Five Star Tack's Chessington Bridle

Every year I try to come up with a few new ideas for bridles to keep Five Star Tack's product line fresh.  I spend a lot of time on the internet sourcing ideas. Sometimes I'll get an idea from a posting on a discussion board, maybe I'll see something that someone in Europe is doing, and I've even gotten ideas from fashion and apparel websites.

Soft is a buzzword in the bridle business right now. Soft padding, soft leather, comfort are words you'll hear people mention when talking about bridles they like. So I decided to design a bridle that encompasses all of that. I also wanted to design a bridle that was a bit simpler, not so much fancy stitching like alot of our other bridles. What I came up with is the Chessington bridle.

The noseband straps where they go across the boniest part of the horse's face have soft padding. There isn't any raising so it's a nice piece to have across the face. It's got a floppy feeling but by no means floppy construction. Like all our other figure eights, it has padding behind the noseband rings which people love. It's not chunky as I didn't want there to be this big visible piece of padding so it provides protection without being noticeable. 

The browband is plain raised but I added just a bit of decoration. The crownpiece has a similar feature. It's a quieter bridle but still with something extra to make it stand out. 

The crownpiece is integrated so there isn't the second strap going over the poll. I did an extra piece of padding, a bumper if you will, that will shape to the horse's ears. I could have done ear cut outs like some other bridles but I didn't want to alter the shape of the crown and the cut outs have to match up with where the horse's ears sit which doesn't always happen. With the Chessington design the crownpiece maintains it's traditional width and the padding will contour to your horse's ears which I'm hoping people like. 

The best thing about this bridle? The leather. I do the touch and feel on every brand of bridle I can get my hands on and I simply haven't found a bridle leather as nice as Sedgwick's. It has just the right combination of heft with softness. It has such a great feel and breaks in so easily. The downside is it's expensive and not always easy to source. While I am always on the look out for something comparable that is less costly to purchase, I haven't found it. I like how this bridle came out. If you think fancy stitching is going to overpower your horse's face this is a good choice.

So the next time you are shopping for a bridle, why not give the Chessington bridle a try?

Olympic Fever!

We all have our dreams and for many of us who ride one of those dreams is or was to compete in the Olympics. So that dream didn't come true for me and my dream of going to watch the Olympics in London died when I figured out what the cost was going to be!

None the less, it's time for some fun and to shake off the retail doldrums that come with the summer months! Five Star Tack is putting some of it's most popular bridles on Sale at 30% Off along with 20% Off our Strap Goods. I may even put a few specials on our Facebook page so be sure to check in!

This sale will only go on during the equestrian events so whether your sport is dressage, eventing or show jumping treat yourself and your horse to one of our fabulous bridles or breastplates!

For the complete schedule of the Equestrian Events visit here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/results-schedules/index.html

Prior purchases are not eligible for sale pricing.

GO TEAM USA!

GO FIVE STAR RIDER & CANADIAN EVENTING
TEAM MEMBER REBECCA HOWARD!

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ROLEX!!

What was once a thought has turned into reality as I will be making the 11 hour drive with trailer in tow to  Rolex on Wednesday! Here are the details and I hope to see you there!

Location: Stand 139 which is near the shuttle drop off and where the radio broadcast is happening. 

We'll have our new bridles and breastplates along with a few samples that I will put together for the big event. 

Purchase one of our slick Five Star Tack T-Shirts with proceed's benefitting one of the OTTB charities we give to through our "Bridles with Benefits" program. Speaking of Bridles with Benefits, Five Star Tack will be presenting one of our bridles to the highest placing OTTB as part of the Canter USA award! 

Cheer on Five Star rider Doug Payne as he and Running Order compete in their first four star! 

Be sure to stop by with your friends at the end of each day for Happy Hour with complementary beer, wine & soda and whatever else we can bring in! It's our way of saying "thanks" for being a fan, customer and for spreading the word about Five Star Tack. 

Off to put more bridles together!

Murphy's Law

This pretty much sums up how I feel this week (and I can do the hair too).

You know that old saying "When something can go wrong it will and at the worst possible moment"? Well, that's been the last couple of weeks. You see I am still waiting on a large order that I placed back in the middle of January to arrive. That would be the order that a. has about thirty back ordered items in it, and b. is the inventory I am taking to Rolex. Unfortunately in life you can't control everything and this is one to those things I have no control over. 

Despite adding in extra weeks to insure that the order arrived on time it still has wound up in the waste land known as Customs Clearance. Despite many calls to the shipping company and urgent pleas on my part (they must roll their eyes when that crazy woman calls yet again), the best I am able to get is an estimate of when I can expect delivery. What started as the end of March has turned into this Friday (best case), Saturday (not likely) or Monday of next week. If there was something that could go wrong with this order it has between not being completed by the stated time, getting picked up late and labeled for future delivery, lost paperwork, you name it and it's happened. Of course if I wasn't going to Rolex the order would have been here weeks ago. 

Unfortunately "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" does not apply outside of the U.S. We are so accustomed to being able to get what we want in an instant and it can be hard to understand why the rest of the world does not operate in this manner. We expect good service from the companies that we do business with. I am like anyone else in this regard and it irritates me to not be able to provide the service people expect. It's no fun to have to yet again tell someone that the order they placed back in February is still out of stock especially now that the competition season is in full swing. Although considering the horror stories I've been told about importing products, I should consider myself lucky it hasn't been worse. I hope it doesn't get worse!

If you are waiting for an order I will make sure it ships before I leave for Rolex and I apologize the wait has been so long. 

Jamie

Happy Anniversary Five Star Tack!

I always enjoy going back and looking at photos from when Five Star Tack first started designing bridles. We've come a long way since then! Three years ago this weekend Five Star Tack went "live" and I've learned a lot about running a business since then. I know in another three years I will look back and see how much more I've learned!

They say most new businesses fail within the first year and I am thankful to the unwavering support of my family as well as all of our customers in helping Five Star Tack get this far. We've grown by leaps and bounds from three years ago and one of the most important things I've learned is to stick with my niche and maintain my ideals. While Five Star Tack will never be the Smartpak of bridles or be carried in every tack store like some other brands I think what we do we do very well. While it would be great to have the ad spend that some of these companies have along with the economies of scale, the reality is my hard earned dollars go towards product development and donating to the charities I love.

So to usher in the new product season we have several new products as well as updates of current styles and as many of you know, when the new styles come in the "old" ones are retired and put on sale! Here are the highlights of our 2012 product line:

The new Chessington figure eight bridle and Wyndham patent leather dressage bridle. As seen on Facebook, these two bridles have been widely talked about and I can't wait for them to come in.

Our popular Star flash noseband bridle will now come with a padded comfort crown, similar to the crown style of the Chelsea bridle.

The Ainsley flash noseband bridle will now come with a removable flash noseband instead of the fixed loop it's had in order to give it added versatility. It will also have a slightly wider noseband and brow band.

The Ascot figure eight bridle that is sold in tack stores will now come with round raised and padded figure eight straps and matching rubber reins.

The Chester bridle has undergone another update and will now be round raised and fancy stitched with a wider brow band and noseband with a flash noseband. It will also have an integrated crown piece in place of the plain crown piece it had previously. There are a few full size of the now "old style" left that will be posted on Facebook this weekend.

Our very popular Waverly dressage bridle will now come with your choice of brow band; either with the celtic cross that we've been using or a very pretty raised browband with an inset of swarovski crystals.

The Signature breastplate will now have a padded wither strap, thanks to your suggestions.

Now for the good stuff (you know I like to make you read). To celebrate Five Star Tack's third anniversary and to make way for new stock we will be having a special sale Saturday and Sunday!
This sale is limited to in-stock items only. No back ordering out of stock bridles and the sale does not apply to the new bridles coming in. Bridles sold as "exclusive to tack stores" are not included either. Items that have been updated will be priced at 25% off and current stock (not being updated) will be priced at 15% off. Discount will be shown in the price when you go on fivestartack.com. PLUS if you are a Facebook fan or "like" our page send me an email at sales@fivestartack.com for a coupon for an extra $10 off of your order so tell your friends to like our Facebook page!

SALE IS SATURDAY, MARCH 31st AND SUNDAY, APRIL 1st ONLY!!

Welcome 2012!

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions but you wouldn't think that with all the changes that will be happening here at Five Star Tack! 2010 was all about new experiences, and basically still at stage zero there was only one way to go - up! 2011 was both a year of incredible growth but also the frustration that can sometimes go along with it.  Here are the highlights:

In 2011 more tack stores decided to carry Five Star Tack. It is gratifying to have stores that share my belief that selling the same looking strap goods as every other store does not make for sales. But, there are many more that still insist on selling the same look alike brands. That's okay. I'd rather have a few good customers than risk depleting both human and financial resources in the quest to be bigger. It's okay to be a dinghy boat in an ocean of cruise ships as long as you are going with the current. I am most appreciative of the tack stores that have chosen to carry Five Star and I hope you will check out our store locator and shop the tack store nearest you. 

Our direct business, rallied for a strong finish at year's end. The economy impacted sales the first half of the year. Sales from events we sold at were way down from the prior year, until Fair Hill. I am thankful to the number of people who came up to say how much they loved both their Five Star bridle and what the company is about and it renewed my energy for the business. Needless to say, Fair Hill was huge and the rest of the year as well! There is still a long way to go and as anyone who has developed a new product or retail store knows, it takes many cash infusions in order to get to the point where the cash coming in is greater than the cash going out. 

What is Five Star Tack doing for its customers? First, you will notice a big change with the website as we move to a new shopping cart/hosting platform and payment processor that will greatly allow for customization and an easier ordering process. We will be better able to showcase not only Five Star's products but also our sponsored riders and our customers! Many customers have sent in photos of their horse in its Five Star bridle and it will be great to feature them. If you haven't sent in your photos there is still time as it is looking like February for this feature to make its debut. You will also be able to shop Five Star Tack directly from our facebook page as well as shop from your smart phone. 

Product wise, there are new products in the design process! There is a new crownpiece design that I think will provide the best combination of great comfort and fit. There is a figure eight bridle that, if it works out, will be unlike anything available here in the US. If it goes into production there will be a matching dressage bridle. The popular Signature Breastplate is being updated and will now have a "grab strap". You asked for it and we listened! We are also updating the elastic design so that the width can accommodate the five point breastplate and we are also updating the Ascot figure eight bridle. In addition there will be more girth offerings including the popular anatomic style, but with Five Star's distinctive design. 

One thing that I did not give enough attention to that I am going to put more effort into is the Bridles with Benefits program. We were able to make a small donation to three thoroughbred charities along with bridles donated by customers and a few new Five Star bridles. This program can be so much more but I have to do a better job at promoting it. 

Oh, and look for Five Star Tack at Rolex this year! There are many logistics to be worked out but I am very excited to be going.

As always if you have any suggestions for what we could be doing better please email me at sales@fivestartack.com!

Best regards,

Jamie

The BEST way to care for your Five Star Bridle

I often get asked by customers what the proper way is to take care of their new bridle and with the many sales Five Star had this holiday season I thought it would be a good idea to go over how best to take care of your Five Star tack. This is important because failure to follow these simple instructions will have a negative effect on the leather and most likely shorten its life, so read carefully!

It is a very common practice in the US to oil or dip tack before use and most often too much oil is used to do this. Unfortunately this is not good for Sedgwick leather. This is the leather Five Star uses for it's Five Star Bridles. High end companies such as Hadfields, Beval, and D'yon  use Sedgwick leather as well for their bridlework and if you look up their care instructions they also advise against oiling.

"How come I can't oil my bridle when that's what I've always done?" Sedgwick leather is carefully tanned to preserve the natural oil in the hide. They start out using a better quality hide than most companies which makes for a strong, tight grain with a good moisture content. The leather is further tanned using fats and greases which results in a product that is ready to use from the start. The leather is also "dyed through" meaning the hide is colored all the way through. Some companies put a color finish on their bridle leather and if you've ever had color bleed this is why. With the wide selection of colored hides Sedgwick has there is no need to darken the leather. With use the leather will darken but you can't take a light colored Sedgwick bridle and oil it to get it to a dark havana color. There are those that think you can strip the color off the leather so that it can then be oiled and darkened. You can't do this with dyed through leather and will once again ruin the leather if you attempt this. Other companies,  such as Edgewood, use a leather that has to be oiled to darken but they use a different leather. You can still over oil an Edgewood bridle and if you read any threads about Edgewood you'll see many comments about the leather stretching. Which brings me to my next point.

"What will happen if I over oil my bridle?" Well, its not good. Since the leather already has a high moisture count, adding more moisture through oiling creates too much moisture causing the leather to stretch and weaken due to the leather fibres being damaged. You cannot repair the damage once done. The leather will have a greasy feel as there will be a layer that sits on top, and it doesn't go away. I did an experiment a few years ago with some pieces where I dipped the leather in neats foot oil and let it sit for a few minutes. That little time in oil ruined the leather. It still has a greasy feel. When I hear of people putting their bridle pieces in plastic bags filled with oil I shudder.

Too much oil will also cause the leather to split wherever there is a raised portion. In order to insert the leather piece that creates the raised portion the leather has to be "skivved" a/k/a split in order to insert the piece. Better bridle companies only split the portion where the raised portion goes. After the leather piece is inserted the leather is glued down, stitched, rubbed and sealed. Better companies do this by hand. When you oil Sedgwick leather too much the oil can eat away the sealant and cause the leather to split and can also cause the glue to "leak". It is a common misconception that when this happens it's due to poor quality leather or workmanship when in fact it is the improper care of the tack by the owner that caused the leather to fail.

Why do we oil our bridles? In the case of Edgewood, the color that they come in has to be darkened and the leather they use takes oil nicely. In the case of better english leather there is simply no need to oil the tack before use. I have had many conversations with Sedgwick and they don't understand why we Americans are so fond of oil! I think much of the perceived need for oil is to break the leather in before use when actually the best way to soften the leather is to just go out and use it. Sedgwick leather requires very little time to "break in".  Their leather stretches less than other leather types due to it's tight grain. It has a stouter feel than other bridle leather before use but quickly softens up on it's own. It will have a feel unlike any other bridle which is a big reason why people love their Five Star Bridles. The soft leather used on other bridles may feel great out of the box but it will stretch more over time.

So if you've read this far, here are the instructions for maintaining your Five Star bridle:

1. After your ride simply wipe the tack with a damp cloth then go over it with glycerine or a mild conditioner being careful not to use too much water.
2. Stay away from any dark colored or heavy conditioners as they may darken the white stitching.
3. If the stitching gets dirty you can use castile soap to whiten it.
4. If the leather gets dry due to heat or sweat lightly oil the flesh side of the leather with a brush. It's better to do light coats than one heavy coat. If you need more than one coat, let the first one dry completely.
5. Keep your bridle in a climate controlled environment, away from direct heat.
6. If you live in a humid climate and don't have an air conditioned tack room it's best to keep your tack at home especially if it's not in use so that the tack doesn't get moldy.

The best advice I can give you is to go enjoy your Five Star Bridle! Keep it simple and you will be enjoying it for years.

For more information on caring for Sedgwick leather tack you can visit J&E Sedgwick. There is a wealth of information on their products as well as a video showing how the leather is prepared.

Thanks for reading and thanks for being a customer!