Emma does a post like this every year and I think it’s pretty fun to read through. I like seeing what everyone else is using at shows, especially the little things that might not normally command that much attention. Plus sometimes seeing other people’s stuff can really inspire some legit #tackgoals. I love those. Fair warning, not a single picture in this post actually shows the current state of everything, since I tweaked a couple things at the last show, yet didn’t get pictures, yet forgot half of my own tack anyway. Winning. But all the pics have at least most of the things.
For dressage my world revolves around the Devoucoux Loreak. She is my baby and I love her and she was worth every damn penny. When I had my previous saddle I was using a regular thickness Ogilvy half pad under it, but the D3D panels on the Loreak fit him pretty well, so I got the thinner gummy Ogilvy pad (from Peony!) instead. At shows it sits atop a white Back on Track dressage pad. I’m not convinced the BOT has any magical powers but at the very least Henry has no strong hatred towards it, which is as close as he gets to actually liking something.
Our dressage girth is a Nunn Finer Piaffe… I specifically wanted a girth with humane ends and no elastic, and this one has fit the bill perfectly and has held up great over the years. I was worried it might not work with the widely spaced Devoucoux billets but it’s been fine. I have old Bates webbers that I bought from Trainer that are perhaps not in the best of shape but they work, and then my old Royal Rider stirrups that I’ve had forever. I kinda like the all blacked out look.
I just sold my beloved PS of Sweden Flying Change to a good friend and ordered the Eponia Outlaw. I’ve been eyeing that bridle forever, so… I finally just did it. We’ll see how it looks when it gets here. Henry’s dressage bit is a KK loose ring french link, and he wears a plain navy bonnet with his name on the ear from If the Bonnet Fits.
For jumping I currently have a CWD SE02 close contact saddle. I use Lund strapgoods – their anatomic girth, flash bridle (with a Boy O Boy Bridleworks browband), and 4 point breastplate. All their stuff has held up really well for both daily use and show use, which is nice. I did sub their reins out for my Nunn Finer soft grips though, which have been a long time favorite. I personally like really thin rubber reins. I also have a PS of Sweden bridge breastplate that I use sometimes too, because I dunno I just love breastplates ok? The stirrups on my jump saddle are the navy Lorenzinis. I don’t feel the need to explain that one. The Schleese stirrup leathers that they’re on have seen better days though. Lots of better days.
For saddle pads we almost always use an Ogilvy half pad, although I tend to switch up the square pad itself. Usually for stadium I use my Ogilvy baby pad or my Ogilvy eventing pad. I have commitment issues. Henry almost always jumps in his full cheek Dr Bristol at shows these days. The last time I gave him the benefit of the doubt and did showjumping in his loose ring, I had no whoa. So Dr B it is. For SJ he wears his Majyk Equipe leather open front and ankle boots. I have a few different bonnet options, although usually I go with the navy and yellow one that has GO on one ear and HENNY on the other.
Not much is different tack-wise for XC… just a change of pad (either the Ogilvy eventing pad, an ECP XC grip pad, or the ECP correction XC pad), and switching to the Majyk Equipe XC boots. I usually show him in his white ones, unless it’s muddy and gross, then he wears the blue Color Elite’s. When I remember (which is like 20% of the time) I toss on the Nunn Finer leather neck strap. Can’t wait for my Seaver girth cover to come so I can start getting some metrics from our XC runs!
As for MY gear… if it’s recognized I’m in white breeches for every phase – either my Winston’s or my La Valencia with the bling on the pockets. Both knee patch, because I really hate full seats. I have bad enough swass issues without covering my entire hind end in a big blanket of leather. If it’s a small schooling show odds are 50/50 that I’m in navy breeches, because it’s just easier.
You guys already know about the recent addition of the Tucci boots, of course, which I love. Usually I’m sporting a pair of Blue Q socks (either “Carpe the fuck out of this Diem” or “Thou hath balls”, because wtf other socks would any self-respecting eventer possibly wear?) or one of my many pairs of unicorn-themed Sock it to Me’s. I’m really particular about my show socks, man. Those things are the juju of the outfit.
For belts it’s either my custom navy and yellow one from Boy O Boy Bridleworks, or my favorite navy anchor one from Mango Bay. For show shirts I have a SHL Hudson with navy elbow patches, a Winston Vienna with some navy stripe trim, or a Mrs. Tutton’s with some faux leather on the collar. I’m really into fun show shirts. Generally I only wear a stock tie for dressage at recognized events, in which case I have a white on white pinstriped Style Stock. For XC I usually wear either my navy Kastel or one of my two Anchor Equestrian tech shirts. Gotta represent, yo.
My XC vest is an Airowear Outlyne, which I’ve had for a couple years and been really happy with. My whip is a navy/yellow custom jockey whip from Bit of Britain (pretty sure this is basically an eventing requirement?) and I wear little baby roller ball spurs. I have my navy and yellow I-Quip gloves, or a couple pairs of Roeckl’s to choose from, depending on the weather.
The only coat I have (and the only one I need) is my navy Winston with yellow piping. It is perfect and I love it, even though I haven’t gotten to wear it a ton yet. Helmet wise, I always do dressage and stadium in my navy and yellow Samshield. I love that helmet. I have a CO skull cap for XC but admittedly sometimes I choose to wear the Samshield anyway. It just fits better and is a lot cooler. Plus it’s easier to use the helmet camera on that one.
Speaking of which, the Cambox counts as a vital accessory, along with my Road ID (although I keep an armband in my trunk too, because some places prefer those), and my Roma changeable bridle numbers. Some schooling shows don’t have bridle numbers and I refuse to wear a pinny in dressage. I have approximate 4000 hairnets stashed in pretty much every conceivable place from truck to trailer to grooming kit and back again, because there’s only one type of hairnet on the face of the earth that I like (old school Aerborne heavyweights) and I basically bought them in bulk a few years ago. I also have my navy heavy duty pinny holder and my big yellow optimum time watch.
Overall I’m really happy with the current state of the gear. I do need some new stirrup leathers for my jump saddle, and I want a figure 8. Really there’s just one big thing that I want to change/upgrade in the very near future, which we’re gonna see about this afternoon actually. Stay tuned…
breedrideevent.com 
So what would you suggest that I need to add on my “Must have” list so that I can ride like you. Or at least have balls enough to not be a wuss at N.
That being said it can’t be expensive stuff because my horses are jerks and we cant have nice things.
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A Henny. He’s the key to success, I just try to dress him well. 😉
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I’ll trade you a sassy grey who bites and a grumpy faced bay.
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No way man, there’s only one Henny.
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My show stuff is now boring AF. I’ll just pine away for the jumper ring.
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I mean… at least you have a green jacket? (I’m reaching here)
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Yeah … I express myself with the inside print on the collars of show shirts now. Someone needs to make a Hello Kitty one.
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thats just so SAD.
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I feel like this post is a lot more fun for eventers since you get to have 3 outfits. I just have one, and it’s boring… but I do love it!
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thats why you need a jumper too, then you have outfits instead of uniforms. 😉
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There was an Eponia booth at Rolex and while I liked their bridles, I really liked the quality/look and feel of the PS of Sweden bridles better (I am also REALLY particular about brown colors and I didn’t like theirs, so that could be why). I’m just curious as to why you sold yours?
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I really don’t have a strong reason honestly lol. I actually think their leather is pretty much identical, if not a slight preference to the Eponia. I did get a bit tired of always trying to remember to bring/put on the throatlatch for dressage at shows though… I can’t barely remember to get myself to the ring when I’m supposed to (and sometimes I don’t even remember my saddles! lol). I tried to spearhead a rule change to not require them for dressage but that kind of just never went anywhere. Seems dumb that you have to have it for dressage but not for jumping, but I digress.
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Ah okay interesting. It does help that Eponia bridles are cheaper lol. Yeah I have a feeling I might forget a throatlatch too so I’ll end up leaving it on all the time cause I totally thought it was flip flopped – jumping was a must but dressage was optional. Good thing I’m not showing any time soon lol. Well, I look forward to the review then!
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i have both PS and Eponia bridles and love both of them but like my Eponia a wee bit better. I think the leather is a bit more substantial (the PS Sweden bridle just seems thinner leather so it wears faster if that makes sense). I have the brown with black highlights bridle from Eponia (The Cookie I think??) and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT (ahem Amanda may have been the reason I have BOTH bridles so watch her she is sneaky like that LOL)!
I also have the PS Sweden Olympic and use that as my cc go to bridle in case i feel i might fall off (can’t break the Eponia please) 🙂 I do like the PS reins better than my Eponia ones (softer) but I think both bridles are nice and get attention. The one issue with the PS bridle is the browband always slips down on Remus. I ended putting purple duct tape on each side since I dont ride it in dressage and that helps!!
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Ah, thanks Martidoll! That really helps me a lot. I don’t have an issue with my sparkle PS browband slipping but what’s funny is that the plain one slips a little only on the right side lol. I guess after seeing Eponia’s brown the color just looked flat and dull to me? I don’t know. They’re both such similar bridles. I almost grabbed one at Rolex but…maybe the brown is a little different than what I saw in the booth? I am looking for a simpler bridle than the PS one I have for when I eventually go xc, so maybe I’ll have to grab an Eponia one and try it out!
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I don’t like the Eponia reins either, I’m with you on that. I have some Lund ones that will work tho. Luckily black is easy to match. ; )
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I actually want a Lund Bridle down the road. I LOVE my Lund Breastplate. Everyone who sees it loves it and the saddle does NOT budge. NO matter what saddle.
The brown on my Eponia is rich and the black is rich too. I love it….but yes it depends i guess on what you like. AND yes the plain browband on my PS is the one that slips. ON both sides so he looks like a drunken sailor at times. LOL
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YES I’ve been keeping my eye out on their stuff as well! I love the look of their 4 point breastplate, but I’m not an Australian nut fan, either. Did the leather darken at all? I’m hoping they make one all brown soon because their stuff looks gorgeous! And I’m so wary of trying rubber reins…. I don’t know why! LOL
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I didn’t know that Lund had black reins!
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Soon. 😉
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lol i’m glad i’m not the only one with stirrup leathers that are relatively janky in comparison to the rest of the stuff. also every time i see those nunn finer rubber reins i get a serious case of the “want ’em bad”s lol. maybe one day? do you know if they come with brass hardware?
anyway i always kinda love these posts too – esp in figuring out what everyone does to make their own gear really customized and tailored. those bridle tag numbers for instance, so helpful!! i love having them too bc pinnies in dressage are a crime. tho i’m also probably going to be getting a new pinny holder sooner or later (unless i can figure out how to DIY one…)
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I like my $30 heavy duty navy pinny that I DIY’d some fabric paint on, but when it comes to pinny’s my dedication level tops out around $35 so there’s that. It’s WAY nicer than that flimsy one I had before though. Plus navy and yellow. I dunno if the NF reins come with brass hardware… I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much attention honestly. They are the best freaking cross country reins in the world though.
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Is it bad I want to event just so I can justify doubling my already significant tack collection? 😂 It’s always fun to see what everyone is showing in!
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Eventing really is the greatest enabler ever. You legitimately need almost all the things.
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1) her jumping stirrup leathers are OLD as EFF and need replacing stat (course i am pretty sure the saddle will be replaced first…2) she does have hair nets everywhere….3) it would help if your BAYW (Big ass yellow watch) actually held a charge. Otherwise it is a UAF piece of equipment (You probably dont need me to break that down do you? LOL)
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I fixed the BAYW. The battery wasn’t in there right…. which I didn’t do, so don’t blame me for that one.
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sure sure sure i won’t blame you 🙂 sure…(You still forgot your saddles…which i have to admit you are being pretty honest about daily LOL)!
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I am SO GLAD to see someone else who likes the older style of Airborne hair nets! The new material is so plasticy and slippery. I finally ran out of my stash last year ago and haven’t found anything comparable.
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I hate all other hairnets. Especially the one knot and no knot, they are the effing worst. Old school Aerborne heavyweight is the only hairnet worth talking about.
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One knots just don’t give the classic”peaked” hairnet look in the front and no knots just remind me of a granny’s old pantyhose. I’m currently using a one knot with the knot in the front but it takes me longer than I’d like to get it on right and not slipping off the back.
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hahaha I’m totally with you on those opinions. I can do hunter hair in 10 seconds flat with an old school Aerborne (and have no issues with the knots because I’m not an idiot and know to just scoot it up past the hairline – WHY CAN NO ONE FIGURE THAT OUT?) but those newfangled contraptions are just weird. I feel very strongly about this, as you can see.
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SAME. I am happy you feel this way, because I now know that I am not alone in this. #bringbacktheoldhairnets
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I’m with you, give me Aerborn’s or just forget it. When I buy them I always get 5 or 6 packages at a time.
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I’ve yet to find a place that still has the old ones. If you find somewhere, let me know!
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The last ones I ordered from amazon had a few in the old mesh and then one in the newer, more slippery material. While I def did prefer the older mesh, I still like the slippery old school hair net better than the one or no knot styles. So… I dunno, it probably just depends on where you buy from and whether or not it’s old stock. I did notice that after a couple trips through the washing machine (because I always leave them in my pockets accidentally), the slippery ones were less slippery.
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Ugh I so want to do one of these posts but right now my “show outfit” is comfy shoes, a to-go-cup with bev of choice and a camera as I am merely a spectator for now
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uhhhh that’s a lie cuz I know dat bitch owns a purple effing show coat.
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ha ha yes…we know that that purple show coat!! Do a optional show list Megan for the future!! Cause it is coming!! 😉
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The Eponia outlaw is stunning, I’d be interested to hear how your ordering experience goes. With 4 horses I couldn’t “afford” to put them all in ps and though I wouldn’t trade the ps’s for anything on my large headed horse I much preferred the eponia’ s on the smaller horses, anyway i ordered from eponia twice and though I love the product they likely won’t receive any more of my business. The first order took over 2 months (oh the irony I know I know it itbf takes forever lol) to receive with one excuse after another and I simply chaulked it up as an error then it happened again with the second order only this time I couldn’t get a response from them so I filed a claim against the transaction and low and behold I had a rude email from them within minutes. I opted to take the bridle anyway after they offered a $25 back refund and though the bridle did show up within a week after that communication has once again been dropped and I never got the refund. Great bridle but the shipping department and customer service needs some major work based off of my two experiences
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We will see! I’ve talked to them on insta on and off for a while and of course met them in person twice, so I dunno if maybe that’ll make a difference. I am definitely not that patient, especially considering I don’t have a dressage bridle now!
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I get the feeling that upgrade may be jump saddle related??
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I love the navy/white anchor belt. I love Mango Bay in general. Sadly I hesitated, and now they’re gone. Wahhhh 😦
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This looks like a fun game. I might need to join in. Still want a Boy O Boy belt, so jealous of that. And your white breeches that fit you. I don’t have a whip either…
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Whaaaaat? No custom jockey whip??? Are you even an eventer???
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This is fun. Last year I changed stuff constantly, but I think I might even have enough committed equipment to do this. Also, tell me more about this custom jockey whip. I didn’t know that was a thing and I don’t even need a crop, but now I want one.
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Look on Bit of Britain’s website, they’re pretty cheap!
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Love all the matching stuff!!! omg I think I need to start eventing. Aside from being terrified of jumping, I could do it! lol Do they have a ground pole division? 😀 Also. My gear needs some updates! And I ride western 90% of the time anyway, so it is a totally different ball game. Cowboy hats, anyone?
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Starter is pretty close to groundpoles!
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if i can do it Laura you can!! go for starter/elem its easy and you can trot everything (You can even trot a lot in intro the next move up….
But just realize it is addictive 🙂
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Your matchy-matchy is so fun. And not over the top, just totally coordinated. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You can always find more ways to match 🙂
I have a Schockemohle San Diego Fig 8 for sale, but it’s probably too big for Henry. I had to punch extra holes for Cosmo. If you know anyone else who is looking, let me know…..
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