold your breath. 

Also in the brown category:
do you remember this one? Had it forever.
Cob size Nunn Finer figure eight in havana with stainless buckles. If you're sitting over there like "wtf sb I've never seen this bridles before", well, you have. It just usually looks like this:
frankenbridle
with the custom race noseband and sweet Dark Jewel Designs gameday browband 

OR

topline
this with the fancy Topline Leather sparkles and ebay-find cavesson for when mamma needs a standing, which is always. 

Believe it or not, that's all the brown bridles I own right now. Excluding my western bridle which is sort of tan colored. Whatever. It only half counts. You don't get a pic.

BLACK BRIDLES

Despite my early-life loathing of black leather, I now own quite a lot of it. I'll try to go in order of what I've had the longest, but my memory is only so good.
red barn
There's my Red Barn Capriole bridle, which I think was my first legit dressage bridle that was not PS of Sweden? I don't remember. Anyways. Very classic look. Very conservative. It's the dressage bridle your mother would want you to buy. Accommodates a flash (which I have) and the unused tabs really don't bother me. 

Shown here with my birthday browband from Browbands With Bling

I guess next up would be my dressage Frankenbridle.
topline
This bridle is some mishmash of random parts--I think it might be horse size bobby's crown, cob size bobby's cheeks, super legit retro noseband from an enabling friend, and of course one of my crown jewels, the Absolute Courage browband from Topline Leather. Yeah it's named after him. ;-) 

Hmmmm probably next would be Otto, who was already introduced via his own personal blog post, but here goes:
otto
Otto is of course a cool retro Otto Schumaucher bridle with a traditional crown and crank cavesson but no flash. Otto rocks the self-colored braid on the nose and brow and is the only bridle I own with no sparkles. Fun fact: I even bought a pair of plaited (not braided) reins to go with Otto because it seemed like the thing at the time. I like Otto. 

Then there's this contraption:
not my franken
A friend gave me a very fancy custom-made-for-her-horse patent monocrown noseband because it was not made well and didn't fit her horse. I had to borrow a monocrown headstall off her to try it on C. I left the flash on and added sparkles and if you notice he looks a little cranky, it's because even my superstar model OTTB eventually gets tired of head shots. Honestly, I really like the crown this bridle hangs on (but it's a little too big for C) and I'm less in love with the noseband? 

I dunno. Patent is new for me. 

But you can't just try one patent nose, can you?? 

I mean, I was pretty enchanted with the one I tried on C last winter. Noted: I never owned this bridle and haven't actually bought it for myself yet. Do love how it looks on his head.
Fancy!
So that one isn't/wasn't mine, but this one is. I call him Bachelor #1.
whoops
Let's just say I was stress shopping and there was potentially more than one bachelor coming home so they got numbers. Um. It escalated from there and I'll explain later. This is totally a knockoff of that super trendy Otto you see running around dressage shows. I found it on British eBay, tracked it to a uk tack shop I'd never heard of, and got a screaming deal on it. Padded crank, monocrown, decent leather, has a flash, yada yada. Did not love my shopping experience and didn't really have time to get enamored with this bridle. (Hint: if you want it, buy it from me or eBay. Don't waste you life at the tack shop.)

This happened next:
ooooooooo
See, I just so happen to be friends with my browband ladies and one of them heard I was looking for something cool and different and colored and custom and she sent me to Uisce Saddlery.  Never heard of them? Me either. 

However, another friend piled on with the recommendation and when I sent an inquiry on a specific item, the response was prompt, articulate, and polite. Oh and the price was KILLER. OH AND I GOT A FULL CUSTOM PIECE IN 10 DAYS. Not kidding. From inquiry email to product arriving at my door step was ten days. Quality is good, service was incredible, 10/10 I owe them a proper blog write up. 

But see, that's a lot of bridles for a horse who goes in one bit and a snaffle bridle and no flash and don't want his cranks cranked. Plus, as a working adult ammy, I'd like to have 1-2 (ok fine let's be real it's me) 2-3 bridles at the barn to maintain vs trying to clean an entire tack shop's worth of booty every couple weeks.

So. For a dressage horse in a snaffle bridle. What's your favorite and why? What would you sell and what would you keep? 

PS What if I just kept one bridle at the barn. Can you imagine? Would you even recognize me? DO PEOPLE EVEN DO THAT? 

57 comments:

  1. I only own one bridle, so I must be a weirdo o.O

    I really like the Otto on him. It's incredibly flattering and unique. I also absolutely hate patent leather, so if it were me, I'd be selling those :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm actually not sure how people do patent leather. I'm super neurotic about leather care and keeping things nice and I don't think I'm neurotic enough to handle it. How do other people do it? Do they just not care?

      Delete
    2. I've never touched the stuff myself, but I think they just wipe it off. I have no idea how to handle it ><

      Delete
    3. Ok but I'm MILITANT about keeping C from EVER rubbing his head with his bridle on because I care about my tack and other people are not so much. Do they just replace the patent on the regular? I don't know.

      Bachelor #1 has literally been hanging in the tack room and only worn once and I'm already freaking out about scratches on him.

      Delete
  2. Wait wait wait, hold the presses. TEN DAYS FOR THAT CUSTOM FROM UISCE?!?!? Stahhhhhhhp you're making me spend all my money. Also I'm waiting with baited breath (and a credit card, lol) to see what you sell. Personally, I think you need to sell retro Otto to me ;) hahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seriously Uisce was amazing. I need to dream up something else to buy from them.

      ;-) and if retro Otto goes, you'll be the first to know.

      Delete
  3. People totally only have one bridle. It's liberating. Think of all the time you'll have for doing other things when you're not cleaning them all!

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  4. Gah, I love the Uisce piece! I especially love it with the Browbands with Bling browband and the ITBF bonnet with blue that you posted on FB. Swoon. That one has to stay. And my 'conservative' fav is the Red Barn, possibly followed closely by Otto. But Otto needs sparkles if he's going to stay. I'm not personally a fan of the white padding, but if I had to pick one it would be Frankenbridle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really ought to put that picture in here--I had to do extensive trials with my browbands to determine which ones I liked best with each bridle, haha.

      I like your style, though. I haven't tried sparkles on Otto yet... good thing I have a sweet snap-on browband with interchangeable sparkles to bust out.

      Delete
    2. I'm open to white padding, but thinks it looks better on some than others. Just my personal $.02.

      I love that photo <3

      And I think you should consider changing the name of the blog to Sparkle Bandit :D

      Delete
  5. Every time I see your racing nose band with the game day brow band it makes me smile. I don't care what else you keep but that one needs to stay.

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  6. Just having one bridle is no way to live ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Says the woman the blog world had to save from herself.

      Delete
  7. Will you go bridle shopping for me? I have a specific list of wants and am too lazy to bargain hunt for it, LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you promise to want something interesting and actually pull the trigger when I find it?

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    2. is this a service you offer? if so i am in.

      Delete
    3. I have utilized Aimee as my personal shopper many times. She's basically a genie.

      Delete
    4. The above. Genie powers only apply if you want something interesting and actually buy things. I get bored of shopping for no reason.

      Delete
  8. I love the topline and redbarn on him. Also - that custom Uisce is gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's basically no wrong answer but I'm going to get some SERIOUS side eye from hubs if I just buy another multi-hook bridle bag to store them all in.

      Particularly when I have another bridle show up at the house next week.

      Wait what? No one said that.

      Delete
  9. *kicks toe in dirt looking down sheepishly at rising dust* Uh. So. I, uh, I only have 4 (total) bridles for my 3 horses. I'm zero help. I'm outsourcing my need for a bridle for jumping and dressage for Griffin though... Also in the market for a jumping saddle. So, if you want to be the executive director of that outsourced team... lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't understand you at all. Do you also shrink heads or something? :-p

      Delete
  10. Oh wow I like all of them. Having major bridle envy! For the record I have three horses and you have way more bridles than me haha :D I agree with ESS, that one needs to stay for sure.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah people with multiple horses usually have enough bills they can't fritter away this kind of money on extraneous tack. Unless they can. In which case I want to be them.

      Delete
    2. I have an alarming bridle collection considering the amount of horses I have, but I also tend to hoard over time, so that's how I've ended up with so many.... haha.

      Delete
  11. I own two bridles and other misc tack and I don't even have a horse...or ride...currently...*shifty eyes*

    Keep everything sparkly! Ditch the stuff you don't use as often. That's my vote.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You never know when there might be a loose horse running down the road that needs to be bridled.

      Stranger things have happened.

      Delete
    2. Exactly! And I don't know what kind of horse it will be, so I need different kinds of bridles.

      Delete
  12. Obviously the one I like the best is the one you don't own and tried on him last winter. Whoops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a blogless internet stranger, I dunno how much my opinions counts for, but I was going to say the exact same thing. I love the one from last winter. Not a huge fan of either of the two current patents or the non-patent white. The raised part is too narrow for my taste. I like wider, flatter raised stuff like the one from last winter and the Red Barn and the Uisce.

      tldr: Buy the one from last winter.

      Delete
    2. Don't encourage it! It backs away from the Premiera bridle. It does what it's told.

      Delete
    3. FARMER ALYSSA IS HERE RUN CHICKEN LINDSEY.

      Delete
  13. I love your bridle obsession. And I want something from Uisce saddlery now.

    I think my fav of yours is the otto.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I meannnnnnnn, I feel like 10 bridles for one horse might be too many, but...you do you. I only have three bridles for Roger, and sometimes I feel like that's a lot haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try to cap it at 6 per horse. Seems reasonable. I don't own all of these, though I guess if I was counting bridles I don't own, there's another 1-2 laying around I could have included. Oh my.

      Delete
  15. I only kept one IN the barn, and 6 in my trailer and like 8 more at home...haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only you see the bowels of your trailer!

      Hm I clearly need a trailer.

      Delete
  16. I own four bridles. Two I really should sell. One never, ever gets used, but it was my "yay you finally fulfilled your dream and have your own horse now" present from a friend. So obviously I can't give it up ever because emotions. The other one was accidentally too big for her, but I have been too lazy to get rid of it. Then I have the dressage one that I always use, and the western one that my kids always use. Now that I'm looking at this post, I think I should probably get another dressage bridle so I don't have to keep switching out my unicorn horn every time I want to use it (or not). I think this might make you a bad influence?

    My husband doesn't mind the bridles so much as the fact that I own four saddles for one horse, though. (My dressage and my western saddles live at the barn; at home are my first saddle that I've been trying very half-heartedly to get rid of, and a little kid western saddle that I still haven't brought out to see if it fits my horse but I really should so that my husband stops complaining about saddles taking up valuable house space.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you definitely need distinct bridles so you don't have to switch parts out. That is a pain.

      But at least I'm remarkably economical about saddles?

      Delete
  17. I love my Schockemoehle bridle. It does have a crank but I just don't adjust it very tight. It fit all of my affordable ish tack snob needs. I even like the reins it came with.

    I am at like 6 bridles right now. My beloved Lund Flash is my go to and then I have the one dressage bridle mentioned above. Then I have 2 figure 8s from smartpak that I don't actually hate but probably don't need. I need to sell the Houston sized one and I'll probably keep the Annie sized one because I can never find a figure 8 with no fluff. Then I have my CWD Hunter bridle and I have a no name snaffle bridle that I have sold like 3 times and keep getting it back. So it stays. Only 2 are in the barn at any given time. The rest occupy my trailer. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a weird Schockemoehle fangirl. Never owned any of the tack, but I respect what the man has done.

      But two at the barn seems reasonable, I think Even if they're both dirty, it's not too much work to clean.

      Delete
  18. So should I tell you that I just have one bridle per horse? Just one. However, my saddle pad collection....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm developing a strange linen hoard as well. For research.

      Delete
  19. I started with one - my PS of Sweden - and somehow now own 3...and need more. Especially an Uisce one, that thing is incredible!

    (p.s. if you decide to ditch the Nunn Finer figure 8, I definitely need a figure 8. :P)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I just bought my first custom browband... did I go simple and classic? Noooo... I went full on princess tiara... sigh... but it's going to be soooooo pretty on my little arabian mare...

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm not sure you and I will ever understand each other... I have 3 bridles, only one I use on any sort of a consistent basis. The other is a western bridle that comes out for funnies, and the last is a really horrid, cheap, $50 brand new bridle that is my backup/lunging bridle. So... sell what you don't use frequently!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See, I admire your economy but do not attempt to emulate it.

      Delete
  22. I have 6+ bridles but only use 2 regularly on my horse. The others I use on other horses or as "backup". Courage looks great in all of them, but my special fave is the racing cavesson

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  23. Jesus lady, you own ore bridles for one dressage horse than I do for two eventing/jumper horses lol

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  24. I love retro Otto. Please keep him.

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