tack


Shorten your reins! I’ve heard that my entire riding life. On the most basic level, your hands hold onto the reins, the reins attach to the bit in the horse’s mouth, and how you move that bit tells the horse what you want them to do. Turn left. Turn right. […]

Shorten Your Reins


It’s that time of year. Your significant other is in search of a gift for you. Not just any gift. A romantic gift. Despite the fact that Steve and I have been together for about 30 years, he still gets stressed out when February rolls around. I assure him that […]

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Horse Women


If you have a horse, you accumulate a lot of gear. I have a cubby at the boarding barn, but that’s not enough storage for the not-in-use blankets, sheets, extra fly masks, bits, boots, grooming tools, etc. etc. Those are kept tucked away in trunks and other containers in my […]

Garage Saddle Storage



I’m not one of those matchy-matchy people who color-coordinate polo wraps, saddle pad and ear bonnet. BUT. What’s wrong with this picture?   My jumping saddle is brown. Brown leathers. Brown girth. BLACK bridle.   That is a dressage bridle. Soft, high-grade leather. Ergonomic. Custom browband that was a gift […]

Matchy-matchy


I recently had a master fitter come out to look at Tonka’s saddle. Saddles are stuffed (flocked) with wool, and even the perfect saddle needs to be checked yearly because the wool compacts, your horse changes shape, things happen. Nancy Shedrick pronounced my saddle to be exactly the right one […]

I Need A New Saddle


In my quest to keep Tonka comfortable under saddle, I’ve been taking second looks at my routine and my gear. (Read about why I changed his bit here.) Some things I do as a matter of rote. I’ve used the same style and brand of girth for the last five […]

Girth Too Tight?



When I purchased Tonka (not quite six years ago), he went in a simple double-jointed snaffle with an oblong bean in the middle. This is considered one of the least intrusive bits that one can use. Tonka didn’t come with tack, so I tried to find a similar bit. After […]

A Change Of Bit