Over the past few years, I've become a bit of a belt freak. I have to stop at every belt rack, tack store or not, to find the best wide belts to fit my belt loops for schooling and shows. Now, I wear belts every day, with every pair of pants, so I am pretty rough on all of my belts. My favorite belt, the "trainer" buckle I got for Christmas from the Makeover, has taken quite the beating from it's daily use (not the buckle, just the leather belt). So when I started casually looking for a new belt for show season, C4 Belts started popping up everywhere I looked.
I'm so excited for C4 because that's what they seem to be doing in every facet of their market. Just a few days ago, they posted a picture of members of OutKast sporting their belts! They have sponsorships with eventers, surfers, musicians, pop culture icons, you name it, they probably know someone, and with good reason.
With a huge expanse of bright, fun colors, there's something to coordinate with every outfit. The buckles are interchangeable, too, so you can buy infinite combinations to match anything and everything. They even have a "randomize" option which I totally recommend. I dare you to find a combination that doesn't look great. The belts themselves are made from "Thermoplastic Elastomer" plastic, so they are waterproof, washable, stretch-proof and won't dye your white dressage pants! They're even recyclable, (but if you ever want to get rid of one, just lemme know, I'll take them off your hands). Perhaps the coolest part about the belts themselves is that their size is 100% customizable. You just remove the buckle, cut the end with no holes to the desired length, and put the buckle back on! Even I could figure it out.
I've seen a lot of eventers purchase the belts as grab straps, or as I like to call them "oh sh*t straps". I think it's an awesome idea. The bright colors will coordinate with XC colors, and they wont get "lost" the way leather straps do on darker horses.
C4 might seem like a strange name for a belt company, feeling more at home on an explosives label, but the name has solid backing. "Choose your Color, Choose your Cause" is the company slogan (Get it? There are 4 C's, C 4?). At least 10% of the proceeds from every belt sold goes to a charity of your choice! The four charities to choose from right now are the Boys and Girls Club of America, Captain Planet Foundation, Human Rights Campaign, and Best Friends Animal Society.
So not only are you doing yourself a favor by buying a C4 Belt, you're also helping an organization that can always use the financial help
I really hope I can turn more people on to these belts. (I don't get anything from it, so I'm genuinely supporting this brand.) Good luck shopping! And if you buy one, post it on Instagram and tag both C4 (@c4belts) and me (@nicolebarbye) so we can check it out!
