Dream Horse Studios Contest!! (plus review)

Dream Horse Studios Carnivale Boot Review

Rocking the C-rage style

As most of you probably noticed, I'm a total tack whore who loves trying new things. I have a wide variety of boots to suit my very different and very picky horses.

I was thrilled when Lauren, the super-nice owner of Dream Horse Studios, reached out to me to see if Courage and I would be interested in doing a review of her Carnivale open front boots. They're standard jump boots with a twist--lovely blue patent leather with a soft black calfskin lining and stud closures on black elastic.

Yes I did just say blue patent leather.

Design and Construction

Still in the plastic!

I tried not to squeal when the box showed up at my house and promptly set up an epic photo shoot to test the boots out. They were neatly wrapped up and smelled amazing right out of the box. I did everything but put them on and prance around the house.

The white stitching is tight and even. The calfskin lining is soft and smooth--no funny edges or uneven patches touching my horse. There are easy to clean--just a simple wipe down. The stud closure looked sturdy enough to handle the demands of every day riding.

Stud closures aren't the most flexible option--there are 2-3 options for how tight to make them. That said, the Equifit T-boots utilize the studs and are massively popular. I've neer had stud closures before, I wanted to know how they would work for a variety of horses with different legs.

Patent Leather Boots in Action

Photoshoot time!!

The gang

We were working with a full set of horse sized boots--open fronts and hinds.

In addition to Courage (16.1 OTTB, medium bone and cannons), we had Diva (17.0 OTTB, big bone, long cannons), and Vegas (15.1 paint, medium bone and short cannons).

Yeah Vegas!

First they went on Ms. Vegas, the completely adorable and awesome paint mare owned by Alyssa at Four Mares, No Money. Vegas is super competitive in the local open shows and has won some serious swag.

She is definitely a candidate for the cob sized boots. The front boots went on her just fine, but her 15.1 self was just too petite for the full size hind boots. That said, she was demonstrating some of her english pleasure/pattern moves and did a couple of jumps in the boots. They didn't move at all and she was perfectly happy.

Diva looking fancy

Next up with the supermodel--all 17 leggy hands of her.

Diva is all legs and built lean, but she has lots of bone. Both front and back boots fit her comfortably. The boots seem to be cut just right--they weren't too tall for Vegas, but they were still perfectly respectable on Diva.

It did take me a couple of tries to get them on right. For reference, the top strap on the front boots goes straight across. The bottom two straps cross. It's perfectly intuitive and fairly obvious when you look at the construction, but somehow I kept messing it up.










AND THEN COURAGE!!!!

Might as well put three rides on the boots for their first day. I put the full set on Courage. He has had mental issues with back boots in the past, but he seemed ok with these.

We had an excellent ride, walk/trot/canter and a few jumps. Courage wasn't bothered by the boots at all and when I got off, they hadn't moved around or caused him any problems.

Plus, they looked totally cute.

At $90 for a full set, they are an excellent value. Even a set of cheap synthetic boots will run you close to that, so I say you might as well have some fun and order a cool color in patent leather. Blue isn't the only available color--there is quite a range available on the website.

CONTEST!!!!

The Calypso boots. Pretty sure I need them too.

Remember how I said Lauren is super nice? Not only did she send me a set of boots to review, but she's also giving another set away to a lucky reader!! Here's the deal: go to the Dream Horse Studios website and look around. Come back and comment on this post with your favorite product. Your comment enters you in the random drawing for a winner. For an additional entry, share the contest on your facebook or blog and let me know you did it.



Entries close on Monday, November 4th (2013) at midnight, so you have a full seven days to enter and spread the word!

Product Review: Eskadron Climatex Wraps

Today I'm reviewing the Eskadron Climatex Training Bandages. They're available at multiple retailers online, but here's a link to one of my favorites: smartpak. They run about $70 new for a pair, which means that if you buy them at smartpak, you just have to spend $5 more, and then they ship free. Winning!

Even more winning, I picked up mine at a sale, so I paid $35/pair. That's good, because $140 for 4 polo wraps is roughly 10x what I believe in paying for polo wraps.

Down to the nitty gritty. Here's the official company image to advertise the wraps. I initially saw them in an issue of Practical Horseman, then looked them up because I thought they looked sharp.

They purport to be moisture- and heat-wicking, which makes them ideal wraps for me in the summer time, where even in the am temps are in the 80s and 90s F. I usually have to dispense with boots and wraps completely in the summer time because I think the risk of injury from heat build up is greater than the risk of injury from the occasional interference.

I'll admit, even with the expensive wraps, I was leery. I mean, hello, there are three yards of fabric wrapped around my horse's legs. Isn't that going to make them hot?

Here's Izzy after our ride Saturday, which was a pretty intense dressage work out in 90 degree weather*. Note the area under the saddle is completely drenched with sweat.

Her legs were dry.

For serious. I should have taken a picture.

Ok, so we've established that in my tiny experiment, the wraps worked as advertised. What about their construction?

Well, they're your standard 9' polo length. The first 4.5' is the climatex lining. It feels kind of like a dish towel, but it's a series of tiny compartments that seem to allow airflow between them. This is also the section that provides the padding, which is about the same as standard polos.

The second section is just your standard elastic bandage/wrap. You do have to wrap it more tightly then a normal polo or it will slip down and hang around your horse's ankles, making you look like a dingus in a dressage clinic. (Ask me how I know. Or don't.) The elastic serves to keep the padding in place, plus it's a pretty color.

I have heard that these wraps do not wash terribly well, especially after the first few times. I haven't tested that yet because 1) I only put them on my meticulously clean horse and 2) They dry really fast, so you if you dry them, brush off the dirt, and re roll them, you should be mostly set.

So there you go. I love them, but if I were to get another set, I think I'd go the Centaur Climate Control Wrap route. They look essentially the same and are a fraction of the price, even with the fabulous deal I got.

*I should qualify: it's hot here, but it's a dry heat. I can't begin to comprehend what humidity of a serious nature would do to my results.

Since I Got a New Saddle...

Obviously, I need a new bridle. And of course, since I got the super fancy saddle (ok, just super expensive, but my pocketbook doesn't know the difference), I want a really nice bridle. The last two times I bought a bridle, it was just whatever was cheapest. I picked a price, then bought a bridle for that. Hence, my first bridle cost $40 (which is a lot when you're 12) and my second cost $60 (still not a small sum for a 16 year old).

No, this time around, I want something classy. I've spent the last several days researching bridles, bridle quality, bridle measurements, bridle brands, and as such, I haven't really posted here. My apologies. I think I've settled on a bridle, long at last.

I want the "Nunn Finer Event Bridle".
It's good quality leather with buckle closures and (get this) NO FLASH. It is incredibly difficult to buy a new bridle without a flash for some reason. I get that they're the fad, but isn't there anyone else out there who doesn't need their horse's mouth tied shut to ride? Seriously. It's called equitation, people. If you don't keep banging the pony in the mouth, he won't keep opening his mouth. Duh.

Also, I love the brass fittings. They're so pretty... I like pretty things, not that you'd know from how I dress. ;-)

Of course, I didn't simply want the browband that is shown with the bridle. That would be way too easy. I am in general a solid traditionalist who dislikes all things blingy (it's not pretty; it's tacky). However, I'm currently in love with this:

Yes, the Nunn Finer clincher browband in havana with brass. So very pretty.

Unfortunately, the bridle is $210 (cheapest I can find) and the browband is $55. The bridle comes with rubber reins, but I hate rubber reins. That probably means that I'll spend another $50 or so buying matching, non-rubber reins. Total so far: ~$315 for a bridle that I don't really -need-, but do want.

That's hard to justify in my ever-so-practical mind. It would be easier if the old bridle broke and I was buying a quality replacement. Fortunately, I found out about a little (?) place called "Bartville Harness Shop" which is somewhere in Pennsylvania. It's run by an Amish family that actually makes the bridles that Nunn Finer goes on and sells. According to what I've heard, they're 30-50% cheaper than Nunn Finer for the same thing without the label. I've never been label conscious and I'd never heard of Nunn Finer before a few days ago anyways, so I've called for a catalog. Here's hoping the rumors are true and I'll be able to get the dream bridle for a much more dreamy price.

In the mean time, I'm saving my pennies.