Do you prefer black or brown tack?

[Miss_Millie]

And do you match your riding boots and hat accordingly?

Bit of a fun thread, feel free to share a photo of your preference, or if no photo then what colour horse you put black or brown tack on

I know it isn't very fashionable but I quite like tan coloured tack!

 

[milliepops]

I used to have brown for jumping and black for flatwork ?

Mostly all black now tho I still have one brown bride and an old brown GP saddle kicking around that I started my 3yo in.

If its all the same colour I find it easy to mix and match which is handy ?

My long boots and hats are navy to match my show jackets. Horses have all been shades of chestnut or bay.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am not keen on black leather on me or the pony. Pony is black, we have brown tack, I have brown boots and chaps. I also love tan tack and it looks fab on a black horse..
my hat silks are brightly coloured although I have a navy one somewher.

 

[Miss_Millie]

I am not keen on black leather on me or the pony. Pony is black, we have brown tack, I have brown boots and chaps. I also love tan tack and it looks fab on a black horse..
my hat silks are brightly coloured although I have a navy one somewher.

I love brown tack on a black horse, I highly approve!

 

[exracehorse]

Prefer brown. But I ride mine in Albion SLK dressage saddles. And never see brown second hand ones.

 

[Miss_Millie]

I used to have brown for jumping and black for flatwork ?

Mostly all black now tho I still have one brown bride and an old brown GP saddle kicking around that I started my 3yo in.

If its all the same colour I find it easy to mix and match which is handy ?

My long boots and hats are navy to match my show jackets. Horses have all been shades of chestnut or bay.

Oooh I didn't know you could get navy boots! I saw someone with gold show boots once so it shouldn't be a surprise really

 

[milliepops]

There's a few brands that make them. Mine are celeris.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Brown tack, brown boots, coloured hat covers at home, black for showing.

 

[palo1]

Traditionally only brown tack was 'correct' purely because in the UK, English leather was almost always presented in brown; black or other colours were suspect due to not being produced here (where some of the finest saddlery is made). 'Cheap' and/or tack made elsewhere was considered poorer quality and also less safe. Sometimes leather was coloured to mask it's poor quality too. Thankfully that isn't the case now and you can get lovely English leather tack in a variety of colours and styles. It's worth remembering though that quality isn't cheap. I love tan tack but have never bought any - always, always opting for brown - then you can mix and match more easily. Black is much more 'dressage' these days whilst tan is more 'show jumper' or at a stretch 'eventer'. Showing is probably the most conservative of all disciplines so almost entirely on the brown side!! Black tack can look fabulous as can tan but I am not so sure about the brighter colours...

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Dark brown tack on brown Fuzzy.
Brown long bromonts for winter going out to RC stuff and hacking (unless its blooming cold hacking and the Grasmeres stay on!).
Black long boots with navy hat cover for going out comps any time, dk brown gloves.

Coloured hat cover for everyday hacking, usually orange hi viz.

I do possess 1 x black bridle which came with a Fuzzy a good few yrs ago, its designated as 'wet or grotty weather' bridle despite being v good quality.

 

[Miss_Millie]

Traditionally only brown tack was 'correct' purely because in the UK, English leather was almost always presented in brown; black or other colours were suspect due to not being produced here (where some of the finest saddlery is made). 'Cheap' and/or tack made elsewhere was considered poorer quality and also less safe. Sometimes leather was coloured to mask it's poor quality too. Thankfully that isn't the case now and you can get lovely English leather tack in a variety of colours and styles. It's worth remembering though that quality isn't cheap. I love tan tack but have never bought any - always, always opting for brown - then you can mix and match more easily. Black is much more 'dressage' these days whilst tan is more 'show jumper' or at a stretch 'eventer'. Showing is probably the most conservative of all disciplines so almost entirely on the brown side!! Black tack can look fabulous as can tan but I am not so sure about the brighter colours...

Interesting! I don't compete so have never thought of it in those terms I sometimes see photos of Arab horses in more colourful leather bridles like blue or red, I wonder if that is a cultural thing too. I just prefer the look of brown overall, on any colour of horse.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Interesting! I don't compete so have never thought of it in those terms I sometimes see photos of Arab horses in more colourful leather bridles like blue or red, I wonder if that is a cultural thing too. I just prefer the look of brown overall, on any colour of horse.

They are probably endurance bridles they tend to come in every colour.

I have Arab's and I have all brown tack not keen on black although I do like dressage saddles and you don't see loads of brown ones, I have brown and black long boots for riding and I have a black everyday riding hat and Navy velvet for showing.

Some of the arab in hand bridles are bright coloured they are authentic Egyptian ones with tassels and beads not sure if they are what you saw.

 

[Miss_Millie]

They are probably endurance bridles they tend to come in every colour.

I have Arab's and I have all brown tack not keen on black although I do like dressage saddles and you don't see loads of brown ones, I have brown and black long boots for riding and I have a black everyday riding hat and Navy velvet for showing.

Some of the arab in hand bridles are bright coloured they are authentic Egyptian ones with tassels and beads not sure if they are what you saw.

I just googled it and I was thinking of endurance bridles, you're right there are so many colours!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

My oldie a darkish bay has all black tack but my chestnut has all brown. Overall I prefer brown and most of my own gear such as boots of recent years is brown. If I ever decide to buy a dressage saddle I think it would be hard to get the right fit if I limited it to brown as they’re not as common as black.

 

[I'm Dun]

Prefer brown. But I ride mine in Albion SLK dressage saddles. And never see brown second hand ones.

I've got one! For sale if anyone wants a 17.5" MW before I get round to posting it to the saddle bank

 

[twobearsarthur]

I love black tack. But as showing is my main discipline I’m brainwashed to only have or accept Havana brown tack well conditioned as correct, even if the horse would suit black tack better. My youngster will eventually be dapple grey and black tack would look so much better but it’s tough Havana brown it’ll have to be!!

 

[saddlesore]

Personal preference is black as it’s easier to mix and match ?

 

[Mule]

I like old brown leather with a patina.

 

[Pippity]

Brown tack on a black-ish cob. (Black/dark bay with heavy rabicano flecking.) Short boots/chaps and yard boots are brown; posh boots are black. Everyday hat is a jockey skull with hat silk to match my saddlecloth and ears; posh hat is navy velvet.

Basically, I bought everything to be 'correct' for showing, on the grounds that I was planning to do a bit of low-level everything, and no other discipline is as picky.

 

[Kaylum]

Black but it has to be quality and fit properly. I cannot stand cheap bridles and the way some people do not understand how a bridle should be fitted. If the cheek pieces are too long they need fixing.

 

[cauda equina]

I just googled it and I was thinking of endurance bridles, you're right there are so many colours!

And then there's this sort of thing
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222154401319

 

[blitznbobs]

Black for dressage, brown for everything else (i hack out in my dressage saddle tho cos im more comfy/ secure in it.

 

[sbloom]

Historically light tan colours hid faults in the leather less easily, so the darker the colour the more suspect the quality (though black harness was usual). I like dark brown and some more tan colours, they age with a patina that black leather never has, and never looks harsh on any coat colour. Black horses and piebalds are usually browner than their black saddles, so a very dark brown is often better for making them look blacker.

 

[Fluffypiglet]

I have a grey with dark grey mane and tail so black looks smart and was what I started out with (and is easy to match). But he is also fleabitten so that matches brown quite nicely. I got him a new (second hand) saddle which is black with dark brown knee and thigh blocks and piping. I wasn't sure at first but now I love it! Then I got him a made to measure bridle (he has a silly small goat head) and did that in black with brown accents too! Best of both. It looks a lot nicer than it sounds ?

 

[sunnyone]

Black tack for the bay and the duns.
Black boots and hat for myself if trying to look smart.When not looking smart I'll use as much fluorescent as I can find and then wear my navy blue rubber jodhpur boots as these are mud proof.

 

[Skib]

I am totally unobservant. I share a black horse. When I came to replace her reins, I had no idea whether her bridle was black or brown. In fact her bridle is black but the old rubber reins were brown. Such is life for a RS hack.

 

[MuddyMonster]

It's not just RS ponies that have a hard, un-matchy matchy life!

Pony has a brightly colured webbing bridle & reins (he's getting a Christmas upgrade of a brightly coloured biothane bridle ?), brown saddle, black stirrups leathers and black girth. He does have an old leather bridle I dig out if we need to look less brightly coured.

The original girth was brown too but when pony lost weight & needed a new one, they only had black in stock at the time.

Riding boots are a light brown (Ariat Conistons) in winter or black & brown riding trainers with black half chaps in winter, spring - summer (I have winter & summer half chaps).

Matchy matchy doesn't bother me so much although I to keep colour coordinated - or at least not actively clash with ? - with my bright coloured bridle. It does bother me whether you can hose the tack down or put it in the washing machine to clean ?

 

[muddybay]

My dark bay with a bit of ginge in her wears black and I have black boots and a black hat but a navy show jacket for shows!

 

[teddy_]

I had always been a brown tack only person but, my new horse is blood bay and brown tack sort of just blends into his coat too much, so I tried a black bridle and it really made his points pop ?!

I am a black tack convert for now.

 

[JGC]

I think about this issue so often and I'm pretty sure I just use it as an excuse to buy more pony things ...

I have brown tack for SJ and wear brown boots and navy jacket/hat. My dressage saddle is black though, so I have a black bridle and wear tan boots (still with the navy hat and jacket). This causes a bit of cognitive dissonance for me, but I get around it by telling myself that my boots match by chestnut skewbald ... But I might be about to buy a very dark bay and now I have no idea whether I should change to my black jacket and hat (yes, I have a horse-related shopping problem - my only defence is that I have had a lot of these items for decades), and keep the tan boots, but that might look wrong. But my black boots died. And would the navy look all wrong with black tack and almost black horse ... And I should just calm the blazes down because I haven't even bought the blooming horse and who knows what colour saddle I'll end with anyway, arrrrrgggghhhh