the everything pony
who would really much rather eat all day
Review: Smartpak collection of mini reviews
Alternate title: Collection of reviews for Smartpack products that I don’t really have a whole ton to say about so they don’t really need their own review.
Also, because I don’t have a ton to say about them, these are all in the same category – stuff that wasn’t up to snuff. Because I do have many Smartpak things that I love, there are also Smartpak things that I don’t. This is a 4-item review of things of theirs I’ve tried but haven’t worked for me or that I didn’t like.
SP Harwich padded fancy-stitch bridle w/ long reins – full size
Before going any further on this one, I will say that this bridle is discontinued, which is why I didn’t give it it’s own review. But I still wanted to review it, so here it is. The long reins and fancy stitching were my draw in purchasing this for my hunter show classes. The raised part of the reins softened nicely, but the laces remained stiff. The length wasn’t as long as my Ovation reins, but worked for Amber. However, I didn’t like the very dull, brushed brown look of the bridle. I love how rich the colors in my PS of Sweden and Lund bridles are, and this one was just…flat. Not even matte. Just flat. And it never really darkened nicely, either. This fit more like a true full size bridle than my Ovation, but after a few months the throatlatch strap started to crack. Also, because the noseband was so heavily padded and Amber’s jawline is short and curved, the bottom of the noseband continuously wanted to slip towards her chin which made the top of the noseband tilt back towards her eyes. And it was just bulky on her at times. The reins bothered me, and overall, though I liked it better than my Ovation bridle, I still didn’t like it enough to keep it or think it was quality enough to be worth $150. I think there are better bridles out there for that price.
SP medium diamond deluxe AP pad – navy/emerald
The only thing I really like about this pad is that it’s navy/emerald, and matches my navy/emerald breeches from SP. Other than that, the pad is made of a slick, non-breathable material that Amber always gets overly sweaty from. The pad isn’t really contoured, and I’ve found that while Amber’s withers are not substantial by any means, her roundness requires pads to have that extra fabric a contoured pad provides. Her back and ribcage are so broad that the extra contour keeps the billet holders from actually pushing the saddle back. This pad is always a bit lopsided on her, so I only use it for light hacks. Mostly though, it now just stays on my rack and gets little use.
At least, that’s what it was when I bought it, but it looks like the new title for it is the same stuff. This stuff…. There’s not much product wise that I will say I dislike intensely, but this is one of them. This particular fly spray didn’t seem to work at all for Amber. It smelled like peppermint (which don’t get me wrong I love peppermint) but the smell just seemed to attract the flies in greater number. It was also a sort of peppermint smell that would get stuck in your nostrils and throat and was pretty ick for the whole day. Plus, it stuck to your horse’s fur in a way that attracted ALL the dirt. I mean, Pyranha does that, but Pyranha also works lol. So this product is a huge resounding no for me.
This particular pellet contained apple cider vinegar, which I’d love to pour in Amber’s feed I just…..have no idea if she’ll actually eat it. My mom’s Arab/TB mare loved it when we’d mix her grain with oil and ACV, and I know apple cider vinegar helps to keep the flies at bay. So I grabbed the pellets because Amber will eat any type of pellet, and tried that. I think it worked a teensy bit? I’m not sure. I really didn’t feel like I noticed a difference. It’s a great theory, but probably straight ACV works a lot better than if it’s molded into a pellet. It just didn’t seem to work for Amber or Whisper, so my mom and I stopped ordering the product. Most of the time I try to be on board with these types of products, but if it doesn’t work for your animal then there’s no point in buying it. There are a lot who like it, but again I didn’t notice that it helped at all, so it’s not something I’ll be buying in the future.
6 Comments on “Review: Smartpak collection of mini reviews”
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the everything pony 
I love Smartpak so much, but it’s always good to know when things aren’t worth buying… I have a couple saddle pads like the one you reviewed and they make me bonkers, so I feel your pain!
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I love SP as well! Just gotta figure out which products work for you and which ones don’t lol
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My last horse Ramone had a bad reaction to the Bug-Off fly Spray
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Oh no! Poor Ramone.
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I haven’t been impressed with SmartPak’s brands of bridles. I have a Wellfleet (it’s ok, but I’ve gotten nicer leather at a lower pricepoint), and cheaper one which is functional, but the leather is not nice and a few of the keepers broke.
I hate when saddle pads get that crease! (Why I don’t buy the Tuffrider or Riding Warehouse logo cheapies anymore, lesson learned.)
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Yeah agreed. There are some better products out there for the money!
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