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What Horse Tack Do You Buy Often?

2K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  HBMic 
#1 ·
I'm new to the community and had two questions I wanted to ask.

1) What horse tack do you find yourself spending the most money on thoughout the year?

2) What tack do you buy the most often?


I plan on learning more about horses this summer and just wondered what tack did dedicated owner's truly spend their most time buying. Look forward to your answers :)
 
#2 ·
Bits. I don't need to buy any, but I like trying different bits and seeing how my horse responds. It is something of an equine sub-hobby...I read about their design, look at X-rays of them being used, buy & try different bits to see if they work the way people say they work.

Other than that...I recently bought a bridle I didn't need because it was an uncommonly nice one from a company I like and it was on sale for 50% off.

But in honesty, I could have stopped buying tack a few years ago and be in OK shape. If you take care of it, most tack will last a long time. Other than a saddle that fits, most tack buying is for the human.
 
#3 ·
The thing with tack is that most of it is safety related. The cheap stuff that needs replacing more than once a year usually is not safe.

Just as a starting point, you will need a good quality leather halter. Learn about good quality leather and go in tack stores to feel the leather with your hands and carefully inspect the stitching to start giving you a feel for the good stuff. It does not need to be the most expensive, but you want good quality. Learn about what may happen if your horse becomes entangled and the halter needs to break. There are a lot of different viewpoints on this, and you will probably get different answers to this, but I like a leather halter. Learn how to take care of it, and always hang it properly and it should last for 20 years. The lead rope can be more just what you like to use, but keep in mind that a quick release snap can be added to the lead rope if for instance, you like to use your lead rope to tie in the trailer.

Saddles can be used, because if they are good quality and have been cared for properly they can last quit a long time. But the leathers attached to the stirrups of any kind of saddle must be in top condition. Also the girth, and of course any part of the saddle that the cinch or girth attaches to.

The bridle has a bit more leeway. Especially if you keep your halter on underneath the bridle to start out with.

Most of us have accumulated tons of this stuff, because each horse has a different preference in, for instance, bits. I doubt if there are many long time horse owners that do not have a box of bits stashed somewhere. Which means, that you are going to have to try to get the tack that your horse likes.
 
#4 ·
I don't buy a lot of tack but I just recently got a new halter and grazing muzzle. A new lunge line too.

I have to disagree with just getting leather halters. Normally you don't leave them on in the pasture and are there if something were to happen. However, there are breakaway halters with a leather crownpiece. Otherwise, I just get regular nylon. Others like rope halters.
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#8 ·
Everything >.> I buy too much of everything. Although lately I have been getting better. The more stuff I collect it seems the more I can rationalize to myself that I really DON'T need those reins or bridle etc. I'm always on the prowl for bits. Like bsms I like to try different bits. It's nice having numerous different styles to try out & work on the puzzle of 'which bit my horse likes best'

What I really should stop spending so much money on? Blingy browbands >.> They're my weakness. I can't stop D: Saddlepads used to be a bad one for me as well. Every time I go to Dover I end up with a new saddlepad :/
 
#9 ·
Bits. And halters. I have one horse and four, soon to be five, halters. Over the course of the last four years of owning my gelding, I've bought seven or eight bits...for a horse who has been ridden maybe 16-18 times total from the time he was broke. :oops: And reins. I have four sets of reins. Not entirely sure how that happened. :lol:
 
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#11 ·
My boyfriend doesn't really pay attention to the horsey stuff, so I can get away with A LOT. :lol: I went with him to go look at one bridle this lady had for sale...ended up coming home with the bridle, a sidepull AND a halter. Granted, around here, when you find quality draft-size stuff, it's best to snatch it up because it's few and far between. The sidepull is Amish-made and VERY well-made. The halter...well...it's always nice to have a spare, just in case. And the bridle matched my saddle so perfectly, I couldn't NOT get it! :lol:
 
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#13 ·
I buy hoofpicks... but I am addicted to hoofpicks and literally EVERY time I see one in a design I don't already have, I HAVE to get it... I literally have them all in the house, in my truck, in the barn, etc...
 
#14 ·
I don't normally buy a lot of tack yearly or regularly. We try to buy nice quality pieces so they last a decade. I do buy pads that match the kids outfits a couple times a year, lead ropes, or a halters that my girls just can't leave the feed store without lol.
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#15 ·
Nothing.

It's been a couple years since I've bought a thing. If you take care of it and buy decent quality items they last. I don't show so I don't need sparkly and new. I've got bridles that are over 20 yrs old. I've got saddles that are 40 yrs old.

All that paint and bling that is so popular now looks horrendous in a very short period of time. Give me plain straps with just a touch of rawhide. Tooling...love the looks but good hand carved tooling is a pain in the butt to clean in all those cracks and crevices.
 
#16 ·
On the average year, nothing.

I spent $475 on a new saddle a little over a year ago because my horse was young and growing when I bought her, and she outgrew her old one. Unless her fitness level changes drastically, I don't see us needing a new one any time soon, possibly even for the rest of her life.

Accessories like bridles and girths are other things I use for the life of the horse. So long as they're cared for and your horse is an adult that's finished growing, there's no reason they should need to be replaced, unless of course you buy a new saddle and your old girth no longer fits due to a difference in billet length.

My family has pieces of tack that are 30+ years old that are still in use.

Halters and lead ropes last for nearly forever too, if your horses don't wear them on turnout. I will occasionally buy a new halter, just for fun, but I now have an unnecessarily large collection of halters that I don't need lying around. haha!

Bits are something that you might purchase a lot of after you get a new horse, until you figure out what your horse works best in. We cycled through three different bits until we settled on the one we have now. I don't think we'll ever swap this one out now. It's a 6" cyprium, lozenge, loose ring snaffle. It fits. It's legal in all competition. My horse rides very well in it, and it was hard to find, so it's here to stay.

Even saddle pads, if taken care of, and washed properly, can last for many, many years.

You'll probably buy a lot when you first buy a horse, until you find a set that fits and is comfortable for you both, but after that, you'll probably settle with what you have and not need to buy anything else for many years. Unless of course you change disciplines or your riding goals/level of competition change.
 
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