Out of fashion tack.

I'm Another who uses an anti cast roller. The majority of tack shops I tried had never heard of them, never mind sold them! Was like trying to find hens teeth
 
We still use drop nosebands, standing martingales and overgirths in polo (in Australia too, whoevere said drops were unheard of over there). And Market Harboroughs are frequently used in polocrosse (in Australian training anyway).

It's funny reading this post because I have only just gotten back into horse ownership after 10 years and I didn't even realise these things weren't in fashion anymore and are hard to find!
 
I've just realised reading this thread that I haven't seen a crupper in years. I remember them being on their way out when I was a kid at Pony Club (25 now) and we were rather snottily told that we should keep looking for a saddle that fit, rather than resorting to a crupper, so I never had one, but went through saddle after saddle and numnah and fleece and pad after numnah and fleece and pad, and finished every ride halfway up the pony's neck! She had no withers and no shoulders... should have just got a crupper!

As a kid on lead read I had home-made baler twine grass reins!

Travel boots that were big squares at the back and little squares at the front, now everything seems to be shaped, I haven't even seen any plain square travel boots in any of our local tack shops.

I think the thing I miss most is a proper hoofpick. Everywhere seems to sell those big blunt wide ones, with the fat plastic handle and the bristles on the back, and it just makes hard work of picking feet out. The ones I used to use are now apparently described as 'economy hoofpicks'!

I think the thing that struck me most, getting back into the 'horse at home' side of riding (through sharing) rather than just riding school, is that everything is so bling. Glitter hoof oil and glitter spray and diamante everything. My mum remembers when she started to ride you could have jodhpurs in black, brown, navy or beige, and that was it. Now I ride in a pair that have gold stitching to look like skinny jeans, shock horror! My friend has a pair in purple tiger-stripes, which would have been unthinkable! But the pockets in modern jodhpurs are marvellous. When I was a kid even my everyday ones had one small, zipped pocket (on which the zip inevitable got stuck halfway across) in which you could fit a 50p piece and a hairnet and then it was full. Now, pockets galore! I can carry my phone, polos, a bit of baler band, change, stuff my gloves in there to do fiddly gates... wonderful!
 
Love this thread! Been lurking and am now ready to reveal:

Two jute rugs (not that I use them + 1 roller)
One string vest (funny enough hunted it out to use the other day!)
Two pairs of string gloves with leather palm (1 pair in use the other as yet unused, too smart to get grubby)
Knee boots - used once (sigh - he hated them)
An old canvas NZ - sooooo heavy, but have kept as spare just in case my rug wrecker breaks all his new fangled turnouts
Several tack trays - mostly pensioned off in favour of new bags and boxes
A drop noseband
A kimblewick
A grakle noseband
Two and a half ancient bridles
A standing martingale (worked a treat on the big cob who could pull like a train with no brakes)
A market harborough (came with cob mentioned above)

My trouble is I can always think of an excuse not to chuck something out :rolleyes:
 
I restore heritage tack so see lots of wonderful old stuff (beautifully made from fantastic quality leather). I'm supposed to sell on stuff that I buy myself but rarely do - I love just looking at it.

I favour older tack and designs and use both knee boots and a kineton noseband myself.

I think that drop nosebands are coming back into fashion, over the past couple of years I've seen more and more being used at all levels.
 
Loving this thread!

Dr. Bristols - you don't see those anymore - my "strong" 14.2 had one and I still couldn't stop!

I remember when coloured breeches came in - my mother wouldn't let me wear them as she said they were "common" (and since she was the one washing the cream ones I wore every day, it was up to her lol!)

We use standing martingales - hate running ones - but you rarely see bib martingales anymore.
We also use tail guards - leather ones which fasten to the surcingle - which are essential for travelling big guys who lean on their bums

String gloves with leather palms - I have a pair left that I have never worn and probably never will now!

Tie on hat silks - where the ribbons went under the harness at the back to secure it and then tied on a bow above the peak

Woollen exercise sheets

We have a lampwick girth lying around somewhere if the person looking for one is interested?

Weight cloths for eventing.....

ETA we use girth sleeves out hunting -easy to pop in the washing machine and no chafing

String girths -I had a brown one for everyday and a white one for smart!
 
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I think the drop noseband is hurtling back into fashion, since the rise of the Mickleham Bridle- the main component part of that is the modern twist on the drop. I prefer the drops- I find the flash nosebands interfere with the airways and I have a horse that can get a little wheezy.

Our tack room at home is filled with stuff from my mother's heyday!! in the 70s and 80s! I never realised the eggbut snaffle was no longer fashionable! Mine was my mother's and must be well over 40 years old now! It's my go-to bit! Xx
 
Darremi said:
Exactly why an overgirth is still a must-have. All leather can snap under the right pressure, even good quality or good condition leather. It takes so little time/effort to put on an overgirth just in case.
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This. I've had stirrup leathers (and once a stirrup IRON) snap cross country, whilst I always double check my girth and clean it regularly I wouldn't be without the over girth.

Goldenstar - I think you are spot on about the mono flap saddles and short girths.
 
I seem to have a lot of those old fashioned things. Oddly enough they still work in the right circumstances. 7 or 9 plaits and the forelock knobbed rather than tucked under. Sewn so that you can't see the stiches, not rubber bands. Nowadays there seem to be grillions of plaits.
 
I used felt Yorkshire boots on one horse and you could get felt exercise boots as well.

I hate the shaped travel boots, so does my horse, and you see lots for sale at a tack sale. I had a very good set of rectangular travel boots, must have sold them as too small.

I still like to use bandages and gamgee. Went somewhere not long ago and the people there said that hadn't seen travel bandages for years and years.
 
I ride in an eggbutt snaffle every day and use bit rings :) so old fashioned!

Except i've only been around horses since 2006 so everything else is lost on me!
 
Orangehorse said:
I hate the shaped travel boots, so does my horse, and you see lots for sale at a tack sale. I had a very good set of rectangular travel boots, must have sold them as too small.
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Le Mieux do an excellent alternative to the old square travel boots in their stable boots! I use them through the winter in the stable to stop puffy pasterns and fetlocks, but they make a brilliant travel boot! Xx
 
Goldenstar said:
Think my tack room has museum quality to it .
Standing martingales for naughty horses
Eggbutts in daily use .
I think the use of mono flap XC saddles killed the over girth off as it's very difficult to get an overgirth to sit over a shorty girth.
Irish martingales you don't see them much now .
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I wear an overgirth over my Devoucoux saddle and have no problems fitting it.

I think though you raise a good point regarding the new monoflap style of XC saddles. The girth straps are integrated into the flap and therefore arguably more secure than the old style double flap jumping saddles which had the girth straps stitched onto nylon under the upper flap.

Stitching leather weakens it.
 
Coloured martingale stops. Rubber bit rings as a fashion statement.

I do know a pony that wears a crupper though. Mind you he's at an RS and i've seen one of their horses with a Jute rug on! And they have cones in the school.

What about wooden jump poles, they seem to be on the way out.
 
Stubben do a string girth, for anyone who'd like to replace theirs - look at the price though!

http://www.townfields.com/products/386/stubben-string-girth

Ooh, I'd forgotten the joddy boots with straps - they were the only sort I woreas a kid. Would love some new ones! The only person I know who still has a pair is the elderly lady with the standing martingale I mentioned earlier!
 
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We've just bought loads of westropp over reaches, use Kinblewicks as our most used bits, use a string girth and use drops (as do 50% of novice BD combinations locally)! Maybe we don't keep with the times :p
 
have just ordered a drop noseband for my big girl ! i have cones in my grass school (only had 3 until i got my dad to steal me one :o ) have 2 plastic barrels and use heavy duty drainpipe as poles. still have a string rug in my travel box and a rubber kimblewick along with 3 eggbutt snaffles hanging in the tackroom. one of my stables also has a belfast sink in which is fab for putting big girls feed bowl in :)
 
Kat said:
Oh dear I am very out if fashion! My poor horse! She is regularly made to go out in public in a drop noseband and string girth. She also has a string vest sweat rug. I have string riding gloves (with leather palms). I have a Dr Bristol, and an eggbut snaffle in the tack room and hunt in a kimblewick. I also use a standing martingale.
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Only eight years ago we put a string vest on our lad and 'thatched' under it as he was wet and cold. Went to fetch his feed and hay and found a circle of amazed ladies looking at him and asking what I was doing!

The loss of the eggbut snaffle might be a good thing, I have found some wickedly sharp edges on them where the moveable bit joins the fixed bit.

Cant find the tiny leather loops that held a Fulmer snaffle in place, all I get is funny looks (again!)
 
Ladyinred said:
Cant find the tiny leather loops that held a Fulmer snaffle in place, all I get is funny looks (again!)
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I found them somewhere like Townfield Saddlers, or Derby house, they are now little figure of eight loops of leather, I can't find the cheek pieces with the loops integrated, might need a word with my saddler to pull some together for me! Xx
 
Ladyinred said:
Cant find the tiny leather loops that held a Fulmer snaffle in place, all I get is funny looks (again!)
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I got mine from the local tack shop but you can get them online from Robinson's Equestrian.

It's a pet hate of mine to see full cheek/Fulmer bits without loops.
 
I have fulmer loops! And noisy original Westropps and tail guards with ties, rubber bit guards (or 'biscuits'), a bog-standard, stainless D-ring snaffle and a standing martingale. I have two silks that do up with ties, one is over 20 years old now :eek:

I've also managed to find a pair of cotton web reins, they have English leather bits, made in Walsall and I had to buy them in from the USA!

Does anyone use cavaletti any more?

Can you still get jodhs with those useless fob pockets, the ones that attached to the inside of the waistband?
 
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I experienced the wonders of catlips tack shop for the first time last week- somewhat of a timewarp! Several anti-cast rollers there, also the leather 'cross surcingles' for 'modern' new Zealand jute rugs and much more. Personally love my drop noseband tho.
 
I still use a anti cast roller on my big horse because I have lost count of the number of times I have had to rescue the daft sod when he has gone up and over in the box and at 18hh he gets wedged upside down against the wall hooves up! Lucky he does not panic and we just rope his fetlocks and pull him back over. Anti cast problem solved.
 
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