My riding equipment

These are some of the important riding equipments that I use.

 these are called chaps, and they are used to protect my calf and also for "ticker skin" around my legs so that I can ride the horse with more power and in comfort.

The reason why I wear chaps instead of tall boots is because, they are easy to put on, and I can easily take them off without having to take my whole shoe off so that I can walk around without feeling like a penguin.

 This is my leather cleaner, which is a leather oil to also make sure that the leather on my chaps and boots don't crack. I also use it to clean the dirt off my boots and chaps.

these are my riding gloves, they are not necessary for all riders, however they are important to me as I have thin skin around my fingers, therefore need to wear them to avoid my skin from peeling while i'm riding.

my riding boots (short boots)

choosing the right kind of boots is quite important to me because of the comfort and how easy it is to ride in them. As shown in the picture, the under side of the shoe has a lot of grip, which reduces the slip when I'm putting my feet in the stirrup. This helps me gain confidence while i'm riding.

 As show in the pictures, riding pants (also known as jumpers) are special because they have grip on the thigh areas and they are also extremely stretchy which makes it easy to move. They are also double layered on the calf area so that it reduces pain while riding and makes it comfortable.

riding whips (long whip, and short whip)

this riding whip is used for dressage also known as flat work. This is good for flat work because the length of this whip reaches the back legs of the horse which makes it easier to control the straightness of the horse. The tip of the whip is soft so that it doesn't hurt the horse while riding. The act of the whip is just to remind the horse to use his hint legs for energy and strength.

The short whip is used for jumping. This whip is actually called a bat, and is it used for jumping because it doesn't disturb the horse's movements while jumping. We usually bat the horse on the shoulder to give more confidence before a jump. It is used only at some occasions, usually when the horse is being lazy or when he is scared to go over a jump. The bat doesn't hurt the horse because it has a large surface area on the tip which only slightly slaps the horse. Imagine someone slapping you on the leg when wearing thick jeans...that's how it feels for a horse to be whipped on the shoulder. It doesn't hurt.

Riding helmet. This is used to protect my head incase I fall off the horse.