Riding in the mountains in some decidly changeable weather, I had the idea of writing a post about the gear that I am using. This can be quite a challenging environment, and I need gear that performs well in order to stay warm, dry and safe.
I have tried out a variety of waterproof gear, and have returned to using a traditional full length waxed stockman's coat. This I have found to be the best coat to keep out wind and rain, as well as keeping my saddle and saddlebags dry. For some years I used a Backhouse coat. When that wore out, I bought a Drizabone coat, direct from Australia over the internet as there are no retailers here in Transylvania. The supplier www.bestofdownunder.com was a pleasure to deal with, giving good prices and a fast, accurate service. As well as the coat, I bought a hood for the coat (mainly for when I am not riding), a Backhouse waxed bush hat, and waterproof waxed chaps (which are useful in very heavy rain). I didn't have any particular reason to favour Drizabone over Backhouse, except that the former made a black coat (which was what I wanted) and the latter didn't. The past week has turned up some spells of very heavy rain, during which I stayed warm and dry - unlike some clients who turned up with cheaper, inferior products - which left me decidedly impressed with the gear that I have been using.
I did try out a Goretex rain suit recently. Goretex is great for hiking, however the pressure generated by sitting in the saddle forced water through the material. Meanwhile, the rain suit channelled water onto the saddle, which became sodden. I don't much like riding with a wet bottom, so that experiment quickly ended.
Boots are the next most important clothing item, not least because sometimes I need to lead my horse over difficult terrain. I've used a variety of boots, including US Army desert issue boots (which are great in hot summer weather, but not entirely waterproof) and British Army boots (which, for some reason, I didn't find especially comfortable to walk in). Now I have settled on Chippewa hiking boots from the US, which I have found comfortable both to ride and walk in, and waterproof. I like to oil them with neatsfoot oil every week before setting out, and this seems to keep them supple and waterproof. These boots are not cheap (the Apache retails at nearly $250), however they are well worth the price
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I've taken to riding with spurs too: short, rounded brass spurs that give more precise control as well as more control in a difficult situation. It's good to be able to touch my horse gently rather than having to kick him on. I don't agree with the use of sharp spurs, however these short, blunt spurs seem perfectly humane to me.
I have long favoured leather full chaps for the protection that they offer. In part, I have been influenced by the sight of a leg opened up to the bone on barbed wire, however full chaps protect against all sorts of knocks and scrapes. They also make one stick better in the saddle, and the lower parts keep the rain off the legs below a stockman's coat. I've used a variety of full chaps, often suede that I have waterproofed with neatsfoot oil, however none has lasted especially long thanks to the apparent inability of the zip industry to make a good quality long brass zip. It's always broken zips that cause my full chaps to be ditched. I did sew up a favourite pair to replace the zips, however they are a nuisance to take on and off, as I have to remove my boots.
It's not easy to find a good hat. I like to wear a favourite black cowboy hat, which replaced a twelve year-old Australian bush hat that finally wore out. However it doesn't keep the rain out, so I've been using a Backhouse waxed hat in bad weather. That's a good solution, except that a broad brimmed hat gets caught by the wind. It can be very windy on the mountain ridges, in which case a thermal hiker's hat is handy. I keep one of these hats, and a pair of fleece gloves, in my saddlebags.
Apart from that, I ride in ordinary jodhpurs and hiker's fleece sweaters. Up in the mountains, several layers of fleece are ideal for keeping warm. I've been out in temperatures down to -20C in winter, and I've seen the temperature fall below zero with windchill even in September. Usually it's far warmer than that in summer (I get through plenty of sunblock in summer), however one needs to be prepared for all eventualities.
For the depths of winter, I have a pair of Alaskan insulated boots that keep my feet warm even in -30C. They are great for winter riding, even if one does have to use larger than usual stirrups. I use thermal underwear from the local mountaineering store in cold weather, and that too makes for comfortable winter riding.
My saddle is a Keith Bryan Pathfinder, modified by the addition of a carrying plate at the rear. That carries a pair of leather saddlebags made to my design here in Transylvania, by the Pony company at Medias. One criticism of leather bags is that they can leak, however these bags are well covered by my stockman's coat. In these bags, I carry a first aid kit for horses and people (including a stable bandage in case of lameness caused by a sprain), tools to tighten or remove shoes, a stout knife, a very useful Leatherman tool, spare hat and gloves, and my lunch. I use a rubber girth sleeve all the time, as this is easy to clean and soft on the horse's skin. All my client horses use these rubber sleeves, which minimise the risk of girth galls forming because of an imbalanced rider.
On the front of the saddle, I use a Snug Pax pommel pack www.snugpax.com, English Deluxe model, with a pocket and water bottle holder on each side, and a camera pouch on top. This takes a pair of aluminium water bottles as well as having space for my mobile phone, camera and other oddments. This useful bag has a strap over the top that holds the middle of my rolled-up stockman's coat, and a strap on each side that fits under the girth to keep the sides from flapping at speed and also holds down the ends of my coat. It's altogether a good bag to have on my saddle.
A couple of years ago, I started to use Western split reins. They are long enough to lead a horse with, at a distance of a metre or two if we are both slipping around on a muddy slope. The ends make useful alternatives to a whip too. If I need to stop and let Pintea graze, I use the top strap of the pommel bag to hold the reins, which don't slip since they are fairly rough leather. Adjusted right, he can reach the grass without loops of reins that he might stand on. I wouldn't go back to an English bridle after riding with a Western bridle and reins. Admittedly, Pintea doesn't need a noseband to keep his mouth closed. (Do horses in the Western US need nosebands? Or does the more relaxed riding style and loose reins result in less evasion from the horse?) I rode my old horse Marcu with a tie-down at the beginning of the season, attached to the curb strap of his Western jointed curb bit, since he had learnt the habit of evading the bit with his previous owner. (It was a simple curb with short shanks, without ports or any other gadgets.) Now I ride using a simple jointed snaffle bit, which is the type that all my horses use. I always ride with a headcollar under the bridle for tying up.
I use a breastplate and crupper all the time. On the steep terrain around here, I appreciate the added security of not having my saddle slip forward or back. My trail horses are all equipped with breastcollars and cruppers, and the Huzuls in particular (which don't have pronounced shoulders) really need the cruppers. Ten of my trail horses use Zilco endurance tack (each horse having a different colour). I used to use running martingales too, however it seems more useful to be able to use an open rein whenever required than preventing a horse occasionally from raising its head excessively.
All my shod horses are fitted with Natural Balance shoes, which have had borium added by arc welding. Not only are the shoes less likely to slip on a smooth road, they last appreciably longer. I add the borium around the complete circumference, on both sides of the nail holes, which calls for careful welding. That way, the nail heads wear down more slowly, leading to less shoes being lost prematurely. In winter, we use screw-in tungsten studs that are additionally (and permanently) secured by arc welding. Without the welding, we lost studs with monotonous regularity. The inside branch of each show is fitted with a plain steel stud to minimise the severity of any brushing injuries.