Great breastcollars for half price of competitors

Endurance riders have long been fans of Two Horse Tack because our beta biothane products are super lightweight and waterproof. Jamie over at the Green to 100 blog recently reviewed one of our two-color breastcollars, and she pointed out that another reason she loves Two Horse is the affordable price of our tack:

“As I was looking at breastplates they are expensive. This one I was slightly skeptical of because it was half the price of the other one I was considering. I ended up with both and I liked this one better and sent the other back. It was heavier and a little wider and thicker.”

Thanks, Jamie! Glad you loved it. Read the full review at Green to 100 here.

Like Jamie’s breastcollar? Get your own here.

Built-in Security With Our Breastcollars

No matter how long you’ve been riding, we can all use a little extra stability in the saddle. That’s why our English and Western breastcollars have the option to add an over-wither strap. This gives you a great base of support should your horse slip or perform an ‘unscheduled gravity check.’

All our beta biothane breastcollars are water-proof and sweat-proof, so just need a quick trip under the hose to come clean.

Breastcollars start at just $40!

Meet Our Customers: A Sentimental Win

A few weeks back, we were proud to be a prize sponsor at the American Competitive Trail Horse Association ride in Beckley, West Virginia. We wanted to catch up with the winner of our gift card to find out what brought her to trail riding, and what her equine journey has been like.

We met Taylor, who participated in the trail ride aboard Silver Belle. Silver Belle, a 6-year-old Tennessee Walker, is particularly special to Taylor. She met Silver Belle after losing her first horse, who died after Taylor rode her just once. Taylor took some time away from riding after that, and when she got back in the saddle, she discovered Silver Belle and knew they were meant to be.

Taylor and Silver Belle have worked together for three years now, and it’s been quite the learning curve. This was the first time Taylor had ever worked with a horse who needed training.

Taylor and Silver Belle look to be made for each other. And we love their purple saddle pad!

“Google was my best friend,” she told us.

The two mostly do Western and pleasure riding and have worked up to competitive trail rides. At the recent Lake Stephens trail ride in Surveyor, West Virginia, they came home with five first-place ribbons.

“She is always willing to try her hardest while still pushing my buttons and being stubborn,” Taylor told us.

Silver Belle’s human-like qualities make up for some of that stubbornness, though.

“She will take a water bottle and drink out of it almost like a human, then throw it,” Taylor told us.

Taylor is still deciding which item in our shop she plans to use her gift card for, but so far she’s thinking a colorful new breastcollar would be right up her alley. Two Horse Tack breastcollars keep the saddle from slipping back during a long ride, and are lightweight, so they won’t hold a horse back if they’re on the trail for a while.

Congratulations to Taylor and Silver Belle!

Patriotic ponies

If you’re like us, you probably spent at least part of this weekend watching a patriotic parade down Main St. It’s hard not to get in the spirit of July 4th watching all the red, white, and blue flying around. Did you know you can also help make your pony a little more patriotic? We loved these images (found via Pinterest) of horses decked out for the fourth of July!

Feeling like dressing your horse up for the next fourth of July (or looking ahead to a Veterans’ Day or Memorial Day parade)? We can help. Just about all our beta biothane products come in two-color options so you can pick both a base color and an overlay (We think red base with dark blue overlay looks amazing). Our bling tack also comes in your choice of colors, and one of the options is red/white/blue like this breastcollar–a nice way to bring some subtle patriotism to your horse’s ensemble.

What are you waiting for? Make your tack your own.

New Product Alert: One-Piece Breastcollar

We’re constantly adding new items to our shop per customer requests. That’s why we’re happy to bring you a new, simpler type of breast collar.

This one-piece breast collar (we’re calling it a “strap”) is a favorite among riders of gaited horses because it doesn’t interfere with the horse’s action. Instead of stabilizing the saddle with a strap running between the horse’s front legs to the girth, the breast strap buckles onto the D-rings or girth billet on either side of the saddle, and works extremely well to keep the saddle in place through a long ride.

Buckle ends are standard with this piece, but snaps are optional, too. Either type of strap end is adjustable, allowing you to set the tightness of the strap’s hold against the horse.

The breast strap is available in all 12 of our dazzling beta biothane colors.

Of course, the horse’s neck and chest get sweaty during a long ride in the summer, which is why it’s so convenient to use beta biothane for breastcollars and straps–it just takes a quick trip through a bucket of soap and water to remove sweat and dirt from this super-strong material. What could be simpler?

What’s that? Girth loops

If you’re like us, riding time is precious (especially now that we’re trying to squeeze every minute of daylight out of the evening we can). That’s why a lot of the tack knickknacks in our Other Items section of our online shop are aimed at saving you time.

The most annoying thing about using a breastcollar has got to be looping it through the girth every time you saddle up. You’re on this side then that side, then back again to get the breastplate, saddle, and pads all adjusted. Our girth loops can be ordered in matching colors to our breastcollars, and can stay on your girth, which means you just have to clip, clip, and go. The loops are adjustable to fit the width of your girth and to take up any extra slack once they attach to the breastcollar.

Girth Loop in pink

The breastcollars themselves also do double duty–most of our standard styles slip at both saddle rings for easy on/off, and include a “grab strap” across the pommel of the saddle…juuuuust in case you need a little extra “hold” out on the trail or cross country course.

Happy riding!

Every rider has a journey

We’ve found that our products are popular with riders who are out in all types of weather, and who ride over all types of terrain. That’s why eventers love beta biothane–it’s fade-proof and crack-proof, no matter how many hours it spends in the sun or in the water.

We recently read a product review of one of our bridles and one of our breastcollars by the blogger who writes under the Equine Snob handle over at My Equine Odyssey blog. ES was surprised to find that of the two pieces, her favorite was the breastcollar. Our breastcollars have buckles on both shoulders, in addition to the girth loop, making them totally adjustable. Fancy Pony, ES’ mount, is a little narrow-chested and they found it particularly helpful that they could shorten the shoulder pieces to fit. Interestingly, she put a running martingale attachment onto the breastcollar to correct a training issue,and it worked very well for them.

We love following our customers’ journeys in the saddle. If you do too, check out My Equine Odyssey.

All-Natural Health for Horses…and a Giveaway!

We love doing things the holistic, natural way with our horses whenever we can. That’s why we were thrilled to discover Casie Bazay and her blog, The Naturally Healthy Horse. Casie is a fantastic resource for everything from accupressure to barefoot trimming to home remedies for basic veterinary issues.

We were especially interested in her post on natural remedies for horses prone to gastric ulcers, since we have encountered a few ulcery types in our time.

We also loved her recent post on accupressure points which can be beneficial for a horse after a long ride. Casie outlines the proper way to use the Lung 1, Large Intestine 4, Bai Hui, and Bladder 60 points, and we can’t wait to try them out for ourselves.

Two Horse Tack is happy to partner with Casie and The Naturally Healthy Horse to offer a tack giveaway only to her readers. Choose a breastcollar in any of the various color options–solid, two-color, bling, or camo. Visit The Naturally Healthy Horse to enter the contest!

What’s that? Explaining Breast Collars

If you’re new to riding, you may not have ridden with a Breast Collar before and may not be sure why they’re so common in both English and Western disciplines.

First and foremost, Breast Collars are not just a useful tool, but a crucial piece of safety equipment for both horse and rider. Their first job is to help keep a saddle in place. A properly fitted breast collar will keep a saddle from slipping back or to either side.   Some horses lack wither definition or are round, causing the saddle to shift around.

Breast Collars also provide added peace of mind for riders of more regularly-shaped horses. It is nice to know that just in case you do not tighten your girth correctly because you are in a hurry or have a jittery steed, your saddle will not slip. Loose girths can cause saddles to slip, sometimes so much they end up under the horse’s belly–a frightening scenario that not only increases the odds of a rider falling off, but could lead to a rider’s worst nightmare – a caught foot in stirrup leather.

Our breast collars help keep the rider safe as well. We feature breast collars with a over-the-wither strap that we affectionately refer to as the “Oh crap strap” (this comes standard on our English Breast Collars and can also be ordered separately if needed on our Western Breast Collars). This little handle comes in handy if your horse throws in a few, uh, unexpected bouts of air time, or if you have a few less-than-graceful moments in the saddle yourself.

Here at Two Horse Tack, we offer both English and Western Breast Collars in leather and beta biothane. Our beta biothane pieces come in a variety of colors and bling options, and can be made to match any of our bridles.

We also offer girth loops. These are a must have for english girths or any girth that lacks a dee ring to clip too.  These stay on girth and are huge time saver as you do not have to thread girth through breast collar each time you tack up.

Best of all, we keep our quality high and our prices low–we know how expensive good tack can be, and we’re out to make it affordable.

Check it out!