what is the right price for good equipment?

[lovechick]

I started my riding lessons not too long ago and I need to buy riding boots, helmet and maybe a pair of breeches or jodhpurs. I've been to few horse stores and theyre equipment is quite expensive, the helmet is $75, the boots are $70 and pants are $55, is that a good price? Are there any good websites where maybe I can buy it for a cheaper price? Also when I ride I wear jeans and the trainer said its fine but theyre kinda uncomfortable, but I also wear them cause its really cold right now. Can I wear any other pants that will keep me warm and that are comfy too,(not breeches~I'll buy them if necessary,later)
Thanks a lot!!:angel6:

[MagnoliaFly]

When I started buying my own riding equiptment (at 16!) I freaked out at the prices too. Hopefully your parents are helping you out as this is an expensive sport to get into. I've spent well over $1,000 on basic equipment and lessons along with going to various clinics to learn different ways of training.

I'd reccommend getting Dover Saddlery's catalog, you can also visit them online at: http://www.doversaddlery.com/

Just look around at local tack shops and see what you may be able to find used. A helmet should run you about $50 if your getting a standard riding helment (not the velvet kind) Depending on what boots you get (jodphur boots or tall boots) that will be a big price difference. Jodphur boots start at $35 and go up into the hundreds. Tall boots usually start around $100 and go up from there. DONT EVER BUY RUBBER BOOTS TO RIDE IN! They may be cheap but are not safe at all to ride in.
I'd try ebay for boots and helmets. I got my helmet there for $14 and never looked back.

When you go to buy a saddle get your trainer to help you out. He/She will know your measurements and what type of saddle you need to get. There are many different kinds so dont go get that $150 package that comes with bridle/saddle/pad and everything, they are made of cheap leather and dont last long at all.

As for pants, thats really what you prefer to ride in. When you start wearing breeches you may learn to prefer them depending on what type of style you get (I got full seat breeches and found they gave me a wonderful grip in the saddle). They were very warm and I wore them all winter long. Of course I live in Florida so winter here is quite different than that of up north.

Just remember, if your still growing I wouldnt spend a lot of money on pants and boots and helmets. You will grow out of them and end up having to sell them or give them away.

Hope that helped!

[lovechick]

Thank you so much this really helps!:angel6:
Anyways I'm looking around and I will be bying things which I need, good thing is that the equestrian center that i take lessons in I also volunteer there every Saturday for 3 hour(cleaning, brushing e.t.c) and in exchange for that, they give me free lessons! Its great cause the lessons r really expensive so it saves us money... About the boots, I went to the store and they have long boots but theyre rubber and they cost $65 I dont wanna buy that. they also have jodphurs, but are they better than long leather boots? Is it also possible for me to buy boots at local shoe store?, that look like riding boots, or do I need special kind? Also at the tack store they only have velvet kind of helmet. so I need to look somewhere else maybe online...

thanks for info:D

[lovechick]

I also wanted to ask how does the Ebay system works, how you pay and how do you know that accesories fit you well and that theyre as new as they described? Thanks

[MagnoliaFly]

How old are you exactly? (This will help me answer many of your questions).

[lovechick]

I'm a 16 year old girl(u probaly guessed that by name already, haha) I went to Ebay website and they have some really good things for good price, I think I'll buy the helmet and crop there, I dont know about boots, what if they wont fit me well? Also do u reccomend buying boots or jodhpurs? which ones are better?, I also noticed that at my riding school, only younger kids wear breeches, the instructor and teens my age wear those leather pants? that go on top of jeans, I dont know what theye called though...
Can you also tell me the steps if I wanna purchase something from Ebay, because I dont want to do something wrong...
Thank you so much for your time!:agree: :D

[MagnoliaFly]

If your purchasing on Ebay have your parents do it. They can pay with debit/credit card and by personal check sometimes. Whoever is selling the items will specify what kind of payment they want.

As for what type of boots you need to get, I dont know if you plan on competing. For your age Tall Boots (either Dress or Hunt Boots) will be required. Wearing chaps (those leather pants you were talking about) is entirely up to your preference, depending on what kind of fit you want and grip you want in the saddle. Alot of girls wear chaps when they school and save their good breeches for competition so they dont get dirty. If you plan on ordering boots either from ebay or by catalog, measure yourself first so you know what size to get. There is a chart on the Dover saddlery site that tells you how to measure your calf, foot and height to your knee, and then tells you what the measurements of the boots are.
Same for the helmet, you will have to measure your head to get the correct helmet size. There should be a helmet chart on Dover's page too. You can use whatever size you find your head to be to look on Ebay for a helmet that will fit you correctly. Things like crops, gloves, socks and all grooming equipment - you will find cheaper on Ebay. I purchased almost all of my equipment (except my saddle) either on ebay or through mail order by Dover. Talk to your instructor before you buy anything. They will know what you need now and what you need to save up for the future.

[lovechick]

Thanks i'll ask the teacher, and look more around

Thanks again:angel6:

[lovechick]

Hi Magnolia Fly,
I went on Ebay and ordered a pair of really nice looking boots and theyre my size, my problem is that, I didnt check the time when they would cancel the bidding, and I dont know if I got them, I know theyre supposed to send me mail if I did, but they didnt send me email, but I dont think anyone else bought it though, also when u place a bid theres a button that says "Place Bid" but before that I looked over help page and they said click on "Review Bid". how is it different?, cause they didnt have "revied bid" button for those shoes..

I dont know what to do know, please reply if u know, thanks..

[MagnoliaFly]

If you didnt get an e-mail saying you either:

1. Placed a bid

2. Won the item

Then you didnt place the bid correctly. You type in the price you want to bid for, then click place bid, then I think you click review bid then it'll tell you you placed it. Get your parents to help you. They should be the ones doing this anyway especially if they are paying for it. Your bid is contract, if you bid that price you MUST pay that price.

[booger7139]

sweat pants! warmcheap and comfy! cant go wrong with them and also what kind of boots?

[MagnoliaFly]

Some sweatpants arent thick enough to provide your inner leg protection from the saddle. They arnt very grippy either, I've tried riding in pants thinner than jeans and got awful bruises on the insides of my thighs from the stirrup leathers and buckles. Breeches are good because they are thick and usually have patches of padding on the insides of the calves and on the butt.
If you choose to wear sweatpants probably wear a pair of biker shorts underneath to prevent chafing.

[maora]

You can try : www.horses-assets.com all prices are in Canadian dollars...so that should help you a bit :-)

[lovechick]

well for now, I got paddock boots and breeches from local tack shop, and I bought crop and helmet from Ebay, I love that place! u can get great stuff there, I still want to get knee leather boots, but the problem is that I have big feet, lol(size 10 wide) which is major problem for me, i tried fitting regular size 10 boot but my foot wont fit in.. I was on Ebay this one time, and they had my size boots that were also zip-up kind, i wish I have gotten them, zip-ups and lace-ups are easier to get on.

I also noticed several people at the barn wearing half-chaps? Are those good idea to buy or not? But they seem a bit costly to me, on ebay most of them start at $50..so I dont know

[MagnoliaFly]

I've never worn half chaps because I bit the bullet and just ordered tall boots.

I ordered my tall boots from Dover - I've got a different problem than you lovechick, small feet and a really wide calf (I'm short). I ended up putting my boots in the freezer with bags of water in the calf portion to stretch them out before my lessons. I never got it quite right before I quit taking lessons. They're still sitting beside my saddle stand. But while I used them in the lessons after I got them sort of broken in, I never cantered or jumped better. It helped me keep my leg behind the girth especially during a canter when its most important.

Anyway, as for half chaps I hear they're wonderful to use if you've got paddock boots and dont want to invest in tall boots yet. Some of them give you the look of tall boots and the security that they provide. Go visit www.doversaddlery.com they sometimes have specials on half chaps.

[lovechick]

Thanks !
I got a catalog from dover, and man, its soo expensive! they have these reallly neat tall boots from Mountain Horse, but its $189, I cant afford that now, maybe later, I looked at some half-chaps on Ebay, but I'm not sure where its better to get? tack shop or ebay? Do u know how much they will cost at the store, they are $50 and above on Dover plus s/h , so I think I'll get 'em on ebay, also do u know if I will fit into half chaps, that are 14'' in calf, but my leg is 15'', I dont want them to be too tight, plus I'm wearing breeches.

[MagnoliaFly]

Go onto the Dover website, look up any half-chap and there should be a sizing chart that will ask you to measure the width of your calf (with breeches and socks on of course, always measure wearing your riding gear!!!!) use that size that you get to find the right size from e-bay. Always look at the return policy of the seller before bidding, and if you arent sure e-mail them. The good sellers will answer your questions quickly, in detail and be willing to help.

I know half chaps start around $50, if you've already bought paddock boots and dont need tall boots for competition for a few years I'd invest in some half chaps (or ask for that as a b-day/christmas present). They can be useful even after getting tall boots when you want to save those for competition only. I havent looked on ebay lately to see what the prices and type of merchandise is on riding gear, I usually would pay the extra dollars to buy from Dover just because I trust them more. They'll exchange for size and all that.

Something else you might want to look into is full chaps? I found a good sale at Dover one time and got a pair for $40 that are suede. Little long in the leg (I'm only 5'1) but they fit great until I gained weight and grew out of them. They can be a good investment just like half chaps. Its really up to your preference.

[lovechick]

Thanks i found these great chaps for $20 on Ebay, but I'm unsure about the size, I'm afraid they might be too loose or too tight,
ok here are ones I wat to get:

http://ebay3.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_684930380d4497e2d3442fa8f1a65e36/i-1.JPG

and these with return policy:

http://www.tack-wholesale.com/Half_Chaps_Velcro_Black_L.jpg

which ones do u think look best?

[MagnoliaFly]

Thats really up to you to be honest. If the size isnt listed on the auction e-mail the seller and find out, its too much of a hassle to return a product when you find out it doesnt fit.

[lovechick]

Ok, I got the first ones, theyre size Large which is 15-17'', my leg is 15, but i thought that me wearing breeches would matter too, so I think they will fit, the lady also said, I can return them, if something is wrong, they are $20 plus $5.85 s/h.

Do u think its a good price? I went to tack store yesterday and they had those kind for $70, so I'm hoping a have a good deal.

:angel2:

[MagnoliaFly]

It depends on how sturdy the suede leather is. You want it to last a long time, not come apart after a few rides. It needs to be sewn together quite securely and have a good thickness in the leather so it doesnt chafe against the saddle and get holes in it.

Most cheap horse equipment that is made of leather is notiorious for coming apart rather quickly. I'd just be careful of that.