matchy matchy ottb!!

I've been a fan of OTTBs for... well, a while. Some of the most influential horses in my riding life have been off the track (Ellie Mae, Lad, and Harry, to name a few. plus other beloveds like Bali). And I've kinda always figured that my first horse would be off the track too.

Obviously, if you've been following along, you know that girlhood dream finally became a reality this past September! And I've been acting like a gleeful 12yo ever since lol.

yep this pleases me!

Up to and including collecting all sorts of fun new stuff for new guy Charlie! And the latest? This sweet navy saddle pad with gold rope trim and gold embroidered OTTB logo!!! From Maryland Saddlery's consignment section for a song too.

Obviously it was meant to be, especially given how perfectly it matches our newest Dark Jewel Designs browband currently adorning our jump bridle!!

yup yup yup

I'm more pleased than I have any right to be about this matchy matchy set up haha - perhaps in part bc it's so much more flamboyant than what anybody else at this conservative h/j barn puts on their horses haha. #rebeleventers lol

Oooh and I also picked up another new piece of tack: a new Nunn Finer jump strap. Probably I could have taken Izzy's running martingale apart and just used the neck strap from that.... but whatever. I like having a neck strap on the horse for two reasons:

1) My jump trainer P requires neck straps for all students jumping her horses, and strongly urges us ship-ins to follow suit.

and,

2) If you remember the FCE Rider Safety Survey I conducted this past summer, neck straps were one of only two items that survey respondents overwhelmingly credited with preventing or reducing the severity of accidents, with exactly zero reported downsides to the equipment. (Recall the other equipment that received equal credit were riding gloves - which I also typically wear).

definitely already looking like a hoarder haha

So yea. The collection grows. As does the degree of color coordination haha. Only problem now is that I'm seriously running out of storage... Bc yea, those saddle pads stuffed up precariously on top of my saddle are only a small fraction of all the pads I own at this point... And as evidenced by this tack room shot, we're definitely a little tight on space.

Oh well. What was I supposed to do tho, not get that awesome saddle pad?!? Lol of course not!! ;)

What about you - do you find yourself collecting more and more saddle pads? Or anything else? Do you like being matchy matchy too?