Yep, Teddy’s Tack Trunk strikes again, this time with a whole set of grooming stuff that I never knew I needed. They’ve already won me over with their awesome Leistner brushes and the Zephyr’s Garden Anti-fungal line, converting me to a total grooming supply snob in the process. Really nice brushes are a vital part of life now.
This time I got the “Hoof and Leg bundle“, a package deal put together and sold by Teddy’s Tack Trunk. This set arrived just as the torrential rains started here in Texas, which proved to be impeccable timing. The bundle includes:
Leistner Natural Coco Fiber Brush – Pure coco fiber bristles with a lacquered beech wood base. This medium stiff brush has dense bristles that are great for removing mud and grime. Coco fiber is water resistant, impedes break down by salt water, and will last a long time. The smaller, hand-held size is comfortable to use, especially on the legs.
Leistner Natural Hoof Brush with Handle – Hoof washing brush with beech wood handle. Stiff, natural fiber bristles on the end for tough scrubbing with natural Mexican fiber (also known as Tampico) bristles for cleaning. Also makes a great bucket brush. Helps to keep hooves healthy. Use after picking and during bathing.
Leistner Natural Bristle Hoof Oil Brush – Premium brush made of natural bristles with a natural beech wood handle. Use to apply hardener or medication to hoof.
The Ultimate Hoof Pick, Jr. – The Ultimate Hoof Pick, Jr. features a superior ergonomic design and pick angle to help remove the toughest packed-in dirt, mud and snow. It is designed for comfort with a soft rubber grip handle that fits solidly in your hand. The Ultimate Hoof Pick has a durable stainless steel pick, which makes it unbendable, unbreakable and built to last a lifetime.
The bundle with the hoof pick included is $42.45, or you can get it without the hoof pick (brushes only) for $27.50.
Typically I shy away from any brush with bristles that would be considered even remotely stiff. Princess Henry does not like hard/stiff bristled brushes, and I try not to upset the Princess. The coco fiber wasn’t super stiff, but definitely more than I’ve used on him before, and it had me a little bit worried about what his reaction would be. To my surprise he actually doesn’t mind it at all, and it works really well at getting the heavier dirt off of his butt and the chunks of mud off his legs. The coco fiber bristles are actually really cool, I like it a lot.
The hoof brush was interesting to me. We have really thick, clay based mud here in this part of Texas, and it builds up on the horse’s feet like crazy and sticks like glue. If it’s muddy I usually hose off as much as I can then use my hands to pick away at the rest. Who knew there was a brush that was actually meant for that job? This thing works great to help get the mud off faster (and does an especially good job of getting it all out from the sensitive area behind the pasterns, something that I usually failed to do but is really important if your horse lives in bell boots like mine does) and it’s really easy to rinse clean. The size and shape make this brush useful for lots of different things (I’ve also used it to scrub out a bucket and get mud/poop off of some XC boots), so it’s definitely earned a spot in my trunk.
There’s not a lot to a hoof oil brush, but it’s definitely a useful thing to have around. In the summers I use Effol on Henry’s feet to keep them from drying out, and in the wet seasons I apply thrush medication, so I can pretty much always find a use for it. My last one (a cheapie with an ugly red plastic handle and plastic bristles) fell apart last summer, so I had been slathering the Effol on his feet with my hands. This one is way nicer than the previous one, so hopefully it will last quite a while. The natural fibers lend to better application and are much easier to clean, too.
I have been a long-time fan of the Ultimate Hoof Pick (I prefer the Junior size, I think it’s easier to hold than the bigger one) and already have one in my regular grooming kit. It’s never a bad idea to have a spare, though, so this one went into the little trunk that lives in my trailer. Now I’ll have one with me wherever I go! Nothing works as well as the Ultimate Hoof Pick and they last forever, so it’s a definite must-have item.
Overall this is a great little bundle full of several “essential” items, all of which are great quality and do their jobs really well. The Leistner line continues to impress me with their high quality materials, excellent construction, and beautiful finish. I have yet to be disappointed with any of it.
As I unpacked my most recent box from Riding Warehouse, I found myself holding Henny’s boring little white Flair strips in my hands, lamenting the fact that they don’t come in navy. Or rainbow. Or unicorn. They do have hot pink and aqua but ew no. Then it hit me… it’s not really a plain white Flair strip, it’s a blank canvas!
I mean… if he’s gonna wear a nasal strip at summer horse shows to help him breathe, he may as well own the hell out of it, right? Just picture it:
ok, granted, badass Henny Flair strip will most likely not turn me into BDJ.
This is happening. The wheels are already in motion for a Flair DIY and no one can stop me.
It wouldn’t be the first fancy Flair strip in existence.
Henny is the biggest weirdo I know, he definitely deserves more than the standard plain white Flair strip on his nose.
he’s a special snowflake
Side note: hey Flair, how much bribery and sweet talk would it take to get a custom thing going for me? Because HENNY.
I think we can blame this one on my derriere’s love for French saddles combined with my wallet’s general state of emptiness. It all started back in 2011 when I desperately wanted to get my hands on a CWD but, with two horses to pay for, had a tiny budget. I combed the internet for the exact configuration I was looking for and, miraculously, one popped up on a French classified site. Many awkward half French/half English emails and $1050 later, I had my unicorn saddle and a new internet obsession.
not a bad investment
Once you get a taste of victory it’s hard to stop. No surprise, French saddles are just a lot cheaper in Europe. My Devoucoux Makila came from Germany; also a really good deal. Now that I’m super obsessed with getting a Loreak I find myself wandering around French classifieds at least twice a week. Not that I have the funds to actually buy one right now, but ya know… details. Despite taking French for 2 years, I really don’t speak much of it. I know numbers, colors, days of the week, basic food items and, now, literally every single tack related word you can imagine. If you need a sangle, collier de chasse, or some guêtres, I’m all over it.
Those guetres cuir though, girl
I can read enough to decipher the classified ads, but I’m not so great at forming coherent emails. I got a fluent friend to help me out, and now I have a generic inquiry email saved, just in case I need to ask about a saddle. I also have a wanted ad drafted, for when I’m ready to actively seek out that Loreak. I’m not crazy or anything. I prefer the word “prepared”. And hey, my obsession served me well in Paris last year… I could read all the tags on everything at the tack shop.
important life skills
I’ve spent enough time on Le Bon Coin (sorta like their craigslist) to where the search bar already knows what I want before I get more than one letter typed. Attractive Saddle is set to email me any time one comes up that meets my criteria. Otherwise I filter through all of my main sites and do general searches… Selle Expert, Equirodi, Selles Occasions, Notabene, Du Cheval, and a few others. I go hit up a French horse message board every once a while and page through their classified forum. I may or may not be a member of a couple difference French used saddle facebook groups (side note: super annoying facebook sellers are universal).
The real question is why do I do this? Some people like to window shop for horses, I like to window shop for saddles. I can’t help it. Just seeing them gets me daydreaming. You never know… the day might come where I finally find my unicorn Loreak or, my secondary pipe dream, a monoflap version of my CWD. Gotta keep on believing.
I was really excited to write this post about how it finally stopped raining. How everything is still pretty wet and muddy and gross, but the arena is dry enough, the horses are back to turnout, and we can technically get back to a regular riding schedule that doesn’t exclusively feature trotting down the shoulder of the road. How we’re 6″ of rain over the average for the year so far and I’m quite done, thanks. Until I got to the barn yesterday and SOMEONE had pulled a shoe. Womp womp.
granted, it’s really muddy
Luckily I randomly decided to buy an Easyboot several months ago when Riding Warehouse had them on sale. I’ve never been able to get any other boot to stay on him for more than 5 minutes and I wasn’t hopeful that this one would either, but last night we did a fairly intense dressage ride and it didn’t even budge. Score one point for the Easyboot Trail! If the farrier doesn’t make it out today I’ll slap the boot back on and jump him tonight.
because we’re finally to the point where this doesn’t look big anymore, and I want to keep it that way
In more exciting news, Trainer is moving a little bit closer to us. Hopefully soon she’ll be able to drive out to our place for lessons on at least a semi-regular basis. That could really be earth shattering for me… hauling 2 hours to meet her somewhere just doesn’t happen often between my schedule, her schedule, and the weather. Being able to take jump lessons more than once every couple months would be such a luxury at this point, especially if it didn’t require hauling out somewhere and paying an additional grounds fee. Maybe I could actually get my shit together? Hey, miracles happen.
Tomorrow we’re hauling out for a lesson with Dressage Trainer, the first one in quite a while (oops). Hopefully it’s not too big of a mess. I’m just so happy to have some nice weather again! I would be even happier if Henry had all 4 shoes.
The first time I did this post was January 2015, and since then I’ve done a blog move in which I lost most of my old pictures (including all the ones in that post) plus I have a mostly different line up of breeches. I figured it was time for a Volume 2. Granted, I just sold 3 pairs a few weeks ago so this probably would have been better to do before that, but… uh… I didn’t think about it til now.
These are already gone. Sorry sticky-butt breeches, you were too sticky.
The only breeches that I still have from Volume 1 are the navy Animo and the two pairs of Aztec Diamond’s. Those are staples. Aside from those, the current wardrobe includes RJ Classics, Winston, Renard et Cheval, Tailored Sportsman, QHP, La Valencio, and two models of Devon-Aire. For the sake of being thorough I’m gonna re-post the Animo and Aztec Diamond at the bottom of this volume too.
As for me, I’m 5’6″ and about as averagely built as one person can get. I wear a 36″ show shirt and a 30 breech, pretty much across the board. The only real fit issue I usually run into is that I’m a bit small in the waist and bigger in the hip/thigh, so things can tend to be either a little gappy in the waist or a little tight in the thigh.
Strap yourself in, because here we go. Sorry about the pics… I did them last minute and SO was grumpy about me interrupting his show to take a million pictures. Also Quinn helped.
RJ Classics
1 pair of the Gulf model in merlot size 30, front zip, low rise, euro seat. Retail approx $145
Fabric: 92% Nylon, 8% Elastic
Measurements:
Waist: 16″
Hips: 19″
Rise: 10.5″
Inseam to bottom: 23.5″
Belt loop size: 2.25″
Features:
mesh panel leg
front pockets
euro seat
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 5 Do they stretch out with wear: No Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft Do they dry quickly: Average Are they thick or thin: Average, maybe a bit thick # of wears (approx): about 10 so far (just got them a few weeks ago) Is there any fading? No Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty well Any fit issues: The sizing on these is definitely a bit generous. I could size down if I were more comfortable with a tighter fit in the thighs, but I’d rather have a little more space than something akin to sausage casing. The waist is a bit gappy but they DON’T fall down or sag if I don’t wear a belt, which is some kind of rare magic, so the size works.
Winston Equestrian
1 pair of white size 30, front zip, low rise, euro seat. Retail approx $300
Fabric: 64% cotton, 29% pa mic, 7% elastane
Measurements:
Waist: 15″
Hips: 18.25″
Rise: 10.5″
Inseam to start of sock bottom: 22″, inseam to bottom: 28″
Belt loop size: just shy of 2.5″
Features:
sock bottom
euro seat
front pockets
silver piping at front pockets
Fair warning, I’ve only worn these around the house so far, to get a feel for them. I won’t really test them out until the next show, so if I couldn’t give an answer to the below questions I left it blank. I’ll review them in better detail after I’ve worn them some.
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): Do they stretch out with wear: No Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Do they dry quickly: Are they thick or thin: Average # of wears (approx): Is there any fading? Is there any pilling? How well do they hide thigh cheese: Decently. Not as well of some of my thicker/stiffer fabrics (the trade-off for comfort). Any fit issues: None. These are the holy grail of fit for me, which is why I bought them.
Tailored Sportsman
1 pair of white Professional model size 30, side zip, low rise. Retail approx $235
Fabric: 67% cotton, 26% PA, 7% Elastene
Measurements:
Waist: 15″
Hips: 19″
Rise: 9.5″
Inseam to bottom: 23.5″
Belt loop size: 1 3/4″
Features:
velcro leg
front pockets
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 2 Do they stretch out with wear: Yes Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft Do they dry quickly: Fairly Are they thick or thin: Average # of wears (approx): maybe 10? Usually at shows. Is there any fading? No Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Decently. Any fit issues: These are fine. I don’t love side zip, and I prefer how these fit after they’ve stretched a bit (which they do). For some reason they tend to catch on my belly button ring a lot when I’m sitting. They’ve been my back-up pair for shows, but since I bought more these will get culled because I HATE VELCRO.
Renard et Cheval
1 pair of tan size 30, front zip, low rise. Can’t even find these online so I have no idea what retail is, I think I bought them on eBay.
Fabric: 91% cotton, 6% Poly, 3% Spandex
Measurements:
Waist: 16″
Hips: 19″
Rise: 9.5″
Inseam to bottom: 27″
Belt loop size: 2 1/4″
Features:
strechy panel in lower leg
front pockets
contrast knee patches
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 2 Do they stretch out with wear: Yes Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft Do they dry quickly: Fairly Are they thick or thin: Thin # of wears (approx): maybe 10? Usually at shows. Is there any fading? Yes Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Not very well Any fit issues: These are actually a little big on me in general, and they stretch out pretty quickly through the day. If I had them in a smaller size the proportions would probably work for me. The most annoying thing about these is that the pockets are really deep/big and the fabric scrunches up, which looks a bit sloppy. They’re really comfortable though.
QHP
1 pair of white Rose model size EU-42, front zip, low rise. Retail approx 100 Euros from Divoza.
Fabric: 58% cotton, 34% nylon, 8% spandex
Measurements:
Waist: 16″
Hips: 17″
Rise: 10″
Inseam to bottom: 28.5″
belt loop size: 1 3/4″
Features:
stretchy panel on lower leg
front and back pockets
euro seat
contrast piping at pockets
Fair warning, I’ve only worn these around the house so far, to get a feel for them. I won’t really test them out until the next show, so if I couldn’t give an answer to the below questions I left it blank. I’ll review them in better detail after I’ve worn them some.
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): Do they stretch out with wear: A little Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Do they dry quickly: Are they thick or thin: Average # of wears (approx): Is there any fading? Is there any pilling? How well do they hide thigh cheese: Not particularly well Any fit issues: These fit well in the waist but are a bit tight in the thigh – more a straight cut than a curvy cut. Also just a touch long and big in the lower leg.
La Valencio
1 pair of whites size EU-42, don’t remember the model, front zip, low rise. Retail approx 90 Euros from Divoza.
Fabric: Cotton 62%, Nylon 32%, Spandex 6%
Measurements:
Waist: 15″
Hips: 18″
Rise: 10″
Inseam to bottom: 28″
Belt loop size – 1 7/8″
Features:
Stretch panel on lower leg
Front and back pockets
euro seat
silicone grips at knees
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 2
Do they stretch out with wear: No Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: A bit stiff Do they dry quickly: Fairly Are they thick or thin: Thicker # of wears (approx): Around 15 Is there any fading? No Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Surprisingly well Any fit issues: These are a teeny bit long on me too, but I like these breeches and wish I’d bought more than one pair. They’re starting to look a bit off-white after a year of showing.
Devon-Aire Signature
1 pair of navy with white piping size 30, front zip, low rise. Retail approx $90.
Fabric: Polyamide 32%, Cotton 60%, Elastan 8%
Measurements:
Waist: 16.5″
Hips: 17.5″
Rise: 11″
Inseam to bottom: 27″
Belt loop size: 1 7/8″
Features:
stretchy leg panel
front pockets
euro seat
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 3 Do they stretch out with wear: just a little Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: a bit stiff Do they dry quickly: Fairly Are they thick or thin: Average # of wears (approx): 20ish Is there any fading? Yes, more than I’d like considering they’re fairly new. Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty well Any fit issues: These definitely have lots of extra room in the waist, I have to wear a belt with them or they start falling down pretty quickly. They run long and are big in the lower leg on me. If you’re tall/have big calves, they’d probably be ideal. For me there’s too much fabric at the ankle and it tends to bunch up. Still, I like them better than Pipers.
Devon-Aire Madrid
1 pair of navy size 30, front zip, low rise. Retail approx $100
Fabric: Nylon 68%, Cotton 22%, Elastan 10%
Measurements:
Waist: 16.5″
Hips: 17.5″
Rise: 10.5″
Inseam to bottom: 28″
Belt loop size: 1 7/8″
Features:
sock bottom
front pockets
euro seat with piping and contrast stitching
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 4 Do they stretch out with wear: No Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft Do they dry quickly: Fairly Are they thick or thin: Average # of wears (approx): 20ish Is there any fading? No Is there any pilling? No How well do they hide thigh cheese: Okay Any fit issues: These sit a bit better than the Signature model on me, likely due to the lower cotton content of the fabric (they don’t stretch out as you wear them or cling or sag). They’re still big in the waist and lower leg, but not as bad since there’s less excess fabric at the ankle.
Animo
1 pair of navy size I-42, don’t remember the model, front zip, low rise.
Measurements:
Waist: 15″
Hips: 18″
Rise: 10″
Inseam to start of sock bottom: 21″, inseam to bottom: 27″
belt loop size: 1 3/4″
Features:
4 pockets
sock bottoms
lined euro seat for comfort/anti-chafing
silicone knee patches
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): 4 Do they stretch out with wear: No Do they dry quickly: Fairly quickly Are they thick or thin: somewhere between average and a little bit thick # of wears (approx): A ton. I’ve had them for years. Is there any fading? Just starting to think about fading. Is there any pilling? At the back of the knee. How well do they hide thigh cheese: Fairly well. These are a bit too small on me so they’re less flattering than they could be. Any fit issues: Other than me being a bit too fat for them in general, no.
Aztec Diamond Equestrian
1 pair of blue Flight size UK12, 1 pair of black Houndstooth Luxe size UK12, front zip, low rise.
Measurements: (blue Flight)
Waist 15.25″
Hips 18.5″
Rise 10.5″
Inseam to start of sock bottom: 18″, inseam to bottom: 25″
Belt loops: 1 3/4″
Measurements for the Houndstooth pair: all identical except Houndstooth are 1/2″ bigger in hips.
Features:
4 pockets on Houndstooth
3 pockets on Flight
sock bottoms
silicone knee patches
lined euro seat
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): 4 Do they stretch out with wear: No Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft Do they dry quickly: Very quickly Are they thick or thin: thin # of wears (approx): I’ve had the Houndstooth for 2 years and the Flight for a year and a half, and I wear them both regularly, so a lot. Is there any fading? No. Is there any pilling? No. How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty well. Any fit issues: None, honestly. The Houndstooth are my best fitting schooling breeches. Important to note though, ADE seems to have changed their fit a bit since I bought these. The last pair I got were considerably smaller in the hip/thigh to the point of making them basically unwearable for me. If you’re a bit bigger in those areas, I would size up.
