Cob Jockey

I'm going to start going back and occasionally re-reviewing a few of the products I've reviewed in the past. I feel like there's some value in a long-term review from me to see how things hold up over time, since I tend to do a lot of research before I buy something and I keep things I like for a long time.

Up first are the Smartwool Women's Merino Midweight Pattern 1/4 Zip Tops I bought from Riding Warehouse a little over three years ago. Or, more accurately, my mom bought me the black one as a gift and I bought the green one for myself.

I have two of them, and they're the only two shirts I wear to the barn when the temperature is below about 50 degrees, which, I live in Indiana, so that's about 5 months out of the year. So for three winters now, they've been worn 5-6 days a week for five straight months. How have they held up?

The other color I own, the black and white pattern

In short, amazing. They still look new. No stretching, no pilling, and the only damage is one small hole in the arm seam on the back of the green one, from what, I'm not sure. I can't sew, but you can be sure I'm going to find someone to fix that hole for me rather than get rid of it.

I don't wash them much; I don't need to (hello, wool). Even with wearing them nearly daily, they just don't retain smells nor do they get gross like other fabrics do, and I sniff tested them DAILY at home at first because I just couldn't believe that, but it's true. I maybe wash them once every 3-4 weeks on delicate and then dry them on my Sheila Maid. And yes I wash all of my other non-wool clothing regularly like a normal person!

Like all wool products, these shirts do a great job of keeping heat in but letting moisture out, so I'm able to comfortably wear these up to a warmer temperature than I would be able to wear a similarly warm but synthetic fabric. The threshold at which I start to feel hot in Smartwool is much higher than with other shirts. 

From my raccoon hunting expedition, wearing the green one.

Finally, it IS nice to both be warm and feel like I look good at the barn, which is difficult in winter when you just want to bundle up like the Michelin Man. In addition to wearing them to the barn I've sometimes worn them out to dinner with jeans and booties (you know, in the normal times). I love shirts that can pull double duty like this.

December 2018, PC: Austen

I like to put my clothes in terms of cost-per-wear, which saves me from myself when I find a "good deal" on a cheaply made shirt that will only last a couple wears. I paid $90 each for these shirts and I estimate I've worn them collectively about 300 times over the last three years, which puts the cost per wear at about $0.60 right now. I have no doubt these will last at least another few years though, so that figure will continue to go down.

RW no longer carries these exact shirts, but there's nothing equestrian-specific about them. Any Smartwool 250 midweight 1/4 zip Merino base layer will be the same product, such as this one from REI:

This color is calling my name, but I have absolutely no reason to own more than 2 of these.

Bottom line: After three years of daily winter use, I can wholeheartedly continue to endorse these as a great buy for both riding and looking good in the cold. They're not cheap, but very worth the price since I've proven they will definitely hold up over the years.

What: Smartwool Women's Merino Midweight 1/4 Zip Top

Price: I paid $90 three years ago, and it looks like they're still roughly around that $90-100 price point.

Sizes: XS-XL. You may want to consider sizing up one size if you're not into super fitted stuff. For reference, I'm 5'1 and 115lbs with a 32DD chest and I normally wear an XS in everything, but RW chose not to carry that size so I ended up with size smalls, which are perfect. The small is plenty fitted enough to flatter my figure, plus allows me to wear my very thick UA 4.0 underneath when I need to. 

Where: Smartwool.com or any sporting goods store that carries it, such as REI

Disclaimer: Bought these myself, paid for these myself, opinions are, as always, my own.

I wanted to do an update post to some gear reviews I did earlier this winter, specifically on winter shirts.

Update #1: SmartWool Women's Merino Midweight Pattern 1/4 Zip Top


These shirts have been AMAZING.  Both of them still look brand new despite being worn constantly all winter.  I've worn them hiking, shopping, to the barn, to the bar, to watch TV on the couch...you get the idea.

I wore them for nearly every ride all winter long, and only washed them once every couple of weeks.  Even that was probably overkill, wool just doesn't hold onto smells the way other fabrics do, and is reportedly "naturally antibacterial and stain resistant".

(I mean seriously, my husband is the first one to complain if I don't change out of my barn clothes fast enough, and he didn't notice these shirts smelling once all winter, and many times I wore them from the barn straight to sitting next to him at the bar.)

In summary, these were worth every penny!  The black one is still available at RW on clearance in L and XL for $79, but any mid-weight SmartWool will perform just as well I would think.

Update #2: Ariat Ladies' Gridwork 1/2 Zip Top

This shirt...sigh.

Photo from my original review

This shirt has not worn well at all, and despite the fact that I love the way it looks, I cannot recommend anyone buy it unless you get it on super sale.  I've followed the washing/drying instructions perfectly, and even still the fabric on both sides of the hands pilled significantly within a month of getting the shirt.


There are also threads coming out of it at various places.  It just feels cheaply made and like it was meant to last a single season - which is not okay especially for the price point. It stings even more when my only other expensive winter shirts, the SmartWool ones, still look brand new and seem like they'll last a lifetime.

I took these photos in December, so this is only 6-8 weeks worth of wear:


I left a negative review on Dover's website about it, and to their credit they did reach out to me and ask if they could make it right, and I said don't bother.  It's just a poor quality product, more Ariat's fault than Dover's, but I appreciated them reaching out all the same.

Time for a contest!

In honor of National Dressage Pony Cup being this week, Majyk Equipe and Riding Warehouse have agreed to sponsor a contest, and the prizes are amazing.  First, the goods:

Prize #1: a complete front and hind set of medium sized generation 2 Majyk Equipe XC boots.  No worries if you're not an eventer, they're great for flatting too (just ask Amanda, who schools all three phases in hers!)  Check out my review of them here and here.

Fronts

Hinds

Prize #2: an amazing prize pack from Riding Warehouse!  They really outdid themselves.  The prize pack contains:

• A Riding Warehouse reusable shopping bag
• A $25 RW gift card
• A container of Uncle Jimmy's Squeezy Buns horse treats
• A 12 pack of tack sponges
• A Mrs. Conn's Bath Day Shampoo Sponge
• A jar of Higher Standards Leather Care saddle soap, Fox's Lavender Vanilla scent
• A pair of RW boot socks
• A RW t-shirt (and can we talk about how the new RW shirts are Next Level brand? My husband won't wear anything else, they're super soft and break in even softer over time)
• A RW sticker
• A blue "magic brush"
• RW vanilla lip balm
• A 20% off coupon to RW (not pictured)

"Seriously, I'm not a Haflinger guys."

A while back, after my review of the generation 2 Majyk Equipe Dressage boots, Bev reached out to me to apologize that they won't be making or selling them in smalls anymore, and to offer to send me a pair of the old generation 1 smalls that they had "sitting around".  

I use them for pretty much every ride unless they're in the laundry.

This is after a ride, pre-wash.  You gotta admit they look pretty good for two year old white schooling boots.

I needed something for scale and the closest thing to me was a handle of Tito's.  I realize now that this is a terrible scale photo, oh well.  Trust me, they're T-I-N-Y.