May 16, 2014

Fly Bonnets

Speak to me of fly bonnets.

Connor's "perm".  It stays for about a week after every show.

I'm considering getting one for the first time for a very functional reason.  Connor continues to toss his head every once in a while in response to his mane touching his ears, or as in the case at Penny Oaks, when we were riding into some very strong winds.  If I had ears that swiveled, I would deal with that problem by, y'know, swiveling them.  But that's me, not my pony.

Hehehe, I wish his forelock was permed all the time.

What are your favorite brands?  Anything to stay away from?  Is there much of a wear difference between cheap ones and more expensive ones? T Myers, I'm looking at you, I seem to remember that you are a connoisseur.

The only thing I do not want is fringe.  No thank you.

Fire away!


  1. I have never ridden a horse in the Spring/Summer/Fall without one!! I have a plain black/white crocheted bonnet that looks great on Rory. Those little gnats can't get into his ears and make him crazy that way.Totally a must have! Here are some:

  2. There is a tack store out here that has great ones- I can pick something up for Connor if you want and if you don't like it I can always return it


    I really love these if you can find a color you like. They have the stretchy lycra ears, which I like better than cotton and they are very quality construction at a reasonable price.

    I also have one that I got custom from smartpak. I think it was $25 at the time, but now they're $35? Anyways. It's ok. It does the job, but it isn't as well put together.

    Beyond that, even I can't deal with spending $50+ on a bonnet. It may be pretty and useful, but it's a crochet doily.

  4. I've just been eyeing them thinking i may try one. SO basically I'm going to lurk and see which people recommend.

  5. I got one of the dumb looking $5 ones from Dover with the tassels and took the tassels off. It was really easy and I thought it looked cute after I hand stitched on some piping.

  6. I want to put one on Mystic SO bad (mostly because I think it would be adorable), but they dont fit him :(

  7. Oh-ho, my dear girl. It just so happens that I posted this on my FB last night. I think Connor and Bobby should sport matching ones:

  8. My very favorite is FireFly Custom Bonnets... she has an Etsy store. Her prices start around $50 and she does really fantastic work - better than the ones that are twice as expensive. I've bought more than I care to admit from her! She can do just about anything you can imagine, from super tame to really "out there". Plus she will make them to custom measurements if you have a horse with a hard to fit head.

  9. Shoot I thought I had replied to this - went back to check and see what others had added and didn't see my comment!

    Here's the gist: I would love to use one on Tristan. He gets head-shakey when we're out and about and he gets flies into his ears. However, I think fit is really important. When he shakes his head really hard, it flies right off, no matter how tightly I've tied it down, whether it's underneath his bridle, etc. So the cheap-o one I have right now that I bought at a random tack store is not doing the job. I wonder if a more expensive or custom one might make a difference. It doesn't really *seem* like Tristan's is a bad fit - but it clearly is!

  10. Pessoa ear bonnets! They come in COB SIZE, which is a godsend for large pony owners. The ears are stretchy, they have no fringe, are nicely made, plus sparkles. Get one.