To ride dressage is to dance with your horse, equal partners in the delicate and sometimes difficult work of creating harmony and beauty.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Serendipity, and a solicitation

Showing Lance at the State Fair required a bit of "musical bridles" (we always use the same bit). I love the silver-leather-accented bridle we school in, gifted to me by blogpal Theresa, but it has been broken and repaired and isn't show-appropriate anymore. So I used a russet leather bridle I got years ago (shown in the previous post's photos) for our trail and English Pleasure classes, and switched over to Russell's old bridle (shown in the header photo above) for our "dressage" classes. That bridle was a bit too big for Lance when I brought him home but he's grown into it – and has outgrown the brow band. It has some other issues, too, making me dream of a new show bridle. Can't really justify that, though, since we've had to table showing . . . although I am thinking about entering an ODS League show in October.

Heading to the barn to school Lance yesterday, I remembered a black bridle I stumbled across in a bridle bag I never use. I have no memory of when or how it was acquired, so didn't know its size or style; would it work for Lance?



Why yes, it does! The details: black leather, regular cavesson, square-raised accents on brow band and noseband, padded crown and jawstrap, hook ends, silver buckles (the reins belong to Russell's bridle; the reins that belong to this bridle have hook ends). The brow band, again, is a bit short; he needs one an inch longer. That got me searching eBay; no luck finding a coordinating square-raised one. Hmmm; if I can't match the nose band, how about going in an entirely different direction – like bling?

This is where you come in. I found four different fancy brow bands that I thought would work with Lance's coloring, the soft gold color of his Aurigan eggbutt snaffle, and the silver buckles. I'm not sure about the U-shaped ones; as you can see, Lance's white markings aren't centered or symmetrical. What do you think? Which of the following would you vote for?


13 comments:

Alanna M said...

I like the green one! And are you thinking of doing the adult team show? Tarra and I are both doing it.

Mary said...

My vote is for the top, straight brow band. I love those colors with his own coloring.

Michelle said...

Thanks for your input, Alanna! The show I'd be most likely to enter is Dressage Can Be Fun on the 25th. Our dressage chapter is doing a group ride at Perrydale Trails on the 11th, and we have something else on the 18th.

Michelle said...

Thanks, Mary. I really like those colors, too.

Michelle said...

Well phooey. All these brow bands are "Buy It Now" auctions, and the straight one has sold.

Theresa said...

My vote was for the one hanging over the door knob.
I'm sure something else will come up. You could always try easy and have one custom made!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/244127160/dressage-browband-beaded-with-peridot?ref=related-4

Theresa said...

etsy....dang auto correct

sylkan said...

I liked the one over the door knob as well. Ties all the colors in his tack together, but sold is sold! However, I've become a huge fan of curved browbands. Now the straight ones remind me of a kid with a ball cap pushed waaay back on the forehead. Could a shoe repair place extend the loops on the end of your current browband by adding a section on the under side? Somehow, Lance does not seem like a bead type of guy to me.

sylkan said...

I liked the one over the door knob as well. Ties all the colors in his tack together, but sold is sold! However, I've become a huge fan of curved browbands. Now the straight ones remind me of a kid with a ball cap pushed waaay back on the forehead. Could a shoe repair place extend the loops on the end of your current browband by adding a section on the under side? Somehow, Lance does not seem like a bead type of guy to me.

emma said...

ooh i like the first one too! they're all great tho

Michelle said...

More serendipity! I happened to look through eBay again, and the browband over the door handle had been delisted – at 2/3rds the price! I snatched it up this time. :-)

A :-) said...

Late to the party, but I like the last one - with the orange-ish beading.

Maggie said...

The last one! I don't know anything about this subject though and handsome Lance looks good in anything! X