Inaugural Post: California Brow Bands
Welcome to the first post on my equestrian lifestyle blog!
The drive behind the blog is two fold: to scratch my writing itch, and to create reviews of mid-range equestrian products that I regularly use and love.
Occasionally I'll post riding updates to help me process what's happening with my riding as well.
When I first started riding again after a lengthy hiatus during graduate school, I had no idea which products or brands to buy. I had been out of the Oggling at the Tack Store Loop for what felt like a lifetime, and very few horsey items had survived my PhD.
In addition, I decided to begin jumping and eventing after growing up riding dressage, which opened up a whole new world of tack offerings I'd never paid much attention to before.
There was a lot of trial and error as I began to re-amass tack and riding gear piece by piece. Even after reading online reviews I ended up with products I wish I'd known more about before I'd bought them since a decent proportion of reviewers online had not been using the products for very long.
All of the products I will be discussing here have been in regular, more than three month use that I LOVE and can afford with my modest earnings. Every item I post here I would buy again, and in some cases have bought multiples of.
Since I'm an eventer and former fox hunting staff member, many of these products have seen rigorous use. Some of the products I've bought used to keep within my budget.
The first post is of one of my favorite items in my tack collection: A semi-custom brow band from California Brow Bands.
The drive behind the blog is two fold: to scratch my writing itch, and to create reviews of mid-range equestrian products that I regularly use and love.
Occasionally I'll post riding updates to help me process what's happening with my riding as well.
When I first started riding again after a lengthy hiatus during graduate school, I had no idea which products or brands to buy. I had been out of the Oggling at the Tack Store Loop for what felt like a lifetime, and very few horsey items had survived my PhD.
In addition, I decided to begin jumping and eventing after growing up riding dressage, which opened up a whole new world of tack offerings I'd never paid much attention to before.
There was a lot of trial and error as I began to re-amass tack and riding gear piece by piece. Even after reading online reviews I ended up with products I wish I'd known more about before I'd bought them since a decent proportion of reviewers online had not been using the products for very long.
All of the products I will be discussing here have been in regular, more than three month use that I LOVE and can afford with my modest earnings. Every item I post here I would buy again, and in some cases have bought multiples of.
Since I'm an eventer and former fox hunting staff member, many of these products have seen rigorous use. Some of the products I've bought used to keep within my budget.
The first post is of one of my favorite items in my tack collection: A semi-custom brow band from California Brow Bands.
The Pony Modeling Her Brow Band at a Dressage Clinic with Michael Lieberg
I've used my black Micklem Competition Bridle for over three years (worthy of its own post), and wanted to add a bit of bling to jazz up our forays into the sandbox for the dressage phase of horse trials, dressage clinics, and pure dressage shows.
There are a lot of brow bands out there, and range from mass produced to hand crafted by local artisans. I was looking for something in my budget, good quality, locally produced, and handmade.
There are a lot of brow bands out there, and range from mass produced to hand crafted by local artisans. I was looking for something in my budget, good quality, locally produced, and handmade.
It made my day when I read on Instagram that a local young eventer+Pony Clubber and her mother had started a brow band business and were hand crafting the brow bands themselves.
The brow bands California Brown Bands posted on The Gram were beautiful, so I asked if they had one on black leather in a wave shape with blue color. They had one that fit the bill sized for a large pony's head. The price was also in my modest budget. I couldn't resist, I bought it last August.
The brow bands California Brown Bands posted on The Gram were beautiful, so I asked if they had one on black leather in a wave shape with blue color. They had one that fit the bill sized for a large pony's head. The price was also in my modest budget. I couldn't resist, I bought it last August.
California Brow Bands' Instagram Page
I've had the (as I call it) Pretty Pretty Princess brow band for four months and have used it in two shows, two dressage clinics, multiple lessons, and all of our many dressage schooling sessions at home. I worried at first it would be difficult to clean, but it cleans easily. Just carefully work a clean-ish tack cleaning toothbrush around the beads and gently rub with a towel. It looks brand new still, and my pony sweats big time so it's seen its share of grime. The leather is nice quality, especially with regularly using a quality leather conditioner very carefully applied to it so it does not get on the beads.
A Closer View of The Pretty Pretty Princess Brow
Band from California Brow Bands (Yes, The Pony has Mule Ears)
At every outing I get many compliments on the brow band, and I always feel very fancy going down centerline with the Pretty Pretty Princess brow band. Below are a few photos of The Pony and I at our last show of the season at the Fresno County Horse Park Horse Trials in November this year. The brow band looked smart with our fly veil (also terribly worthy of its own post), and The Pony turned into Princess Puffangel.
To get your own California Brow Band, check them out on Instagram @cali.brow.bands
Send them a DM to see what they currently have in stock, or can handsew & bead for you and your equine partner. They have brow bands in different sizes, 15"-17." There are different shapes of brow band as well as various kinds and colors of beads. Since I have the same trainer as California Brow Bands, I picked up my brow band from them. However, if you are not located in Southern California they ship anywhere.
Send them a DM to see what they currently have in stock, or can handsew & bead for you and your equine partner. They have brow bands in different sizes, 15"-17." There are different shapes of brow band as well as various kinds and colors of beads. Since I have the same trainer as California Brow Bands, I picked up my brow band from them. However, if you are not located in Southern California they ship anywhere.
I know I'll be contacting California Brow Bands before next year's show season to get a new brow band to spruce up my brown jumping bridle.
Until next week, happy riding! 🐴
**Please Note: I have not been paid to review any of the products I post. I am an adult eventer with a full-time job that is decidedly non-horsey.**
**Please Note: I have not been paid to review any of the products I post. I am an adult eventer with a full-time job that is decidedly non-horsey.**
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