Equipment
Everything about equestrian clothing and equipment.
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My new riding whip
To reward myself for going through successfully a quite harsh year, and to celebrate my first year as an equestrian, I ordered a great whip from Amazon. I had expected it for days and kept checking the mailboxes and the hall’s reception for Royal Mail notices. Today as I woke up I thought I should check again. So, I went to the stairs, looked down through them and noticed a neat cylindric parcel. I immediately assumed what it was; my new whip! I ran towards the mailbox spot like a kid running to the Christmas tree and grabbed the package. The first think I noticed was a flawless cylinder and…
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How is a western saddle made?
Tonight I wanted to see how a western saddle is made. The western saddle is quite different to the English one, as it is custom-made, with a horn at the front for the ropes and several layers of leather, to offer comfortable riding to the western cowboys. This sort of saddle is made to last for many, many years. It’s so complicated, it blows my mind! But, above all, a western saddle is definitely a piece of art, which is worth some extra effort! Here’s a short video which shows how a western saddle is made:
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How is an English saddle made?
So, when you start your riding journey, you learn what a saddle is, how it’s fitted, what kind of saddle it for what kind of sports etc. But when do you learn how a saddle is made? I remember my grandfather, retired, sitting in his workshop to making saddles for his friends’ donkeys. I still have this image in my mind. So, I always wanted to learn how a modern, horse saddle is made. The following video gave me an idea about how English saddles are made. And it reminds me that I didn’t inherit my grandfather’s talent! Saddlery is definitely not a job for me!
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The equestrian grooming tools and how to use them
I opened the BHS complete Training Manual for Stage 1 stored on my Kindle to learn about the instruments that are necessary to groom a horse. So, it’s called “gooming kit” and it includes the following: All grooming instruments must be kept clean, to stop disease spreading. Source: Islay Auty & Margaret Linington-Payne, “The BHS Complete Training Manual for Stage 1” (Official handbook), The British Horse Society, Kenilworth Press, 2012
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Equine elegance: challenging the established dressage outfit
A recently published article on the website of Horse and Hound made me reflect about the clothing riders wear at dressage shows. So, as far as I understand, there are specific clothes and colours that you have to wear when you participate in a dressage event, with black and white dominating. And, of course, ladies are expected to do something about their hair on the day. And spurs are compulsory on the top levels. And shirts must be white. And gloves as well. I also see that there are specific norms about the appearance of dressage horses as well. I haven’t watched any dressage performance where the horse’s mane is…
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The story of this girl will make you take your safety more seriously
I have spoken about helmets before, I am aware of that and I’m going to do it again probably. But today I want to show you a video I found on YouTube, made by a girl who is alive thanks to her helmet, which she hadn’t appreciated too much before her fall. The young lady was doing jumping work, when her horse began to refuse. She fell and ended up to hospital, having broken her helmet, instead of her head. I know what non-helmet riding enthusiasts will say; helmets do more harm than good sometimes. I think that an appropriate helmet is needed, you know, the one that fits your…