BTB: Brown dressage tack, Part I: The proverbial brown shoe?

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Brown dressage tack, Part I: The proverbial brown shoe? Posted: 09 Aug 2010 01:44 PM PDT I got a deal on a saddle! I think I did anyway, for this brown County Perfection saddle, leathers, bridle, and girth. It's very dark brown, almost black, but it looks lovely on Riley. So what's up with brown? You don't see a lot of brown these days in the dressage ring. But black tack is not a long-standing tradition. In fact black dressage saddles are kind of a new thing. As recently as 20-30 years ago, brown was the traditional color for dressage. Back then if you saw black tack you assumed the dye was masking inferior quality leather. Top riders have been known to ride in brown tack, and the Spanish Riding School uses brown Stubbens for schooling (white buckskin saddles for shows). Robert Dover rode in the Olympics in brown tack (Kennedy, 2004). I knew a local Grand Prix rider who had a luscious brown custom Amerigo saddle; that saddle looked like it belonged in an art exhibit. Why be down on brown? Cosmetologists tell you to always use brown, not black mascara, because black is so harsh-looking. I think the same principle applies to saddle color. There are shades of brown to go with any coat color. Lighter mocha browns accentuate roan and chestnut coats. Bay horses would look great in a darker nut or mohagany brown. For black horses, the dark chocolate browns complement the coat color nicely. Brown tack has some distinct advantages: Brown leather shows off the characteristics of superior quality leather; black dye deadens the patina of good leather -- you can feel the quality but it's harder to see.  Black leather tends to bleed color on our white breeches  -- not so with brown! Many  black saddles  fade to an ugly gray over time. I'm hearing that brown is making a comeback. Frankly I haven't noticed it here on the East Coast. Most people don't buy new tack on a whim, so it may be a slooowwwly emerging trend. Brown does have some drawbacks -- related more to fashion than anything intrinsic to the color.  If you're thinking of buying a new saddle in brown, make sure the saddle is a keeper. My County saddle rep told me a brown saddle will sell for about 10-20% less than a black one. If you want to make the switch from brown to black, you may have to buy new accessories.  It is tacky to have a brown saddle and a black bridle, IMHO. If the saddle is dark brown, you may be able to use your black girth and leathers. Choices in brown accessories are limited compared to black saddles. For example, I love the EOUS Soft-Touch girths but they don't come in brown.  BTW, it's not that I hate black. I've had black saddles for years. This is a nice change for me. In the end, it's what you like and what looks good on your horse. Judges just want to see a neat turnout and pleasing picture.  RESOURCES Dressage: Is brown tack okay? from Jessica Jahiel's Web site Brown dressage tack from COTH Brown tack in dressage in the HGS forum Brown v. black in the Ultimatedressage forum Brown v. black tack in the Ultimatedressage forum

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