Review: Ariat Brossard Tall Boot

These boots are the best on the market, hands down.

Follow up - Almost 1 year later: I popped these boots on for a chilly morning clinic about a month ago, where many of these photos came from. After riding in my Ariat Breeze Half chaps and Mountain Horse show boots all spring and summer, these boots felt a little lose in the calf. I probably have also lost some weight, and was wearing a few less layers than usual. The ankle is also a bit of a shock after being in a tight ankled boot for so long, but they were comfortable. I will probably want to use some saddle tight especially on my smooth jumping saddle (pictured) but again, I think with some muscle increase (I know I've lost muscle in my lower leg... it swings like crazy all of the sudden) I'll be tighter in the tack. 

Insulation: Thinsulate is the best you can buy - not too warm that your foot will sweat, but has kept my frostbitten-in-the-past toes warm in Minnesota's Artic Vortex -20+ degrees with windchill cold with wool socks and a toe warmer. In warmer areas, I anticipate these will be warm without being too warm. They are insulated all the way up the leg.

Fit: Foot is spacious - I wear a 9 in the Heritage Paddocks and a 9.5 in these boots. My older pair of Ariat winter boots (10 years old and still kicking - not water proof above the ankle but still great boots) are the same foot size and I found the toe to be more spacious in these, which I like. I like being able to move my toes and the space provides more area for the heat to build up. I wear mine with one or two layers of socks - smartwool alone or with a coolmax liner sock, and have been using toe warmers. I wear a M (14 1/2 - 15 1/2) in the Ariat Breeze half chaps and these boots were snug on first zipping but are comfortable and stay up nicely. They do seem to have stretched slightly so there may be some leeway.

Height: These boots are shorter than my usual taste in tall boots but have not caught on my saddle flaps in short, medium or dressage length stirrups. The heel does seem slightly higher than usual for boots, but they are not uncomfortable.

Materials, Aesthetics: The materials are quality and should last for a long time. I like that they are suede and leather, not synthetic, which has cracked on me in the past. The leather foot is water proof and there is a membrane in the foot which crosses the zipper around the ankle - sometimes the zipper catches here, but usually I just change the angle (put my heel down) and the zipper glides smoothly. The ankle is flexible and I am able to wear spurs and use them with finesse because I can feel and move my ankles. Inside calf is grey suede, which I believe I will rub smooth in the future but don't foresee it degrading or developing holes. Some of the nylon parts (outside of ankle, top) is a slightly purple hued grey, but the boots are not PURPLE as they look in some pictures. Zipper is quality and doesn't catch except sometimes around the ankle membrane, which is easily resolved. These boots are waterproof but I wish the zipper was wholly waterproof as I've stepped in some deep drifts and felt a bit damp because the snow was above the waterproof membrane.

             

I did think they looked a bit clunky on others, but love them as they are warm and not clompy/heavy/oppressive to wear on the ground or in the tack. The round toe still allows for a narrow profile and I have never had concerns that these boots will catch in my stirrups as other brands have. I was dragged in another brand of winter boots several years ago after they turned and wedged in my stirrup after a fall. I have never felt these boots get stuck or wedged, but still ride in break away stirrups in winter as a preventative. Comfortable on the ground and to ride in, I am recommending them to anyone who hates cold feet but wants to ride or work through the winter

Scratch That: An Awesome Infographic on Scratches!

Brought to you by The Horse, an awesome website!

Bit Basics #3

We're going to reach out now into the arsenal of other bits out there in the world. And jeezy creezy there are a lot of them!

I break the bigger bits down as follows and will continue to edit and update this post as I work through each of the categories, as this post will (eventually) be monstrous!

Pelhams:

Pelhams can be a great move up from a snaffle, but in their best usage do require educated hands as two reins is usually preferable. You will see roundings between the two rings as shown below, but I think the pelham can be much more subtle when you take the time really learn how to ride with two sets of reins.

Pelhams have two basic actions - the "snaffle" and "curb" just like a double, but are obviously less refined aids as you are doing two actions with one bit. I like the pelham for a horse who needs an occasional extra "woah", as you can ride off the snaffle and only use the curb when needed. Pelhams become stronger depending on the mouth piece and the length of shank. The shank obviously gives you a longer fulcrum from which to pull on the poll, tongue and bars of the mouth thus increasing your strength (think of pulling on a well handle from the top near the hinge versus the bottom of the handle - it's much less force to grab the bottom and use the leverage). The more joints there are in the mouthpiece, the more it will collapse in the horse's mouth. Combined with the action of the curb chain, the pelham can be used artfully to give you the control you need, or it can be used to mercilessly destroy your horse's mouth. This article makes a great point and is definitely a highly encouraged read - go HN!

Kimberwicke bits:

A ported Kimberwicke with slots

Kimberwicke bits are a leverage bit with a D ring type side. It uses poll pressure behind the horse's ears combined with a curb chain to provide the rider enhanced stopping power and control. Kimberwickes come in several mouthpieces, but I often see a ported mouth piece as shown above.. They come with smooth or slotted sides, which impacts  the amount of leverage you have.I have heard the bit referred to as a "pony bit" but find in my experience, it's a lot of brakes often used with very little finesse. Here's a diagram, but I suggest the foot-and-pull testing method to see if your aids really are as light as you think ;)

Ported Bits:

Like the Kimberwicke shown above, a port is an inverted U shape of varying size in the center of the bit mouthpiece. The concept is sometimes described as giving tongue releif for horses who struggle with pressure on their tongue, while others see it as a way to put pressure on the roof of the horse's mouth. The higher the port, the more damage a yank (accidental or intentional) can do as the port rotates to contact the roof of the mouth, especially when used with leverage like a shanked bit or one with fixed rein placement.. Ports come on a variety of bits, from snaffle Dee rings to the elaborate western bits used for shows.

Gag bits, in sub categories: 

Gag bits are united by the presence of leverage, often with a snaffle type mouth. The leverage is achieved differently for each bit. I have been seeing a lot of gags on the XC course lately, so perhaps they are in style. Either way, leverage bits act on the bars, tongue and poll and are usually what you turn too when a snaffle isn't enough. Many of these bits can be used with a "snaffle" rein, much like a pelham, but you will also see bit converters or one set of  reins only on the leverage portion.

Cheltenham Gags

The Cheltenham is a gag bit built, in a way, on an eggbutt snaffle base. The cheltenham uses a cheek piece that passes through two loops or holes in the bit's ring, which allows the cheek to slide through the bit when rein pressure is used. A "snaffle" rein can be attached to the ring as you would with a regular eggbutt bit, and you can find a variety of mouthpieces. When the bit slides on it's cheek piece, poll pressure is increased, and the bit will also act act on the corners of the mouth. I used this bit on my now-retired OTTB eventer, Foxie, and found it to be a nice happy place for her between a snaffle, and no control, and a pelham, which, when she was very fit and schooled, was too much and too much rein for me to handle XC.

Balding Gag

The Balding gag is a slightly harsher cousin of the Cheltenham, in that the Balding gag is built on a loose ring snaffle. However, because the rings rotate, I consider this to be harsher. You will also see the ring size increase, which creates more leverage than a non-turning eggbutt snaffle ring.

American Gags

American gags are a longer, shanked gag bit. While others have the leverage of the rope cheeks sliding through the bit, this bit offers a long shank and a short slide, making it a "faster" type of gag bit. Cheek pieces attach to the top loop, and reins to the bottom loop, and the bit slides on it's leverage as the rider tightens the reins. I have not seen an American gag using two reins, or roundings between the two loops, though I am guessing it could be done. Again, with the rotation like the balding gag above, plus the added leverage of the shank, I would rate this as harsher than the balding gag, and a bit that should only be used by educated hands needing some pretty major brakes.

Pessoa  Gag / Wonder Bits

Hack Gags

Elevator bits:

Hack Combo Bits, Mikmar Combo bits, and other things

Hackamores

Hooked Bits

Buckle up, it's going to be an interesting ride!

A Peek In My Tack Trunk: A New Series!

Hello, Keep Calmers! 

In an effort to keep writing and to get some new and interesting content out on the intarwebs, I am going to give you a peek into some of my favorite products each Friday. I am always on the look out for good deals, good quality and great innovation when it comes to horse products, and hopefully my insight can be helpful to others. 

Today's product: 

Kerrits Flex Tight Full Seat Breeches

I am a Kerrits Brand Ambassador because of these breeches - and I'm not kidding. I rode for years and years in basic cotton pull on type breeches and was leery on how much movement I could pull off with a traditional suede full seat. Luckily, Kerrits came up with this awesome product, and I now happily own a few pairs of the light weight Flex Tights and the cosy winter Powerstretch breeches. 

Both of these breeches feature a slightly stretchy, segmented full seat made of Kerrit's amazing Gripstretch Suede. This synthetic suede is easy to wash, holds up to long hours in the saddle and endless abuse and gives you the perfect combination of comfort and grip while still allowing you to move. I am pretty upset that Kerrits has discontinued their ribbed fabric, but still love the breeches for their comfort and design. These breeches are a pull on style with a wide elastic waist band, 1" belt loops, small pocket on the thigh and elastic ankles, and come in lots of fun and flattering colors. My only wish is that they would make them out of slightly more durable fabric, as my show pair has developed a hole. Admittedly, I have fallen twice in that pair, but I would appreciate a thicker fabric in general to better conceal any lumps and bumps. 

These breeches are my favorite for competitions and cross country schooling in the summer due to their fantastic gripy fabric that has never been "too grippy" the way saddle tight can sometimes be. The winter version is better for early winter into spring, as I use the heavier Sit Tight And Warm breeches when it's very cold and windy here in Minnesota. I like full seats in the winter, as when you are riding cold I feel that my grip is sometimes impacted by cold muscles, and my reactions are just a little bit slower - the extra grip is a nice help especially on a cold, spooky baby! 

Here are some shots of these breeches in action:

My favorite pair - love the black full seat! Plus, it makes for nice pictures of the seat configuration. 

Keep calm! Ride on!

Ashley

Philippe Fontaine Royan: Review

So I bought a new saddle. That brings the total up to four, and I have a feeling they will become my kryptonite. I am crazy about saddle fit the same way I am crazy about shoes - not because I love shoes, but because a well fitting pair of shoes makes life livable.

The Royan was bought to replace my beloved Courbette Baron Von Trenk, which I plan on keeping as  A) I love it and B) Most people would not see the value in a short billeted, hard, flat dressage saddle. It may not fit either of my girls again, but I don't want to give it up just yet.

The Royan came onto my radar after I googled "E-motion tree" in a frantic attempt to find a used Courbette dressage saddle with the same flex tree as Foxie's Courbette Magic AP.


                       

Let's just say, one of these things looks awfully like the other. 

I haven't ever ridden in a Courbette Magic Dressage, but the AP looked - and ended up riding - similarly enough that I feel like my gut instinct (and the fact that they have almost exactly the same description) was true - the Royan is pretty much a Courbette flex tree saddle in a pretty calfskin wrapper. The Philippe Fontaine saddles are distributed by Stubben and I've ridden in it 3 or 4 times now

Materials:

The Royan is intensely, gloriously soft. The leather is soft grippy and looks to be calf skin, though I haven't confirmed that. I'm using calf skin leathers on it from Smartpak and would be cautious using anything but the softest leathers you can afford on it. 

The panel is "Memoryflex foam" which is also nicely soft and squishy. The panel on my Magic is foam as well, but is much harder - not sure if that is how the material ages or if this is a change Stubben made. 

The billets were super stiff leather that was very different from the other materials - I used copious amounts of Ledersoft and Neatsfoot oil on them and they are now willing to tuck into the girth keepers, but are still a work in progress. I didn't even bother oiling or conditioning the rest, as I'm still figuring out how to care for the calfskin. 

(Edit: Due to lots of squeaking, I got brave and got out the Passier Ledserbalsam and gave it a light coating, and stuffed Effax Ledersoft on any of the exposed non-calf parts, including the underside of the jockeys covering the stirrup bar and under the flap. Squeaking has been resolved, and the calf seems quite happy from it's coating of balsam.)

Stitching is even, but on close scrutiny/peering up under the flaps I do see some staples where on my older traditionally made dressage saddle I see stitching. The Royan has a single, subtle stitching detail on the flap and features (rather large, for my taste) buttons with a fleur de lis on either side of the pommel.

The saddle is very light because, I am guessing, the composite tree and foam panels. As a warning, the stirrup bars are composite, as well. This is different from my magic, but they feel secure and I have no reason to doubt them at this time. They are the moving parts type with the end that flips up to secure the leather. As someone who has gotten dragged, I never engage this and am perfectly happy to have the slide on type without the safety, as well. 

Fit:

I tend to classify the E-motion flex trees as "Medium Wide" and that seems to be pretty accurate in this case. The tag and marketing call it a Medium for reference. Compared to my Courbette Magic, the tree may be a bit wider set but seems to flex less than the Magic, which tends to sit a little high in front until you get in the tack - then it settles and you have to pull the girth up. I haven't noticed that need while riding in the Royan thus far, however I have a feeling that the fit will be pretty forgiving. I will get some measurements together of all of my saddle trees and panels in another post as I think they may be helpful to others on the internet. 

The panel is soft but doesn't appear to bottom out and sit too low. The channel is HUGE and accommodates 4 fingers + my thumb throughout. The  saddle has a point billet and a back with a keeper. I am not using the keeper but it seems to be placed logically for a horse that doesn't have the problematic conformation that Bailey does. The billets are sewn onto soft nylon under the flap, which makes them easily replaceable if need  be - and the nylon allows me to pull the billets where I need them to hold the saddle secure. 

Pardon the recent oiling in this picture >

   Ride:

As I said, the Royan is super sticky to ride in and with the higher pommel/cantle, feel very secure to ride in, just like my Magic. The flap is slightly forward, which makes the ride for me, as I have a long femur and tend to struggle to fit into saddles smaller than 18". I am still riding with the feeling that my stirrup length isn't quite right, but that's a work in progress. I feel very secure riding in this saddle even with the feeling that my stirrups are too long - this is a great saddle for the occasional spooky moment or would be great for trail riding if you're in need of security. 

Overall: 

This seems like a very decent affordable saddle. It doesn't seem to have any inconsistencies in it's construction and when fit correctly gives a secure and balanced ride. It is proving to be comfortable to my horse and she seems happy wearing it and moves more freely though her shoulders. I do have some concerns that the leather will not hold up to heavy use, but for an eventer, rider starting out or riding several different horses, this saddle would be a great investment. I feel that the purchase would be "worth it' to me even if I pass it along or it begins to look scruffy after a few years because it was an affordable answer to my needs for fit. 

The flex tree also may be a draw for folks with young horses or horses who aren't a standard fit. I can't argue with the tree - I now own two horses who go happily in the E-motion flex tree more so  than a standard fixed tree and the saddles and trees both appear to be holding up at the time of this review. 

Update: August 2014

I have owned the Royan for some time now, and felt it was time to update the review itself and update everyone on how the saddle has been. So far, with minimal care and conservative use of conditioner (Passier Lederbalsam) the saddle has been holding up famously. I am seeing a touch of wear (read - lack of shine) where my seatbones hit, but under the leathers and other wear spots are not nearly as worn as I had been expecting - just areas where the leather is less shiny and the grain seems less well defined. The saddle also seems less susceptible to scratches and water as I would have guessed, as well.

BB rocking the Royan at Roebke's Run HT a few weeks ago

My trainer, a 2** rider who rides in real expensive french saddles has ridden in it and liked the balance and simplicity of the saddle, and had nothing bad to say about it at all, which was a relief. I ride with a Thinline pad with front shims and a crescent shaped girth, and have also taken to crossing the billets on both sides. This leaves me with a saddle that doesn't seem keep to slip around, which is a blessing as everything was slipping forward for the longest time. I do find that the 17.5 is a bit lacking in the seat, but I have strength to gain and thus don't have my stirrups as long as they could be. I like the minimal knee roll, which is just enough to offer good support through Bailey's enormous canter. It still feels very safe, and everyone always comments that it looks like the dressage equivalent of a couch - which is pretty true! I loved the close contact feel of my old saddle, but didn't love the lack of support it offered, and also didn't love the way my leg tended to fall asleep or get pins and needles if I wasn't perfect with my position. 

The verdict as of August 2014? I like this saddle. A lot. The tree is quite flexible, making it problematic if I forget my thinline pad, but Bailey did not react any differently to it when I did ride without the riser. I am still wishing for an 18 or 18.5, but hope that by gaining strength I can lower my stirrups a hole or two so I'm less impacted by the smaller seat.