Do You Wear Horseware?

Nearly 30 years ago in Ireland, Tom McGuiness pieced together fabric from duvet covers to make a rug that would keep his horses warm and dry - and the iconic Horseware Ireland brand was born. Most equestrians are well aware of Horseware's reputation for making "Rugs for Life", nothing else comes close. We count on Horseware to keep our horses comfortable all year long, they practically live in Rambo - the purple Rambo Wug Turnouts in the winter and the Rambo Protector Fly Sheets all summer long. 

But great rugs are just the beginning ... 

Horseware has expanded their product line of riding apparel and accessories with the same emphasis on design and innovation.  Horseware's focus this month is "Show Style", and they invited SHADBELLY to pick out a few favorites from their competition wear and accessory collections to try. Impressed? You betcha.

The chic little super-light, water resistant show coat in the photo above? THAT's Horseware. It's Horseware's Competition Jacket in Navy with the bold red lining we love! Did you see the price? Under $100. No wonder pictures of this coat are lighting up Instagram (#showstyle).

Horseware's in-house collections include Horseware Platinum with MUST HAVES like the HP Ella Competition Shirt (see below). The Ella was everyone's favorite, wonderfully fitted, but oh no, not too clingy. We found the soft dove grey color more flattering than standard white, and the paisley trim detail inside the collar and cuffs is perfect. Best of all, the Ella zips completely open, so it's super easy to get in and out of without messing up the hair you just spent 15 minutes taming!

The coordinating HP Siena Competition Breeches with the white-on-white paisley full seat panel look and feel "special" without being too over-the-top for competition. We like the higher waist on the Siena's - and those are false pockets, so the front maintains that nice, sleek silhouette.  We'd say these run a tad on the small size, so order a size up if you're borderline.  

Do your own grooming at a show? Relax! My mare was show-perfect clean and super shiny in Horseware's Rambo Grand Prix Dustbuster, because ... THE RIBBED FABRIC DESIGN of this rug IS ACTUALLY DESIGNED TO CLEAN YOUR HORSE while it moves. No, we are not making this up! Are the Horseware folks innovative geniuses or WHAT?!? 

Need a bag that doesn't look out of place at the barn or around town? Yep, THAT's Horseware too. It's the Horseware Platinum's Bucket Bag and it's got the same look as Burberry's popular bucket bag (for a whole lot less!)

Ladies, you can skip "50 Shades of Grey" and feast your eyes instead on Alessandro Albanese. Wait a minute - HE's Horseware? Oh, yes! The Italian equestrian designer is now a part of Horseware.  Is that Alessandro Bi-Color Belt I'm wearing is TO DIE FOR or what!?! And all you bling-lovin' girls won't want to miss out on the Alessandro Albanese Buckle with Swarovski crystals, because nothing satisfies your inner goddess like a little somethin' sparkly.

Photographer Tracy Emanuel, you are a gift!  And a big THANK YOU to Horseware Ireland for believing in a little blog called SHADBELLY.

SHADBELLY readers, what's YOUR favorite from the Horseware collection?

The Next Big Thing? or Enough of the Bling!

When one of the young professionals in SHADBELLY's inner circle showed up with a custom made bling halter (shown above) she'd received as a gift, we were perplexed. Personally, I lean toward the quieter side of the bling scale, a modest touch or sparkle here or there, but not here AND there.

Others emphatically loved this noseband bling halter. All agreed that whether or not you can successfully pull off this "look" depends considerably on the amount and complexity of the chrome on each particular horse. My own mare, Helene, was perhaps born to wear this particular halter - her little white star offering quite a nice counterbalance to the crystals across the noseband.

Hmmm, I thought ... she does NEED a new halter...

But still, I wasn't sold on the heavy bling ... especially on a halter. I keep feeling the urge to take it apart and re-purpose that fancy nosepiece into a belt or something. And I just can't help but wonder if this wasn't the case of a browband simply sewn into the wrong place by mistake?

Nevertheless, we were intrigued by the IDEA of a bling headstall, so the SHADBELLY team scoured the market and discovered Bon-Vivant Equine, and their subtle but beautiful Beasties Crystal Headcollars. Check out Bon Vivant's bling halter photos below. 

We love how the bling on the Bon-Vivant halters is used as light accents, and in particular how the subtle touches of bling near the crown draw attention upward toward those beautiful eyes, not down toward the schnoz.

The Bon-Vivant bling accent halters are what we'd call "classy", with a "C" - not "klassy" with a "K". There is a difference.

SHADBELLY SAVINGS:  Bon-Vivant Equine is offering a special savings to SHADBELLY readers, 20% off a Bling Halter, or 20% off a Brilliance Custom Design Your Own Browband. So easy - just type in the discount code SHADBELLY at checkout. Offer good through August 30, 2014.

So if you think bling halters just might be "The Next Big Thing!" - tell us which of the halters you like best.

If Lovin' $89 Breeches is Wrong ...

... We Don't Want to Be Right!

Horses are expensive - no denying that. Hey, remember back around the time of the Presidential election and the 2012 Olympics - when the press got worked up in a frenzy over Ann, Mitt, Rafalca and the whole cost-of-dancing-horses thing? Did that sudden, widespread interest in the financial aspects of our sport create turmoil in your world too?  

Well, the timing of it could not have been worse for me personally. You see, I was right in the midst of intense negotiations with my sponsor (aka husband) for a second horse. Everything was going perfectly until, out of the blue, the absurd media hype threatened to derail my masterfully crafted plan. "That is RIDICULOUS!" I'd snap, while diving to flip off the radio dial so hubby wouldn't hear NPR's story about the "rarefied, blue-blooded world of dressage".

And could Stephen Colbert not SEE that he was crushing my dreams, my pursuit of happiness ... and for what? A few cheap laughs? But the late-night talk show jokes kept coming and dressage elitism became THE hot topic at dinner parties.  Non-horsey acquaintances would smirk and ask, "How much was your dressage saddle? They cost $12,000, right?"

Hubby was getting nervous - I could sense that much.

If only I'd known then about Smartpak's $89 Piper Full Seat breeches with free shipping and free returns. The Piper's are THE perfect rebuttal: "See, Darling, horses aren't that expensive. Why, these amazing, super-cute, Piper riding breeches from SmartPak cost less than ... a tank of gas!"

Yes, SmartPak, we are genuinely impressed! We love the hip style and detailing - the Pipers really ARE as attractive as breeches costing twice as much. The quality? Looks pretty darned good! The Pipers are "cheap" only in the GOOD sense of the word: cost. And after all, isn't true style is really just knowing when to splurge ... and when to conserve? Here's what you need to know:

Style

The Pipers are available in a Full Seat or Knee Patch configuration. SmartPak describes the Pipers as having a "stylish low rise cut", but don't let that scare you. Trust me when I tell you that these breeches will not leave your backside exposed like a plump plumber in an unfortunate choice of blue jeans. Oh, and while we're on the topic of the rear, we LOVE the flattering, "jean style" back pockets on the Piper. 

Colors and Trim

We're ALL ABOUT color choices and SmartPak delivers. We chose a pair in Military Green (actually a nice, rich brown) with Black full-seat panel and trim to feature in the photos, but the Pipers come in NINE colors:

• Anthracite with Electric Coral (Pink) trim
• Black with White trim
• Blue Jean with Brown trim
• Charcoal with Light Grey trim
• Iron (Bronze-ish color) with Champagne trim
• Merlot with Dark Grey trim
• Military Green with Black trim
• Navy with Emerald trim
• Wheat (a nice Taupe) with Teal trim

Material

The Piper's are a perfect everyday schooling breech weight. The comfortable, soft, stretchy fabric mix is figure-flaw-forgiving and designed to retain its shape long term. The full seat fabric is a stretch synthetic with good grip and (SmartPak assures us) lasting durability. And thank you SmartPak for the super comfortable, no-Velcro, ankle design.

Sizing

We found the Pipers fit wonderfully true to size, and check out the Piper Plus for larger sizes with a slightly modified mid-rise design.  

Win-Win

Darlin', there aren't many guarantees in life, but Smartpak's Happiness Guarantee and qualified free shipping and free returns make giving the Piper breeches a try a total no-brainier. Seriously, could it get any easier than this?

In the unlikely event you don't already have SmartPak in your speed-dial, the number is 1-888-752-5171 and the peppy SmarkPak team is there to help you with sizes, color choices, whatever, literally 24/7. Oh, and do us a little favor and name drop "SHADBELLY" a few times while you're on the phone with SmartPak and you'll win our unwavering admiration.

So there you have it - proof that looking like a million bucks while riding your "ballet prancing dancing horse" doesn't have to cost a million bucks. Take that Stephen Colbert.

- SHADBELLY