Congratulations to Erin!

Congratulations to Erin, winner of our November tack giveaway for a Western breastcollar with camouflage overlay! Erin tells us she and her horse, Minute, are getting ready for a long-distance ride in 2017. Minute is an off-track Thoroughbred and the two of them ride with Erin’s daughter, who has an off-track Standardbred. Sounds like a fantastic pair!

If you’re jealous of Erin’s good luck, there’s still time to enter the December tack giveaway. This month, we’re giving one lucky entrant their very own buckle nose halter in their choice of color and size.

The buckle nose halter has the advantage of being trendy, as it’s a throwback to the European style of turnout halter, as well as safe. With buckles at the nose and the headstall, this halter allows a novice rider to put on a bridle without totally dropping the horse. Also great for green horses!

Also: You’ll get a $5 off coupon for entering our giveaway, which you may find useful in some last-minute Christmas shopping.

Rein and bridle hardware: Here’s what you need to know

There’s no question we provide a wide variety of bit end options when you’re ordering a bridle or set of reins. Once in a while, we’ll get questions about the styles of hardware we offer on the bit ends of our bridle headstalls or the bit ends of our reins.

The photos below give a good demonstration of your options. All our tack comes standard with stainless steel hardware, which is guaranteed not to rust, although you can request brass hardware.

Many people are familiar with the scissor snaps and quick change snaps, both of which makes for easy on and off if you have to switch equipment frequently. Roller buckles have a rolling piece around the bottom that keeps the strap moving through the buckle as you fasten and unfasten.

Conway buckles are designed to be easy to work with, too, although people may be less familiar with them. To adjust, pull the strap to the desired spot through both sides of the buckle and tighten to drop the hole onto the prong. Pull both ends to tighten, or push them together to loosen. See a video here.

Chicago screws and leather ties are popular with our Western riders and provide a solid, reliable attachment. They can be easily turned with a screwdriver into the slot. Just make sure you tighten them every now and then for safety, and never glue them!

Leather ties provide a traditional look for Western riders, as well as being an extra safety feature. Also called water loops, the ties are attached to one side of each rein and are looped through the ring of the bit and tied back to the rein. Besides their aesthetic value, the ties also provide a breakaway option if a horse steps on the rein, so the tie will snap instead of doing damage to the rein. Quarter Horse News has a great article with instructions on the different type of knots you can use to tie these.

Christmas ordering deadlines for our international customers!

The holiday shopping rush is upon us, and already we’re getting questions about deadlines to place orders in time for Christmas delivery. Here in the United States, your tack order needs to be in Dec. 21 to guarantee it arrives at your doorstep in time to make it under the tree.

If you live outside the United States, the deadlines are different. We ship our products using the U.S. Postal Service, so we’re subject to their outlines for estimated delivery times. Take a look at the order deadlines for your country below. Note, this is the time your order needs to be in so our tack makers can construct your items and get them to the post office in time.

For delivery to Central and South America, place your order by December 7

For delivery to Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Carribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East, place your order by December 12

For Canadian delivery, place your order by December 14

Don’t forget to include measurements of your horse’s current tack in the Order Notes section if you’re requesting a custom size or if you think your horse may fall between sizes.

Domestic customers: remember that now through Christmas, all orders are automatically upgraded to rush shipping at NO additional charge. What better reason to start shopping?

Just in time for Christmas–FREE upgrade to rush shipping!

Still putting off your Christmas shopping? Yeah, we are too. Luckily, if you’ve got horse people on your list, you’ve still got time to make sure you can get them a great piece of custom, colorful tack well ahead of Christmas.

Starting this week, we’re offering a free upgrade to rush shipping for the price of standard! (Normally, you have the choice between 3-9 day priority shipping and rush, which gets your order to your door in 2-6 days.) No promo code required, and the upgrade is automatic.

Still need some time to mull it over? No problem. Our tack typically ships 1-2 days after you place your order and in most cases, will arrive on rush within 2-3 days. Pretty quick for custom work, right? Shop now!