Dressage tack shopping - help me :)

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dressage_diva

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I'm in the process of buying a second horse and inevitably this is a good excuse for a shopping spree! However, I'm a bit out of the loop with what brands/styles are in for some tack/equipment as my current boy is 20years old and is now retired to a life of a hacking so hasn't needed any fancy bling in a number of years! Can anyone recommend what brands I should consider for the following and/or where to get them from:

Black Flash Bridle? Initially after a good quality one for at home. Something that suits a black warmblood.

Reins?

Stirrups? I always hear about the Jin stirrups, but are they as good as everyone says? Does the tread ruin your boots?

Brushing Boots? I always used to use Eskadron/Woof Wear, but what is the best now? I don't like fleece lined ones, as they get too hot.

Stirrup Leathers? I love my Passier leathers, but I know lots of people use t-bar leathers now - are they better?

Girths? I'd love to be able to afford a Fairfax girth, but if not any recommendations for others?

Thanks :)
 
dressage_diva said:
I'm in the process of buying a second horse and inevitably this is a good excuse for a shopping spree! However, I'm a bit out of the loop with what brands/styles are in for some tack/equipment as my current boy is 20years old and is now retired to a life of a hacking so hasn't needed any fancy bling in a number of years! Can anyone recommend what brands I should consider for the following and/or where to get them from:

Black Flash Bridle? Initially after a good quality one for at home. Something that suits a black warmblood.

Reins?

Stirrups? I always hear about the Jin stirrups, but are they as good as everyone says? Does the tread ruin your boots?

Brushing Boots? I always used to use Eskadron/Woof Wear, but what is the best now? I don't like fleece lined ones, as they get too hot.

Stirrup Leathers? I love my Passier leathers, but I know lots of people use t-bar leathers now - are they better?

Girths? I'd love to be able to afford a Fairfax girth, but if not any recommendations for others?

Thanks :)
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think you need to provide a budget for these things ;)

But my personal preferences are as follows:

Home bridle smart enough for shows, and wears well - Sabre Cordoba. Had mine for yonks and still looks fab, pieced together by Sabre from different sized parts so it fits perfectly. Variety of nosebands etc available. I have leather continental reins and laced reins for dressage, but also like biogrips.

I've got cheapo aluminium stirrups as like the wide tread but no budget for Jins! Mine are HKM, got them on ebay.

I use Equilibrium stretch & flex boots at home as they don't rub my horse and don't let the sand in, no other reason.

I LOVE t bar leathers and wouldn't swap back now. Mine are Wow ones which I like as they sell them in 2" increments so you can get the perfect fit.

Don't lust after a fairfax girth unless you know your horse would get on with it. I had one on trial to see whether it was worth it (it was I'm afraid...) you can get a synthetic version branded by Prolite now which is more affordable if you think it would be beneficial.
 
Thanks Milliepops! Regarding budget I'm fortunate that it is my birthday in 6weeks so I'm hoping I can get a few things as birthday presents! I'd also rather spend a little bit more money on quality products that are going to last a long time than go for the cheaper option and find it needs replacing in a couple of months!

The horse was wearing a Fairfax girth when I tried him so I know that he goes well in it :)
 
It depends on if you want 2 sets of gear, a home set and a competition set?

I like stubben bridles, think they are great quality and last ages too :) But I also have an albion double bridle which I got off ebay for about £80 - a complete bargain and looks as though has barely been used! Lovely soft supple leather

Can't advise about reins, but I'm incredibly picky and have to feel reins in a tack shop before buying them to make sure they are right. Majority of reins Ive bought aren't branded though.

Again my stirrups and leathers are just bog standard ones from tack shop. there is a possibility that my leathers are stubben but they were bought such a long time ago I couldn't tell you! I also commit the ultimate sin and have very dark brown leathers for my black saddle (they came off another saddle lol) but no-one has ever noticed :p

I just use woof wear brushing boots at home, they do the job nicely. I do have a set of Schokelmole (sp?) boots for competition use but a lot of people use bandages.

Again, I have a really nice dressage girth that I picked up for about £3 on ebay - very supple leather.

Honestly, when you are warming up your horse or riding in lessons no one is going to know if you have branded tack or the latest fashion or not! I go for quality tbh and try to stick to brands I know but I do check ebay from time to time if I need something as you can get very lucky and get good quality stuff second hand - the albion that I got for £80 retails around £300 new - would not have bought it at that price!!

Equiture do really nice bling browbands, and I like the mac wet gloves but I don't find they last very long, I generally have to buy a new pair every year. But have a scout on ebay for your favourite brands and you might strike lucky! :)
 
Regarding bridles I wouldn't go for stubben, my brand new one was used for a month and still looks ok but is incredibly stiff even after oiling and conditioning :/ and my used one was constantly manky looking no matter how much I cleaned it, it was impossible to get it smart enough for a show, the leathers also gone really wrinkly as well which is odd. I had one of mine in a shires avignon snaffle bridle as a quick short term fix until I had the funds to buy a nicer bridle and I was very impressed actually, still looks brand new even after a trip to the beach! I ended up buying another kieffer bridle for £180, a really smart black with dark grey crystals on the browband. I know kieffer is good quality and will last for years to come as I have another kieffer bridle that is years old and stiff in great condition.

http://www.kieffer-saddle.com/snaffle_bridles/comfort-verona/?start=24/ (think its this one I have)

I like quite thin and flexible reins and have so far found that bio grip reins are the best option for me. Jeffries make some that are pretty pricey but shires also make some for around £20 that are virtually equal in terms of quality.

Regarding stirrups Jins really are worth every penny. I show jump not dressage but they have improved my lower leg stability hugely. I have 2 pairs, one pair I bout secondhand and the other pair from flair equestrian on facebook (In my opinion the cheapest place to get them as they constantly have offers for them and do auction them which is how I got my new pair for a bargain)

I've never used t bar leathers but I really do love my prestige ones, excellent quality and have not scratched my saddle. Again shires also do a calfskin stirrup leathers for those on a budget and I love my 2 pairs, havent experienced any stretching or lack or quality.

I use veredus tendon and fetlock boots at home and have been really impressed with their quality and how well they wash for shows. I'm sure it will be the same for their dressage boots range too.

Again I've had no experience of fairfax girths but I really do rate my prestige girths, excellent quality and will last for years
 
For a dressage bridle I second Schockemoehle and also Passier :).
My mum has the stretch and flex wraps, they are nice and have held up well over a few years. They are quite thin though (but comfy for the horse I should imagine) so it depends on how much protection you want.
I have the bog standard white woof boots that have lasted 10 years and while still perfectly functioning they have started to fray at the bottom and on the straps. Not bad considering they are washed every few weeks! I'm going to buy some more and relegate these ones to turnout and lunging.
Have fun shopping!
 
Thanks everyone, very helpful :) I'm mostly after home stuff for the moment as whilst horse will be ready to go our competing, I need to get myself back to riding decently as have spent last few years just hacking my boy so it will be a while before we actually get out competing.

only_me said:
Honestly, when you are warming up your horse or riding in lessons no one is going to know if you have branded tack or the latest fashion or not!
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Oh I completely agree! I'm not trying to buy specific brands to be fashionable, rather I don't really know some of the newer brands and whether they're good quality or not (if they are worth spending the money on them I'm happy to if it means they'll last ages!).

I've had albion bridles in the past and whilst I agree they're soft I've found that the leather marks really easily (maybe it's just been because I had the havana bridles) and they look really worn, so I think personally I'll stay away from them.
 
I use Woof boots ag home, have done for 15 years. Bought a new set for my 3 yr old, they had a fault and were unusable after three uses. Woof replaced them without quibble so I will continue with Woof boots!!!

I like Sprenger System 4 stirrups but I don't think they are fashionable!!!
 
I've got a black Albion bridle that I bought from the saddle centre, I'm really pleased with it and the saddle centre was really helpful as my horse isn't a standard size and needed a mixture of full and cob, sending replacements by next day post when I found I needed a different size. I also love bio reins but haven't found that they have worn very well although I have bought a second pair.
 
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