DefinitelyDressage.com

Nope, I didn’t buy a horse. I went to the local tack shop to replace my Ariat paddocks. Got the paddocks, and a new helmet since it is Helmet Awareness time. 20% off a 1K (or K1?). My International is about 5 years old, never hit the ground. But this is a pretty navy blue suede so it will be my winter helmet. I also bought a Lettia Cool Max pad and a small container of Stud Muffins for Miss A. I forgot how much fun one can have in a tack store. At one point I looked in the mirror and realized I was wearing shorts, a sleeveless top, black socks, paddock boots with the tags on the outside, and the helmet. Nice look, Mrs. Lubner!

I love my OneK helmets! But... I ordered a TraumaVoid today with the the 20%. Hoping it's comfy as the OneK helmets.

In a tack shop on a Saturday, you were probably the best dressed person there

I love my navy OneK. Very comfortable, doesn't make me look like a total dork, and I love the washable liner. I probably need to stop saving it for "best."

I bought the black IRH knockoff of it earlier in the summer, which is pretty nice. Particularly after I put a OneK replacement liner in it which was thinner and more comfortable than the one it came with.

I shall be interested to hear your reviews on the Traumavoid, SF.

It must be the time of year??

I've been on a bit of a spree too albeit on-line. For the size of Boise, there is no longer any English tack shops around . There is one in Middleton but that is about a 30 mile drive (and the opposite direction from the barn) that I haven't had time for.

I bought some new reins. I have been using an old pair that Straightforward put on Ms. K's bridle when she was working her last year. The keeper at the buckle was broke and apparently, SF lost both reins when they came unbuckled the other day! Electrical tape remedied that but time for an upgrade. My old wearing out reins are the Thin-line reins and although I liked them most of the year, in the winter they were stiff and slick. So, I invested in a pair of KL Select calf skin reins. They have the stops which I am not crazy about but have rubber on the bottom side and the soft calf skin on the top. I also got a new LeMeiuex (sp?) saddle cover. Mine was polar fleece and all the elastic had given out and I'm not the crafty type to re-do it. The new one is peachy. Dressage Extensions had free shipping...can't turn that down .

Then, on Friday, being my birthday, I bought a leather Hybrid halter to have for "good" complete with a name plate for Ms. K. I have had the nylon one for a couple years and I love that halter for ground work. So, I decided to add the leather one for any Sunday-go-to-meeting outing we might have. They had some nice lightweight in-hand whips they call liberty sticks. Apparently they made a goof on their order so they were selling a pair for $25 instead of $25 each. It looks like I will be grounded until mid October (if I follow Dr's orders ) so I thought those would be good to play with her liberty work. They are lighter than a whip or carrot stick and I thought they would be fun to play with and see what else I could get out of her at liberty.

Shopping is fun .

Susan

I have been holding back from horsey shopping ( well at least this month) I am going to WEG and I'm sure there will be many styles/brands that my local shop and some of the internet shops don't readily have - so I can go on spree there!

You will have great shopping at WEG. Not many deals, but lots to choose from.

I just bought a new Red Barn/KL bridle and it is awful. I need to send it back. I should have listened to the more recent reviews about the leather quality (I have some older Red Barn items that are really nice).

Taht's a shame, Piedmont. Their stuff used to be OK. I have a nice pair of reins from them. But they are probably 10 years old now.

I think it's nowadays a case of taking great care of the leather goods you have, as they are irreplaceable at any price at the same kind of quality that used to be the norm. (What an olde farte thing to say )

I still like the quality of Stubben leather. Last year I bought a bridle off Ebay - the seller was (I think) British Bridles and its a nice leather and wasn't super expensive. When I had the bridle checked by a fitter she commented on the quality. I have some very old Stubbens that have held up really well and if they fit the princess I'd still be using them.

Moutaineer wrote:
I shall be interested to hear your reviews on the Traumavoid, SF.

I am going to send the Traumavoid back. The size I ordered is correct, but it sits up above my ears and kind of looks perched on top of my head, yet I can feel the liner touching the top of my skull. I tried it on right next to my OneK Defender, and the OneK definitely comes down farther around my head. I'd be afraid the TraumaVoid would pop off in a wreck if the harness was even a little loose. The overall fit wasn't too different than the OneK in terms of oval/roundness. Hopefully this technology will expand into more helmet design choices in the future.

I tried a TraumaVoid in a local Dover store and could not get over the feeling that there's just a bit of movement of the shell that doesn't match the liner. Because I am a certifiable crazy person and cannot stand excess movement, that was enough for me to pass on it and go with my old standby instead.

I've been buying a bit too much tack for Queso. Does he need 4 new colors of wraps and saddle pads? Who am I to deny him?

Ponichiwa - Go ahead and spoil Queso and yourself! It's all a part of buying a new horse . I don't even want to think about all the new stuff I bought when I got my mare and continue to buy..YIKES.....it's fun.....

.

Ponichiwa wrote:I've been buying a bit too much tack for Queso. Does he need 4 new colors of wraps and saddle pads? Who am I to deny him?

Yep, all part of the fun, and he was a budget buy too, right, so why not?

The SmartPak boxes have been piling up here since Tesla arrived. She now has her Hybrid halter, embroidered fly mask, fly sheet, rain sheet, medium blanket and Happy Mouth bit, as well as her own grooming kit. I'm sure I'll have a couple bling browbands selected for her by the time she's ready to start US.

piedmontfields wrote:I just bought a new Red Barn/KL bridle and it is awful. I need to send it back. I should have listened to the more recent reviews about the leather quality (I have some older Red Barn items that are really nice).

That's what I bought for my new mare. What India-made junk. I bought mine from SmartPak and it had a good review. I went so far as to send a note to KL customer support, but never heard back from them. They probably didn't even read it.

Did you notice the keepers and how tight they were? It was really hard to put the bridle together. (Mine came unassembled).

Yeah, it was just terrible. I just sent it back and got a refund. Maybe I'll try another Kieffer. They are pretty reasonable for the quality (or at least they were!). Like Mountaineer, I had Red Barn reins and a halter which were really nice. I hoped for better.

What about Albion bridle? The leather is still decent

Thanks for the Albion suggestion. I see that it is easy to get a plain noseband, too

piedmontfields wrote:Thanks for the Albion suggestion. I see that it is easy to get a plain noseband, too

The prices are pretty good on Albion strap goods if you order from the UK.

I can't yet say how it will wear, but the leather on my PS Sweden bridle has a nice look and feel. Hoping it will hold up well with use.

StraightForward wrote:

piedmontfields wrote:Thanks for the Albion suggestion. I see that it is easy to get a plain noseband, too

The prices are pretty good on Albion strap goods if you order from the UK.

this is a good US company to order from

https://www.dutchessbridlesaddle.com/

I wanted no flash. so this was perfect for me.

Nice prices, but BROWN!

piedmontfields wrote:Nice prices, but BROWN!

they have a bit of everything, mine was black. keep checking:)