Saturday, May 30, 2015

gear + other miscellany

I've written a lot over the past months about the process of slowly collecting gear for our new discipline - eventing. And man, this sport takes a LOT of gear haha. 

So with two back two back events in very recent memory, here's a quick recap of what I've been using for the sake of documentation, plus a few thoughts on how it's working out.

Attire:


  
  
  • Ariat white short sleeved show shirt - mostly reserved for the hottest days, but white is boring for jumping lol
  • Tredstep Symphony KP breeches - Love these pants so much I ordered a FS pair in white and have a blue pair for schooling
  • Mango Bay belt
  • One K Defender helmet


  
  • Tipperary protective vest in navy (sweet eBay score!)
  • SmartPak SunShield long sleeve shirts (blue and white) - Got these on sale a while back and probably won't buy more. They're ok in a breeze, but not nearly as cool as I hoped. I wore the white for dressage under my show coat and the blue for jumping at Loch Moy. The blue color is lovely, the shirts are flattering, and I like the zip collar, but they are just not great in hot temperatures. Fine for spring and fall tho.
  • Mondoni Kingston boots. Learned about these boots from Amanda's review. This is likely not the first nor last time she has incited someone to click 'buy' lol.



  • RJ Essentials Show Coat in Navy. I like navy - I want to wear navy in dressage. But this coat isn't quite right (it seems too hunter-y plus it's a little warm for summer). So I got the Horseware Competition Jacket in Navy - which is, um, a whole different take on the hue. Any thoughts on whether that coat is too blue for dressage?
  • Tredstep Davinci field boots
  • SmartPak Competition Pinny



Tack/Equipment:

  • Bates Isabel Dressage Saddle
  • Bates Caprilli Close Contact Saddle
  • Horseware Dressage Bridle


  • Ovation Gel Body Form Dressage Girth
  • Lettia CoolMax Fleece Girth
  • Herm Sprenger KK Ultra loose ring bits (x2)


 
  • Back on Track Saddle Pad
  • Majyk Equipe Cross Country Boots
  • Compositi Stirrups


PHEW. So much stuff omg. But I *think* we're all set - nothing else needed hopefully for a long time. Hopefully. (And actually maybe don't tell me if I'm missing something haha). What about you - do you have everything you need gear-wise? Any big recent additions? Or something exciting hovering on the horizon?

****

Also - as a somewhat random aside: Lauren recently posted about tips and tricks for equestrian blog content including pointers about image use (awesome series btw!), and Aimee chimed in with more thoughts about using and formatting cell phone pictures and video stills. 

These posts seemed to generate a lot of interest so I wanted to also point out another non-equestrian blog post on recommendations for formatting images. I found it super helpful (and adopted many of the ideas) so maybe it's worth sharing. Hope you're having a good weekend!

14 comments:

  1. I'm curious - how do you like the Back on Track saddle pad for, say XC? I thought the idea was to help warm up the back...does it get too hot?

    I have no new additions to my gear for the summer season at all. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i like the BoT pad a lot actually - and the brown pad i use pretty consistently for schooling is the same kind. i think the 'warming up' functionality has more to do with increasing circulation rather than straight up heat insulation.

      for example - this past weekend was quite warm and isabel's sweat pattern from the BoT pad on saturday mostly mimicked the saddle shape, whereas her sweat pattern from sunday using a different saddle pad (and a strictly walk-trot workout) was the full area covered by the pad, not just the saddle area. so i think the BoT might be more breathable than other pads on the market, if that helps at all haha

      Delete
  2. I'm in full-fledged safety upgrade mode. Started with a new skullcap for XC, am ditching the Tipp for a Beta 3 approved vest, and ordered a new helmet for stadium/dressage. Otherwise, god I hope i'm done buying tack and stuff for a while, I have too much crap as it is. Oh and yes, Horseware's navy is more like french blue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. a new vest is on my horizon too... but i'm hoping to make it through with the tipp for a little while longer. will be super curious to hear your thoughts on your new vest!

      Delete
  3. ooo i love seeing new gear! makes me want to head for the tack shop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha i feel the same way - so by listing it out i actually hope to tell myself that i do NOT need to go to the tack shop any time soon lol

      Delete
  4. Whew..that is a lot of stuff! I love your stock tie..very pretty! I'd love to get my grubby money-spending hands on a close-contact saddle one day. AND those gorgeous boots!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sooo much stuff lol. and that stock tie is maybe among my favorites of the pack - esp bc it seems to be holding up quite nicely after a couple uses :D

      Delete
  5. Wow that is a collection! I love those brown boots - you make them look so good! -Courtney

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks - i've been drooling over those boots pretty much forever and now wear them constantly. the brown is perfect!

      Delete
  6. I totally dig the brown boots! Never enough collection ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks haha - and there's always more stuff to collect.... always lol

      Delete
  7. How are you liking the Compositi stirrups? I have a pair now and have been meaning to do a review of them, but I still can't decide what I think of them! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i actually really like them. i find it very easy to put my feet where i want them, and feel like i don't lose my stirrups as often as maybe i did before (tho it still happens). plus i appreciate how light weight they are when i've got my arms full of gear back and forth to the trailer - and little bit helps!

      my only complaint was when they were fairly new and i was dismounting after running cross country. i kicked my foot out of the stirrup relative to the weight of a heavier stirrup, not these light things, and my foot didn't come fully free when i hopped off - meaning i got a bit tangled. fortunately isabel is short and i'm perhaps more flexible than i realized, so no harm no foul. but definitely worth keeping in mind!

      Delete

Thanks for leaving a comment! You may need to enable third party cookies in your browser settings if you have trouble using this form.