June 07, 2009

My favourite horse-y things

I got an idea today.
I would like to share some of my favourite horsey things, and I would love to hear about what kind of favourites you others have.
So here comes mine:



Last autumn my wellies had taken their final breath, so I had to buy a new pair.
I have seen the Muckboots as in the picture above, and when I found them in a booth at Oslo Horse Show, I decided to buy a pair.
The seller said they would keep my feet warm even in wintertime.
"Yeah, sure" I thought, "there is quite a difference between English winters and the winter conditions where I live. Duh."
But they were good to walk in, so I bought a pair. And didn't expect that they would keep me warmer than my old ones. Good to have in the muddy autumn season though.
But they DID keep me warm. Even when it was real cold. They were warm and comfy - and I was so happy that I bought another pair, the riding boots to the left, so I could ride with them too!

I condition my tack every time I have used it, so I get through some packages during a year.
This is my favourite.
It both cleans and conditions, leaving the leather smooth but not greasy. In addition it smells good!


And here are my two working mates when it comes to cleaning Fame.
I use the rubber thing (whatever it's called in English?) first, to remove loose hair and mud, and then my favourite, an old fashioned brush of the type I've used since my childhood days.
It is made from 100% horsehair, and does wonders with any coat if you put some effort in it.
In the old days, we used to have competitions.
For each stroke on the horse, you cleaned the brush on the rubber thing. When you've done one side of the horse, you empty the rubber thing (might be made in a metal material) by knocking it on the floor.
The thing was to have most emptying marks on the floor of course!
And the horses got real shiny.

So - what are your favourites?
I am passing on a non-comitting challenge to my blog friends. Write something in your blog about it, and let us others get a good tip or a laugh!

10 comments:

Irene said...

Känner igen det där med stövlar. Älskar mina termostövlar över allt annat!
Minns också rykttävlingar från förr. Vi hade skrapor med skaft så man slog av stövet mot golvet så det blev ränder. Stövet skulle va vitt, då va hästen ren!

Grey Horse Matters said...

This sounds like a fun post to get into doing. I will see what I come up with as soon as a get a chance. Liked your boots.

RuckusButt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RuckusButt said...

This was fun! Check out my favorites.

HorseofCourse, I'm curious about your tack cleaner/conditioner - it doesn't make the leather too soft or sticky doing it so often? Can you describe what the product is like? I am looking for something better to use and also to restore a dry bridle. Not sure I could get your stuff over here though. Thanks!

HorseOfCourse said...

RuckusButt, my tack cleaner looks like liquid soap.
It doesn't make the leather sticky, it just makes it stay supple and clean.

Effax is a German producer, so I don't know if you can get hold of it there, but here there are similar products available - I just prefer this one.
If you are to restore a dry bridle, I would perhaps use something that contains more fat, like a leather balm or oil, at first to get it saturated, and then the other to maintain it.

I am particular when it comes to my horse and tack (and quite the opposite at home, lol!) and I don't like the grey look and the stiffness you get on tack that isn't clean. It just takes a minute or two to clean it, and you prolong the lifetime of the tack too. And it is nicer to use!

Irene said...

Hej!
Tack för tipset ang hästen!
Verkar vara en fantastiskt fin häst. Nackdelen är att den inte är riden på flera år. Det blir att börja om helt från början. Så tyvärr får vi nog leta vidare. (Jag skulle däremot gärna vilja ha den till avel!!!)

Hästen Sandra söker:
8-mässig gång, blivande dressyrkompis, ej äldre än 6 år, minst 163 cm, mycket bra temperament o ridbarhet, helst ej över 100.000, absolut max 150.000.

RuckusButt said...

Thanks for the info! I need to go back to liquid soap, regular saddle soap doesn't seem to leave the leather as nice. I have been using pure neatsfoot oil on the bridle and it has improved but I think it won't ever come back to normal. I should work with it more often, that would help!

Anonymous said...

Your favorites are the same as mine...except I don't wear rubber boots around my Percheron. My day to day boots are Acton steel toed paddock boots (look like Blundstone). Alberta also has a real winter, and these were unbelievably warm thanks to a sweat stopping lining.

Once Upon an Equine said...

I'm behind in reading posts. This looks fun. I will try to get to it and post something similar on my blog in the not-too-distant future. Muck Boots are great. The rubber brush is called a "curry comb" in English. Also a favorite of mine.

jc said...

I wouldn't be without mane and tail conditioner because Major's are so thick and time-consuming to keep clean and tidy. I have friends who also love MuckBoots