Things from the past

[eggs]

Can also remember asking the farrier to call and getting change for twenty-quid for a full set. Now THOSE were the days....... (sighs longingly).

My first pony was £4 for a set of shoes. Everything was cold shod unless you could hack to the forge.

 

[reynold]

Duraglit polish wadding for nickel bits and stirrups.

One that is rightly consigned to the bin is the old 'treatment' of blistering and firing for tendon injuries. If the horse was blistered it had to go in a neck cradle.

 

[Meredith]

Anyone remember Barratts of Feckenham? The first real equine superstore, they also had a branch in ?Wolverhampton?

I got my first bridle and green canvas NZ from them in about 1973. My first ever mail order!

 

[paddy555]

I miss Cottage Craft plaited cotton reins, I would love some now! preferably in yellow.

I finally found some. From Australia. Only place I could find any. The reins, albeit not yellow, were lovely. Unfortunately the leatherwork on them was very poor and they broke. Kincade used to do them in the UK but it seems no longer.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

How about Dermobian - the best ever *magic* ointment for horses, but it was another product that was banned due to it's contents.

I believe you can still get it abroad (Russia?) called Ilium Dermapred.

I once swapped an old Albion saddle for two big tubs of Dermobian and it took me years to use it all up, but it was a fantastic deal imo!!

That was brillant, the only thing that worked on my sisters ponys skin

 

[Hexx]

Mucker boots, those bloody ugly blue lace-up things with the beige sole. Just when you thought they couldn't get any more hideous they brought out velcro ones!

Excuse me! I wear these daily! LOL!

Another one who used to put her chin strap up over the top of the hat - always wore a hairnet (still do).

Lavenir quilted waistcoats were all the rage. I had stylo boots, but they only used to last about a year then the stitching inside would go and the insole would fall out or crease up.

All our riding school horses had blankets and jute rugs - very time consuming rugging up 30 horses on a cold night - blanket, blanket, blanket - fold back, jute rug, tuck folded bit back and secure with a surcingle (sometimes with a sponge underneath to protect the spind) and repeat! I remember one "dressage" livery had 15 assorted sheets, blankets and duvets on and they had to go in a specific order. Heaven help you if you got it in the wrong order!

 

[Clodagh]

I have my Dad's hunter's Newmarket blanket on our bed in winter. So warm. And heavy!

 

[Floxie]

Oh and Cavelletti.... I remember reading Pony magazine and time and again someone would be recommending a jumping lane with cavalletti; not seen any for a good many years, probably Elf n SafeTee have reneged them to the "dangerous" department..

I believe this is the case, actually - what with them being fixed at the ends, if you trip over them you end up in a real tangle instead of the pole just dropping off. That's what I was told, anyway. It is a shame to see the old things vanish, but not unreasonable to make things safer where we can, I don't think

 

[Tiddlypom]

I believe this is the case, actually - what with them being fixed at the ends, if you trip over them you end up in a real tangle instead of the pole just dropping off. That's what I was told, anyway. It is a shame to see the old things vanish, but not unreasonable to make things safer where we can, I don't think

Yes, our Pony Club DC had a horrendous fall when a young horse cartwheeled with her over some cavaletti. The cavaletti kept rolling forwards so the horse and rider ended up crashing on top of them. She was lucky to survive, I don't know how the horse fared.

10 years on from my last pic, so into the mid 80's and a different horse, here's a mix of old and new. An old New Zealand rug which may well have previously been worn by my old mare, with a new fangled Thermatex rug underneath. Those NZ rugs were indeed awful things which slipped round and the surcingle would dig into the horse's back. I'd like to think that I had padded the surcingle somehow...

ETA The NZ rug is thankfully long gone, but the Thermatex rug is still in current use

 

[Annagain]

You can still get the petal over reach boots direct from westropp on their website - I used to love them as a child and vowed to buy some when I got a horse of my own!

I thought I was so classy as all my friends had bright red ones but I would never have had anything so tacky I had white ones to match his socks. I found a couple of petals in the back of the drawer a while back, I must have taken them off to make the boots smaller and forgotten about them as the boots are long gone.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Anyone remember Barratts of Feckenham? The first real equine superstore, they also had a branch in ?Wolverhampton?

Two miles from where I am sitting now. It is a Wynnstay outdoor clothing shop now.

 

[laura_nash]

Any one else old enough to have cared for horses bedded on peat.

I bedded on peat last winter! The bedding came with the property so I thought I might as well use it up. It was just in the field shelter though, not stables.

There are still plenty of people selling peat bedding around here, mostly mixed with some lime and sold for cows but they do sell it for horses too.

 

[teach]

Mucker boots, those bloody ugly blue lace-up things with the beige sole. Just when you thought they couldn't get any more hideous they brought out velcro ones!

They are currently trendy for winter inNYC! We went in Feb and were chuckling at all the commuters walking round in designer muckers!

 

[scats]

For quite a while after NZ rugs disappeared, we still called turnout rugs New Zealand’s. I remember any new people to horses used to be very confused by what we meant.

I had an ancient NZ rug for my pony, that I think had been handed down from other ponies. We used to have to throw the things on the stable walls to dry them when they were wet and the amount of failed throws that I had as a skinny child- ending in me with a sodden and heavy rug on my head.

 

[Rowreach]

I thought I was so classy as all my friends had bright red ones but I would never have had anything so tacky I had white ones to match his socks. I found a couple of petals in the back of the drawer a while back, I must have taken them off to make the boots smaller and forgotten about them as the boots are long gone.

We were walking round the XC at Tatts the other week and we heard clackity clackity clack behind us, looked at each other and went "Petal overreach boots!!!" - and sure enough, along they came so someone still likes them. I found them intensely irritating myself

 

[SallyBatty]

I also remember getting all my riding gear from Jacatex when I first started riding. I had the 'elephant ear' jodphurs, short leather boots, a very itchy hacking jacket, string gloves, always wore a yellow polo neck jumper, and my riding hat had a thin cork lining and was held on by a piece of elastic, lol.

My first pair of long boots were the stylo rubber ones and my next hat had a harness with a thin plastic chin cup but still had next to no padding.

 

[Annagain]

We were walking round the XC at Tatts the other week and we heard clackity clackity clack behind us, looked at each other and went "Petal overreach boots!!!" - and sure enough, along they came so someone still likes them. I found them intensely irritating myself

I have old vidoes of me show jumping and I can't bear the noise now but at the time I thought I was chocolate! My boy wasn't the most elegant and even just his hooves sounded like thunder so add the boots and the noise was 5 times louder with us than anyone else!

 

[Archangel]

I was clearing out my horse's trunk today and found two of those summer sheets that came free if you bought I think it was two packs of Equest - they are white with a big square saying Equest does anyone remember those? I also found my Lavenham Cosy and Thermatex - they must be at least 20 years old and some copper sulphate crystals used to treat some proud flesh in 1979.

 

[Meredith]

I was clearing out my horse's trunk today and found two of those summer sheets that came free if you bought I think it was two packs of Equest - they are white with a big square saying Equest does anyone remember those? I also found my Lavenham Cosy and Thermatex - they must be at least 20 years old and some copper sulphate crystals used to treat some proud flesh in 1979.

In the deepest reaches of my rug shelves there is a blue quilt I made for my first pony in 1968. I made it from some quilt bought at a market, an old blanket and some soft tape from an upholsterers. It hasn’t been used since he was PTS at 27 and it isn’t going any where.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I finally found some. From Australia. Only place I could find any. The reins, albeit not yellow, were lovely. Unfortunately the leatherwork on them was very poor and they broke. Kincade used to do them in the UK but it seems no longer.

oh what a shame, at least its not just me that loved them though!

 

[Northern]

Now I know we're always behind the times, but the old NZ canvas rugs are pretty popular in Australia. Pretty expensive to buy (Australian made) these days, but last forever and now come in fancy colours (purple, hot pink and bright orange!). The woollen lined ones are pretty heavy, but I just use canvas shells and they are great! Much prefer them over doona type synthetic rugs

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Does anyone remember the Loveson jodhpur boots with the square toes? ***cringe***

I can just about remember cork-lined riding hats. My first riding school (I started when I was three) had those hats and if they didn't have one that was small enough they picked the smallest one and lined it with newspaper until it fitted!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Does anyone remember the Loveson jodhpur boots with the square toes? ***cringe***

yep, I had some -they lasted for years and were really comfy. why the cringe?

 

[Floxie]

My mum used to glue me a bit of terry towling into my chin strap cup

Also loved the westrop boots. Flap flap flap.

 

[McFluff]

One of the horses at my yard still wears an original chaskitt with the spider! As far as I'm aware it's never been reproofed and it's still going strong and said horse does love a puddle wallow!

Wow, that’s impressive. If I remember right that rug lasted for years and was very effective.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Anyone remember Barratts of Feckenham? The first real equine superstore, they also had a branch in ?Wolverhampton?

Also was a store in Solihull. I was always in there!

Dermobion was great, fabulous on wounds etc.

My farrier used to measure the pony's feet and make the shoes to fit. ☺

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I still have my late first mares t/o rug - a blue canvas extra deep with no cross overs.

 

[Bob notacob]

I remember when stable lads rode out in flat caps (turning them round for fast work) The jockey club said we all had to ride in crash hats (1973 i think) You should have heard the grumbling. Yet within 6 months everyone had personally experienced the benefits of the new hats. No one wore silks .This only came about once girls started to be stable "lads"and felt the need to brighten things up . Conventional wellingtons would have been dangerous so we used ladies wellies ,with a more pointed toe and turned the top down to give it a racing boot look,lol. In wet weather there was always an assortment of those old rubberised canvas riding mac s in the tea room .These macs held rain in rather than kept it out. Tea room is a very grand name for a complete pit of a room where we drank stewed tea at 9am after first lot was over . Sandwiches were toasted on an electric rire that certainly left something to be desired . An errant piece of toast curling the wrong way could short circuit the thing. Happy days.

 

[mytwofriends]

I had a separate harness to wear over my riding hat to reinforce the very unsafe elastic! The plastic chin cup was especially unattractive when it was worn slightly to one side .......

 

[mums the groom]

Loved my loves on jodhpur boots they lasted me years, shame new boots only last a year if I'm lucky regardless of price