Over the years synthetic horse tack has become a very strong competitor to leather in various equestrian disciplines. Leather looks good and smells nice, but producing and maintaining it is time-consuming and expensive. Leather can also be heavy. Synthetic tack, on the other hand, eliminates all these disadvantages. It's strong yet soft and flexible, light in weight, incredibly easy to clean, and extremely durable. Moreover, the quality of synthetic materials has improved significantly and today there are countless options for synthetic horse tack on the market but make sure you know what you are buying.

Have you ever wondered what's inside your horse tack?

The combination of fibres creating the webbing determines the strength of your tack. It influences not only the look and feel, but also its resistance to cuts, abrasions, dirt, chemicals, and moisture such as water and sweat, as well as its reaction to cold, heat, and sunlight.

Early this year, Zilco carried out an in-house eye tear test between a Zilco bridle and one of our competitors. Alarmingly, our competitor’s bridle broke at a force of just 38kg, in comparison to the Zilco bridle with a hole torn at 184kg.

The test shows how constant pressures weaken the fibres inside the material causing them to become unsafe.

Would you feed your horse poor-quality food? The answer is simple, no, you wouldn’t. You want your horse to be healthy and fit. The same applies to horse tack. So why should you choose Zilco?

Because Zilco material features a tightly woven polyester webbing core which offers strength like no other. It has a great look, and the high-quality stainless-steel fittings prevent corrosion when in contact with horse sweat. Designed for everyday use and minimal maintenance by both professionals and recreational users. Extremely flexible over a large temperature range; last but not least, warm soapy water is all you need to keep the horse tack in optimum conditions.

So, next time you buy horse gear, think about quality and safety over price!