Mine is my Natural Ride. It gives me the best of both worlds, the convenience of a saddle without the obstruction of one. I HATE not being to feel what my horse is going to do. I ride a 4 year old Silly Red Filly (henceforth referred to as the SRF) who is very dramatic about such things as signs on the side of the road, plastic bags, monsters in the bushes, or whatever she decides to be dramatic about that particular day. I like to be able to feel her back tense up before the inevitable *SNORT, slam all four feet to the ground and LOOK at it* that TWHs tend to do. However, I like the fact that the rigid wither piece and stirrups give me some stability if she decides that whatever monster she sees IS going to eat her and scoots to the side.
So, what do you like? Is there a favorite saddle, bit, saddle pad or something that you just LOVE?
The SRF at three. Yes, I know she is not a perfect model horse, but I love her and she can RACK as fast as the LBF (Large Black Filly) can canter!
Herm Sprenger Irons: no joint pain, ultra stable leg (for me). Hands down.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about my stirrups. They are the flexible ones from State Line Tack (and happen to be attached to the Natural Ride). I love them, they have joints at the footpad and flex foward, back and down. Great for the knees and ankles.
ReplyDeleteWhat does your Natural ride Look like? Do you have a web link to see or purchase them?
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the old type, there is one on eBay right now (overpriced IMO) or you can get one new from Colorado Saddlery (Google them).
ReplyDeleteeBay one - http://cgi.ebay.com/Natural-Ride-Bareback-Pad-Colorado-EZ-Ride-Stirrups_W0QQitemZ280328361701QQihZ018QQcategoryZ47293QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
hrm.... that's a toughie. it's either gotta be my rope halter, or the decades old stubben dressage saddle i recently acquired.
ReplyDeleteI recently bought a Devoucoux Oreka. It is buffalo leather and 1 year old. It is perfectly broken in and I am soooooooo in love.
ReplyDeletehmm thats a tough one.
ReplyDeleteI love this everyday working bridle I bought years ago, looks new still, soft and nice...
My thick harness leather split reins, love them too.
My favorite piece of tack right now is my custom western saddle. I had it made to fit my Morgan. I took my gelding to the saddler and he fit the tree to Amos. Then I designed the saddle and he built it. It's beautiful. And for an all leather western saddle, very light weight. It weights 27.5 lbs. And he made a breast collar to match the saddle. Now I am getting an old style parade bridle made to match it and maybe tapedero stirrups too.
ReplyDeleteIt'd have to be my bridle
ReplyDeleteI bought my bridle for 4 dollars at auction with a lot. Best thing I ever could do. its almost an antique but its supple and fits anything from a large pony to a draft!
I love my Heather Moffett Vogue saddle. Its a treeless dressage saddle with a memory foam seat. I can't live without it, no other saddle compares. If you like to be able to feel a horse's back without a rigid saddle tree, a treeless saddle may be good to try. Barefoot saddles are very comfy and you can feel everything the horse is doing.
ReplyDeleteCan't we have more than one?
ReplyDeleteMy Tony Slater dressage saddle. I got a sweet deal on it!
My Crosby Soverign close contact- another sweet deal.
My who knows how old Simco western saddle. Fugly as sin according to hubby, but when the stally got frisky the other day during coolout I was pretty much glued on.
All time fave- my thick wide split reins. they are about 8' long too. Love, love, love them. Another item hubby hates! No worries about him ever 'borrowing' them...
How about a post listing our best tack deals? What it goes for new and what we picked it up for... That might be fun.
CNJ, that sounds cool. I could list quite a few, we have a ROCKING tack store here, it is like finding a needle in a haystack, but man, if you are willing to dig, you can get a helluva deal!
ReplyDeleteI love the natural ride as well!!
ReplyDeleteMy nurtural bridles. I have many, I sell many. Converted many, many horses over to bitless and started many many horses with bitless, a lot of whom are competing bitless today.
Sydney - Do you have a link to those? The LBF does NOT like a bit, I have tried many and she tosses her head around, grinds on the bit, and plays with it constantly, even with NO pressure on the reins. I have only used ring snaffles with various mouthpieces on her trying to find one that "works" for her. We tried her with a sidepull and voila, no more problems. I want to get something a bit more "english" looking than the western sidepull though.
ReplyDeleteI ride in a Contiential Reining saddle that I love, narrow twist, cutouts for close contact and short pre turned fenders are great for my knees and the wide flex tree is great for my wide halter bred horse. I feel very centered and I love the memory foam seat as well keeps me in when he acts up.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of tack right now is my new Derby Originals English saddle. It's my baby. =) I also love my purple rope halter.
ReplyDeleteI gotta go with the Aussie saddle.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Large Black Filly got into ants at Gulf Wars we had some rodeo time. She decided in the end that a good way to get the ants off would be to drop suddenly to both front knees and scrub them on the ground by crawling. Not only did I not fall off, I didn't lose my seat or my stirrups.
I love my Syd Hill Aussie saddle. Also got an incredible deal on it.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the bit I am using with my mare right now, as it is the only bit I have been able to put in her mouth without her excessivley tossing her head and chomping her teeth. I don't know exactly how to describe it, it is somewhat similar to an argentine snaffle, but with 2 joints in the mouthpeice and copper rollers.
Oh, I LOVELOVELOVE my Natural Ride pad.....I never go anywhere without it tucked behind my truck seat. You never know when you might find a horse that needs riding!!!!
ReplyDeleteI also love my LittleJoe Pad
http://www.imagesmithstudio.com/lj/index.cfm
I don't use it as much anymore, but I have a 1960 Bona Allen saddle I will never ever part with. It was a 14th birthday gift, and is very precious to me.
One other thing I can't live without is my Easy Wormer. Yes, I know, it's a gimmick.....but at one time, my mare was so bad about worming, I knew one of us was going to get hurt.....and I was pretty sure it wouldn't be her.
She's very opinionated about what goes in her mouth (wormer isn't on her list)......
Just makes it less stressful for both of us.
There is a Natural Ride on Dream Horse's Tack Trader section for $65 if anyone is interested.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tacktrader.com/show_item.php?
tack_id=276697&share_this=Y
I like my old Circle Y that I bought on consignment at a tack store. It has seen many, many miles!
scaequestrien- I was going to suggest a post about what items we hate, loathe, despise the most, but then you post those pretty much as it is- torturous bits, poor manufacturing...
ReplyDeleteSo nevermind.
We can have more than one fav? I'm adding my Stubben leathers (boy do they NOT stretch out)and my Neidersuss Olympik dressage saddle. Comfy, easy to feel muscle movement through, and with the narrow twist, perfect for me. Could ride in it all day. Wait. I do. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy rope halter with rings in it...I can do anything including ride endurance in the thing. LOVE it :)
ReplyDeleteAs to sidepulls more english: go to hought.com they make biothane/beta tack in any colors you like... there are several sidepull styles on there and they look more english-y and also tend ot be "gentler" than those rawhide western sidepulls...also another option is an "s-hackamore" as a bitless alternative but with a tad more stop than just a sidepull. Also on that website...
My helmet. The most important thing in my arsenal and the only thing I don't ride without.
ReplyDeleteHelmet would be my pick if it wear "riding gear/tack only" :) I agree...no helmet, no riding.. still pick my halter though first as it has a riding and non-riding usage
ReplyDeleteOooh! my purple bridle! I love it. It's an endurance bridle so I can unclip the bit if I take my horse on a picnic. Nothing worse than seeing a horse trying to chomp with green goo foaming out the corners of their mouth... And did I mention its PURPLE! Yes I'm a tacky tack terror, but my horse is a mare so no complex, and it's nice to colour co-ordinate.
ReplyDeleteMy IRH helmet and my recently re-flocked Albion dressage saddle. I love that saddle, and I had it fitted to my new horse, an OTTB that is hard to fit.
ReplyDeleteHey I dont have the pink camo bag but I do have a blue and a purple one.. Not only that I have a mare that dons a purple camp sheet.. and my stud wears his blue camo sheet...
ReplyDeleteI ride in a Tesky's ladies ranch cutter.. Super comfortable, a decent weight, and everyong who rides in it LOVES IT....
Before you run out and buy one of those foam P.O.S. natural rides.. If you get a decent saddle and REALLY learn to ride you can feel your horse just as well in a saddle as bareback.. I start alot of colts and I can almost always feel their backs tense up or them getting ready to rodeo...Its years of practice and learning "feel". Those natural rides arent really safe being as they are just really made of foam...
I still love my early 80's BLue RIbbon all purpose close contact. The leather is quite nice, and it fits a lot of different horses. I got it NEW for about $400 because my friend's mom had a little tack store and let all us 4H kids buy stuff at cost.
ReplyDeleteThose were nice saddles, handmade in England... wish they were still in business....
I also love my Harry Hall breeches from about the same time... got 'em new for $12 at a going out of business sale, always throw 'em in the wash w/ lots of fabric softener, and the gen-yoo-ine leather knee patches are STILL supple and unshrunk.
They have stretched very nicely to accomodate my womanlyness. ;)
I had the most delicate little Tom Thumb spurs. They had a silver-like patina, and a hand-forged look. The part where you put the spur straps through were round, not square. Very feminine and just enough "nudge" to 'em... they were only about 1/2" long.
AND I CAN ONLY FIND ONE OF THEM. WAAAAH!!!!!
I love my stirrup leathers. I bought those upside down ones for my dressage saddle. You don't really think about the bulk of the buckle under your thigh when you ride around with normal ones, but once you get rid of them and go for upside-downeys it's a completely different ride. English stirrup leathers with sleeves from here: http://www.barefootsaddles.net/accessories.htm#leathers
ReplyDeleteNot über-high quality, but works great, ok price, and with nylon on the back so they won't stretch and get uneven.
You've got a beautiful filly =) I love her expression!
ReplyDelete