For the past few months, every time my dressage trainer hops aboard Jack she comments on how strange my floppy reins feel. But for the past few years, those PS of Sweden Softy reins have been my absolute favorite. They are thin, felt comfortable in my small hands, not rubber (since I was in the habit of riding gloveless) and needed no breaking-in.

My beloved PS reins

But after getting a pair of Lund Eventer Series rubber reins, part of the best logo prize package ever,  I have started to see the benefits of rubber reins for dressage. My infant-sized hands have gotten used to holding the thicker width and whether it’s the bit (a double-jointed wonder bit) or the reins, I can attest that Jack seems to enjoy a steadier connection with this set up.

And the also beloved Lund bridle and reins

So, if I were to venture into the territory of dressage rubber reins… are there any reins out there that people just love? I’d like something quality that will stand up to both the (currently) frigid temps as well as the nasty humid heat of summer, that doesn’t need breaking in, and that won’t break the bank (less than $100 ideally).

Any suggestions?

If you are an on-trend equestrian, you have probably noticed a bit of sparkle taking over your local tack store. Bling seems to be anywhere and everywhere, as the English disciplines learn the delights that Western pleasure riders have known for years.

Dressage queens have been adding a bit of shine to their game for some time, starting with incredibly subtle bits of glimmer, such as twinkling spur straps, and slowly but surely becoming emboldened over time. Bedazzled ear bonnet, browbands, saddles, and helmets are all currently en vogue at your average competition these days.

Subtle. (find them here.)

Jumpers have always had a lot of freedom when it comes to style, and eventers maybe more so. And while I haven’t noticed so much dazzle in the eventing world, it does peek in occasionally. Rhinestones adorning the cantle of a saddle, for instance, or along the stirrup leather keeper.

Less subtle.

For myself, I would be happy to leave the bling at home. Having just purchased the below bridle, I find myself cringing slightly when thinking of keeping all that flash clean. Instead I’m in the market for a toned-down browband with the same shape and a little less… that. Perhaps the fact that my horse already looks like a child’s plaything contributes to my not wanting to adorn him in all things twinkling, maybe I’m just not a blingy person.

The Kavalkade Mia Bridle

Where do you fall on the spectrum? Bring on the bling? Or go without? What trends have you noticed in your local arenas? What is the most outlandish, or your favorite sparkly trend you’ve seen? Do you have a favorite way to add some shine to your traditional riding gear?

Purely self-serving discussion today, folks. My bad.

But.

I bought this charming PS of Sweden knockoff because I just got the news that, shockingly (not), Smitty had just destroyed the bridle I sent him off to training with. Since we can’t have nice things, I decided to hold off buying the real thing and get this bit of strappy goodness for 1/3 the price. Win win, me thinks.

But upon trying it on, it’s obvious that the throatlatch is never going to fit- it’s way too big for him. But what about the rest of it?

I’ve had some people in person say no, it’s beautiful, keep it. A quick instagram debate said it’s too big for his face.

Part of me is definitely having trouble shipping out a nice, cheap bridle that my pony could do with (since besides this bridle we are down to zero brown bridles- first world problems yo). But hey, if someone in blogger land wants to pay me $75 for this worn-once PS knockoff, maybe I’ll part with it. Or, I keep it and take a pair of scissors to that dangly throatlatch.

Its fate is in your hands, blogland!

First of all, does the word natter translate into American English? It may be one of my favorite words. Along with ninny. So today I’m a silly ninny nattering about nosebands.

Ahem.

This past weekend, while assisting a friend in her own horse shopping adventures, I witnessed some very, erm, strong opinions on nosebands. In the world of dressage, there’s a lot of different nosebands that are totally legal. Flash nosebands, regular cavessons, drop nosebands, figure-eights… all totally legal. Beyond dressage, there are even more options. And in this individual’s opinion, the flash was the only thing a dressage horse should go in and the rest of it (as in a bridle without a flash) was “hunter jumper stuff.”

Happily modeling a well-fitting flash

Now I’ve used a flash noseband plenty of times, but my main preference is to go without if possible. So as soon as I purchased the PS of Sweden bridle, I tossed the flash attachment in the bag and never looked back.

Wah, I loved this bridle.

To me, a flash can easily mask training issues, like bracing against the bit and hide underlying tension in the form of gaping and gnashing the bit. I have nothing against those that use a flash in their training, so long as the flash is at an appropriate looseness. But plenty of times I have seen a horse with the flash making an obvious depression in the horse’s skin, to me an unfair application of equipment for the sake of a better impression. For me, I go the way of the Wofford when it comes to flashes.

A dressage pony modeling a Micklem bridle

But then there are other controversial nosebands out there. Some people absolutely abhor crank nosebands, reasoning that they invite overtightening. Some dislike a dropped noseband, or a big floofy noseband, or a thin noseband, because of aesthetics or other reasons. For instance, I’m not a huge fan of the way Micklem bridles look with their noseband. But I have no beef with those that use them, since I appreciate that the riders who use them are doing so for the comfort of the horse. Nonetheless, there are dressage enthusiasts who would wish them out of the arena in a second.

Johnny models a more traditional noseband setup

It’s interesting to me that for such a basic piece of leather, that there are boundless options that elicit so many opinions from horsepeople. Whatever your style, or beliefs, or discipline, I’m guessing you took some kind of consideration into what adorns your trusty steed’s snout.

Or, you know, the naked nose works too!

What do you use on your horse? What is your rule for tightening, if you use a crank or otherwise? What nosebands do you avoid at all costs? What options would you consider other than your current choice?

Not too long ago, amidst some random equestrian googling (side conversation: am I the only one who does this?), I came across an interesting little ditty featuring the prodigious William Fox Pitt touting neck straps.

As one of the many (I assume) that falls prey to jumping anxiety from time to time, I’ll gladly add something to my mount’s attire to make the experience safer. It wouldn’t hurt of course if the addition of a bit of leather around my horse’s neck also increased the size of my jumping balls. (Which are scientifically proven to be a smaller, much less impressive size than my dressaging balls, but yet still prove to be massive compared to my trail riding balls. There’s a difference.)

A time when I had bigger balls. Kind of. Actually I remember being terrified walking that course.

My original assumption regarding neck straps was that they came in two forms- a leftover stirrup leather, or a belt. The C4 belts seem to be growing in popularity recently in the eventing world, and little wonder- we eventers go ballistic over anything that can be customized to our cross country colors.

It turns out though that there are a variety of neck straps on the market though- ranging from colorful nylon versions akin to the C4 belts, to thick stirrup-leather styles, and more. The type that appeals to me most is the Nunn Finer version, but I may just be falling prey to the clever product description. Because who doesn’t need an Oh Shit strap?

So, blogosphere- I want to know- how many of you follow WFP’s lead and don your horse’s neck with some extra hardware? Have any of you found the neck strap to be useful, or otherwise? Is this just a cross country thing, or does it translate to showjumping or even flatting as well? Comment with your thoughts!