At CHG Leg 6, while Thunder and I were warming up, a rather loud voice from the side of the arena right next to us piped up.

“I don’t understand this dreadful new fad with these earmuff things!” it complained.

Thunder was the only horse in the warmup wearing them, and our old pair was rather eye-catching; they had been white once until somebody washed them with the red pair, and were now a slightly startling shade of pale pink. The diamante around the edge was starting to come off, and a seam on the ear had split, causing Thunder’s trademark long and fuzzy ear hair to poke out of it. I was, at first, slightly miffed by this obnoxious railbird, but considering I’d just put in an order with Jessica Garnett from Equestrian Elegance, I knew that at the next show, their shock and horror would reach an entirely new level.

The Ordering Process

I’d seen advertisements for these beautiful custom products all over Facebook, and when Thunder won his first bit of prize money, I decided to do a little bit of a splurge and looked up their Facebook page. Jessica answered my message within minutes and sent me pictures and pricing promptly.

Originally I was looking for a standard-shape white pair with a cross in bling, but the shape wasn’t available. It didn’t bother me too much – I don’t know too many people who strap blingy crosses on their horses’ faces, after all – because Jessica was able to do the cross in embroidery instead, and it worked out cheaper. She was more than helpful throughout the whole thing and went to a lot of effort to find me what I was looking for. I was invoiced promptly and the parcel sent off as soon as it was ready, and I was sent a tracking number immediately. She even sent me photos of the product before posting it, and to my great delight, added extra bling on the embroidered cost at no extra charge – a kind gesture, I thought, especially considering it wasn’t her fault that the bling cross I’d wanted wasn’t available. Jessica tracked the parcel herself and it arrived in excellent shape.

The only thing I ever waited for was for the actual earmuffs to be made. The waiting period was a few weeks, which didn’t bother me much because it is a custom product, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you want to order for a specific show or for Christmas or a birthday.

The Product

Obnoxious railbird, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

In short: I. Love. It.

The material is has a sturdy, durable feel to it, especially the crocheted parts. It doesn’t have a string, but we showed with it last weekend and it really doesn’t need one – the design is such that the bridle holds it in place perfectly. I much prefer the look without the string. Everything is neatly finished, and the little blingy bits on the cross have stuck on perfectly.

Thunder is a fairly standard Full size head with fairly small ears. This is a Full, and it fits well, a little loose around the ears. I will say that if you have a ginormous warmblood or draft, you’ll need considerably bigger.

It’s also exactly what was agreed on, and he was quite happy toting it around on his beautiful noggin, showing no discomfort or rubbing.

The only thing that gave me pause about this product was the price. As you’d expect for a higher-quality custom product, it was about four times the price of the el cheapo one I’d picked up at a local tack shop. That said, the previous one did half a dozen shows and then promptly fell apart, and I expect much, much better wear from this one.

The Verdict

I rarely splurge on nice tack – the last time I did was on Arwen’s double bridle almost two years ago – but when I have, I haven’t regretted it. I don’t think I’ll regret this, either. It needs to last me the duration of Thunder’s career, and if I take care of it, I reckon it will. Would I order from Equestrian Elegance again? Well, I’ll probably be broke for the rest of my life, but if not – you bet I would. The service was faultless, and the product absolutely lives up to my expectations.

Ordering this glorified tea-cosy meant a lot more to me than just cutesy dressing-up for shows. Dressage is worship, it’s my dance of praise to my everlasting God. He is my life, the song of my soul, and the Rock of my salvation; and I want to scream His Name from the rooftops so that the entire dark world can see the glory of His light. This is one more way for me to fulfill the deepest purpose of my life and the deepest calling I can hear: to preach the Gospel.

Now as I come down centreline, the first thing every judge and spectator – few though those may be at little local shows, at little bottom levels – will see is the symbol of my God on my horse’s forehead. It’s custom embroidered. It’s navy to match my coat and ridiculously blingy. It’s positively fabulous. And it’s a symbol of a Love so courageous it went willingly to the most painful death imaginable; a Love so forgiving it died for unrepented sin; a Love so far-reaching, all-encompassing, all-embracing, unending and timeless that it stretches out through the centuries and sings out in me as loudly as the day when it sent the innocent Son of God to die on a real, bloodstained wooden cross.

It means the greatest truth I know: My God is real. My God is loving. And my God is right here.

Glory to the King.