Winter Gear- Deals to be had

Tamara of In the Night Farm posted about what she wore to ride in today in the frigid weather, which reminded me that I made some recent purchases for my own endurance apparel line up. I have more fun shopping for horsey related stuff than I do my own regualr clothing, that 's for sure. There are some great deals out there right now and I thought I would pass the info along.

I absolutely love the Kerrits Performance tights. They really hold up well to the rigors of long hours in the saddle and are very comfortable. Dovers saddlery has some closeout colors right now for $39.99. They are also having a good buy on their boot cut riding tights that I admired on some riders last season, so I also ordered a pair of those as well and they are going for $49.99 , usually about $79.00. A little spendy but they do last. I have also heard the Irideon brand are good tights but they weren't as good of a buy. What other brands do all of you use for riding tights?

I did finally break down and get JB his own waterproof sheet instead of the one that is 3 sizes too big for him , which used to belong to my T16.3 hand Thoroughbred. JB has a fleece cooler that a friend actually custom fit and sewed for him so we are all set in that department.

There are a few remaining items on my wish list for the upcoming season, like a new saddle pad. I am trying to decide between the 5 Star wool endurance pad which runs about $179.00 or the Toklat Endurance pad which is about $90. Pretty pricey but a good quality pad is quite important. Any one have any other suggestions for pads that they like that are out on the market? I currently use a Diamond Wool Felt pad and have been very happy with it but would like to find something with a little less coverage area to help with cooling.

Other items that are probably a must have for this season are a set of Snugpax bags, a breast collar for the Mcclellan saddle ( hopefully a Zilco) ,endurance stirrups and even if my husband laughs as me, I will break down and probably get a fleece saddle seat cover. Last season, I went without these items , and just wanted to see what was fluff and what was truly needed. Obviously , these few items are some of those needed things.

So any suggestions or thoughts on equipment from some other endurance riders would be more than welcome.