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Game Changer...the C4 Belt
Sassy and Stylish....PLASTIC???
In dressage, there are some things that we just won’t change like wear white breeches to show in. We tuck our shirt in to ride and leather belts are a must. Or so I thought. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an amazing revolution in belting styles. They tend to be thinner, stretchier and more colorful than the standard black from years before. Today the buckles are shaped, made of various metals and easily come off in order for you to use them on different belts. In the little black book of “Do Not Ever Do This”, I’m sure there is a page that says plastic anything is verboten.
This spring I started seeing numerous people of all ages around the barn with a new style of belt. Each one was different, colorful and showed off the individuality of the rider. This even included the professionals! I also saw them at several shows this summer while visiting The Florida Horse Park to support the team.
So, the next time I visited The Tack Shack, I checked them out. To my surprise, there were shelves of these belts and buckles. Apparently, it’s a mix a match kind of thing allowing you to buy one buckle and several belts to go with it. That’s smart I was thinking until I was stopped in my tracks. These weren’t stretchy or made of fine leathers from some far off land. THEY WERE MADE OF PLASTIC.
I immediately retreated and looked around to make sure no one saw me. I clearly identified as a dressage rider with my extra sticky full seat breeches and the thought of putting on something so clearly inappropriate was shocking. I even began to question the people I was hanging around. Who were they? I left the store as soon as possible.
A few days passed before I got the nerve to question one of these so called barn buddies. Is that really a plastic belt and buckle I asked in a quiet voice. She laughed out loud and with no hesitation proudly said yes! They are a game changer. You cut them to fit and they don’t get wet and stay wet. There are soooooo many styles she said. I didn’t know what to say. So I just said okay.
When I got home, I went to the C4 website and spent an hour exploring designs, buckle colors and materials. Don’t get me started on the dog collars. You can get a photo of your dog on your belt! That’s a whole blog on itself! By the end of the hour, I learned that these belts are relatively inexpensive, guaranteed, and gorgeous. I bought 2 for myself and 2 for a friend. I could have purchased just silver toned buckles but I did buy those as well as some matching buckles. The brown belt that goes with the bee belt was VERY HARD to pass on to my friend Diane. Trust me, she didn’t know that I had purchased it so keeping it was a very real option. But I knew she would love it so I bravely gifted it to her.
Confession time. I am addicted now. There was a BOGO sale this week with free shipping. Less than $20 and I have 2 new belts coming. This time I purchased the navy belt with tiny snaffle bits AND a donkey belt. Yep a donkey belt…it’s a brave new world dressage people. Go check them out!!!
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