REVIEW:
Owning a grey can be one of the most frustrating things in the world.
You will spend hours to make your horse ‘White’ again only for it to roll in mud 0.50 seconds later.
You could easily say it’s a continuous cycle of grooming.
One way around this dilemma is to purchase a “skinny hood”.
What is a “Skinny hood”?
A “Skinny hood”, Also known as a “lycra hood”, “stretch hood”, “hood” etc is a hood created out of lycra- initially made to be slightly smaller than the horse, so once on the horse it stretches and moulds to the horse’s size.
The pro’s to these types of hoods are that they give a more 'custom’ fit than ordinary hoods and prevent rubbing. They keep your horse clean without rubbing out half your horse’s mane. This makes these types of hoods perfect for the night before horse shows/competitions- to protect your hard plaiting and grooming work.
The cons are that these hoods rarely ever fit your horse, especially if you have a weirdly shaped horse in general, can get quite warm and sweaty in hot weather and can rub on the nose and eyes of the horse.
Today I am going to review the Horzehoods Ltd hood in princess pink with ears.
My first impression of the hood was just… Wow! Instantly I noticed the overall quality of the fabric and all its details such as its fleece nose, zipper and belly clasp.
One thing I generally struggle with when it comes to hoods and rugs is the fit, as my thoroughbred gelding is incredibly hard to fit.
His other cheaper stretch hoods didn’t fit him, and would either rub on his face causing loss of hair, or would go in his eyes. The neck would always be either too tight or too loose and would rub on his withers because of this.
However with that being said, the Horzehoods Ltd princess pink hood has been the first to actually fit him perfectly. The eye holes go evenly around his eyes, whereas cheaper versions have cut through them causing problems. The fleece nose prevents any rubbing which in my opinion is a stroke of genius. The fleece also offers extra comfort to the horse.
The fabric itself is incredibly breathable and can I say possibly waterproof? To thoroughly test out the hood- I have left it on my horse for almost 2 weeks, and throughout this time, there has been hot days, cold days and storms. On the hot days, unlike the cheaper stretch hoods, the Horzehoods Ltd princess pink hood is incredibly breathable- and during different times of the day, when checked there was no sweat or excess heat underneath, horse was incredibly comfortable too.
During the stormy weather, although his rugs were wet- his hood remained dry, as did himself underneath the hood. I must admit I was incredibly impressed.
Unlike the cheaper “stretchhoods” The Horzehoods Ltd zipper is strong, thick and sturdy and all the velcro and clasp fixtures are the same.
Finally the ears on the Horzehoods Ltd princess pink hood are not overly large or overly small, and fit the ears perfectly without causing any irritation to the horse. Likewise they are perfect for spring as they keep all the bugs out of your horse’s ears.
The only downside we can think of is that these hoods are not for a rug destroyer. They are strong and sturdy, and the fabric is high quality however they are still lycra and a determined horse will be able to create a hole.
Overall, the Horzehoods Ltd princess pink hood is just remarkable and incomparable with any other hood similar as they are in a league of their own. I am still overly impressed with the quality and make of these hoods and can recommend them to anyone- especially those who compete and need a hood to protect their hard work the night before a comp/show.
You can purchase your hoods from either Horzehoods Ltd (UK) Horzehoods Ltd - Australia (AUS) Horzehoods Ltd - France (France) Horzehoods Ltd - USA (USA/CAN) Horzehoods Ltd - Nederland (Nederlands)
I rate these hoods 9.5/10 and can highly recommend them, and will continue using their hoods and other products on my horse.
- Annie
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