Meet Our Ambassadors: Taylor and Strutter

We’re continuing our series introducing you to our team of Two Horse Tack Ambassadors

Today, we’re getting to know Taylor and her Arabian, Strutter. Taylor and Strutter have been using a mix ‘n’ match English breastcollar. Get yours here!

Follow Taylor on Twitter at @twalker2017

 –What have you and your horse been up to this summer–preparing for a show, hitting the trails, trying a new sport?

Strutter and I have been doing a lot of trail miles this summer! We’ve done five 25-mile competitions so far, and we just completed our first 50 of the season this weekend. We’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and working extra hard to prepare for more 50s and maybe even a 75 later in the season. And, of course, we’ve been having lots of fun!

 

–How did you first meet Baxter?

I first met Strutter in July of 2015. I was looking for a way to get into distance riding, and I got in touch with my now-mentor and Strutter’s owner by looking at my local distance riding group’s website. She had five horses at the time, and Strutter was meant to be her husband’s but he doesn’t ride much anymore. Strutter needed a job, I needed a horse, and the rest is history!

What’s your favorite part of your Baxter’s personality?

My favorite thing about Strutter is his work ethic. He can be very silly and quirky, but when we get to a competition and get out on trail, he is all business. Our personalities are very similar, and I think that’s why we get along so well.

What do you like about the Two Horse gear you got as part of the program?

The real question is what DON’T I like about Two Horse Tack gear? It’s sturdy, easy to clean, completely customizable, and comes in any color I want!

‘I haven’t had to clean it!’

Endurance riders tell us often that they love our equipment because it’s both lightweight and easy to clean. We were happy to get this review from the Green to 100 blog:

“I haven’t had the need to clean it aside from a quick wipe but I love biothane for super easy cleaning and except my saddle I do everything I can in biothane. It doesn’t break (at least I’ve never yet for me) and if I get behind on wiping or rinsing I toss it in the dishwasher. It comes out shiny and new.”

Read the rest of the review here.

But you know, it’s not just endurance or trail riders who benefit from waterproof gear. No one likes to spend their time in the barn aisle, scrubbing and buffing with a sponge on a Saturday night. Breastcollars tend to get more sweaty than just about any other piece of tack, so why not pick up a beta breastcollar for hacks around the farm or riding lessons, even if you’re not prepping for an endurance race?

This holiday weekend, get a breastcollar for less – you can have $5 off an order of $50 or more with code 5off50.

 

 

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!