two horse tack halter bridle giveaway

In my newfound love of all that is beta biothane and halter bridles, Two Horse Tack is giving me the opportunity to do a giveaway to share the love! To read my review on the halter bridle, click here.

Shyloh modeling the three different styles of the halter bridle

To review: Two Horse Tack is home to handmade halters, bridles, harnesses, breast collars, reins, and other items. All made in the USA. They have leather, but offer beta biothane in all of their tack. Beta biothane comes in many colors and it is so easy to clean. It is also strong and durable and waterproof. 

The giveaway is a Quick Change Halter Bridle with Snap on Browband. The halter bridle comes in three pieces and is quick and easy to change around. The hardware is stainless steel. And you can pick the two colors you want it in! Or you can pick a solid color, bling, reflective overlay, or camo.

There are a ton of color combinations to choose from. Go crazy! Or choose a different style, it's up to you!

Sizes available are draft, warmblood/TB, horse, cob, Arab, large pony, small pony, mini, and even custom for those hard to fit heads.

 Go here to enter with Two Horse Tack

Leave a comment on which style or color combinations that you would like to win. But in order to enter, you must click the link and enter through Two Horse Tack website.

Share! Do lots of sharing of the contest!

Two Horse Tack will pick the winner. Good luck everyone! Giveaway ends Saturday June 21st at midnight EST. 

Oh, and everyone who enters gets a $10 off coupon for anything at Two Horse Tack. Pretty cool!

two horse tack product review: halter bridle

This halter bridle is awesome! That is all.

I like!

Two Horse Tack is home to handmade halters, bridles, harnesses, breast collars, reins, and other items. All made in the USA. They have leather, but offer beta biothane in all of their tack. I love beta biothane. It comes in many colors and it is so easy to clean. So easy. It is strong and durable and waterproof. 

I ordered a halter bridle from Two Horse Tack to test out. I had a few options with the halter bridle combo. Solid colored or mix and match colors, jewels or not, removable browband, snap or buckle bit hangers. Decisions decisions. I opted for the Quick Change Halter Bridle (snap on browband) with the two color combo. 

At the order screen, you can choose an overlay and a base color. I almost went with pink but stuck with blue. Although I wish they had more of a teal, I really really like the blue. Then I had to choose a size. So many sizes. . .mini, small pony, large pony, Arab, cob, horse, Warmblood/TB, and draft. And if none of those sizes are what you are looking for, you can get it custom. How awesome is that?

Shyloh is a hard horse to fit so I teetered between large pony and cob. I went with cob (pony denial) and it was a perfect fit for her. Next choice was hardware, stainless steel or brass. I opted for the base hardware: stainless steel. Next up was a rein choice; none, Western split, English, trail or barrel reins. I chose none, but I was sent English reins with the buckle. Awesome! 

Still not done with the choices, if you chose reins, you can chose which style of fastener you want at the bit end. . . Conway buckles, roller buckles, or two different finishes of snaps. The final choice was a breast collar, English or Western. I did not chose a breastcollar, although I do wish I would have!

My halter bridle arrived about two days later! That was quick! I tore open the package to inspect it. The blue was very pretty. The construction was nice and sturdy, like it will hold up to a lot. The beta biothane was nice and the hardware seemed very durable.

The next day, I was at the barn and got out my model. She was beyond thrilled. . .

Halter option

With the browband

Bridle option

The halter bridle fit her great! I tried it out in all the different options, as a halter, as a halter with a browband, and as a bridle. 

I thought snaps would be better than buckles for attaching the bit, but after doing it up twice, it was simple and no big deal. There are other halter bridle options that have the snaps available. And the Conway buckles. I hate hate hate Conway buckles. A lot of driving stuff uses that type of buckle. But, to be fair, I was sent the reins. If I ordered them, I would have picked a different fastener. And when I get a bit for that halter bridle specifically, I won't have to worry about those buckles anymore. Conway buckles are just a personal issue. 

Now it was time to put it to the test. Everyone got a turn!

Alison approves

Lily approves

Tommy approves

Between the kids riding her and the adults, we stopped for a lunch break. I loosened Shy's girth and took out her bit so she could graze a minute. So easy and no removal of the bridle to put on a halter. No fuss. It was great! When it was time to get back to work, it was so simple to buckle the bit right back on the sides. 

The reins were nice, too. They were grippy and felt good in my hands. The kids were able to hold on to them and the buckle in the middle helped them find the center (the other reins I use don'd have a center buckle). 

I approve! And so does Shyloh!

I love this product! Once I get to going out on the trails, this halter bridle will be awesome. I am very impressed with Two Horse Tack! I am thinking about getting the matching breastcollar and the curb chain. 

Since I love this product so much, I will be doing a giveaway of a halter bridle next week! Stay tuned!

de-stress

Shyloh has done her job perfectly today. I think I am de-stressed and ready to tackle the work week. It seems that stress is going around in a few of my blogger friends lately. I hope their ponies work some magic on them, too!

It is odd to be 55 degrees F in December. Maybe in Florida or California that is normal, but in Michigan this weather is far from normal. And then there is the rain. . .and the mud. Needless to say, I arrived at the part to a pony with a wet top half and a muddy bottom half. Anthony showed me how to wrap her tail so it would not drag in the mud. Even though I had it braided, the bottom was still a muddy mess.

Today was also the barn Christmas party and some horses got all decked out for the occasion!

Brenda and Buddy

Faith

We got some delicious food and we hung out with horses and horse people. It was a nice party! And a new horse arrived! A five year old blue roan Tennessee Walker! Doesn't he have the cutest baby face?

Jose

After the festivities, I decided to pull Shy back out of her pasture and work with her on bridling. Lately (well, maybe for longer than I like to admit), Shy has been clamping her teeth shut and forcing me to stick my finger in her mouth to get it to open to put the bit in. She doesn't pull her head away or fight it in any other way. It hasn't been difficult to deal with, since she never fought me sticking my finger in her mouth, but it was annoying and bothersome, especially with a driving bridle. 

So I took out the clicker and we went to work. I used the command "open" and after four or five successful clicks and treats, Shy was opening her mouth without a problem. That clicker is like magic! The video starts out with Tony braying in the background. I only got one try, because all the others were out of screen shot. But at least this one was a success!

We took a break from that and worked on another behavior. I want Shy to pick her hooves up on command. She is already really good at picking them up when I pick her hooves, but it would be cool to have to pick them up with a word. I tapped a leg, said "foot" and when Shy picked it up, click and treat. Shy got this really quick, too. The back legs were much better and more controlled for picking up. The front legs need a some more refinement, since she wants to wave with them. But I was pleased with her progress! I even switched up the order I did the legs each time.

We hung out and Shy worked her de-stressing on me me some more. I grabbed a bucket, stood on it, and hung over her. She was so good. When I was done, Shy was feeling playful and was playing with the bucket. When I put her back in the pasture, Shy had her crew waiting in the back for her, and Jessie waiting up front. Silly ponies!

Zanna, Lukas, and Tony waiting for Shy to join them in the mud pit

Jessie waiting up front

Back together again!

open bridle experiment

With the advice from fellow bloggers, I have decided to try an all open bridle sled dragging session. We  have done open bridle stuff with the sled and line driving before, but always moved into the driving bridle. . .maybe too quickly.

And a bonus. . .I got to use Shyloh's new western bridle! I tacked her up and got right to dragging the sled. This went on without a hitch.I figured as much, since we have done this before. So, I thought, let's do some other things with the sled to show just how not scary it can be.

I present: Sled torture!

Sled on my head

Sled on Shy's back

Sled on this side

Sled on that side

Sled  underneath. . .by the way, see how fuzzy she is?

Shy was amazing and tolerated sled torture very well. She didn't run off, or spook, or anything really. I could tell she was not the most comfortable and she kept her ears on the sled, but she let me do everything to her. 

Then the best part of the day happened. . .I got a volunteer to head Shy! Brenda, who owned big Buddy the Belgian offered to help. I was so happy and grateful to have a helper. Brenda walked at Shy's head with the lead rope, and I walked behind, line driving Shy and dragging the sled. Shy was a great! There was only an instance where Shy was noticeably uncomfortable, but she recovered quickly. We did a short walk and I called it quits.  Short successful sessions are best. And the open bridle experiment was a success. We just need to transfer this success to blinders.

Afterwards, I let Shy graze some. She grazed like she had never had grass in her life! And she knew where the good grass was.

The best grass is under the trailer

monday musings by shyloh #61

Fashion Show!

Allie got me a few new things and I got to model them. Because I am a super fuzzy super model. And super cute. I don't think I am cut out to be a super model though. . .it gets super boring and I was falling asleep by the end of it. And it does not involve eating grass. 

1. 

New western bridle. It's cute and it fits just right. It has a knot thing right in the middle of the brow band, so there is a tiny bit of flair to this bridle. Brand new and a great deal!  Now I just need a matching breastcollar. . .and a saddle. . .nah, I don't need a saddle.

2.

English bridle! What?? Allie said she got a really good deal on this and could not pass it up. And it came with reins. It is a hunt bridle. I wonder what I will get to hunt in it? Hopefully hay! Allie was told it was cob sized, but its not. . .it just fits right on the smallest holes. I am so beautiful in this bridle, it's blinding and I have to close my eyes.

3.

Teal rope halter. Allie has never used a rope halter before, but she said for 8 bucks for the halter and lead, she couldn't pass it up! Now she just needs to figure out knots. . .knots are her weakness!

4.

Bell boots. Kinda cheap, but they have velcro to secure them. I promise they are not tight on my legs, I am just so fuzzy! I don't really need them, but they are good to have.

5. Polo wraps. Navy blue. Everyone knows what polo wraps look like and everyone knows what navy blue is. Allie was too lazy to wrap my legs. But polo wraps are good to have, too. 

6.

Cooler. (not bought at tack sales) I think it makes me look like a mini! But I will only be wearing this for a short time and only if I get sweaty. So probably never, since I rarely sweat. Although it was comfy and seemed to fit really well. I have to give Allie kudos on this since she have never bought any type of blanket before and didn't know what would fit me. Happily for me, I won't ever be turned out in this, could you imagine what my herd would think? I am already the smallest horse out there and this is not flattering to my height at all. 

7. Shipping boots. (also not bought at tack sales) Allie could not find any cob sized boots for a reasonable price. So she went with horse size. Eh. . .they are a little long. So Allie asked the lady who fixed the surcingle if she could cut some off and sew to the right length. The lady said yes, so Allie needs to get the measurements. 

I will soon be a fully loaded horse, minus a saddle. . .

Wormer smile!! Yeah, I got that, too. . .

~Shyloh

auction and tack sale

The Auction

Belgians. . .yearlings, two year olds, not broke, green broke, well broke, broke to machines, teams. . .all the Belgians you could ask for. . . .all the way from $500 to $25,000! That is what the auction had. Jaime was hoping to get a nice looking  Percheron to complete her team. But the only Percherons there were blind or lame or had an asbcessed tooth or warts on the nose or a dropped hip. Poor guys. I heard earlier in the week that they had Haflingers that were selling for $35! $35!!! So sad. They only had a couple Halfingers the day we went and they were not that good looking. And for some reason, their forelocks were clipped off. There was a good looking Belgian gelding who had real nice movement (and he knew it) that sold for $4,500. Overall, the auction was pretty sad and depressing and we didn't stay long.

But we did check out Shipshawana which is Indiana Amish country. That was fun!

Amish Parking

This buggy was very cool. The doors slide up! I think five people came out of this cart.

Jaime and Kyle checking out some nice Amish made chairs.

Super cool toy! The kid sits in the back and peddles and can steer the horse bike by the reins!

Want! It has an awning, the table gets bigger to eat, and it glides back and forth!! Only $1,300!

Giant 6 ft tall wind chimes

Puzzle toy alligator

Cutest Bulldog puppy! I wanted him, but he was $2,500! The Amish do not mess around!

Heard the clip clop of horse and buggies all over

The Tack Sale

Today was another early day. . .I got up early and Kathy, Jaime, Kyle, and I went to this tack sale that was advertised at the barn. We drove out there and. . .um, super creepy barn and lady. But she had some great deals and I actually bought a few things. Then we crossed over to Ohio (three states, three days?) and went to some tack stores down there. And I bought a few more things that Shy desperately needed. I took everything back to the barn and had Shy model them. That's when I discovered the bit I bought her is too small. Not overly small, but just a smidge. Ugh. It was the same size as the bit she was using, but a different maker. Lucky for me, Analeesa's owner had a french line snaffle O-ring in a 5 inch that she wasn't using and she gave it to me!

While tack shopping, I looked for some saddles and saw a few that caught my eye. . .

Do you think this will be comfortable on long trail rides?

Teal is cute, right? Comes with a matching bridle. . .

I actually did not see any saddles I really liked. I did sit in this amazing Circle Y saddle Jaime was considering. It felt so good to sit in a saddle, even if it was not on a horse's back. I want mike to build me a saddle holder so I can take my saddle to work and use it like a chair. . .I won't ever be able to put it on a horse, but I can still get some use out of it! And practice my saddle posture, too. I might hold off of on the saddle hunt and work on Shy's driving. Just a thought for now. . .

a lesson

Our lesson today was really good! I learned a ton. . .but I think, most importantly, I learned that Shyloh already knows all this and completely messes with me.

I made a comment yesterday that I do not have to fully groom Shyloh before my lesson, I just want to run a brush over her and pick out her feet. This was because I scheduled the lesson right after work and I was not sure how much time I had to bring her in and groom. Well, I came to the barn and was greeted with this. . .

Muddy pony! Eyes are closed in pure pleasure of making me work!

Never before has Shy rolled outside in the mud! And it was still wet mud, yuck. It is clear that she heard the words "lesson", "work", "tomorrow", and "5:00" and she was trying her hardest to make things difficult for me. Or she has an episode on animal identity disorder and thought she was a pig.

So, I groomed Shy up as best as I could and tacked her up. Discovery number one, which explained the majority of Shy's behaviors on the long lines. . .the bit was backwards. Dumb me! I had a feeling it might have been, but I was not sure. I corrected that and got immediate results later in the lesson. Discovery number two was that Shy's brow band is too small. Not overly small, not painfully small, but snug. Apparently she has a freakishly weird shaped head. Her forehead is ginormous!  I guess I am in the market for a new brow band. 

Now that the bridle was corrected, we began to lunge. Shy did pretty good on the lunge line and we worked on her transitions. They are rough. Not smooth at all. Beth (she is the barn owner/lesson giver) wanted to try side reins to see how Shy did. We were not sure if Shy ever used them. Beth found some pony side reins (grr! she is NOT a pony!), and attached them. Shy was a bit apprehensive about what was going on, but it was mostly because she does not like Beth that much. It's true and Beth knows it. But it is mostly because she does not spend much time with her aside from feeding and turning her out. Discovery number three was that it appeared that Shy has used them before. She was fine with them being on her and responded very well to them. Beth kept the side reins very loose and explained to me the reasoning behind using them for Shyloh.

Discovery number four was that Shy has really adjusted to the routine of being inside at the barn. According to her time schedule, if she was brought in from outside, so she should be fed. Every time we went past the arena doors, Shyloh made an attempt to stop and stare out the door in longing for her dinner. We trotted her on the lunge line in both directions until she decided that she was not going to stop. She must learn to listen to me, even if she thinks she is hungry (though very clearly she is not!). 

Next up, I attached the long lines. I got a much better response now that the bit was correct. Discovery number five was that Shy is much more responsive when I am correctly positioned and when I keep my hands close together. And that was an accident! I had looked down to make sure my hands were the same distance on each long line and put my hands together and her response was amazing! We worked on turning and straight lines, then we did trotting. Again, Shyloh is very extreme in her transitions. Ask for a trot and she takes off. Ask her to stop and she puts on the brakes. So, when I asked for the trot and she took off, the bit was pulled and she stopped. So we worked on easing into the trot and back into the walk. 

By now, she just knew that she had hay waiting for her to eat  (in reality, Beth had not fed yet) and pretty much only had food and getting out of the arena on her mind. We must have attempted the trot past the arena doors a million times before she did it without stopping. Finally we did succeed, with the help of a driving crop. Just having it in my hand was enough for Shy. Then we ended on a good note.

Shyloh has too much attitude for a little girl! I call her the most compliant horse with the biggest attitude. Shy does what is asked of her, but she will sure let you know that she she not happy about it. An evil eye here, a tail swish there, a toss of the neck. It is quite funny! We have a bunch of things that we are going to work and a direction that we need to head. I am glad I took this lesson and I look forward to another in a few weeks to see how we have progressed!