Going through the horse gear

 And found that I simply need a proper tack room. For the time being, everything is stored in my art Studio. And the day will come when I have a proper horse barn again, but in the meantime I've been going through my things, updating things, and reorganization is the name of the game.

Which brought me to this little gem- the horse braiding kit I've had for years.

The pink hair tools I'm holding are new, $3. off Amazon cuz I think the Topsy tails will work better than a rug hook for braids! And this bucket of rubber bands for kids crafts was a great score last winter after Xmas,  I think it was $6. And I even found a package of Gray bands from the same maker. So, that said, they're much much cheaper than the same bands marketed for horses, and they work just as good. 

Here you can also see the little belt pouch with the braiding tools in it, the folding thinning blade, and the little Altoid tin with bands and a cutter (which is typically what I keep in my overalls pocket). Also shown is the zip lock baggies with precut yarn inside, and actual horse bands inside the bucket. 

The gray bands I snapped up for Dusty... 

Now if I could just keep him and Sierra from chewing each other's manes 🙄. 

When I was teaching myself english braiding I used the traditional yarn, which is why it's here. But I've since learned that waxed thread works better, so I plan to get some of that in the correct colors. 

I also learned that hair wax sticks are even better than Quik Braid spray which i have used, so I plan to make some of that wax, rather than buying any. 

(I already make balms and salves so this is familiar territory)  Plus, I would make it with soothing ingredients so the horse is less likely to rub and itch the braid itself- which would keep things tidy longer and protect the hair. 

I'm a big fan of DIY products for hair and skin care, and feel that the chemicals in most products can't be good for people or animals so I just do my own thing. But that's probably a post for another day...

Actually it's probably a great way to keep track of horse care recipes that I like, to put them here.... Stay tuned....

Tack haul, English style

 New tack is always a glorious feeling....

That said, I've wanted to get some new english gear for awhile now, and was watching for certain ones to go on sale. And nothing too exciting like a Passier or CWD lol, I'm not spending that kind of $ at this stage of the game 😅. 

(Disclaimer: no gear or equipment have been sent or given to me by makers or companies, I bought them and all the rest of my stuff with my own money) And that said, since I don't have a money tree in my backyard,  I love a bargain.  

First up is the Gatsby Plain Raised bridle, in Havana color and Horse or Full size. I got this off State Line Tack for the wonderful price of $26. I have 1 other Gatsby bridle and really liked it, so I've been watching cuz they do go on sale for cheap sometimes. 

Here it is,  all ready to go, though I did leave the tags on it till I could get around to doing this post. I also ordered matching bit keepers for a slow twist full cheek bit I already had.

Though it was already soft and oiled, I did put some conditioner on this bridle (Passier Lederbasalm) and it's gotten even more mellow. It should be easy to break in now.

Next up is this DaVinci black Dressage bridle with flash, in Horse size. I paid $28 for this one, and a set of DaVinci black grippy web 

reins for $20. I had never heard of this brand but thought I'd try my luck. 

Here it is, after being oiled and conditioned.

First impressions were mixed. It had that plastic feel and pungent cheap tack smell that any horse person has definitely run into. It also runs large!  But the construction was surprisingly very nice, the padding and stitches were nice and tidy. I especially liked that it was all black. And it did not feel like cardboard as had been my experience with cheap  tack made in India before.  (And since the Gatsby gear tags also said "Made in India, and were fine, I had hopes that I could make it usable). The leather was very flexible and easy to adjust the straps. 

I debated on whether to send it back or just forge ahead. 

And ultimately I figured I'd chance it with this one rather than risk my good dressage bridles for training purposes.  So out came the Hydrophane and the Passier Lederbasalm. And that seems to have taken away the funky smell and softened up the leather quite a bit, so I put a plain snaffle in and it just needs it's reins treated the same. We'll see how it holds up. 

Another thing that I wasn't expecting was the bit straps have buckles instead of the hook rigging, so that was a first. None of my other english bridles have this, so I wonder if it's a style now, or I just ain't paid much attention and dressage bridles are typically like this. I dunno- my Corbette andmy Weaver ones arent like this. But I prefer the hooks to buckles at any rate. 

But then there's a million different styles in english gear now so who knows. I've been seeing all sorts of different stuff lately. 

Then I learned that my mustang Tango probably needs a cob size, or maybe a Frankenstein type bride. And I have a couple of old Collegiate QH sized bridles (they fit Twista best cuz she had a baby doll head) but with the sale going on I just got a couple of these Gatsbys for her. 

These are 2 of the same- Gatsby Square Raised bridles. Havana, Cob size. And they were $24 apiece, reins included.  For that price it's a steal! And Square Raised is my favorite style of english bridle, so here we go. I wanted one for a full cheek bit and one for a snaffle of some sort, and they should serve well. 

New in the bags

Both are identical. And both are currently drying after Hydrophane and conditioner, so tomorrow I will put them back together with some bits on. I really do like how soft the leather is, and it's a bit thicker too which suits me fine cuz my horse Tango is new to everything, so thicker leathers is great. 

Now if I could just find a Gatsby dressage bridle that would be awesome- but haven't seen any yet. 

Lastly, I've been playing with bling. A freind had given me 2 old english bridles that were dry and crispy- I was able to salvage a few of the pieces, but mostly the bridles were not usable. But I did a makeover on one of the browbands, and it's Cob size. It turned out rather beautiful I think

Modeled by the cutie Grogu who lives in my Studio. I can't wait to put it on a horse. It's Havana color so will go with my other ones that just came. I'll be making some more browbands soon as well, and that will be fun.

At some point it'd be a good goal to make a post of all the DIY gear I've actually made, there's actually quite a bit of it now....

 

A Fresh Start

 The start of resurrecting a part of my life that has long been subdued....

 Yes, the Tack Abyss....

Through the past few years it's swelled and grown, mostly due to the fact that I buy fantasies it seems. At least, that's how it's felt these past few years, because daily chores and buying bargains seemed as far as my horse adventures went.

But that's not entirely true either, as I did teach myself leather working a few years ago, with the goal of making my own gear- but more on that later. 

   But aside from an annual tack cleaning, everything has pretty much been in storage and not much has been worn by an actual horse on a regular basis. This has been due to several factors outside of my control, and several within that have just fallen to the wayside. 

1. Family needs- though that is slowly getting better, our family suffered a loss a few years ago and all the changes/challenges that came with that are still being navigated. However, my own children are grown and as there is no longer a dependent adult in my life, some changes and boundaries are necessary, as I have my own life to live and no longer put on hold. This has been met with some resistance but luckily my spouse and children are supportive. 

2. My horses have had changes too, at the very least so much time off that it's starting at the bottom again.  I lost Twista a month ago, and it's still painful. Tango had foundered on grass a couple years ago, so there's that. Cim will be 30 next spring, but he's the same as ever. Still, he is retired. Dusty is himself but occasionally I notice his scar tissue seems to give him a hitch in his walk, he too I haven't ridden even if I had time. And Sierra was never finished breaking cuz all the mayhem seemed to happen just as she was coming of age for it. And then the same thing happened with Tango, but she is hopefully still young enough to still finish. At least that is my plan/hopes. 

Phoenix is my only rider left, and she would still need a refresher cuz it has been years. But more on her later. 

3. The farming has changed for us. We've gone bigger into other venues and cut back on some things. This leaves us with more animal chores but not the stress of crop farming,  so it's an even trade off but more work nonetheless. And my role thereof is alot more hands-on and my time is tied closely to seasonal needs of the flocks. 

4. Then there is me myself! I'll be the first to admit I'm not in shape for riding, and with a bad ankle and a bad knee I know things aren't going to magically be perfect- this is going to take some work to get back to myself "being sound" for riding.  

Hence this blog as a way to record my journey back to who I was. And I'm sure there's zillions of people that are going through the same process, so maybe it's encouraging just to learn "Hey, I'm not the only one!" even if it might seem like it sometimes.