Bring Your Bridle to Work Day
stacey |
Today is now officially bring your own bridle to work day! I am sure that it will become wildly popular and will henceforth be know as #BYOBTWD.
Well, maybe not. I doubt that everyone else is going to be quite as excited about "bridle" day as I am, but one of my favorite snaffle bridles was in need of a little (okay, a lot of) TLC. I noticed a couple weeks ago that the copper wrap on the mouthpiece was starting to shift a little. Copper is a great material for bits because it encourages salivation to keep your horse's mouth nice and soft. Most horses accept it very easily and like it, and if your horse likes his or her bit you will like their performance more!
However, the benefits of copper come at a price. It is a very soft and very malleable metal. Copper bits may wear a little faster than some others. It's not really easy to see, but the mare I ride in this bit is a nervous sort and she has managed to chomp and chew and shift the wire wrap around just a bit. There is a small gap in the middle of right side. The underside she has squished a little flat. I honestly do not think that there is any wear on this bit that would cause her any discomfort at all, but I firmly believe it's better to be safe than sorry. I contacted Dutton bits about ordering a replacement and I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that I didn't have to go that route. The folks at Dutton are actually going to re-wrap the copper on this bit for me. Since I am a sentimental sort and this is the VERY FIRST BIT that I ever bought after getting my very first horse, I am definitely tickled. That never even crossed my mind as a possibility.
I wanted to share my excitement with you guys simply because it is service like this that makes me proud that we offer quality US made products here at Coolhorse. Dutton Bits are made in Los Lunas, New Mexico by Greg Dutton and his family. Greg rides and trains horses and he knows how important a bit is to a happy horse and a good performance. They stand behind their product, even when they haven't been asked to!
Now for my next project, I need to order myself a replacement water loop for the one that is current playing "Where's Waldo?" out in the middle of my pasture.