Roundings vs Buckles

Emsarr

Emsarr

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More of a curiosity than anything after cleaning a friends bridles the other day.

Personally I prefer roundings as the look better and, from my experience, are safer and last longer, whereas buckles are easier to use but don't look as good!
 
Emsarr said:
More of a curiosity than anything after cleaning a friends bridles the other day.

Personally I prefer roundings as the look better and, from my experience, are safer and last longer, whereas buckles are easier to use but don't look as good!
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Do you mean like billet hooks? if so I prefer them too although they are a pain at first if the leather isn't supple :)
 
sandi_84 said:
Isn't it funny how things take on a different name for the same things sometimes like hacking/trekking and riding out :D
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Yes very, I think it depends on where you are as well. I worked at a trekking centre but we all still called it hacks, to me a 'trek' is a beginner being led where as a hack is when the rider is competent enough to ride on their own safely at a walk/trot:p
 
Buckled up billets are safer than hook stud billets and are also more traditional.
I get 10 times more hook stud billeted turns in that are broken than buckled billeted turns.
Hook studs tend to be pulled through the leather platform that houses them or snap in half completely.
Very few buckles break in comparison, the leather of the turn usually gives out before the buckles break.
Oz
 
Emsarr said:
Yes very, I think it depends on where you are as well. I worked at a trekking centre but we all still called it hacks, to me a 'trek' is a beginner being led where as a hack is when the rider is competent enough to ride on their own safely at a walk/trot:p
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To me a trek is a long-distance ride over country; a hack is an hour or so along lanes and bridleways!
 
cremedemonthe said:
Buckled up billets are safer than hook stud billets and are also more traditional.
I get 10 times more hook stud billeted turns in that are broken than buckled billeted turns.
Hook studs tend to be pulled through the leather platform that houses them or snap in half completely.
Very few buckles break in comparison, the leather of the turn usually gives out before the buckles break.
Oz
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Interesting, I always thought that the roundings/hook stud billets were more traditional that buckles! I like to find out other people's opinions to little things like this :o

Pippity said:
To me a trek is a long-distance ride over country; a hack is an hour or so along lanes and bridleways!
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Ha really? A long-distance ride to me would be a 'ride' haha!
 
I'm a billet person too.

Hmm lets see:

Trekking is a scenic ride in the back country. Can be a few hours or days. Not to be confused with endurance. :mad:

Hacking is a shorter ride around home at any pace, not to be confused with endurance training and different from legging up. :D

Riding out - not sure what that even is, but I do "mooching" which involves slopping along in the autumn sun and picking blackberries. :)
 
I loathe billet hooks and will not use anything with them. I prefer buckles, partly because the leather lies flush on the cheek, and partly, as cdm says, they last longer. Incidentally, billet hooks are not permitted on reins of racehorses.

Now, saying that, most of my bridles are held together with leather thongs. Including reins.

I also do not trust clips on bridles.

Fussy old bint me ;)
 
I had never heard of billets referred to as roundings, learn something new everyday :)

What do you call roundings then? (As in roundings that go on a pelham etc)
 
I am another one who knows them as billet hooks.

Roundings are the leather bits that allow you to use one rein instead of double reins with a pelham. (circled in red)

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Trek is a ride on a hired horse... can be for a few hours or a few days.

Hack is a type of show (official hack show, unofficial hack show) or a type of horse (eg show hack)

Trail is riding out on trails on your own horse (or a friends)
 
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I always thought that billet hooks were developed to look like sewn on reins/cheek pieces which were the done thing many moons ago. Buckle billets were the norm on driving harness.
 
I would never buy a bridle, or reins, with billet hooks on it: when the leather is new they're fiddly faffy things and drive you mad - when the leather is old they can easily come undone.

Give me a decent sensible buckle every time.

"Riding out" is something that racehorses and hunters do; "hacking" is for, well, happy hackers like me who aren't serious about anything much. "Trail riding" is something that happens in big wide spaces like America where they can go for miles and not have to worry about traffic etc.

"Roundings" are for lazy riders who can't cope with two reins and use it for a pelham to join the rings so one rein can be used (confession: I've got them in my tack room :))
 
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