Tack colour for my mare - help me choose

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Olliepop

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Saddle fitter came out to my mare today and she will need a new Ideal VSD saddle. Trouble is which colour? My fleabitten is in brown and it really suits him. She is dark bay almost black in winter and quite bright bay in summer. I have a black stubben bridle for her so head says black but don't know if that's the right choice and want to get it right given the cost!
 
It wont let me see. :( If you're not showing, then it's down to which you prefer. I find that 'havana' varies a lot. So black is easier to match, but I do like a really dark brown on some horses. From what you say, dark brown or black would suit her, but not reddish brown (like stubben's havana) or tan.
 
Ohh she's pretty! I usually go for havana, but tend to prefer blacks on bay horses so I'd say go for black unless you will be doing any showing, in which case havana would be correct... as faracat says, black is a million times easier to match to things too!
 
Just a quick question is WH classed as showing and therefore do I need brown tack? Never done it before as don't want to jump my old boy on grass but never say never with new mare!!
 
I think black on a bay - goes nicely with the points, somehow I don't think brown works as well. Can you pop your other chap's brown one on her just for a comparison?
 
Personally I like black on bays. But I'm not a showing enthusiast... I personally think black looks crisper and smarter, particularly on greys and bays, and is easier to match to so if you ever need a new noseband, a breastplate, a new set of reins, a girth etc it's so much easier to match them!!
 
In my world tack comes in one colour - brown :D I think black, however good the leather, always ages and looks shabby more quickly. As a leather worker, I see brown tack that is well over 30 years old which is still presentable enough to be seen on away from home (I'm usually re-stitching it because people have oiled it and rotted the linen stitches). I'm currently bracing myself to buy a black bridle butt because I know customers want it but it doesn't stop me hating it - I'm justifying it to myself by thinking it's for making belts.
 
pansymouse said:
In my world tack comes in one colour - brown :D I think black, however good the leather, always ages and looks shabby more quickly. As a leather worker, I see brown tack that is well over 30 years old which is still presentable enough to be seen on away from home (I'm usually re-stitching it because people have oiled it and rotted the linen stitches). I'm currently bracing myself to buy a black bridle butt because I know customers want it but it doesn't stop me hating it - I'm justifying it to myself by thinking it's for making belts.
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Interesting to hear brown lasts longer... however personally if I didn't like the colour to start with, it would bug me even more if it was still going 30 years later. No excuse to buy a new one!! I think you have to like how it looks on your horse.

ETA However I do things like this to my horse, so my taste in tack is suspect (and sparkly):

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Another vote for brown, most of our tack is very dark Havana, however Bill (dark bay almost black) has a mid brown. not quite tan bridle that looks a fab contrast against his almost black head (looks sort of old fashioned)
 
Black for me at all times, but I don't really like brown, and think black looks smarter and again, its easier to match to! And black tack goes well with every colour of saddle cloth, bandages etc :)
 
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