an ode to Maryland Saddlery

I'm a bit under the weather right now ..... ugh. I blame the imminent hurricane (which is threatening to ruin all our big show plans this weekend, boo!) (also, haha puns). So this post is photo-heavy and content-light. Just the way you like it, right? Lolz...

It's also more or less an ode to my local tack shop, the Maryland Saddlery (and also used tack shopping in general). No... I did not buy a saddle (tho I seriously tried - details below)... but I did buy some other stuff, so that's kinda fun too, right?

Like this sticker! Who could resist? Look at that face - doesn't it remind you of.... someone? 

Ohhh yea, there she is! You can't honestly tell me that it isn't her portrait in that sticker. And yes this is me embracing the long mane haha

Ok so I didn't actually buy these - was just browsing the consignment stirrup collection (mostly traditional fillis irons, with a pair of Compositi stirrups tossed in for good measure) and saw a few sets of these racing irons. These weighed like... nothing haha. But were also so tiny!

Also in consignment I found a pair of pink-ish rust schooling breeches. Which obviously I had to have. I know there are rust breeches haters out there... but... I've kinda always wanted a pair. And these are a really interesting hue so... mine now! Plus another girth for Isabel (thus completing my full set of gear for the mare independent of the owner) and a browband. For a whopping total of $11 because the rewards system at this shop is bonkers. Seriously - if you're in the area sign up for their rewards program.

I also browsed the used saddle section and was immediately drawn to this beauty - a 17.5" medium Fontaine Laura. 

Readers may recall I was riding in barn mate Kaitlyn's 16.5 wide Fontaine Lyon for a couple weeks and loved it. Ultimately that saddle didn't work because it was sitting down on Izzy's back, but I *loved* it. So when I saw a differently sized version of the (almost) same saddle obviously I was ready to write a check right then and there.

Fortunately tho, the shop's trial policy is pretty generous, so I could take it home and play around a little bit before committing. 

Which.... I'm glad I did. Le sigh. 

See, I really didn't like how the panels were in such uneven contact down the front. It's hard to tell in the pics (sorry!) but look at the shadows between the white dots in the panel and Izzy's shoulder, then compare to the shadow at the bottom of both sides. It was practically not in contact at all at the top of the panel, and pinched at the bottom. Ugh.....

And there didn't seem to be much better contact with the rear panels either. So I guess this saddle was just completely the wrong.... everything... for Isabel. Fml. I didn't even bother riding in it. 

Instead I popped on my dressage saddle and the circus bridle to hit the trails. And my circus bridle has undergone yet another facelift with maybe positive results lol. 

The red nose piece originally came with a nylon headstall (also purchased in the consignment section at a previous date lol)  that didn't fit the mare. So I put it on my spare bridle's headstall, a musty dusty brown horse-sized thing. It was ugly but whatever, it's just a trail bridle right?

But then when I started riding Bali (and was too lazy to trek up to the lesson shed every time I rode him), I made him his own bridle - that janky black and brown thing. It's that same musty dusty brown headstall with Isabel's dressage bit, the HS KK ultra (plus the attached black reins). 

So now the rest of Isabel's dressage bridle (a pnny-sized Horseware of Ireland bridle that I got from MD Saddlery for free using the rewards points I earned from buying my dressage saddle there - score!) is sitting idle and I figured it'd do to hold the mechanical hackamore piece of our trail bridle - aka the circus bridle.

And I actually think it looks pretty sharp with the black. Maybe this will be more of a go-to setup for the bridle.... or maybe I just need to get another black headstall specifically for the circus bridle? Lol decisions decisions :)  How many bridles do you have? And do you buy a lot of used tack? Or have a favorite local tack shop?