I got votes both way and I agree - I have moods. Sometimes black sometimes white.
I love this white bridle but as I've complained before, it's fading to yellow and I know from experience it will meet the brown color palette soon. So I'm done with Zilco in color.
I'll keep my Zilco black....shown below (but with brass, agh!):
No need to get crazy, I can mix brass and stainless. I'm just moving so very slowly to stainless. My beloved white breastcollar (shown above) is brass, and I'm not parting with it soon. It's beta biothane and has not shown any tendency to fade.
Oh Mag, you look so formal in black. And this bridle fits him perfectly, even if it lacks all the padding that I've come to appreciate. Cuz every so often Mag truly spooks and I don't want to damage his face when he tries to rip away from me. I don't lead him by the bit, but I guess I could...
Anyway....
This week I've been screening all my blogs who provide info on their equipment, and I'm drawn to both Taylored Tack and American Trail Gear for beta biothane.
What I really want is Zilco to get it together, dangit, I love their stuff, the waffle weave padding on the nose and crown is so comfortable, and the hardware is top. The reins, however, the Zilco "Deluxe" reins are for crap. I'll never buy pimple grip again. And esp. not Zilco, they are almost an inch thick and clunky and the rubber material is shredded, falling apart aftere 4 years.
However, Baasha's Zilco black padded breastcollar is still in use after how many years? 15?
So I want a bridle exactly like my white Zilco except I want beta biothane that keeps its color, and I want the normal square nose sidepiece and not Zilco's newest thing that doesn't hold the noseband in the correct position, as shown below:
The American Trail Gear bridle on the left is compelling to me because it simulates the design of Zilco the most. If I could get it with the noseband metal squares, and with multiple keepers in BLACK....
OK here is where I get girly. If you could see my white Zilco bridle up close you'd be able to count a total of TWELVE black keepers. To me, they make the bridle. They are the "bling" in a white bridle that needs black contrast on a white horse. I hate bling, but the black breaks up the white and brings the whole thing together on a white horse. Go to the top photo on this post to see what I mean.
So, this teal and white bridle above is by American Trail Gear, and I'm curious if they would be able to add between 8 and 12 black keepers. (LOL!) And it seems like they have an "UNDERLAY" option, which is rare, but is the equivalent of the padding I'd had in the Zilco.
The only other thing I'd change about the ATG bridle (this makes 3 changes) is that the snaps hang the opposite direction. I want the snaps facing out, not in, and Zilco does this by default.
My husband saw my shiny black and brass Zilco bridle hanging in our entry way today, cuz tomorrow is horsey picnic day (YAY!) and he said, "I thought you hated brass. I thought you loved white!"
Yes, my husband knows me: )
11 comments:
Will Zilco replace the bridle? Then you can get another 4 years of your favorite style. Really 4 years is a short lifespan for a bridle.
Rebecca, GOOD question. I called them last year and they said, "You've owned the bridle 3 years. That is beyond warranty." They did nothing for me, even though the advertisement for their white biothane bridle says, "Holds its color." WTH Zilco.
Have you checked out Two Horse Tack? Not sure they have the materials you'd want though.
Diana at ATG can totally do all the stuff you want. Give her LOTS of photos and words, and she'll build it. She'll even send photos of it before shipping, to make sure it's correct.
AND you can send her measurements of your horse's face so it's a really good fit. This was vital to me because Fiddle wears an "11" (that's a joke, there are no sizes in horse tack, and if there was they would only go up to 10) and most biothane "off the shelf" is built for an Arabian head.
Extra keepers as bling is a good idea!
Snaps definitely have to face out. No pinching. But it looks like you can unbuckle the strap to turn the snap around if it is facing the wrong way. My white Two Horse Tack has been hanging by a window and it still hasn't yellowed. I've only had it for about a year, though.
Is there a product that you can use to whiten your Zilco? Good luck in your search!
Camryn, Two Horse Tack has a very unfinished look to me, although smooth, soft beta.
Aarene, thank you so much for networking me! I have LOTS of photos as you see: )
Measurements are also a good idea, cuz Zilco, can you believe this: My two Arabians Baasha and Mag were at their maximum Arab size bridles? COME ON! and there are holes going up the poll so you could literally bridle foals with Ziclo endurance bridles. I know Baasha and Mag are not huge headed. Why are they on the maximum setting?
Fiddle an 11, *lol*!!!!
I'm so glad you are with me about the black keepers as "bling" - I think you have to see my bridle to understand it, and if possible, I'd buy ATG rope reins with some sort of white biothane "martingale stoppers" - as bling on the reins themselves. Since I'm done with pimple grip.
NM, Thank you for agreeing! Just like you did, I imagined turning them around. One year sadly is not enough to judge color fastness. You're a seamstress/knitter/no-idea....so you know about fabric/material fading.
I hope you're doing well. I miss your blog a lot.
The white with black keepers looks sharp on him. I’ve heard the yellowing complaint with zilco before although I don’t think it’s a zilco only thing. White is hard to keep that way. I have no personal experience as they are more pricey than other brands but ATG can make absolutely anything you can imagine.
I cannot say enough good things about The Distance Depot and they seem to continually get swept under the carpet. Gracie's current bridle used to be Lily's. I ordered it custom through The Distance Depot in 2011: back then, we lived in Florida and I wanted a plastic bridle so I wouldn't have to worry about the constant humidity destroying a leather one. That bridle is in a pale baby blue that has been discontinued, with stainless hardware, and has withstood around 3,000 miles of trails, use by two horses and two people, 4 very wet endurance rides, and 5 barn moves where storage has ranged from moldy tack lockers to air-conditioned tack rooms. The color has not faded one bit (I bought Gracie's breastplate in the same baby blue right before it was d/c'd three years ago, and the color still matched perfectly), the stainless steel can be still be cleaned to a sheen in the dishwasher, and the beta biothane of the bridle still remains as soft and pliable as on day 1.
To add more praise to this company, I ordered Gracie's breastplate in parts so I could add green to its color scheme. The parts I wanted weren't listed on the website so I had to call; some of them I wanted with specific measurements. The customer support was amazing: the turn-around time for the items I wanted was the same as if I'd ordered online; no additional wait time, and everything was built exactly to my specs. I am their customer for life when it comes to endurance/trail gear. All of my biothane tack is from them, and as you know, it is in some pretty obnoxious colors: royal blue, neon blue, forest green and hunter green, in addition to the baby blue. None of it has faded. :D
I believe they offer international shipping though their "International shipping FAQ" page is not working (I just checked. :) ) But wanted to put them on your radar, just in case!
Taylored Tack and American Trail Gear make wonderful high-quality stuff, though! I've had the opportunity of touching it at store stands at rides and seeing it in action on horses at events. I also really like Hought Endurance Tack: they have an enormous color selection and can make multi-layered biothane equipment. I have one of their hackamore nosebands. They are just harder to order from online because everything is so customizable that they prefer you call or email.
I basically stuck with DD because their cost is lower for what I wanted. I've been very, very happy with my experience with their stuff so far! 7 years of using the one bridle is pretty awesome, I think. ;) Someone above mentioned Two Horse Tack...they are inexpensive when it comes to biothane tack, but IMO you get what you pay for when it comes to them.
Saiph, thanks for the help. I love Gracie's bridle! I didn't realize Distance Depot makes bridles and check this out - it is virtually identical to my Zilco by DD: https://www.thedistancedepot.com/Biothane_Tack_p/bbt-fhaoh.htm
Black keepers on white and all! (Good taste, people!)
And they have great prices. We'll see......my birthday is next week.....
I will wholeheartedly second Saiph's recommendation for Distance Depot. They built Major's halter/bridle (with no itchy browband) to his measurements (small arab muzzle, big not-arab head), changed out certain buckles to snaps, made the overlay right where I wanted it (nose only). I'm sure they could add all the keepers your heart desires!
My grip reins from them are also awesome. Also custom to my desire to have just a little color, then longer everything else!
But I do think white is just challenging. I do think black white white accents would look really sharp on him too. Or even gray. Good luck, new purchases are always fun!
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