A tack related post from a tack slut.

Oh boy I will suddenly get a large influx of traffic on here from that post title.  I have coined tack slut because I am the cheap and easy version of a tack whore.  So don't expect some elaborate talk about fancy stitching and baby soft leather.  But it will be about a few of my favorite items that I love.

I LOVE these fleece exercise girths.  I am NOT a fan of the white fleece ones.  I mean something white directly against my dirty horse?  No thanks I don't like washing my equipment that much.  It is bad enough that playing DQ for events I have to use a white pad.   And those are almost always made with brown and all of my tack is black.  And though not a tack efficienado I do at least like to not clash.  I learned to love them because it was the only girth that my sensitive redhead seemed to tolerate.  Then quickly grew to appreciate their functionality and ease of cleaning.  Throw it in the washing machine and the dryer for about 10 minutes then air dry the rest of the way and it is back to new.  They have fun colors, like a ton of colors.  BUT my only complaint is I cannot find one with a d-ring on it. Of course you can find the brown and white ones that have d-rings all day long.   But I need one in black with a d-ring on it.  I have had my brand new breastplate/running martingale that I have never been able to try out because I need a d-ring.  I am even thinking of taking one to a seamstress to see if they are able to attatch one.  But reguardless I will find a way because these are the only girths that I use if I have a choice. These go for about $25-30.

Next is something my friend introduced me to.  Whom also events her super adorable pony Moose, who also happens to have a blog, Moose on the Loose.  She used to work at the track and she introduced me to this...

Which I found with her in a tack store down in KY and now cannot find anywhere online.  And am kind of wishing I had bought 5 more.  At the time I purchased one to test it out I didn't know then that I would love them so much.  But it is a tack item that I LOVE and use every ride.  It is non-slip, no need to hassle with straps.  Super easy to clean, just spray off with a hose and let drip dry.  It is breathable for the horse so no sweating under the pad(except for under the saddle area) even on the hottest of summer days.  This ran me about $16.99

And the last item that I will feature that I love and use every ride is my thinline Trifecta with sheepskin roll.  I could not ride my horse without this piece of equipment.  He is hard(and that is putting it lightly) to fit and his back changes with even the slightest conditioning change.  So even if I dropped 5 grand on a custom saddle I would still have to use one of these.  I just make adjustments throughout the year by adding and taking away shims.  And thanks to Cuna's mom I have all the shims I need!  It has taken us from completely hollow behing the withers, to nice full topline and every stage in between.  When his topline is at it's best and fittest I take out all shims and just use the pad alone.  And of course this item too is low maintenece just throw it in the washing machine and hang dry.  I also put this in the dryer for just a few minutes to help the fleece fluff a little but that of course is not recommended and I only do it on low temps for a few moments.

These three things, none of which will break the bank, and all of which are 100% functional, practical and are easy to care for.  The most expensive is the thinline pad at around $130 purchase at Rolex two years ago and considering the amount of money that it can take to find the perfect saddle fitting situation for a hard to fit horse that is just a drop in the bucket.