Materialism & Tack

New flowers from Fleur À Cheval

The flower clips are sponsored

FLOWER POWER! Yayy! My new Fleur À Cheval flower clips arrived in the mail today and I can barely wait to use them for my next photoshoot! The package contained a bunch of them, so now I have the flowers in all the colors of the rainbow. I’m so happy! I received all of my favorites, Thorougbred Turqoise, Royal Pain, Ruby Red, Winter Wonderland and many, many more. They are so pretty!

I have so many hairstyle ideas I can’t wait to show you, and here are some of my ideas:

Rainbow braid
Plaited tail with white and turqiouse flowers in it
Pink flowers in Batman’s loose mane
Unicorn-style with messy hair and forelock, with silver flowers, white flowers and vy leaves
Fire-tail with red, yellow and orange flowers

… and many, many more!

Get creative with your horse too, order your flowers from www.fleuracheval.com ❤ The flower clips are super easy to attach, they will stay on no matter what, and are hand made. It only takes a minute to attach 10 flowers, so have fun and get your horse ready for a photoshoot! Fleur À Cheval is the brand behind the original, handcrafted floral accessories for equestrians & horses, and I am proud to have been working with them since June 2016.

Peace, love and Friesian hugs,
Batman & Matilde

25. July, 2017 0 comment

Materialism & Tack

Centaura fluespray ─ a summer must have for horse owners

Post sponsored by Nordic Horse Equipment

The last four weeks, I have tested the Centaura fluespray from Nordic Horse Equipment. This is Batman’s first summer in the forest, and ticks is a larger problem this year than it has been before. I moved Batman to a 24 acre turnout last year, and he spend lots of time in the dense forest, together with all the bugs living there … I found a tick on Batman in May, and almost freaked out. It was the first tick I have seen on Batman ever! Ew!

Also, horseflies, bugs and other buzzy nastiness is definitely something Batman can live without.

I apply the product every time I’m in the stable, and Batman is definitely less bothered with bugs! I have not seen any ticks since I started spraying him with Centaura on a regular basis, and it seems highly effective against horseflies, mosquitoes and flies. This is definitely on the must have list in my “stable pharmacy”! I use the product on his body, head and especially on the inside of the hindlegs. So now I’m grateful he can relax during a bug-free summer!

Er du i Norge? Akkurat nå får du to Centaura beskyttelsesmiddel for 399,- hos Nordic Horse Equipment. De har rask levering og super service.

Peace, love and Friesian hugs,
Batman & Matilde

22. June, 2017 0 comment

Materialism & Tack

One month with my Scharf dream helmet

Helmet proudly sponsored by Scharf Norway – thank you so much!

It is almost a month since I got my new Scharf-helmet, and I could not have been happier with it! The helmet is everything I could wish for and more. So far, I have worn the helmet during:

– A ride down Karl Johan Street in Oslo city
– During Oslo Middelalderfestival
– On a polo training
– During several hacks in the forest
– During photoshoots with Bat
– During mounted archery with Bat
– During a action filled hack on Prinsen

So yeah, I have basically tested the helmet in many different situations already, and all sorts of weather too. And I ADORE IT! I will never have anything else than Scharf in the future, and I will actually bring it with me to Spain this week; I can’t think of wearing an uncomfortable helmet ever again! Never! The point of no return, hahah! So I will travel with less clothes, and make space for the helmet. If it won’t fit in my suitcase I will literally wear it on the plane. End of story.

I love putting it carefully back in its bag after each ride, I love taking selfies with it during rides and I love the feeling of not feeling my helmet when I prepare for a hack. So yep, this was a very clever choice.

Here’s a summary after riding with Scharf for (almost) a month. And keep in mind that the helmet is sponsored, but my opinion is, of course not. ;)

What do you think about the design?
I still like the design and the helmet’s elegant shape. I have a small head and many helmets looks to big for me, but the Scharf number 9 looks pretty! The helmet looks exclusive and I feel great with it on! The main reason why I did not buy a fancier helmet earlier, was because I was worried about how they would look on. I felt like a “mushroom” when I tried on some different kinds of dressage helmets, and because we take thousands of photos of me riding, it was extra important to be comfortable in both my clothes and safety equipment. I wear it every single day!

How does it feel in use?
Excellent, which means that I can barely feel it. I don’t notice the helmet while I’m riding, the weight is very light. I struggle with neck pain, and wearing my old, heavy helmet might actually have influenced my entire body. It is easier to relax in my upper body with my Scharf-helmet, and it is great to feel “light” while riding. Even in the sunny summer weather with high temperatures, I feel comfortable.

Anything you would like to improve?
I can only think of one thing and that’s the strap! Because the helmet is adjustable, the strap is also long enough for riders with a different head shape than I have. It is “too much strap” left after I fasten it, so I wrap it up. But that’s it, really ..

How well does it fit in movement?
I can trot, canter, run and play with Batman and go for off road hacks without any problems.

What function is the most important you have discovered so far?
The possibility to adjust the size! My hair is curly (it is basically wool) and when it is damp outside, it gets even curlier, so I basically have more hair under the helmet than I have when it all hang down and is smoother. So after washing and combing it, I actually have to adjust it, just one small step. This function is very helpful and I can make sure it fits me perfectly before every single ride. Also, when my friends borrow the helmet, they can adjust it within seconds, and voila, you have a perfectly safe solution to the “find a helmet that nearly fits” when friends wanna go for a ride-problem. My old helmet was never a match for any of my friend’s heads!

Thank you so much dear Lisa for the gorgeous photos!

Peace, love and Friesian hugs,
Batman & Matilde

Want a Scharf-helmet?

Scharf Norway’s web site 🖤 Scharf Norway on Facebook 🖤 Scharf Norway on Instagram

12. June, 2017 0 comment

Materialism & Tack

My dream helmet from Scharf is finally here!

Helmet proudly sponsored by Scharf Norway – thank you so much!

.. and it looks amazing! It is a SCHARF number 9 and it is timeless, elegant, yet a bit fancier than my former helmets. I have actually used the same type of helmet since 2007, a very basic one. It has been a great helmet, absolutely, but only because I got so used to being very warm and sweaty during summer. I also got used to having the choice between a little bit too big or a little bit too small for my head. I did not really think about what difference a helmet would make, it was always uncomfortable the first minutes, and then I forgot about it. I have had around 5 of these through the years, and all of them have been black or grey. I was not really interested in trying other helmets either, and was okay with the one I had.

It was not until I visited Eva in April, I realized how comfortable helmets actually can be in 2017!!! WOW!

Eva’s helmet was super light, it weighed half as much as mine do, and I did not really notice it at all. It was also adjustable, so it fit me perfectly.

So when I got back home, I decided it was time for me to try something new … I think many modern helmets look a bit too much like bicycle helmets, and I wanted something with a classical look. I’m a dressage rider after all, believe it or not. Scharf’s basic helmets looked perfect, and they are even specially made for Scandinavian heads! The choice ended up to be between these two, and I went for the right one, with suede leather on the side.

My new Scharf helmet is quite plain, yet with so many gorgeous details! Everything from the seams to the silver details and cooling vents, it is not difficult to see that this helmet is high quality craftsmanship and excellent design. If you want bling, lacquer, logos or flags, you can literally design your own Scharf dream helmet, and everything is hand made. Here are some of the different helmets:

My biggest issue with my former helmet has been the inner lining, not possible to remove or wash, it made it tricky to check the helmet for any cracks or weak spots, and when a mouse decided to start living inside it, I had to throw the entire helmet away. It was also impossible to wash it, so I washed my hair instead … 3 years old sweat is not really what you want to have on your head.

The new Scharf helmet has a washable Coolmax head liner, and that comes in handy during summer for sure! The lining will transport sweat away from your head. The helmets are also adjustable, so you will get the perfect fit. My helmet is in S/M, 53-57, and it suits me really well. The helmet is designed in Denmark, and is very light, for optimal comfort. The silver piping is reflective, so you are visible in the dark.

The Scharf helmets are made in collaboration with the acknowledged company Aegis Helmets. Aegis Helmets focus on excellent design, fabrication and advanced technology. In 1992, Aegis invented the In-Mold technology and therefore, they currently have most knowledge of all helmet manufacturers when it comes to molding and plastic/foam-injections.

All of the helmet are of course approved. (VG1 31.040 2014-12, CE, ASTM1163-4a SEI marked, and approved for BD, BSJ, BE, BRC and PC)

Enough text, let me show you some photos of my gorgeous, new helmet! What do you think?!

Peace, love and Friesian hugs,
Batman & Matilde