Are you sad,mad or proper to want matchy matchy horsey gear?

[claracanter]

This is a lighthearted post. It's not really a big deal BUT my boy has basically blue travel gear although I have never been happy that his boots fitted properly. I bought them secondhand and I think they were not labelled correctly. Anyway long story short, today I bought some secondhand Mark Todd travel boots which do fit him brilliantly but it bothers me that his rug/tail guard/ headcollar dont match them. Should I indulge him/myself and get everything matching again or should I just get over it? What would you do? Do you have photos of your boys/girls ready to travel?

 

[TandD]

both my horses have matching travel sets (rug and boots) and a fleece to match....i think it looks smart :/ - ones navy and silver and the other grey and turquise
i always travel in leather headcollars - heard to may stories where it hasnt broken!

dont care about other rugs or tack......just lorry wear!

 

[Farma]

I think if you like it then go for it, your horse wont care and if it makes you smile then its worth doing

 

[orionstar]

Just quietly laughing at myself. I buy things that I need to do a job, however most of my stuff like tendon boots, saddle cloth etc are the same colour, sadly premier equine didnt do event boots in that colour, but I'll get over it...

eventually

The way I see it is, you feel more confident and better about yourself if you and horsey look good, so you're more likely to do a better job of things when you're out there, and if it all goes t*** up then at least you were matching

 

[Lolo]

If you like to be matching and can afford to be, go for it. Seriously, no ones business but yours

You can flog the old stuff on eBay too.

cba with matchy here, but I think it looks lovely!

 

[FionaM12]

I think if you like it then go for it, your horse wont care and if it makes you smile then its worth doing

Exactly. I can't imagine why anyone would criticize anyone for what colours they dress their horse in!

 

[Enfys]

Oh someone please put up the photo from FB of the multi coloured bridle

Matching party gear is as it should be, other than that I think it's down to personal preference. I don't do it, but just because I don't doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. If it makes people happy, and hurts no-one then what's the harm. If I was selling the stuff I would be telling you all it was essential

 

[bumper]

I CBA with all the matchy-matchy stuff....but it does appeal to my slightly OCD tendencies! For showing, I do understand the concept, but for every day, nope. My boy is currently ridden in a Barnsby GP saddle and a western bridle, and I don't give a jot about how it looks. It's what we have that works just fine

 

[Shantara]

I neeeeeeed matchy matchy. If it doesn't match I feel wrong!
I bought some purple travel boots and was slightly relieved that they didn't fit properly. Hopefully selling them soon! He's now got some snazzy red ones!

 

[Trinity Fox]

I have no matchy matchy just pretty muted plain colours,too many horses to even consider it as I have seen it can be addictive.
I do not like some of the new colour schemes but others look lovely but to be honest it is entirely up to each person to wear whatever they wish.

So if you like it and horse looks good in it go for it, I am more of the scruffbag variety although do pull it out of the bag when needed.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I think it depends on your financies, you don't need matching stuff, you already have the travel gear you need, we are talking about what you want. The majority of our stuff matches because we always buy blue or grey. If you do this it doesn't cost you any more at all. This is for travel wear & show wear. As for turnout rugs & stable rugs, if I have a choice then I normally buy blue but if I don't I just get the best value & screw the colour.

 

[tallyho!]

I am the UNmatchy-matchy Queen.

I buy things with red labels on which say xx% OFF! The bigger the % the higher the likelihood I will buy.

This means that most of my stuff is excellent quality but terribly un-matched.

I do it to wind up matchy-matchy people, I love getting glares of disapproval at shows. The more I get, the happier I am. I think this makes me madder and sadder than all of you put together

 

[rara007]

My favourite colour (boring navy) doesn't change so most of my stuff is in that colour! Other than white schooling boots and things that only come in black. I'd have to go out of my way to make my stuff non matchy matchy by chiding things in brighter colours.

 

[Shantara]

I am the UNmatchy-matchy Queen.

I buy things with red labels on which say xx% OFF! The bigger the % the higher the likelihood I will buy.

This means that most of my stuff is excellent quality but terribly un-matched.

I do it to wind up matchy-matchy people, I love getting glares of disapproval at shows. The more I get, the happier I am. I think this makes me madder and sadder than all of you put together

*hisses and holds up fingers like a cross* DEVIL! Go back to unmatchy hell! Back I say, BACK!

 

[Crugeran Celt]

If you can afford them and they make you happy why not? Not into the matchy matchy idea myself but everyone to their own. A friend of mine does not only do matchy matchy on her horse but always wears boots, coat and hat to match as well and she will only have grey horses as she thinks they look best in her favourite pink matchy matchy. Really makes me laugh.

 

[Kitty B]

I am guilty of matchy matchy. We always had barn colors, and as long as something was one color or the other, I was pretty likely to buy it if I could afford it. My gelding had a green halter with a maroon/burgundy lead rope, and my mare had a maroon/burgundy halter and a green lead rope. If something I really like doesn't have the options I prefer, I just get black as it will match EVERYTHING else. Already as I put together a tentative list of what we will need to purchase before we even begin looking for our horse, I'm checking out color availability. Once matchy matchy, always matchy matchy I fear. I don't feel sad for it... just somewhat obsessed. Ask my husband, and he would vote mad as a hatter with it all, hands down.

ETA: My dog are victims of my need to color coordinate as well... nobody is safe in my house.

 

[mynutmeg]

My first consideration is technical / does it do the job, then if I can have it in purple well then it's got to be purple. Most of my rugs etc don't match but my show stuff does (apart from boots, need to find some purple travel boots ) - I even got a matching exercise sheet / fleece travel rug set from my sister for my Christmas / birthday this winter We even have a matching fly bonnet thing for the summer (she literally can't go outside her box without her ears covered in the summer as she gets big nasty bugs in them)

This is what she thinks of it all

 

[Luci07]

Most people match, as you buy stuff as you go along you tend to buy certain colours. My travel and competition gear is all blue, down to the lead rope. Boot colours were dependant on the horse although after many years of owning greys, my very dark bay looks like he is alwasy about to do a dressage test...virtually all my brushing boots are white!

 

[Spotsrock]

Fell in love with a saddle cloth at tack shop yesterday. Then discovered matchy rug and bandages. I have to have it all but problem is I have 2 horses so have to have it all twice. Needless to say I don't have any of it yet. :-(

 

[Megibo]

matchy matchy doesn't hurt the horse My mare is all baby pink, have realised she even now has a pink treat ball pink feed bowl and i bought her a baby pink fly veil recently Got to get a new photo of her in her pink get up

 

[Sprocket123]

I like matching travel gear etc for shows. At home not so much, rugs are not the same colour, waterbucket doesnt match the feedbowl!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I try and match stuff as much as I can but it doesn't really bother me travelwise if stuff doesn't match but my comp gear all matches a theme

I don't do the whole at home matchy matchy exercise stuff, its whatever fits and is suitable for purpose at home but at comps I make an effort

 

[KSR]

I am anally retentive!! I don't like mismatching tack, it really bothers me.. As do odd socks..

5 horses, all the same size, 2 others the same size, and 2 ponies the same size..

So different colours as far as I can, to keep their things easily identifiable..

My excuse and I'm sticking to it!!

 

[mynutmeg]

I like matching travel gear etc for shows. At home not so much, rugs are not the same colour, waterbucket doesnt match the feedbowl!

See we colour code the different horses - my mare has purple buckets, my sister's cob has blue and her tb has green. We started with this when doing 5 different horse's breakfast and dinner feeds in one go - all 5 were on completely different feeds so made it much easier if they had a different colour per horse.

 

[TheoryX1]

If you like it, then do it. Its harming no one. My daughter and myself dont personally go in for the big dressage diva matchy matchy thing, as would rather spend our cash on other things than mega bucks on Anky etc, plus we dont really move in the circles that do. However, I personally do like to see it all matching for travel and shows etc, and we have managed to match her sponsors colours up with rugs and travel boots, and a lovely black leather head collar.. I do even further confess to buying my daughter a matchy matchy set for xmas, on her instruction. However, we didnt like the saddle cloth so I sold it on ebay very recently, it was a lovely Lauria Garelli one and the matching bandages are still unused.

I do like matching tack though, as all my tack is black and good quality as well.

 

[micramadam]

I am the UNmatchy-matchy Queen.

I buy things with red labels on which say xx% OFF! The bigger the % the higher the likelihood I will buy.

This means that most of my stuff is excellent quality but terribly un-matched.

I do it to wind up matchy-matchy people, I love getting glares of disapproval at shows. The more I get, the happier I am. I think this makes me madder and sadder than all of you put together

Like a lot ^^^^^
So pleased I'm not the only one.

 

[TequilaMist]

The only thing I am matchy matchy with is bridle and saddle-have to be the same colour.

Other than that not bothered about matching!!
Friend are very matchy matchy think it irks them more than me tbh

 

[DragonSlayer]

I bought this lot with some birthday money a couple of years ago. Never been driven to buy matching stuff, but when I found I had the cash to do so, thought 'Meh!'

Excuse poor quality piccie, it's off me phone!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am not adding because I started a post like this recently so my pictures are here

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=601232





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[hihosilver]

I stick to one colour...purple but every now and again the little girl in me comes back and I cant resist a pretty rug with matching boots!