Category: Reviews

Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I have to give Aztec Diamond props for their customer service. I asked a lot of questions via Facebook and email before I ordered, and they always answered in a timely and pleasant manner. When I was finally ready to order I just told them what I wanted via email and they sent me a Paypal invoice (the cart on their website is not set up for international orders yet). Super convenient for me since I had some money sitting in my Paypal balance anyway. My package arrived in just 4 business days. Really impressive considering most of the things I order here in North America take longer than that to get to my door.

I ended up getting the Houndstooth Luxe breeches, the Monochrome Luxe show shirt, and a pair of socks. I’ve been obsessing over the Aztec Diamond website for months… I had very high hopes for them but honestly was terrified I was going to be disappointed. Luckily that was not the case. They came nicely packaged, which – let’s face it, first impressions matter – really helps give you the feeling of a high end product with thought and care behind it.  I almost didn’t even want to take the tags off. Everything looked really nice right out of the box, and to my extreme relief it all fit perfectly! I would say the fit is pretty similar to low rise front zip Trophy Hunters or most low rise Animo models. The fit is snug and close to your skin but since they’re so light and stretchy you don’t get that “I’m trapped in sausage casing” feeling.

The breeches definitely have similar styling to Animo and other high end brands, but with lighter weight fabric. The details are impeccable and well thought out, from the euro seat to the sock bottom to the anatomic design of the knee. They were so comfortable I just sat around in them for hours before heading to the barn. It’s hard for me to say this because I’ve always been such a diehard Animo devotee, but these might actually be even more comfortable. The lighter weight fabric is really nice to have in our warm climate. I honestly struggled to come up with any complaints about these breeches, but if I was being super picky the knee grippers are not as “sticky” as the Animo ones. I’m a big fan of maximum grip and the Animo have spoiled me a bit there.

A major selling point of these breeches is how FLATTERING they are, in addition to being really beautiful. I got lots of compliments while wearing them… Trainer dubbed them my “Fancypants” and immediately asked if ADE made men’s breeches too.

I’ve worn them 4 times so far and washed them twice (mostly because I wanted to see how they laundered before I posted this) and they came out looking perfect. Just a simple cold water wash and hang dry and they’re good to go again. Also, fellow swamp-ass sufferers take note – these showed very little sweat. You really would have had to put your face up to my butt to notice, and that would be awkward. I also spent some time climbing through a log pile yesterday at the barn (don’t ask) and completely busted ass, scraping my knees and legs along the pile of logs and sticks on my way down. No fear – the breeches came out unscathed. That gives me even more hope for good longevity.

At this price point I have not found any other breeches that I like this much. I definitely like them more than my Tailored Sportsman’s, which were a good bit more expensive. The fit, fabric, and design are all superior in my opinion. The Houndstooth Luxe breeches are one of ADE’s pricier models but still only came in around $138 USD. Take note: non-EU buyers are exempt from VAT, and VAT is included in the prices listed on their website, so immediately take 20% off the top of the list price.

I will wait to review the shirt in a separate post once I’ve had the chance to wear it a bit. Good to note though – it’s Scotchgarded! How genius is that? As far as the socks, I will say that you should definitely toss a pair of of them into the cart with your order… I found the weight to be absolutely perfect. Not too thick, not too thin, and they almost have a silky feel to them. For $8 they’re a great buy. Hey Aztec Diamond – PLEASE make these in more colors! I’d buy them all!

The blue Flight breeches will be the next addition to my collection. I also hear that they have plans for tan breeches sometime this year, and several different colors next year so keep your eye on their website, facebook, and Instagram for those. In the mean time… I have a few pair of Tailored Sportsman’s for sale if anyone is interested. 😉 ADE and Animo only for this girl!

 

Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m on the bandwagon.

I had a Thinline Trifecta for 4 years before buying the Ogilvy and really liked it. But after that much use the Thinline was starting to die, and since it was time for a new pad I decided to take another look into all my options. I narrowed it down to the Ecogold, the Equifit, and the Ogilvy. I have to admit that at first I really resisted all the Ogilvy hype. The pretty colors are great, but my brain needs to see some kind of “science” to understand how things work, and despite lots of searching and a few inquiries I just couldn’t find any. But a couple of friends (whose opinions almost never steer me wrong) really liked theirs so I figured I’d buy one and if I didn’t like it I’d just sell it and buy another Thinline. So I hemmed and hawed for a few days about color options before deciding on navy pad, navy binding, a row of white and a row of light blue piping, then finally placed an order from The Tack Shop of Austin (act surprised – they get all my money).

I will admit that when I first took it out of the package I thought “OMG this is huge”. I also may or may not have cuddled with it for a little while and used it at as a butt cushion for sitting on the bleachers. When I tacked up I thought “OMG this is REALLY HUGE”. My CWD fits my horse pretty darn well… if anything it’s a teeny smidge tight in the shoulder. So at first I was pretty alarmed, thinking this thing would make the fit a disaster.

I got on and thought “Whoa, it’s like sitting on a giant pillow…” but then I walked around the ring a couple times, letting the memory foam squish and mold, then tightened my girth and by then it felt pretty darn good. Still a little bit “farther away” from the horse’s back than the Thinline I was used to, but I didn’t feel perched above the horse like I do in, say, a Beval pad. After trotting and cantering around for a while I also definitely felt like there was more shock absorption than my Thinline, which is saying a lot because I found the Thinline pretty darn shock absorbing. I have mild scoliosis and am prone to back pain, but my back has been pretty darn happy. I also thought that it quieted down some of the motion from the horse and made the trot a bit easier to sit. Of course, that could conversely mean that the horse doesn’t feel my seat quite as clearly, but for my particular very sensitive horse that’s probably a good thing. Dressage folks or people with less sensitive creatures might find that less desirable than I do.

I personally have not found that it effects my saddle fit negatively. The sweat marks are actually a bit better now and the horse has stayed happy… I think the Ogilvy condenses in the tight spots to be thinner than the Thinline was with it’s thick cotton quilt backing. The pressure seems more evenly distributed all over his back. He was not ever back sore in the Thinline nor has he ever been back sore in the Ogilvy, so I have no basis of comparison there except to say he’s seemed equally happy in both. I have noticed that his walk has gotten a bit more free and loose, but the use of the Ogilvy also coincided with the beginning of our flatwork boot camp, so I can’t definitively say which thing caused the improvement. I also had a slight slippage issue with the Thinline but haven’t had any with the Ogilvy – it stays very solidly in place.

I will say that I see some people on Instagram saying quite often that this pad will make any saddle fit any horse. I definitely don’t buy that – I don’t think any pad will fix a truly poor fitting saddle, this one included. I can absolutely see it improving the fit of a less than ideal saddle, but I just don’t think anything will actually fix a really bad one. So if people are buying this pad, or any pad, thinking that it’s going to make a square peg fit a round hole they are probably going to be sorely disappointed (no pun intended).

There is no doubt that the Ogilvy is very well made – impeccable, really – and washes up very well and easily. I do think that if I were ordering again I wouldn’t opt for such light colored piping… it gets dirty too quickly and my OCD can’t take it. The foam inserts are high quality and look just as good as the day I bought it, they have not broken down at all. Of course, we’re only 2 months in to our relationship so we’ll see how it holds up over time. I wish the covers weren’t so expensive, otherwise I’d order a couple of spares and just rotate them.

All in all I’ve been happy with my Ogilvy purchase and so has my horse. It works well for our needs. I would encourage anyone who is half pad shopping to give Ogilvy a look and see if they might work for them too. I was a skeptic but now I’m a convert.

Pros:

-very well made
-easy to wash
-absorbs shock well
-sits under the saddle well, doesn’t slip
-the color options are endless

Cons:

-it’s hard to justify $125 for an extra cover when the whole pad is $200
-no scientific information available to prove how or why it works

I should preface this by saying that I’m one of those riders who has always lived in tank tops during the summer. This is Texas, it’s HOT here. Less clothes seems like the obvious best solution. Or so I thought until I found Kastel.

I’ve been eyeballing all these different sunshirts since they first really hit the equine market. My interest was piqued but I was a solid skeptic. Sure I get how they protect you from the sun, and that’s fantastic, but how do they really keep you cool? In my mind there was just no way long sleeves could be as comfortable in 100 degree heat, but I was curious enough to investigate. I tried on/felt as many different brands as I could find… Riding Sport, Tailored Sportsman, EIS, Kerrits, RJ Classics, Ariat. I had a complaint with all of them – usually the fabric or the lack of SPF protection. Of those the TS was my favorite but it ran pretty short and I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that. And really – were these things worth the price anyway?

I had read a lot of positive things about Kastel’s fabric and it just so happened that the local tack shop (yet another shout out to The Tack Shop of Austin) carried them, so I went in to check them out. The plan was – if I liked it – to buy one. I came out of there with 3. THREE, not one. Oops. The fabric felt amazing, the fit was excellent, and the colors were great. At $75 they’re pretty averagely priced for a sunshirt, although I am a huge cheapskate on a perpetual tight budget and will admit that it hurt a little to drop that kind of money on shirts. But I liked them and I was curious, and as SO put it “your skin is worth it”…  all that was left was to determine if they really lived up to the hype.

The first few rides were a great test – one was in the evening around 7:30pm in 95 degrees with average humidity, another was in the early afternoon around 1:30pm in 99 degrees with low humidity, and the last was early in the morning around 8am in 80 degrees with very high humidity. I felt like that gave me a pretty darn good idea of how well they worked in a variety of conditions, and I have to say: I was sold on the first ride. They’re so comfortable, so light, but when you start sweating and any kind of air hits them (even the tiniest breeze), it feels divine. At first it was a little weird to have fabric covering my arms… when you get hot your first instinct is to expose more skin. I had to resist the urge and just let the fabric do it’s job.

Since then I’ve worn them several more times and I like them more and more. They wash really well – I just toss them in with my breeches and cycling clothes then hang them out on the line. In 15 minutes they are bone dry and look as good as new.

The thing to remember is that these shirts don’t stop you from sweating. It’s summer, you’re outside, you’re going to sweat buckets. What they DO do however is a) protect you from the sun b) help keep you cooler while you’re working and cool you down faster. Since I’ve been riding in these, when I get in my car after the barn I turn the AC off and ride home with the windows down – when it’s still 90+ degrees out! Pretty sure that’s never happened before. Any kind of air hitting that fabric feels like you’re wearing your own personal AC unit, so the actual AC feels COLD. I’ve had Icefil cycling stuff before, but this is seriously next level magic here. I will definitely be buying more of them.

Pros:

– Sun Protection
– Cooling fabric
– Lots of fun colors
– Great fit

Cons:

– at SPF 30 the level of sun protection is right on par with most of the other brands on the market, but a couple are as high as SPF 50 so it’s not the highest available.
– as with all things, I wish they were a little cheaper. I think the price is fair in comparison to other brands, but of course cheaper would be better.

A couple weeks ago on Instagram one clothing company asked “How would you describe your riding clothing style?”. My reply was instant – classic with a modern twist. Sounds weird, I know, so let me explain. I love the look of rust breeches, brown boots, wide hunting bridles, and tweed coats. But I also love modern design and comfortable fabrics. If Animo ever makes rust breeches, my pocketbook is in serious trouble.

This spring I decided it was about time to retire my well worn Ariat Volants and find a new pair of schooling boots. But this time I decided I wanted brown. Here’s where I should mention: I am picky. I really like a Spanish top, a slightly squared toe, elastic laces and I was super particular about what shade I wanted. Not too dark, not too red (my complaint with each of Ariat’s brown shades). I spent weeks pouring over every corner of the internet in search of just the right boot. Unfortunately I also had a budget of under $400. That ruled out just about everything. Custom brown Parlanti’s, how I love thee, but alas it just was not meant to be.

Finally I stumbled onto a Dutch website called Divoza. And there, shining like a beacon of all things fabulous, I found the Mondoni Kingston.

They were exactly the color I had in mind, plus they had all the modern styling. I spent some time googling to find out more about the brand (good luck deciphering Dutch message boards) and found out that Mondoni is Divoza’s house brand. So basically – that’s the only place I could get them. But they were only $225, so for that price I figured it was worth taking a gamble. Then began my obsession with the size chart and many back and forth emails with poor Divoza’s customer service reps. I formally apologize to them for being a pain the ass. But I finally figured out what size I needed, ordered them, and voila – 4 days later they arrived from the Netherlands. No kidding – Four. Days. Divoza had them on the truck and sent me a tracking number within an hour of me placing my order. Pretty amazing.

When I pulled them out of the box it was love at first zip. They were beautiful and fit pretty darn well. It’s now been 4 months and I still love them. Brown is fabulous. For the price these boots are pretty nice. Are they as nice as my Ariat Monaco’s? No. But they’re also a quarter of the price. I get compliments on them constantly, and just looking at them makes me happy. I’ve even shown in them a few times… having a jumper has it’s fashion perks.

I will say that brown requires a little more upkeep. I don’t know if I’m being overprotective but scratches and rubs seem to show more. I polish them about once a month with chocolate polish, which has given them a really beautiful rich color. I’m also not sure that they’ll survive many years of daily abuse, but they’re very comfortable and I can wear them all day with no complaints. And again – for such a reasonable price they still seem like a good value to me even if I only get a few years out of them.

The best part is that if you sign up for Divoza’s email newsletter, they send out a 25% off coupon code about once a month. That makes the boots only about $200 USD including shipping. Definitely a good buy for that price!